Red Glass Analysis

Sophie’s Change Sophie is an American girl with blonde hair who finds herself in a situation which leads her to find love, happiness and freedom from her fears. Not only that, but throughout the book she, as a person has changed. The suburban environment she was in had vanished, and the new, Mexican environment has sprouted a new Sophie altogether. In Red Glass, author Laura Resau describes 16 year old Sophie as an outsider who believes she is an amoeba, but as the book continues she slowly shapes from an amoeba to a girl who doesn’t mind death, germs, or boys.

Red Glass is a book about illegal immigration that is divided into seven parts; each accompanied by a quote from the The Little Prince by e. e. cummings. Sophie, her mother, Dika, and her step-father live by the Mexican border. She has always felt like an amoeba, like she doesn’t fit in with anyone else. She soon meets Pablo, Mr. Lorenzo, and Angel who each change her life forever. She travels through dangerous and beautiful places and meets wonderful people who change her outlook on life.

In Special Glasses, Billy Collins utilizes humor and a lighthearted tone to create a much darker theme involving death and loss.

Ever since Alma was an infant she adored strolling through the narrow alleys and backstreets of Paris, one street in particular always deserted, made it her favorite. Alma had the street all to herself. As she pranced around in her favorite alley, she noticed a petite chalkboard for the first time. Intrigued by the board, she inspected it and acknowledged that written on the board was the names of various people, she concluded that she would write her own name. As she scribbled her name she recognized out of the corner of her eye the store across from her had a girl her age peering through the window towards her. As she investigated deeper she noticed the doll looked eerily exactly like her. As Alma steps forward the doll dashes away. Bewildered, Alma walks toward the store. As she gets nearer the door creaks open and Alma steps toward it, however the door seals shut. Discouraged, Alma walks away, but once more, something caught her attention. Turing around, she sees the door creak open yet again, and this

She eats by herself for the first time in her life, and afterwards remarks on how she feels about it: “How strong, how full of life and hope I felt as I walked out of that bakery. I opened my arms, burning to hug the new day. The strength of a million people was struggling up in me” (157). The words “strong,” “life,” and “hope” epitomize Sara’s newfound freedom she feels after breaking ties with her family. She relates her feelings within to that of “a million people struggling up in me” and these people-filled descriptions of loneliness show that even though she is physically alone, her individuality is such a success to her life that being only with herself is still a triumph. Sara continues, “I, alone with myself, was enjoying myself for the first time as with the grandest company” (157). She mentions that she is finally “alone with [herself],” but starkly contrasts this isolated description with the feeling of “the grandest company.” Sara celebrates her individuality another time when she leaves college with enough money to rent a beautiful room. She describes how, “I celebrated it alone with myself. I celebrated it in my room, my first clean, empty room” (241). By saying she is “with” herself even though she is “alone”, Sara demonstrates again that her individuality is a success. She celebrates the luxury of being alone and overcomes the hardships of her past by embracing

Looking for Alibrandi is a prime example on how young adults can be educated on the stresses and losses of life and through reflection they can set you free. Looking for Alibrandi focuses on one girl and the shame of her family’s irresponsibility’s have brought on them. Through her difficult school year, her absent father, falling in love, losing friends and discovering the truth about her identity. Melina Marchetta opened doors to the complications of the first generation Australian born ethnic female identities. Marchetta identified the anxieties of being different and acceptance which comes with being unfamiliar. She shows the reader themselves that people who are alike Josie are normal and mainly important and not alone.

After reading half of The Wanderer by Sharon Creech I have learned more about the main character, Sophie. In the beginning, I predicted that Sophie did not fully understand herself and her personality. As I predicted, the journey to see Bompie has affected her positively and she has become someone that finds joy in the smallest of things. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think lobsters or lobster pots were all that amazing until Sophie got so excited about them...you listen to her talk and then you start thinking maybe that would be a neat life.” this quote from Cody’s log highlights Sophie’s personality in comparison to Brian’s worrying personality. I also predicted that Sophie will try to earn independence in her journey to see Bompie. “...and

When all the knowledge in the world fails to bring you happiness in life, where do you turn? In the case of the Glass Siblings, the answer to this question is spiritual enlightenment. Specifically, they are interested in Eastern religious philosophies. References to these philosophies – such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism – are found throughout the Glass novellas. The beliefs of the various members of the Glass family are frequently revealed through the children they encounter or observe. Throughout the Glass stories, small children are portrayed as spiritually advanced, with much to teach adults.

