English 485: Expedition Adolescence

      While I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and its inclusivity, I struggle to see how it truly brings awareness. Obviously it is great to see this big beautiful world where everyone is so accepting of LGBTQ relationships and things like transgender football players, but that is unfortunately just not the world we live in. I do believe that we are entering a world that is more accepting of the LGBTQ community, but we are far from a world that does not even bat an eye at two boys being in a relationship. I think that the storyline really lacks true interest and is completely riding on the fact that it is about a homosexual relationship. While I understand the reasoning behind this, in my opinion, if this novel was about a heterosexual relationship with the same plot, it would be quite possibly the most boring story ever. I think this novel could have brought more awareness and thrived more if it showed the actual lives that LGBTQ people live and what they really go through...

          I think this book does a great job at bringing awareness to the subject of relationships in school  environments. I'm not sure that the delivery of the matter is very realistic though. The depiction of heterosexuality and homosexuality is very extreme. I think the world is evolving and beginning to become more accepting of homosexuality which the book tends to focus on. Honestly love is love, me personally i was never really understanding on why other people care so much about what others do and who they love. In all of my experience of school I've only met one person who was openly homosexual. This was in middle school by the way, where students really don't understand and are less mature. From the outside looking in it seemed as though he was an outcast, yet he was a very strong individual, he endured a lot.  A lot of individuals tend to not reveal their sexuality until they graduate which happens often but he did at an early age. Some...

     In the novel, Boy Meets Boy , Levithan compares reality to an unrealistic perspective of homosexuality in an attempt to describe how the world should really be. In a perfect world, everyone would be like Paul, and they would have accepting parents and be “lucky.” As Tony says, “ ‘I honestly couldn’t believe that someone like you could exist, or even a town like yours could entirely exist… I thought I would get up every morning with a secret and go to sleep every night with the same secret.’ ” (Levithan, 150). Although in the novel Paul struggles through some obstacles, he never really has to struggle to find himself, unlike other characters. The character that struggles the most in the novel is Tony because his parents are unaccepting of him being gay, and Tony struggles internally on how to show them that it’s okay. The other characters such as Kyle and Tony are not really lost, but they struggle in finding out how they can really be themselves. While through the ey...

In "the Hate you Give" a relevant connection that was made between Tupac and a theme in this novel was the idea that once a black man is in the system he belongs to the system. Growing up I was often reminded this ideal. From the Eyes of the hood selling drugs are a means to quick and fast money. Like Khalil these are the tales of  growing up in the hood, family struggling, funds are low, you turn to something quick and easy. Since Khalil was arrested for selling drugs the connection that the system always has a hold of a person arrives. He was killed unjustly but the killing was justified due to the fact that he was previously arrested for selling drugs. To explain we see this when maverick says, " When the Khalils get arrested for selling drugs, they either spend most of their life in prison, another billion-dollar industry, or they have a hard time getting a real job and probably start selling drugs again. That's the hate they're giving us, baby, a system desi...

      Boy Meets Boy was such an eye opening book.  I never really realized how un-inclusive of a world we live in.      Through the book, we see insight into the main characters and their struggles through the course of the novel. We also see the normalization of LGBTQ people within a community. Me seeing this story play out and how normal it was for everyone really opens my eyes to how much people are still not okay with people of the LGBTQ community. The thing is, it is not going to hurt anyone for this to be normalized. Why is it even a problem? I don't see why we can't just let people live and love who they want. Even though people might not agree with this, it isn't really going to hurt them or affect them in any way because they can still love who they please, that will not change. If anything, being more accepting will only make more rounded people and bring more love into communities.

 As I started reading the first few paragraphs of Levithan's Boy Meets Boy, I stopped and started scanning through the proceeding pages, because I thought the narrator, Paul, was dreaming of the world he was describing.  I do not think this book is a realistic portrayal of how LBGTQ teens lived, especially during the time this novel was written.  I do think that how Paul, the narrator, navigates teenage issues, and the issues brought up in the novel are realistic.  The way that Paul's relationships with Noah and Kyle were depicted did make myself, as a reader, think of the relationship's as "normal" heterosexual teenage relationships.  The rumors and gossiping were definitely realistic as well.   Tony struck a cord with me and really caused me to start to think about everyone that I know, and have known since I was younger that are part of the LBGTQ community.  His character did make me think back to all of my friend's in high school that were LBG...

