Who Said What

You’ve prepared for this for a while now, your job interview. Practicing day and night, memorizing what to say, knowing how much you need this. This interview was much more than just for a job. It was the outcome of future events,  it was life and death for people close to you, it was a difficult decision with only one clear choice. This is how Katniss felt in the book Catching Fire (Collins). In the point of view of others the decision Katniss has to make may seem more or less difficult.

Katniss must prove to the world that her and Peeta are madly in love or many of the people close to her may be killed. President Snow has come to talk with her about how having two people win in the Hunger Games may set up an uprising against the Capitol. He wants her to prove to be madly in love with Peeta. In her point of view risking the lives of her family and friends is too much to bear and is set on trying to convince people her and Peeta are in love, however she is not sure if she is in love with Gale, one of her oldest friends. Katniss’ view on this may be different than others’ view.

In President Snow’s point of view the decision is not difficult at all. He thinks all this girl has to do is prove she is in love with a boy, what is the harm in that? While he knows about Katniss and Gale he thinks nothing of it. He is just determined to keep people under control so a war doesn’t break out.

He also thinks that by putting a threat in his statement Katniss is sure to choose to fall in love with Peeta so she can save the lives of those close to her. In his point of view he is just trying to keep balance in the world.

Another book with a crucial decision is the book Speak. Melinda has had a chance to make her decision right but instead hides from everyone. She is too afraid to tell anyone what happened and thinks that it will hurt some people if she does speak the truth. However, in the view of her friends she is being psychotic about the whole deal. That she would feel better if she would speak the truth.

The decisions made by Katniss would have seemed more or less difficult if there was a  different point of view. Maybe if others viewed it in her way they would think differently about the actions and impressions they made on her. It would have dramatically changed the story and made Katniss’ life a little bit easier.  However, if Katniss saw what they thought and knew perhaps she would have thought differently as well, and how she needed to change to make things normal or safe.

Bibliography

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009.

Determined for Greatness

Author's Note: When determined for greatness or respect people are usually not set back easily. Learn how far Duncan went knowing that.

People die every day. You see it all over the news as if it’s just another thing, just another day, just another person. But what if this was your friend or family member? You wish you could have done something to have prevented it. This is how Duncan felt in the book Acceleration. In his minimum wage, waste of time job Duncan discovers the diary of a serial killer and learns of his foul plots and feels determined to stop them. A major theme in this book is determination.

The diary that Duncan finds is one of the greatest things that gives the book the theme of determination. The things that this psychopath has done and plans to do is driving him crazy. He can’t turn this in to the police, since there is no name they might think it’s him or not take it seriously. However, he can’t let it go either. Determined to possibly save lives Duncan uses the diary to his advantage, occasionally finding hints to who this person is. However, determination being the theme is not just because of the diary

Being known for a slacker and law breaker Duncan is determined to fix his reputation. Now that he is old enough for his juvenile crimes to be erased from his records he wants to prove to the world that he can be a good person."Your a no good child, that's why you have a no good job" is a quote that really sets him off. He is determined to get over the discrimination, and bullying that he puts up with on a daily basis. Believing that he can be a hero and be respected by everyone Duncan pushes through to find this mad man. However, his age and outer appearance had a major role in his determination as well.

If people don’t know him well enough to know about Duncan’s bad reputation they will discriminate him by his age and style.  Duncan is a teenager with the usual teenager attitude, lazy and uncaring. He can’t ask the police for help because they’ll think he is pulling a prank. Other people he tries to convince will think the same way because, for all they know, he’s some teen trying to get free money or help. Duncan is determined to try and not appear this way but there is nothing he can do.

Determination is also a main theme in the book the Fighting Ground. The main character, Jonathan is determined to show his father that he is old enough to fight in the Revolutionary War. He can handle and clean a gun, knows combat techniques of the colonists and the British, and many of his friends are fighting in the war. While his father is set on not letting him go Jonathan’s determination to go and fight helped him make the choice for him to leave his father.

Duncan’s strong determination is one of the major themes in this book. The chance to overcome doubt and prove to the world that you can make a difference is just too great to throw away. The overall acts of doubt, hate, and discrimination never stood a chance for Duncan.