Greatness In Surviving The Applewhites

1046 Words3 Pages

"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." -Shakespeare Over the course of the book, Surviving the Applewhites, by Stephanie S. Tolan, Jake, a bad boy, achieved greatness with the help of the family he was living with, the Applewhites. Jake had burnt down his old school in Rhode Island and no other schools were willing to take him in, except the Applewhites. The Applewhites school is called the Creative Academy, which is run by the Applewhite adults. The children can learn or work on any project they want, and they are very unorganized. Jake is the outcast there, though, because he smokes, cusses, and hates not having a TV or video games. It is extremely hard for him to adjust. Jake was inspired to be great because of threats, opinions of his actions, and discovering his passion. First, Jake wanted to become great because …show more content…

Threats made him great because they made him think about what he was going to do with his life if he did not behave, and his future didn't look so bright. Also, others not reacting when he misbehaved made Jake a greater person because he just wanted attention and when he didn't get it he stopped. Finally, discovering his passion made Jake great because it gave him joy and he started to relate to others and want to also give them happiness. To summarize, Jake went through a lot, his parents were in jail, he moved in with a new family, and was threatened to be locked up. Jake's life was an emotional roller coaster, and he could have sat around feeling sorry for himself. But instead, he helped the Applewhites, worked hard and tried to please others. He realized that he could change his future. He stepped up to the challenge and made a difference in his life. Jake became

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Jake Reinvented and The Great Gatsby

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jake’s friend and show to Judge that Garret is a good boy and make him give to Jake Garret a second chance. And what do you thank happened? Maybe this quote will help you to guess: “I should have known before. Nobody was coming to stand behind Jake. Not one solitary soul”. Without parties, free beer and pizza nobody needed Jake. Those hundreds and hundreds teenagers who went to his parties, call themselves Garret’s friends just disappeared. Even Didi, did not showed up. This story tells us how selfish and villainy people could be.

    Read More

  • Jake Reinvented

    533 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book Jake Reinvented the author perfectly and accurately portrays the life of a high school kid during this time, with high levels of social and the high drama but high excitement. An ambitious teen Jake Garrett was anxious to get going in his new school, making new friends and playing football. As the new kid he is trying to become popular right away by throwing wild parties. At his old school he used to tutor Didi, Rick’s girlfriend. Jake the new kid in town manages to win a competitive position on the football team, and within days establishes himself as the god of house parties. As one character puts it: “The guy is ...

    Read More

  • SELF- IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR NICK CARRAWAY

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    As much as generous and honest Nick Carraway is, he still needs a few important improvements in himself. Nick went to Yale, fought in world war one and moved to East of New York to work in finance. After moving to New York, Nick faces tough dilemmas throughout the story such as revealing secrets, and witnessing betrayal. His innocence and malevolence toward others was beyond his control. He did not have the ability or knowledge to know what he should have done in the spots he was set in. He seemed lost and having no control of what went on- almost trapped- but indeed, he had more control than he could have ever known. Because of the situations he has experienced and the people he has met, such as Gatsby, Tom, Jordan and Daisy, his point of view on the world changed dramatically which is very depressing. Trusting the others and caring for them greatly has put him in a disheartening gloomy position.

    Read More

  • The Other Wes Moore One Name, Two Fates Analysis

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, the other Wes Moore did not get a good education. The author describes, “In spite of myself, I was impressed. I had never seen anything like that before. I had never seen a man, a peer, demand that much respect from his people. I had seen Shea demand respect in the neighborhood, but this was different. This was real respect, the kind you can’t beat out of people. That’s when I started to understand that I was in a different environment. It was a different psychological environment, where my normal expectations were inverted, where leadership was honored and class clowns ostracized” (96). As we see, the Wes distinguished real respect between Shea and the man. Actually, the Wes had never seen this respect before, but he could see it now in this school. It means that the Wes could learn more and more different things in the place. Therefore, it can let him know what he need and how to achieve his goal. Overall, the training in military school helped him choose the successful life. For another Wes Moore, he went back to school after he got out of jail. However, it did not last long that he gave up the education. The author writes, “Not surprisingly, without a high school diploma or job training and with a criminal record-Wes found it almost impossible to find a job to support his growing family” (110). As we see, the Wes wanted earn money to support his growing family. In this way, he should continue to go to school to

    Read More

  • A Positive Role Model In The Other Wes Moore

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a person’s life, one must overcome obstacles that have the potential to either negatively or positively impact their future. Whether it is a serious obstacle, such as being involved with drugs, or a minor obstacle, such as procrastinating an important essay for the night before it is due, the choices people make can influence the way they live their lives. In Wes Moore’s inspiring non-fiction book, The Other Wes Moore, two boys with the same name start off living a few blocks away from one another, but turn out to be completely different individuals. At first, they were both troublemakers, getting in trouble with the law. However, as time progressed, the author, Wes Moore, became a Rhodes scholar and quite successful, while the other Wes Moore was sentenced to life in prison. The difference between these two men was the surrounding influences that shaped their growth as people. In a person’s growth, the most important factors are a positive role model in a positive environment because a positive role model will provide the path to success and will aid that person in achieving prosperity.

