Thorughout Markus Zusac's book, The Book Theif, there were many inspiring quotes. The quote "She took a step and din't want to take anymore, but she did"(Zusak 537), was the one I found most inspiring. This quote is talking about when Liesel comes out of her house after the bombing and finds her beloved mother, father, and Rudy dead. This quote reminded me that you are always strong enough to take another step, no matter how bad things seem. Liesel take a step and figures out that she's strong enought to take more, and she does. She realizes that good things can come to people who push through their struggles and continue with their life. The reason I made this art piece was to remind people going through struggles that there is always a way to get through or around them, no matter how terrible it looks.
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By: Ashley Hartman John lay in the hospital bed struggling to remember what had happened. For the last 7 days, he had been stuck in a hospital bed at Clarion Hospital. As he struggled to sit up, he immediately fell back down, a sharp pain shooting across his chest. He turned in his bed in frustration. That’s when he saw his daughter and wife, sleeping in the bedside chairs. As he saw them, he finally remembered why he had been hospitalized. He’d had a heart attack. * * * John McKinley, at the age of 75, lived with his wife Shirley in Clarion- a small town in Pennsylvania. On August 18th, 2016, John had a minor heart attack while painting his front door. His wife, Shirley, drove him to the Clarion Hospital in haste. At the hospital, they took his blood, and EKG- electrocardiogram- and gave him medicine, coming back with bad news. He was, in fact, having a heart attack. To figure out the cause of the heart attack, he was life-flighted to the Butler Memorial Hospital, in Butler Pennsylvania. As soon as he arrived he was put in a cath lab, where they looked in the arteries of his heart and found that three of his major arteries were blocked. The blockage in his arteries were major, being above 60% in each artery. That night, John had a balloon pump inserted into his arteries to keep them from collapsing until the next day, when his surgery would take place. * * * The night was long, as John struggled in and out of sleep. The only thing that kept him going was his daughter and wife, by his side at every crook of the hospital. Looking back at the time he was in the hospital, he says "The one thing I remember was my family by my side at every turn". Relief washed over him as morning came, and the sun streamed into the room. Until he remembered... Today was when he was going to have open-heart surgery. * * * The surgery started at 1:00 pm and took about 2-3 hours, including the 30-45 minutes of prep time. Prep consisted of cleaning and shaving his skin, making sure his kidney and liver was fine, and getting him hooked up to all the machines he would need to keep him alive during the surgery. The surgery went extremely well and about 3 days later, John was discharged from the hospital. * * * As he felt the sun shine down on him for the first time in a while, John looked over at his wife and daughter and smiled. He knew he would still have many things to remind him of what happened- like the long scar that ran down his chest- but he knew he would have something to help him along the way. His family. I believe that the book The Pigman, by Paul Zindel, was banned for a good reason. Throughout the book, there is violence, smoking, and the use of alcohol. All of these aspects can corrupt children’s minds, and are not allowed in children’s movies. Thus, I believe that they should not be allowed in children’s books either. For these reasons, I believe that The Pigman should be banned from elementary schools and some middle schools.
Throughout Zindel’s book, there are a lot of violent scenes. For example, when John tries to defend his friend, the Pigman, Zindel writes, “I tensed, ready to punch him. . . He drove his fist into my stomach and knocked the wind out of me” (Zindel 140). This quote shows an example of the massive amount of violence that happens throughout the book. These scenes are unsuitable for a young child, and I think that the book was banned partially due to the negative effects of violence on a child’s development. The second and primary reason I think that the book was banned is the use of alcohol and frequent smoking. For example, when the main characters host a party, the author writes, “And the beer was holding out pretty good. Most of the girls were drinking the wine . . . Somebody dropped a drink down the stairs, and a cigarette burned a small hole in a throw rug” (Zindel 135-136). This quote reveals that throughout the book there is the use of alcohol and smoking. Since these destructive acts are reserved for adults, they should not be introduced to children at such a young age. I think that The Pigman was banned because of its use of alcohol, smoking, and violence. These topics are not appropriate for the development of young minds. Therefore, The Pigman is unsuitable for young children and should be banned. Has there ever been a time in your life where you struggled to fit in with your peers? In the book Boy 21, protagonist Finely McManus feels exactly the same way. Finley is a white high school student who stands out daily due to the racial abundance of African Americans within his school. Despite the fact that Finley sticks out like a sore thumb, he works hard to earn success and earn the respect of his peers. If you liked Finley’s internal journey throughout the book Boy 21, you would love the inspiring, heart-touching, world building pattern of Mike Lupica’s book Travel Team.