  The short novel, Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan had introduced many realistic aspects of life within the LGBTQ community and the differences between reality. I believe even though the author gives an unrealistic viewpoint of school life in my opinion, I strongly feel that Levithan had done an amazing job with giving insight on sexuality since where I am from, it is known as a ‘taboo’ subject. Yes, there was a very stereotypical love triangle, but it was as if seemed as if the author was throwing other problems in the mix. An example is Tony and his family having a hard time accepting his sexuality because of their religion and then Noah’s parents being absent in a lot of things in their children’s life. I would strongly recommend this novel for those who struggle to understand the LGBTQ community only because even though Paul was the main character of this book, I found more interest in Tony’s. I have experienced where religion shapes people’s opinions on certain things in lif...

  Throughout our reading of David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy , I was faced with my own ignorance of the idea of homosexual relationships in adolescents. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel but let my own experiences as an adolescent who witnessed hate towards the LGBTQ+ community cloud the judgment I cast on the novel. In my review, I found that I did not find the book realistic for modern-day adolescents. Levitan's description of Pauls's flamboyant gay world in which there are transgender quarterbacks, elaborate 'dead' themed school dances, and acceptance from almost the whole school seemed rather surreal to me. In further analysis with dialogue from peers, I thought maybe the 'big idea' that Levitan had when creating this novel was possibly portraying to the reader how schools should be. How wonderful of a world would we live in where everyone is accepted for who they are and who they love! Unfortunately, I experienced seeing my homosexual and trans friends rippe...

       Levithan's Boy Meets Boy  reintroduces a taboo topic to the world through a new lens - one of acceptance and normalcy and eventually love. Love pertaining to those who are around us but not like us. Though it would be challenging to gain approval and support for teaching this book in a middle school classroom, it would greatly benefit everyone, as it would serve as a mirror and a window. Students within the LGBTQ+ community would finally have representation, while other students would gain insight into the lives, challenges, and feelings of their homosexual counterparts.      I think this book is more challenging for adults to accept than students, because students are more often and more easily influenced than parents, teachers, and others. When reading this book, one thing that struck me is just how unaccepting people are. There are some extreme concepts, such as the overall being of Infinite Darlene, but the way Levithan structured every...

Boy Meets Boy was revolutionary for its portrayal of LGBTQia+ people in YA literature. I think that Levithan does a great job of bringing awareness to a “taboo” topic. A study on this novel can bring up healthy conversation within the classroom or with students questioning their sexuality.   The main characters are teens, respectful teens. They are learning life and having struggles. It is known theory that Students learn acceptance and must combat intolerance, but I think it is the opposite. We learn habits, both good and bad, by example. If we, as teachers, show inclusivity and acceptance students are more likely be willing to have conversations or be more open.   This book touches on most walks of sexuality, but it also addresses the heartbreak of navigating it. “With some breakups, all you can think about afterwards is how badly it ended and how much the other person hurt you. With others, you become sentimental for the good times and lose track of what went wrong.” (Levit...

  These two words above my post are used and abused with an alarming frequency. They are glamorized, romanticized, and downplayed so that the young and unaware think 'Thug Life' is special. It's special all right. Special in how quickly it ruins your real  life. I've always had a bone to pick with people who say they can make it as drug dealers or criminals and think that such a statement is ok. I know some of these people well enough to know they still cry over stumbling and scraping their knees! If they can't get over a few scrapes, how are they gonna handle the high chance of beatings, gunfights, and almost certainly whatever could go on in the prison system. These people in turn act like they don't know me when they put on this act (read: Stereotypical speech and threats involving 'gangsta' guns like Uzis or MAC-10s) and one even called me 'cracker'. Young me didn't realize what that actually meant until i asked my dad. The point i'm ...

     Tupac is the G.O.A.T - the greatest of all time, and I don't think there should ever be a debate about that. It amazes me how timeless his music is. He was way ahead of his time. He was killed a few months after I was born, and I still ride to his music. He and Prince are just about the only two artists my dad would play in the car. It was almost always Pac first, though. I'll forever remember hopping into my dad's powder blue, '64 Impala and hearing, "Makaveli in this... Killuminati, all through your body..." or "Keep ya head up, ooh child, things are gonna get easier." This latter song is really important to me, as it is a constant reminder that I have a pivotal role in my community - this is not limited to just my family or those that I know personally. I have to be a better brother, son, uncle, student, boyfriend - person. I think this song, like most of his others, also gives clear and authentic insight into one of Pac's internal confli...

