Monday, February 11, 2013
On the subject of a student's right to practice the 1st Amendment, I have a few opinions. The First Amendment basically forbids the Congress from interfering with freedom of religion, speech or press, or with the right to assemble peaceably, or to petition the government. Many people use the rights stated in the First Amendment, resulting in a very diverse country we live in. The amendment is also practiced in schools, mostly relating to the freedom of speech by students. This can consist of everyday talking, newspaper articles, etc. Generally, you are allowed to say whatever you wish to, as long as it is not "harmful to others or to an educational environment." I believe this to be right, to an extent. In my opinion, it really depends how this speech will affect the target audience. Will the speech cause something catastrophic to happen? The chances are probably not, but it also depends on those in control, and their opinions of the content. For example, a school newspaper article was published, explaining the safety measures the school was taking, and the serious lack of legitimate safety. The author was required to not publish the piece, after the administrator believed it was not school appropriate. In some ways, I think that this is because the administrator did not feel like taking heat for how they were handling their school. Like I said, the freedom of speech in schools depends on several variables: the opinions of those that are involved, the actual effect that it will cause in the audience, and the speech that is used itself.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
This WWII propaganda poster shows soldiers from WWII marching off to war, while being watched by those that fought in the Revolutionary War. Its is trying to convey the message that Americans will always fight for liberty, and at that time, they were standing up and fighting for the same values as those that began America. To make this poster anti-war related, I would do several things. The main change I would make to this poster would involve the soldiers that are marching off to war. I would have the soldiers marching down steps into the ground. At the end of the steps would be a hole with a gravestone that read, "Here lies (blank), he fought valiantly for his country." With a gravestone with this heading, it makes it seem like if you die in the army, they do not bother to care about who you are, you're just another name on the same gravestone that everyone got. The soldiers marching down into their graves is a very discouraging idea if one is thinking of joining the armed forces, and it sends the message that if you join to fight, you are pretty much digging your own grave. I would keep the writing on the poster the same. It reads, "Americans will always fight for liberty." If I keep the writing the same while having them walk to their deaths, it becomes ironic. It says that Americans will always fight, but in doing so they will die trying. These changes, in my opinion, will create a very anti-war related poster.
Monday, January 28, 2013
#3)
A person who no longer feels they have a good quality of
life should have the right to end their life if they want. When you think about
it, this right should be given to all. The life was given to them. It’s that
individuals’ property, and they should be able to do whatever they want with
it. It should be their right to take it
away or keep it if they want to or not. I’ll explain a scenario to get my point
across. A soldier that is injured in battle is brought into a military
hospital. His condition is so bad, that he’s brought to a hospital in his home
country. The soldier has gotten half of his arms blown off, and both of his
legs blown off. The soldier is blind after his accident, and has lost his
hearing in both of his ears. The soldier spends time in the hospital, doing
nothing, simply laying there. He knows nothing of the world outside of his
mind. All he can tell is that it seems like he’s healing somewhat because his
pain level is decreasing. The man realizes that this is how he will remain.
Alone and wishing he knew what was going on around. Wishing that he had the
life he did before he entered the war. Realizing that he was going to spend the
rest of life in critical care, in complete darkness, the soldier begins to bang
his head against the wall in Morse code. He spells out the words “Kill me” over
and over again. The medical professionals in charge of him recognize this, but
are not sure what they should do. Since the soldier does not technically have
the right to take himself out of care and take his own life, the doctors cannot
really do anything to help and appease to the man’s wishes. If the soldier had
the right, then the doctors without question would let the man die, according
to his obvious wishes. It is scenarios like this that should prove that a
person who no longer feels they have a good quality of life should have the
right to end their life if they want. In certain cases and to certain people,
dying would be a better choice than continuing to live.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
9/12/12
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Pages 1-26
1) In the beginning of The Scorch Trials, Thomas and the Gladers are in the safe house that they were brought to after they escaped the Maze. Teresa, in another room, waked Thomas up from his slumber by speaking to him telepathically. After their conversation, Thomas felt very close to her despite them being away from each other. He began dreaming of himself as a child by his mother. She spoke him saying that he should never forget how much she loved him. He replied asking is she was going to become like his father, like one of the crazy people on the TV. Thomas was startled when Teresa called out to him, saying that something's wrong. For some reason, Thomas is trapped in sleep, and cannot wake up. Then Teresa seems to be ripped away from him, and he feels her presence disappearing. He then wakes himself up, and sees the Gladers running around the room. The windows have been smashed in, and people infected by the Flare, "Cranks", are hanging on the bars that are protecting the boys inside. Newt, Minho, and Thomas find each-other and decide to use a fire extinguisher to knock bust open the locked entrance to the room. They do this, and are confronted by darkness. Minho leads and walks through a hallway to find the light switches, the rest of the boys following. The lights are turned on, and the Gladers are disgusted by what they see. They're rescuers, all of them, hung by the necks from the ceiling, bloated and purple. They've been dead for some time. The room smells terrible. Thomas is determined to find Teresa and begins looking around. He finds the only other room in the building with a sign in front of it with these words on it: "Teresa Agnes. Group A, Subject A1. The Betrayer." Someone fetches the fire extinguisher and Thomas bashes the locked door in. The room is empty, but the bed is unmade. They here the toilet flush, and Thomas thinks it to be Teresa. He rushes to the door as it opens, but is surprised to see a boy come out of the bathroom. Thomas grills him with questions. The boy's name is Aris, and came from the Maze. He got transported the safe house the same night as the other Gladers. After asking several other questions, the Gladers figure out that Aris is from a different Maze. He is a counterpart of Teresa. Everyone else in his Maze was a girl, so it was inverse to the Glade. He was the trigger for his Maze to start falling apart. He had a telepathic connection to a girl who was killed. He even spoke to Thomas, telling him that his best friend, Rachel, was killed.
