Divergent: Week of 10/28/13

Pages: 177-282
Prompt: Compare the society in your book to the society today.

     Our society today, is completely different from the society in the book, and they even make reference to that during the story. They say things like "It was like that back then when..." and things like "It's different now, then it was then." So, the book flat out tells you that the society is different from ours today ("Divergent" is set in the future.) Though, if they didn't flat out tell you, then you would still be able to tell by how they explain things, and how they tell you about what things are like in their world. You would also be able to tell by how they act, and what they do and feel is right. You can tell that most people in the story, don't act how thye would today. For some people, that's a good thing, for some, that's not so good. In fact, it's pretty bad.

  There are a lot of differences between the two societies
and I would love to explain them to you. For one, 
because they live in Chicago, you would think they would all live in the general Chicago area, together, but that's not the case. They all live in a faction; there are five factions. Dauntless, (the brave) Erudite, (the smart) Abnegation, (the selfless) Candor, (the honest) and Amity, (the peaceful.) Though, you don't exactly get to choose where you live, where you live is based on test results. In our society today you can choose where ever you would like to live, and you aren't limited to only five different places, where you will have to live your whole life. Because of this test, the one choice you make decides your friends, determines your loyalties, and defines your beliefs. In our society today, the many choices you make throughout life can define you, and you are allowed to make more than one choice to help create your image. Also, most of things you can do today, are limited to you based on your faction in the story. For instance, today you can pretty much get any job, as long as you are willing to work, and are qualified for that job, while in the story, the jobs you can get depend on which faction you choose. You can't work helping the homeless in Abnegation, if your faction is Dauntless. Also, some factions limit the things you can say, and how you can act. For instance, in Abnegation, you are not allowed to ask questions openly if you are considered a child or under aged. In our society today, you can ask anyone a question if you please, but they don't have to respond if they don't want to! Also in Abnegation, you are only allowed to look at yourself in the mirror once a month because it's considered as you being self centered. Today, you can look in a mirror whenever you'd like, and nobody would judge you (unless they wanted to!) So, as you can see there are a lot of differences between the society today, and the society in the book, and that's not even all of the differences! I could go on for a while!

      Not only are there differences between the two societies, but there are also similarities (though not as many!) For one, to be able to live on your own, and be considered an adult, you have to 18. Same thing in the story. To be able to take the aptitude test, and choose your own faction, and get a job, you need to be 18, just like in today's society. Also, just like you would have to go through initiation to get a job, or go through training to get a job today, you have to do the same when you switch factions, to be able to learn the ropes. Another similarity is where you live or what faction you choose, says something about you. Today, things like that also say something about you, whether it's what college you choose to go to, or what state you choose to live in, or even what neighborhood you choose to live in. These things all say something about you, and your personality. If you choose to live in California, that might say that you like the warm whether all year round. Or, you like the beaches. Or, maybe if you chose to live in Berwyn, it's because you think there are better housing options, or better schools for your kids. Just like the people in the story choose factions for the reasons they think are best, and that kind of show what they are like! One more similarity between the society today, and the society in the book are there are laws and rules, just like we have in society today. Now, you're probably thinking, that that's obvious, every society has rules in some way, shape, or form, but I don't think that's the case. Author's can write anything that they want in books, and if they didn't want there to be any rules, then they wouldn't have to write about that! So, those are some similarities and differences between society today, and the society in the book!

Poetry Extra Credit- A Soldier

A Soldier

By: Julia Swicionis

Standing tall, representing all for whom they care; 

The people watch and adore.

Out shining others with their bravery and courage

Leading their army to war.

Letting the people know, 

That everything will be alright.

Deceiving everyone, even their families, 

That they were born to fight.

Inside they are a nervous wreck, 

But on their face this does not show.

Exquisite on the outside, they are standing tall in their uniforms, 

From the tops of their heads, to the tips of their toes.