       In the novel The Hate U Give , Tupac alludes to the violence that circulates in Garden Heights, and how Starr pushes for justice in the death of Khalil. The title comes from Tupac’s meaning of “Thug Life,” which correlates to how the continuance of violence is a never-ending circle. Once the violence starts within a community, such as Garden Heights, it becomes a continuous cycle that is passed on to the youth. In Starr’s community, some certain gangs and affiliations share conflictions. This leads to an ongoing war between the two and causes heartbreaking realizations for families. Although her own father was once a King Lord, he was able to break out, but he was still known to be a part of it. When being in a gang, you will always be known as such, and carry that with you for the rest of your life. In the novel itself, King laid a bandanna on Khalil in his coffin, so that he may carry that same life with him when he is gone. Although Tupac may sound as if he...

  Throughout the course of the book, Starr was constantly internally fighting with the two sides of her and her life. Almost like a boxing match with Williamson Starr in one corner and Garden Heights Starr in the other. Depending on which Starr is present at the time, she always has half of her true self locked away from those around her. She does not want her Garden Heights side to come through while she is with her Williamson crowd, and she does not want her Williamson side to shine through with she is with her Garden Heights group. Her constantly hiding half of who she is catches up with her when her friend Khalil is killed and she wants to take a stand for him and those in her Garden Heights community.  Me, being a white middle class female, found it tough to relate to many of the things happening in the book because I have never had to experience or be put through many of the situations that Starr has had to go through. I would say that the code-switching that Starr is co...

 The Hate U Give was pleasant read. Angie Thomas' story flow and writing made activism and racial battles riveting and approachable. There are so many elements of the book that I could address. I think that Starr's relationships with Hailey and Maya are highly important to Starr's identity.  I relate some to Hailey and Starr's relationship: on and off again. There were moments that Hailey was just plain mean. I loved Lisa's quote: "If the good outweighs the bad, then you should keep them as a friend." Starr has a hard time letting go of her friendship with Hailey, but realizes how toxic it actually is. She wants to hold onto the sweet memories but the realities are too hurtful to salvage. In my experience with broken relationships, I tried so hard to keep the best of what we had that prohibited my own self growth. I think it was very brave of Maya to bring up that incident to Hailey. She had hurtful things happen to her too. Many of the comments that Maya ...

For a long time now, I have tried to avoid reading and watching  'The Hate you Give' for the main reason of that I am unable to control my emotions when it comes to discussing race. With saying that, I am actually very grateful that I was able to read the novel because I can relate to the feeling of how not only the main character felt, but how every person who wanted justice for khalil felt. I could more remotely connect to Starr, for her struggle of understanding how to find her voice throughout the novel. Even outside of situations such as this one, being able to find your voice could be difficult to some, including me.  When reading, I could do nothing but feel anger, upset, and confusion. I have never be able to connect so deeply to a book such as this one. Such as Starr, i struggle to voice my feelings about this topic because of how some people assume or already portray the situation already. I felt for Starr deeply. When her so called friend Hailey was assuming that Kh...

           Throughout the novel, "The Hate U Give," we see extensive evidence of racism, stereotypes, and of course code switching. As the story progresses, we see how Khalil's untimely death affects Starr and really opens her eyes to the sad reality of many black people today. But even before this incident, we can already see Starr doing things like code-switching being conscious about how she acts around her white friends.        At the very beginning of the novel, Starr arrives at Big D's party in Garden Heights and immediately feels out of place. She starts to realize just how split her life really is. She feels as if she is already cool at Williamson just because she is black, but at Garden Heights, that's not the case at all, " As long as I play it cool and keep to myself, I should be fine. The ironic thing is though, at Williamson I don't have to “play it cool” — I’m cool by default because I'm one of the only black kids ther...

 The title of the book is comes from Tupac's meaning of "Thug Life."  Before reading this book, I definitely knew who Tupac was, but I had no idea the meaning of "Thug Life."  Before Khalil is tragically killed, he tells Starr the meaning of Thug Life   "Pac said Thug Life stood for 'The Hate You Give Little Infants F Everybody.'"..."Listen, the Hate U - the letter U - Give Little Infants F's Everybody.  T-H-U-G-L-I-F-E.  Meaning what society give us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out.  Get it?"  Starr understands what Khalil is saying, but it isn't until the death of Khalil, and what happens after that she really understands what message Tupac had.  Throughout the novel, Starr begins to see the reality of how evil the world can be.  She is very young and has lost two friends to gun violence, and the death of Khalil, I believe, affected her the most.  She sees the media as well as her friends, make him out to ...

