The Scarlet Letter essay

The Scarlet Letter Essay

 Naomi Giancola 802

            In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many symbols that the author chooses to use. He uses a rosebush in the beginning, a child for most of the book, and Europe in the end. The symbol that stands out to me the most is the scarlet letter that the main character, Hester has to wear for the entire book. Hester must wear the letter because she committed the sin of adultery. In the story, the letter has many different meaning and in the end, Hester learns to embrace all of them. The letter on Hester’s chest is a very important symbol in the story.

            One of the reasons I think that the A is an important symbol is because it represents things that we would consider happy. “’Thy mother is yonder woman with the scarlet letter.’” The letter represents Hester being a mother. Pearl, her daughter only recognizes her when she has her letter. The letter, to Pearl, represents what her mother went through in order to bring her to life. “The scarlet letter was the object of love and interest.” In the end, the people in the town realize that the letter didn’t really represent what they thought it was supposed to represent. They realized that it symbolized love for her daughter and even love for her self. The letter represents many good things.

            The scarlet letter represents good things, but it also represents bad things. For example, “The scarlet letter was [Hester’s] passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude!” The letter represents the struggle that she went through. She was isolated in her house in the outskirts of the town for most of the time she was struggling with what she had done and the shame that was brought upon her. ““Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.” The letter also represents how people will always not really be comfortable around her and not completely happy because of the dark cloud that the letter brings along. Hester will never really be able to escape the shame of the letter.

            In the end, Hester’s letter represents a lot more then what it was supposed to represent. It has good and bad things that will be forever attached to it. All of the meanings are very important to the story. The scarlet letter is the most heavily weighed symbol in the book.

Foreword

Foreword for Picture Book

Naomi Gaincola

 A few years ago, when I was about 8, my mom told me a story about how her grandpa was gay but couldn't come out until he was in his 30s because he was scared. She told me that when he eventually came out, het got beat-up almost everyday and tried to commit suicide twice before he met my great grandpa. When my mom told me this, i didn't get why anyone would beat-up anyone for any reason so I just brushed off the story as not important but now that I’m older, I understand what it means and it’s so awful that that could happen to people. And I get that it still happens today and that’s why I wrote this book, I want to eliminate that for the kids of our generation. 

In my research, I found out that, "About 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year." That’s 90% of all LGBT teens in America that might quit school because they feel unsafe where they should feel safe. It’s really shocking to me how people could be so cold hearted and hurt someone because of something that they can’t change. I think that if we could raise awareness to people who are not part of the LGBT community about all the bullying that’s going on then maybe we could make a difference. Another shocking fact is, “LGBT teens are 4 times more likely, and questioning youth are 3 times more likely, to attempt suicide as their straight peers.” This is really awful because people who are “different” shouldn’t be treated differently, and then feel like they aren’t good enough. I hope that soon kids don’t ever feel like that.

In the end I hope that this picture book is able to change how some people see gay teens and really anyone who is feeling bad about them selves. I hope that in the next few years, people become more accepting about people who aren’t the exact same as them.

1."Gay Bullying Statistics." - Bullying Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. 

2."Facts About Suicide." Facts About Suicide. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015. 

Banned Book Essay

Banned Book Essay

Naomi Giancola 802

          Dear Ms.Berner,

             For many years, people like me have been sheltered from the “terrors” of books. Some of these so-called “terrors” are issues that teens deal with all the time. Some of the most well known banned books deal with cancer, cutting, and suicide. When many people look at these books, they see unneeded exposure to these books, but when teens who are going through the topics of the book see the book, they see hope that everything will be okay. They see a character to relate to and maybe even someone to lean on. When you take away these books, you are taking away teens hope for the future.

           One reason why books shouldn’t be banned is because knowing that another character or another person is going through the same things as you can be just enough to keep you going until you get help. In Ellen Hopkins article, “Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti Censorship Manifesto,” she states, “She saw her self in those pages, and suddenly she knew that she didn’t want to be there. That book turned her around.” This quote shows how a girl who was going through a rough patch was able to find a book to relate to and see that she was destroying her self. The girl was eventually able to get her life together, finish high school, and start a modeling career all because she saw herself in the pages of the book. In Maureen Johnson’s article, “Yes Teen Fiction can be Dark-but it Shows Teenagers They Aren’t Alone,” she says, “For teenagers, there is sometimes no message more critical than: you are not alone. This has happened before. The feelings that you are feeling, the thing you are going through-it is a known thing.” This quote shows how sometimes the most important thing is knowing that you are not the only one in the world going through what you are going through. If they don’t know that someone else is going through it they may become to feel isolated and alone no matter how many friends that have around them. Overall, without books that deal with heavy topics, teens that are carrying around the weight of these issues may feel more alone and not know what to do.

