3.
The characters in the novel The Merciless by Danielle Vega are hiding many secrets, which at first makes them appear very realistic. The plot revolves around a young girl named Sofia, who has recently moved to the small town of Friend, Mississippi, as a result of her mother being assigned to a new army base. Sofia is a very realistic character, who's conveyed feelings and emotions about starting a new school and making new friends are very relatable. She quickly befriends three girls, who Sofia is surprised about, as “Girls [she’s] known who look like Riley don’t make friends with the new kid”(Vega 9). Riley, Grace and Alexis are the preppy, popular girls at school who invite Sofia into their friend group from the beginning. The girls
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and their friendship seems very believable, with a lot of gossiping about boys and other typical teenage girl talk. As the novel progresses the relatable, realistic aspect slowly gets lost, and instead takes an eerie, psychotic turn. The decisions made by the girls in the novel are very shocking and extremely hard to understand, although they are not completely unrealistic. It is hard to accept that the characters are realistic, as it is extremely hard to picture four teenage girls kidnapping and torturing another student from their high school. However, these actions are not impossible to complete, and although not accepted behavior, it is still something that could realistically happen. 12. Oxford dictionary defines merciless as showing no mercy or pity.
The title The Merciless, holds a lot of significance as it defines the actions of the protagonists, and explains their behavior. Sofia gets tricked into participating in Riley’s plans to “fix” Brooklyn, an old friend of Riley, who they believe is now possessed by the devil but their attempt to complete an exorcism turns into torture. Sofia tries endlessly to escape with Brooklyn, however her attempts are destroyed by Riley and her followers. Riley, Grace and Alexis had nailed every window shut, and padlocked every door, so there was absolutely no way of escaping. Even after inflicting so much pain on Brooklyn they still continue, even though it is clear that the exorcism will not be successful. Brooklyn is severely injured, bearing cuts and bruises all over her body from Riley’s impatience. Even as she is bound and unconscious, “Alexis…starts to giggle…’It’s like she's not even real,’ she says, poking Brooklyn’s limp leg. ‘She’s like a doll.’”(147). The three girls do not care about the gravity of their actions, even though it is killing one of their friends. The title of this novel is also ironic, as throughout the entire novel Riley claims she is only doing this to help fix Brooklyn, but in reality she is mercilessly hurting
her. 13. The suspenseful and horror filled plot creates action that is unbelievably believable. Horror films and novels are terrifyingly believable when they do not involve paranormal activity. The action in the novel consists of three teenaged girls torturing another while one is forced to watch and try to find a way to escape. Even the torturers themselves know their actions are wrong however they do not care enough to stop. When Sofia suggests that the police be called when Alexis “jumps” out of the second story window after having a fight with Riley, Riley explains that the police will, “think [they’re] monsters”(217), and how she does not want to spend the rest of her life in jail. Even she knows that her idea is insane, however she is unable to stop herself. It is not unbelievable that these things could happen, however it is unbelievable that someone could actually do this to someone. 17. When I first chose this novel to read for the book review project, I was nervous because I felt that it might be too elementary, due to it’s bright pink cover and the slightly bigger than average font size. I severely underestimated this novel, and was left petrified as I finished in the early hours of the morning after work one night. I figured it would be fine to read in the dark, and that I would only read a little bit, however I was sucked into finishing it in one night. The scarily descriptive details of Riley wedging, “the knife beneath Brooklyn’s fingernail and [shoving] it forward…[hearing] the sick pop of the nail separating from Brooklyn’s finger”(122) makes me grimace even now as I read it over for analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, as I love scaring myself by watching scary movies, or going through haunted houses. However if I had known the novel was as scary as it was I would have saved if for a Saturday afternoon where I could have calmed myself down before going to bed in order to avoid sleeping with the lights on. 23. The most important passage in this novel occurs at the very end, and gives the reader an epiphany moment when they finally realize what is going on. Soon after Sofia finally succeeds in freeing Brooklyn and herself, she realizes that Riley, Grace and Alexis were right all along. Sofia witnesses Brooklyn killing Grace as revenge, and knows she must find Riley before Brooklyn does. Sofia races to Riley’s beach house where she knows she is hiding from Brooklyn, only to have Brooklyn show up and kill Riley too. Sofia does not understand why Brooklyn is not killing her as well, when the most important passage is revealed. Sofia asks why she is not being torn apart like the rest of them when Brooklyn responds, “‘Don’t be silly Sofia,’…Her eyes glow red, like she's lit from within. ‘We don't kill our own”(279). It is revealed that not only Brooklyn is possessed by the devil, but that Sofia is as well, which explains the draw Sofia has towards Brooklyn, and why she feels so strongly about protecting her from her “friends”.