Restoring the people with hope, 

That they can win this battle.

Standing there, the soldiers ready to fight, 

As they hear the drums rattle.

And so, the War has begun, 

And the men march off into the sun!

Divergent: Week of 10/21/13

Pages 157-177
Prompt: Who is your favorite character, and why?

     Though she doesn't always make the right decision, or make the best choices, I would have to say that my favorite character in the book right now is Tris. I say this for many reason. First of all, she stands up for what she believes in, and she is not afraid to speak her mind. She feels the pain of others when she watches them suffer, and feels that it's one of her duties to help them. Like in this last chapter I read. The initiates were beginning to learn how to throw knives and hit a target. One boy was being particularly slow when going back to pick up his knives. So Eric, told him he needed to trust the other initiates not to hit him, and he had him stand right under the target. Four, was going to throw knives at the target above, and if he didn't flinch, then he could continue initiation. The look of terror in his eyes made everyone feel bad for him, and eventually, Tris stood up and spoke her mind, that's for sure. She told Eric and Four that this was cruelty, and how it wasn't fair that they were making that poor boy do it, so they told her if she wanted, she could take his place, and she did. This not only shows why I feel that she stands up for what she believes in, but it also shows that she truly cares about others.

     Another thing that makes Tris my favorite character is her bravery. On the first day she came to the Dauntless, she wanted to prove herself. So she was the first to jump off of the top of a building, and into a hole, that looked dark and deep from what they could see. Tris had never done, nor thought about doing this before, but she needed to do it. Tris wanted to prove her bravery, so she jumped first. She could've died that day. If she would've missed the hole, or if the hole was actually a trick, and she wouldn't survive if she landed in it she could die, but no matter that. Tris wanted to show she was brave, and by doing that, I believe she was brave! She could've stood there timidly, and she could've acted timidly in the part of the story I told you about in the previous paragraph, but she didn't. She was brave, and at the beginning of initiation when she actually jumped, she was more respected than ever.

     One last thing that makes Tris my favorite character is, that she doesn't really know who she is in life yet. I like this about her because, I don't think the people (different personalities/ different lifestyles) she's been trying to be so far, are a good person to be. She's been trying to be brave, but sometimes, her bravery gets her into trouble. Before Dauntless, when she lived in Abnegation, she wasn't really allowed to speak her mind, and she couldn't just say what she wanted, or do what she wanted to do. I don't think that would be a good way to live, and I don't think I would want her to be that person, where she was limited to lots of things. I also like this about her, because everyone seems to have a place, but this is what really separates her from everyone else! This is what makes her so different, or at least that's what I feel makes her so different from everyone else. I think I'm a little bit like Tris in a way, because I don't really know exactly where I belong either. In school, everyone seems to be the prettiest, or the most popular, or the most athletic, and though I am athletic, I wouldn't say I was the most athletic. So, I'm still trying to find my place as well, but in a school perspective. So, those are the reasons why Tris is my favorite character.

Divergent: Week of 10/14/13

                                                                Spoiler Alert!

Pages: 105-157
Prompt: What has happened so far? What do you think will happen next?

     So far what has happened in my book, has been some pretty crazy stuff! We were introduced to the main character, Beatrice (Tris), and her family, which includes her brother Caleb, her Mother, and her Father. They live in the faction Abnegation, the selfless faction. At the beginning of the story, Tris is finally old enough to take the aptitude test, which is a test you take to see what faction you could belong in for the future. Tris's aptitude test scores were insane! She could've belonged to almost any of the factions, based on the choices she made in the aptitude test. So, Tris is considered Divergent, which means tending to be different. Which as you can see, the title fits nicely with the story, like I've previously talked about. 

