Things Not Seen: Week of 2/23/15

Pages: 50-100
Prompt: Describe what was either believable or unbelievable about your reading. Defend your opinion.

     The novel Things Not Seen I would say is not believable in many ways but does have some aspects that are believable. This mostly has to do with the fact that it's science fiction and what happens is basically impossible to happen in real life, but the author hasn't really developed the novel to make it very believable either. The main character, Bobby, wakes up one morning and is completely invisible. No parts of his body can be seen by himself, or his parents, or anyone in general. I know that this may not seem believable because nobody has ever randomly become invisible before, so it couldn't happen in real life. Though, what makes it more unbelievable it the fact that it just happens out of the blue! I'm sure there is a purpose in this, but right now it makes the novel seem even more unrealistic. Maybe if Bobby started seeing signs that he was going to turn invisible, or his body slowly started disappearing from sight, it would seem a title bit more realistic (still in a science fiction way.) Though, the author doesn't really develop the whole situation, and simply begins with the main character just waking up invisible. Hopefully once I get more into the novel, it will explain more about the reasons or causes of Bobby's invisibility. For now, it just seems like a predicament that is extremely fake and impossible.

     Another part of the novel that seems unbelievable to me is how Bobby acts in the situation he is in. He has become invisible out of nowhere, yet he still feels brave enough to "bundle up" and head to the library, and later to the hospital to visit his parents! I understand that he would want to see what life would be like if he were to be invisible forever, though I don't think he would be brave enough to travel around Chicago on his first day of invisibility. The fact that everything seems to work out with him going out, is also pretty unbelievable! How do you just leave your clothes in a bathroom stall for a couple of hours, and no one finds them? How do you type something for someone on a keyboard when it looks as if it magically did it itself, and the person typing not notice it? How can you bump into someone on the street, revealing your invisibility, and the person you bump into, just so happen to be blind? Everything seems to work out Bobby, even though he lands in a couple sticky situations, which isn't realistic at all. He would've definitely been caught by then! Along with the fact that every situation Bobby lands in works out, so do all of the lies he tells. Both Bobby and his family don't want to reveal his invisibility to the public, and so they have to tell a lot of lies to cover him up. Instead of telling the police that their son is invisible after Bobby's parents get into a car crash, his mother goes onto say that everything will be fine and she will make  arrangements for him to stay with an Aunt. The Aunt she was specifically talking about, lived across the country, and Bobby wouldn't be staying with her. Though even in the hospital, Bobby's mother was still able to cover up the fact that her son is actually invisible, which I don't think is very realistic. The police or doctors at the hospital would end up finding out (maybe they still will!)

     Along with everything that seems to be unbelievable in the novel, something that is pretty believable, is the characters emotions/feelings about everything. I feel like all of the characters react to the predicaments that land in or the situations they face, similarly to the way people do in life everyday. Of course if you were to land in a crisis where something very serious happened (like turning invisible) you would be pretty scared and nervous about the situation. You would wonder what would or could happen to you, but you might try to play off and try to push away the fear. A lot of people try to ignore things that bother them, hoping they might just get better or go away. I feel like after the fear set in, both Bobby and his parents tried to push away the whole invisibility situation a little bit. Yes, they were still worried, but Bobby's parents even went back to work, and Bobby was adventurous and went outside of his home and out in public. Until the car crash, Bobby's family did not show maybe  as much concern as they should've, even though it would soon become evident that they were very concerned. They handled themselves like families would in real life, and though they were worried, continued on with daily activities and such.

     So, those are the ways in which I believe the novel is believable and unbelievable.

I commented on Abby's Blog, Cami's Blog, and Wyatt's Blog.

Article of the Week Impressions 2/20/15

     There were lots of interesting articles that I learned about this week, but there were two major themes/topics that most of the articles seemed to be about: ISIS and gender equality.