The fictional life and death of a twelve year old little boy named Robert is vividly articulated in this moving tale by Thomas Wolfe. The reader learns of the boy’s life through four well developed points of view. The reader’s first glimpse into Robert’s character is expressed through a third person narrative. This section takes place on a particularly important afternoon in the boy’s life. The second and third views are memories of the child, through the eyes of his mother and sister. His mother paints the picture of an extraordinary child whom she loved dearly and his sister illustrates the love that the boy had for others. Finally, an account from the narrator is given in the ending. It is in the last section of this work that the

As the issue of bullying continues to be an overwhelming presence, some were pushed to their limits. In one girl’s case, the bullying was so harsh that she took her own life. Megan Taylor Meier, was described as a young girl who was very enthusiastic. However, Megan was also seeing psychiatrist regarding her problems about her own image. In the seventh grade, Megan Meier “had tried desperately to join the popular crowd at Fort Zumwalt West Middle School, only to be teased about her weight” . (Maag) As Megan moved to a Catholic school, she had lost 20 pounds and also gained a new group of friends. However, Megan’s life would soon take on a huge twist. Megan had a MySpace and it soon that through this website that her universe would change. It was through MySpace that she meet Josh Evans, a seemingly nice home schooled, phoneless boy of the age 16, and the two messaged one another continuously. The boy and Megan quickly became close and formed

Girls perch on the tables like exotic birds gossiping and giggling, a football fly’s above their heads between two jocks in varsity jackets parading their toned muscles. Groups of high schoolers sit around the room laughing. Weekend has arrived and the hallways of the school were filled with tons of kids ready to go home. Every ear filled with the sound of multiple conversations going off at once, lockers opening and closing, music blasting without. I had managed to push past the constant stream of children and to the school field. The grass was damp and covered in a thin layer of frost. As I walked my footprints were embedded, leaving a piece of me in the cold ground. I saw my friends faraway chattering and fooling around. I was stuck in the wrong crowd; they are nothing like me but somehow I am still friends with them. I slowly made my way up to my “so called friends”.

Identity can be defined as the fact of being whom or what a person is. Internal and external factors shape a child’s concept of their own identity. These factors include the environmental setting, family, community, and the media. In the novel Room by Emma Donoghue, the 5-year-old narrator/protagonist Jack learns his identity through exploring the familiar space he occupies, the close relationship between he and his mother, and watching television. It is clear that Jack faces many challenges, which lead him to discover how his identity is shaped; this is evident through the exploration of him forming personal attachments to his mother, the room he lived in, and the problems he encounters to the new outside

The Fault in Our Stars depicts Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old girl diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer. The book chronicles her relationship with Augustus Waters, who has also been diagnosed with cancer. Throughout the novel, Hazel constantly struggles with her identity in relation to her disease. She is conflicted whether to accept the prescribed image society has of her or to embrace her true inner self. Through a period of self-realization, she eventually comes to terms with and redefines her identity. Although society may define an individual’s self-image, The Fault in Our Stars demonstrates that identity is defined by the inner self, rather than external forces; in turn, that self-perception deeply impacts one’s perspective on life.

The novel, I am not Esther, written by Fleur Beale follows Kirby Greenland, a fourteen year old girl, who is suddenly abandoned by her mother. Kirby is then forced to live with family members she has never met before in an unfamiliar, religious community with strict rules and regulations. During her time in the community, also considered as a ‘cult’, Kirby faced the challenges of identity change and loss as well as abandonment and isolation. This helped me develop a deep understanding of Kirby and how she undergoes a large character development throughout the text.

This experiment shall be repeated twice or more to enhance accuracy of the results obtained. Besides detecting systematic errors, this experiment would aid on the technique and understandings to the correct use of these equipments.