  Throughout our readings from the course, there are copious similarities between Starr in Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give , and Arnold in Sherman Alexie's Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian . Starr has issues discerning who she really is. Is she prep-school Starr or is she Starr from the black urban community she comes from? Likewise, Arnold struggles with his identity. Is he Arnold from the 'rez' or Arnold from Reardon? Through Angie Thomas's novel The Hate U Give , the reader is able to examine Starr having to maintain her two identities to be successful and to be perceived as a likable person to her peers.  Over Starr's development in her journey to discovering who she is and what she should stand up for, she demonstrates her struggle to determine who she is by attempting to conform to both of these subsets via code-switching.  Starr, like Arnold, constantly has to consider where she is and adjusts her speech and train of thinking to adapt and conform ...

 Reading about Arnold's story and how he interacts with the world was a strangely fascinating experience. Arnold's life is harsh and quite cruel at times (in more than just the cruelty of other people) yet he manages to soldier through it. It's somewhat interesting to me that Arnold doesn't mention his Hydrocephalus much beyond the start of the book. It may be he doesn't consider it an important part of himself, but, technically, Arnold has a disability of sorts because of that condition. I did some independent research, and his condition, even when treated, causes impairments in all aspects; development, physicality, mentally, Hydrocephalus attacks all of it. Now, Arnold is affected by this, but i think he makes light of the fact he was born with "water on the brain" (page 1) and that he was at high risk of dying  during the operation to remove the excess fluid. A few pages later Arnold mentions how he grew too many teeth, how his skull was larger than ...

  Something that I would like to focus on in the “Absolute True Diary of a Apart Time Indian” would be the idea of things such as categorizing multiple things that adolescence go through, or not even categorizing just the idea of the where an individual stands in society. I felt as though Alexie does a great job at covering a lot of social issues within the book. I feel as though he expresses and brings a good deal of attention/cultural awareness to Native Americans while bringing in topics that are relatable to many adolescent children. To me I felt as though the book was very informational yet added a since of child like presence, as the main characters were centered around young children. That element made the book very easy to read and quite enjoyable.                 Arnold also known as Junior, like any other young child is still trying to figure out his sense of belonging or who he is. For example, ...

 In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, at first, I had believed that I would have no interest in reading the novel only to be shocked that I feel I can strongly related to Arnold. I felt stronger emotion towards Arnold because I can really connect with some of the events that took place throughout his life of Arnold. Many different topics were introduced in the novel but the main two that I would like to focus on are Expectations and identity. Clearly, culture is race places a part in the 2 topics I have decided to discuss.      While reading this novel, one of the main things that stood out to me in Arnold's life is that he lives life full of expectations. A few examples are how people on the reservations (specifically the Native Americans) life was someone already planned out. "Reservations were meant to be prisons, you know? Indians were supposed to move onto reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear." Pg 216. Arnold had also stat...

       As we all know, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is a novel filled with sketched pictures by Alexie. This is one aspect of the novel that I was really drawn to and found interesting. Alexie tells his story not only through the words that he writes, but through the pictures that he draws. Without the drawings throughout the novel, the story, honestly, probably wouldn't be nearly as good as it is. The drawings that Alexie added show us emotion that just couldn't be put into words, but seeing it in picture form we relate to and understand exactly what he is trying to say and we can feel what he is wanting us to with a level of emotion that wouldn't be the same if he tried putting it into words. When reading the novel, I may not have completely understood something that he was trying to say or feel how he wanted me to feel through his words, but, by adding a sketch, he made sure that emotion and understanding was there.       ...

In Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian , there is a repetitive theme of comparison with Junior and those around him. Although Junior grew up on the Rez and is surrounded by people he knows, he still often compares himself to them. At the beginning of the novel, it starts out kind of sad because there are obvious aspects that make Junior different from everyone else. From his physical appearance to how he views the world and those around him. Although everyone on the Rez is living the same experience of feeling stuck and growing up in poverty, Junior knows he is still smarter than the rest, but still feels hopeless. “There’s never enough time to change your life. You don’t get to change your life, period” (Alexie, 40). Throughout the novel, there is white vs. Indians and poor vs. rich, which become dominating themes in explaining traumatic but revelating discoveries for Junior.  Once Junior reaches Rearden, he feels small and helpless surrounded by rich ...

