The books kids read these days are mostly fiction that doesn’t have good information to use in your everyday life. In the book Monster, it showed the consequences of making bad decisions and going to jail. Violence and Fear are some topics that formed the book. I personally chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to read. Critics have said that Monster is very informational about life in jail. The fear factors, violence, and journal entries from the book. I would recommend this book because it gives people a perspective of what happens in jail. This drama was written by Walter Dean Myers and was published in 1999. The fear factors, violence, and journal entries make this book realistic and are why I would recommend this book.
Steve Harmon is a sixteen year old boy who is on trial for murder after he is accused of being a lookout for two men who commit a crime at a Harlem drugstore and kill the store owner. The story is told from Steve’s point of view in the form of a screenplay and journal entries he writes to keep himself sane when he faces the trial and the possibility of being in prison the rest of his life. During the trial, Mrs. Petrocelli, the prosecutor, calls a 14 year-old boy to the stand named Osvaldo Cruz. He tells the court all the details in the crime such as what the strategy was for the robbery and who took part in it. Osvaldo tells Mrs. Petrocelli that Bobo Evans, James King, and Steve Harmon were involved in the robbery. According to Cruz, the plan was that Steve would go in the drugstore, and make sure the coast was clear, and then after that King and Bobo could go in and do what they needed to do. After King and Bobo robbed Mr. Nesbitt, the store owner, Osvaldo’s job was to slow down anyone ...
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...y believed that he was innocent. In the courtroom, Steve saw his dad crying. When seeing this, Steve was scared that his dad thought he was a monster just like everyone else (204). Steve was also scared of inmates trying to have a conversation with him. In the courtroom, Steve was afraid of James talking to him because he knew he was going to pressure him into doing something he didn’t want to do, which is exactly what he did (207).
This book just goes to show that not only can your actions get you into a bad place like jail, but being in the wrong place at the wrong time can get you arrested also. I would definitely recommend this book to someone to educate them on some of the bad things that happen in the world. I would especially recommend this book to people that are going down the wrong path in life just to warn them about where their actions can take them.
For my book talk assignment I read a realistic fiction novel named “Monster” by Walter Dean Myers.
One of the women from the book, Carolyn Ann Davis, was convicted for Larceny by embezzlement. While reading the book she tells the awful tale of her childhood. Carolyn grew up poor which caused problems for her family, by not being able to pay bills and many other
I enjoyed that the book challenged some of the biggest problems in our legal system, or even society as a whole. There is still a lot of racism going on, and this book was not afraid to exploit that. I enjoy those kinds of readings. They are the things that will eventually spark a change and shed some light on the problems that are happening right now.
If my life had no purpose, no individuality, and no happiness, I would not want to live. This book teaches the importance of self expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
The verdict of Steve Harmon was found not guilty. Throughout the story, Steve had eyebrow-raising opinions and thoughts about his case. This can lead the reader to believe that Steve is guilty. The number one reason that can lead
The theme developed in this book is so important. Even if the event that happens to you isn’t to the same extent as what happened to Melinda, it’s still so important to reach out and ask for help. I think that the events in this book could easily happen to someone and it is such a simple book to relate too. So many people go throughout their days thinking that they are alone and have no one to go too, but that’s so wrong and this book shows that there are some situations you don’t have to handle on your
After hearing a brief description of the story you might think that there aren’t many good things about they story. However, this is false, there are many good things in this book that makes it a good read. First being that it is a very intriguing book. This is good for teenage readers because often times they don’t willingly want to read, and this story will force the teenage or any reader to continue the book and continue reading the series. Secondly, this is a “good” book because it has a good balance of violence. This is a good thing because it provides readers with an exciting read. We hear and even see violence in our everyday life and I believe that it is something teenagers should be exposed to. This book gives children an insig...
