The book A Face First by Priscilla Cummings is a very interesting story about a girl named Kelly . Kelley Brennan is twelve years old and has planned a great day ahead of herself. It is Earth Day and her sixth grade class is going to plant a dogwood tree. Kelley is going to give a speech to her class about the project she did for science on saving the wild hatchlings on the roof of the hardware store and about how she and Daniel, Eric, and Melissa installed chicken wire on the roof so they wouldn’t fall off. Kelley was so excited she woke up early to paint the world on her thumbnail in honor of this occasion. Kelley was so excited for Earth Day. Kelley’s sister Leah , is at college studying in Paris. The house was so quiet without Leah. After …show more content…
school, Kelley’s mom picks her up. On their way home something happened that they thought would never happen.
Kelley and her mother were in a car crash. Kelley wakes up in the burn ward at the hospital. She is told she has second and third degree burns on her right side. The burns were on her right hands, her leg, and her face. She has to spend eight weeks in the hospital. Kelley has to have pins drilled in her burnt and broken leg. The nurses then pluck all the dead skin from her body with tweezers. The doctors have to take skin from other parts of her body to graft onto the burnt parts of her body. Kelley was told she had to wear a special mask on her face so when the skin grew back it wouldn’t be puffy and lumpy. When the swelling on her face went down and when there wasn’t so much lubricant in her eyes smearing her vision, she could see all the way down the Patapsco River to the Francis Scott Key …show more content…
Bridge. Key Idea #2 Kelley is going through a lot of pain. She is afraid of what is going to happen ad is very angry. She doesn’t remember the accident but at first she didn’t want to remember it. Kelley thought her mind was playing tricks on her or that maybe she had dreamed about remembering the red light. Sometimes it would frighten Kelley to remember the accident. She wants to block everything out so she builds a wall in her mind. Some people said the driver of the other vehicle just came out of nowhere and that Kelley and her mother were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kelley is mad at the young man who did this to her because he hasn’t came and apologized to her for what he did. She is mad at the nurses who are making her wear this facemask. Her friends come to visit her and she is mean to them when they get there. She threw all the mail that she got from her classmates into a basket and never read it. She does not want to talk to anyone. Liesel called Kelley to tell her about the class picnic at Mears Marina. She wouldn’t talk to her sister who called from Switzerland, or her mom from Eastern Avenue. Kelley then realized she had to make a decision the moment those Velcro tabs were fastened behind her head and that if she couldn’t be part of life as she knew it , then she would withdraw from it. Kelley did not want to think that her mother was to blame for the accident. If her mother thought the accident was her fault, she would never forgive herself. She had read about how people suffer from guilt and how it can destroy someone. Kelley’s mother told her Leah was coming home. Kelley and her other’s eyes met and they could see the pain they shared and how it affected them and Kelley thinks when Leah gets there it will affect her too. Key Idea #3 Kelley had decided she was not going to go back to school. It was part of her great plan that she made when the Velcro straps were pulled tight against the back of her head. All she could think about was the kids in her class who would turn away, gasping, and clasping their hands over their mouths. She didn’t think they would be cruel enough to call her names but she knew some of the girls in her class would tell her it was nice to have her back and then turn around and talk about her and how she looks. She figured if she dragged out the makeup work long enough, maybe she could convince her mom to not make her go to school. Kelley got to go home but the trip home flashed into her mind again. She tightened up as sitting in the passenger seat as the intersection approached. Kelley was dreading seeing it again. Her mother was really focused on her driving. She thought about closing her eyes when she got there but she ended up just starring out of the window and squeezing her right wrist so hard her hand fell asleep. Kelley received a letter from her Aunt Katherine and could barely get through the first two lines which said, “My dearest Kelley, I was in church Sunday and Reverend Grayson was talking about God’s plan for us, how everything happens for a reason…” She just stopped reading the letter and slid it under her plate. They were eating spaghetti and that was one of her favorite meals so she was not going to let the letter ruin her dinner. Key Idea #4 Leah came home and was unpacking her things and taken a shower.
