Will Mara Dyer Make It?

          “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” -Haruki Murakami 

          When things or changes happen people react to it impulsively. In fact, our feelings are what drives us to the decisions we make based on the situation itself. The book "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" by Michelle Hodkin is based on a seventeen year old girl named Mara Dyer with a special ability. When she realizes that she has this kind of power she freaks out emotionally and physically. Throughout the book, Mara Dyer fights through a battle with herself, the people she loves, and the people who don't really care about her. While she goes on with life she meets through a path of enigmas where she decides most of her life decisions right on the spot. As each-good or bad- event passes it changes Mara in some way and teaches her how to deal with problems by showing her the consequences.

          Bullying, or in other words, using superior strength or influence to intimidate someone, are events that happen all the time in our world. People get bullied everyday for things like looks, disorders, and friends. However, in return that one choice that victims make is something that can change them forever. For example, in "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" Mara got bullied at her new school by a popular girl named Anna. Anna exposed Mara in front of almost everyone in school by showing them her sketchbook which contained precious and secretive drawings. Anna did this because she was jealous of the attention Mara had from a guy named Noah, someone who Mara thought was weird and didn't like until later. Mara thought "The humiliation would be perfect, and she knew it." (page 167-170) In this situation, Anna is treating Mara in a way that made her feel insecure and small, which in other words, meant bullying. Many people in this world can do unfair things to innocent people who just want some space. Bullies tyrannize victims just because they want to or because they want something that the victims have, which in this case was Noah. However, bullying is not the solution to it. To add on, Mara had her situation dealt with generously. Thankfully and fortunately, Noah took Mara's side and defended her. He embarrassed Anna instead by saying, "My girl is talented." (page 170) Although, this made Anna even more jealous she stopped bullying Mara for a little while. Ultimately, Mara realizes that without Noah she wouldn't be able to go through such situations.  Moreover, I believe that sometimes people need each other and no matter how much they want to deny it when the situation comes they will reach out for help to that one person.

          Another example is when Mara's teacher "bullies" her. After Mara Dyer was late to class and corrected her teacher, Morales, for saying her name wrong, the teacher made her stand in front of the class and picked on her for every hard question. This was a form of bullying. She even gave Mara a F on her report card for no reason. This is something we can all relate to because in school sometimes teachers pick on us by purpose. They don't care if we didn't do anything wrong, but apparently we do. To add on, Mara was enraged by this unjust situation so she wished for her teacher to die. When her teacher did die, she finally began to notice her special power- to make people die the way she thought of them to. Mara finally realized that she shouldn't have wished for her teacher to die. Just because she gave her a bad grade she shouldn't have wished for her to die. This made Mara realize that she should be careful for what she wishes for. Moreover, I believe that many teenagers in this world wish for many nasty and horrible things to happen to their despised person. It is something our mind does automatically which can sometimes be hard to stop.

          To accept life, you need to accept death. Many people don't want to die and when someone does die everyone somehow gets affected by it. As we all know something that has a beginning has to also have and ending. In this book, Mara's boyfriend, Jude, and her friends, Claire and Rachel, died due to the collapse of a building. This affected Mara very negatively. She dealt with this problem by having nightmares and hallucinations, even though it is quite obvious that there is no solution to death. Moreover, I believe that death is inevitable. It is something that almost everyone wished wouldn't happen to their loved ones. Even though we all know or will realize soon enough that we are mortal, people grief over death. Death is neither fair or unfair because no matter who it is, whether a good or bad person, everyone is going got die. Mara realized this soon enough and started to move on with her life. Her nurse even suggested her, "Distraction can be a good medicine." This can be applied in real life. When someone is trying to think about something besides a traumatic event, they try to distract themselves. Distracting themselves can make them think less about the tragic event which will create less tension.

