Nicole Eisbrouch

Many books read throughout the year could be argued as being poorly chosen and consequently removed from the curriculum. One of the books that people don’t think very highly of is The House on Mango Street. This book is a coming to age story about a girl named Ezperanza, and her life growing up. The book is written in vignettes, which are short stories and could be difficult to follow if not read carefully. Additionally the book is slow moving without much action and could be viewed as boring and challenging to finish. In contrast to The House on Mango Street one should consider the book The Pact to take its place. The story line in The Pact would interest students where as The House on Mango Street falls short on reader interest. The Pact is a Jodi Picoult novel about two teenagers, Chris and Emily, who grew up doing everything together. As they mature they realize they are in love and cant live without each other. When Emily suddenly is either killed or committed suicide, Chris instantly becomes the primary suspect. Throughout the story clues and evidence are uncovered. By the end of the book the whole mystery unfolds learning the dangers that teenagers come across. The House on Mango Street does not provide the students with critical knowledge where as The Pact will teach the students about life and death situations. Although The Pact could be argued to be inappropriate for high school students, one would agree that it is definitely the best choice to put in the curriculum.
The House on Mango Street does not capture the reader’s attention and intrigue the reader to keep reading. This may cause students to not read the book, which will result in a decrease of grades. The more the person enjoys reading the book the better their grades will be. Also The Pact’s storyline is more relatable than The House on Mango Street because where we live the diversity level is very low and in the book they talk about a different culture that we cant relate to. A major event in The Pact is suicide. Many teenagers around have thought about even considered suicide and this is where The Pact can relate to the students. Many people would argue that reading about suicide would only hurt the students, but really it is teaching them about the risks and dangers of a real life situation. Also many kids could consider The House on Mango Street very difficult to read due to the way it’s written. The vignettes chop the story up and prevent the book from having a flow. Another main reason is that many teenagers might feel weird about talking to their parents or someone else about suicide or pregnancy, so reading The Pact may help them deal with whatever they are dealing with.
One main component to a book is that it teaches you something. After reading a book, the reader should have grown in someway and learned something they never thought about before. The House on Mango Street does not expand the reader’s knowledge on anything; however, The Pact teaches about a teenager’s life. Throughout the book discussion about teenage pregnancy and suicide occur. Most people didn’t know that female teenagers between the ages of 15-19 are three times more likely to attempt suicide than males between the same ages. A lot of these attempts are due to teenage pregnancies where the father either doesn’t know about the baby or doesn’t wish to do anything about it. Ezperanza’s life story does not contribute any knowledge on anything other than the hardships she had to face.
Most of the books we read relate to each other as a coming of as story. The House on Mango Street along with many other books this year tell a story about someone’s life and how they got to that situation. Also many of them start from the end and the whole book is a flashback. Since many of them are similar, adding The Pact into the mix would create new conversation and would bring a new idea to the table. Throughout reading The Pact, different emotions and at times the story gets really intense. No other books we have read this year gave you the feeling like you have to keep reading to find out what is going to happen. The Pact brings new depth to reading in school and would make it more enjoyable for students.
The Pact may seem like a typical everyday love story but there are heart wrenching moments in it when you cant believe what just happened. The Pact couldn’t be compared to The House on Mango Street due to the different styles of the books and different intensities. The part lacking from The House on Mango Street is that the students could not relate at all to what Ezperanza was going through whereas in The Pact, the reader can relate their whole life to what is happening in the story. Removing The House on Mango Street from the curriculum could majorly benefit the students not only on a school level but in their personal lives as well.

Over the extended weekend i started with going to princeton for my brothers tennis state tournament. We left wednesday night for a thursday tournament. The rain thursday was on and off so the tournament went longer than expected. Then on sunday, i had my sweet sixteen that i shared with two other girls and my three campfriends slept over that night. Overall my weekend was fun and eventful.

The House on Mango street does not provide the students with real life knowledge where as The Pact will teach the students about the risks of suicide.


BODY PARAGRAPH 1
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The House on mango street does not capture the readers attention and connect with the reader. People reading the Pact can relate to the characters and it captures the readers attention.


What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. The story line is realistic

b. Her life isn’t that interesting that we want to hear about it

What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. The pact starts with a gun shot which catches the readers attention


b. where as the house on mango street just starts explaining her life



BODY PARAGRAPH 2
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Kids need to learn something out of the book like suicide and dancers of certain situations. The House on mango street has nothing to teach the reader for later on in life.