     Out of 15 people I visited, 5 people had articles discussing ISIS's recent activities. I for one, did not choose an article on ISIS, despite the fact that it is one of the most popular topics at the moment because I figured a lot of others would choose articles about ISIS. Though, I feel like it would've benefit me to have chosen an article about ISIS, because I've learned that they truly are becoming more powerful and dangerous! Most of the six articles gave me the basic facts and details about the most recent happenings with ISIS. The terrorist group recently beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians, causing Egypt to airstrike what they believed to be ISIS's central network (hub) in Libya. The airstrikes killed 40-50 people in the surrounding area, but ISIS doesn't feel threatened by these strikes. They still feel powerful, and I learned even more about this from Amelia's article. More than 20,000 foreigners have joined ISIS forces, making ISIS a very large force to reckon with. Despite all of this though, I also learned that people think all of ISIS's plans will end up backfiring, because ISIS isn't the only force that has a lot of people on their side. I learned that 63 countries are willing to come together and fight against them if it becomes necessary, and considering what has just happened, I think that could happen in the near future! ISIS is affecting multiple countries, and they are growing extremely strong, and we can't let it get to a point where they have the chance to get control over the whole world!

     Another topic that seemed to be popular was gender equality, whether the article was about fighting for gender equality, or how other countries and people are against gender equality. Marisa's article focused on the "He for She" campaign, which is a campaign that fights for women to achieve gender equality with men. The campaign is different from just any gender equality campaign though, because it emphasizes the fact that gender inequality isn't just a woman's issue, it's a human rights issue, and that more men need to be fighting for gender equality. It's a campaign to get more men fighting and helping women to achieve gender equality, and it's truly inspiring. Though, some other countries might think differently. Maria's article focuses on the fact that gender equality is not accepted or acceptable in Turkey. Turkey's government believes that there should not be gender equality. The government believes that the men should have more power, and that women are not equal with them. Women are filing for divorces with their husbands, angering them and causing them to kill their wives. The government encourages this, and it's causing a lot of problems in Turkey. The United States struggled with gender equality in the past, and still struggles with it, though to a much smaller degree, today. Though gender inequality has not gone as far as it has in Turkey, at least not to my knowledge, that men would go so far as to kill their wives if they file for divorce. It's important we see the different views of gender equality in different countries so people can create new campaigns and more awareness for gender equality everywhere, and make it known that gender inequality really does exist in many different places at many different levels of discrimination, today!

     Those were the two most talked about topics in the Article of the Week gallery walk, and the topics are both very important to be learning about because they both can effect us, as well as the rest of the world in some way.

Things Not Seen: Week of 2/16/15

Pages: 0-50
Prompt: How would you feel if you were facing the same conflict as the main character?

     The main character of Things Not Seen, Bobby, has one of the most terrible and complex conflicts I've ever read about. Bobby becomes invisible, and he has absolutely no idea how or why it happened! Bobby simply woke up one morning, and when he got out of the shower, he couldn't see his reflection in the mirror. At that point, I would already be out of my mind! I would be freaking out, and probably crying uncontrollably because I would be so scared and confused with my situation. Though, Bobby is extremely calm and composed. He is scared, but he doesn't let any of this hinder his composure. He speaks to his parents calmly, even when they think he is messing around with them, and even when they start to lose their composure a little bit. I would be nothing like Bobby in this situation, I would be worried about my health, and whether or not my body would ever return to normal. Bobby is worried about these things, again, but doesn't show his worry by getting frazzled, he simply keeps it in.