          When you are in a troubled situation there will almost always be that one person who will worry about you. It doesn't really matter who, but that person will look over you, help you, and help you stay away from stressful problems. For example, in the book  Mara's mother started to hover over her for the past few months after the tragedy that occurred. She was always treating Mara with care, like any mother would. When Mara had a small nosebleed, her mom started freaking out. To add on, this type of situation is very common in our society because if a mother had a son or daughter who is in a terrible situation then obviously the mother would get paranoid. With this, Mara got annoyed but sooner she realized how much her mother cared for her. 

          What would a person do if he/she saw an abused dog? Would they run away? Or would they help? In "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" Mara found an emaciated dog, who looked like it had been through torture. She found the owner and asked him about it, but he said that it wasn't her business. The owner was abusing the dog. This can connect to the real world because torturing or abusing innocent animals is something immoral people can do. A lot of people do not stop to think and ask themselves, How would I feel if I was being maltreated without knowing why? Obviously, this situation was unjust for the dog. Mara dealt with this problem as a generous and caring person. She was worrying about the dog all the way to school and even during her classes. She called the Animal Control Office to complain about the neglected dog. Mara wanted the dog to be safe. If it was someone else then he/she would've left the dog to suffer, but Mara didn't. She stood up for the dog knowing that the lives of animals are just as important as the lives of human beings.

          Furthermore, "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" is a very compelling and interesting book where injustices take place. The events show our real life situations. It shows people how to react to it and find their way around it if it becomes a problem. It can change people in our world. While reading "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" I connected to many events by experiencing it or witnessing it. If not the problems shown in this book, every one of us were affected by at least one problem in our lives in many ways just like Mara Dyer. All in all, I have learned many things while reading this book. It made me understand how the consequences of a problem can affect me and how it can be dealt with.





MUST READ!!!

The Hunger Games Movie

          “The book is a film that takes place in the mind of the reader. That's why we go to movies and say, "Oh, the book is better.” - Paulo Coelho
          Sometimes when people read the books first and then watch the movies based on it, they think that the books are better. Watching a movie is watching something that is not based on your imagination but is based on someone else's. However, reading books can make readers imagine things in a way they have never before. Using their creativity they think about the story based on life experiences and by doing so they connect to it and compare it to the real world. Watching the Mockingjay after reading the book made me visualize the actual story through another point of view. Mockingjay is the final book of the trilogy of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is about a young teenager named Katniss Everdeen who lives in a dystopian society made up of twelve districts in Panem which is ruled by the Capitol. Each district has their own goods given by the Capitol. In turn, the Capitol organizes the Hunger Games, which picks one girl and boy from each district to fight each other until only one person is left alive. Throughout the series, many people including Katniss rebel against the government due to its prejudiced government. Winning two times in the Hunger Games, Katniss becomes the symbol of rebellion. Moreover, reading and watching the Mockingjay made me think about social justices themes relating to our own world.
          One theme I have noticed in the movie and book was the issue of taking advantage of power. In the Mockingjay, President Snow, the tyrannical and ruthless president of Panem demands many things to happen to the twelve districts when even a small mistake or rebellion is made. Even with so many advantages and power such as their resources, their strength, and their armed, well-trained people, Snow decides to kill many innocent and young people just because things don't go the way he plans them to. For example, when Katniss showed her rebellious side to President Snow, he decides to destroy District 12, the poorest of all districts. He did this just to show Katniss that he is capable of causing harm to her and everybody she loves. Clearly, this was extremely inhumane of him. In the movie, when Katniss comes to visit District 12, all she sees is ashes, the collapses of small houses, dead bodies and skeletons. The way that Snow showed his message was very disturbing and immoral. President Snow took advantage of his power by destroying things. He wanted even more dominance. This made me think about about social justice because Suzanne Collins and the director of the movie, Francis Lawrence, seemed to show everyone that if in any case the government is trying to take advantage of the people, someone should stand up. Every life of every living person matters. Just because there is a leader, that doesn't mean that somehow they are way superior than us. The leaders are there to keep everything in order and control everything. They are supposed to help us- not destroy things like President Snow did repeatedly in Mockingjay.
          To add on, Mockingjay was making quite a deal about publicity and leadership. In the movie, there were many kinds of leaders- the leader of the Capitol and the leader of the rebellion side. Both were very known throughout all of the districts including the thirteenth one, the rebelling people. This is where publicity comes in. The Capitol was obviously known because it was the main government of every district. However, the way it was known was extremely negatively. The Capitol purposely killed hundreds of innocent people, it didn't nurture people who were in need, and mostly it forcefully put people into the Games when that was just killing more people except brutally. On the other hand, Katniss from district thirteen was known for her rebelling side, except her rebellion showed her care for everyone. To the Capitol it may seem that Katniss is a trouble making person, but to the rest of the people she is the "girl on fire". She was the only one who stood up for everyone and took the risk to foil the Captol's plan. Her bravery and strength made her the person known as someone who helps people and lives for others. This is when Collins and Lawrence is trying to show everyone that all publicity is not always good publicity. People are known for things they do. In this world, when people do certain things it gets around fast due to the media. The fame of events occur when it creates a change whether it is a positive one or a negative one and obviously people would want to be known for the good things that they do.
          All in all, Mockingjay showed a great deal of social justices that may be still existing in this world. With many actions, thoughts, and dialogue, the movie and book had subtly showed the everyday problems living in our society. Although, there were many differences in how the movie was set up compared to the plot line of the book, they both shared similar messages. One being, standing up for what is right. I feel like people should be inspired by the movie and book by paying attention to this message. They should know that they have the ability to make a change in our inadequate society like Katniss did in Mockingjay.

