When Christopher is uncomfortable or doesn't understand something in a situation, he just walks away. Let's talk about that concept.
I have had a lot of experience with people that run away from their problems. Nowadays, society has taught us that walking away from an uncomfortable or confusing situation is the best way to deal with it. Hiding behind our technology is another way to deal with this, avoid confrontation at all cost. But we aren't dealing with these things, we are running away. We aren't learning anything about how to handle life.
Ultimately, running away is not the solution. It doesn't solve anything. It prolongs everything. If people are upset with each other, and they don't talk about it and try to work it out, their feelings are left to fester. Their relationships break apart because they can't deal with each other, whether they are family, friends, or lovers.
The right thing to do here is to sit down and talk. Communication is key. If things are worked out, the feeling afterwards is not as bad as it could be(if the result is bad). Working it out is the best way to handle things, and if people need space, they get it. They will respect each other more. If a relationship breaks, it should be because nothing else could be done and because it is best for the two people, not out of anger or spite.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Reader Response Journal #4
A big part of the story was about Christopher's Mother. His Father tells him that she has died of a heart attack, although he doesn't get to see his Mother. I knew from the start that there was something fishy about that whole situation. So eventually Christopher figures out that his Father has, in fact, lied to him, and his Mother ran away with their neighbour, Mr. Shears.
I thought a lot about this aspect of the story.and how Christopher doesn't really feel sad about his Mothers' "death". To a regular person, this can be very confusing, because we have all had personal experiences with losing loved ones(R.I.P. Abi Kempton & Great Uncle Bruce), and we all know that it hurts, and we feel sad and cannot help but show it. It is so overwhelming that it is impossible to hide, knowing that you will never see that person again. Especially if you were really close with them, like I was with Abi. But with all due respect, it would feel so much worse losing a parent, someone who loved and nurtured you and never left your side unless absolutely necessary. Like for Christopher, one minute his Mother was home and there to love him and hold him(figuratively, because he doesn't like being touched) and the next she was torn away from him. I guess he doesn't understand that he never would have seen her again had she actually died. Maybe he just didn't understand her love for him.
From his Mother's perspective, she has to be very stressed out. When she left, her son didn't write her back. If it were me, I would think that he was upset that she left and never wanted to talk to her. However, because of Mr. Boone's lies, she didn't get in contact with her son until he ran away. As well, her relationship with Mr. Shears sounds stressful. Whenever Christopher is there, he is mean to the poor boy. Mother, I know, feels bad, because he is the man she loves, but Christopher is her son, so she must be torn. As well, she must feel really bad that she cannot hug her own son. She must feel that she is not showing her love for him, because that is how I would feel if I were her.
I can kind of relate to this because my Mom and Stepdad have split up recently, and I know that their relationship was very stressful. But now that I live with just my mom, I can see that she is a lot better off, because she is a lot more laid back etc. The difference though, is that I know my mother would never cheat on anyone, because she is too good of a person to hurt someone like that. Even if she were not happy in a relationship.
I thought a lot about this aspect of the story.and how Christopher doesn't really feel sad about his Mothers' "death". To a regular person, this can be very confusing, because we have all had personal experiences with losing loved ones(R.I.P. Abi Kempton & Great Uncle Bruce), and we all know that it hurts, and we feel sad and cannot help but show it. It is so overwhelming that it is impossible to hide, knowing that you will never see that person again. Especially if you were really close with them, like I was with Abi. But with all due respect, it would feel so much worse losing a parent, someone who loved and nurtured you and never left your side unless absolutely necessary. Like for Christopher, one minute his Mother was home and there to love him and hold him(figuratively, because he doesn't like being touched) and the next she was torn away from him. I guess he doesn't understand that he never would have seen her again had she actually died. Maybe he just didn't understand her love for him.