2) "Wake up! he yelled at himself. Wake up!
Then something disappeared from inside him. There one instant, gone the next. He felt as if a major organ had just been ripped from his body.
It had been her. She was gone.
Teresa! he screamed out with his mind. Teresa! Are you there?
But there was nothing, and he no longer felt that comforting sense of her closeness. He called her name again, then again, as he continued to struggle against the dark pull of sleep" (Dashner 5-6). This quote is significant for several reasons. The first one would be that this is the first real dramatic thing that happens in the story. Because Teresa is one of the main characters, you can expect her not to be dead, but it makes you wonder where she is, and what happened. You might also see this later in the story, as the Gladers might have to go on a quest to find her. Also, Thomas will obviously always have Teresa on the mind. They had finally gotten close and thought they were safe. She even was talking to Thomas as whatever happened to her was happening. This will probably haunt Thomas for the rest of the book until he finds Teresa.
3) If I were to connect to this section of the text in any way, it would probably be the feeling that Thomas has right in the beginning of the story. He gets to the safe house, and for the first time in a while he feels safe and sound. He can sleep well. In some ways, I feel similar to this when I'm at my house on the Island. I grew up in that house and always feel safe and comforted when I'm in it. I can always sleep better in that bed. I've recently moved to a different house in the county, and it never really feels the same.
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Pages 1-26
1) In the beginning of The Scorch Trials, Thomas and the Gladers are in the safe house that they were brought to after they escaped the Maze. Teresa, in another room, waked Thomas up from his slumber by speaking to him telepathically. After their conversation, Thomas felt very close to her despite them being away from each other. He began dreaming of himself as a child by his mother. She spoke him saying that he should never forget how much she loved him. He replied asking is she was going to become like his father, like one of the crazy people on the TV. Thomas was startled when Teresa called out to him, saying that something's wrong. For some reason, Thomas is trapped in sleep, and cannot wake up. Then Teresa seems to be ripped away from him, and he feels her presence disappearing. He then wakes himself up, and sees the Gladers running around the room. The windows have been smashed in, and people infected by the Flare, "Cranks", are hanging on the bars that are protecting the boys inside. Newt, Minho, and Thomas find each-other and decide to use a fire extinguisher to knock bust open the locked entrance to the room. They do this, and are confronted by darkness. Minho leads and walks through a hallway to find the light switches, the rest of the boys following. The lights are turned on, and the Gladers are disgusted by what they see. They're rescuers, all of them, hung by the necks from the ceiling, bloated and purple. They've been dead for some time. The room smells terrible. Thomas is determined to find Teresa and begins looking around. He finds the only other room in the building with a sign in front of it with these words on it: "Teresa Agnes. Group A, Subject A1. The Betrayer." Someone fetches the fire extinguisher and Thomas bashes the locked door in. The room is empty, but the bed is unmade. They here the toilet flush, and Thomas thinks it to be Teresa. He rushes to the door as it opens, but is surprised to see a boy come out of the bathroom. Thomas grills him with questions. The boy's name is Aris, and came from the Maze. He got transported the safe house the same night as the other Gladers. After asking several other questions, the Gladers figure out that Aris is from a different Maze. He is a counterpart of Teresa. Everyone else in his Maze was a girl, so it was inverse to the Glade. He was the trigger for his Maze to start falling apart. He had a telepathic connection to a girl who was killed. He even spoke to Thomas, telling him that his best friend, Rachel, was killed.
2) "Wake up! he yelled at himself. Wake up!
Then something disappeared from inside him. There one instant, gone the next. He felt as if a major organ had just been ripped from his body.
It had been her. She was gone.
Teresa! he screamed out with his mind. Teresa! Are you there?
But there was nothing, and he no longer felt that comforting sense of her closeness. He called her name again, then again, as he continued to struggle against the dark pull of sleep" (Dashner 5-6). This quote is significant for several reasons. The first one would be that this is the first real dramatic thing that happens in the story. Because Teresa is one of the main characters, you can expect her not to be dead, but it makes you wonder where she is, and what happened. You might also see this later in the story, as the Gladers might have to go on a quest to find her. Also, Thomas will obviously always have Teresa on the mind. They had finally gotten close and thought they were safe. She even was talking to Thomas as whatever happened to her was happening. This will probably haunt Thomas for the rest of the book until he finds Teresa.
