Throughout Jenny Valentines novel Broken Soup a teenage girl named Rowan manages to face many obstacles all while developing true friendships and trying to keep her broken family from falling apart. Although she is tough and independent, those friendships teach her that being strong does not mean she has to face life alone. A simple misunderstanding is all it takes to change one girl's life... A negative. Rowan was confused as to why a boy at the store would give her a negative of a photograph. Sure, he had said he saw her drop it and wanted to do the right thing which was to return it to her, but why, after telling him it wasn’t hers, did he insist that it was? She didn't want to make a scene so she did what she thought was the fastest way to end the little dispute... she took it. The negative was the last thing on her mind when she got home. She was too busy making supper for her younger sister, Stroma, and tending to her sleeping mother. It was all her mother did actually,sleep that is. Rowan believed it was because sleep was the only way she could pretend her life wasn’t totally bad, wasn’t completely ruined. After seeing that Stroma was fed and in bed, her mother taken care of and the chores done, she had some time to think. …show more content…
She asked them to go, she had something to tell them. She has one last confession. Sonny is not her brother, he is her and Jack’s son. This is huge news for Rowan and Stroma. Jack did not know about it because Bee was only two months pregnant when Jack died, before she could tell him. Rowan takes this news as a good thing. Jack left a legacy after all. Maybe Sonny could be a reason for Rowan’s mother to keep living. They could become a family again, not just broken soup. “ Some families we get without asking, while others we choose. And I chose those two.”
The production of Honky is a satirical comedy, following the lives of five people and the language of racism. While it focuses on the plot of 5 characters, the storyline was well thought out and intriguing. One actor in specific, Gerard Joseph, who played Thomas, did an exceptionally well job at conveying emotion and projecting to the audience, in my opinion. The overall directing, from the actors to the soundtrack and lightning, seem to be presented with excellent detail. Overall, this production was well done.
what she knew of her odd identity. Then one day she saw herself in a photograph
Throughout the novel, crucial family members and friends of the girl that died are meticulously reshaped by her absence. Lindsey, the sister, outgrows her timidity and develops a brave, fearless demeanor, while at the same time she glows with independence. Abigail, the mother, frees herself from the barbed wire that protected her loved ones yet caused her great pain, as well as learns that withdrawing oneself from their role in society may be the most favorable choice. Ruth, the remote friend from school, determines her career that will last a lifetime. and escapes from the dark place that she was drowning in before. Thus, next time one is overcome with grief, they must remember that constructive change is guaranteed to
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. Kaye Gibbons’ experiences as a child are the foundations for this.
At the beginning of her first real encounter with calamity, Astrid is inundated with a deluge of emotions, leaving her dazed. It is during this time of bewilderment that the young girl is placed in her first foster home in the custody of a Sunday Christian named Starr. With the absence of a father figure in her life, Astrid’s feelings for Ray metamorphose into those of desire and what began as a timid liking, turns into something much more. The Oedipal feelings she harbors towards “Uncle” Ray, Starr’s boyfriend, lead ultimately her expulsion from the home.
Reading this book made me think back to my time in elementary school. When I was in fifth grade, we would always leave lunch as the Kindergarten students were starting their lunch period. My teacher made us walk a roundabout way to leave the cafeteria one day, and we walked right past the little table of kindergarten students. As I walked by this one girl, Emily, she tried to stab me with her fork for no apparent reason. I had never spoken to Emily. I had never even really seen other anther than just passing her in the halls, yet she tried to stab me. As I got older, I realized that Emily had many mental health problems. Her home life was not a good one. She really did not have anyone to take care of her when she was not at school.
Imagine losing the people who are closest to you and then being sent to live with a family you barely know; to top it all of, a petulant old man (whose sole purpose in life seems to be complaining) also joins the family. June Rae Wood’s dramatic, fictional novel, “Turtle of a Fence Post”, captures the sorrow and pain of a girl in this situation, as Delrita (the protagonist) still manages to stay strong throughout all the losses in her life. This story makes people think and view situations through different viewpoints. June Rae Wood develops the story and makes it stronger through literary devices such as imagery, foreshadowing, and figurative language.
