March Book Club Pre-Reading

 Imagine a perfect society, maybe this society can be real maybe it cannot. Imagine a world that made everyone truly happy. In my perfect society everyone is who they want to be. You can do whatever you want and be happy about it. Think about an imaginary world were everyone was successful and everyone was happy. A world where no-one went hungry, there´s no depression or stress or anger and everyone is okay with who they are. In this world the problems we face in everyday life is gone. In this world no-one wants to hurt anyone else and there is no crime or violence. The rules are not too strict or overbearing and are set in a way to make everyone have a pleasant life. That is my perfect world.

 But sadly we live in a world where violence is common and not everyone is happy. We live in a world that is almost the exact opposite of a perfect society. So maybe some day we will find a way to live in a world where everyone can be happy and violence is rarely seen.

Orphan Train: Post-Reading

"I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything, to let go of one life and find another. And now I feel, with a strange, deep certainty, that it must be my lot in life to be taught that lesson over and over again."

 The first sentence of that quote is extremely powerful. It means that loss isn't just up to chance, but up to fate instead. It's not probable that we will lose someone or something in our life, it's inevitable. It's our fate in life to lose and to accept lost. 
 This quote can be used in the real world and work. People lose loved ones everyday and everyday something is lost. There's not a chance that we might not lose something because it's our fate to lose things. We will lose people we love, we will lose things we love, lost is inevitable.
 This quote is very in touch with the story too. This quote can explain the character, Vivian very easily in this situation. She feels like everything in her life is lost, and she's saying this right before she gives away her baby. This quote can be in touch with orphans and young children without parents too. In my opinion this quote is very realistic in the sense that it can be seen in real life everyday. 

Orphan Train: Pre-Reading

 Sometimes we can take chances. Sometimes we succeed in what we were doing, and sometimes we fail. Sometimes we have a determined fate. This fate is certain to happen. So what is the difference between chance and fate?

 Chance: Chance is the possibility of something happening. When we have a chance to do something it isn't guaranteed to work. Chance means that you can either succeed or fail. If you have a chance of winning a million dollars then there's a possibility that you could win.

 Fate: Fate is inevitable, it's something that is sure to happen. When you're fate is to win a million dollars, you will win a million dollars. Fate isn't something that can be changed. Fate is the guaranteed outcome of something. If the fate of main character of the book is to die then they will most likely die. 

 So what is the difference between the two? Well chance is a possibility. Chance can be changed and nothing is for sure. Fate is destiny, it is out of our control. If the fate of humans is to die then it cannot be changed. Fate will always happen, while chance won't always happen. 

Things Fall Apart Post-Reading

 "To show affection was a sign of weakness, the only thing worth demonstrating was strength." The meaning of this quote is that showing affection or love for something can signal weakness. If someone knew what you cared about or what mattered to you they'd know your weakness. If you only show strength then you will be feared and it would be harder for someone to find your weaknesses.
 There are people that I know who are like this and don't show affection in fear of being seen as weak. People want to show their strength and not affection because they want to be seen as strong.
 This quote also applies to the main character of the story, Okonkwo who became known as one of the strongest people in his village after winning in a fight against a strong person in his village as a young man. In the book he doesn't want to show affection or his feelings because he didn't want to show any of his weaknesses. He only showed his strength and his power to others so others would respect and fear him.
 We have all been in a position where we want to be feared. We all want to show strength in us sometimes. But sometimes we have to show affection to the things we love even if that means showing our weaknesses.

Things Fall Apart Pre-Reading

It would be a "perfect" world if you could do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted.  However, often religion, social conformity, cultural expectations, and society's norms control the person you are.  Discuss how these constraints control you as an individual.  Why do we follow these "rules," and when do you think it is necessary to break from them.
   Sometimes we are given "rules" to follow in society these rules aren't the law or criminal but instead they rely on how humans act. For instance, it isn't against the law to wear pajamas to McDonald's, but is seen as a violation to society's expectations. This in fact can change who we are and how we act. 
   But it isn't just society that changes how we act it's also our self-consciousness that affect us. It would be hard to have a perfect world even if we could do what we wanted because of our conscious. You wouldn't want to go to McDonald's in your pajamas because it would be embarrassing and awkward.
   The reason we have those rules to control how we act stems from our conscious. The reason why the sense of being awkward is so unpleasant, is because it literally activates parts of the brain that sense physical pain. It literally hurts to be embarrassed and that's probably another reason for why we have social laws.
   But sometimes we break these rules in society. Maybe on a day we don't care what others think, or maybe we feel comfortable with others judging us. Sometimes we break these rules and suffer the consequences of our acts. Or maybe we break these rules when no one's around.  

Extra-Credit December Pre-Reading

  "Clones aren't human." Human cloning has been talked about all my life, I've heard people talking about ways to clone animals and people. Now cloning a human has never been done before, there is no-one alive who is a clone. But scientists have tried to clone humans and animals but have failed, except for Dolly who was a sheep that was cloned.
  To some extent clones aren't human but a clone would still be considered "human". If they had the same characteristics as a normal human then there would be nothing wrong with them. If it was me I think I would consider clones humans. If a clone is based on a human then it should be considered a human too. So clones would be considered humans and I think that someday it may be possible to clone someone.

The Other Wes Moore Post-Reading

"The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kind of legacies we leave." 

When live we walk a sort of trail, some people walk the same trails as others but the journey will always be different. Some trails are good and some bad but the main thing about it, is that when we walk this trail, we leave behind somethings. When we do something, think of it as leaving something on the trail for others to see. 

In The Other Wes Moore, Wes and Other Wes  leave behind their own trails, Wes' trail being a good one with him going to military camp and him getting a good education. Other Wes' trail is a grim one with him ending up in prison for murder. 

Anyone can leave a trail, no matter who they are or how old they may be. Some people's trails are sad, some are happy, some people might leave trails that others will want to follow.