From his Mother's perspective, she has to be very stressed out. When she left, her son didn't write her back. If it were me, I would think that he was upset that she left and never wanted to talk to her. However, because of Mr. Boone's lies, she didn't get in contact with her son until he ran away. As well, her relationship with Mr. Shears sounds stressful. Whenever Christopher is there, he is mean to the poor boy. Mother, I know, feels bad, because he is the man she loves, but Christopher is her son, so she must be torn. As well, she must feel really bad that she cannot hug her own son. She must feel that she is not showing her love for him, because that is how I would feel if I were her.
I can kind of relate to this because my Mom and Stepdad have split up recently, and I know that their relationship was very stressful. But now that I live with just my mom, I can see that she is a lot better off, because she is a lot more laid back etc. The difference though, is that I know my mother would never cheat on anyone, because she is too good of a person to hurt someone like that. Even if she were not happy in a relationship.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Reader Response Journal #3
Christopher Boone is a very logical thinker. He believes that nothing happens to you after you die, except that you just rot in the ground. However, he does have a good reason to believe this. He does not believe in God because he cannot see God and God is not on earth.
The other day, at my church's youth group, our youth pastor, Ben, talked about different beliefs that people have. He asked one question, " What do you believe in? Whether it be Christianity, Judhism, Hinduism, or reincarnation or whatever your beliefs may be, do you have a good reason?"
This really opened my eyes, because many people believe many different things, and have different opinions. But when you ask someone to tell you why they believe what they do, they can't always tell you why. But when you can tell someone why you believe in something, it really shows how strong their faith is. I find this really inspiring.
As for me, I believe in Christianity, and everything that it entails. I believe this, because Jesus died for us all, because he loved us all and he was all God and all human at the same time, and he wanted to fix our broken relationship with the Lord. I believe in God because of his never ending love. I have had my share of people leaving me, and I know that if everyone in my life leaves, I know the One still remains. I know this because He is my whole heart. He is my life, and I live for Him. He loves me and everyone else in the world equally, even if they don't love Him back, because we are all his creations. I cannot imagine a lofe without Him.
The other day, at my church's youth group, our youth pastor, Ben, talked about different beliefs that people have. He asked one question, " What do you believe in? Whether it be Christianity, Judhism, Hinduism, or reincarnation or whatever your beliefs may be, do you have a good reason?"
This really opened my eyes, because many people believe many different things, and have different opinions. But when you ask someone to tell you why they believe what they do, they can't always tell you why. But when you can tell someone why you believe in something, it really shows how strong their faith is. I find this really inspiring.
As for me, I believe in Christianity, and everything that it entails. I believe this, because Jesus died for us all, because he loved us all and he was all God and all human at the same time, and he wanted to fix our broken relationship with the Lord. I believe in God because of his never ending love. I have had my share of people leaving me, and I know that if everyone in my life leaves, I know the One still remains. I know this because He is my whole heart. He is my life, and I live for Him. He loves me and everyone else in the world equally, even if they don't love Him back, because we are all his creations. I cannot imagine a lofe without Him.
Reader Response Journal #2
Christopher, being a boy with Asperger's, has a hard time reading facial expressions, and the emotions portrayed by facial expressions. He lacks the ability to make good inferences, and can only read an expression if he has already memorized it, or the person he is talking to tells him how he/she feels. Otherwise, Christopher has no idea.
I have noticed throughout the book that not only does he have trouble figuring out someone's emotions, but he really doesn't show much either. For example, when someone in your family dies, you would be sad, right? Especially if it was a parent. I know I would. However, when his Father breaks the news that his Mother has died, he doesn't really seem to notice, or be sad or even miss her. All he wants are the facts. But even though he doesn't show it, I think that he may have been sad. Not a whole lot, but when he knows all the facts he feels better, like a regular person feels better when people hug them and are there to talk to. If it were me, I would be very sad, because I love my mother so much.
He doesn't really react emotionally to the things that would normally make us angry or sad. For example, when he finds out that his Father lied to him about his Mother's death, he just runs away, because he knows he cannot trust his Father anymore. If it were me, and I found out that my Mother left, she didn't die of a heart attack, I would be so mad I wouldn't be able to see straight. Just knowing that my Father would hide a whole bunch of letters and lie to me for a long time would be enough to make me run away and never come back or even look at my Father again.