Reading Response based on the Inquiry

“Where there is power there is resistance” -Michel Foucault

Were you ever a leader of a group or a person in charge? If so, how did you make decisions? Did you make choices based on everyone’s opinion or were you conceited and made decisions that only pleased yourself? Someone in power has the right to resist certain things such as the things people ask for. Clearly, people would not want a leader like this. They would rather want a leader who is selfless and cared more about others. “The Maze Runner”, by James Dashner is an adventurous and suspenseful book to read. He showed the consequences of having quality leaders and careless leaders. I related to this book in many ways, one being that the person in charge always being in stress. James Dashner portrayed that powerful people can often resist in positive and negative ways. However, the author also shows that sometimes it is better just to follow the leader than doing nothing or just giving up.

While reading “The Maze Runner”, leadership was one of the most important factor of surviving in the world showed in the book. The story is about a person named Thomas who wakes up in a lift in the center of a gigantic maze and doesn’t remember any of his past memories. He finds a group of boys who have been surviving for the last two years with their own supplies and food in the glade, where everyone survives. Every morning the people in the glade sends two of the most sturdy boys to solve the maze. However, they come back before it gets dark knowing that every night the doors to the maze close and creatures known as 'grievers' terrorize those who are stuck inside. Throughout this book, the author demonstrates the importance of leadership and how the thoughts and actions of characters can show the tension of power and resistance.

After Thomas’s first few days in the glade, he gets really interested with his surroundings. When he learns about the appointed runners, who try to find out a solution to the maze, he thinks about becoming a runner as well. He tries asking the people around him about becoming a runner and exploring the maze. However, they dismiss the idea and tells him that he has no chance of making it through it. They say that he would need to have the abilities to become a runner such as speed and the ability to be clever and figure things out. However, Thomas keeps resisting and saying that he would be able to do it. The risk of death does not scare him at all. Alby, a person from the Gladers, told Thomas, “Freak, that’s the Number One Rule, the only one you’ll never be forgiven for breaking. Ain’t nobody- nobody- allowed in the Maze except the Runners. Break that rule, and if you ain’t killed by the Grievers, we’ll kill you ourselves, you get me?” ” (Page 46) Clearly, Alby is just trying to be a good leader by creating this kind of rule. He is actually trying to prevent people from dying. He has had a lot of experience and is saying this for everyone’s own good. With this kind of leadership, almost anyone would be able to survive. However, Thomas’s resistance also shows his part in power. He is determined about finding a way out of the maze. He believes that he could help everyone out of this mess if he at least tries to help. Many people can connect to this because once they realize that their leader is right but mostly wrong at the same time, they can step in and help.

