YA book blog post

“The Fault in our Stars” by John Green blog post By Nubia Phillips 805

            I think that the author, John Green was really trying to use setting as a big part of the story. For example, when they had dinner in Amsterdam, when they were in Anne Frank’s house, and finally, all the days when  Gus was dying. This really shows John Green was using setting to shows  how nothing else mattered because Gus and Hazel were so in love.

            The first place I think the author used setting to show Gus and Hazel’s love is when they were eating dinner in Amsterdam. For example, although they were in a public, outdoor restaurant they were still in a very much in a privet environment. For example, they gave many examples such as “cyclist pedaled fast, well dressed men and women on their way home from work…” they described the surroundings, but not very well. They were also doing things that may seem like they are very pritvet such as sharing secrets and things like that. This shows that they are not very important. Only Gus is important in Hazel’s eyes, and the other way around.

            The second place I think the author used setting to demonstrate the lack of importance in anything else other than Gus to Hazel is when they were in Anne Frank’s house. This is because they kissed. This was a museum and there were many other people there. The text says that “My hand let go of the oxygen cart and reached up for his neck…” Hazel’s oxygen cart is very important to her. It is essentially what keeps her alive. She just dropped it in a minute for Gus. Also, other people in the museum were looking at them, but they didn't care.

            The final example of John Green using setting to show how intimate Gus and Hazel’s love is and nothing around them  can hinder that, is when Gus was dying. When this was happening, Hazel would come over to Gus’ house everyday and just keep him company. This shows love becuase Gus didn't do much of anything when he was dying. Yet, Hazel still enjoyed his company and the other way around. The text says “When I got his face so nose-touchingly close so that I could only see his eyes, I couldn’t tell he was sick” this shows that even if he was sick, it didn’t matter because she loved him so much. It didn’t matter that the location wasn’t as romantic as it was in Amsterdam because they were in Gus' basement,  but all that Hazel cared about at that moment was Gus.

            I think that John Green did this in a lot of scenes because setting can be important anywhere if you are with the person you love. Even if you aren’t in the best conditions, it doesn’t matter. Hazel and Gus weren’t always somewhere where it was like in Amsterdam, but they always enjoyed there time together no matter what, and nothing or nobody makes a difference about that. It is basically the same if you are with the right person.

"Faithfull Elephants" by Yukio Tsuchiya

“Faithfull Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya

                The story “Faithfull Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya is a tragic story about what comes along war. In the story, World War II caused the zoo keepers at the Ueno Zoo to kill all the animals. Including three very symbolic elephants named John, Tonky, and Wanly. Yukio Tsuchiya uses John in the story to symbolize strength.

                John was a big sign of strength in the story because no matter how many times and ways they tried to kill him, he wouldn’t die. For example, they tried to kill him by poisoning his food. This didn’t work. The text says “He ate the good potatoes, but each time he brought a poisoned potato to his mouth, he threw it to the ground…” This shows strength because John is showing that he can last longer than that and that he won’t go down so quickly.

                Another reason John symbolizes strength is because when the zoo keepers found that trying to poison John with potatoes was impossible, they tried to inject poison into him. This really represents strength and toughness because the text says: “…John’s skin was so tough that the big needles broke off with a loud snap one after another.” This shows that instead of the needles killing John, john is killing the needles.

                The final reason John symbolize strength is because the author used forceful onomonopia to make john seem more strong. For example, when the zoo keepers tried to kill him with needles, they went “snap!” and when he threw the potatoes to the ground, they went “kerplunk!” this shows strength because the loud noises really emphasize strength and power over the war.

                The story “Faithfull Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya displays through animals how in a situation that may seem like is has no bright side, there is a sign of strength to keep you going. That sign of strength may even be in the thing that seems to be bringing you down.

               

argument essay

Youth homelessness is becoming more and more common nationwide. Many may be also saying that the child is to blame. This is not the case. Most of the reason is either the state’s fault or even the parent’s.

            One way it’s the parent’s fault is because many parents struggle with addiction. Take twelve year old Brianna DeMaio, for example. Her mother had an alcohol problem. The article “I’ve Been Homeless for Six Years” says that after loosing her job, DeMaio’s mother moved in with her boyfriend, leaving twelve year old Brianna to fend for herself on the streets. DeMaio, eighteen now sleeps under the bleachers of her old high school. This shows how caretakers not always being responsible leads to situations that children may not be able to or know how to handle.

            It could also be the state’s fault. First of all, homeless shelters have lots of people. This leads to lack of space. For example, the article “I’ve Been Homeless for Six Years” says: “Lots of demand, little supply: a shelter for homeless youth in Seattle assigns available beds by lottery.” If the lottery get filled up, there is not going to be any other space for more people. After all “There are only 4000 shelter beds for accompanied homeless across the U.S.” the article also states that in more rural areas, you have to walk a lot more to find a homeless shelter because of lack of public transportation and how everything is so spread out. This shows that if the state just put a little more effort into this such as more soup kitchens, more homeless shelters or more public transportation, we could minimize the amount of youth homelessness.

            Many may say that it is the child’s fault because they break rules. For example, Joey Perrins-Lane, fifteen was kicked out of the house by his mother when he was caught doing drugs. Although Joey should not have been doing drugs, there were so many other things his mom could have done to have him stop doing drugs or get help. But instead, she decided to kick him to the curb. Also many kids run away. Yes, kids should not be running away, but some are running away because they are being abused by their parents and feel unsafe.

            Child homelessness is not the child’s fault. Children can’t always handle the situation that they are put into. Its not their fault because they don’t make money so they can’t get back up off their feet. If you were a scared, homeless child, what would you do?