What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. young women attempt suicide 3 times more than young men

b. one major reason for suicide is teenage pregnancies

What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Throughout the book the reader learns whether or not the girl commit suicide or if someone else killed her. You also learn that she is pregnant


b. Throughout the house on mango street you don’t find out anything shocking or anything that would help someone later in life.







BODY PARAGRAPH 3
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The Pact is more of our generation book and although people may think it is a little racy at some parts, that is when the reader gets more attached to the book to see what will happen. The House on Mango street is not a page turner and is not interesting


What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. The pact is a page turner that will help relate to the kids and there lives and hopefully will help them make better choices


What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. There was a part when there was a flashback and she found out she was pregnant and wouldn’t tell her boyfriend. Later when she was dead Chris found out when in jail.



CONCLUSION
What should we now understand after reading your paper? Where idea(s) does your paper lead to?
a. That replacing the House on mango street would help the kids enjoy reading more and would get them to actually read the book


b. The students would learn more about suicide and the risks that may occur

Lets talk Facts about teen suicide
American Psychiatric Association
http://www.healthyminds.org/multimedia/teensuicide.pdf

Most common age to cimmit suicide is 15-24. Young women commit three times more than men but men are 3 times for sufficient. 3rd leading death of kids.

On the forces-- apparent and hidden-- that threaten a writer wo dares to be different
jodi picoult
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3&did=803664001&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1210169448&clientId=33870

This is an article partly written by Jodi Picoult explaining how some people get angry with this book and disagree. Since a part of the book is not knowing your children well enough and not knowing if they are suicidal, some parents dont think this book is good for children to read.

The pact by Jodi Picoult
Dee2206
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/printed-books/the-pact-jodi-picoult/1070800/

The author of this opinion states that the pact is a very heart felt book that is very real and could actually happen in real life. She also says that some parents might think it is disturbing to think that they dont know there child could be suicidal and up to the behavior that chris and emily were.

Book Review: The pact by Jodi Picoult
Sarah Dessen
http://www.trashionista.com/2007/12/book-review-t-3.html

She had a different oppion than everyone else. She said that she was let down by Chris's reactions to all the news he was recieving. She also said that she was let down by the ending and didnt have that wow factor.

Book Review- the pact by Jodi Picoult
Kara
http://roamingaussiemum.com/2007/12/31/book-review-the-pact-by-jodi-picoult/

She compared it to one of Jodi Picoult's other books and said it wasnt as heavy as My sisters Keeper. She also had a good point that in the book you feel bad for everyone even though one is being treated like a criminal.

In the socratic seminar today people stated there different oppinions on the book Montana 1948. Many people say that it is one of the better books we read this year. Others said that it is boring and slow. David was tring to get his parents tell him what happend with Marie even though he really knew what he was talking about. He did this to try to see if his parents would open up to him. The controversy about if Wes does the right thing remaining loyal to his brother. I feel that no mater how badly your brother messes up, you should cover for them because they are family. Family is the most important thing in life and once you lose a member of that family, the chain brakes. Another topic that was brought up was, is david a good narrator and why was he chosen. He is the narrator because he didnt choose a side yet and he is learning about the situation at the time.

paragraph writing

Essay

Sibling rivalry is one of the main themes in Montana 1948. The book explains the relationship between Wes and his brother Frank. David, the son of Wes and also the narrator states, “ Frank was witty, charming, at smiling ease with his life everything in it. Alongside his brother my father soon seemed somewhat prosaic… Nothing glittered in my fathers wake the way it did in uncle Frank’s.” Sibling competition could be harmful for the whole family. It may cause other siblings or parents to choose sides and everyone gets hurt in the long run. The best way to avoid sibling rivalry is not to state the good and bad qualities in everyone and instead just live with confidence about yourself.

Research

Sibling rivalry has many tactics to follow to avoid and stop the rivalry from happening again. One of the tactics to follow is take the other persons accomplishments and use it as motivation to achieve something on your own (Henry, 2008). This is a good idea, which would help the other sibling not get jealous; however, this wasn’t the case in Montana 1948. In Montana 1948, Wes does not get any motivation from his brother’s achievements. Instead he gets jealous and gets harder on himself. Sibling rivalry could be a result of low self-esteem and eventually could backfire on both of the siblings.