Some people want power for greed. They act kind on the outside but in the inside, their minds set up what they want once they have power. They would start resisting everyone. They would satisfy themselves by doing only what they want. In fact, some people would go to any extent to get their wants rather than needs.

Moving along the story, the leaders change as the other one isn’t capable of holding up anymore. Another leader replaces the recent one. This usually happens after the Gladers have seen what their leaders are capable of, usually dealing with tough situations and being strong. For instance, most people inside the maze lost hope of getting out and instead of trying to do anything about it they worked on securing food and shelter inside the safe area of the maze. Fortunately, Thomas decided to challenge the rules and find an escape route but he faced severe resistance from Gally the assigned leader of the pack. However, one day Alby and Newt, the second person in charge, were in the maze and they were injured. They were a hundred feet away from the closing walls and were trying to reach to it before they closed, obviously not wanting to stay with the Grievers all night. Thomas as empathetic as always wanted to help them, but he couldn’t go past the walls, or else that would be breaking the rules. But then he made up his mind at the last second and slipped through the walls right before they closed. Clearly, Thomas was brave enough to go past the walls when no one else did. He even broke the rules without noticing it. His emotions took over his mind which would have told him not to pass the walls. Alternatively, doing things in the right time can be enough to help someone. Thomas resisted the rules and took power over himself, which is sometimes necessary in life. His brilliant attitude shows that resistance can be used in a positive way, if not a negative way. Moreover, Thomas shows that no one has to give us power or always tell us to do certain things. Our instincts would tell us what to do and that’s what really matters. People do not always have to have knowledge about something in order to do it. With our basic knowledge we could do anything.

Speaking of knowledge, knowledge is one of the most important things mentioned in “The Maze Runner”. It can be applied to our life skills by preventing us from being taken advantage of. By educating ourselves and learning to avoid mistakes of others, we can avoid situations where others have power over us. Knowledge teach us to be aware of the world. By learning how to fight, we can defend ourselves when it is needed. By learning how the world works, we can face it without having to go through any hard situations.

Moreover, before Thomas even came he knew nothing about the Glade or how anything works there. He was clueless to everything and believed that the people already in the Glade would know more than him. He kept asking them questions such as “Who sent me here” or “Where am I”. (Page 8 and 11) This is an example of the connection between knowledge and power. It also shows how powerless he seemed compared to all the other Gladers. Afterwards, Thomas even resisted to Alby by not shaking his hand because he did not trust them. He only wanted answers. Many people can relate to this because if they were clueless about something then clearly they would want answers to their questions more than anything. People would even resist to try to get their answers.

All in all, the author showcases the tension of power and resistance with  many details, actions and thoughts. At the beginning, Thomas starts out as a clueless and powerless boy. However, by the end of the book, many people would have died without his valiant actions. Many people can connect to the actions made by Thomas or any other characters in the book. This book can impact people in many ways if they don’t relate to it anyhow. It can change the way they think about the world by showing them more about power and resistance. Sometimes people think that knowing more than someone else makes them superior than others. Sometimes people take knowledge the “wrong way”. They think that since they know more about something they also have power. They think that since they have more power, they can resist things that others cannot. In the book, people sometimes take things way too far. They become conceited. There are a lot of situations in this book that symbolizes these kind of things. A common thread between all these examples is knowledge. In this world, intelligent people have a better chance in passing through difficult obstacles because they know what to do and they just have more knowledge. There are also some people like Thomas, who later learns more about the ‘new world’. People like Thomas have power and resists certain things but only because of the good for everyone. These kinds of people are caring and thoughtful about others. Although, being the leader can be fun, people take advantages of it by doing wrong things.  A leader isn’t someone who who is just smart, they should have feelings too. That leader is one of a kind where everyone can strive with and can love.