    Read More

  • The Struggles of a Gifted Student in "And Still We Rise," Miles Corwin

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    In "And Still We Rise," Miles Corwin chronicles the daily struggle of gifted students in 1997’s South Central L.A. Even with abundant street temptations and challenging peer experiences, these students find refuge in a school system that affords them both happiness and hope. Everyday is a challenge, and yet, they continue to strive for success.

    Read More

  • The Other Wes Moore Analysis

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author and Wes Moore faced very similar environmental changes and challenges. The differences that resulted these two on opposite ends of the spectrum was their family’s influence upon their decisions. The actions of each Wes Moore’s mothers had a great effect in their lives. The author Wes’s mother, as well as his grandparents, played a key role in his success as an adult. The sacrifices of time and the minimal amount of extra money she made went towards the author and his other siblings which ensured him the best educational environment. Without his mother, Joy, a college graduate herself, who “raised all of her children together, and she worked multiple jobs to send all of her children to private school” Wes could not have aspired to be where he is today (Moore 48). She persisted with him by laying down her expectations for him to excel in ...

    Read More

  • Irony In Love In LA By Dagoberto Gilb

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Love in L.A.” uses irony to teach its readers, showing us that unless we put in the time and effort, we will not reach our goals. Jake wanted better for his life but didn’t want to do what it took to get that better life. Instead of Jake is going for it, he spent all of his time daydreaming and lying instead of growing up and working for it. It is clear Jake has been stuck in this phase of his life for a long time. In fear of loosing his freedom in life, Jake made his life harder than what it needed to

    Read More

  • Comparing The Sun Also Rises and Possessing the Secret of Joy

    2508 Words  | 6 Pages

    Both Jake and Tashi are wounded by serving their countries--Jake in the war, Tashi in an ancient tribal ritual. In both cases, their sacrifice is expected of them. Jake, after returning from the battlefield, is commended by his officer. It certainly was a "rotten way to be wounded," and Jake's officer says, "You gave more than your life." To his officer, however, if Jake had given more than his life it was given in honor of his country, so any consequences of his wound was a fate he would have to live with. He was supposed to be proud to have given so much for the war effort, but his wound does not make Jake a hero. Instead, he is reduced to something less than a man. His wound becomes a joke instead of a mark of a martyr. Jake thinks, "At one time or another I had probably considered it [his wound] from most of its various angles, including the one that certain injuries or imperfections are a subject of merriment while remaining quite serious for the person possessing them" (20). As the war grows distant, Jake must assimilate to life as a lover, not a soldier. In a time when people try to forget the war, Jake becomes not a hero but the object of a cruel joke.

    Read More

  • Fly Away Home Analysis

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    In conclusion, the bird, Andrew, and Andrew’s dad are all hard working and never give up. They all work hard to do something to change their lives. The bird, getting out of the airport. Andrew, saving money to eventually buy an apartment. Last, Andrew’s dad, never giving up on getting Andrew to school. This is important to show that even though you might not get what you want at first, if you keep trying you could do whatever you want and make your dreams come true. You could do something to change your life if you never give up and just keep

    Read More

  • Essay On Clockwork Orange

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ed on him. He however goes back to previous ways for a while until he gets a job and finally realizes that he is grown up. This relates directly to society because we must all grow up and we are unable to do so until we realize it for ourselves.

    Read More

  • The Maccabean Revolution

    1369 Words  | 3 Pages

    Between the books of Malachi and Matthew, the Maccabees fought for the rights and freedom of the Jewish nation. At that time the Jews were under massive oppression by the Seleucid rulers. One in particular was Antiochus, he tormented the Jews in the hope of Hellenizing them, and to top it off he used their own religious beliefs against them in massive slaughter and humiliation. The Maccabees however, against all odds, freed the nation of Judah, and successfully regained their rights. This is the Maccabean revolution.

    Read More

  • Francis Scott Fitzgerald

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    made him into someone who felt he had no control upon his destiny, because it

    Read More

  • Identity Transformations from Past to Present

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    Through Scott Momaday’s, Victor Joseph’s, and Macklemore’s struggles they find their true identities. Their despairs lead them to realize that they need to change themselves. On their journey when facing their pasts they do not let it destroy their future, instead they allow it to change their future. Through support, each protagonist overcomes life’s biggest struggles, or their monsters. Society makes it easy to lose sight of one’s true being and potential. The constant pressures of society impact people’s choices, but every person defines their own destiny. Scott Momaday, Arnold Joseph, and Macklemore all find their true purposes in life by changing their lives.

    Read More

  • The History Of Apple

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Few people know but, more than half of americans own an Apple product. The huge tech company was founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The company was later incorporated on January 3, 1977. Apple is known as one of the most advanced technology companies in the United States. Apple is behind the largest technological revolution in history. Apple has set itself above all other technology companies. The company has a certain way of leaving customers on the edge of their seats waiting for the latest and greatest Apple product.

    Read More

More about Greatness In Surviving The Applewhites

Open Document