Post- Reading: Orphan Train

2. “I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable.”

Molly and Vivian both experienced very hard things that no kid you should have to go through. Through these situations they learned things about people and the world that caused them to be circumspect in all of their relationships because they knew if they weren't, they would get hurt.

When we are put in difficult situations, we learn lessons. The things we learn may be hard to accept, but they can help us to avoid hurt in the future. Vivian and Molly both learned that loss is not only probable but inevitable.

In both Molly and Vivian's life, they experienced death. Their families died, and they were then placed with whatever family would take them. Once they were placed in these homes, they soon found out that the people that wanted them had ulterior motives. For example, Vivian, in her first home, was expected to sew all day long in order to make her guardians money. She expected that they would love her or at least care, but instead she got some mediocre food and insufficient bedding. The next home she was placed in only wanted her for her ability to care for children. She learned the hard way that people only wanted what she was worth, and thus began the long journey of her premature growing up.

The straw that broke the camel's back for Vivian was when her first husband died. The only person she truly loved was taken away from her, and she decided that she could no longer endure the pain of losing something that meant so much to her. So, how could she avoid that pain? Well, her answer was to not get attached and to love something so much in the first place. This played a huge role in her giving up her child. Vivian decided that she wouldn't become attached to this child so she gave it away.

Molly handled this realization of loss being inevitable in a way similar to Vivian. She knew not to trust or get attached to anyone because they would finally decide she wasn't worth the trouble anymore and leave. So, when Dina told her to leave she wasn't surprised and when Jack worried about her, she always told him that one day he would get fed up and leave.

Molly and Vivian experienced so much loss in their lives that they were finally able to accept that it would always happen sooner or later. They decided to be prepared for the worse and to keep people out, all in an attempt to avoid the hurt that constantly found its way into their lives.

Orphan Train:Pre-Reading

1. Empathy (the ability to understand and share the feelings of someone else) is a necessary human emotion.  Write a blog post that discusses empathy; what helps people be empathetic, describe a time when you felt empathy towards someone else/someone had empathy towards you, explain what makes it impossible to feel empathy for someone.

We have all had something awful happen in our lives. Along with the hardships comes the countless, empty "I know how you feel."  We become weary of the lies, and we wish that someone would just understand how we truly feel without all the phony attempts to make us feel better. This is the reason empathy is so vital in our suffering. We need someone to talk to who really understands how we feel in the bad and the good.

In my opinion, the road to becoming empathetic starts with us having to experience our own trials in life.  We faced a problem and came out of it knowing the mistakes we made and what we could have done better. Instead of regretting our mistakes, we can channel it into someone who is facing a similar problem and who desperately needs the help. We can use empathy to help others with not only advice, but with understanding as well.  A genuine understanding of the big and little problems in life just makes you feel like you’re not crazy for feeling pain. Sometimes words or advice don't even have to take place for someone to display empathy. Sometimes, someone just being there will suffice.  If you haven't experienced anything remotely similar to someone's problems, you can't display genuine understanding and you certainly can't display empathy.

Empathy is not just needed in the bad times, but the good as well. If you just won a basketball game after a previous season with no wins, then you want someone to understand how good you feel about it. Feeling happy is not nearly as good without having someone to share it with.

When my brother left for college, I thought it wouldn't be hard saying good-bye to my "enemy" of 13 years, but now, just thinking about it, it could make me cry.  I know how hard saying good- bye can be and the feelings it arouses. I  know what it feels like to be terribly wrong. And I know what it feels like for life to move too quickly. All of these feelings hurt, but the little comfort I find is in my mom. She knows what all these things feel like because he is her son. She knows the pain of saying good-bye to a chapter in life that was taken for granted for far too long. My mom and me both find some relief in each other's empathy.

