Monday Muses: Poetry Writing Prompts

Six-Word Memoir: New bike falling confidently back up

When I was 7 years old, I got a new bike for Christmas. I was so excited to learn how to ride on the bike. My father wanted to teach me how to ride a bike without training wheels. I thought it would be easy, so I agreed. However, it wasn't as easy as I thought. I kept falling in the dirt, multiple times, unable to catch my balance. All the other kids made it look easy. "I can't do this."I kept thinking to myself. Finally, I sat down on the ground, exhausted. My father bent down, and laughed. "Panchita, there in times in life you're gonna fall down, and maybe break a couple of bones along the way, but you still gotta haul yourself on up." With those words in my head, I sniffled and nodded, brushing the dirt off my pants and got back on the bike. My father held the side of my bike to stop me from wobbling, and I mastered the art of riding a bike. I realized that sometimes, there is going to be hard times in life but you need to get past the obstacles in order to achieve something.

Reading Response: Critical Reading Question

Reading Response Question: How does this text deal with individuals and groups? Are people acting alone and in competition with one another, or does the text help us imagine people working together?

 The book I am currently reading is "I am Number Four,"by Pittacus Lore. This book is about a teen alien called John Smith that comes from a planet called Lorien. He is running from Mogadorians on Planet Earth, and there are nine aliens like him called Garde, known by their numbers. They are scattered in different places on Earth. Mogadorians are aliens from a different planet called Mogadore. Their focus is to take over Planet Lorien and kill all the Loriens. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 were killed. When one of the Garde are killed, the others will get a scar embedded in their ankle, symboling one of the Garde have died. Each of the Garde children have a Cêpan, which is a protector/guardian also from the planet Lorien. Cêpans have to train the Garde children. Garde children have powers to help them survive and defeat the Mogadorians. John lives in Paradise, Ohio, which is a small quiet town. John goes to high school, meeting a girl he likes and has a new friend. The girl's name is Sarah Hart, and his friend's name is Sam Goode. In the end of the book, John trusts Sarah and Sam enough that he could tell them about who he was and where he came from.
  In this book, many people are working together. The nine Garde children are of the same species and work together, trying to find each other. They are against the Mogadorians, and trying to stay alive from getting killed. The people in Lorien are all working together. They are also tryiing to protect their planet. The Mogadorians are also in a group working together. They are trying to kill the Garde children and take over the planet Lorien. All the Cêpans and Garde children are working together too. They help each other and would die for one another. However, the planet Lorien and the planet Mogadore are in competition because Planet Mogadore is trying to take over planet Lorien, and planet Lorien is trying to protect it. The Mogadorians are also in competition with Garde and their Cêpans.
  At the beginning of the book, Henrí (John's Cêpan) was very close-minded about their identity and did not trust or tell anyone. Henrí was not sure about telling Sam that they are aliens, but because Sam risked his life to save Henrí from the Mogadorians, he deserved a explanation. John was against telling Sam and Sarah because he didn't want to get them involved, but they insisted so he told them. He also did not tell them because he did not trust them at first.

Nonfiction Article Reading Response

  The article “The High Price of Cheap Fashion” is about Americans becoming more aware at where, how, and under what conditions their clothes are developed. This started happening when many people learned news about a factory that collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 1,100 workers and injuring 2,500 more. The workers at the factory made clothes to sell in companies in the United States and Europe. Investigators found out that the building owner had illegally added extra floors and heavy machines that the building couldn’t support. This accident is one of the worst accidents in the clothing industry, making other countries aware of this problem and calling for extra safety measures.  Today, U.S. companies manufacture most of their clothing in countries like China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. The factory workers only earn a fraction of what United States workers make. China makes 40% of U.S.’s clothing. Bangladesh makes 6%. Since now there are more new stores, there are more frequent purchases. Today, Americans on average buy 68 garments of clothing and eight pair of shoes per year. Each American throws out 10 pounds worth of clothing on average every year.

  However, the huge change in manufacturing to developing countries has provided jobs for millions of poor people in third nations. Many people work in “sweatshops” under dangerous and difficult conditions and face low wage. China is in the lead for the world’s “biggest ready-to-wear clothing” producer, but business has decreased since the workers’ pay raise has gone up.  Currently, the average Chinese clothing factory worker makes $1.26 per hour. This has caused major retailers like Gap and Sears, to shift some business into Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh. Bangladesh is second to China, but has one of the worse practices in the global garment industry. Workers must work long hours and face unsafe conditions. After the factory collapse happened, Bangladesh’s government made strict inspections and announced that they Bangladesh’s pay wage will be raised.  However, Bangladeshi officials warn that these drastic changes may damage Bangladesh’s economy.  Fifty major retailors recently signed a pact to spend at least $60 million over the next 5 years to monitor safety in Bangladesh’s clothing factories. It would also cost less then 10 cents for one garment of clothing with clothes to be produced with more worker protections. Slowly, Bangladesh’s garment industry will change and more protection provided for factory workers will develop.