She brought gifts to the kitchen table and laid out her plans. Kelley thought it was wonderful having Kelley home again. She was so happy the next few days, happier than she had experienced since the car accident. Leah spent hours with Kelley showing her pictures of places she had visited or lived at and of course her new Italian boyfriend. They would watch movies together and Kelley would do some exercises to help her hand or her leg. Leah asked some questions about the facemask, the Jobst glove, and the exercises she had to do . Kelley asked Leah what their mother had told her about the accident. Kelley said she said “It was a dark and rainy night. About the exit and all. The guy with the truck. She doesn’t remember the impact, or the seconds right before it. Only that when she came to and smelled the gas she knew you had to get out before the car exploded. She said it all happened so fast.” Kelley told her mom that she didn’t have to worry about being home all the time with her because Leah was at home now. Two days later Kelley was dwelling on it when she sat down the drawing she was working on. Leah had gone to work, so Kelley was home alone. She then picked up the hand putty and squeezed it
hard. Key Idea #5 Kelley’s mother tells her how she would love to take the afternoons to stay with her but that she just couldn’t afford to do that. Kelley told her mom that she understood that she couldn’t take off. She knew why her mom worked so hard and so much. She knew it was for her and Leah and so they could have everything they wanted. She realized it was her mother who stayed up late at work so she would be able to take ballet and piano lessons, to be on the field hockey team or to go to basketball and lacrosse games. Kelley realized that her mom didn’t even have a social life because all she ever did was work and do what they wanted to do. Leah was helping her sister out by tutoring her. Kelley still hasn’t done the two assignments Leah asked her to do, she just sat on the couch and watched cartoons but then decided she needed to do that math worksheet. Leah told her she had talked to all of her teachers and she knew what Kelley had to do to catch up. Leah told her she had to complete the math book, four chapters in science, an English project, Spanish worksheet, and a section on China. Kelley was trying very desperately to get in touch with Leslie but she couldn’t get a hold of her. As she was sitting on the couch waiting for a call back , she starts looking through pictures of her science project, and compared herself to living in a series of boxes. The biggest box represented Kelley on the outside, which was burned and mean, who wore a mask and was angry at the world. A medium sized box represented the Kelley hallway, placid Kelley who did her leg and hand exercises, who wore her Jobst, and her facemask, who ate her meals on time, and went to bed at ten. The tiny box represented Kelley on the inside. This represented the same Kelley who has always been there, just shrunk and beaten down. Leah caught on to Kelley’s plan about her not wanting to go to school and tells her she isn’t going to waste time with someone who isn’t going to cooperate. Leah made a deal with Kelley that if she did her work and listened to her then she would convince mom not to send her back to school and that she needed a year at home. She thanks Leah for getting her out of the house and going somewhere. Kelley realized there was a path out into the world for her and when the going got rough, she would remind herself of what she had and who she had. Anything was possible now.
Diane Urban, for instance, was one of the many people who were trapped inside this horror. She “was comforting a woman propped against a wall, her legs virtually amputated” (96). Flynn and Dwyer appeal to the reader’s ethical conscience and emotions by providing a story of a victim who went through many tragedies. Causing readers to feel empathy for the victims. In addition, you began to put yourself in their shoes and wonder what you would do.
This book is about a girl name Ellen Foster who is ten years old. Her mother committed suicide by over dosing on her medication. When Ellen tried to go look for help for her mother her father stopped her. He told them that if she looked for helped he would kill them both. After her mother died she was left under her fathers custody. Her father was a drunk. He would physically and mentally abuse her. Ellen was forced to pay bills, go grocery shopping, cook for herself, and do everything else for herself. Ellen couldn't take it any more so she ran away her friends house. Starletta and her parents lived in a small cabin with one small bathroom. One day at school a teacher found a bruise on Ellen's arm. She sends Ellen to live with Julia the school's art teacher. Julia had a husband named Roy. They were both hippies. Julia and Roy cared a lot about Ellen. After Ellen turned 11 years old she was forced to go live with her grandmother. Ellen didn't want to leave Julia and Roy but her grandmother had won custody. Her grandmother was a cruel old lady. Ellen spends the summer with her grandmother. Living with her makes her very unhappy. Since her grandmother owns farmland she forces Ellen to work on the field with her black servants. Ellen meets a black woman named Mavis. Mavis and her become good friends. Mavis would talk about how she knew Ellen's mother and how much Ellen resembled her mother. Her grandmother didn't think the same. She thought that Ellen resembled her father. She also hated that man. Her grandmother would often compare her with her father. Her grandmother would torture her because she wanted revenge from her father. Her grandmother also blames her for the death of her mother. While Ellen was staying with her grandmother her father died. When her father died she didn't feel sad because she had always fantasized about killing her father. Ellen just felt a distant sadness. Ellen cried just a little bit. Her grandmother was furious because Ellen showed some emotions. She told her to never cry again. After that Ellen becomes scarred for a long time. One day her uncle Rudolph bought the flag that had been on Ellen's father's casket. Her grandmother turns him away. Later that day she burned the flag.