We have all experienced hardships, but hopefully we've also experienced someone who is real, and doesn't put on airs to make us feel better. They gave us empathy that was much needed in a current situation in life. Hard times can be turned into a lesson learned that could potentially help someone who's suffering. Good times can become that much better when someone gives just a little bit of empathy.  

Empathy is a much needed thing that is appropriate in any stage of life.

Post Reading: Code Name Verity

2. "Truth...this above all, be true to thine own self."

No matter what situations we are faced with, we should always stick to what we believe and never go against our principles. Code name Verity gives several examples of people who put truth above all and those who didn't.

In the beginning of the novel, the author gives the impression that Julie is a coward and continues to give up secrets to avoid torture and death. We later find out that she did not give up secrets. She stayed true to her code name even at the price of pain and death. If someone found out that she was lying and giving false information she would have to suffer the consequences. Julie wanted to protect her country and the people close to her who could also get in serious trouble. Maddie is another example staying true to yourself. Even though she did not plan her stay in France after finding out that Julie had been captured, she immediately did everything in her power to save Julie. Maddie believed in loyalty and she followed through even to the point of killing Julie at her own request.

Von Linden is a perfect example of not being true to yourself. He lied to his daughter about his true work. His true work required telling others how to torture enemies who were found  behind enemy lines. I don’t think he truly believed in what he was doing as it is showed in the end of the book when he commits suicide. He didn't stay true to himself above everything he faced.

The resistance refused to follow the Germans in France and did everything in their power to terminate any kind of activity that the Germans used to hurt others. Even when they were faced with the choice to accept the German beliefs, they chose to stand in what they believed. They were against the Fascist Germans and did everything they could rebel without getting caught.

Even today’s society we have all fallen victim to going against our beliefs in an effort to fit in with everyone else. Whether it be going to a party you know is bad, or even little things like accepting a dare that you know can get you in trouble. I personally have experienced peer pressure where I gave in and violated my own beliefs.  

Julie, Maddie, and the resistance were all put in hard situations where they had to choose to give up or stand up. Fortunately, they chose to stand up, but people like Von Linden and myself didn't. We have to all make the decision to stay true to ourselves even when we are faced with bad situations such as peer pressure all the way to dictatorship.  

Code Name Verity: Pre-Reading Post

3. Discuss the difference between what makes someone a coward and what makes someone a hero.   

  

    A coward, in my eyes, is someone who, when put in a difficult problem, abandons all their beliefs for fear of consequence. A hero, if put in a difficult situation, stays true to his or her beliefs no matter what the consequences.  You can tell what a coward is through the book Code Name Verity when the author keeps giving up secrets to the Nazis during WW2 all because she is afraid of punishment. 

     We would all like to think that, if we had a strong belief we would stick to it, even if the repercussions were extreme. If we stand by our beliefs and do not throw them away because of fear, then we are heros, but if we are crippled by fear and choose to forget everything we once believed in, then we are cowards.  A coward, in my eyes, is someone who, when put in a difficult problem, abandons all their beliefs for fear of consequence.  

    In Code Name Verity the author gave up secrets that were vital to the well being of other people just so her life would be easier. She is a coward, because she dropped her beliefs in morality, her country, and herself. She didn't stand up for what she believed, unlike the other prisoners who, even though they were beaten and harshly interrogated, stayed true to themselves, their country and their morality. They are heros because they suffered for their beliefs. 

     The other prisoners in the book did not only stay true to their beliefs but also to the other people whom they saved. By keeping their secrets, they, in essence, protected the ones who would have gotten hurt. They were selfless and suffered for others like any hero would. Even the fake heros that we read about are faced with a difficult situation, overcome their fears and fight for people's lives. Cowards, on the other hand, are only worried about themselves, not other people. They fight for themselves at the expense of others, which is selfish. The villains that we have made up want something, whether it be money, power, or control.  They hurt people to achieve their selfish goals. That's what the author did in Code Name Verity. She risked people's lives so that she could survive and not be beaten. She wanted safety, and she hurt people to get it. 

