Category: Novel

In the novel The Hate U Give by American author Angie Thomas, sixteen-year-old Starr Carter leads a double life. She is the only black girl attending Williamson Prep, a primarily white school, and lives in an impoverished black neighbourhood Garden Heights. Starr tries to balance those two lives, but they will eventually collide when she witnesses the murder of her unarmed childhood best friend, Khalil, by a white police officer with the badge number one-fifteen. Shortly after, Khalil’s death dominates the headlines along with the titles ‘drug dealer’, ’thug’ and ‘gang banger’. Starr goes to the police station to testify about Khalil’s shooting but the police try to justify his death by implying he was a drug dealer. After Starr’s testimony, the police department decides not to prosecute the police officer and this will lead to days of protests in Garden Heights. A few days after the police department’s decision, the District Attorney announce that a grand jury will hear the case in court and ask for Starr to testify. Starr agrees and April Ofrah, a social activist and attorney, will represent her in court. Eight weeks after Starr’s testimony, the grand jury decides not to indict the police officer. The failure of the criminal justice system forces Starr to use her voice as a weapon to keep fighting for Khalil and all the unarmed black people killed by police.

The story takes place over several weeks in the fictional American southern inner-city of Garden Heights as well as the wealthy suburbs surrounding the city. The narrator Starr lives in the low-class community Garden Heights, shadowed by a current war between two rival gangs, and goes to a private school in an upper-class neighbourhood. Garden Heights is a community where everyone knows each other. For instance, you have the barbecue restaurant owner who offers free meals to every kid with a good grade. On the other side of the road, you have Mr. Lewis barbershop and Starr’s father’s grocery store. Thus, when Khalil is murdered by the police officer, everyone comes to his grandmother’s house to bring meals. The author does not include the year in which the story takes place but based on the key details, the story is set in the 2010s. One clear example is the fact that the novel is referring to the Black Lives Matters (BLM) movement, an organisation created in 2013 and whose mission is to bring justice and freedom to black people. Another detail is that right after Khalil is murdered, Starr states that she cannot breathe. This reflects the final words of African-American Eric Garner, who died after a white police officer put him in a chokehold while arresting him in 2014. Moreover, the fact that the police “leave Khalil’s body in the street like it’s an exhibit” represents the four and a half hours Michael Brown’s body was left lying in the streets. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old African-American who was fatally shot by a white police officer in 2014. In addition to that, the last page of the novel features a list of black individuals such as Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland and Alton Sterling who all died at the hands of a police officer.

This novel is a great example of life imitating art because police brutality in the United States is a topic that is often discussed but rarely solved. In the United States, police brutality and racial profiling go hand in hand. For instance, in 2019, 864 people[footnoteRef:1] have been killed by police and black men are more likely to be fatally shot while unarmed[footnoteRef:2]. On top of that, research shows that since 2005, only 35 officers have been convicted of murder[footnoteRef:3]. In The Hate U Give, the officer who fatally shot Khalil is not convicted for his murder. This one was not surprising because it happens way too often in real life. It was just another white police officer getting away with murdering an unarmed black teenager. Furthermore, the BLM movement clearly has an impact on the story that is so beautifully written. The novel shines a light on the ‘Black Lives Matter’ versus ‘Blue Lives Matter’ debate. The book also teaches the important role that the Black Panther Party (BBP), an American revolutionary political organisation founded in 1966, had on the African-American community. Starr’s father Maverick has raised her and her siblings to memorize the Ten-point-program of the Black Panther Party. My favourite quote from the novel is: [1: Fatal Force: 2019 police shootings database. (2018, January 2). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/.] [2: Fox, J., Blanco, A., Jenkins, J., Tate, J., & Lowery, W. (2019, August 9). What we’ve learned about police shootings 5 years after Ferguson. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/09/what-weve-learned-about-police-shootings-years-after-ferguson/?arc404=true.] [3: Ross, J. (2019, March 14). Police officers convicted for fatal shootings are the exception, not the rule. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/police-officers-convicted-fatal-shootings-are-exception-not-rule-n982741.]

“That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”

This quotation expresses the importance of speaking up and using your own voice as a weapon. You have to fight for what you believe in and this novel teaches us that our voices should be heard.

The novel uses American rap lyrics as a source of education and shows that language has power. An obvious example of this is that the author drew inspiration for the book’s title The Hate U Give from the late American rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac said that ‘Thug Life’ stood for ‘The Hate U Give Little Infants F-cks Everybody’. The meaning of ‘Thug Life’ is explained by Khalil right before he dies as: “What society gives us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out.” Another example is the use of N.W.A.’s ‘F-ck Tha Police’ during the riots in Garden Heights. The community comes together for a cause and is using hip-hop as a tool to unite. My personal experience reading The Hate U Give cannot be put into words. This novel is not just a story, but an experience that should be discussed and shared. Not only are the messages written important but the author also gives us more insight into each character’s background to make it more relatable. For me, the novel was not easy to read because I could easily relate to it. Nevertheless, The Hate U Give brings a voice to the silenced and I would highly recommend it.

In the novel “The Giver” by Lois Lowry shows how the people around the protagonist in the book influence and shape their life. These people are the Elders, Gabriel and the Giver all in some point make massive changes and control the main character’s life. Examples are: The Elders created a utopian society, baby Gabriel and the protagonist both developed an emotional attachment bond and the Giver who gave the main character memories of the past and was the first to show the protagonist the truth about his so-called a “utopian” community.

Firstly, the Elders created a ‘perfect’ community, a place where there is no war, no hunger and no pain. Jonas, the main character lives safely within the community. At the Ceremony of Twelve, the Elders “selected Jonas to be [their] next Receiver of Memory” because the qualities of being a Receiver of Memories is intelligence, integrity, courage and wisdom which Jonas processed. He undertakes his new job leading closer to fully understand the dark secrets of his perfect world.

