April 2016 archive

18
Apr
2016

Creating Ripples (Building/Understanding – Whirligig)

categories: English 9

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In Whirligig by Paul Fleischman, the protagonist is struggling to fit in and is constantly searching for the right way to present himself. In order to do so, Brent decides to go to a party, streaming to impress his classmates, but everything crumbles when, after a drink and public humiliation, he gets into his car and becomes the culprit of an accident. Luckily, Brent undergoes only a mild concussion, but sadly also takes the life of an innocent girl, Lea. To repay her parents, he takes a Greyhound to the 4 corners of the United States to plant whirligigs in recognition of her.

The theme statement, “One can cause great grief if not considering his/her actions”, associates to one of the four main themes of this book; inter-connectedness. It shows how almost every action made, even by people with no big intentions, can lead to something much more significant. For example, Brent might have never gotten into a car, drunk, taking Lea’s life, if it wasn’t for Jonathan, who neglected to tell him about the themed party, or Brianna, who treated him poorly, causing his temper. This shows how even though Jonathan and Brianna may not know Lea, they are still very much connected in the way that they all had something to do with her death. The quote from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, “Everything we did – good, bad, and indifferent – sent a wave rolling out of sight,” is a good example of what inter-connectedness means – all of our actions have consequences.

Another connection I made was when the unnamed Puerto Rican immigrant gets a change of perspective from Brent’s whirligig by the sea; “People are always in a group. Like that little wooden marching band… If the people in a group get along, maybe they could make good music instead of arguing”. This shows how after seeing the marching band (built by Brent), the immigrant realized that there isn’t always war and fighting, we can still find peace, even in the worst times. In this part of the story, Lea isn’t only connected to Brent, Brianna, and Jonathan, but the immigrant as well, helping me answer the EQ question; “How does the influence of others impact our own lives?”

 

04
Apr
2016

Whirligig Introductory (Forgiveness)

categories: English 9, Portfolio

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When it came to forgiveness, I was a closed book. I felt that when someone hurt me, it was practically impossible for them to regain my trust once again, even if it was in the past and maybe long forgotten, but after seeing the video “Walking after Midnight”, I realized that forgiving isn’t to forget, it is to move forward and relieve the pain not only in myself, but in the person as well. Even though I would never be able to feel exactly the way Karen did when realizing her husband had died due to a party gone completely backwards, I can imagine how much she must have hated the man behind his death and how much strength it took to really forgive him, to work with him in order to create change in others’ mindsets.

I’ve been in the shoes of the person who did the supposedly unforgiveable and it is enough to know that when you hurt someone you never intended on hurting, you want to do anything to free yourself from the guilt, just as much as whomever you’ve hurt wants to free themselves from the despair.

The quote “Forgiveness is my gift to you, moving on is my gift to myself” really describes my perspective on what it means to pardon someone for their mistakes. I learned that when something unspeakable happens to you, it’s always going to be at the back of your mind, whether you want it there or not, so in order to overcome your constant feeling of hatred, disappointment, or anger, you must accept that life goes on, better things will eventually arise if you let go of all that’s weighing you down and open your eyes towards a continued future.