          As you can probably guess from our classroom discussions, my absolute favorite element of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is the illustrations. I have never read a novel with pictures that so beautifully (and not so beautifully) capture what the author is trying to say. The illustrations in this book will make you laugh, cry a little, and even just take a minute to pause and reflect. We are already getting such a deep dive into Arnold's life and the many emotions he is feeling, but being able to see them actually drawn out is so fascinating to me. Just like Arnold said, "when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it" (Alexie 5).      Right off the bat, we are introduced to Arnold's love for drawing, "I draw all the time. I draw cartoons of my mother and father; my sister and grandmother; my best friend, Rowdy; and everybody else on the rez" (Alexie 5). It is very clear from this statement alone that he views draw...

 In the Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian it can be quite difficult to focus on just one theme.  The entire book is a wonderful example of a coming-of -age novel, especially in the terms of identity formation.  Throughout the book, Arnold uses satire and humor to describe himself and his family.  The novel starts out with Arnold discussing how he was born with fluid on his brain.  He goes on to basically make fun of himself.  He does this because he has grown up constantly being picked on, and his way of coping with the bad stuff, is to make fun of himself.  To use to humor to try as way to cope with the negative things in his life.  Another example, on pages 7 - 8, he writes about the reason he loves fried chicken so much is because he is a poor Indian child and he does not have adequate nutrition.  But instead of feeling sorry for himself, he turns it into a joke.  "And hey, in a weird way, being hungry makes food taste bette...

 Throughout our reading of Sherman Alexie's Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I could not help but note how Unity is a theme throughout Arnold's development. Post- Colonial Theory includes an imbalance of power between races that is created by colonization. Throughout Arnold's time between the Rez and Reardon, we see an imbalance of power. Arnold is not only criticized for his appearance and race, but also criticizes himself. Arnold struggles with his two identities and in a way harbors an imbalance of power within himself. He constantly wonders who his true identity is. Is he going to stay true to his reservation and American Indian values or will he conform to the white rich kids at Reardon? On page 61 Arnold says, "I felt like two different people inside of one body. No, I felt like a magician slicing myself in half, with Junior livin' gon the Northside of the Spokane River and Arnold living on the South." (Alexie 61) This quote shows the division ...

  Though adolescence is complicated and varies along with the individuals, there are a few widely understood and accepted issues that adolescents face. Physical and cognitive development, social and emotional internal and external conflicts, and community relationships all play pivotal roles in what I think is the biggest struggle amongst adolescents – identity. Given the titles of other books we will read, paired identity being a major theme of this book, I believe identity crises, or the lack of self-concept, will be common amongst the other protagonists. I have not read any of the other assigned books for this class before, so I am excited to see how differently they grapple with the same problem. I connect deeply to Arnold’s struggles of staying true to where he comes from and being aware and hopeful that he won’t always be there. “‘You’ll be the first one to ever leave the rez this way,’ Mom said. ‘The Indians around here are going to be angry with you.’” (47) is one of the ...

  Alexie’s book took me by surprise. My first impression was hesitant. First, books aren’t my go-to source of entertainment. Second, one of the first graphics I looked at was Arnold’s book boner and thought, “what in the world are we going to read?”. Little did I know that this novel would address hard topics such as poverty, stereotypes, addiction, death, and institutional oppression, and yet end in victory. The victory isn’t necessarily for the whole reservation, people group, or his family; Arnold’s victory is within himself.   We talked about it in class, but Arnold creates a new dual identity as someone who lives on the rez and one who goes to a predominantly white school. At the beginning of the book, we see that Junior wears the Indian strap (Alexie 57) (right side). “I wish I were magical, but I am really just a poor ass reservation kid living with poor ass family on the poor ass Spokane Indian Reservation” (Alexie 7). By the end of the book, he wears the “white” and “...

     Hello, I am MiSTER Shaekwon Heard. I am a senior here at UPstate. I am a middle level education major, and I hope to teach sixth grade ELA. The title "MiSTER" comes from being a member of Call Me MiSTER - a mentorship program that strives to have minority male educators in South Carolina elementary and middle schools.       I have a lot of hobbies, but the top three would have to be martial arts, cooking, and anything outdoors. I love animals, nature, and especially water. My biggest passion outside of teaching is definitely coaching. I guess that is a form of teaching, though. I am an assistant wrestling coach at Spartanburg High School, and I work as a bookkeeper at a local grocery store.       As a learner, to be more successful, I have to be better about asking for help. I don't need help often, so when I do, I just try to see myself through.       The books that stood out most to me during my childhood ...