     When it comes to the day of the choosing ceremony, the day where Tris will choose which faction she will now choose to live in, she is confused. She is not sure which faction she should choose, and is wondering if it would be wrong if she chose a faction away from her family. Her brother ended up choosing a different faction from their original, he chose Erudite, the intelligent. She was shocked, and was then pretty much planning to stay in Abnegation with her family. Though when it was her turn to choose, she chose Dauntless. Afterwards, she was taken to the place she would be staying as a Dauntless initiate, along with the other new Dauntless initiates. She meets two of her best friends, Christina and Al, and they help each other out, and are really kind and caring friends. As they go through stage one of initiation, they do lots of fighting, and at the end of stage one, some of the initiates will not pass and will become factionless. 

     During the last chapter I read, they were going to have a capture the flag game, in the middle of the night. Four, one of the Dauntless initiate trainers, has chosen Tris to be on his team. During the hiding of the flag, Four was trying to help Tris, and almost protect her. You could tell he liked her from the way he acted around her. Though, Tris doesn't exactly like him back. She feels awkward around him, and doesn't really know what to do, and that's where I left off. 

     Now, what I think is going to happen next are a few things. First, I think that Tris is going to end up falling in love with Four, and she will finally feel comfortable around him. She will realize that he is trying to protect her, and maybe, she should let him. I think this will happen because, though Tris wants to be brave, and fight her own battles, she may realize that Four really can help her. If she doesn't want to be factionless, and if she wants the best things for herself, then she will accept his affection, and will let him protect her. What I also think is going to happen is that it will soon be the end of stage one, and some people will become factionless. I think that either Al or Christina will end up factionless. I say this because, there have already been a few twists, and I think the Author will throw me a few more twists. Also, because of other things I've read in other books, I feel that the Author always does what you least expect them to do. One more thing that I think is going to happen next is, Tris' Mother will come for Visiting Day, which I predict is coming up soon. I think it's coming up soon because in a previous chapter I read a few nights ago, it said that Visiting Day would be coming up soon. I predict that her Mother will be coming instead of assuming that because, in the story it said that most transfers parents don't come on Visiting Days because they are disappointed in their children for leaving home, and choosing another faction. Though I predict that Tris' Mother will end up showing up because she seems like a very kind and understanding woman, from what I've read at least. The day that Tris chose Dauntless at the choosing ceremony, her mother was not disappointed, but was calm, and seemed even a bit proud of her daughter for making such a difficult decision on her own. So, that's what has happened so far, and what I think will happen next.

Divergent: Week of 10/7/13

Pages: 76-105
Prompt: Describe the main characters.

     The first main character I'm going to describe is Tris (originally named Beatrice). Tris doesn't exactly know where she is going in life. She doesn't really know who she wants to be. She thinks that maybe now that she's in the faction Dauntless, that she will try and start fresh, become someone new. Though, she doesn't know who she is going to be. She wants to try and be daring, and show that she is brave. She also wants to be caring and compassionate, when she knows that it's needed. Coming from Abnegation, there are many times where she comes back to being selfless, knowing that she must do the right thing. Though does she want to do the right thing, if she knows it may hurt her in the end? You can describe Tris as very lost at this point in the story. She isn't sure who she really is. I think she needs to stay true to herself. She has shown              she can be brave, and has proven to be very caring towards others, so she is a very good person in general, but she just doesn't know where she belongs yet. So, that is how I would describe Tris.

     Another main character I'm going to describe is Christina. Because she is from Candor (honest), she feels free to be blunt and completely honest, not sugarcoating anything and saying exactly what's on her mind. Christina can also be very tough and doesn't care about what other people think of her. Christina is one of Tris's best friends, and Tris considers Christina to be a great friend and very brave. I agree that Christina is very brave, especially when facing the challenge that I just read about. To prove she was not a coward she had to hang from a railing over a river for five minutes, after she had just been brutally beaten by an opponent in a fight. The water splashed her back so many times, and her hands were continually getting wet, and slipping, but she held on. She was brave enough to go through that, and actually make it through. I would describe her as brave, anyone who has to got through something like that is brave. So, that is how I would describe Christina.

