Telling a story through the voice of a modern day teenager may seem impossible. But, then also having teenagers be the ones criticizing and reading your work makes it even more impossible. To capture all of the mood changes, hardships and comments a teenager thinks in their head is a daunting task. Often that is why I find realistic fiction dull and boring because the author is not able to do that. However, Laurie Halse Anderson crafted her work in a way that she almost took thoughts from my mind and put them into her writing. I was captivated by the way she wrote her stories and used witty comments as well as sensitivity. I think many readers would agree with me on this too. She sounded like a teenager herself. One of my favorite quotes from …show more content…
her book Speak was, “TEN MORE LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL 1. You will use algebra in your adult lives. 2. Driving to school is a privilege that can be taken away. 3. Students must stay on campus during lunch. 4. The new textbooks will arrive any day now. 5. Colleges care more about you than your SAT scores. 6. We are enforcing the dress code. 7. We will figure out how to turn off the heat soon. 8. Our bus drivers are highly trained professionals. 9. There is nothing wrong with summer school. 10.
We want to hear what you have to say.”
This quote is witty and very relatable and sounds like something I would hear walking down the hallway. In Speak she also uses, “You have to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against.” This quote is much more sensitive to the fact that the book is about the main character being raped and not speaking up about it. Laurie’s work is wonderful because she uses humor and sensitivity to communicate mature themes.
However, Laurie Halse Anderson wasn’t always a natural born writer. In her early years of elementary school she wasn't even sure if she would be able to read and certainly didn't think she would be an author. However, with a little bit of help, she picked it up and became obsessed. In second grade she got involved in writing during a lesson about haikus, but still didn't see herself becoming a writer. She considered it just a hobby until well after high school. In fact, she didn’t enjoy English at all because she was horrible at grammar and spelling. Growing up, her father was a poet or as she says “a natural born story teller” which is one of the main reasons she thinks that she is a writer. In her senior year of high school she lived on a pig farm in Denmark for about 13 months, which she enjoyed but wanted to get an education. She came back to America and attended Onondaga Community College and graduated from Georgetown University with a minor in language and
linguistics. Her debut to writing started when she had an epiphany and realized people would pay her to write. She got a job as a freelance reporter and began writing some picture books as well. She received many rejection letters but kept on going and got her first book, Ndito Runs published in 1996. From there she continued to write picture books and even wrote a few nonfiction stories. Laurie is probably best known for her young adult fiction, which she writes in a multitude of genres. She started by writing Fever 1793 which takes place during 1793 at the time of the yellow fever in Philadelphia. She liked the book, but had problems trying to fit all of her research and ideas into words, so she took a break to write Speak. This book became her most famous book and won a countless number of awards, including becoming a Printz honor book and was on the New York Times bestseller list. It has also been put into school curriculums around the country. She then went back to work on Fever and had it published in 2000. She then wrote Catalyst, Prom, and Twisted which are realistic novels focusing around highschool characters in interesting situations . She then wrote Chains which is about a young girl forced into being a slave for a malicious couple during the revolutionary war. “Anderson explores elemental themes of power, freedom, and the sources of human strength in this searing, fascinating story.” Booklist says. She wrote a sequel for this book in 2010. She returned back to realistic fiction and wrote her two most recent young adult books Wintergirls and The Impossible Knife of Memory. The way Laurie crafts her work is interesting because it is similar in both her realistic and historical fiction. She often takes young characters and puts them into a situation that is challenging and interesting. She also takes mature subjects such as slavery and focuses on sensitivity, but also writes in a way that is engaging and at appropriate times, humorous. Because she is writing to a young age group about mature subjects it is important that she uses sensitivity as well as humor to not make it overwhelming. Laurie builds up suspense, especially in Speak where she didn’t reveal the main problem in the book until towards the end. She does a phenomenal job of writing to young people because she captures their voice in a way they can connect to. She enthralled me in her work and allowed me to experience realistic fiction in a way I enjoyed. Laurie Halse Anderson writes her realistic fiction in a way that is humorous and enjoyable to the teen audience. It’s no surprise Laurie Halse Anderson is an award winning author of both realistic and historical fiction.