3) If I were to connect to this section of the text in any way, it would probably be the feeling that Thomas has right in the beginning of the story. He gets to the safe house, and for the first time in a while he feels safe and sound. He can sleep well. In some ways, I feel similar to this when I'm at my house on the Island. I grew up in that house and always feel safe and comforted when I'm in it. I can always sleep better in that bed. I've recently moved to a different house in the county, and it never really feels the same.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
25/11/12
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Pages 325-372 (end of book)
1) In this final passage of the book, the Gladers fight for their freedom. This passage starts with the final meal before the Gladers depart for the Griever Hole. The mood was somber, and Thomas was nervous. Newt got everyone gathered, and with a loud battle cry, they all charged down the corridors of the Maze seeking the hole. Thomas found it odd that they do not see any Grievers on their way there, but is horrified when he sees the ten Grievers waiting for him at the Hole. The Gladers stopped dead in their tracks, and wait only to see more Grievers come from the left and right. They were surrounded. Suddenly Alby impulsively ran out to meet the Grievers, thinking that if he is sacrificed, nobody else will die. This is not the case, for after he is mauled to death as the Gladers watch, the Grievers advance. The battle begins, and the Gladers try to make a tunnel or pathway to the hole for Thomas and Teresa to get through. A rough pathway is made, and they run through the madness. Thomas sees Chuck and grabs him, wanting him to survive. They jump through the Griever Hole, and fall into a dark cylindrical hole. They see a computer screen with a keyboard on the opposite side of the room, and rush to it. Teresa begins typing in the code they figured out from the Maps, and Thomas watches her back. Suddenly a Griever fell through the hole, and Thomas battles it. Thomas figures out that you can kill Grievers, because he stabs this one from the top of its body after he rips off its limbs. Teresa calls out to Thomas, because the computer won't let her enter the last word in. Right after, another Griever fell through the hole, but Thomas was distracted by the problem at hand. Just as the Griever is about to kill them, Chuck finds a button under the computer that says PUSH. Teresa presses it, and the Griever behind them just powers down. They wait until other Gladers come through the hole, the numbers half of what they were. Once everyone is through, they follow a tunnel which leads to a slippery slide. Everyone goes down it, and they come out to a room that is lined with computers, with a thin, pale, sick looking scientist at each one. Soon after they come to this room, a woman comes through a door opposite of the Gladers. She comes up to them, followed by a hooded figure. She congratulates the teenagers and tries to calm them down, but they aren't going to take after she takes the hood off of the character next to her. It's Gally. He said a few words, saying that they can control him, and he almost choked himself. His body then relaxed, and he pulled a knife out from his pocket. He quickly threw it at Thomas, but before Thomas could react, Chuck threw himself in front of Thomas, taking the knife in his chest. Thomas couldn't believe it, and after Chuck said his last words to him, Thomas went and beat Gally to unconsciousness, crying uncontrollably. When he got control of himself and returned back to the group, he suddenly heard shouts and cries coming from outside. People with guns came and killed the lady, and told the kids to follow them. They ran and ran, up flights of stairs into the rainy night. There was a bus they had to get to, but Thomas was tackled by a crazed lady saying that he was going to be the cure to the Flare. She was pushed off by one of the rescuers, and Thomas ran to the bus. Everyone took their seats, and the driver drove for a while. A lady on the bus told Thomas and Teresa that what was going on was a long story. There were sun flares that were huge and killed millions instantly and turned tons of land to wasteland. Soon after, a sickness spread that destroyed the ecosystem. There is no cure, and only the richest can be treated. The sickness lives in the brain and consumes the human and destroys their humanity. The Gladers were just part of an experiment to find children who could help beat the Flare. Soon they got to a building that they were ushered into that was a safe-house. They were fed, given beds, and they went to bed, their minds burning with questions.
2) "The sun flares couldn't have been predicted. Sun flares are normal, but these were unprecedented, massive, spiking higher and higher-and once they were noticed, it was only minutes before their heat slammed into Earth. First our satellites were burned out, and thousands died instantly, millions within days, countless miles became wastelands. Then came the sickness."
She paused, took a breath. "As the ecosystem fell apart, it became impossible to control the sickness-even to keep it in South America. The jungles were gone, but the insects weren't. People call it the Flare now. It's a horrible, horrible thing. Only the richest can be treated, no one can be cured. Unless the rumors from the Andes are true."
Thomas almost broke his own advice-questions filled his mind. Horror grew in his heart. He sat and listened as the woman continued.
"As for you, all of you-you're just a few of millions orphaned. They tested thousands, chose you for the big one. The ultimate test. Everything you lived through was calculated and thought through. Catalysts to study your reactions, your brain waves, your thoughts. All in an attempt to find those capable of helping us find a way to beat the Flare."
She paused again, pulled a string of hair behind her ear. "Most of the physical effects are caused by something else. First the delusions start, then animal instincts begin to overpower the human ones. Finally it consumes them, destroys their humanity. It's all in the brain. The Flare lives in their brains. It is an awful thing. Better to die than catch it" (Dashner 366-367). To me, this quote is the most important of the entire last part of the book. This quote tells the reader, and more importantly the Gladers what is going on in the real world of the book. It turns out that Alby and all those who've went through the Changing were right. The world outside the Glade was not worth going back to. The world is consumed by a sickness caused by sun flares called the Flare. The sickness is supposedly worse than death, and is can't be contained or cured. The Gladers were just part of an experiment to see if the survivors could help defeat the Flare. The rescuers hope that the children will help them. This quote gives clues to the reader about what the next book will be about. You can expect that the children will help the rescuers, and the next book will be based on the finding of a cure to the Flare. The children might even go to the Andes Mountains in South America. There were rumors of a cure there. James Dashner does a good job at leaving this book a cliffhanger.