           Another reason why books shouldn’t be banned is because teenagers need to know about the scary issues going on in the real world. We need to know this because when we encounter them its always good to have some info on them. In Mary Elizabeth Williams article, “Has Young Adult Fiction Become to Dark?” she talks about how teens read books because they are intrigued or frightened by the issue. “We read, as teens continue to do now, to be moved, to fall in love with the characters, to learn and to sometimes just explore the things that scared and fascinated us.” Without books that deal with heavy topics, a lot of teens wouldn’t be exposed to them at an age where these things are happening. Eventually we would become aware of them but I think it would be a more traumatic experience because we would realize that those things were going on in other people’s heads while we were doing nothing. Mary Elizabeth Williams also states, “She fails to acknowledge the coarseness and misery already inherent in adolescence.” Since most teens these days are already exposed to such heavy topics, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be allowed to explore deeper into the topics, especially if that person or a friend of that person is going through it. Overall teens that are exposed to the heavy topics will not have their childhood ruined; they will just be more educated than before.

            In some people’s eyes, books shouldn’t be banned but in others, they should. In Johanna Robinsons article, “The Fault In Our Stars has been banned in Schools,” she talks to a parent about why books should be banned. “Karen Kruger, who felt the morbid plot, crude language, and sexual content was inappropriate for children.” I can see the side she’s taking even though I don’t agree with it. Some people don’t want to expose their children to more mature content until they think that their child is ready, which is not a bad thing. I can see where people like her are coming from because there are some things that people my age really shouldn’t know about yet. But if we think that we are ready to learn it then we should be allowed to read up on that topic.  Not knowing something that you want to know can actually stress you out. If we read books that engage us on a topic that we want to know about it can reduce stress levels. For example, in an article called, “Reading can help reduce Stress,” the author states, “By loosing your self in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world.” If people don’t want to expose their kids to sex, drugs, and other more mature topics, they can actually make their kids more interested and maybe even put their kids in a position where the kid has to read behind their parents back. Books are very important for getting information in a positive and a non-stressful way.

            In the end, books shouldn’t be banned because parents don’t want their children exposed to heaver topics because eventually they will find out eventually but in much worse way than books. Kids and Teens should be able to read what ever they want whenever they want. If you don’t let us read the books that we want, then you could be hurting someone way more then if they were allowed to read the book.    

Reading and writing for social justice

Reading and Writing for Social Justice

Naomi Giancola 802

#1- http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/13/justice/zimmerman-trial/ (Article on Travyon Martin)

I think this is a form of social injustice because it deals with one human using stereotype as an excuse to take another humans life. In this case, a neighborhood watchman, Zimmerman, was in his car keeping watch when he saw Travyon walking along the street alone at night. Seeing as Travyon was black and had a hood on, Zimmerman assumed that Trayvon must be up to no good. If Zimmerman had ignored the stereotypes and just asked Treyvon where he was going, like he probably would have done if he had seen a white boy with a hood on, everything would’ve most likely been fine. This makes me really mad because I live near the Projects on bond street and I have seen people get arrested because they were walking to get a coke or something from the deli but it was night time and no one else was around and they were alone. There is no justified reason to arrest someone who is just doing their normal everyday thing.

#2- People not getting enough psychiatric care for mentally ill

-       Mom yelling at crying kid to shut up

-       Illegal immigrant hard labor for almost no pay

One issue that I feel very strongly about is the mom yelling at her crying kid because the kid has no control over the situation. I don’t know any people personally who have been abused, ever, but I know of people who were abused when they were kids. It’s really a horrible thing to ever have to go through, emotionally or physically. There is never any good reason to hit or yell mean things at a little kid. Most of the time they don’t even know what you are yelling or hitting them but the yelling can leave ever lasting emotional scars and the hitting can leave temporary scars but the memory can be forever etched into their minds. There are many books about child abuse but the books are really only about the worst cases. So many kids probably don’t even know they are technically being abused because they are just so used to it. I think that if more people were more educated about child abuse, everyone could look out for small hints and save the small abuse from turning into something even bigger.