No Job? GET LOST! (From the upfront magazine)

What is one of the main reasons for the existence of poor people in the world? What is the reason that they have no food, no shelter, and no money to support themselves? Well, probably because they have no jobs to earn money. “No job? GET LOST!”, by Andrew Higgins is an article generally about the economics in Svalbard, Norway. The author talks further into unemployed people and the government there. Something that stood out to me was how the unique rules are applied to unemployed people.

Andrew Higgins utilized many facts and details to show the significance of the environment and regulations in Svalbard. He tries to convince us Svalbard as the almost-perfect society. He used imagery and loaded words to make the readers feel how it is a relaxing place to live in. For example, he says, “Norway’s northernmost territory, Svalbard has a police force with just six officers and a single jail cell for an area twice the size of New Jersey. But even that is overkill…” In other words, imagining such a small jail cell for Svalbard shows us that there are barely any crimes committed in Svalbard. It is the “closest thing to a crime-free society”. Moreover, the rule enforced by the governor  made everyone in this territory have jobs which makes poor people non-existence in Svalbard. This makes less tension, less anxiety, and even less danger. To prove Svalbard’ safety, Higgins says, “Residents regularly leave their car and snow mobile keys in the ignition and don't bother locking their front doors. Coffee shop patrons leave their computers unattended, never worrying they might get stolen.” Clearly, people, who do not really care about their doors left open or their computers left unlocked, surely feel safe in their environment. To add on, polar bears cause most of the problems. Additionally, Higgins also says, “The country prides itself on being a “welfare state”, in which the government provides cradle-to-grave support.” Higgins is clearly supporting the amazing government in Svalbard. This not only shows us the huge support we would get from the government in Svalbard but it also shows us the ways the government is trying to keep his residents satisfied. Well, with so positive many things ensured in Svalbard, why not live there?

Furthermore, from this article, I have realized that government has a huge role in our lives. It gives us help, support, and regulations that would make our society a better place to live in. I also realized that people mostly commit crimes when they are in desperate need for something that would help them survive. However, when everyone has jobs why would there be any crimes? In some way, I also feel that the government of Svalbard made a rightful choice for the residents in Svalbard. Giving only employed people the right to live in Svalbard gives everyone an opportunity to lead a better life. With no poor people, there would be less crimes. With everyone having jobs and money there would be no good reason to steal or to commit any kinds of crimes. By enforcing this kind of rule the governor gives the society a chance to live a prosperous life.

Response to 'Darkness Too Visible'

           The article, ‘Darkness Too Visible’, by Meghan Cox Gurdon is about how young adult books can affect negatively on young adults. She shows that young adult books can be very inappropriate and reading them will surround innocent young readers with damage and losses. For example, she states, ‘No family is obliged to acquiesce when publishers use the vehicle of fundamental free expression principles to try to bulldoze coarseness or misery into their children’s lives.’ Clearly, she is trying to prove to parents and guardians that no families would want their children to read books about the dark things that exist in the world. She depicts that a child’s and tenderness of heart is very important but reading young adult books can ruin that.

Meghan Cox Gurdon used many craft moves to make the readers feel a certain way. For example, she uses many loaded words to describe young adult literature. She describes them as ‘grueling material’. Her description of the books aim to make readers feel horrible about today’s young adult books. This was also an example of the author’s bias and how she is against these types of books. Moreover, describing it so negatively gives the readers a visual image of the material and how it can bring misery into a child’s life. To strongly support her claim she includes a mother’s perspective in the article. After a mother was looking for a good book to gift her daughter in Barnes and Nobles she said, ‘nothing, not a thing, that I could imagine giving my daughter. It was all vampires and suicide and self- mutilation, this dark, dark stuff.’ The author provides this quote to make the readers realize that young adult books are unfavorable to parents. Meghan Cox Gurdan wants the readers to see how gruesome today’s young adult books are in the perspective of a caring and loving mother. However, getting a perspective only from a mother doesn't show that much opinion on young adult literature as a whole. She never mentioned the perspective of a young teenager on young adult books, which would most likely oppose to the author’s claim. After all, who would know better about a harmful affect caused by reading young adult books? Of course the majority of people who actually read those types of books, which are teenagers.