3) As far as connections to this text go, mine are scarce. If I were to make a distant personal connection to this text, it would be a similarity between Thomas and I. I can understand the pain that he is going through when he loses his best friend, Chuck. Thomas describes it as horrific as losing a brother. My childhood friend, Douglas, didn't die, but he did move away. When he was leaving it felt as though I was losing a part of my family. I was young, and I've gotten over this by now, but I still remember my sadness in the following years after I didn't have my best friend Dougie.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Pages 325-372 (end of book)
1) In this final passage of the book, the Gladers fight for their freedom. This passage starts with the final meal before the Gladers depart for the Griever Hole. The mood was somber, and Thomas was nervous. Newt got everyone gathered, and with a loud battle cry, they all charged down the corridors of the Maze seeking the hole. Thomas found it odd that they do not see any Grievers on their way there, but is horrified when he sees the ten Grievers waiting for him at the Hole. The Gladers stopped dead in their tracks, and wait only to see more Grievers come from the left and right. They were surrounded. Suddenly Alby impulsively ran out to meet the Grievers, thinking that if he is sacrificed, nobody else will die. This is not the case, for after he is mauled to death as the Gladers watch, the Grievers advance. The battle begins, and the Gladers try to make a tunnel or pathway to the hole for Thomas and Teresa to get through. A rough pathway is made, and they run through the madness. Thomas sees Chuck and grabs him, wanting him to survive. They jump through the Griever Hole, and fall into a dark cylindrical hole. They see a computer screen with a keyboard on the opposite side of the room, and rush to it. Teresa begins typing in the code they figured out from the Maps, and Thomas watches her back. Suddenly a Griever fell through the hole, and Thomas battles it. Thomas figures out that you can kill Grievers, because he stabs this one from the top of its body after he rips off its limbs. Teresa calls out to Thomas, because the computer won't let her enter the last word in. Right after, another Griever fell through the hole, but Thomas was distracted by the problem at hand. Just as the Griever is about to kill them, Chuck finds a button under the computer that says PUSH. Teresa presses it, and the Griever behind them just powers down. They wait until other Gladers come through the hole, the numbers half of what they were. Once everyone is through, they follow a tunnel which leads to a slippery slide. Everyone goes down it, and they come out to a room that is lined with computers, with a thin, pale, sick looking scientist at each one. Soon after they come to this room, a woman comes through a door opposite of the Gladers. She comes up to them, followed by a hooded figure. She congratulates the teenagers and tries to calm them down, but they aren't going to take after she takes the hood off of the character next to her. It's Gally. He said a few words, saying that they can control him, and he almost choked himself. His body then relaxed, and he pulled a knife out from his pocket. He quickly threw it at Thomas, but before Thomas could react, Chuck threw himself in front of Thomas, taking the knife in his chest. Thomas couldn't believe it, and after Chuck said his last words to him, Thomas went and beat Gally to unconsciousness, crying uncontrollably. When he got control of himself and returned back to the group, he suddenly heard shouts and cries coming from outside. People with guns came and killed the lady, and told the kids to follow them. They ran and ran, up flights of stairs into the rainy night. There was a bus they had to get to, but Thomas was tackled by a crazed lady saying that he was going to be the cure to the Flare. She was pushed off by one of the rescuers, and Thomas ran to the bus. Everyone took their seats, and the driver drove for a while. A lady on the bus told Thomas and Teresa that what was going on was a long story. There were sun flares that were huge and killed millions instantly and turned tons of land to wasteland. Soon after, a sickness spread that destroyed the ecosystem. There is no cure, and only the richest can be treated. The sickness lives in the brain and consumes the human and destroys their humanity. The Gladers were just part of an experiment to find children who could help beat the Flare. Soon they got to a building that they were ushered into that was a safe-house. They were fed, given beds, and they went to bed, their minds burning with questions.
2) "The sun flares couldn't have been predicted. Sun flares are normal, but these were unprecedented, massive, spiking higher and higher-and once they were noticed, it was only minutes before their heat slammed into Earth. First our satellites were burned out, and thousands died instantly, millions within days, countless miles became wastelands. Then came the sickness."
She paused, took a breath. "As the ecosystem fell apart, it became impossible to control the sickness-even to keep it in South America. The jungles were gone, but the insects weren't. People call it the Flare now. It's a horrible, horrible thing. Only the richest can be treated, no one can be cured. Unless the rumors from the Andes are true."
Thomas almost broke his own advice-questions filled his mind. Horror grew in his heart. He sat and listened as the woman continued.
"As for you, all of you-you're just a few of millions orphaned. They tested thousands, chose you for the big one. The ultimate test. Everything you lived through was calculated and thought through. Catalysts to study your reactions, your brain waves, your thoughts. All in an attempt to find those capable of helping us find a way to beat the Flare."