When the Indians burned the town and made way to Rowlandson's house she turned to God for answers. Her house was set on fire forcing her and her kids to come out. When she came out she suffered a bullet to the arm and w...
Since Kate made noise Molly was red and Jenny had to call Mrs. Weinman because she wasn’t sure what to do. Jenny said, “ I wonder if the Weinman's would ask me to babysit again?,” (Cabot, 42). After walking towards her house Jenny was crying and was afraid, to tell the truth to her Mom. This exactly what Jenny stated, “ I have, to tell the truth,” (Cabot, 42). Jenny knew Kate already blew her chance for babysitting again for Mrs. Weinman. She knew that if she told the truth Mrs. Weinman would now think she is an untrustworthy person. Since Jenny had to call Mrs. Weinman due to the destruction Kate caused she feels as if Kate ruined her job chances of future
This can’t be happening thought Bill. Man I’m in so much trouble, there’s no way I can get out of it. I’m stuck. Bill had just wrecked his parent’s BMW in an accident, and they had no idea that the expensive car was even missing from the garage. And a terrible thing had happened as a result of the crash. A young woman lay dead in the passenger side of the vehicle, swarmed by medics. Bill had escaped injury, but as his body was still at the crash site, his mind wasn’t. He was in total shock at what had happened. If I only left the car in the garage and didn’t try to “borrow” it, Lisa might still be alive….Bill tried to imagine that it wasn’t real, that he was in his bed dreaming, but no, he was responsible for the destruction of his parents’ car and his the death of his girlfriend. It was as if his mind wasn’t registering, as if it was in some far away place. He just couldn’t come to grips with what had happened. This is a classic example of severe shock. The event that took place was so strong that the mind has trouble working. While in Bill’s case where he had indeed had an accident, the realism of the situation dwarfs the mind as if a small comet hurtled towards a blazing sun. But this is just one aspect of realism. The whole of realism is made up of the fact that our lives, the world, the universe, it’s all real. And as much as our minds would want to deny it, everything will stay real, and for most people they just make the best of it. But for the rest of the people, they invent new ways to get around the feeling that a wall has been placed in their path. All this goes to say that people must be original and “keep it real” to survive the physical and mental fatigue life throws at them and also that everything will always be real and we must be in touch with our minds to harvest the realness.
Section 2 The Desert: A three-year-old walls is cooking hot dogs on a stove and tries to feed her dog when her dress catches on fire and badly burns her. Her mother wraps Jeannette in a blanket and carries her to a neighbors car which takes them to the hospital. At the hospital Jeannette has to get skin grafts from her thighs to replace to burned skin. The nurses are worried about her family's nomadic lifestyle, but says she is okay with it. Jeannettes dad pops in and says that they are “skedaddling” and leave the hospital wi...
It was Sunday October 8th about 8:45pm, when Daniel “Peg Leg” Sullivan went to visit the O’Learys’ house only to find out they were asleep. So Sullivan walked across the street to Thomas White’s house and sat down to lean against the fence. The wind was very strong that night and there was a party at the McLaughlin’s to celebrate the arrival of a relative from Ireland. Sullivan decided to go home when he noticed a fire in the O’Learys’ barn. He started shouting, “FIRE!” as loud as he could and ran to the barn to save the five cows, horse, and calf inside. As he did, his peg leg got stuck in the floorboards. He hung onto the calf as they made their way out (13, 14,15).
Susie’s mother opened the door to let Molly, Susie’s babysitter, inside. Ten-month old Susie seemed happy to see Molly. Susie then observed her mother put her jacket on and Susie’s face turned from smiling to sad as she realized that her mother was going out. Molly had sat for Susie many times in the past month, and Susie had never reacted like this before. When Susie’s mother returned home, the sitter told her that Susie had cried until she knew that her mother had left and then they had a nice time playing with toys until she heard her mother’s key in the door. Then Susie began crying once again.
When she and her Ma got home, it was almost dark outside. Frances saw something suspicious, her brother(Mike), shouldn’t be out at this time. Once they got inside, Frances and her mother tucked in all the children and went to bed themselves. Frances was still wondering about Mike, “What was he doing?” She fell asleep falling wiry of her younger brother. When she up, they had breakfast, and headed to their jobs. Frances was still wondering what Mike had done. “Was he stealing? No, their Da(father) had taught them better than that before he fell ill and died. She had never seen her mother cry until then.