Secondly, Gabriel a small newborn child who was taken home by Jonas’ father had formed an attachment with the whole family. Jonas’ job as the Receiver of Memory soon learns to perceive emotions and love. Subsequently, Jonas bonded with Gabriel without realising. When Jonas went to ‘the morning release’ and saw the truth, his desire to save Gabriel from realising sparked a rebellion against the community, forcing him to flee. Embarking on a journey into the ‘Beyond’, Jonas and the new child experienced the coldness of the real winter, snow. Gabriel couldn’t stand the harsh weather, Jonas “pressed his hand into Gabriel’s back and tried to remember the sunshine.” Being able to transmit the memory, Gabriel is capable of emotional depth.

Thirdly, before everything Jonas has known or thought about his community has changed when he received the role of Receiver of Memory. During the training session with the Giver the former Receiver of Memory, he shared with Jonas his memories of the past; the feeling experience of pain, sorrow, hungriness, war, happiness and excitement. Jonas was new to all of this kind of feelings because he had never felt such a thing. “It hurt a lot,” “It was interesting” Jonas said, he was glad the Giver gave it to him. Another way was the Giver shape Jonas life was he invited Jonas to see the morning realised where his father injected some sort of liquid in one of the born twins, a few minutes the baby was still. After witnessing about the realised, shockingly he couldn’t believe what just happened. Deciding to leave, Jonas went to the Giver and the Giver told Jonas to make a plan. Finished with planning, Jonas begged the Giver to go with him but the Giver insisted. The Giver explained how it would affect the whole community after Jonas escape, and by staying there he could help aid the community back to its feet. The Giver showed he cared for both community and Jonas.

Overall, the Elders, Gabriel and the Giver all played an important role in Jonas’ life, influenced and shape Jonas’ thought of his own community. The Elders created a community with no flaws and everything is in sync and where everyone is expected to be the same. Thoughts, actions and feelings are controlled and monitored by the Elders. Gabriel who made Jonas realised that emotions are a real thing and with emotions, Jonas does everything necessary to keep baby Gabriel alive. Finally, the Giver influenced and shape Jonas’ life the most, the Giver gave Jonas his memories and allow him to learn things he never knew before.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a realistic fiction novel that provides a perspective on the two contrasting worlds of Starr Carter’s life: the poor, black neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep schools that she attends. She believes that she has these two worlds perfectly balanced, but that is proven false after Starr becomes the witness to the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a white police officer. Starr struggles to find a voice as Khalil’s death becomes a national headline, and she’s the only person alive that can truly say what happened that night. What she does or doesn’t say could put her community or life at risk.

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Starr is the protagonist of the novel who treads a thin line between two highly contrasting worlds: a poor black neighborhood called Garden Heights and a fancy white prep school called Williamson. She believes that she has to keep these worlds separate, and as a result she speaks slightly different depending on where she is. The Starr of Garden Heights often uses slang and improper grammar, and the Starr of Williamson pronounces everything carefully and makes sure to not let any of her casual mannerisms come out. Starr finds it extremely difficult to keep this uneasy balance intact after she witnesses the murder of her childhood best friend, Khalil, and eventually learns to find a voice for herself.

STARR

Seven is Starr’s half-brother, but just because he isn’t fully related to Starr doesn’t mean he loves her any less. He is very protective of his half-sisters at both his father and mother’s house, and he feels that he has to be the “man of the house” whenever his father isn’t around. After Starr witnesses Khalil’s murder, Seven makes absolutely sure that she doesn‘t let the tragedy completely crush her, and makes sure that she stays active by encouraging her to play basketball.

SEVEN

“Big Mav” as many of his old gang members call him, is Starr’s father. He was once a member of a gang called the King Lords, but facing the hardships of life on the streets has caused him to realize that there are other things in life worth fighting for, like his family. He teaches his children the ups and downs on how to stay alive and how to avoid being taken for granted as a result of the color of their skin. When Starr was three years old, he went to prison and ended up missing the most important years of his children’s lives. He owns a small grocery store in Garden Heights where Starr and Seven work part-time.

MAVERICK

Lisa is Starr’s mother who knows her children inside and out, including Seven, who isn’t biologically hers. Speaking of which, she is one to forgive and forget, as she stayed with Maverick even after he had an affair that resulted in Seven. Lisa is very tough as a result of growing up with a tough mother of her own. She is a very strong female role model for Starr and encourages her to not let Khalil’s death prevent her from letting her own life go on.

LISA

Kenya, aside from the fact that she shares a brother with Starr, is basically Starr’s sister. She is her best friend from Garden Heights that essentially compliments Starr’s relaxed manner with her headstrong attitude. She is the daughter of King, leader of the King Lords, and is sort of spoiled by him. Before and after Starr witnesses Khalil’s murder, Kenya encourages her to stand up and be strong, whether it be in a physical fight or simply allowing her voice to be heard. She is proud of how far Starr has come, but jokingly mentions to not let that power go to her head.

KENYA

These three met Starr at Williamson, and they have become very close to her. Chris is Starr’s white boyfriend who wants Starr to be able to open up to him about what’s going on in her head. Maya and Hailey are Starr’s best girl friends. They are polar opposites in a way. Maya is more quiet and tends to follow whatever Hailey does, and Hailey is loud and doesn’t care what comes out of her mouth. She is unaware of any prejudiced things she says and has Maya constantly remind her of that unjust behavior, only to be brushed off. Starr, still believing that her two worlds must be kept apart, refuses to allow these three to know that she was the one who witnessed Khalil’s death.