Although the two paragraphs seem very close in relation, there are details in the second paragraph that set them apart from each other. The second paragraph creates an example from an article that someone wrote. I used an idea from someone else’s writing, which helps with coming up with ways to avoid sibling rivalry and how to fix it. In the first paragraph I was very vague and didn’t really get into the story and how to avoid it.


For a good example of a research blog look at callies blog

Lebozec, Lana. "Family Expectations of Vietnamese Son." Suite101.Com. 21 Sept. 2000. 28 Apr. 2008 . The author Lana Lebozec writes about a cultures expectations of their children. In the Vietnamese culture they have the highest expectations for their first born son and she tells how they treat him and what they think of them. Some of the first sons responsibilities are taking care of his parents when they get old and also running the household when the father dies. Along with taking care of his parents, he also has to take care of the other siblings in the house.

Many people might think that people that commit a crime and get away with it are off the hook, but really most people would feel guilt for the rest of their life. One example of this is with Dan Scott from One Tree Hill. Dan was caught murdering his brother Keith Scott in the school hallway. From that day on, Dan started seeing images of himself and his brother Keith as children. In result, he starts acting in a weird manner and doing things that make people suspicious of his doing. Eventually his guilt caught up to him, and he was proven guilty with murder.
There is a point in everyone’s life when they feel a sense of guilt for what they have done. If it’s disobeying their parents or telling a lie, guilt makes you feel even worse than the punishment. One time I said something to someone that might have hurt him or her not realizing. For two days after I felt so guilty and that’s all you think about. Eventually after talking to that person, I realized that the person didn’t even have second thoughts about what I said. When I was worrying the whole day if they were going to be mad at me, it didn’t even cross their mind.
Guilt caused some major issues in Macbeth. After the killing of Banquo and Duncan, Lady Macbeth felt extremely guilty. She felt so guilty that she started to sleep talk about it while other people were listening. Lady Macbeth confessed about the murder not knowing or meaning to do it. When you feel guilty, it is hard to take the matter out of your head so it is all you think about. In the book we just found out that Lady Macbeth was killed. Her killing could have been in result of what she confessed to while she slept walk.

People’s thoughts of feminism in today’s world are a little different than what feminism really is. When people think of feminism, they think of beauty and what they think is perfect, like Paris Hilton. But really the perfect people are the good role models who make a difference in the world. People associate glamour and fame with feminism which isn’t reality. Real people are the ones we don’t see on reality shows or going to jail every other week. I don’t feel that Paris Hilton is a person that young people should look up too. In reality, she doesn’t live the “normal” life and doesn’t portray behavior that people should follow. However, I feel that Lady Macbeth in some ways could be a positive role model. Lady Macbeth shows great courage and she is trying to show that women should have the same rights as men do. All around, I do feel that she is a woman displaying positive characteristics for women.

Power can sometimes change and corrupt a person's perspective and mind on life. Trujillo, the dictator of Dominican Republic during the 1930's is an example of power leading to disaster. At the beginning of his reign, he was a valued leader who administrated political and civil rights. By the end of his reign, the power went to his head and eventually ended up murdering up to 30,000 people due to them being haitians, having darker skin, or going against Trujillo's word. Though the years, Trujillo's power went to his head and that's when his ruling became a genocide. Someone who can be compared to Trujillo at a smaller scale is Macbeth. When Macbeth heard that he could possible become King, he took matters into his own hands instead of waiting of the right time. Macbeth decided to kill King Duncan, who was ruling at the time, so he could become king. his reason for killing Duncan is understandable, but it at no means justifies his wrong doing.

The first few minutes of a piece of literature are very important, for it sets the setting and tone for the movie or book. The beginning is also very important because it has to keep the viewer interested and hooked. The first few minutes of Macbeth are mysterious and mystical which lets the reader imagine the scene in their head. A good strong introduction is one that catches the readers attention while explaining what happened before the book started. Catching the reader’s attention will be key to how the reader reviews the book in the end. If the book doesn’t relate or interest the reader, than the rest of the book wont be enjoyable. The book Macbeth starts with the witches talking about when they are going to meet again. The witches in the book symbolize trouble for the future. Also the mood that the witches set is showing you what the rest of the book might be like.