I have noticed throughout the book that not only does he have trouble figuring out someone's emotions, but he really doesn't show much either. For example, when someone in your family dies, you would be sad, right? Especially if it was a parent. I know I would. However, when his Father breaks the news that his Mother has died, he doesn't really seem to notice, or be sad or even miss her. All he wants are the facts. But even though he doesn't show it, I think that he may have been sad. Not a whole lot, but when he knows all the facts he feels better, like a regular person feels better when people hug them and are there to talk to. If it were me, I would be very sad, because I love my mother so much.
He doesn't really react emotionally to the things that would normally make us angry or sad. For example, when he finds out that his Father lied to him about his Mother's death, he just runs away, because he knows he cannot trust his Father anymore. If it were me, and I found out that my Mother left, she didn't die of a heart attack, I would be so mad I wouldn't be able to see straight. Just knowing that my Father would hide a whole bunch of letters and lie to me for a long time would be enough to make me run away and never come back or even look at my Father again.
The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-time Reader Response Journal #1
While reading this book, I have noticed over and over how Christopher is very observant, and goes about life in a very technical way. He always explains what he means, which makes the book a lot easier to understand. However, when he explains things that are very obvious, this can also get annoying.
An example of him being so observant is the first pragraph of the book. This is the part where he finds the dog and realizes that it must be dead. The way he talks shows he is very logical, because he goes through all of these steps in his head to make sure that the dog really is dead. Also, he notices what time it is. Not a lot of people would do that, because they would be freaking out about the dead dog. But because he lacks the emotional reaction, he is able to notice the little things.
An example that I found of how he always explains what he says is a few pages later. He is talking about how he doesn't like to read regular books, because they confuse him. He quotes a book. Then, at the bottom of the page, there is a footnote that says where the quote came from. Even though this is completely irrelevant to his story, and we don't really need to know it, he still explains. He feels that he must tell the readers, and I think that it is because it makes him feel better.
From this, I learned a bit about how Christopher sees things. In a way, I can relate, because I do pay attention to a lot of details, and I have quite a good memory. I am different from him though, because I don't have, for lack of a better term, a "burning desire" to know ll of the facts and I won't freak out if I don't explain something(because I know what is important when writing a story) and I don't always have to know the time of day.
An example of him being so observant is the first pragraph of the book. This is the part where he finds the dog and realizes that it must be dead. The way he talks shows he is very logical, because he goes through all of these steps in his head to make sure that the dog really is dead. Also, he notices what time it is. Not a lot of people would do that, because they would be freaking out about the dead dog. But because he lacks the emotional reaction, he is able to notice the little things.
An example that I found of how he always explains what he says is a few pages later. He is talking about how he doesn't like to read regular books, because they confuse him. He quotes a book. Then, at the bottom of the page, there is a footnote that says where the quote came from. Even though this is completely irrelevant to his story, and we don't really need to know it, he still explains. He feels that he must tell the readers, and I think that it is because it makes him feel better.
From this, I learned a bit about how Christopher sees things. In a way, I can relate, because I do pay attention to a lot of details, and I have quite a good memory. I am different from him though, because I don't have, for lack of a better term, a "burning desire" to know ll of the facts and I won't freak out if I don't explain something(because I know what is important when writing a story) and I don't always have to know the time of day.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Romeo and Juliet Journal #7
Romeo and Juliet ends very tragically, with the deaths of the two star-crossed lovers. Then the feud between the two families is ended. The major theme in the play is how everyone blames bad things on fate and bad luck, and how nobody is at fault for their own actions. So this leaves a question at the end of play. Who's fault was it that Romeo and Juliet died? Let's explore that, shall we...
First off, we have Rosaline. Romeo was so in love with her, and she rejected him. She said she did not want to be in love and marry and have a family. Romeo was crushed by her rejection, and was searching for a cure for the pain he felt. Rosaline should have realized that Romeo could be a good support for her and a family if she decided to have one. He was wealthy and powerful, and had a high social status, everything that the fathers of women all over Verona wanted for their daughters.