CHRIS, MAYA,& HAILEY

Uncle Carlos is Starr’s uncle on her mother’s side. He became more of a father figure to Starr after her father went to prison, and as a result is still very close to her. He lives in the suburbs and his house becomes the designated vacation spot for Starr’s family, and he lives in the same neighborhood as Starr’s friends from Williamson, so he knows them pretty well. Uncle Carlos provides Starr with a unique perspective after she witnesses Khalil’s murder, as he is a black man who is in the police force. He and Maverick have a sort of rivalry between them, and seem to be constantly competing for Starr’s favoritism.

UNCLE CARLOS

DeVante befriends Starr and Seven about a week after Khalil’s murder. He is Starr’s age and became a King Lord so he could sell drugs to repay a debt that his mother owes the gang’s leader. DeVante knows the dangers of joining a gang at such a young age and tries to make the money a different way by getting a job at Maverick’s grocery store. He emphasizes with Starr and her experience with the loss of Khalil because the same night he was shot, DeVante’s brother was killed by a couple members of the King Lord’s rival gang, the Garden Disciples.

CONNECTION TO THE G.R.O.V.E.S. WAY

OPEN MINDED – Keep an open mind avoiding judgements and stereotypes.

The Hate U Give is heavily based upon the judgements and stereotypes of minorities, and a large amount of those prejudices are expressed through Hailey’s character. Hailey, although she is friends with Starr, a black girl, and Maya, an Asian girl, is unaware of the constant stream of insensitive things that come out of her mouth. She even goes as far as to say that Khalil had his death coming the moment he became a drug dealer, and prior to the events of the novel, jokingly asked Maya if they ate a cat for Thanksgiving dinner. Starr and Maya become sick of Hailey’s behavior and make their discomfort known, much to the frustration of Hailey, who believes she’s doing nothing wrong. Realizing that Hailey’s toxic behavior is never going to change, Starr and Maya make the decision to form a “minority alliance” and choose to speak up and stand up against any judgement or stereotype thrown their way.

“We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay for them and normal for us” (Thomas 252).

EMPOWERMENT – Empower yourself and others to be the change you wish to see.

The theme of empowerment is carried throughout the novel, as Starr learns the importance of standing up and having a voice for herself. At the beginning of the novel, Starr makes a point to describe how she just wants to blend in, and even goes as far as to change her speech patterns in order to do so. After the death of Khalil, and realizing that she is the only person that can give Khalil any sort of justice as she is the only witness to his murder, she finds herself thrown out of her comfort zone and forced to make a decision: Stay quiet so you can’t be targeted, or speak up so you can do what is right.

At first, she chooses to try and get justice for Khalil the peaceful way, which is simply speaking up for him in court. Starr quickly learns that just speaking out is ineffective in this case, so she decides to go out and take action by protesting and even rioting… anything to allow her voice to be heard.

“People are realizing and shouting and marching and demanding. They’re not forgetting. I think that’s the most important part” (Thomas 444).

SUPPORT – Support and have empathy for others.

Starr’s neighborhood, Garden Heights, is infamous for the gangs known as King Lords and Garden Disciples. Being a part of one of these gangs means constantly having each other’s backs and not letting one loyal member fall. They know that if one person suffers the rest of the gang suffers with it. DeVante explains to Starr another reason why he joined the King Lords when he discusses how they were the closest thing he and his brother had to a family. His mother and sisters weren’t able to care for them, but the King Lords always had their backs. They gave DeVante and his brother clothes and made sure they were always fed. DeVante, even after

knowing that his mother and sisters couldn’t support him like the King Lords could, hated to see them go hungry. He felt like he didn’t have much of a choice if he wanted to help them, so he decided to join the gang in order to make money to feed his family as well as paying off a debt to the King Lord’s leader.

“It was just cool to have somebody take care of us for a change, instead of the other way around” (Thomas 238).

Although I was hesitant to read it at first, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Hate U Give. The book as such a casual writing style that is easy to read, and it explores really deep and important themes that the reader can grasp onto. There is very strong language in the book, including incredibly powerful racial slurs, which did make me a bit uncomfortable while reading it, but I do feel that they are necessary as they add to the sense of realism that the book already does so well to establish.

When thinking about who to recommend this book for, I tried to think of the youngest audience possible, as I feel that the positive messages the book shares are extremely important for people to hear. So, I would recommend this book to young adults who are mature enough to handle the strong language, mature themes, and graphic imagery, yet still impressionable enough to take the messages of the book to heart.

Honestly, I believe that everyone needs to hear Starr’s story, and put their own lives and beliefs aside to see the world through the eyes her character and how she struggles with her life as a result of the color of her skin.

SOURCES

1. Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018. Print.

This novel is an unusual mystery. When the world is looked through an emotionally and dissociated mind, it is clear and understood better. Christopher John Francis Boone shows his uniqueness throughout Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, where this gifted character decides to investigate a murder mystery of a dog. During this investigation, he discovered many secrets that were not allowed to be uncovered. This honest novel is told through an autistic boys perspective, through his text, and the way the book is structured. In other words, this book is extremely unique.

Firstly, the novel has many text differences. The novel contains sentences that do not have good structure along with some informal writing. Christopher stated that:

“And the next morning I looked out of the window in the dining room to count the cars in the street to see whether it was going to be a quite good day or a good day or a super good day or a black day, but it wasn’t like being on the bus to school because you could look out of the window for as long as wanted and see as many cars you wanted, and I looked out of the window for three hours and I saw 5 red cars in a row and 4 yellow cars in a row which meant it was both a good day and a black day, so the system didn’t work anymore ” (Haddon 205).

The quote represents the lack of structure in the book. This is a run on sentence with plenty of grammatical error. Usually in novels, grammar and sentence structure is crucial, whereas in this novel the errors make it unique making the reader want to further read the story. This also proves the autistic side of Christopher as these are his thoughts. This demonstrates how Christopher wants to deliver his thoughts through one long run on sentence. Secondly, christopher elaborates on things he says throughout the novel. Christopher notes down a string of text that is placed at the bottom of the page in the novel that further explains something he said in the chapter, using number symbols.