In “Half Broke Horses”, Jeannette Walls not only tells the story of her grandmother, but also introduces the reader to multiple themes.One of the most prominent themes that occours in this novel is that no matter what life throws at you, you have to be strong and keep going. Throughout the book, this theme is implicitly used many times, especially when Lily is faced with many struggles and hardships; such as finding out her husband’s married to someone else, or her sister’s
During hard times, a person will always have someone else to lean on. Many novels show that having a loyal companion can help a person pass through the low points of life. In the book Savvy, the protagonist Mississippi, also known as Mibs, is going through a lot of changes though her life. Everyone in her family gets a savvy, a special talent, at the age of 13. As Mibs approaches the age of 13, she has to quit her public school and become home schooled, deal with the fact that she has only a couple of friends, and most importantly,her Poppa gets in an accident and he ends up in a coma just before her birthday. During these difficult times, Mibs realizes that the people in her life are there for her and she doesn’t
Sonny in a letter to his brother has some concerns about whether or not he will be successful as he transitions onto the path of redemption. He vowed that he would rather die than to return to prison under the same circumstances. “I tell you one thing, though, I’d rather blow my brains out than go through this again.” Here is where he begins his path onto redemption. You see at this point, the relationship between the two brothers is starting to be repaired. The narrator’s feelings towards his brother shifts from anger and disappointment to love, support and concern. The death of the narrator’s daughter is what helped changed his thoughts about his brother’s negative life decisions and decides to support him while he is on the path of redemption.
“It’s not summer without you,” says Belly as she gazes into Conrad’s eyes. Belly has strong feelings for Conrad, so strong that she catches herself getting jealous when she sees him with another girl. It has only been a few months, since her and Conrad last dated, and Belly can’t seem to get him off of her mind; with Susannah dying, and the boys, Conrad and Jeremiah, going off to college Belly seems to be falling apart. Unfortunately, Belly is not the only unstable one at Cousins Beach. Conrad, who is usually very nonchalant, runs away from home, also known as all his problems. As I dig deeper into my book, my brain runs wild with questions, predictions, and connections.
Torey Hayden’s novel One Child is a heartwarming personal account of how even the smallest amounts of love can change someone. One Child revolves around a Special Education teacher, Tory Hayden, as well as her class and helpers. The main child that Hayden speaks of is Sheila, who was placed with Hayden after she had lured a young boy into the forest, tied him to a tree, and burned him almost to death. Hayden describes Sheila as having “matted hair, hostile eyes and a very bad smell” upon their first meeting (Hayden 16). Sheila lives in a dilapidated house with her father who abuses, belittles, and isolates her. Her past is maimed by a mother who abandoned her when she was four, leaving her in the care of a neglectful father. These circumstances cause her to lash out at any one she comes into contact with. Hayden provides a seemingly innocuous environment that Sheila flourishes in with the help of the love that her teacher provides. The main idea of Hayden’s novel, presented through her use of rhetorical strategies, is that even by offering comfort to an individual for a short amount...
When April first moves in with the Dions, their generosity and love welcome April into their family and although she does not feel like a complete part to their family, she loves them and knows that is was loved back. During her time with them, her confidence begins to build. The Dions treat her just as they would their own children and celebrate her achievements with recognition and praise. April feels as an equal to other children and believes she has value which she later struggles with. She explains her confidence when, after the Dions celebrate her good grades she says, “For an eight year-old, I had a very large head for a while”(22). By saying this, April is identifying the fact that she knows she had high confidence in her self but after a while, that changed. Following this however, April’s life changes and her pride and self assurance begins to diminish. When April is moved to a second foster family the Derosiers, their neglect and abuse towards her cause her to feel awful about herself and her heritage. The family make April and later her sister Cheryl do all the chores, they beat them and they verbally abuse them with racist names and hurtful stories about their parents’ alcohol problems. This family’s treatment towards April and her sister only make her more ashamed and self conscious about her Metis background which has a lasting effect on her life as an adult. April’s phsycological well-being experiences many more difficulties as her life progresses that cause her self-esteem and identity to struggel due to society’s views and treatment of Metis women and
At an early age, Cholly learns that his life would be extremely difficult. When he was four years old his parents abandoned him. The two people that were supposed to love him unconditionally and teach him life lessons had turned their back on him and created emotional damage. This marks the beginning of Cholly’s problematic life. Aunt Jimmy created a glimmer of hope for the future when she took on the role of his guardian. Unfortunately for Cholly, she passed away before he even hit his teenage years. Losing one parent could damage someone enough, but he lost three people that were intended to care for him. The feeling of neglect and loneliness has become all too familiar. The emotional affects are shaping Cholly into an introverted person with many internal conflicts. The...
Tracy’s identity development is heavily influenced by her new friendship with Evie from that moment on. Evie is so popular, but she makes very poor choices and Tracy follows her lead because she wants to seem just as “cool” as her new companion. This is a type of peer pressure that affects many teenagers daily.... ... middle of paper ... ...