Second, there is Benvolio. After Rosaline refused to marry Romeo, he saw that his friend was crushed. He told Romeo that he should come to the Capulet Ball and scout out new women there. That is where Romeo met Juliet. Benvolio should have given Romeo some time to recuperate, and recognized that getting a new girl is not the way to get over someone who broke your heart. Also, he shouldn't have been at the Capulet Masquerade anyway, because they were not invited.
Third, I think that Tybalt could have been partially responsible. Tybalt provoked then killed Mercutio, when Romeo tried to stop the fight. Then Romeo, in his grief and rage over Mercutio's death, and the fact that Mercutio blamed it all on the two families' feuds, killed Tybalt, and got banished. Tybalt gave him a reason to be violent and get banished, even though Romeo didn't want to be violent, because he was married to Juliet and was his family, even if Tyblt didn't know it.
Fourth, I think that Friar Laurence had a fault in the ordeal. He didn't want Juliet to kill herself over Romeo's banishment, because they could be together eventually if she could just wait for a little while, until the Friar could give them a plan. But because Juliet was so impatient, the Friar had to come up with a plan fast. So he gave her a substance that would make her appear dead for two days, and he would send word to Romeo with the plan. He didn't realize how wrong the plan could go. He sent a Friar, and didn't take into consideration that the plague had a lot of people in quarantine, so that Friar couldn't send the news. He shoould have sent more that one, just in case. He also should have told Romeo before he left that he shouldn't come back until he recieved word from the Friar himself, not anyone else.
A lot of this play had to do with the never-ending feud going on between the two families. It could have been the families' faults, because they hated each other even before some of them even met, they thought each other to be villains. Only Romeo and Juliet pushed that aside and loved each other. If the familes were not feuding in the beginning, they wouldn't have fought, Mercutio and Tybalt wouldn't have died, Romeo wouldn't have been banished, and Romeo and Juliet could have been happy together without any worries.
Another big part of the play was fate and fortune. Mercutio is the only one who sees both of the families at fault, and that only comes in his dying minutes. Maybe it was just fate that they came together and fell in love? If their love was written in the stars like they say it was, then maybe it was written just after the love chapter that they would die together, so soon. With the two familes feuding all the time and hating each other, they wouldn't have been happy together, even if they left, because Verona was all they knew, but they couldn't be together there because of their families' feud. The death of the children ended their parents' un-end-able feud, so maybe it was better that they died.
Lastly, both Romeo and Juliet had a role in their own deaths. Juliet should have realized that Paris was the one she was supposed to marry, even if she didn't want to. Then she didn't want to continue living because she could have Romeo right away because he had to be banished to Mantua. She should have been a little more patient and not so insane about having Romeo right away. She should have thought about things, and realized that she won't be with Romeo f she dies anyway, so it would be better to wait. In her rush she forced the Friar to come up with a plan, because he did not want Juliet to die. Romeo should have not been so rash about his actions. He should have taken time to get to know Juliet and not have rushed into things. He should have thought about the comsquences of killing Tybalt, no matter how sad and upset he was with what Mercutio said to him and with the fact that Tybalt killed his best friend. He should have never have gotten involved in the fight in the first place.
I think that everyone is to blame. I think that people should not be so quick to judge others, even if they are the child of a person you are not happy with. This is the root of the feud, and it is the whole reason why all of this happened. Just because someone has parents you don't like or you think they are bad, that doesn't automatically make them bad too.
First off, we have Rosaline. Romeo was so in love with her, and she rejected him. She said she did not want to be in love and marry and have a family. Romeo was crushed by her rejection, and was searching for a cure for the pain he felt. Rosaline should have realized that Romeo could be a good support for her and a family if she decided to have one. He was wealthy and powerful, and had a high social status, everything that the fathers of women all over Verona wanted for their daughters.
