What really difficult or complex things are happening in your book?- Of Mice and Men

In this book two people George and Lennie have a friendship. They are friends that dream to eventually own an acre of land that they call their own. George is a small framed man, and sharp enough in the head. Lennie on the other hand, has the mind of a little kid and it's ironic because he's such a big guy. Anyways, in reading this book and following their journey so far, a complex and difficult issue that is occurring is that dealing with someone who doesn't have as sharp of a mind as everyone else can really effect a life.

One way that we see that dealing with someone like this can effect a life is in the first scene where we see them in the woods and Lennie has a mouse. Anyone with a right mind knows not to mess around with rodents let alone a mouse because they carry harmful diseases. This is hard for George because he tries his very hardest not to get mad with Lennie because he knows that he isn't as sharp up top as everyone else. In this case I feel for George because as we see, it's not an easy task to deal with someone like this.

I can connect the situation that George is in to real life because it's almost as if he is a parent to Lennie. The problem with all of this, as you may have already figured out, Lennie is mentally touched. I think that by having Lennie's character be this way we really do see all of the sacrifices someone makes for a person like this especially if they are like a parent. George doesn't have to lose his jobs because of Lennie but if he didn't Lennie would be all on his own and just the way a parent would be, George is not going to abandon his friend.

In Conclusion I think that a really complex and difficult issue that this book is showing us is how people live with mentally challenged people because with Lennie the way he is, it restricts George's freedom by forcing him to make sacrifices. The same way parents would make sacrifices for their children is the way George is making sacrifices.

Reading Response: The Outsiders S.E Hinton

    In reading this book about a kid, Ponyboy, who is in a gang we see all of the relationships that he has with the rest of the gang members. I'm mentioning that he has relationships with other people because I think that the relationship you have with someone  could determine the action when they are the subject.

    One thing that I think effects the social action you take on a person is the reputation or respect level you have for them. For example, in my book Pony comes across another gang member who he doesn't really like but says:"I didn't like him, but he was smart, and you had to respect him." This shows that who someone is/social status affects ones social action towards him if Pony will respect him even if he knows he doesn't like him.

    As you can see Pony is a good example for what I am trying to say. Just because society says that he has to respect someone who he doesn't think deserves it, he still has to. I think that the least he could do in terms of social action is to at least say something.

Blogpost: The Outsiders S.E Hinton

   I have just started the book 'The Outsiders' by S.E Hinton and it is about a boy named Ponyboy who lives with his brothers and is in a gang. Ponyboy is fourteen years old and is actually very confused. I think he is confused for a number of reasons that I will explain now.

   The first reason why I think that Ponyboy is confused is because he lost his parents and his older brothers are working. You may not see what I mean just yet, but without a father figure who is his role model? Ponyboy is left alone and doesn't have anyone to go to unlike the way we do in our lives. Sometimes I feel lost and confused even though I do have someone I can  go to, so for him it must be a lot worse and a lot harder to figure things out on your own. 

   I think that this  whole thing can lead to an emotional toll that we see in the form of him being in a gang. Being in a gang is like having another family or at least, trying to get one. I think that the whole concept of his gang is just his own community, even if it is just a life of fighting and trouble. All of this is just showing how confused this poor boy is.

   After looking at Ponyboy like this, I think that all of the things that he is doing and going through, is just him attempting to find himself. He's trying to find himself through the things that he knows; streets and gangs. The streets and gangs are just a substitute for his family, so what I really think he's trying to do, is find his family.