     Like I briefly mentioned, Bobby told his parents that he was invisible, but at first they didn't believe him. Once they realized he was actually in a predicament though, they were genuinely worried and scared. Despite this, his parents both left the house later that day to take part in certain obligations, and only told their son, through a note! They didn't even explain to Bobby personally what they needed to do and it's importance, they just left a note that said, "Bobby- I couldn't get a sub for my Yeats seminar, so I'm prepping now at my office. I'll be in Adler Hall from 3:30-4:30, then I'll come right home. I called the office at school and said you had the flu, and Mrs. Savin will hold your homework for me at the office. Dad will be home early, a little before 4, right after a meeting with his team. Don't worry Bobby. Just watch TV or something. Call me if there's an emergency. Everything is going to be alright.  Love, Mom." Like Bobby did in the novel, I would feel pretty angry at this point. I mean, for all I would know, I could disappear from existence completely at any point, and my parents are willing to just leave me at home. I realize that adults do have responsibilities, but if you're kid just became invisible out of the blue, I'm sure you could hold off on a meeting or seminar. I would be furious with my parents for leaving me at home if I was in Bobby's situation at this point, and I would also be frustrated at the fact that it doesn't seem like they're taking the situation as seriously as they should be. People don't just become invisible on a regular basis!

     Besides leaving Bobby home alone, his parents also decided to hold off on bringing him to any doctor or specialists in fear of the exposure it would bring their family. Bobby's parents were worried about the publicity the "Invisible Child" would bring. I understand where Bobby's mom and dad are coming from, and I'm not sure Bobby is particularly angry or upset about this decision as he normally doesn't enjoy attention being brought to himself. Though, I would be very annoyed and enraged if my parents didn't want to take me to get checked out! I would want to do anything I could to get answers, and that's kind of impossible if you aren't taken to be looked at by a doctor or scientist. I would be very irritated if my parents decided not to get me looked at because it would bring publicity and possibly even make them look like bad parents! Their kids health should be the number one priority, not their image!

     Overall, I would be extremely anxious and panicked if I was facing the same conflict as Bobby. He's invisible, and at this point, his parents don't have a whole lot of answers on how to solve the problem.

I commented on Emily's Blog, Abdiel's Blog, and Steven's Blog.

Book Talk on Schooled!

     The novel that I would definitely recommend is the book Schooled by Gordon Korman. It's a realistic fiction book about a boy named Capricorn Anderson (Cap for short) who grew up on a farm commune by the name of Garland. He's grown up on this farm his whole life with his hippie grandmother, named Rain. Though his life takes a huge turn when his grandmother falls out of a tree while picking plums and breaks her hip. Cap now has to live in the "real world" for a couple of weeks while his grandmother goes through physical therapy to heal her hip. Cap is not your "Average Joe". He's never eaten pizza, or watched TV, or even gone to a regular school, so that makes the transition into a brand new middle school, even more difficult. When he shows up to Claverage Middle School for his first day, people realize he doesn't exactly fit the social norms. At Claverage, it is tradition to elect the most eccentric or irregular kid to be 8th grade class president, and Cap was the most eccentric kid at this middle school that's for sure. After he realizes he's been elected president, kids mess with him, and make fun of him, and play jokes on him (specifically the "popular" kids) and he actually has lots of duties to fulfill, but it's how Cap handles the predicaments he lands in being the person he is with the ideals he has and the way he had grown up that makes the story truly incredible.

     I really love the mood and theme of this novel, which is one of the reasons I'm recommending it! The mood of the novel can be different at times. Though, there is a lively and lighthearted mood for a large part of the book. When Cap begins to become more liked by the rest of the students, they participate in activities together that bring out the best in all of them, whether that be tie-dying t-shirts, or doing tai-chi on the school's front lawn! Everyone just seems to be so full of life and energy; so joyful! Everything is very positive, which is what really helps to create these moods and has the power to make the reader feel content when they read the book! The cheerful mood for a majority of the book is so enjoyable and something I love personally. On to the theme, it's a pretty simple one, but one I'm not going to go into much detail about because I don't want to give away too much of the novel! One of the major themes is that you should always be kind and never let any seemingly negative situation get the best of you! Keeping a cool head and a positive attitude will always reward you in the end. I feel that this is an incredible message, and that if you read this book, you will find this to be true, and be inspired to live your life, a little bit more like Capricorn Anderson.