Second, there is Benvolio. After Rosaline refused to marry Romeo, he saw that his friend was crushed. He told Romeo that he should come to the Capulet Ball and scout out new women there. That is where Romeo met Juliet. Benvolio should have given Romeo some time to recuperate, and recognized that getting a new girl is not the way to get over someone who broke your heart. Also, he shouldn't have been at the Capulet Masquerade anyway, because they were not invited.
Third, I think that Tybalt could have been partially responsible. Tybalt provoked then killed Mercutio, when Romeo tried to stop the fight. Then Romeo, in his grief and rage over Mercutio's death, and the fact that Mercutio blamed it all on the two families' feuds, killed Tybalt, and got banished. Tybalt gave him a reason to be violent and get banished, even though Romeo didn't want to be violent, because he was married to Juliet and was his family, even if Tyblt didn't know it.
Fourth, I think that Friar Laurence had a fault in the ordeal. He didn't want Juliet to kill herself over Romeo's banishment, because they could be together eventually if she could just wait for a little while, until the Friar could give them a plan. But because Juliet was so impatient, the Friar had to come up with a plan fast. So he gave her a substance that would make her appear dead for two days, and he would send word to Romeo with the plan. He didn't realize how wrong the plan could go. He sent a Friar, and didn't take into consideration that the plague had a lot of people in quarantine, so that Friar couldn't send the news. He shoould have sent more that one, just in case. He also should have told Romeo before he left that he shouldn't come back until he recieved word from the Friar himself, not anyone else.
A lot of this play had to do with the never-ending feud going on between the two families. It could have been the families' faults, because they hated each other even before some of them even met, they thought each other to be villains. Only Romeo and Juliet pushed that aside and loved each other. If the familes were not feuding in the beginning, they wouldn't have fought, Mercutio and Tybalt wouldn't have died, Romeo wouldn't have been banished, and Romeo and Juliet could have been happy together without any worries.
Another big part of the play was fate and fortune. Mercutio is the only one who sees both of the families at fault, and that only comes in his dying minutes. Maybe it was just fate that they came together and fell in love? If their love was written in the stars like they say it was, then maybe it was written just after the love chapter that they would die together, so soon. With the two familes feuding all the time and hating each other, they wouldn't have been happy together, even if they left, because Verona was all they knew, but they couldn't be together there because of their families' feud. The death of the children ended their parents' un-end-able feud, so maybe it was better that they died.
Lastly, both Romeo and Juliet had a role in their own deaths. Juliet should have realized that Paris was the one she was supposed to marry, even if she didn't want to. Then she didn't want to continue living because she could have Romeo right away because he had to be banished to Mantua. She should have been a little more patient and not so insane about having Romeo right away. She should have thought about things, and realized that she won't be with Romeo f she dies anyway, so it would be better to wait. In her rush she forced the Friar to come up with a plan, because he did not want Juliet to die. Romeo should have not been so rash about his actions. He should have taken time to get to know Juliet and not have rushed into things. He should have thought about the comsquences of killing Tybalt, no matter how sad and upset he was with what Mercutio said to him and with the fact that Tybalt killed his best friend. He should have never have gotten involved in the fight in the first place.
I think that everyone is to blame. I think that people should not be so quick to judge others, even if they are the child of a person you are not happy with. This is the root of the feud, and it is the whole reason why all of this happened. Just because someone has parents you don't like or you think they are bad, that doesn't automatically make them bad too.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Romeo and Juliet Journal #6
I think that Romeo must hear Juliet proclaim her love for him because of he loves her, but is afraid that the same thing that happened with Rosaline will happen with Juliet. He is insecure, and wants to be sure that he can let himself love Juliet without any problems. He wants to love and be loved, without any problems, and doesn't want to be hurt again. He is a person who loves being in love, and wants to have someone around who loves him all the time. To me, he compares to a regular teenage boy, in our time, because to them, thinking someone loves you is not enough. They always need to hear that someone loves them, just to be sure. Believing is seeing, for them.
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