Thursday, March 15, 2012

Honesty is the key

Authors Note: In this piece, I talk about the main characters, Jason, Catherine, and David, who learn  be honest and accept people for who they are. I worked on A B Transitions, restating what I was writing about in the last paragraph in the first part of the second. I did this by looking at the fusion page for help when I got stuck. 

Guilt, complicated, hidden, and weak are all signs of difficult encounters. It is important to overlook the “bad” outcomes and focus on the “good” outcomes. In the book Rules by Cynthia Lord, Catherine has a family that revolves around her brother, David, who has autism. She just wants to have a normal life, but that’s near to impossible when you have a brother with a disability. Over time, she learned to look beyond the negatives and focus on what the good outcomes are. Friendship grasps the characters in this story, allowing honesty and acceptance to take over.

Friendships aren’t planned, but they seem to happen over time. David went to OT (Occupational therapy) every week for speech lessons and physical exercise. His mom took him there and Catherine tagged along as well, bringing all of her coloring supplies. As she was waiting for David to be done, she decided to start a sketch. A boy named Jason Morehouse noticed the picture she was drawing and asked to see more of her pictures. To do this, they communicated through picture cards since Jason was unable to speak. “If you ever want me to make you more words,” I say, “just ask.” “Thank you,” Mrs. Morehouse says. adjusting her earring. “But there’s no need. These cards are part of a speech program we use, and it comes with a whole book of words. I can copy whatever he needs from there.” Jason shoots his mother a what? look. Yes. More. Picture. (pg. 47) Catherine and Jason could understand eachother, which lead them to being great friends.

Being good friends with someone requires a key component to maintain a healthy friendship, honesty. “I didn’t tell Kristi everything about you. I didn’t tell her about your wheelchair or your communication book. I didn’t know how she’d react. I should’ve because your my friend, but it just got harder and harder.” (pg.195) Catherine was afraid of what Kristi’s reaction would be when she told her that Jason has a disability. Catherine doesn’t want this to be a barrier in their friendship, so she avoids spilling the news to Kristi. She finally decided to tell her the day of the dance that Kristi invited her to.

In order to be accepted, honesty is the first step towards achievement. Before Catherine could accept Jason for who he is, she had to realize that there is nothing he can do about the condition he has. In fact, by the time I’m done, Together. has to go on the final page of his communication book. It sits by itself, a picture of the bench with two people sitting on it. Where? Wheelchair. Jason pulls his brows together. “I imagined you without it. Like in your dream where you can run. Want. Wheelchair. In. Picture. “I just thought ---” Take. It. Out. Jason looks away, frowning. (pg. 166) Catherine drew series of words for his card book, but the one picture on the word card seemed to upset him because only in a dream, could he run. Although, in real life, he got around using his wheelchair.

Honesty and acceptance are the two key qualities to a healthy friendship. Catherine was honest when she told Jason how she felt about Kristi and that she was scared to tell her the truth, which made Jason realize that Catherine was a truthful and loyal friend. Catherine told Kristi about Jason, along with excepting him for who he was, wheelchair or not. In the end, everyone learned an important lesson: you know when you have a true friend if they’re honest and accepting for who you are.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Use courage to overcome your fears

 Author's Note: In this piece, I talk about how the main characters, Edward and Bella, take courage to overcome their fears. I worked on sentence fluency and A B transitions. To do this, I looked at the transitions on the school fusion page.

Vicious, blood sucking, predator are all signs of an enemy, yet these characteristics cannot hold back the feelings of love. In the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Bella Swan falls in love with a guy that is dangerous to her kind: a vampire. Vampires hunt humans and can easily kill them within seconds. Although this would usually draw people away, Bella was attracted to the uniqueness of Edward Cullen. Edward had a different side to him which instantly caught Bella’s attention. Bella had enough courage to investigate who Edward was and why he acted so odd around her. As well, she had an occasional fear of him while being able to tell his emotions by the color of his eyes and experiencing some of his extreme and shocking outbreaks. Fear controls the actions of many people, but those who have courage and an unconditional love can express their feelings in any way that they desire.

Beauty and the Beast resemble the relationship between Edward and Bella. A vampire and human falling in love doesn’t necessarily sound like a perfect match. This unusual romance with a vampire loving a human may seem dangerous, but Edward does everything he can to protect Bella. When there was a group of males that were attacking Bella in Port Angeles, Edward quickly came to her rescue and saved her from them. (pg. 160) There was another incident when the evil vampire, James, was about to kill Bella and Edward shielded her from the sight of James by helping her escape him. (pg. 379) Edward and Bella know that their relationship will be difficult just like it says in the book, “’And so the lion fell in love with the lamb...,’ he murmured. I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word. ‘What a stupid lamb.’ I sighed. ‘What a sick, masochistic lion’” (pg. 274) Their love for each other could only get stronger as time goes on, knowing that they were destined to be together.

In the midst of their relationship, Bella has enough courage to make it through. She takes many leaps of faith, sometimes knowing that her decision isn’t always right. For instance, Bella met James at a ballet studio she had danced at when she was younger, bringing nobody with her. Turns out James did not have her mother held captive; contradicting the tale he had told her over the phone, ultimately, this lead to trouble. (pg. 444) Bella also took the nerve to go to Edward’s house and meet his family. Not knowing what to expect from a house full of vampires. (pg. 322) As a result, the first time Edward’s family and Bella met, it went very well and they all seemed to like her.

Edward and Bella had to face their fears, just like Bella was afraid to meet a house full of vampires. They both have to overcome worries that tend to grasp them, but they try their best to push it aside. For example, there are times when Bella is afraid of Edward. Instead, she forces herself to believe her instincts that Edward will do no such harm to her. In addition, Edward is afraid that something will happen to Bella, even when he is present. However, Edward’s fear subsides because the love he has for Bella is inescapable. Yet, there is still one fear that both Edward and Bella share which is the thought of losing each other. That would be very challenging for both of them, especially knowing that Bella won’t live forever. Even though Bella wanted Edward to change her so they could live together forever, Edward still claimed he could never do such a thing.

Bella and Edward’s relationship is complicated at points but they still make it through the rough patches no matter what it takes. They overthrow their fears with the love they have for one another. It takes courage to be in a relationship like theirs. In conclusion, people can express their feelings in any way that they want to. As long as they have the courage and unconditional love, they can conquer the fears that control their actions.