#3- Interview

Me- What do you think is good about our world?

Dan- I think the, well, that's a very broad question but I would say that the change in people's participation in their governments and that most slavery had been abolished and that most people have been able to have a say in their government.

Me- What do you think is unfair about our world?

Dan- I think it is the access of people for daily nutrition, just daily simple nutrition. We have enough food to feed everyone in the world and that its shouldn't be sent in politics. Food should not be used as a weapon. I think that governments should do more to provide basic nutrition and education to their citizens. Housing I pretty well dealt with in most countries. Housing, nutrition, and education.  Those are the basic things people should get.

           I think that my dad is right, that people really do need to have food, education, and a place to call home. Although there are bad things in the world, I agree with my dad about the good ones. He said that most slavery has been abolished and that’s true. Even though most of it has been abolished, there are still places where being a slave is not necessarily legal but it’s not really illegal either. And people having a say in their own governments is really a very good thing because if people have a say in their government then they might feel more obligated to not destroy their country and not rebel against the government.  

#4-

#5- My cousin, Jamie, always buys the homeless person on her block a bagel every morning for breakfast.

Interview

Me- When did you start buying the bagel?

Jamie- I guess when I was about 14 years old.

Me- What made you start?

Jamie- Well this guy was always asking people for money to buy food but no one ever gave him any money and I don’t think its ever really a good idea to give anybody money because you don’t know what they will do with it so I bought him a bagel.

Me- What was he like when you gave him the first bagel?

Jamie- I think he was a little startled but then he took it and said thank you and god bless, I think. That was like 5 years ago so I can’t quite remember.

Me- That’s okay. Have you seen other people doing nice things like yourself for other people?

Jamie- No, not really.

Me- That sucks.

Jamie- Yeah, but I really wanna start a soup kitchen when I get out of college to help more people like him.

Me- That’s awesome!

Jamie- Yeah I can’t wait!

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My cousin is one of the nicest people I know and know that I know about this; I think she’s even nicer. If people gave out food to homeless people instead of money then they might be more grateful and maybe not as tired all the time and since they wouldn’t have to spend as much money on food they might be able to spend money trying to get a job. I think my cousin is really a true inspiration. I think if more people just did a little bit to help someone every day then the world would be a much better place.  

#6- “And no one knows, that you cry but you don't tell anyone, that you might not be the golden one. And you're tied together with a smile and you're coming undone." -Taylor Swift

           I think Taylor Swift was talking about how she and other people try to keep people from seeing how sad and vulnerable they really are because they don't want people to be able to attack them in an emotional way. Crying alone is one of the worst feelings in the world because you feel like no one cares and then the next day when you have to go to school its even worse because you have to put on a fake smile so people think that you are okay. I think the social issue this is referring to is depression. Depression is a really big social issue especially in teens because people who feel that way might be too scared to tell anyone because they don’t want everyone to know. When Taylor says that the smile is coming undone, I think she is referring to how she just can’t take it anymore and she’s given up on trying to make people think she’s okay. This line made me feel like I should just hug everyone I see because at my age, there are so many people faking smiles and I really want to make those smiles real.  

#7- Pretty Little Liars

·       Faking It

           In the movie and show business, all of the main characters that are teen girls have beautiful blonde or brown hair and always wear make up. All the girls live in small rural towns and have way too much money. All of the “normal” girls wear makeup every day and only wear expensive shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, and shoes. The only thing that is a little true in the shows, that I watch, are the family problems. These portrayals of teens make me feel angry. The people that I know live in big cities, don’t have buckets of money just laying around, and don’t wear a ton of makeup every day. Even though the stereotypes on the shows are over exaggerated for the people that I’m close too, they are not so over exaggerated for the people that I know who live in small towns. I have a few friends who live in small towns and yeah; some of the things in the TV shows are true. The girl I know wears a lot of makeup to school, has really long beautiful blond hair, wears expensive clothing everyday, but she acts nothing like the girls in the TV shows. As much as I love watching the TV shows, they help me to know that I would never wants to live the life of one of those girls. It would just be way too overwhelming. Although I would never really want to live the life of those girls that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about what it would be like to be one of them. I know that I would not fit in at all and it would probably be a disaster. I think maybe if the girls didn’t have so much money and didn’t wear so much makeup, they could be more relatable for other girls.

