Summer Reading

SUMMER READING RESPONSE

Book: Contemporary
Title: The Hunger Games Series
Author: Susan Collins

Choose a character and explain how the character changes throughout the story. What causes the change? What lessons does the character learn?
Peeta, the son of a baker, has changed the most throughout the story in The Hunger Games Series. From the beginning of the story, Peeta is a shy and closed guy, who is always afraid to say his own feelings and words, “Well, there is this one girl. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I’m pretty sure she didn’t know I was alive until the reaping.” However, after all the incidents throughout the game, Peeta finally knows how to express his feelings, to the girl he likes, and to himself as well, that he is stronger and trust-worthier than anyone else, “Only keep wishing I could show the Capitol that they don't own me. That I am more than just a piece in there game. If I am going to die I still want to be me.”
Peeta has learned that playing safe is not always a good option. Sometimes, he has to stand up for people he loves, as a guy, not a coward who always chooses to play safe and hide behind others’ backs.

If you had to persuade someone else to read this book, what would you say? Without revealing the resolution, write enough about this book to make someone else want to read it.
If I had to persuade someone else to read this book, I would introduce this book as the best book I have ever read. It expresses all perspectives about life, family, and love. It shows that people can be strong and sacrifice their own goods to protect what they love. Several characters in the book also manage to change due to internal conflicts within themselves, whether to be selfish and be safe, or step up for others, as well as themselves. The series gives the readers a great experience about fictional story, but realistic feelings.

What is one conflict in the story? How was the conflict resolved? What might have happened if the conflict was not resolved?
There are a lot of conflicts in the story, external as well as internal. However, the main conflict is between Katniss, Peeta and the government. Making entertaining as an excuse, however, the real intention of the Capitol when starting the Hunger Game was to keep all the districts under control as punishment and reminder for what happened with District 13. The conflict was resolved when Katniss and Peeta were the only two survivals, and they rebelled so the Capitol had to change to rules of the game. Katniss and Peeta had proved to all the districts that the Capitol was not infallible and cannot control everything the way they wanted.
If the conflict was not solved, then Katniss and Peeta had to fight against each other until there was only one survival; or they both would die since the love they shared was deep and neither one of them want to kill the other. Also that would blow off the fire within all the districts since they would know that everything was in the hand of the Capitol, and the people would eventually unconditionally obey the government.
Book: Non-fiction
Title: Harriet Jacobs: Life of a Slave Girl
Author: Harriet Jacobs

Make a connection between a real world issue and an issue discussed in your text. Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Human trafficking, including women and children, for any purpose (sex, forced labor, extraction of organs or tissues) is just similar to the slavery that is discussed in the book. Even though back then, slavery was legalized, however, nowadays, human trafficking is a crime that needed to be stopped. “Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader! You never knew what it is to be a slave; to be entirely unprotected by law or custom; to have the laws reduce you to the condition of a chattel, entirely subject to the will of another.” Human trafficking is just simply a modern version of slavery; both are global criminal issues that destroy people’s lives, as well as a country’s face.

What kind of language does the author use? How does the choice of language communicate the author’s message? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
The author makes a choice of using formal language but straightforward and directing toward the readers. By using that method, Jacobs creates a feeling that she is talking to the readers, “Reader, did you ever hate? I hope not.” frankly enough to make the readers feel about her life, to get the readers have a real and clear picture about what happened in her life. The author draws the readers into the story and makes her experience relevant to our own.

Who is the audience for this book? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
For Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs addresses the indifferent White people, as her readers. “In view of these things, why are ye silent, ye free men and women of the north? Why do your tongues falter in maintenance of the right?” The author directly and frankly talks to the readers how horrible her life was as a slave, and she encourages antislavery movements because she has lived the life.

Book: Classics
Title: The Outsiders
Author: SE Hilton

Choose a character and explain how the character changes throughout the story. What causes the change? What lessons does the character learn?
The novel The Outsiders can be viewed as an account of Ponyboy’s development or changes. As a teenager, Ponyboy is old enough to have his own point of view about certain things and people he meets in his daily life. However, throughout the book, Ponyboy is still in his process of maturing and of course, he learns and changes his conceptions of people. He used to dislike the Socs, but in the end, he realizes that everyone has their own problems and at some points in some ways, those rich kids in the Socs are pretty much similar to the greasers, and Ponyboy.

Discuss the creative techniques the author used to make the story more effective. Explain how these techniques helped or interfered with your understand of the story.
Ponyboy, the main character in The Outsiders, sees himself as a character and also a narrator. He is, as a character, growing, learning, and changing throughout the story; as a narrator, accounting those events to lead the readers through the novel to understand his life, and his story. This technique of SE Hilton has given me a refreshing feeling, because it is unique and realistic that the character being able to recognize himself that he is changing and also telling those changes out to others. It also helps me understand the story better because it is clear that both Ponyboy and I have the same way of thinking about the problem, and I also changed my concept of people along with Ponyboy.