“ It looked as if there were two very small mice hiding in his nostrils.”

“This is not a metaphor, it is a simile, which means that it really did look like there were two very small mice hiding in his nostrils, and if you make a picture in your head of a man with two very small mice hiding in his nostrils, you will know what the police inspector look like. And a Simile is not a lie, unless it is a bad simile” (Haddon 17).

Furthermore, Christopher tends to do this throughout the novel, to elaborate on things he says. Most novels do not have strings of text at the bottom of the page.

Furthermore, the way this book is structured is not like other novels.Christopher uses footnotes to add further explanation to his text.

“ Between the roof of the shed and a big plant that hangs over the fence from the house next door I could see the constellation Orion.

People say that Orion is called Orion because Orion was a hunter and the constellations look like a hunter with a club and bow and arrow, like this” (Haddon 125).

This is an evidence of how the book is different from other novels. Most novels do not contain pictures and diagrams to explain the story yet this novel did. This shows how Christopher put his thoughts on paper; not only did he use words and informal writing but he also used pictures and diagrams to help the reader understand his exact thoughts. Moreover, this novel is in a first person point of view.

“ Then i went out of the toilet and saw that opposite the toilet there were two shelves with cases and a rack sack on them and it made me think of the airing cupboard at home and how I climb in there sometimes and it makes me feel safe” (Haddon 163).

In addition to this, in this novel everything is told through christoper. The readers see things through Christophers eyes. Unlike this novel, most novels have different point of views. Majority of novels have plenty of different point of views, whereas in this novel, all we get to see is the first person view, which is Christopher. For example, when Christopher speaks about something his mom had told him, we read it as what Christopher heard it as, and his perspective; we never hear it from the mother. This proves that the structure of the book is extremely unique in its own way.

Lastly, this novel is written through an autistic perspective. To begin with, the fifteen year old boy, Christopher John Francis Boone has a logical and concrete way of looking at everything.

“ his face was drawn but the curtains were real.”

“I know this is meant to be funny. I asked. It is because drawn has three meanings, and they are (1) drawn with a pencil (2) exhausted (3) pulled across a window, and meaning number 1 refers to both the face and the curtains, meaning 2 refers only to the face and meaning 3 refers only to curtains. If I try to say the joke to myself, making the world mean the three different things at the same time, it is like hearing three different pieces of music at the same time, which is uncomfortable and confusing and not nice like white noise” (Haddon 8).

Although the word is not mentioned in the novel, Christopher suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome can cause you to have problems with social interactions, restricted and repetition of patterns of behavior and interests. This also causes Christopher to think logically about everything. In the novel Christopher does not make any jokes as he does not understand what a joke is. He will constantly think about the meaning of the joke and get confused. If there is something in the text that he does not understand, Christopher breaks it down. After breaking down the sentence he will analyze it in a logical way to make sure every bit of it makes sense to him. He has a concrete and logical way of looking at every aspect of life. This is shown throughout the novel.

Furthermore, Christopher refuses to be put in the special needs categories just because of his differences. He believes that his differences does not mean anything, and that he should not be placed in a special needs category.

“ all the other children at my school are stupid. Except I’m not meant to called them stupid even though that is what they are. I’m meant to say that is stupid because everyone has learning difficulties because learning to speak French or understanding relativity is difficult and also everyone has special needs, like father who has to carry a little packet of artificial sweetening tablets around him to put in his coffee to stop him from getting fat, or Mrs. Peters who wears a beige coloured hearing aid, or Siobhan who has glasses so thick that they give you a headache if you borrowed them and none of these people are special needs, even if they have special needs” (Haddon 43-44).

Additionally, Christopher believes that everyone has special needs hence why he refuses to be put in the special need category. Christopher is remarkably intelligent and he is exceedingly good in math. Despite this, the school he goes to always tries to put him into special needs programs. Christopher knows he does not belong in it because he believes no one should be categorized.

In summary, the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time written by Mark Haddon is not like other novels. The text is all different. The structure of the book is distinctive. Lastly, this story is told through an autistic boy’s view which is unique. Mark Haddon is writing a story about a boy writing his story. This alters the way you look at your life and that forces us to rewrite our stories.

Christopher Boone

Christopher John Francis Boone is a 15-year-old boy with sandy brown hair, light brown eyes and can understands most logic of the world, but he hasn’t quite figured out people yet. Christopher has a present characteristic of his ability that can’t really imagen and relate to what people are feeling. This is simply because he can’t quite get an understanding of what other people might be feeling at that time. This might involve sarcasm he can’t typically read that the person is being sarcastic. For Christopher, he doesn’t mention the word Autism throughout the book, but he keeps showing and presenting evidence of this like when he said most people enjoy chatting, but he doesn’t. He finds this pointless. He doesn’t see social interaction as relevant, so he doesn’t see the purpose of talking about an irrelevant topic to a person. Christopher doesn’t trust very many people and only the people that he knows well he trusts. Because of this he then tends to think that staying in his room and reading is better than socializing with his Dad or with other people. Other than this Christopher doesn’t think of his flaws as negative things, but he focuses on the ups such as his skills in math’s and his remarkable memory.

Christopher throughout the novel shows levels of maturity and independence. As he ventures off into the world after finding out information that changed Christopher’s whole view of life. He ended up traveling through places he didn’t know and ended up with new experiences. Christopher’s day depended on his system of the colour of cars, whether it would be 5 red cars in a row or 5 yellow cars in a row it would determine his day. Even at the age of 15 he had mapped out his life plan. He knew everything he was going to do. When Christopher went rebellious against his father and had a chance to be more independent, his system of good or bad days had been muddled up. Most of his life had changed because Christopher had the courage and the mindset to go out and find his mother and who killed Wellington.