It might be easy to think of more miserable people than the unnamed group of people at this point of time in history, but surely their misery is certainly their undesirable kind. Brutality, distrust Horror is dispersed in the air, men breathe it in and die of it. The life of every man hung on a thin thread and the hope of being alive was tainted with convincing uncertainty. Trust and reliance sporadically gave way for mistrust and suspicion. It was certainly a world of no man’s life.
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, some resort to suicide to escape their insecurities. Soldiers, however, are not the only ones affected by wars; family members also experience mental hardships when their loved ones are sent to war. Timothy Findley accurately portrays the detrimental effects wars have on individuals in his masterpiece The Wars.
The battle of good versus evil is present in all aspects of life. Actions taken by people can determine how others view them. Some choose to do what is right and good, while others choose what is wrong and evil. Many characters are forced to choose between the two, and some do not foresee the consequences of their actions. In the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, actions committed by the Davy, Jeremiah, and Jeremiah’s friends, both good and evil, always have consequences.
In “War and Massacre” by Thomas Nagel, Nagel argues that there are limits on what can be done to an enemy even its for the sake of overall good. He believes that such an idea is grounded on the principles of Absolutism, where morality is determined by the action itself (deontology). This is contrary to the view of Utilitarianism, which relies on the premise that Morality is determined by its consequences (Consequentialism). Although could one in fact generate such a moral structure around war? Do the ends justify the means in War? Through identifying with a real-life example, I will look to expand on Nagel’s account where an action taken by a country in war would be prohibited even if it were for the overall good.
The Struggles in life is something everyone is faced with whether it is physical, emotional mental or personal struggles. These struggles are capable of shaping an individual’s personality and outlook on life. Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars, shows that struggles lead to the character’s ultimate inner struggles, outer struggles and self-discovery. War exists in a person’s physical and psychological aspects. In The Wars, Robert Ross goes to war and fights a personal and physical battle.
It is hard to find that one person in the world that you can always relate too. That one friend knows your personality and perspective. In the book Code Name Verity written by Elizabeth Wein, we see a unique and very special thing of friendship. This amazing friendship we get to see is between two girls, Maddie and Julie. Because of their job and missions, they are both required to have code names throughout the book. These girls know exactly what kind of trouble they would get into if any code name was given away and most importantly, the trust they would break from their friendship. The reason why we see Maddie and Julie have such a strong friendship is because of the time spent between them and the amount of care between the two. Julie is a double agent that does life threatening missions, and Maddie is a pilot that happens to fly her. When preparing to jump out of the back of the plane, Julie says one of the most unique phrases to go out on a bang with. From the beginning to the end of the book, my understanding of the friendship, the plot, and their culture has changed dramatically based on this one quote, “Kiss me hardy!”(68).
Life changes in an instant. One day you’re just playing with your friends and the next your whole life is ending. The events that happen in a person’s life changes how they are as a person; it can either make them a better person or destroy them. In the novel The Separate Peace Finny grows as a person as the story progresses on, he faces tough situations that reveal he’s inner self.
