Tag Archives: ELA

Book Essay: Divergent

Austin Henry
April 8, 2014

Divergent
Book By: Veronica Roth

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. HarperCollins Publishers, 2011

Divergent starts us off with meeting Beatrise Prior. She, her parents, and her brother all live in the faction of Abnegation. They have no TVs, no iPhones, and one mirror that is usually hidden somewhere in their house. She is sixteen now and all teenagers her age have to take an aptitude test to determine which faction they belong in. But the problem is, Tris is Divergent, meaning she hides the fact that she doesn’t belong in any faction. Not Dauntless, not Abnegation, yet not factionless.

A theme that Veronica Roth is trying to tell is is controlling government. Each faction has it’s own faction leader. Depending on each faction, there’s the straightforward power of Dauntless, who beat people up and destroy things. Then there’s the more complicated, more manipulative power of Erudite, who want to control things, either through newspapers changing people’s opinions or just controlling people’s minds directly.

My favorite character is Four. He is brave, smart, and the only other person like Tris, Divergent. Tris and Four have a strong relationship with each other. I think they are the best fictional couple in all of the world of books I have ever read. I actually like this book, that’s kind of hard thinking about because I strongly dislike reading. This book seriously grabbed my attention. It was like I couldn’t put down the book, one minute I was on page 262, and the next thing I know, I’m on page 307. It was almost magical.

My guiding questions are ‘Is controlling government scary? How does controlling government work? What is exactly is controlling government? ’’ Well, yeah, controlling government is scary, this crazy man or woman controls you. You listen and live, or resist and die. Controlling government can be scary only if you make it scary. Controlling government is, well, controlling.

Poem of the Day

To an Athlete Dying Young
BY A. E. HOUSMAN
The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

Today, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears.

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl’s.

Response:
A theme for “To an Athlete Dying Young” is just because you have glory here, does not mean you will have anywhere else. People know you at school and stuff, but when you go to college, you and your friends have spread out and gone different directions. The rhyme scheme for this poem is (i.e.) aabb ccdd.
I thought this poem is sad. This boy has a the glory in the town. Everybody loved him, but one day he just died. The poem doesn’t tells us how. Maybe somebody disliked him and used something to kill him that wouldn’t leave a mark.

Book Essay: Mockingjay

Austin Henry
February 7, 2014

Mockingjay
Book By: Suzanne Collins

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2010

In Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, District 13 fights to be free from the Capitol and to kill President Snow. The author has us start in the remains of District 12. Katniss and the remaining people of District 12 move themselves to the undergrounds of District 13. Katniss didn’t know what to do after she learned that Peeta was hijacked (brainwashed) by President Snow. He didn’t have any romantic or pleasant memories of Katniss. How would you feel if you knew this boy has loved you since you to were five years old and didn’t remember y’all’s love?

One theme is controlling government. Controlling government is all throughout the book of Mockingjay. The Capitol, and President Snow, has all control of Districts 1 – 11. President Coin has control of only District 13 and each individual District has its own President that is under authority of the Capitol, except for District 13. When Katniss has the thought of killing President Snow, she loves it, and knows it will happen one day. Everyone knows it will happen eventually. Katniss soon learns that District 2 is the Capitol’s favorite District. Gale and Katniss go to District 2 to see if they can destroy The Capitol from there.

I enjoyed reading Mockingjay because I felt it was dramatic, dangerous, romantic, and many more feelings I can’t put into words. It told me that America isn’t like any other country in the world, it’s better than any other country in the world. Katniss Everdeen is my favorite character. She puts the, danger, and romance into the book. It keeps me thinking how Suzanne Collins made Katniss like that and how much inspiration it took for her to think of a character like her. One thing I thought of was weird that District 13 was even more controlling than District 13.

My guiding questions are ‘What is exactly is controlling government? Is controlling government scary? How does controlling government work?’ Well controlling government is very simple. The government tells you what to do and how to do it. Not very complex is it? I didn’t think it was.

Proposal

Inquiry Project:
Independent Reading Requirement Proposal
Austin Henry

Subject of Inquiry: Fear, relationship, and change because the government is controlling you. He/she could make you fearful by always bombing you, he/she could pull you away from your family, he/she could instantly change your life.

Guiding Question(s): What is exactly is controlling government? Is controlling government scary? How does controlling government work?

Rationale: Well, I was looking for books that are filled with action and drama. I wanted to be interested in the books and to be able to read for hours upon hours. The three books will teach me that how it’s possible for the government to control our life and how scary it could be if that ever happened.

Summary: At the moment I am reading Mockingjay. It’s about the Capitol controlling the lives of the victors and districts 1-12. District 13 is the only district that isn’t involved with the Capitol. To me that is the perfect example, It tells you about controlling government and how people are solving the problem.

Prediction: These books will be powerful. They’re over such a wonderful topic. I hope when I read these books that I understand that the United States is such a wonderful place to live in. With no controlling government, no killing each other for our enjoyment, etc. I’ve never thought how other parts of the world could be cruel. I’ve always lived in a safe neighborhood with nice, kind hearted neighbors.

Titles and Authors:
Mockingjay; Suzanne Collins
The Giver; Lois Lowry
Divergent; Veronica Roth

Importance: It is important for people to know about controlling because one day America could randomly controlled by a Russian and completely change everything America is known for. America would be a gonner! You would be told what to do! You aren’t free anymore if that happens. Just let that sink in for a moment.

Other Possible Sources: I could use Wikipedia or just search ‘controlling government’ in Google search and see what appears. I could also use Bing, it’s a lesser known sight for searching for some people, but I could still search there.