Ed Boone

Edward Boone is a very emotional person, usually towards Christopher. In some cases, he goes to extremes, like occasionally blowing up in anger but it was really him caring for Christopher. When explaining himself he tends to stutter and has some trouble putting sentences together, in some ways it seems like Edward is like Christopher, but he can understand what Christopher can’t. Not many people are named that could be friends with Edward other than Rhodri – Rhodri is the only person the book mentions. Edward has gone through so much with his emotions. This includes having relationship issues with Christopher’s mother. Because of these issues Edward has learned to bottle them up as sooner or later they would eventually explode during stressful situations.

Christopher’s father lovingly and diligently cares for his son, yet he also struggles with not always being able to understand Christopher and his behaviour. He has to carefully prepare all of Christopher’s food and drinks according to his big list of what he like and dislikes. This is a big benefit because this is what brings them both closer together, so they can enjoy life together. Even though this does happen and sometimes there can be disruptions like when Christopher can’t understand him, which is quite a bit. Despite all of this, Christopher’s father is extremely protective of him. This impulse to protect Christopher was because of his mother leaving him. Unfortunately, when Ed had been lying for so long and Christopher finding out what really happened to his mother. This is clearly because Ed wants to hurt and punish in a sense his ex-wife. With this he clearly saw afterwards that his and Christopher’s relationship had almost detreated because of this. So, in the end of this Christopher’s dad may have to work harder to restore his relationship with Christopher.

The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini’s first novel. Conceived in Kabul, Hosseini draws intensely without anyone else encounters to make the setting for the novel; the characters, be that as it may, are anecdotal. Hosseini’s plot demonstrates authentic authenticity, as the novel incorporates dates—for sequential exactness, including the season of the changing systems of Afghanistan. Amir’s glad youth days fall under the serene and well-off period of King Zahir Shah’s rule, when Amir and his companion, Hassan, could themselves feel like lords of Kabul, cutting their names into a tree. In 1973, Dawood Khan turns into the leader of Afghanistan. This time is reflected in the novel when the neighborhood menace, Assef, pesters Amir with his knuckle reinforcements and expectations that Hazaras will be killed.

The Russian attack in 1981 transforms Kabul into a combat area, driving numerous occupants, including Baba and Amir, to run away to Pakistan. Indeed, even after the Russians had left the nation, the agitation had proceeded. In 1996, the Talibs had come to control. In the novel, Rahim Khan discloses to Amir that Talibs had prohibited kite battling in 1996 and that in 1998, Hazaras had been slaughtered.

The tale’s intricate plot comprises of a few clashes that bring out compassion toward characters who are unjustifiably exploited. The story starts with the inside clashes of Amir—an affluent kid—who makes the most of Hassan’s kinship but on the other hand is envious of him and winds up tricking him. An outer clash happens between the hero, Amir, and the enemy, Assef. Amir goes to Afghanistan to safeguard his nephew Sohrab, as ‘an approach to be great once more,’ yet experiences Assef, a malevolent and savage adversary from an earlier time, and now a decision Talib.

The last clash demonstrates the hole between the legitimate framework and the human privileges of vagrants as casualties of war, a hole that prompts Sohrab’s endeavored suicide. Characteristic for the contentions in the novel is the treacherous exploitation of the guiltless—a topic bringing out the import of human rights crosswise over universal limits.

Hosseini prevails with regards to striking the correct harmony between terrible feelings and positive thinking. For instance, the storyteller drops pieces of information that Sohrab will talk about once more ‘very nearly a year after his suicide endeavor. Thus, Sohrab’s black-out grin in the novel’s last scene is a piece of information that he will be content with his new watchmen. Hosseini’s symbolism likewise is amazing and layered with significance. For instance, Sohrab hitting Assef with slingshot discharge is a befitting picture that demonstrates the triumph of the feeble and modest over the self-important – a cutting edge David and Goliath story.

Another effective part of the novel is the portrayal. At the point when Amir’s character changes, he is happy to change his life for Sohrab. Interestingly, Assef claims a religious transformation yet demonstrates no difference in character. A few faultfinders criticize Hosseini’s one-dimensional portrayal of Assef as a stereotyped Talib who is coldhearted and domineering. Be that as it may, the novel is composed from a first-individual storyteller’s perspective. Amir is the storyteller for twenty-four sections, and Rahim Khan portrays the occasions of the past in part 16. The two storytellers can report just their individual encounters, and both illustrate Taliban outrages.

Remarkable to Hosseini is his imaginative capacity to mix the artistic convention of the Western epic with the Persian writing of the Sufis. The tale incorporates predictable references to the Persian legend of Rostam and Sohrab, which originates from Persian artist Firdusi’s Shahnameh (c. 1010), the beautiful epic of Afghanistan, Iran, and other Persian-talking nations. These references serve to epitomize the novel’s topic, a great one, of the mission for the dad. Different parallels with the Persian epic are The Kite Runner’s unexpected disclosures about the past, the novel’s combat area setting, and the novel’s grievous incongruity related to the numbness of a large number of its characters. Deplorable incongruity is a vehicle for disclosure, and it additionally fills in as an explanatory system to approve the storyteller’s case: ‘I’ve learned . . . [how] the past hooks out.’ Likewise, sad incongruity turns into a logical technique for analyzing characters’ practices as they control learning and guarantee numbness in their connections. For instance, Amir’s silly ploys to dispose of Hassan and his dad, Ali, come full circle in an unfortunate scene, in which ‘Hassan knew . . . everything. . . . He realized I had sold out him but he was saving me indeed.’ Hassan would not open to Baba that Amir was really a liar and a con artist. This denotes a basic minute in Amir’s life since he understands that he cherishes Hassan, ‘more than he had adored any other person’; still, Amir can’t admit the reality and will never again observe Hassan.