The first way that these two books are similar is that both of the main characters have to overcome their differences from the others around them. In the book Boy 21, Finley is the only white kid on his school basketball team. This stark difference from his teammates fuels Finley to prioritize basketball over all other aspects of life, including his own family. However, when Finley loses his job as the starting point guard, he has to learn that life is not always a fair game. As the book progresses, Finley slowly comes to the realization that basketball isn't everything in life. Despite being one of the most dedicated players on his team, Finley discovers, “I don't care whether we win this game, or if I even play . . . I never dreamed I'd stop caring about basketball, but I really couldn't care less about it right now” (Quick 193). Similarly to Finley overcoming his challenges, Danny Walker from the book Travel Team has to figure out how to overcome his differences from others around him. Danny has played travel basketball for two years, so when he gets cut from the team for being too short, he feels defeated. However, Danny joins another basketball team and throughout the season, he has to learn to deal with the fact that he will always be the shortest man on the court. When Danny finally figures out that heart trumps height, he leads his team to victory. In the aftermath of their championship win, the narrator tells the reader, “then Will was there, and Bren, putting Danny up on their shoulders, carrying him around the court, the way the old Vikings had carried his dad once. Danny looked down on the day and thought: So this is what everything looks like from up here” (Lupica 274). Within each story, the main character is presented with a difficult obstacle. Throughout the novels however, each discovers how to overcome life’s challenges to become the best they can be. The second way that both books are similar is that both characters work extremely hard for what they want. Finley devotes the majority of his time trying to make a starting spot on his basketball team, unlike some of the others who expect the spots to be handed over no matter what they do. For example, Finley says that, “inside the gym, we run all sorts of sprints and shooting drills and practice free throws. And then we go out to the stadium and run up and down the steps for twenty minutes of chest-pounding, muscle-screaming, lung-burning action” (Quick 14). This quote shows how hard Finley works during the off-season so he’ll be ready for tryouts. In Boy 21, Finley works super hard to achieve his dreams, which can also be seen as Danny Walker practices day and night to improve his basketball skills. He pushes himself every night as he plays basketball in his driveway. In fact, “Danny would put chairs out there and dribble through them like he was dribbling out the clock at the end of the game. Some nights he would borrow a pair of his mother’s old sunglasses and tape the bottom part of the lens so he couldn't see the ball unless he looked straight down” (Lupica 4). After Danny joins his new travel team, he continues to work really hard on and off the court to help lead his team to victory. In both books, each character dedicates themselves fully to working towards their goals. The last way that both books are similar is that both Finley and Danny rely on strong relationships with their friends to get through their struggles. In the book Boy 21, Finley immediately befriends Russ Washington, a star African American basketball player. Finley says, “later in the basketball season, Russ and I are sitting on my roof again, trying to look at stars . . . He usually visits me after every game . . .” (Quick 220). This quote reveals that Finley and Russ spend a lot of time together. Finley and Russ act as calming presences upon one another, helping each other to cope with the harsh realities of their lives. In addition to Finley having a good relationship with his friends, Danny relies on his teammates to keep him going throughout the season. Danny makes an instant connection to another basketball player, the best in Middleton, Ty Walker. Danny and Ty both connect over their beloved sport and make a lifelong relationship. The author describes this scenario as he writes, “Ty Ross was standing in front of him, grinning this goofy-looking grin from ear to ear. ‘Nice pass,’ he said. ‘Nice shot,’ Danny said. The two of them shook hands the regular way. The old school way” (Lupica 274). This quote illustrates how both Danny and Ty are friends and work together well in basketball. Both of these novels reveal how friendship can lead you through your greatest hardships, and into your greatest successes. Both Danny and Finley have good friends throughout the book to support them, who aid them in their attempts to overcome dangerous realities of the world. If you liked the book Boy 21, you'll love the inspiring, heart-touching, world building pattern of Mike Lupica's novel, Travel Team. As the book progresses, many things are covered including engaging plotlines and inspiring stories. If you want to be pulled into a world similar to Finley's, then read the inspiring, innovative, heart touching novel. Travel Team. |
About me
Ashley Hartman |