In Mrs. Hayes English class we have been learning much about Allegory, Allusion, Dystopian Society, and Satire. Allegories are stories that symbolize something else. Allusions are references to a well known person, place, or thing, or another work of literature. A Dystopian Society is an imaginary place where everything is bad as can be. Satire is the use of irony sarcasm, ridicule to expose something else in a work of literature. To understand this we read a novel called Fahrenheit 451, this novel is FULL of dystopia. Our class also saw the movie Shrek in order to understand satire.
As an individual assignment we all had to read a dystopian novel. I picked Matched by Ally Condie as my novel to blog about for this assignment. The main character in this book is Cassia Maria Reyes, who is just turning seventeen years old. In her society everything is controlled starting from what you eat, where, work as and marry.
In this society people don't eat for taste but for health. Everything is so common and limited. There is only one hundred poems, and songs that the society decided to keep. How can we appreciate anything fully when overwhelmed with too much? (PG. 29 CONDIE). They asked no questions, all of these things seemed perfect for the people, because it was for the best.
In this perfect world Cassia lives in you can be called for your Match Bonquet any time after you turn seventeen. You are suppose to be matched with a person and you get a card filled with information of your match and you are suppose to learn, in reality memorize everything about them since you will be having the Marriage Contract with them. Although a very unsual thing happens to Cassia, she gets matched with her best friend who she already knows everything about, and he already knows everything about her.
This story full of passion mixes up even more when Cassia gets involved with Ky. She should follow the rules of her society and marry Xander who she has a marriage contract with, and who is handsome or just follow her heart and go with Ky. If she does the second choice they will be the first to do such a thing and not follow the rules of her society.
-Definitions from Mrs. Hayes Dystopian Young Adult Novel Assignment prompt
This article talks about procedures when can take when being bullied, or seeing someone being bullied. It is very good and helful for teenagers who are struggling with what is right to do when they see someone get beat or if they are the victim. Many kids think that it is wrong or lame to tell on someone. A lot of times they are just scared of what their friends say or how the bully will react towards them. You can be discrete about things and still do something about it. In my opinion the people that like to bully others are just persons with a sad life and poor self esteem, and to make themselves feel atleast a little better they hate on easy targets or who they envy, and wish to be like in reality. I also think that standing up for someone doesn't make you a party- pooper or tattle-tell. I think that only a coward would stand bye and watch how they treat someone crappy. You can tell the bully to quit and be nicer or tell an adult in seach of help.
Everyday is so wonderfulThen suddenly
It's hard to breathe
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain
I'm so ashamedI am beautiful
No matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful
In every single way
Yes words can't bring me down
Oh no
So don't you bring me down todayTo all your friends you're delirious
So consumed
In all your doom, ooh
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The pieces gone
Left the puzzle undone
Ain't that the way it isYou're beautiful
No matter what they say
Words can't bring you down
Oh no
You're beautiful
In every single way
Yes words can't bring you down
Oh no
So don't you bring me down today
-Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera has a very nice song called Beautiful in which it talks about words not bringing us down or how they can't hurt us... But when you are a child or a teenage being called a fagget, homosexual, fruity, gay, or lesbian can hurt your feelings a lot. Yesterday we watched a video called Bullied: A Student, a School, and a Case that Made History in it a young gay boy has been harrased his whole life and beat just for not being heterosexual like most of the others. The discrimintation is great, for him its hard to understand and his teachers do nothing about the bullying. This young man even gets to the point of running away from home and trying to commit suicide. He got sent to the hospital from beatings and he even wanted to drop out from Highschool. This documentary shows his horrible experiences and other children and teenagers that unfortunetly did not make it through many types of harrasment and bullying for various reasons.
I think that bullying in fact is something monstrous and that should be stopped soon. There is no reason or excuse to descriminate or judge anyone. We are all diffrent and special in our own way and should not be ashamed of who we are. I really liked the outcome of the case. I was really happy we got to watch thsi doccumentary, I thougt it was wonderful, and hopefully it made many of the bullies think about the way they act, and how hurtfull bullying can be, I hope all the nonsense can soon enough stop for us to live in a better society.
http://www.tolerance.org/activiy/playing-bully-card