The Kite Runner is an amazing anecdote around two young men whose kinship is undermined by misdirection and double-crossing yet withstands the weights of social hindrances and legitimate limits. Their cherished recollections of cheerful days outlive their heartbreaking partition, and the ardent unwaveringness of Hassan characterizes the topic of this novel as one of genuine kinship.

“Imagine a world like that” (Grande), imagine a life that Christopher Boone lived in… The “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” is a novel brilliantly written by the famous Mark Haddon. This book not only moves and inspires you making you want to keep reading but its content is “gloriously eccentric and wonderfully intelligent”, (Boston Globe) making it captivating to every single age and gender. Mark Haddon uses such a unique way to describe the personality of an autistic child in a way that doesn’t make me amazed that this literature piece has won three awards including the “Guardian Child Fiction Prize”, the “Costa Book of the year”, and lastly the “Waverton Good Read”. This book that is full of mystery leaves you with something to remember and it includes a crime so huge that it causes some people to lose everything. This exhilarating novel was not only written by Mark but also published by Jonathan Cape in the same year which was 2003. It has also shown millions around the world that’s it’s okay to not be the exact same as everyone else. The theme of the “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” shows that “Even though you may seem different and be slower than everyone around you, you have the same ability and same chance to achieve greatness”. As a child that suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, Christopher Boone had a dream but one that he believed he surely couldn’t achieve. But since, “ [He] went to London on [his] own, and because [he] solved the mystery of “Who Killed Wellington?” and [he] found [his] mother and [he] was brave and [he] wrote a book and that means [he] can do anything.”(Mark Haddon)

“A good title is the title of a successful book” (Raymond Chandler). Sadly, in this day and age, the saying that people judge a book by its cover actually lives up to its name not only with people but mostly including books. Most people first look and feast by the eyes without knowing the whole story in large. It is now becoming essential that the title of the actual novel lives up to what the story is about as for that’s what pulls people in to read the novel. As Mark Haddon says “Reading is a conversation. All the books talk. But a good book listens as well.”(Mark). This quote personally speaks to me as after I had read the “Curious Incident” I felt as if Christopher Boone (the main protagonist which suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome) spoke to me saying that even though you might not fit in, you can do anything. As for Christopher since he solved the “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” crime. The title sneakily relates to the theme of not being exactly perfect. Everything happens for its own reason and no one knows why. You may not be the ideal person, suffer from problems no one understands and no one knows how hard it is to communicate with people or do something as simple such as hug someone you love but you need to have a dream. Christopher had one; to become an astronaut. You may just be a curious child, and be faced with thousands of obstacles or incidents but that’s what the stories about. No one knew the murderer of the poor dog Wellington, no one might know who you are but you need to prove that even because you are different just like Christopher you still have the ability to achieve absolute greatness.

Through the whole novel, the author beautifully portrays the fact that nothing is directly given to you. To satisfy your curiosity and to be a successful novel you need to include the unknown. Mark Haddon left gaps for the readers to find secret messages about the characters, setting, and also the plot. Through the whole plot of the storyline, the theme is basically always there whether you may pay attention to what the character does and acts like. As for Christopher, he deals with many challenges and yet he always sticks true to who he is. An intelligent “A math” student that will always impress the crowd. As for the basic plot of trying to find out who killed Wellington; he stands pridefully and true determined to find the killer. If police officers and detectives couldn’t find out who killed a black toy poodle on 36 Randolph road, how can a fifteen-year-old ordinary child not to mention one who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome solve the case? Even though he is not skilled, not trained, you always have to look on the bright side. Pick what your good at and for Christopher it was something so innocent as being his “curious” self. Snooping around until he found something and even though he did not get down and do the dirty work, he found out the murderer of the poor dog by appeal in emotion and guilt. So even though you feel like someone is more experienced or trained, always do what you do best and that way you will succeed.

In this novel it takes place in many different places, mostly locating between three main locations being Christopher’s house in Swindon Wiltshire, Chapel Road in London, and Christopher’s school. His house is where he collects all his memories, it’s his home, where his father lives, where Toby lived, and where he and his mother used to live together as one big happy family. Next, to his school, his school is basically his second home. It’s where he learned to read, write and communicate with others. It’s where he meets Siobhan, his phycologist each and every day in which that’s the only person that truly understands him. Lastly, London… If it wasn’t for him being himself he would have never got to experience the many things that make him happy. He would have never solved the case of Wellington, he would have never met his dog Sandy, and most importantly he would’ve never met his mother. If he hadn’t had the will and bravery to step into his father’s room he wouldn’t have found the letters which found him to discover Wellington’s murderer. As a result of, he would not have travelled to London to find the joy of having a mother to care for you in a way no one else would and in a way he barely got to experience. If the setting was anywhere else in the book there would be no story. For example, if Christopher and his family did not live in Swindon, Judy would have never met Mr. Shears and there would be no black toy poodle to worry about. There would also be no lesson learned and so the setting of Christopher’s life, living on this exact street completely affects the lesson to always stay true to yourself. Overall, the setting would affect how Christopher would live and what he would be like and because he has the spark to always be who he is even though he may not be the same as everyone else he showed everyone that he is special in a way that no one else could be.