Charlie goes to a foot ball game and approaches Patrick because he is the only one that seems approachable to him then they talk. “Hey you’re in my shop class!” He’s a very friendly person. “Hey I’m Charlie.” I said, not to shy. “And I’m Patrick. And this is Sam.” He pointed to a very pretty girl next to him. And she waved to me.” That is the start of their friendship because then after the football game they go to a place called Big Boy and they talked and asked a lot of questions. (Page 19) In Mean Girls Katy at her first day of school tries to talk to people at a table and they just get give her a bad response, then when the second day of school happens she walks into class and Damian and Janis talks to her and they get friendly. Katy then asks them where her next class is. They then go to lead Katy out of the lunchroom to her next class but they lead her to the football field and say “sit down friend”. Katy skipped her first health class because she was called friend. These two concepts of how Charlie and Katy don’t know how to socialize shows up by the fact that Charlie felt uncomfortable to approach anyone till he saw Patrick but with everyone else he avoided because he didn’t know how to socialize. Then when Katy tried to approach people they just ignored her because she didn’t know how to socialize in her school. As soon as they both realized they had friends they felt good and
This story is about the friendship of too girls from very different families. Carlotta is a darker skinned girl whose family is "new money". She wants to go to Scared Heart Academy for her high school education. Scared Heart does not let in girls of her skin tone. The school has been financially struggling and Carlotta's father donates money to the school, which in turn get her accepted in to the school. Since she is new money she was not "locked up" in her home her whole life. She knows the town and tells her friend Merceditas all about the way things are there. The other girl, Merceditas come from a very wealthy family who has been this way for gene...
F. F. Cartwright, “The Years of the Plague”, in A Social History of Medicine (London: Longman, 1977), pp. 58-74.
“Mean Girls” begins as Cady Heron moves back to the United States from Africa where her parents were animal experts. She has an awkward first week of school where she begins to crush on a boy named Aaron Samuels, meets Janice and Damian who show her around campus because no one really wanted to get to know her on a personal level. Janice and Ian begin to spill the dirty secrets of the school including “The Plastics” who are a superficial infamous group who put everyone down. “The Plastics” infiltrate an operation to make Cady one of them, but little do they know that it is all an act to show how fake they are, thanks to Janice Ian. Because Janice and Ian told Cady of all the bad that “The Plastics” hold, she had a schema that Regina George who is the leader of “The Plastics” and her crew, were bad people and that high school was all about popularity. The reason why Janice placed this schema was because she and Regina George used to be friends back in the day. Schemas can be bad or good, but in this case, it was quite bad. It was an act of vengeance. Although the schema may have made Janice and Damian despise “The Plastics,” it made Cady Heron want to be like them. Prejudice is found within “The Plastics” because they don’t just let anyone join their group, the gi...
...rangers. However, Bailey's overall happy outlook on life rubs off on her. Lena needs her friends to look past her beauty. Without them, she withdraws, deep into her own thoughts. Its her friends that remind her she's more than her looks. Bridget is the one who's the least open about friendship, but she needs it just as much as the others. Without close friends around, Bridget's daredevil attitude are fun and exciting, but nobody thinks to tell her to slow down. She goes too far and ends up in a bad situation, but her friends are there to make it better.
The adolescence is proposing questions of self-identity and trying to understand more of self during these years. Mean Girls emphasizes these self-identifications by capturing different cliques and group of people that the high schoolers associate and label themselves as. For instance in the film, Cady is being accepted by Janis and Damian, but they want Cady to engage in a risky behavior by associating herself as “The Plastics.” This plan started out with the intention of trying to find out more high school secrets and to humiliate “The Plastics,” but Cady turned more like them as she received more acceptance by them. Mean Girls demonstrates not only the sense of self emerging during the adolescent age, but the struggles of all it takes to find a sense of self-identity. Cady eventually put her relationship with Janis and Damian, parents, and acquaintances of school on the line by trying to maintain her “Plastic”
...e realizes that those experiences are what shaped her into the young women she is now. All those years of convincing herself that her appearance is the reason why people tend to hate her and push her away, suddenly come crashing down on her when she realizes that looks are merely part of what makes her unique. Also the high expectations that society places on women makes it hard for a young girl to grow on her own, especially if she has a mindset of her own. However, Anne uses that for her own benefit by creating barriers into opportunities. Lastly, Anne Shirley does not only make herself proud with the identity created by working hard day and night, but also to make all the people in her life proud as well. “Aren’t you proud of that Anne-girl? I am” (Montgomery 329)