She paused again, pulled a string of hair behind her ear. "Most of the physical effects are caused by something else. First the delusions start, then animal instincts begin to overpower the human ones. Finally it consumes them, destroys their humanity. It's all in the brain. The Flare lives in their brains. It is an awful thing. Better to die than catch it" (Dashner 366-367). To me, this quote is the most important of the entire last part of the book. This quote tells the reader, and more importantly the Gladers what is going on in the real world of the book. It turns out that Alby and all those who've went through the Changing were right. The world outside the Glade was not worth going back to. The world is consumed by a sickness caused by sun flares called the Flare. The sickness is supposedly worse than death, and is can't be contained or cured. The Gladers were just part of an experiment to see if the survivors could help defeat the Flare. The rescuers hope that the children will help them. This quote gives clues to the reader about what the next book will be about. You can expect that the children will help the rescuers, and the next book will be based on the finding of a cure to the Flare. The children might even go to the Andes Mountains in South America. There were rumors of a cure there. James Dashner does a good job at leaving this book a cliffhanger.
3) As far as connections to this text go, mine are scarce. If I were to make a distant personal connection to this text, it would be a similarity between Thomas and I. I can understand the pain that he is going through when he loses his best friend, Chuck. Thomas describes it as horrific as losing a brother. My childhood friend, Douglas, didn't die, but he did move away. When he was leaving it felt as though I was losing a part of my family. I was young, and I've gotten over this by now, but I still remember my sadness in the following years after I didn't have my best friend Dougie.
Monday, November 12, 2012
6/11/12
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Pages 282-325
1) In this passage of the book, Thomas starts out by running with Minho in the maze. Teresa contacts him through their telepathic link, and they discuss the progress that Teresa and the other are making with the Maps. Minho and Thomas found nothing, and after seeing a few Grievers roaming around, they thought they should just return home. Minho went to rest, but Thomas was eager to see the words that were found with the Maps. The words seemed to be useless, for they didn't know how they related to an escape plan. Thomas then came up with a secret idea that only he knew. He would get stung by a Griever to retrieve memories that would help them. When evening rolled around, the usual procedure took place. As soon as a Griever took the next victim, Thomas follows the Grievers and jumps on one of them. After fighting it, Thomas gets stung many times, and the Grievers leave. Thomas is brought back to the Homestead, where he spends the next three days as he goes through the Changing. When he wakes up, he is greeted by a happy Chuck, and Newt sees him. Newt calls a Gathering in which Thomas would talk about what he knows from the Changing. At the Gathering, with all of the Keepers present besides Gally, Thomas explains what their entire life is about. Essentially, everyone in the Glade were smarter than average children who were chosen and put in a special facility until they reached a certain age, when they were put in the Glade. The Maze and Glade were a test to weed out those that were survivors, a survival of the fittest type of thing. The entire ordeal was more or less and experiment. The Ending only means that the experiment is coming to a close, and now the Creators wanted to see how the kids in the Glade would escape. Thomas explains that the Maze has no solution, and that Teresa and himself had helped design the Maze with the Creators against their will. Now these two were to be the key to the escape. Thomas's escape plan happened to be jumping through the Griever Hole and shutting down the Glade and letting everyone escape. Since the Grievers took one kid a night, Thomas thought that one person might have to sacrifice themselves for the rest of the group, and he volunteered himself. This was all explained, and Thomas was dismissed from the Gathering for Newt to convince the rest of the Keepers. Newt met Thomas later saying that he convinced the other Keepers to the plan. The other Gladers agreed as well, and they began to prepare for the battle to come.
2) "It doesn't do the Creator any good if we all die-this thing is meant to be hard, not impossible. I think we finally know for sure that the Grievers are programmed to only kill one of us each day. So somebody can sacrifice himself to save the other while we run to the Hole. I think his might be how it's supposed to happen."
The room went silent until the Blood House Keeper barked a loud laugh. "Excuse me?" Winston asked. "So your suggestion is that we throw some poor kid to the wolves so the rest of us can escape? This is your brilliant suggestion?"
Thomas refused to admit how bad that sounded, but an idea hit him. "Yes, Winston, I'm glad you're so good at paying attention." He ignored the glare that got him. "And it seems obvious who the poor kid should be."
"Oh, yeah?" Winston asked. "Who?"
Thomas folded his arms. "Me" (Dashner 313-314). I chose this quote for a few reasons. One of these reasons would be that it ends a chapter. If a quote ends a chapter, generally it tends to be more dramatic. The information displayed more often than not carries more significance, and this time is no exception. When Thomas says these words, it causes the whole Keeper Board burst into arguments. Another reason why I chose this quote is because it gives a clue of what will happen later in the story, also known as foreshadowing. With this information, one can predict that Thomas will likely try to sacrifice himself in the height of the battle. With him being the protagonist, you can expect that he will not be taken by a Griever. However, this doesn't mean any other Gladers are exempt from this fate. By saying this, Thomas makes it seem like not him but a main character will get taken by the Grievers, for I expect some tragedy.