“[His] name is Christopher John Francis Boone. [He] know[s] all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,507” (Harron). Christopher John Francis Boone, an ordinary child that was born with Asperger’s Syndrome takes on the role of being the main protagonist in this novel. Unique, curious and honest. Many characters have learned a predominant lesson but I believe that Christopher’s change is far beyond the others. Furthermore, throughout the book, he realized that he was able to achieve far more than he believed ending in him having the power to solve a mystery, write a book, and find his long lost mother. Through the novel, since the beginning, I believe that Christopher learns the lesson of independence. As you read through the novel, he has a growing desire to be on his own and travel through the streets of England and you start to notice that he has gained the confidence to do that. Some ways that he had shown independence is disobeying and not following his father’s ways and orders such as sneaking into his room. Another thing is that Christopher yearns for the chance to be independent because he has visions, for instance, imagining him being “alone” and “independent” on the earth by himself. Not only does he also have plans on going to college and being by himself but he also has the urge to be the only man on the rocket ship when he becomes an astronaut so he could be in the solar system himself to be hundreds of miles away from the basic idea of people on earth. As through this novel, he learns the lesson of independence by travelling to London and that is a huge and significant conquest and achievement since he has never travelled on his own before. After this quest, Christopher feels like he has overcome his monuments and now felt that he could achieve most possibly anything.

In this novel, there are many hidden aspects that make it just as enjoyable to read the novel over and over again because each time you may discover new things. Every single sentence in the book has a meaning and some hidden messages or symbols that may represent different aspects and different things. For example, Christopher’s swiss army knife. This knife is a symbol that might not be noticeable or extravagant but this knife would represent security. Without the knife he does not feel safe as for example at the train station when one lady offers to help him, he lunges at her with the knife knowing that she might be a dangerous and risky stranger. The knife would represent the stability and security and so he could feel safe and self defend himself. Another symbol that I also found in the book was the diagrams or illustrations. The illustrations whether of a map, the prime number chart, the Monty Hall Problem etc, is what is happening inside Christopher’s brain. Even though it is represented in form of a drawing, it is his inner thoughts and feeling. The “Curious Incident” is an interesting book written very intelligently in the eyes of an autistic child. Lastly, the last symbol or message that I realized when reading the book which also relates to the theme is that everything happens for a reason. Even though you can’t act or look the same as everyone else or you may act different such as him but when Christopher followed his inner personality of being curious, for example, if he didn’t look through his father’s room he would have never met his dog, Sandy. Continually since Toby passed away weeks after, once Toby died it would have been very hard on Christopher as him losing one of his best friends but if he didn’t have the will to try to find his draft of his novel that was withdrawn from him he would’ve never met his furry new best friend, Sandy let alone his mother.

Overall, the “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” is an amazing book written by Mark Haddon that beautifully portrays the theme of that you may seem different and be slower than everyone around you, but you still have the same ability and same chance to achieve greatness. Christopher Boone the protagonist of the novel shows you that it’s okay to be different, to have a mind of your own and to act however you are and who you want to be. If he didn’t have the courage to get his novel back from his father, he would have never been the person that he stands proud to be now. It might not be so easy but learn to be like Christopher John Francis Boone because why should you fit in, when you were born to stand out?

Through the movie Zootopia and the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros many forms of harmful stereotyping can be seen. These harmful connotations of stereotyping are dividing groups of people and are usually very discriminatory to a race or sex of people. Society should not be so quick to judge or generalize a group of people and everyone should stick to their own opinions and not let others influence them. Harmful stereotyping can break bonds and trust between a group of people which is very damaging and needs to be stopped.

An example of a racial stereotype in Zootopia is the tiger and a bunny train scene. In this scene there is the predator who is the tiger and the prey who is the bunny. The tiger decides to peacefully take a seat beside the bunnies. With the current division among the predator and the prey, the mother rabbit decides to move herself and her child away from the tiger for absolutely no reason, and the tiger had not even said a word to the bunnies. This stereotype is very significant because the discrimination against the tiger who had done absolutely nothing is a result of the attempt to separate prey and predators. Also the rabbit is teaching her child that they should be in fear of those not categorized as pray and shouldn’t trust those that are different. This causes the child to judge all predators as something they are not, because of what few have done. This stereotype is very harmful because it is related to the generalization that all Muslims are terrorists. In recent years a large majority of the Muslim population has been made to be feared because of a few individuals that have chosen to cause terror. While many Muslims have voiced out that they disagree with the actions that were taken, but because stereotypes are created by fear and ignorance, people are in the mindset that if one Muslim is bad then all Muslims must be the same.

Another example that can be seen as stereotyping against a particular race is everyone thinks that the foxes are predators and cannot be good. When Nick Wilde was just a little fox the other animals around him would not accept him because he was a fox, even though he had not done anything wrong. This can be very harmful to those who fall into a specific stereotype even though they haven’t done anything wrong. This made Nick feel worthless and not want to try anymore to be good. A simple stereotype can affect one’s rest of their life because they are scared to act out and don’t want to be bullied. Our society needs to come together as one and accept all and don’t exclude anyone just because of what they look like or the past of their race.

In the House on Mango Street the vignette titled “Marin”, there is a young girl who is going to get married to her boyfriend in Puerto Rico. She thinks being beautiful and young will change all of her problems. In the last paragraph Esperanza says about Marin “ Marin is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life.”(Cisneros 27). This shows the stereotype of women depending mostly on men. The quote also says that Marian is making her limited possibilities even smaller by waiting for a man to rescue her. Esperanza later in the story mentions that she will not be the ordinary and be ordered to marry someone particular, but she will be independent and make her own life decisions without anyone else’s approval. She’s going to succeed in show everyone else wrong. This action by Esperanza shows how she is ending a stereotype and making an action to stop it all by herself. Even with the many stereotypes facing Esperanza and her culture, she is determined to make a difference and won’t let anything stop her.

With all of the harmful stereotypes shown in Zootopia and the House on Mango Street, it is clear that stereotypes can be very harmful to a group of people and there needs to be action to stop it at the source so that no one feels discriminated on and people can act freely without being judged on. Esperanza is being very brave and independent in trying to stop the stereotypes forced on her but she needs the help of society to stop it all.