     This book honestly had so many amazing components that caused me to enjoy it so much, though the main character Cap, is what really caused me to love this book, why I recommend it, and why you should go out and buy it, or check it out from the library, or order it online! Capricorn Anderson believes in being kind to everyone. He believes that you should always give people the benefit of the doubt, and negativity is always unnecessary. He continually impresses me with his ability to never stray from what he believes is right and moral, despite his transition into this new, fast paced world, where he is at first, ridiculed for the person he is! This book is a very good book for understanding of people, and the fact that they are much more than they appear! I know that everyone has judged someone based on how they look and seem, just like Cap was. People mocked his long hair, and meditation, and tie-dye shirts, and his other strange quirks. He had practically come from another planet with how clueless he was in the beginning, and people took advantage of that. It took a while for people to see how he had a gigantic heart, that was filled with only benevolence! Though, the book was from multiple point of views, so we got to see other people perspectives of Cap, while we learned about Cap's own thoughts and ideas. Imagine knowing exactly what a person you were ridiculing or making fun of was going through or thinking about! Maybe you would have a different view of them if you did. This book teaches that valuable lesson of walking in others shoes, as even if they have some weird quirks, behind all those quirks could be someone who is filled with so much love and goodness!

   

Article of the Week Impressions

Prompt: Take a moment to reflect upon your impressions of what you have learned from the array of articles in at least two well written paragraphs, using evidence from your graphic organizer.

     This week, we did a gallery walk, where we were able to see a wide array of articles about current events that our classmates shared with us. It's activities like these that I absolutely love, because I am learning so much about the world around me, and feel so much more aware. I don't always have time to just sit down and browse current events on the internet or watch the news, so this allows me to catch up on all of the news, and interact and learn and discuss the events with all of my friends. There were obviously some articles that shared common topics or themes like Climate Change, Ebola, and ISIS, though there was such a large scope of news, and some things really shocked me! Now, I will be able to have educated conversations with people about things happening in the world around me about all different subjects and people and places and information, and will be able to continue to spread this news to other people! I'm most likely not the only person who doesn't have time to just sit down and watch the news. So, now that I've learned all of this new information, I can teach others about it so they can become more aware as well!

     Everybody had extremely interesting articles to share, but I'm going to talk about some of the most interesting or most commonly talked about subjects. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Auschwitz Forbidden Art, from Jesus. He explained that prisoners in Auschwitz during the Holocaust created art to show that they were more than just a number. Though, they were taking a huge risk because the people weren't allowed to create art for pleasure. This may not be something that's huge in the news right now, but it was something that I found cool, and that I'd never heard of before! I learned about something else in history that is coming up today, and I don't think I would've ever learned about this if it weren't for this gallery walk. Something that is more common in the news right now is Ebola, and I talked to a few people who had articles on this topic, one of them being Gianna. I know what Ebola is, and have read quite a few articles on it myself, but learned even more from Gianna. She focused specifically on the "Ebola Children Relief Fund" which is building hand washing stations, treatment centers, and providing education for children sick with Ebola in West Africa. This, I did not know, but think is amazing! A lot of people would rather stay away from Ebola at all costs in fear of getting sick, but some people are giving their time and money to help those sick with Ebola to possibly become healthier and stronger! What the Ebola Children Relief Fund is doing, is really incredible, and I'm glad that it seems like we are making progress with Ebola. One last article that I both enjoyed and is also important news to hear about was Athziry's article about women's inequality in STEM. There is a large gender gap between women and men in STEM, and more men are getting jobs in STEM than women. These jobs aren't particularly hard to get, and what's driving the women away, is unfair treatment. I believe that this is important news because inequality has been huge lately, whether it's through gender or race. People need to start realizing this, and making a change in their actions! Women's inequality was a huge problem in the past, and women were expected to be housewives, who took care of the cooking and cleaning, and were looked as inferior to men. At one point, we couldn't even vote! though, we've made so much progress! We don't want to start backtracking.

So, those are my views on the article of the week gallery walk, and some of the articles that I found particularly interesting or important!