Rustin

1/26/2016-How did you feel after Auggie was through with the tour

Just like you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a boy by his face! I have all sorts of feelings after Auggie was through with the tour. One thing I could tell was that Auggie was really nervous just around 3 children so he's probably going to be really nervous and its going to take him a while to adjust and get used to going to school and dealing with everything. Unfortunately, I think that he's going to have lots of trouble because of people just looking at him and possibly making fun of him. Julian so far has been very rude, mean, and has acted like a jerk, and I don't think that Auggie's going to get along with Julian at all. Some examples in the book is that Julian asked Auggie "What's the deal with your face?" Julian also cut right in front of Auggie when they were walking up the stairs, asked some other rude questions, and even though Auggie hadn't been to a school he doesn't think that Auggie can handle the science elective when Auggie seems very smart. He also is very insensitive. Julian also acts very nicely in front of adults, but acts like a jerk etc when he's with kids. Charlotte on the other hand seems nice even though she might be a little arrogant. Also, she likes performing. We haven't got to know a lot about Jack Will but he seems like a nice guy. So in conclusion the reader is put at a position where they are feeling uncertain and uncomfortable about Auggie's future at this new school, but also feeling that it might no be as bad as we, the reader, originally thought. Julian is just one child and there will probably be more kids like Julian, but I think there will be plenty more that are nice to Auggie.

2/2/2016-How do you feel about Auggie's September at his new school?

Auggie's September at his new school filled me with many different feelings. I felt like September was a month for Auggie to just get used to some things such as going to school (along with that comes classes, homework, tests, quizzes, projects, grades, etc), becoming accustomed to all the hatred he has received, trying to find out who are his true friends, etc. I think that the start of school went better than he expected, but not the best it could have been. It was a reasonably good start. Auggie's September had good and bad moments and I just feel bad for Auggie for what he is experiencing since probably no other kid would have to experience what he is, but I have a feeling that things will get better on from here, and I think Jack and Summer will become really good friends with him. Also, his teachers seem very nice to Auggie and Auggie seems to like them so far. Some examples of the hatred he has received was Julian asking him if his favorite character in Star Wars was Darth Sidious and that was bad because in an episode Darth Sidious's face gets burned and shriveled up which he was referring to as Auggie's face which was really mean. Also, Henry showed that he didn't want to sit next to Auggie by his actions by which was putting a bookbag between himself and Auggie. I could tell that Jack and Summer were his true friends so far because they didn't mind his face and treated him like a normal kid and were both very nice to him. Overall, I think that Jack and Summer will stay his true friends throughout the year and possibly some other people will become a good friend of his, but knowing that there will always be people such as Julian who are mean to him, and that he will just have to ignore them and be strong.

2/03-What should Auggie do about school? Explain. What could help him decide to return?

I think that Auggie should go back to school, but there are a lot of things he should and needs to do. Concluding from what just happened, Auggie's furious and very sad, and I think it would be hard for him to be friends with Jack again, and even if he tried to make a new friend that would be even harder. I think that Auggie needs to discuss this with his family, possibly talk about it with Summer, and maybe even go talk to Jack and tell him how he feels. I think that if he goes and talks to his family he could let his emotions out and they could talk about why they think Jack would do this, etc. Also, since Summer went to the lower school at Beecher Prep she knows what kind of person Jack is and she could tell Auggie what he's like and if he usually acts like this. I think something that could help him decide to return is that he realizes that school and education is very important and that he will learn so much more things at school then he ever will at home. School will get him ready for reality too and what it will be like. If he was home schooled for the rest of his life he probably wouldn't succeed as opposed to going to a school. This is his opportunity to make friends and have a social life. Also, he needs to understand that he will always have other true friends that will be on his side like Summer and maybe Charlotte. If Auggie goes and talks to Jack, and he gives Auggie a very sincere apology and realizes what has happened, I think that there friendship will be back on track. I personally think that Jack will understand his mistake and regret it deeply and that there friendship will be back on track.

2/04-List at least 3 strong questions you have about Via, Auggie's sister, that you hope to find out in the next part How does Via truly feel on the inside? I know what Via acts really nice on the outside but I wonder what she's thinking on the inside. What is Via's daily life like? Stuff such as hobbies, sports,etc. Is she a good student? Does she have anything going on that we don't know about? Auggie was mentioning she was having fits.