  

   

Essay

Essay on Go Ask Alice

Naomi Giancola 802

            Go Ask Alice by the journal writer edited by Dr. Beatrice Sparks is about a girl who is hooked on drugs. The book is written like a journal. The journal writers name is Alice. Over the course of the book Alice changes only a little bit. She keeps changing her mind about drugs, should she take them? Or should she not. There is the obvious answer to that question, but Alice doesn’t think so. Soon Alice gets sucked in to a world of drugs where there is limited friendship and you get judged every day. In conclusion Alice is a very charming person on the inside, she just has some trouble getting it out on the outside.

            One obvious trait about Alice is that she wants to have a good future. Alice tries so hard to get things right, just for some, it’s harder for her then for others. Alice is really a very good girl she just got sucked into the wrong world just as her future was starting to lay its self out. “Wow! I’m really living! I have a job. Chris asked her boss last night and he said yes. Isn’t it the greatest?! I’ll be working with Chris on Thursday nights and on Friday nights and all day Saturday and I’ll be able to buy anything my non-conforming heart desires.” Alice had just gotten a job and is trying to straighten out her future so that she doesn’t fall apart. This part of the journal happens before she runs away for the first time. “For the first time I feel absolutely certain that even if I were looked in a room full of acid, speed, and every other upper in the world I would only be discussed, for I see what it does to kids who used to be my friends.” At the moment she is at home after running away and people at school are trying to get her to start drugs again, but she is becoming more and more confident that she wont start up again. She is really trying to get her future worked out.

            Another obvious trait about Alice is that, she is very appreciative. Whenever someone does something for her, she always feels very grateful. Since not that many people do good things for her, when someone does she feels very appreciative towards them when they do. “Anyone who has desperately needed to come home knows what a tremendous feeling it is to be lying in his own bed! My pillow! My mattress! My old silver hand mirror.” Alice has just come home from running away and she is feeling very thankful of all of her things and the people around her. If anyone were to go home after being away for a while he or she would also feel very thankful, but Alice is being extremely thankful because of what she has endured. “ Chris and I are lucky that both our shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays so we have two free days together.” Alice is feeling very thankful that life, as a runaway isn’t as hard as she thought it would be. It may seem like just a small thing to be thankful for but if someone lived with another person and they never got to spend time with them then it would probably be pretty awkward. Alice is very appreciative of the things people do for her.  

            One subtle trait about Alice is, she is actually very emotionally week. She always puts up a strong front for other people but on the inside she is falling apart. Alice always tries to stay together but she always ends up giving in or falling into pieces. “I could tell mom had been crying when she came to see me today, so I tried to be very strong and put on a happy face. It’s a good thing I did because they are sending me to an insane asylum, a loony bin, a crazy house, freak wharf, where I can wander around with the other idiots and lunatics. I am so scared I cannot even take a full breath.” Alice had just lost her sanity because she started having extreme hallucinations and she had to go to a hospital. Inside she is really scared of what might happen to her but on the outside she puts on a strong and happy face for her parents. “The entire drive home she kept saying what nice girls Gloria and Babes are and how good it would be for me to have many friends instead of just concentrating on Chris. Oh if only she knew, if only she knew!” On the inside Alice knows that all the girls want to do is get her hooked on drugs again but on the out side she is putting up a strong front that no one can break past to get in to her head.  Alice is keeping to many emotions balled up inside and putting up maybe to strong of a front.

            To conclude, Alice is a very confusing character that may not seem like she changes, but actually she changes more then you think. She has many obvious traits and some, not so obvious. She is ambitious, grateful, but she is also very week at heart. You may not notice that because it’s so small, but if you look for it, you will find she has many breaking points throughout her journal. Over all, Alice was an amazing person; just some people choose the wrong path to take.     

Ask the passengers essay

Essay on Ask the Passengers

Naomi Giancola 802

            Ask the Passengers, by A.S. King, is about a teenage girl named, Astrid, who lives in a small minded town where is you are different, you are cut out, isolated, and ignored. She moved from the city in the suburbs when she was little but she never quite fit in. She has two best friends that she knows are gay but they aren’t out to the school yet. Along with trying to figure out who she is, she has to deal with all the craziness of her home and the fact that if she is gay the reaction she will get from her parents. Astrid shows the struggle of trying to figure out who you are and having to deal with all of the other stuff going in your life.