   America is starting to have American apparel firms to be fair-trade certified (meaning that it’s factories have been inspected for safety and workers’ pay and found to be fair) like a yoga clothing company called PrAna. More people are looking for clothing that are fair trade and made in America. 

Reading Response: What really hard things are happening in this text? Are these things happening in the world now? Where?

\ The book I am currently reading now is "Story of a Girl" by Sara Zerr. The main character is seventeen years old, and her name is Deanna Lambert. When she was thirteen, she  was caught by her father doing  sexual things with Tommy Weber, her brother's (Darren Lambert) best friend.  Because of this, her and her family's life changed forever. Four years after, she is still being ignored by her father. She also known as the "school slut/skank" in her school. Everyone bullies and ignores her. Her family is considered a failure because of her, and Deanna deals with sexual harassment. Throughout the book, Deanna becomes independent by getting a job so she can move out with her brother,his girlfriend, and baby. She also learns how to stand up for herself when she gets bullied. This book has many social issues like bullying, teen pregnancy, sexual harassment, and poverty.  

   Teen pregnancy is a issue in this book. Deanna's older brother, Darren gets his girlfriend Stacy,pregnant. They have a baby called April. The couple move in with Darren's parents, since they have no money to support themselves. Darren and his girlfriend argued about everything, from hair color to types of baby bottles. At a point in the book, Stacy is so exhausted that she goes to a party for two days and leaves Darren and April (Pg 98-114) Teen pregnancy is a social issue everywhere in the world.  Another social issue in this book is poverty. Deanna's whole family is struggling to meet ends, they all work very hard to pay the rent, and they don't have a lot of money for shopping. Deanna gets a job at a pizza place, to save up her money for moving out and for her own pleasures. She also saves the money for moving out of her house one day with Stacy, Darren, and April. Deanna thinks she is a part of their family, and that they are incomplete without her. However, Darren and April don't agree. (Pg 112-114) Poverty is also a big issue everywhere in the world.
   Sexual harassment plays an important part in this book. Throughout the story, Deanna gets sexually harassed by the senior boys in her school. Even when she was going to the food court with her best friend, she got touched in between her thighs from her school, since she was known as the "school skank." Sexual harassment happens everywhere in the world.
   Those were all big issues in the book, but the biggest issue in this book was bullying. The kids in her school call her a skank and a slut (Pg 6, Deanna POV):

  "Bruce chimed in. "Why do you front, Lambert? Why pretend you're not a skank when you know you are? He gestured to himself and the guys around him, "We know you are. You know you are. And, um, your dad knows you are, so..."

 A voice called down from the hall:"Don't you guys have some kittens to go torture or something?" 

 Jason had never sounded so good.

"You don't even want a piece of this, punk," Tucker said, shouting over his shoulder.

 Jason kept walking towards us, with his usual no-hurry slouch, black boots scuffing along the floor  like it was just too much effort to pick up his feet. My hero. My best friend. "

She only has her best friend Jason to fight off the bullies and stand up for her. People in her school talk behind her back, and make up rumors about her. They even bully her at her job.
   All of these social issues happen everywhere and everyday in the world. Children get bullied in school everyday, and don't know how to stand up for themselves. Teenagers get pregnant, and are unable to support themselves and the baby. People get sexually harassed everyday and many are too afraid to defend themselves, and hide in their shadows of fear. People are in poverty everyday, and don't have a place to live or food to eat. This book shows what our world is like now, and all the social issues in the world. Throughout the story, Deanna changes from dependent to independent. She learns how to stand up for herself and let go of her past. She becomes a better person. 

Argument Essay:Final Draft:Should The Perks of Being a Wallflower be Banned for Sixth and Seventh Graders?

Argument Essay:Final Draft:Should The Perks of Being a Wallflower be Banned for Sixth and Seventh Graders?

Books containing sexual content, explicit language, drugs, drinking, and rape can

be alarming, especially to sixth and seventh graders. They can cause the reader to do what the character is doing in the book. It can affect them negatively or positively. A specific book that contains inappropriate content is The Perks of Being a Wallflower: By Steven Chbosky. Even though it is a good book containing many morals, sixth and seventh grade students and below should not read it because it contains sexual content, explicit language, drugs, drinking, and rape.

Sixth and seventh graders should not read this book because it contains explicit language and smoking.  “I agreed, but then my brother started saying how my sister was just a bitchy dyke.” (81) This doesn’t just show that there is cursing in the book, but also there is fighting between brothers and sisters.  If siblings fight, they may be influenced by this book to curse when fighting with each other. Another example of why this book should not be read by sixth and seventh graders:

“Can I have a cigarette?” I said. I couldn’t bring myself to say “burn a smoke.”

Not for my first one. I just couldn’t. When I lit it I didn’t cough. It actually felt

soothing. I know that it was bad in a health class way, but it was true.”

The character in the book that is doing this is only a freshman, meaning he is only 14-15 years old. If sixth or seventh graders read this, they may be influenced to do the same when they turn older. They may not understand what is wrong about smoking.