3) As far as connections to the text go for this passage of the book, there are few for me personally. If I were to make one very distant connection to this text, it would probably be his impulsiveness. When Thomas got stung by the Grievers, he did it mostly on an impulse. Like the old saying goes, there is no drug like adrenaline. I feel as if I would do something similar to Thomas if I had enough adrenaline in me. I do a lot of things that I don't think of first, which is very alike to what Thomas acts like in this book, and this passage.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Pages 282-325
1) In this passage of the book, Thomas starts out by running with Minho in the maze. Teresa contacts him through their telepathic link, and they discuss the progress that Teresa and the other are making with the Maps. Minho and Thomas found nothing, and after seeing a few Grievers roaming around, they thought they should just return home. Minho went to rest, but Thomas was eager to see the words that were found with the Maps. The words seemed to be useless, for they didn't know how they related to an escape plan. Thomas then came up with a secret idea that only he knew. He would get stung by a Griever to retrieve memories that would help them. When evening rolled around, the usual procedure took place. As soon as a Griever took the next victim, Thomas follows the Grievers and jumps on one of them. After fighting it, Thomas gets stung many times, and the Grievers leave. Thomas is brought back to the Homestead, where he spends the next three days as he goes through the Changing. When he wakes up, he is greeted by a happy Chuck, and Newt sees him. Newt calls a Gathering in which Thomas would talk about what he knows from the Changing. At the Gathering, with all of the Keepers present besides Gally, Thomas explains what their entire life is about. Essentially, everyone in the Glade were smarter than average children who were chosen and put in a special facility until they reached a certain age, when they were put in the Glade. The Maze and Glade were a test to weed out those that were survivors, a survival of the fittest type of thing. The entire ordeal was more or less and experiment. The Ending only means that the experiment is coming to a close, and now the Creators wanted to see how the kids in the Glade would escape. Thomas explains that the Maze has no solution, and that Teresa and himself had helped design the Maze with the Creators against their will. Now these two were to be the key to the escape. Thomas's escape plan happened to be jumping through the Griever Hole and shutting down the Glade and letting everyone escape. Since the Grievers took one kid a night, Thomas thought that one person might have to sacrifice themselves for the rest of the group, and he volunteered himself. This was all explained, and Thomas was dismissed from the Gathering for Newt to convince the rest of the Keepers. Newt met Thomas later saying that he convinced the other Keepers to the plan. The other Gladers agreed as well, and they began to prepare for the battle to come.
2) "It doesn't do the Creator any good if we all die-this thing is meant to be hard, not impossible. I think we finally know for sure that the Grievers are programmed to only kill one of us each day. So somebody can sacrifice himself to save the other while we run to the Hole. I think his might be how it's supposed to happen."
The room went silent until the Blood House Keeper barked a loud laugh. "Excuse me?" Winston asked. "So your suggestion is that we throw some poor kid to the wolves so the rest of us can escape? This is your brilliant suggestion?"
Thomas refused to admit how bad that sounded, but an idea hit him. "Yes, Winston, I'm glad you're so good at paying attention." He ignored the glare that got him. "And it seems obvious who the poor kid should be."
"Oh, yeah?" Winston asked. "Who?"
Thomas folded his arms. "Me" (Dashner 313-314). I chose this quote for a few reasons. One of these reasons would be that it ends a chapter. If a quote ends a chapter, generally it tends to be more dramatic. The information displayed more often than not carries more significance, and this time is no exception. When Thomas says these words, it causes the whole Keeper Board burst into arguments. Another reason why I chose this quote is because it gives a clue of what will happen later in the story, also known as foreshadowing. With this information, one can predict that Thomas will likely try to sacrifice himself in the height of the battle. With him being the protagonist, you can expect that he will not be taken by a Griever. However, this doesn't mean any other Gladers are exempt from this fate. By saying this, Thomas makes it seem like not him but a main character will get taken by the Grievers, for I expect some tragedy.
3) As far as connections to the text go for this passage of the book, there are few for me personally. If I were to make one very distant connection to this text, it would probably be his impulsiveness. When Thomas got stung by the Grievers, he did it mostly on an impulse. Like the old saying goes, there is no drug like adrenaline. I feel as if I would do something similar to Thomas if I had enough adrenaline in me. I do a lot of things that I don't think of first, which is very alike to what Thomas acts like in this book, and this passage.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
1/11/12
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Pages 176-281