            Astrid is trying to figure out what her sexuality is and the people around her are making it so much more confusing for her, for example, “If I were to explain to you how she really makes me feel, I’m not sure I could. Do I lover her? I don’t know. Maybe.” Astrid works at this place that prepared food for fancy occasions and she works with this girl named Dee. Dee is gay and she knows it and the two of them are definitely more than friends but Astrid is just so confused about her self she’s not even sure if she loves the person she really loves. “They say: Mom would never forgive you if your gay.” Astrid has to deal with the fact that her parents would never really accept her if she was gay and that is getting in the way of her figuring out what she is. “I look into my eyes again in the mirror. I can see her there- the me who’s waiting to come out. The me who doesn’t have to send her love away.” Astrid’s friend, Kristina, is pressuring her out of the closet because she thinks she knows that Astrid is gay. Astrid isn’t ready though and it’s making it so much harder to figure out who she is when she is being pressured to choose.

Another way she is having trouble figuring out who she is is that the place she lives in has a very set image on how people should act, for example, “They stop and say hello, and then once you pass, they talk back off like you were nothing. They assess your out-fit, your hairstyle, and they garble what you say so it comes out ugly.” The people in her town, Unity Valley, are very judgmental and Astrid doesn’t want to be judge or be judged, she just wants to be who she is. “This whole town is frozen in time. Stuck in one place. Motionless.” Astrid thinks this because every year, her family gets a not from the KKK along with some nice packaged mints and try to get them to join, and its 2011. Not only do they have the KKK but they also have people who believe that the Holocaust was a fake and never really happened or was planned. Astrid can’t really even be her self because of all the hate she would get from the people who know her.

            Astrid is confused about who she is just like so many teens right now. A.S. King shows how hard it is to be yourself when people want to think for you and not give you the chance to be yourself. Astrid shows that when you are stuck in one spot you have to give you a push and try to get out and move on and be you. Many teens now are confused about who they are and this book can help and show that it’s okay to be who you want to be and not who you are told to be.

Ashes Essay

Essay on Ashes

By Naomi Giancola

Ashes, by Susan Beth Pfeffer, is about a girl named Ashleigh but her dad calls her Ashes. Ashes Parents are divorced and do not have the best relationship with each other; they have very different ideas on how to bring up Ashes. In the story, her dad is having some financial problems and wants Ashes to steal money from her mom. Ashes is stuck between her mom and her dad. If she steals the money from her mom then she would betray her mom but if she doesn’t help her dad then she will betray him. Through Ashes’ relationship with her parents, she shows the very real complications of being a teenager and having parents who think differently and are may not be who then seem to be.

            Her parents are different in many ways, for example, her dad always promises her these amazing things that she will probably never have, “When I was little, Dad used to promise me the stars for a necklace, but like most of his promises, that one never quite happened.” Her mom an the other hand was very practical and never promised anything, “Mom might never be caught without batteries or tissues, but she just called me Ashleigh--a name she didn’t even like—and never promised me anything.” Along with her dad not coming through with his promises, he also tells her all the time that she’s, “One in a million.” This phrase is usually used for when you really love someone and its like saying that there’s no one else as amazing as them. I think Ashes dad’s original intention was that but soon saying that turned into a bribe for her to do things for him. For example, at the end of the story when Ashes was looking at the money she was about to take, she thought she heard her dad’s car, “’You’re one in a million,’ it cried.” Her mom would never pressure her to do something like that.

            Her parents also differ in how they act, for example, her mom always keeps things clean and Ashes is always safe and cared for and gets what she needs but maybe not what she wants, “She’s the most practical person I know, always putting aside for a rainy day.” Whereas her dad always tries to giver her what she wants and maybe not really what she needs and he’s not the most reliable person. “He’s always there if you need him, well not always.” This really shows the struggle of being a teenager and not knowing what you need and want. I think this because her dad gives her what she wants which could be confusing because she might learn that she needs what she wants, but then her mom shows her that she doesn’t need them and it can be very confusing to have the two people you love the most tell you different things.

             Ashes shows the struggle of living a life where a parent takes advantage of a child and uses them for their dirty work. Ashes lives a very complicated life that many teens in this world live. Ashes really gets across the message that you should be careful around who you trust and love because they might not be who you think.