Another reason why sixth and seventh graders should not read this book is because it has sexual content and a rape scene. I think that sixth and seventh graders will not understand what is happening in that part, and they are also not mature enough to read that part of the book. This is a part of the book containing sexual content: “And I opened the door to the basement and my sister and this boy were naked. He was on top of her and her legs were draped on either side of the couch. And she screamed to me in a whisper- “Get out. You pervert.” (12) There are at least 3 more scenes like this in this book.

However, the author of (“The ‘sick-lit’ books aimed at children. It’s a disturbing phenomenon. Tales of teenage cancer, self harm, and suicide...) states: “...these books don’t spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression, and death. Most are also liberally peppered with sex and swearing.”

The author of “Darkness Too Visible,” says “The argument in favor of such novels is that they validate the teen experience, giving voices to tortured adolescents who would otherwise be voiceless.” If they had faced these experiences, they would know they are not alone. Also, if they were to encounter these problems, they would know how to deal with them. They would not feel alone because they would know other people have these problems and issues to deal with too.

I think that sixth and seventh graders should not read this book because it includes sexual content, rape, swearing, underage drinking, and drugs. I believe that sixth and seventh graders would not know what these things are, and what they mean. If they read this, they will learn more about sex, drugs, rape, drugs, and drinking.  They are also not mature enough to read the book, and may be influenced to follow in the main character’s footsteps.

What really hard things are happening in this text? Are these things happening in the world now? Where?

The book I am currently reading now is "Story of a Girl" by Sara Zerr. The main character is seventeen years old, and her name is Deanna Lambert. She was caught by her father doing sexual things with her brother's best friend (Tommy Webber) in the back of his car. Four years after, she is still being ignored by her father. She also known as the "school slut" in her school. Everyone bullies and ignores her. Her family is considered a failure, and Deanna dealt with sexual harassment. Throughout the book, Deanna becomes independent by getting a job so she can move out with her brother,his girlfriend, and baby. She also learns how to stand up for herself when she gets bullied.
  Teen pregnancy is a issue in this book. Deanna's older brother, Darren gets his girlfriend pregnant, they move in with his parents, since they have no money to support them. They argued about everything, from hair color to going to parties. Teen pregnancy is a social issue everywhere in the world. Another social issue in this book is poverty. Deanna's whole family is struggling to meet ends, they all work very hard to pay the rent, and they don't have a lot of money for shopping. Poverty is also a serious issue in the world.
 Sexual harassment plays an important part in this book. Throughout the story, Deanna gets sexually harassed by the senior boys in her school. Even when she was going to the food court with her best friend, she got touched in between her thighs from her school, since she was known as the "school skank." Sexual harassment happens everywhere in the world.
Those were all big issues in the book, but the biggest issue in this book was bullying. The kids in her school call her a skank and a slut. She gets bullied everyday, with only her best friend Jason to fight off the bullies and stand up for her. People in her school talk behind her back, and make up rumors about her. They even bully her at her job.
All of these social issues happen everywhere and everyday in the world. Children get bullied in school everyday, and don't know how to stand up for themselves. Teenagers get pregnant, and are unable to support themselves and the baby. People get sexually harassed everyday and many are too afraid to defend themselves, and hide in their shadows of fear. People are in poverty everyday, and don't have a place to live or food to eat. This book shows what our world is like now. Throughout the story, Deanna changes from dependent to independent. She learns how to stand up for herself and let go of her past. She becomes a better person.

Reading Response

Question: How does this book help you to think about social issues you care about or causes you are committed to?

     The book I am currently reading is called "Does My Head Look Big In This?" by Randa Abdel-Fattah. The main character is an Australian-Muslim-Palestinian 16 year old girl, called Amal. She lives in the suburb of Melbourne with her two parents, and is about to make a big decision in her life. It is to wear the hijab, which is a Muslim head scarf. She wants to show her passion in Islamic religion and she wants to prove to herself that she’s "strong enough to wear a badge of my [Amal] faith. I believe it will make me [Amal] feel so close to God." (Page 7) She is about to enter 11th grade, in McCleans Preparatory High School. Throughout the book, she gets called names, and discriminated because of her wearing the hijab. She also is very self-conscious with what people think of her while she is wearing the hijab. Throughout the whole book, she slowly changes.
     I feel connected to the main character, Amal, because she had also faced bullying and people discriminating her of what she was wearing and her background. I also had faced this problem in elementary school. People often bullied me because I was one of the few Asian people in the elementary school.  Amal was called names like: “Towel head” and when she did anything religious in her school (ex: Praying,) people bullied her for that. I did not get bullied for religious reasons, but for my background. I, like Amal, frequently got upset about what people thought about me. However, as the year went on and on, I gradually care less about what people thought of me.

   This book helped me think about social issues I care about, mostly racism and bullying.Bullying can lead to racism, discrimination, stereotyping, etc. My opinion is that you don’t just judge someone just because of their skin color or where they are from, or their religion, etc. We are all flesh and bone on the inside, so why judge people because of where they are from or what they believe in, or their skin color? This book really connects to world issues and kids who have been bullied because of their race, background, etc. People can really connect to this story. It teachs you to never stereotype someone and to not let politics judge you.