1) In this passage of the book, Thomas is pressured into talk to the girl who had come in the Box the day after him. She had been in a coma, but when he gets near her and focuses, she speaks her name. Not through her mouth, but tells Thomas through her mind. Thomas can't believe it, but then she says his name. Thomas is really freaked out now, but she keeps speaking to him, this time that they were the last two, that it will end soon. Thomas, not being able to handle this, began to run away from the Homestead where he and Newt were. He ran straight into the Maze until the voice stopped. He made it a ways, and then started back, noticing the time. He went to bed, and spent the entire next day in the Slammer, or the jail, for it was what was decided by the Gathering of the Keepers. Alby released him after night had set in, and Thomas was happy to see that his friend was okay and walking around after the Changing. The next day, Minho trained Thomas to become a Runner. They started before the dawn, packing their lunches and giving Thomas weapons, running shoes, and a watch. Minho also showed Thomas the Map Room, a metal building that runners came back to after they returned and drew maps, and how it worked. Minho drew out a rough map of the Maze, and they set off. Thomas followed Minho through his route, and got trained how to track his route by cutting pieces of vines of the walls. Throughout the day, Minho got the message across to Thomas that they haven't really made progress in the two years of running, and that it is almost pointless. After a tiring day of running, Thomas was happy to return to the Glade, although he wished he could explore the maze more than the day allowed. The glamour of being a Runner vanished after the first day for Thomas. As he went to bed, Thomas heard a feminine voice tell him that she had triggered the ending, which explains the next day in the Glade. The sky was completely gray, no sun. Thomas and Minho then went out to run, but quickly saw a Griever before they had made their route. Suddenly it started to run away from them, and they followed it. It went off the Cliff and disappeared. Minho and Thomas were suspicious of this because everything else just fell of the Cliff, didn't disappear. They experimented and found a small hole that objects disappeared into, and called it the Griever Hole. The two made it back to the Glade and made their Maps. Alby and Newt came to talk to them, and they told them about the hole, but Alby and Newt seemed very on edge. They explained that the supplies that were supposed to come didn't. This group chatted until commotion at the Homestead interrupted them. The girl was awake. She whispered to Thomas in her head to come see her, and that the Maze was a code. To get away from her voice, Thomas went to the corner of the walls by Deadheads. She found him there, this time in person. They discussed their memories, mostly hers, their relationship to each other, and their current situation. Soon Newt, Alby, and some others found them, and grilled them for answers. They were acting very edgy because the Doors didn't close that night. Alby blamed the girl and had her locked in the Slammer for the night. Necessary precautions were made, and all of the Gladers were put in the Homestead with flashlights and weapons. The windows were boarded up, and everybody waited. They could hear the Grievers outside, and one particular one climbed the house, and lingered outside the window of the room that Thomas was in. At this point, Gally appeared, crazed out of his mind. He said that the Grievers would take one person a day until there were none left, and he began ripping boards off the window. Everyone in the room fled besides Thomas and Newt, and they watched as Gally was grabbed by the Griever and taken out of the Maze. Thomas saw Minho chase after the train of Grievers just as they left. Chaos broke out among the Gladers, and Thomas found Newt. They waited for Minho, and he returned, saying he left to see where they went. They had gone straight to the Griever Hole. Like the leaders of the Glade didn't have enough to worry about, somebody had burned all of the Maps. Thomas then went to Teresa to free her and talk. They discussed the situation and realized something about the Maps. Thomas and Teresa told this to Newt who took them to the actual Maps. Just in case something happened, they had hidden the Maps in the basement of the Homestead. Following a system he had made up along the way, Thomas lined up the Maps in a certain pattern, cut, traced, and shaded them. What he found was a letter. He did this to several other Maps and it began to spell words. They had caught onto something. Letting Teresa, Newt, and Alby do this work, Minho and Thomas packed and ran into the Maze, thinking that they could be useful elsewhere. They set off into the Maze with their backpacks, ready for whatever came at them.
2) "Silently, they did as he asked, sorting through what they'd traced until eight low stacks of wax paper lined the table.
Jittery and nervous, Thomas picked up one page from each pile, making sure they were all from the same day, keeping them in order. He then laid them one on top of the other so that each drawing of the Maze matched the same day above it and below it, until he was looking at eight different section of the Maze at one. What he saw amazed him. Almost magically, like a picture coming into focus, an image developed. Teresa let out a small gasp.
Lines crossed each other, up and down, so much so that what Thomas held in his hands looked like a checkered grid. But certain lines in the middle-lines that happened to appear more often than any other-made a slightly darker image than the rest. It was subtle, but it was, without a doubt, there.
Sitting in the exact center of the page was the letter F" (Dashner 276-277.) I chose this quote for a few reasons. The first one is that it leads to later in the book. The next page says that the Thomas and those surrounding him kept working, doing the same thing. They kept churning out letters, eventually getting the words FLOAT and CATCH. They don't know what these mean, but think that they will find out if they keep working. I also chose this quote because this discovery by Thomas happens to be pretty much the only progress that the Gladers have ever made in the past two years. The excitement and awe in the room is electric, because they immediately think that this could take them somewhere. The final reason that I chose this quote is that because I expect this discovery by Thomas will eventually lead the Gladers to freedom. It seems like they will spell out an escape plan, making this very instance in the book very significant.