     The last main character I will be describing hasn't been brought up in the story lately, but I feel it's important that I describe him. So, the last person I will be describing will be Caleb, Tris's brother. For years Caleb proved to be a true Abnegation. He was extremely selfless, and always did everything he could to help others. It seemed as if he didn't even need to think about it. Though when he switched Factions to Erudite, he seemed almost rebellious. He had done so much good, and was such a selfless person, that no one would've ever expected him to choose a new Faction, I know I certainly didn't. He was very smart though, how would he be able to make all of the right decisions otherwise? I would also describe him as being near perfect. He made all of the right choices, though some people may argue that he made the right choices up until the choosing ceremony, and he was very thoughtful of his and others decisions. You could also describe him as being quite charming. He was so sweet, and always seemed to know the right words to say. Though, after he switched Factions, some of his character traits changed. He no longer seemed selfless, because he left his family, and his true home. So, that is how I would describe Caleb.

"The Lady and the Tiger" How it Really Ended

     Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it.  When the door was completely open, he saw neither a lady, or a tiger.  He saw nothing but the inside of the room that he had thought would've held someone, or something inside of it.  He heard gasps from the crowd.  He turned around, looking for some type of guidance form the Princess, but she had disappeared.  He wasn't sure what to think.  Maybe it had all been a trick in the first place, a test of trust from the Princess.  Or maybe the King wanted to see if he would be brave enough to step into the arena at all. All of sudden through his thoughts, he heard a blood curdling scream. He looked around, but didn't seem to see anyone in the crowd screaming.  He realized, that whoever was screaming, must have been somewhere inside of the room. He peeked in, but saw nothing more than a dark grey cell, and a single door.  He knew it must be coming from the other side of the door.

    As he walked into the room to open the door on the inside, he felt chills go down his spine.  He didn't realize that he was actually very scared about what may be occurring behind the door, but he was a brave man!  He walked straight through the door to see a full on fight between the Princess and the woman who must have been behind the door.  While he was shocked at the sight going on, he realized that the princess must have really cared about him if she was going to let hime live and marry another woman rather than die.  Though, maybe she just let him pick the door with the other woman because she would be easier to fight off than the tiger.  Either way, he was pleased.  Than all of a sudden, he saw blood trickling down the woman's front.  The woman who was behind the door, the one he was supposed to marry.  He looked at the princess in disbelief.  Then he ran up to her, he knew they could now be together, if they could keep it a secret.  They would have to run away.  All of a sudden, the King came into the door they had been behind.  He looked at the woman on the floor, and he was mortified. 

     He saw the woman laying on the floor, dead and lifeless.  He knew it must've been the Princess because the young man had just been in the arena, unarmed.  He looked at his daughter, though proud she was able to fight another and win, was disappointed that she had actually murdered somebody.  He knew the only punishment for murder, would be to put the murderer into the arena, to see their fate.  How could he do that to his own daughter?  Though being the King, he must obey and follow his own rules, to set an example for others.  So, he reminded her of the punishment, and sent her to prepare to be put into the arena.  She wept as she walked home to prepare.

    The next day, bright and early, was the day that the princess would choose her fate in the arena.  She stood there, tall and proud, thinking she would definitely make the right choice.  She was a Princess, wasn't she?  She figured the king would never put the person behind the same door twice in a row, that would make it too easy to figure out, wouldn't it?  Or maybe he was trying to trick her into picking the other door, even though a handsome man would be waiting for her in the right door, as a beautiful woman was the day before.  She thought about it for a while longer, and then made her choice.  She walked confidently to the door on the left. Now, I leave it up to you, fair reader.  Who did the Princess choose, the Man, or the Tiger?

Divergent: Week of 9/30/13

                                     SPOILER ALERT!
Pages: 1-76
Prompt: What is the title of what you are reading? How does it fit the story?