Laurie Halse Anderson has written for all ages, but her most popular books are those written for young adults. These books include Speak, Catalyst, Prom, and Wintergirls. A common trait found in all of these books is her spectacular use of characterization. Some reviewers have criticized Catalyst and Fever 1793 for weaknesses in characterization and plotting but all of Laurie Halse Anderson's books remain highly popular with young readers, who identify with Anderson's honest portrayal of adolescence. Susan Butterworth said, “The first-person narrative voice, keen observation, and details of time and place distinguish Anderson's young adult novels” (Gale). Laurie Halse Anderson’s amazing ability to write in a very realistic first person allows readers to easily relate to the main character. There are several reasons as to why she writes like this and what makes it successful. These reasons include Anderson’s life, her weaving of comedy with tragedy, and the extreme differences between each book. Each of these reasons for this ability is wonderful because they are what make her books more likeable.
M.T Anderson’s novel Feed gives readers a representation of a future dystopian world, one in which technology is not simply around us yet embedded inside our heads. Anderson gives a warning for our own society by drawing parallels between our society and the feed. As Anderson describes, "Everything's dead. Everything's dying." (Anderson 180). In this dystopian world, the environment turns into a disaster due to how rapidly technology is advancing, and this concept can relate to our society today. Indeed, society’s life has improved over the decades due to technological advances, however, it brings more damage to the earth.
Adversity affects the lives of many individuals. Through facing adversity people tend to show their true selves. In the novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse-Anderson, the main character Melinda, faces a few different types of adversity. One form of adversity that she faces is that she was sexually assaulted. Another type of adversity that Melinda goes through in this novel is that she loses all her friends and starts to lose her family as well. Throughout my life, I have faced many different types of adversity, one major thing that I have dealt with in my life is depression. Those who face adversity in their life can choose if they want to face it or to ignore it, and the outcome will prove what they chose to do.
Billy Graham once said, "The one badge of Christian discipleship is not orthodoxy but love." By this definition, June Callwood, a social activist and journalist, displays true discipleship through her work of bringing awareness to groups often discriminated against. June loved everybody equally and realized that gender, age, pecuniary possessions, or race do not define a person's worth. In other words, June Callwood is a disciple because she worked towards making a better world where the rights of every human are respected.
Like a slave escaping, writing is a journey of chance. In the novel Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, Isabel is a slave sold by a relative of the deceased Miss Mary Finch. Robert Finch sells her to a cruel dysfunctional Loyalist couple, The Lockton's. With an abusive husband, Madam mirrors the same behavior towards Isabel and her sister Ruth. as the While reading the novel Chains, the daily lives of slaves, indentured servants and members of the loyalist gentry intersect, revealing a great deal about the varied living conditions, worldview and conflicts experienced by colonists during this time period.
One in 10 young Americans has committed an act of sexual violence (Freleng). Rape is a serious issue that negatively affects the victim and their family. Rape is when someone sexually touches another person without their consent. This most commonly happens to women but men
Melinda was an outcast and loner in high school who was overwhelmed, fearful, and confused with her life and her environment at school. She was always silent in class and afraid to speak in front of people. Many students today might feel the need to fit in with other people so they wouldn’t have to be looked down upon. As we take a look at Melinda’s life we’ll be able to see how she handles her daily conflicts. In the book, Speak, Melinda Sordino, an incoming freshman at Merryweather High, starts her year off with a terrible start. She’s stuck with a mean history teacher, by who she calls Mr. Neck and a whole bunch of other weird teachers like her English teacher of who she calls, Hairwomen, because of her crazy, uncombed hair. Her favorite teacher would seem to be her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, because he seems to be the nicest and most reasonable. Every student, even her ex-best friend, Rachel Bruin, gives her nasty looks and treats her rudely. All this trouble started when Melinda called the cops at an end-of-summer party. Everybody thinks she did that just to bust them and get all the people in trouble but instead, she called the cops for something more terrifying. During the night of that party, she was raped by a senior who goes to Merryweather High, Andy Evans, by who she calls IT or Andy Beast. She was too scared and didn’t know what to do so she called the cops. Because of this, now everyone in school is disgusted and hateful of her. Though most of the students didn’t like her, she did become sort of “distant” friends with Heather, Ivy, and her science lab partner, David Petrakis. With all the drama, sadness, and conflict involved in Melinda’s life, she still seems to manage and finish the school year without ...
