Character Analysis: Raw By Scott Monk

For a 12-year-old Cuban boy living in the Bronx, baseball is his family's only way out and means a better tomorrow. In the novel, Heat by Mike Lupica, baseball represents a way out and a better tomorrow. He loves baseball and idolizes the Yankees pitcher El Grande, who was also Cuban-born. Michael Arroyo is a young boy who has reasons to distrust the representatives of the state must figure out how to continue life on his own terms while navigating the adult world and avoiding both the well-meaning and the badly-intentioned interference of grown-ups. Michael is also the best baseball pitcher on his South Bronx all-star team. Michael's arm is so good, that a rival Little League coach begins requesting proof that he's only 12 and eligible to play. They ask for his father but, recently, his father took a trip to Florida and had a heart attack, killing him. Michael and his 17-year-old brother Carlos, are trying to avoid Child Protective Services until Carlos turns 18.

The Second Chance Cycle Second chances are very hard to get, but when they are given, they should be appreciated and valued. Many of the characters in The First Stone have impactful second chances that they may not fully appreciate at first. As they live out their second chances Reef, Alex, and Leeza go through major personality change that they may not realize for a while.

Ottawa- Dan Stoddard was doing what he does every day when he came across a woman who seemed to be in danger. He asked her what was wrong and she confided in him that she was being abused physically and emotionally and that she needed a phone. Stoddard could have very well ignored this women but he the just thing and called transit security. In the end, the police came and were able to take the woman to a safer place.

"...What impact did your father not being there have on your childhood?"(The "Other" Wes Moore -Part I: Fathers and Angels - pg. 4) This question is what connected me to the novel. The "author" Wes began the story of his and the "other " Wes's memories of their fathers. This explains how and why they grew up fatherless. Wes " the author" recalls only have two memories of his father one was when his father had a talk with him after he punched his sister Nikki and the other one was the day his father passed away. The "author" Wes father didn't choose to leave, unlike the "other Wes's father, which he never met until years later. I related to this chapter a lot, I too was raised by a single mother but my story is just a tad different. My family

We all change whether good or bad. It is in us to make decisions that shape the way we act towards everyday occurrences. In this cases Chris Theodorakis changed immensely. Chris went from a unconfident recluse to an outgoing professor. This just shows how fast you can change to become a better person for yourself.

In the novel, All the Broken Pieces, by Ann E. Burg, Matt makes a comparison between himself and his brother when he defines his brother as “summer” and himself as “fall”. This metaphor can be explained not only by their physical features, but their emotional and mental characteristics as well. His brother features summer and hasn’t faced any misery, while he himself looks like fall and has come across atrocious things.

Question One: Doug has a difficult family life. His father behaves less like a parent and more like a bully, but in Marysville, Doug meets other adults who show him kindness and compassion. Name a few of the adult characters in Okay For Now who offer Doug guidance and instruction. What does Doug learn from them? Support your response with evidence from the text.

Jimmy knows too well the agonies of abandonment. First, when his mother, Cecilia, ran away with Richard to pursue a better lifestyle. Then, due to his father’s, Damacio Baca, alcoholisms and violent behavior; he also had to leave Jimmy behind. In spite of the drawbacks from abandonment to being a maximum security prisoner in Arizona State Prison, Jimmy preserver’s the darkness of prison by overcoming his illiteracy. However Cecilia and Damacio is not as fortunate as their child; Cecilia is shot by Richard after confronting him for a divorce and Damacio chokes to death after he is released from the detox center(Baca 263). Therefore the most significant event in this section of the memoir, A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca is the death of Jimmy’s parents.

dilemma of killing her mother. Something that makes me relate with her is that she is

My essay will be on how one character is dynamic throughout Okay For Now. Gary D. Schmidt is the author of Okay For Now. He tells a thrilling story about a young boy whose life changes very fast and it affects all of his family. The character analysis is on Doug Swieteck. This essay will be showing how Doug hates his life at first ,but then changes his mind throughout the book.

“It’s because he no longer loves us sweetheart. Pack your stuff, we’re leaving this house and your father who doesn’t care enough anymore about this family.”

What is your opinion on how society impacts everyone’s meaning of who they are? We wonder, why is there always expectations for us to live our lives. We ask ourselves, “Why is there always a type of judgement?” Is it ever going to end?” Society gives humanity a different type of understanding and visual towards who people are.

I was pleased to have attended a lecture cosponsored by the Ethics Center, the Fresno State office of the president, the Fresno Bee and Valley PBS. The lecture began with Dr. Castro recognizing a few leaders on campus, including a past Fresno State president, Dr. John D. Welty and campus volunteer Mary Castro. Dr. Castro then mentioned a few things about Mr. Brooks stating that he is a columnist for the New York Times and an analyst for the PBS “News Hour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, one the finest university in the country. Dr. Castro continued by saying that he learned that Mr. Brooks office hours are from 9am to 1pm and how “cool” it sounded to him. I was surprised how many people attended the event. I was fortunate to find a seat. David Brooks mentioned how he has some remote roots in the Central Valley because his father grew in Chowchilla, CA but Mr. Brooks grew in New York.

Towards the end, Brett finally has given up his old ways, when he was fighting with Caitlyn's dad. "Suddenly, Brett realised he was tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of the pain. He couldn't keep solving his problems with his fists. He wanted out. He wanted a normal life", (pg.332). This is Brett's breaking point in the novel. It reveals his realisation for a normal life, and doesn't want to have to keeping fighting to solve all of his problems.

In the novel Catch Me If You Can by Frank William Abagnale, Frank is a well defined static character. Even though he faces different challenges throughout the novel, he remains the same a the end of the story as he was in the beginning. Being said this, he still continued to run away from his problems and did cons. He is a confident individual who ran away from home at a young age to find a life for himself. Frank is a smart, young and charismatic boy. During his early teen years, his parents started to go through a divorce, which left him torn between whom to choose to stay with. After learning about the divorce that was about to take place, Frank decides to runaway. Frank states, “One June morning of 1964, I woke up and knew it was time to go.