     
     My prompt this week is "What is the title of what you're reading, and how does it fit the story?" Well, I actually think the title fits the story I am reading really well. The title of the book I'm reading is Divergent,  and divergent means "tending to be different, or develop in different directions." The main way that divergent fits the story, at the moment, is through the main character, Tris. Though, since I'm only near the beginning of the  book, I don't know if divergent fits the story in any other ways as well.

     Divergent is set in Chicago in the future, and instead of suburbs, people live in factions. These include Erudite (intelligent), Dauntless (brave), Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), and Candor (honest). Tris lived in Abnegation, but once you get to a certain age you can switch factions, based on a test you take. This test shows which faction you might belong in, based on your actions. This is the first way divergent fits into the story. When Tris takes the test, there is not one clear faction she may belong in, but a few that she could possibly fit into. Because of this, Tris is considered divergent, she is developing in a different path than most people her age, and most people in general.

     Tris is considered divergent in many other ways as well. For one, when she is still living in Abnegation, the faction known for its selfless citizens, she doesn't instantly think of doing the right, selfless thing to do. She feels that she doesn't always think before she says things, and sometimes accidentally breaks Abnegation rules. She feels her family always seems to do everything selflessly and correctly, and that she is an outcast compared to her family, which also shows she is divergent. She definitely tends to be different than her family, as well as most abnegation members. 

     Another way I feel that Tris is considered divergent is when she switches from the Abnegation faction to the Dauntless faction, she does something pretty crazy. When she is on the roof of a high building, with other new Dauntless initiates, she is the first to jump off the building. She jumps into a hole in the ground at the bottom. She has no clue what's waiting for her at the bottom, nor has she ever done this before. She feels she needs to prove she is brave, so she jumps first. This shows she is divergent because she takes a different path than everyone else by jumping first. She wants to try to convince people that she can be brave enough to actually accomplish the jump. She's also trying to be different (divergent) by showing everyone, that even though she came from a different faction, she was still meant to be Dauntless. So as you can see, the title Divergent fits the story very well, especially and specifically through the main character Tris.

     



     

My Favorite Book of All Time

     My favorite book of all time would probably be,  Love, Aubrey, By: Suzanne Lafleur. It's about a little girl named Aubrey, who lost her father and sister in a car crash. One day, after the car crash had occurred, her mother abandoned Aubrey, she just left. She didn't say where she was going or why, she just left. After about a week of living on her own, Aubrey's grandmother found her, and took her to live with her in Virginia. Throughout living with her grandmother, Aubrey is faced with difficult situations and memories, wondering if her mother will ever come back. Eventually, she does, though, very different than before. Aubrey soon has to make a difficult decision. Should she stay with her grandmother in Virginia? Or, go back to live with her mother who she missed greatly?

     This is one of my favorite books of all time because, it really got me thinking. It made me wonder, what if someone in my family died in a car crash or another fatal accident? What would I do? How would I feel? Could I really live without my brothers, or my Dad, or my Mom? I couldn't! I would be too sad! I felt so horrible for the little girl in the book, because her story seemed so real. Though there was something she did to overcome her sadness. The way she overcomes her sadness was, she would write letters. Writing letters helps her to talk to her dead family members or family members who lived far away, and express her thoughts without actually talking. I think it might make feel better too. It's a really great way to keep in touch, even if you won't really be sending your letters. 

     The other thing I really liked about this story is, it really got my emotions going. I don't usually cry over books, no matter how sad they are, but this one just made me really upset. I think it was because it was so realistic, that I couldn't bear the thought of something like what happened, happening to someone my age. It was full of details and descriptions, I loved it. I think that was another reason I really liked the book. I love things that go very into detail, I want to feel like I'm literally part of the story, and in this book, I did feel like I was part of it. It was overall an outstanding book that I think everybody should read in their lifetime. So, that is why, Love, Aubrey is my favorite book of all time.