Young black boy, Jefferson, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was in a bar with two friends when they murdered the white bartender. Jefferson was unfairly convicted of murder and sentenced to the electric chair by a white judge and jury. His defense lawyer, in an attempt to avoid the death sentence, labeled him a "hog”. It was this label that Jefferson's godmother wants disproved. She enlisted the help of a school teacher, Grant Wiggins, who at first wasn’t too kind for the idea of helping a crook. Grant agrees to talk with Jefferson only out of a sense of duty. Due to all the humiliation at the hands of the white sheriff, Jefferson's lack of cooperation, and his own sense of unsure faith, Grant forges a bond with Jefferson that leads to wisdom and courage for both. At first, Jefferson saw himself as a hog, and nothing but a hog.
Monster joined his “set”, which is how the Crips are split up and named based on location, when he was eleven. Still a child, he was thrown into a world of complete madness and thoughtless violence where people were murdered for just being on a street they were not welcomed. This is how Monster fits into the cycle of violence theory. The cycle of violence theory suggests that children that are exposed to violence at a young age are more likely to be violent when they are older ( Violence: The Enduring Problem 48). This is a direct result that if a child reg...
Peter Brooks' essay "What Is a Monster" tackles many complex ideas within Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the main concept that is the title of the essay itself. What is the definition of a monster, or to be monstrous? Is a monster the classic representation we know, green skin, neck bolts, grunting and groaning? A cartoon wishing to deliver sugary cereal? or someone we dislike so greatly their qualities invade our language and affect our interpretation of their image and physical being? Brooks' essay approaches this question by using Shelley's narrative structure to examine how language, not nature, is mainly accountable for creating the idea of the monstrous body.
After reading the book I have gained a new understanding of what inmates think about in prison. Working in an institution, I have a certain cynical attitude at times with inmates and their requests. Working in a reception facility, this is a facility where inmates are brought in from the county jails to the state intake facility, we deal with a lot of requests and questions. At times, with the phone ringing off the hook from family members and inmates with their prison request forms, you get a little cynical and tired of answering the same questions over and over. As I read the book I begin to understand some of the reason for the questions. Inmate(s) now realize that the officers and administrative personnel are in control of their lives. They dictate with to get up in the morning, take showers, eat meals, go to classes, the need see people for different reason, when to exercise and when to go to bed. The lost of control over their lives is a new experience for some and they would like to be able to adjust to this new lost of freedom. Upon understanding this and in reading the book, I am not as cynical as I have been and try to be more patient in answering questions. So in a way I have changed some of my thinking and understanding more of prison life.
Steve Harmon is guilty of felony murder because he participated and had knowledge about a crime that ended up in the death of an innocent citizen. The judge stated the if you believe that Steve harmon took part in the crime than you must return a verdict of guilty. I believe that Steve went into the drugstore on that day for the purpose of being a lookout. Some of Steve’s journal entry’s lead to him feeling guilty or like a “monster”.
... believed in the innocence of the young man and convinced the others to view the evidence and examine the true events that occurred. He struggled with the other jurors because he became the deviant one in the group, not willing to follow along with the rest. His reasoning and his need to examine things prevailed because one by one, the jurors started to see his perspective and they voted not guilty. Some jurors were not convinced, no matter how much evidence was there, especially Juror #3. His issues with his son affected his decision-making but in the end, he only examined the evidence and concluded that the young man was not guilty.
Monster is an example of what Patty Campbell would call a “landmark book.” Texts such as these “encourage readers to interact with the text and with one another by employing a variety of devices, among them ambiguity” (Campbell 1) Because it is told through the eyes of Steve himself, the plot can be difficult to decipher. It is ambiguous whether he is innocent or guilty of being involved with the crime. Steve learned to make things unpredictable from his film teacher Mr. Sawicki who teaches him, “If you make your film predictable, they’ll make up their minds about it long before it’s over” (19). Steve took his teacher’s advice and made this film script entirely unpredictable, even after it is over. His lawyer, O’Brien, says in her closing statement, “What can we trace as to the guilt or innocence of my client, Steve Harmon?” (245) This leaves the jury with an undoubtedly difficult decision, as well as the reader, because there are clues to both guilt and innocence in Steve’s case.
This book gave me more insight to the inmate’s mentality correlating to the prison structure. While taking