Although, Meghan Cox Gurdon strongly supports her claim with supportive evidence, I disagree with her. Letting young teens read books about the things that might happen in real life will prepare them for the worst. Reading young adult literature does not only teach teens about horrible things that could happen in life but also teaches them to valiantly act upon it. If readers do not get exposed to the dark and horrible things then facing them on firsthand would be a fearful experience. Therefore, learning negative things before they actually happen will help young teens to deal with the problems that they might be facing in the future.

Insurgent By Veronica Roth

“Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love.” - Morihei Ueshiba

If someone close to you was about to die and you had the chance to save that person, what would you do? Would you risk your life in order to save theirs? Would you care so much to die for them? Many people would not but some people would go to any extent of bravery and sacrifice themselves for their loved ones. ‘Insurgent’ by Veronica Roth is an inquisitive and amazing book to read. She showed the condition of people when someone close to them dies. I never experienced a death of a close person of mine, but Veronica Roth showed me how it feels in that particular situation. She portrayed that arduous people who act as if someone’s death is a burden do not help their physical and emotional state of being. They actually mentally weaken themselves which negatively affects upon the decisions that they make in life.

While reading ‘Insurgent’ it is easy at first to notice and understand the characters’ responses to their difficulties. The story is about a dystopian society in Chicago where everyone is divided into five factions, each with their own qualities and lifestyle in which they live upon. When someone turns sixteen they take an aptitude test to determine their faction, Beatrice Prior (Tris), however, had a result of Divergent. This meant she fit into more than one faction which is considered dangerous since a Divergent mind cannot be controlled or made to adapt to one certain way of thinking. The faction leaders of Erudite are terrified as to what Divergent people are capable of and wants to kill any of them in sight. Throughout this book, several characters demonstrate how their thoughts and actions convey bravery and love, which shows readers how to deal with problems in life.

As Tris gets used to being a Dauntless, she notices that most people from other factions criticize the Dauntless faction and often sees them as abrasive. In the faction the Dauntless have to go through many tests to show their abilities of getting through any kind of obstacles that come in their way. Knowingly, Tris realized that the Dauntless initiation teaches everyone an important lesson -how to keep going. This realization is very important for readers to understand because it shows that having a fear is not wrong, but being brave can help someone face the fear. Alternatively, moving on from something someone loves may be strenuous and overwhelming. It requires great strength. However, people who grieve over something do not solve their problems but they only worsen it by making themselves insecure and weaker the next time they face a problem. Tris shows that every time someone experiences or goes through something horrid, the situation only strengthens that person to be more confident the next time they face a similar obstacle. It is almost like an emotional stage of bravery of letting things go and having enough courage to move on without that person or thing.

Some people are used to departing from things they love. In fact, they are immune to it. In other words, their emotional feelings show self-control and the capability of letting things go which I, personally, think shows maturity.

Almost everyone tells Tris is to be brave. She does many horrifying and courageous things in the book. Unfortunately, when war arises between factions, Tris is forced to make hard decisions and has to choose sides. However, she proves to be a great companion by making considerate decisions and coping through many challenges. She looked for a future event that would help keep her motivated. With her selfless mind and body she makes many sacrifices. For example, she turned herself in to save people from Jeanine Matthew's simulation, a system that controls people to do certain things, on people to commit suicide. Jeanine wanted Tris because of her aptitude results which were three results, something that rarely ever happened. Tris wanted Jeanine to stop killing the innocent people, who did not do anything, just because of her. Her friends told her not to go to Jeanine, however, she did. She was the only one brave enough to step forward and stop what was happening. Clearly, Tris was heroic and valiant enough to make such a decision which almost cost her life. Her brilliant attitude can show readers to stand up for what they feel is right. It shows us that caring for who or what we love has value and if we do not act upon it, who will? Moreover, Tris shows that we can do something about cruel and injustice situations. We can help things get better by finding the solutions to problems. We can create the acts of defiance even for the smallest things. We have the bravery inside of us but it is only us who can make the decision to use it during the right time.

