Betsey Brown

After finishing Betsey Brown, I was a little upset that it had ended. Of the books that we have read for class so far, with exception of my individual presentation book, it was the easiest to relate to. I find that to truly be involved in a piece of literature one must be able to relate it to their own lives. In Betsey Brown, the reader is exposed to a normal girl with normal problems. Though today we don’t face the same magnitude of segregation and racism, we all have our own problems that seem that big. We all feel that sometimes we carry the weight of the world and in Betsey’s case, the weight of the world was literally her race. I felt for Betsey when she ran away. If someone were to tell me that there was never a time that they felt left out or worthless, I wouldn’t believe them. The other books that we have read still had the same concepts and portrayals of adolescence, but it’s refreshing to read a book that you can stop from time to time and realize, “Wow, I’ve felt that way before”. Nobody wants to go through life alone and sometimes, we feel like we have to in a sense because we think that nobody understands how we feel, or knows what something we’re going through is like. Seeing Betsey going through the same things as other adolescences gives people a sense of realization and in a sense brings them back to reality. Also, this is the first book that we have read that takes a look at a functional but dysfunctional family. I understand that there is a such thing as a broken family, or no family for that matter, but in all honesty, when every book you pick up is filled with tragedy and parents who are unbelievingly dreadful, it’s hard to take it seriously. Yes, not every family is perfect, and not every family gets along all the time, but Betsey Brown had a happy medium. It showed a typical, honest perspective of an American family, which is also refreshing.

Essay

The Effects of Teen Friendships

I will be looking mainly at Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Everyone knows how hard being a teenager can be, but imagine enduring it alone. Though friends are one of the most important aspects of a teen’s life, could they also be their greatest downfall? From sex to drugs, the effects of teenage friendships are always apparent whether they are positive or negative.

Charlie: Observer. Wants to make everyone happy. Feels bad about things that aren’t necessarily his fault. Very honest about things, but sometimes too honest. Best friends are seniors Sam and Patrick. They fully accept Charlie for who he is.
Influences: Sam, Patrick,

How Sam Influences Charlie: Charlie likes Sam and truly cares about her and what she feels. If he feels there is anything he can do to make her happy, he does. Also, she and Patrick introduce him to their way of life ex: drugs, sex and alcohol however do not pressure him.

How Patrick Influences Charlie: Patrick is the first person to connect with Charlie and to become his friend. He invites him to parties, talks to him in school and shares his secrets with him. When Patrick is trying to deal with his breakup with his boyfriend, he drinks a lot and Charlie tries to comfort him. When Patrick drops Charlie off at home, Patrick tries to kiss him and Charlie kisses back because he thought that’s what Patrick wanted. He is later told by Sam that this moment was one in which he shouldn’t try to make other people feel happy.
Both Sam and Patrick know that Charlie is a little “odd”, but they also realize that he is a wallflower. However, despite knowing this, they accept him as a friend and offer their friendship in return.

Though teen friendships can have both positive and negative effects on teens, it is ultimately up to the individual to make up their own mind.

Huck Finn

While reading Huck Finn (for the second time) I couldn’t help but feel the same amount of displeasure toward America as I did the first time I read it. I realize that today we still face racism and prejudice, but since I was not alive when this was written and didn’t experience it for myself, I still can’t believe how people in our country used to treat other humans. I find it to be disgusting how common and accepted slavery was. Throughout the book, Huck is in a constant battle with society in which he doesn’t know where to stand. He has been brought up to believe that he shouldn’t associate closely with the slaves just because of their skin color. I find it incredibly upsetting that when Huck is trying to save Jim from being sold into slavery, one of the first thoughts he has pertains to what people will think of him trying to help a black man. The fact that he had to think twice about helping a man who was like a father figure to him just because of his skin color makes my head spin.

Though the book did upset me in that way, it also made me appreciate what I have now. Looking at Huck, I value my education, friends, family and lifestyle so much more. I appreciate the fact that I can show affection for just about whomever I wish and for the most part, it is fully acceptable in society. By the end of the novel, though his society still was not ideal, I believe that Huck too appreciated what he had and who he had in his life.

I feel that if Charlotte Temple were written today, the story would take a completely different turn. I believe that with all the technology that teens have at their finger tips Charlotte would have been able to more easily take herself out of the situation that she was in. I feel that she would be better connected with her over protective parents and that her meeting Montraville would have been noted online. With that being said, I also believe that the message of the story would be lost if it were written today. When it was written, people were used to not having the same means to contact each other. Families and friends could go for days, months, and sometimes even years without speaking together or knowing what was going on in each other's lives, while today, our friends and family have a play by play of what we are doing with the help of facebook status updates and text messaging.

I feel that in a modern Charlotte Temple, there would have been facebook/twitter/myspace updates of her meetings with Montraville as well as text messages. Also, with the help of cell phone gps systems, she would have been able to be tracked down more easily. Though there are many things that would change in a modern Charlotte Temple, the greatest change would be that of the theme. If all the technological advancements today were implemented, the end of the story would change completely and the moral would be lost.