Have you ever felt like your alone and can’t get up but you really can? Well keep reading you will notice you can build yourself up to get up.“Eleven” is a story about a girl in school on her birthday and she is in class and the teacher found a red sweater and ask who’s is it. No one answers except the mean girl sylvia and says it’s probably hers because it is ugly just like her. So the birthday girl went along with it because she was afraid to talk. Later on in the story she stands up for herself and speaks. This family have a lot of things so they are trying to change some reasons are she wears the sweater that is not hers, Kids who need help, are most likely upset, and When girls cry they are embarrassed. In the story, “Eleven, “ Sandra Cisneros writes to show how you can start your day off bad but can change it into a good day.
In “Calling Home”, by Jean Brandt and “An American Childhood” by Annie Dillard, both girls are confronted with their sense of conscience and of right and wrong. In the process, both girls experience memorable lessons as a consequence of the decisions they make. In “Calling Home”, thirteen year old Jean realizes that her actions not only affect her but more importantly, her loved ones, when she is caught shoplifting and arrested during a Christmas shopping trip with her siblings and grandmother. In “An American Childhood”, seven year old Annie realizes that adults and their feelings are valid and that they can be just as vulnerable and full of tenacity as a child after she and her friend find themselves being chased by a man who is none too amused at being a target of their snowball throwing antics. In both stories, Annie and Jean are smug in their sense of power and control. Both girls exhibit a general lack of respect for authority by justifying their actions and displaying a false sense of entitlement to pursue and attain whatever they wish, as if ordinary rules do not apply to them.
The fresh wound didn’t seem like it would be such a problem until I saw the blood trickling out. Sure, when I had cut my self by grabbing a piece of saw palmetto, I felt my skin ripping and quickly retracted my right hand. However, my want for adventure to explore the tree island overcame the small bit of pain I felt. An adrenaline rush helped me overcome all of the annoyances pushing through the dense brim of the island, like palmetto leaves and spider webs, as well as the myriad of other obstacles upon finally penetrating.
Notably, the husband tries to bring Ann reassurance, but is unable to convey, “The husband sat in the chair beside her. He wanted to say something else. But there was no saying what it should be. He took her hand and put in his lap,” (52). As much as the husband longs to comfort his wife in this situation, he is not able because he is also muddled by the event. Like the baker, the husband can not verbally bring Ann the clarity she needs. However, Carver describes a different form of communication in the way the husband holds his wife hand. Sometimes human touch is the best way to communicate between one another, when words seem to be impossible. As Ann’s stress grows the best offer her husband can bring is for her to go home and take a bath. Both Ann and her husband find comfort in the normalcy of their home. Moreover, as Ann goes home to calm down she receives a phone call that leaves her and the reader in a state of disarray, “‘Yes,’ she said. ‘This is Mrs. Weiss. Is it about Scotty?’ she said. ‘Scotty,’ the voice said. ‘It is about Scotty,’ the voice said. ‘It has to do with Scotty, yes,’” (56). This exchange between Ann and the voice reveals the clarity Ann has wished for throughout the story. The voice repetition of “Scotty” hints at the theme of clear communication in the sense that the call has to do with her son. During the short story, Ann is desperate for word
Our class has been reading a book called “Brown Girl Dreaming” for the past two weeks. The author, Jacqueline Woodson talks about her life growing up. For example she talks about how her mom and dad divorced when she was young. She talks about how she moves to Greenville and how her grandpa is like a dad figure, and how her mother came back with a pale skinned baby after she went to New York. Character traits make up a person, and while reading the book, you can see what Jacqueline is like during her childhood. Jacqueline has many character traits, such as being jealous of her older sister, being naive, and she is also respectful.
At the age of ten, most children are dependent on their parents for everything in their lives needing a great deal of attention and care. However, Ellen, the main character and protagonist of the novel Ellen Foster, exemplifies a substantial amount of independence and mature, rational thought as a ten-year-old girl. The recent death of her mother sends her on a quest for the ideal family, or anywhere her father, who had shown apathy to both she and her fragile mother, was not. Kaye Gibbons’ use of simple diction, unmarked dialogue, and a unique story structure in her first novel, Ellen Foster, allows the reader to explore the emotions and thoughts of this heroic, ten-year-old girl modeled after Gibbons’ own experiences as a young girl.