Along with bravery and making sacrifices, determination about love comes in easily. Even when so many people were dying and so many things were going on, love was still visible. People sacrificed for other people for the sake of love. For instance, Tobias Eaton, Tris’s boyfriend, is very overprotective about Tris and would do anything for her. When Tris offered to go to the Erudite headquarters and stop Jeanine from killing innocent people Tobias told  her not to go. He was worried that something severe would happen to her and did not want her to get hurt in any way. In the conversation between Tobias and Tris it was very clear and compelling of how much he loves her. It also shows how bold and daring Tris was.     ‘ “I’m not important. Everyone will do just fine without me,” I say. “Who cares about everyone? What about me?” ’ (page 311) Right when Tris was about to take one of the biggest risk yet, Tobias tried to stop her. As can be seen, Tobias cares very much about Tris and would never want any danger to come near her. If something happened to her, he would get downhearted and would have a hard time trying to live happily. Furthermore, no matter how unrealistic the situation may be, it always has it’s own way in which it connects back to real life. Many people can connect to what Tobias said to Tris before she was about to risk her life. People who are caring and loving would tell someone not to do something if it would affect them negatively. Even though the situations presented in the book are not as severe in real life, little things, such as stopping them from doing dangerous things shows acts of love and care.

All in all, it is very clear that gallantry and affection is shown throughout the book many times. The author showcased these themes by stating many details, actions, thoughts, and dialogue. At the beginning of the book, Tris starts out as a shy and delicate person. However, by the end of the book, many people would’ve died without her valiant sacrifices. Many people can connect to this because loving someone can lead to making huge sacrifices for them, which was the basic idea of the book. This might be a person who we really love the most such as our mother, father, sibling, or friend. At some point in our lives, we have made some little or big sacrifices for the people we love. It is important for us to be brave and do what we feel is right no matter how frightening it is. Furthermore, most of the situations in this book symbolize things in life or represent hardships. The author gives us positive consequences and negative consequences to problems just to show readers that awful things can happen in life. Realistically, problems do not always have a solution or a good solution to it, which was what Veronica Roth depicted in ‘Insurgent’.

The Hunger Games

          "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is an adventurous and amazing book to read. It's about the ruins of North America which lies on Panem, the Capitol.  Everyone is divided into twelve districts with very strict rules. The Capitol is very cruel and harsh to the people. They send one boy and one girl from each district between ages twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games on live. It is very torturous and depressing for participants to go through. People have to kill each other until only one person is alive. Overall, a major theme this book depicts is bravery. It is shown through out the book in many characters by their actions and thoughts. Without bravery no one would have survived the Hunger Games with audacity. The feeling of boldness takes over all the other emotions which was something many people had to do in this book. "The Hunger Games" also tells you a lot about love and  attachment. It can teach you that giving up something for someone you love will always be worth it and that you will never regret it. Loving someone also means that you care for them and would do anything for their safety, which is something many characters do in this book even in the Games. 

          One example is that, during the reaping day sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen decides to volunteer for her sister Primrose in the Games. Although she shows her love and care for her sister she also shows her determination and bravery. The Games is a very scary place to be in and killing people also takes a lot of courage especially when you have to kill people with no experience. Knowing this, Katniss still let her bravery take over her fear and made a decision to be part of the Hunger Games. This can teach you that even if life gives you some obstacles to go through, putting an act of determination can always help you go through them. It would have been very hard for Katniss to see her young innocent sister in the Games and I understand that. Even so, through out the book she made it very clear that she would take her own life for her sister's. Furthermore, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is a book people can read and think about how brave they have been for their own family whenever they were in troubled times.