Stamping Out the Flames

Author's Note:

This girl has caused me to have too much grief. If could have the chance to kill her without anyone noticing or caring I would have taken it in a heartbeat. A wild fire burns over Panem from the spark she made. There will be no dousing this fire it will have to burn out on its own. If I cannot stop the flames from consuming my control over Panem then I shall root out the source of the flames and destroy them. For I am President Snow, a bold and powerful  man, symbol, leader.

It shall start with the Quarter Quell. I shall make arrangements for her to be selected as tribute once more. But how? I can’t just throw her in there with some other worthless tributes. No, she will need to be placed in the arena with tributes that possess great skills. Who though? The Career tributes from Districts One and Two obviously can’t take care of her. Possibly I could select tributes who are strongest and most skilled from each district. No, too obvious that I want her dead if I put her in that situation. Past tributes? The Victors? Yes, yes that’s perfect. I shall fight the girl on fire with fire. But what about the boy, Peeta?

If I use the victors he most certainly will go into the arena with her. If it comes down to just the two of them again surely he will let her win. They can’t use the same stunt again, that can be assured. I could make them prime targets for the victors but will they be able to stop them? Perhaps I could limit their resources while in the arena. Take away her bow and she is useless. No, to noticeably directed against her. Water and food could be depleted, though they may outlast other tributes in that area. Natural disasters? Yes, that will do it. They’re not directed at anyone, are very difficult to escape, and once she is gone peace can be restored once more in Panem.

 I will have beat Katniss before she even knows what to expect. She shall go into the arena blind and just when she expects that she has a bounty on her head she will be killed. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, and Peeta Mellark, the protector, against 22 other highly skilled tributes with natural disasters at their backs. It surely seems that the odds are not in their favor.

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.

I'll Find Him

Author's Note: Winning is something that pleases us. Games, races, lotteries, everything. Have you ever had a reason to win though? Not just for pleasure but something greater, friends, family, saving a life?

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. 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.

A leading theme in Acceleration is determination. No matter what happened or how hopeless finding this man got Duncan never gave up. He gave his life to do what felt right.

To War

Author's Note: War is much different than what most of us think. 

Jonathan stood there watching as enemy soldiers approached. The Corporal shouted orders and the other men hustled about, struggling to load rifles and to set up a line of defense. Enemies inched closer and closer. Jonathan looked around at his fellow soldiers, their faces cloaked in fear. His stomach felt uneven and his mind was racing and he kept thinking of his mother and father. Opposing soldiers were so close now Jonathan could hear their marching. Everyone halted awaiting for the Corporal to give the command to fire.

“Ready!”, shouted the Corporal.

Jonathan’s heart raced, he was panicked.  He wanted to be a soldier but as he looked at both sides and considered what he was about to do.

“Aim!”

He didn’t want this. No more fighting, no more marching, no more being a soldier.

“Fi—!”

Jonathan turned around and was paralyzed. The Corporal had been shot.

“ZZZZZZPP!”

Something and hit Jonathan’s back. His eyes got heavy, his mind went blank, and the world went dark. He awoke at the sound of a cry he shot up and was rewarded with a spiking pain in his back that echoed throughout his body. Maids and doctors rushed towards him. He realized he was in an infirmary. Doctors asked him what he remembered but he couldn’t remember a thing. All he knew was his back was in pain and he needed to go back to his father. He wished he had never gone to war.

Thug to Hero

Author's Note: The journey from a thug to a hero is not something to think easy of. It takes much work determination and the assistance of friends. 

You push open the wooden door leading into the brightly lit cafeteria. As soon as you step into the room two hundred  pairs of eyeballs shoot toward you. A shockwave of applause thunders throughout the room as people clap and cheer for you. You are a savior, a leader, a hero. As you stand there,  basking in glory, you realize how you were not always a hero. How you could barely find scraps of food while living on the streets. How you committed terrible deeds and how one person changed your life forever. This is the story of James Adams. Without the help of two people he would never be recognized as a hero.

Amy was the character that changed James from a thug to a hero. James was living on the streets and relying on shoplifting to supply him with living supplies. Going mad with power he gets careless and gets arrested. James gets sentenced to a military school called CHERUB. His swimming instructor, Amy, inspires him to achieve greater things and get through his life by being a hero. “You are weak, you can’t do it” is a phrase that she often uses to push him to his limit. He gets the support he needed to pass training and uncovers a Russian spy in CHERUB. However, Amy wasn’t the only person that changed James’ life.

Kerry gave James his competitiveness. As his training partner and rival she often seemed to make him want to be the best, not just get through something. She often mocked him and tried to crush him at anything that was the slightest bit competitive. James not only learned how to beat her but gave him an even greater passion to pursue greatness. Thinking about James always seems to bring another character to thought.

Melinda from the book Speak reminds me of James and his change. Melinda starts out as an outcast, a freak, a nobody. But she goes on with life and gets inspired to be a better person and do good things. Getting encouragement from Mr. Freeman to make the most out of life. She earns a triumphant victory over Andy Evans and is known as a hero throughout the whole school.

Considering all the support that came to James certain people helped him to succeed more than others. Without their help he would never be recognized as a hero and the organization CHERUB itself may have even been destroyed.

The Killing

Author's Note: This is a retelling of the book The Killing by Robert Muchamore.  I would recommend this book to people who like action and suspense.

In the book The Killing by Robert Muchamore a boy named James who is an undercover agent for MI5. He is sent to befriend the children of suspects and learn as much as they can. However, James finds more than he expects and corrupt cops come after him.Eventually he finds enough evidence to press charges against the killer and the children can go free.