Eva Longoria Bastón is quite crazy. The 41-year-old starlet cannot quit spurting concerning her brand-new hubby, Jose Antonio "Pepe" Bastón, in a brand-new meeting with Sea Drive, disclosing that she takes into consideration the Televisa head of state her "soulmate.".
I agree with your point of view on Crystal Eastman's essay "Now We Can Begin" and how you feel as though the structure of the reading is logical and well-organized. I also agree that the purpose is to get the reader to understand how women were being objectified and how they had no type of freedom in their choice of occupation or life responsibilities because frankly, they didn't. What Eastman portrayed in her essay was conveyed clearly and nearly screamed through her words, and as I read the initial page on the various tasks and accomplishments she achieved through her life I was reminded of videos I had watched years prior. The videos all had the same premise behind them where someone would go to various places such as parks, universities,
The renowned and talented American journalist Lynette Romero is known best for her work in TLA 5 Morning News and other news channels as a reporter for which she has won numerous local Emmy Awards. Lynette Romero is a Latino. Lynette Romero spent most f her childhood days in Colorado. She went on to attend the University of Colorado based in Boulder, Colorado. Lynette Romero graduated with a Science degree in journalism and broadcast news.
Tia Carrere is an American actress, model, and voice actress. She is extremely prominent for her role in her role in Wayne's World. She is a hardworking person and has made respectable position in American entertainment field.
The case “Corporate Governance at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia: Not “A Good Thing” discusses the journey of Martha Stewart and her founded company ‘Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’. It showcases the highs and the lows of MSO and the effect of imprisonment of Martha Stewart to the company. The case also discusses Martha Stewart’s attitude and compensation as being the owner of more than 90 percent of MSO’s shares. Lastly, the case focuses on how internal challenges loomed even larger with numerous failures of governance while the company attempted a turnaround.
... any challenging intellectual ideals. This statement could not be any farther from the truth. From the work out the brilliant SE Hinton in the 1950’s, who broke the mold of mundane literature and brought about new gritty subject matter to the Young Adult world, to the talented John Green, who eloquently describes the struggles of 21st century teenagers dealing with anything from substance abuse to cancerous disease, .Young Adult Fiction has inspired and will continue to inspire and challenge the youth. Young Adult literature has presented itself in a way that unites adolescents in all walks of life. It has challenged their minds in their philosophies of racism, sexism, sexuality, and equality. It also unites them in the struggle of peer pressure. May the continue to ever evolve and expand, and may the adult reader never be too sophisticated for a young adult novel.
In “When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision,” Adrienne Rich discusses her view on the role of a woman writer by using examples of her own personal experience. As I look at my life, I can begin to understand how my own personal experiences can reflect the situation of many young women. I am tormented by which role I am supposed to play in today’s society. Am I to become the traditional mother and housewife? Should I flaunt my sexuality and become the female that the media is constantly portraying? Maybe I should be myself and follow my dreams to become an independent career woman, if that is even what I want. Young women in modern society are searching for the right answers to these questions and are basing these answers on their family, friends, and the media.
From director Jane Campion, a fantastic imagining of the ill-fated love affair between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, comes Bright Star. With delightful wit, Campion fleshes out this nuanced romance while bringing to life the styles, sights, and struggles of 19th century English life. However, despite the best efforts of director, cast, and crew, the production contains several errors which cannot be overlooked, contributing to a film that is lovable in moments and really quite unspectacular overall.