     Situations, fears, and our selflessness or selfishness decide if we are a coward or a hero. Do we stand up for our beliefs at all costs or do we give them up to protect ourselves? We all have the tendency to be scared and selfish but fighting those feelings are what truly makes us a hero.

   

Tell the Wolves I'm Home: Post-Reading

1. "I was the girl who never understood who she was to people."

     June always got into relationships and assumed that she meant the same to the person as they did to her.  In reality, she never understood who she was to people. People like Toby, Finn, and Greta are all examples of how she misinterpreted relationships.

      June truly loved her uncle Finn. From the way he lived his life to the subtle ways he showed his love for her.  In June's eyes, he could do no wrong. But even more than that, June loved the fact that she and Finn had nobody but each other. This made their relationship so much more special and vital. Later on, after Finn dies, June soon discovers that Finn wasn't alone after all but, in fact, Finn had a truly special boyfriend who was successfully kept a secret while Finn was alive. June always assumed that Finn absolutely needed her like she needed him, but he didn't. He had someone else to talk with, to take places and to enjoy life with. As for June, she had no one like that. She had no friends, no one to spend time with and no one to truly love her, especially not like Finn did.  Just knowing that she loved him like she could a boyfriend and that he had someone else made her realize she was replaceable. June knew Finn cared for her, but somehow after finding out she wasn't the only one in his life, it changed her perspective on their relationship. 

     June also misunderstood what she meant to her older sister Greta. After Greta and June got older, they steadily grew apart. The void between them was soon filled with anger from Greta. June always thought that Greta hated her but actually Greta was not angry at June but at the relationship June had with Finn. Greta felt that she was replaced, and this even made her happy about Finn dying. Greta was again disappointed when she was replaced by Toby. All Greta wanted was the same relationship that they had as kids. Greta was also let down by the fact that June had no interest in having a relationship with her. Greta was another relationship that June misunderstood. 

     After Finn died, Toby soon tried to reach out to June. As the two became closer, June had always thought that Toby had wanted someone to talk with about Finn and that he wanted to find out more about her while he had the chance. June thought again that she was all Toby had, and she was right but he didn't seek her out of his own will but because Finn wanted him to. Once June saw that, she let thoughts slip in that Toby didn't really like her but only spent time with her because Finn wanted him to. 

      Even though June knew Finn, Toby, and Greta loved her and truly cared for her, somehow finding out that she didn't mean what she thought she meant to them changed her relationship with them. June always assumed the best in her relationships which unfortunately turned out to hurt her in the end. 

     

Tell the Wolves I'm Home: Pre-Reading Blog

 I've had my share of family problems, and I haven't always gotten along with everyone in my family but there is one person who is truly special to me and deserves the recognition. She is my Aunt Joanna. Thanks to me, my whole family knows her as Jojo. She has been my Best Friend through some of the worst times. Jojo is more than just an aunt to me; she is one of the only constant things that I have had in my life. She has always been there for me, and she always will be.

    Since I was born, my aunt has always been a part of my life. When my Mom, brother and myself had no where else to go, my aunt was there to come to the rescue. She took us in and took care of me while my mom was at work. Over the course of that time, I became very close to my aunt and felt comfortable sharing anything with her. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue and had to move away but during that time she still tried to stay in contact with me.

She moved back to get closer to my family and I. She takes me to school and picks me up. There are countless things she does out of love for not only me but my whole family. She listens to my problems from school and gives advice gladly. I can tell her anything and know it's our little secret. Jojo loves me in a unique way that no one else does and that's why I appreciate her so much even if I don't always show it.

   She gives me a chance to escape the reality of my life and allows me to just have fun. I've had friends and family who have stopped caring about me and loving me but I know Jojo never could. Jojo has seen the real me and still finds a way to love me. The worst times and the good times, Jojo has been with me through it all. I love her because she is not just an aunt but the best friend anyone could ever have.