Jane Austen was a very popular author in the eighteenth century, and her fame is still recognized today. Some of her most famous works include the novels Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility. While all of her novels had different storylines, they revolved around a common theme. This common theme shared between all of Austen’s novels is that women are burdened with unfair expectations and social norms.

Pride and Prejudice is undoubtedly Jane Austen’s most popular novel, and is also the novel in which her message about women is most clear. The main character in Pride and Prejudice goes by the name of Elizabeth Bennet, and actively defies all societal norms placed on women. One way that Austen defeats these social norms is by having Elizabeth turn down multiple marriage proposals at a time when that was not expected or socially acceptable. “Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me, I am very sensible of the honor of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them” (Austen). Another way that Austen uses the character Elizabeth to defeat the common expectations of women is by making her hardheaded and improper. “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me” (Austen). The character traits and actions that Austen writes for the main character in Pride and Prejudice show her feelings toward the true position of women in society.

Emma is another novel by Jane Austen that pushes her message about the true role of women in society. One example from Emma that shows defiance of the societal norms of women is the main character’s relationship status. Austen wrote the main character, Emma, as a financially independent woman. “As a general rule, women were not independent beings. Emma Woodhouse would have been breaking this rule.” (Hildebrandt). Another instance in Emma that portrays Austen’s message about the expectations of women is when Austen shares the main character’s views on marriage. “I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing! but I never have been in love; it is not my way or my nature, and I do not think I ever shall. And, without love, I am sure I should be a fool to change such a situation as mine” (Austen). Both Emma’s financial independence and lack of intent to marry contribute to the main theme of all Jane Austen novels, being women do not have to do what society expects of them.

Sense and Sensibility by Austen also include many ideas about the expectations people have for women in society. One instance in Sense and Sensibility that shows resistance to the expected roles of women in society is when the character Marianne shares a pessimistic and unconventional view of marriage for the time period. “It would be a compact of convenience, and the world would be satisfied. In my eyes, it would be no marriage at all, but that would be nothing. To me, it would seem only a commercial exchange, in which each wished to be benefited at the expense of the other” (Austen). Another example of Austen using her writing in Sense and Sensibility to highlight the unfair treatment of women due to societal norms is the entailment situation regarding the Dashwood family. “In Sense, after his death, Mr. Henry Dashwood, left his second wife, Mrs. Dashwood, and her three daughters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, with no home and very little income, only 500 pounds, to accommodate their lives. Instead of offering equal inheritance to his wife and daughters, Mr. Dashwood’s money goes to his only son, John, from a previous marriage” (Abdullhaq). By expressing unorthodox views on marriage and unfortunate situations caused by entailment laws, Austen sends the reader a clear message about the unfair prejudice against women due to social norms and expectations.

In all of her novels, Jane Austen sends the reader a message about her views of the unfair burden placed on women by society. Austen uses the actions of her characters and their words to get her point across to the reader. Throughout the novels Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility, Austen alludes to her belief in the place that women hold in the population. She sends the message to the reader that just because women have an expected role in society, they do not have to meet the expectations of that role.

In the novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Kathy was a young lady living a secret life. Everything she did seemed to be private but everyone around her seemed to be just like her. Many times in novels the cultural, physical, and geographical surroundings shape a character. Ishiguro uses Kathy ́s journey and realizations to show how one’s surroundings, both cultural and physical affect one’s thoughts and therefore actions and relationships.

During the novel Kathy and her two friends, Ruth and Tommy are going to a boarding school. The author uses physical surroundings in the novel which affect the characters greatly. The school is secluded from everything else. This affects the characters because they think the way they are living life is normal, but it is not always normal for them. Kathy owned a cassette tape which she valued greatly. She values the small things which shows she did not have much of anything else to value while being secluded from the rest of the world. This also shows she differs from many kids because most small children do not value the small things in life. They are also surrounded by other children just like them, having their teachers telling them how special they are. Kathy and her friends do not realize they are as normal as everyone they are going to school with which shows that they do not know anything different. This affects the novel because they this shows these kids may never know anything different until they get older. Throughout the novel, as Kathy gets older, she becomes more aware of her surroundings and the things going on in her life. The overall physical surroundings affect this novel because it causes these children to value everything and everyone in life.

Cultural surroundings affect this novel heavily. Kathy, as well as the rest of the children that are with her, all seemed to be special. All children are doing things that seem to be in secret or seem to be private from the rest of the world. These cultural surroundings impact how these kids learn and simply how they live their everyday lives. ¨…culture provides a framework for our behavioral and affective norms ̈ (Pogosyan). Many have done research on how our cultures affect our brains to live and think a certain way. As humans, we can see culture affects us in our everyday lives. We know what we learn as children, affects the way we do things as adults. It is seen throughout the novel and even as Kathy gets older, how things that had happened to her while she went to a private school, affected her and her classmates culturally for the rest of their lives. Even as Kathy got older, she became a caregiver for people who were donors. Carers in the novel are people who care for donors but are actually clones. Donors were people who gave organs which eventually affected them as they were older. Because she learned about cloning and organ donors as a child, she continued to do it as she was an adult. This goes to show, cultural surroundings affect everyone as they mature over time and get older.

Geographical surroundings also play a role in the traits of the characters in the novel. The novel is based in England during the 1990s. They are at Hailsham and the donor centers. This goes back and connects to the physical surroundings in the novel. As Kathy gets older, she is allowed more places it seems. Because she is still secluded in a few areas, she never sees much more of the world. The geographical surroundings shape Kathy to see things a certain way and have a certain point of view on many things. She believes what they are doing and where they go is normal, but as readers we know cloning and being in two places our whole lives is not normal.

Throughout the whole novel, many physical, cultural, and geographical surroundings affect both the characters and the novel as a whole. Even as readers, we can see how their ̈normal lives ̈ differ from what we see as normal. The novel goes to show how characters are shaped over time and how everything in life can affect you greatly.