Reading Response 2: Mockingjay

For this week’s blog, I have decided to do Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games series is one of my favorite series besides the Harry Potter series, of course. Mockingjay is the continuation of Catching Fire. Mockingjay begins with Katniss being rescue by the rebels of District 13. Katniss is, then, convinced to become “the Mockinjay”: a symbol of the rebellion against the Capitol. Along with the agreement, she demands the president of District 13, President Coin, to grant all rights to kill President Snow, the dictator of the nation of Panem. However, Katniss soon realized that she is being used as a propaganda for the rebels. Not only that, but Peeta, her fellow District 12 member, is being used by the Capitol because he was captured during the Quarter Quell. Will any of these obstacles stop them from continuing their rebellion? What will happen to Peeta? Will the Capitol finds out about their rebellion? I guess you will have to read the book and find out.

Here is a short passage from Mockingjay:

"'We had to save you because you’re the mockingjay, Katniss,' says Plutarch. 'While you live, the revolution lives.' The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst to flames. I am the mocking jay. The one that survived despite the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion."

This passage is extremely important to the book because it is the rising action of the plot. Not only that, but it’s the main point of the whole book and without it there would be no foundation within this plot. It is also important because Katniss is representing herself as a symbol for all citizens that want to rebel against the Capitol. She is their “mockingjay” and without her, there would be no rebellion.

The way Suzanne Collins wrote the Hunger Games trilogy is unique compare to all the other authors because she expresses the darkness within the trilogy. She shows the darkness of humanity in all its horror. There isn’t any “we’re all born good” sentiment, but rather the expressive idea that evil is a concept humans are capable of and it is shown at all angles throughout this book as well as the other two.

Proposal: Fat Cat

I will write an essay on the book, Fat Cat. Fat Cat is about a teenage girl named Catherine who is in all AP classes because she is super smart, and super funny. Not only that, but she is obese with a self-esteem issue. However, it is all going to change when Mr. Fizer, her science teacher, assign the class their seven month science project on whatever random picture they pick out out of his Stack. Catherine picture is a prehistoric picture of Homo erectus. Looking at the picture made her realize that back then, people were not obese; they ate healthy foods and therefore are healthy. Catherine, then, use herself in her own science experiment to live and eat like our earliest ancestors to lose weight.

Fat Cat is a Gateway book that addresses the current cultural phenomenon issue on teenage obesity. In this essay, I will argue that the book does not accurately depicts realistic ways teenagers deal with obesity in the 21st century. Even though Catherine eats healthy foods throughout her science experiment, most people in our culture do not usually go the healthy way. They either want to lose weight and not do it because of weak determination or they will want to lose weight and go to the extreme (such as those that are anorexia). There are very few teenagers that will actually go the healthy way.

I will begin my essay with statistics of the rising rate of teenage obesity in America. Then, I will introduce my thesis statement (The book, Fat Cat, unlike any other books, addresses a popular cultural issue in America: teenage obesity. However, the way the main character lose weight does not portray accurate depiction on how real teenagers lose weight.) Next, I will incorporate several paragraphs summarizing the book, as well as explaining ways many teenagers in our culture go the extreme way or not at all. Finally, I will end with a counterargument and my conclusion--where I will restate my thesis statement."

Questions:

1. Does the book accurately addresses the cultural issue of teenage obesity in America?
2. Does the book accurately depicts realistic ways teenagers will do to lose weight?

Reading Response 1 for 2nd Semester: Beautiful Creatures

For second semester, I have decided to read a new book called Beautiful Creatures for my first blog of the semester. I have only started reading this book about a week ago and it is quite interesting. Beautiful Creatures is about a guy named Ethan Wate who lives in Gatlin, South Carolina. Ever since he can remember, Ethan has been counting the months and hours until he graduate and leave Gatlin. Gatlin is one of those small towns where no one would ever expect newcomers to move to. Lately, Ethan has been haunted in his dreams by a beautiful girl he has never met. In his dreams, he could not see the girl’s face or even know her name. However, when Lena Duchannes, a new girl, moves to Gatlin, Ethan is immediately drawn to her. She is unlike anyone in Gatlin; she is mysterious as if there is a secret. What it is about her that is so intriguing?

 Here is a passage from Beautiful Creatures:

“Lena Duchannes didn’t speak to me again, not that day, not that week. But that didn’t stop me from thinking about her, or seeing her practically everywhere I tried not to look. It wasn’t just her that was bothering me, not exactly. It wasn’t about how she looked, which was pretty, even though she was always wearing the wrong clothes and those beat-up sneakers. It wasn’t about what she said in class-- usually something no one else would’ve thought of, and if they had, something they wouldn’t have dared to say. It wasn’t that she was different from all the other girls at Jackson High School. That was obvious. 

It was that she made me realize how much I was just like the rest of them, even if I wanted to pretend I wasn’t.”

I chose this passage because this is when Ethan realizes his hypocrite self he did not know before he met Lena Duchannes. This passage is also important because it represent the importance of both characters within each other’s life and the difference it will soon to make. Beautiful Creatures has a similar text-to-text connection with Twilight, in my opinion. Both books have very dull and gloomy setting to begin with as well as mysterious characters that either enter the town or are already present within the town. In Twilight, the mortal is Bella where as in Beautiful Creatures, Ethan is the mortal. Both books also contain secrets from the main characters, which are an essential tool to make the book a page-turner.

Personal Blog

My reading goals for this semester are to read more books, and allow more time to read. The first book for the semester I will be reading is Beautiful Creatures. I chose to read this book because it seemed very interesting and appealing. I am on page 30ish right now and it is quite interesting.

After high school, I would like to go to college at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and major in Biology. After ten years of high school, I am hoping to complete medical school and residency to be a pediatrician.