If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be? Why would you change it? How would you change it?
If I could change one thing in the book, I would change the way of thinking about social class of Cherry Valance. Cherry is a good girl, however, she cannot go out of the old concept about the rich and poor, so she cannot free herself from the group and do what she wants to do. If I could change the story, I would make Cherry more confident and say hello to Ponyboy at school. She would also express her attraction to the other group and give a hand to help people cross over the line of social division.

Book: Contemporary
Title: Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini

How is a character in your book similar or different to a character in another book, movie or someone you know? Explain how the two characters are similar and/or how they are different.
Hassan, one of the main characters in Kite Runner, I find, is similar to Hans Hubermann, Liesel’s foster father in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. They are both representatives of innocence, royal, kindness, and sacrifice. In Kite Runner, Hassan is always happy with what he has, and even though he was abused by Amir, he finds himself a personality of sacrificing for others. By nature, Hassan is not prone to envy, he is royal to Amir until his death. Same as Hans Hubermann, keeping promises is his life. He sacrifices his safety to keep a Jew in his basement; he threw bread to the Jews while they are walking through their town. Kindness is those both characters’ nature and even though they have to die an unhappily death, they are still the symbol of innocence and trustworthy people.

If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be? Why would you change it? How would you change it?
If I could change one thing in the book, I would change the way Baba expresses his feelings towards his son, Amir. Baba strictly follows his way of being a moral adult and forgets that his son needs him as a father and also a life’s teacher. I feel that Baba basically grows a hatred and selfishness in Amir. If I could, I would change Baba to a strict but supportive father who always watches over Amir in silent, yet teach him the right things and lets him know that Amir has a place in his father’s heart.

Choose a character and explain how the character changes throughout the story. What causes the change? What lessons does the character learn?
Amir, the main character of the book, has changed the most throughout his life. He was a selfish and competitive young boy, due to his cold father. Amir wanted to prove himself to his father that he did not hesitate to harm people who he was envious of. However, in the end, Amir learned to redeem his true self, finally be relief over all of his guilt, thanks to the appearance of Sohrab. He learned that sacrificing others’ happiness cannot bring himself a smile from the bottom of his heart. Amir paid up by living with his guilt until he learned how to change, how to find his true way to love and to be loved again.

Book: Contemporary
Title: Fallen Angels
Author: Walter Dean Meyers

How is a character in your book similar or different to a character in another book, movie or someone you know? Explain how the two characters are similar and/or how they are different.
In Fallen Angels, Richie Perry is pretty much similar to the main character in The Book Thief, Liesel. Both Richie and Liesel have to grow up in an unfamiliar environment: Liesel’s mother gave her away for her own good, and Richie joined the army and moved to Vietnam to escape from his family. They are the same because they grow up with unsatisfied questions within themselves. Living in a different environment, with different people and point of view, everyone has doubts and questions. However, to live up with those questions until they can find the answers they are satisfied of, grow up and change without them noticing about, I think there are only Richie and Liesel can do it.

If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be? Why would you change it? How would you change it?
If I could change one thing in the book, I would change the movie obsession of Lobel. I do not oppose his interest in movie, and how he sees things in a cinematographic way to help himself become more confident in reality. However, personally I do not think that way effectively works, because running away from a problem does not solve it. It, on the contrary, turns Lobel to a coward who cannot face the reality himself. If I could, I would change the way Lobel use movies to take part in his life. He can use movies as an example to solve problems, not to escape from them and live in movies.

What is one theme (central message) of the novel? Support your answer with three pieces of textual evidence, one from the beginning, middle, and end.
As the readers can tell about the title of the novel, the theme of Fallen Angels is the loss of innocence. In the beginning of the book, Lieutenant Carroll, the leader of Richie’s platoon, refers ““My father used to call all soldiers angel warriors,” he said. “Because usually they get boys to fight wars. Most of you aren’t old enough to vote yet.”” To Carroll, the soldiers are angels because they are still too young and innocent, and they do whatever the leaders say without questioning or rebelling. Throughout the book, the war quickly changes the soldiers and forces them to become young men. “It seemed to be what the war was about. Hours of boredom, seconds of terror.” The death, the horror of war, the harsh reality matures the young boys and eventually takes away these soldiers’ innocence. By the end of the novel, these soldiers fully understand their childish and simplistic notions about the world, to escape them from reality, cannot conform them anymore. “…she would expect me to be the same person, but it could never happen. She hadn’t been to Nam. She hadn’t given her poncho to anybody to wrap a body in, or stepped over a dying kid.” War loses people’s innocence. War changes people.