3) Personal connections to this passage of the book are very sparse for me. If I were to draw one distant connection, it would probably be that I can relate to Thomas and his relationship with being a Runner. After his first day of Running, Thomas feels like Running in the Maze is pointless. Minho confesses to him that the Runner's haven't really made any progress, which fills Thomas with hopelessness. This feeling is only multiplied when he figures out an idea about the Maps, only to remember that they were burned. When Newt reveals that the Maps are actually safe, I can relate to Thomas's relief. Also, when Thomas discovers the pattern of the Maze, I can relate to his joy, for he has now discovered the possible escape plan. He can run with Minho for a purpose, and is more than happy to. I can easily associate with Thomas's feelings of hopelessness and excitement/joy displayed in this passage.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Pages 176-281
1) In this passage of the book, Thomas is pressured into talk to the girl who had come in the Box the day after him. She had been in a coma, but when he gets near her and focuses, she speaks her name. Not through her mouth, but tells Thomas through her mind. Thomas can't believe it, but then she says his name. Thomas is really freaked out now, but she keeps speaking to him, this time that they were the last two, that it will end soon. Thomas, not being able to handle this, began to run away from the Homestead where he and Newt were. He ran straight into the Maze until the voice stopped. He made it a ways, and then started back, noticing the time. He went to bed, and spent the entire next day in the Slammer, or the jail, for it was what was decided by the Gathering of the Keepers. Alby released him after night had set in, and Thomas was happy to see that his friend was okay and walking around after the Changing. The next day, Minho trained Thomas to become a Runner. They started before the dawn, packing their lunches and giving Thomas weapons, running shoes, and a watch. Minho also showed Thomas the Map Room, a metal building that runners came back to after they returned and drew maps, and how it worked. Minho drew out a rough map of the Maze, and they set off. Thomas followed Minho through his route, and got trained how to track his route by cutting pieces of vines of the walls. Throughout the day, Minho got the message across to Thomas that they haven't really made progress in the two years of running, and that it is almost pointless. After a tiring day of running, Thomas was happy to return to the Glade, although he wished he could explore the maze more than the day allowed. The glamour of being a Runner vanished after the first day for Thomas. As he went to bed, Thomas heard a feminine voice tell him that she had triggered the ending, which explains the next day in the Glade. The sky was completely gray, no sun. Thomas and Minho then went out to run, but quickly saw a Griever before they had made their route. Suddenly it started to run away from them, and they followed it. It went off the Cliff and disappeared. Minho and Thomas were suspicious of this because everything else just fell of the Cliff, didn't disappear. They experimented and found a small hole that objects disappeared into, and called it the Griever Hole. The two made it back to the Glade and made their Maps. Alby and Newt came to talk to them, and they told them about the hole, but Alby and Newt seemed very on edge. They explained that the supplies that were supposed to come didn't. This group chatted until commotion at the Homestead interrupted them. The girl was awake. She whispered to Thomas in her head to come see her, and that the Maze was a code. To get away from her voice, Thomas went to the corner of the walls by Deadheads. She found him there, this time in person. They discussed their memories, mostly hers, their relationship to each other, and their current situation. Soon Newt, Alby, and some others found them, and grilled them for answers. They were acting very edgy because the Doors didn't close that night. Alby blamed the girl and had her locked in the Slammer for the night. Necessary precautions were made, and all of the Gladers were put in the Homestead with flashlights and weapons. The windows were boarded up, and everybody waited. They could hear the Grievers outside, and one particular one climbed the house, and lingered outside the window of the room that Thomas was in. At this point, Gally appeared, crazed out of his mind. He said that the Grievers would take one person a day until there were none left, and he began ripping boards off the window. Everyone in the room fled besides Thomas and Newt, and they watched as Gally was grabbed by the Griever and taken out of the Maze. Thomas saw Minho chase after the train of Grievers just as they left. Chaos broke out among the Gladers, and Thomas found Newt. They waited for Minho, and he returned, saying he left to see where they went. They had gone straight to the Griever Hole. Like the leaders of the Glade didn't have enough to worry about, somebody had burned all of the Maps. Thomas then went to Teresa to free her and talk. They discussed the situation and realized something about the Maps. Thomas and Teresa told this to Newt who took them to the actual Maps. Just in case something happened, they had hidden the Maps in the basement of the Homestead. Following a system he had made up along the way, Thomas lined up the Maps in a certain pattern, cut, traced, and shaded them. What he found was a letter. He did this to several other Maps and it began to spell words. They had caught onto something. Letting Teresa, Newt, and Alby do this work, Minho and Thomas packed and ran into the Maze, thinking that they could be useful elsewhere. They set off into the Maze with their backpacks, ready for whatever came at them.
2) "Silently, they did as he asked, sorting through what they'd traced until eight low stacks of wax paper lined the table.
Jittery and nervous, Thomas picked up one page from each pile, making sure they were all from the same day, keeping them in order. He then laid them one on top of the other so that each drawing of the Maze matched the same day above it and below it, until he was looking at eight different section of the Maze at one. What he saw amazed him. Almost magically, like a picture coming into focus, an image developed. Teresa let out a small gasp.
Lines crossed each other, up and down, so much so that what Thomas held in his hands looked like a checkered grid. But certain lines in the middle-lines that happened to appear more often than any other-made a slightly darker image than the rest. It was subtle, but it was, without a doubt, there.
Sitting in the exact center of the page was the letter F" (Dashner 276-277.) I chose this quote for a few reasons. The first one is that it leads to later in the book. The next page says that the Thomas and those surrounding him kept working, doing the same thing. They kept churning out letters, eventually getting the words FLOAT and CATCH. They don't know what these mean, but think that they will find out if they keep working. I also chose this quote because this discovery by Thomas happens to be pretty much the only progress that the Gladers have ever made in the past two years. The excitement and awe in the room is electric, because they immediately think that this could take them somewhere. The final reason that I chose this quote is that because I expect this discovery by Thomas will eventually lead the Gladers to freedom. It seems like they will spell out an escape plan, making this very instance in the book very significant.
3) Personal connections to this passage of the book are very sparse for me. If I were to draw one distant connection, it would probably be that I can relate to Thomas and his relationship with being a Runner. After his first day of Running, Thomas feels like Running in the Maze is pointless. Minho confesses to him that the Runner's haven't really made any progress, which fills Thomas with hopelessness. This feeling is only multiplied when he figures out an idea about the Maps, only to remember that they were burned. When Newt reveals that the Maps are actually safe, I can relate to Thomas's relief. Also, when Thomas discovers the pattern of the Maze, I can relate to his joy, for he has now discovered the possible escape plan. He can run with Minho for a purpose, and is more than happy to. I can easily associate with Thomas's feelings of hopelessness and excitement/joy displayed in this passage.
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