2/09-What did you about Via that most surprised you? There were several things that surprised me the most about Via, but there were a few that stood out to me. One thing that surprised me was that Grans said that Via was her favorite, and grandparents aren't supposed to have a favorite, but Grans understood that Via felt as if she wasn't being cared for as much as Auggie. She did understand what Auggie was going through and that his case was more important than hers, but sometimes Via just felt bad, and her grandmother wanted to make sure that she knew that she would always have Grans looking after her. "I love Auggie very, very much, but he has many angels looking out for him already, Via. And I want you to know that you have me looking out for you." Another thing that surprised me was that Via now feels that Auggie is too much like a baby and that he needs to grow up. She says, "Why can't he just say what he's feeling like everyone else? His jaw's not wired shut. He's ten years old. He can use his words. But we circle around him like he's still the baby he used to be. We change plans, go to plan B, interrupt conversations, go back on promised depending on his moods, his whims, his needs. That was fine when he was little. But he needs to grow up now. We need to let him, help him, make him grow up. We've spent too much time trying to make August think he's normal that he actually thinks he is normal. And the problem is, he's not. That really shows that Via's becoming tired of Auggie acting like a kid and that he needs to grow up. All in all, Via's chapter had many things that surprised that made me change the way I think about Via.

2/10-How did Via's part about Halloween differ from Auggie's? Via's part about Halloween differed from Auggie's in many ways. Auggie was looking very forward to going to school and was really excited about Halloween and dressing up, but Via was mourning and crying over the death of her grandmother which happened four years ago, and she didn't go to school. Also, Via was feeling good after she got over crying over the death of her grandmother, but Auggie just felt worse and worse as the day went on, until trick or treating. Another thing was that Via mentioned was that he he threw up, but Auggie never mentioned it. Lastly, Via had a conversation with Auggie about going trick or treating (and about what happened at school), and eventually they did go trick or treating, but in Auggie's part he never mentions the conversation or him going trick or treating. In conclusion, I think that both chapters had similarities and differences, but there obviously was a lot more differences.

2/16/16-(50 points) Why was the Justin-Part Five important for us to read? What did we need to understand by reading Justin's perspective? Please explain your ideas and use examples

Justin's Part Five was important for us to read for a couple of reason. One reason was because it gave us a whole other perspective and reaction to look at that was from someone who was just a normal kid who was close to the Pullman family, but wasn't in Auggie's grade or family and who didn't know Auggie that well (in the beginning of the part). Also, it shows the transition/change of Justin being surprised and shocked (on the inside) to being accustomed to Auggie's face which was important for us to understand because it showed what he was feeling and how he became accustomed to his face (and that HIS FACE IS REALLY NOT THAT BAD and that people are just over exaggerating). Lastly, it shows a contrast between Justin's family and Auggie's family. He mentioned lots of times about how his family had no support, didn't really care about him, etc. They are many examples. On page 191 he says "My parents don't have a clue about what I want to do with my life. They never ask. We never talk like this. I don't think they even know I traded in my baroque violin for a hardanger fiddle a two years ago." This was just a few examples, and plenty more were mentioned in the book. We needed to understand several things by reading Justin's perspective. One thing we needed to understand was his perspective and reactions to Auggie and how someone like him felt about someone like Auggie. The chapter told us his personality and we needed to make sure we understood it because it gave us an important view over someone unlike than the people we have been reading so far. Another thing that we needed to understand is the contrast between Justin's family and the Pullmans and having someone to support you. This is very important and can play a big role. If Auggie didn't have other people supporting him, he might have had an emotional breakdown. Unfortunately, Justin doesn't even have parents that care about him that much. He mentions on page 192 that he can't remember the last time anyone in my family said that (I love you) to me., and this was just one of the many examples. Even though his parents don't care about him he has someone that does, the Pullmans. In conclusion, this chapter was a really important read and there were plenty of things that we needed to understand by reading his perspective and reactions, and understanding the contrast between the two families.

2/18/16-(50 points) On page 248 Miranda admits to herself.."for the first time in a very, very long time, I felt absolutely happy." Explain why she feels this way and use supporting details I think Miranda feels this way for multiple reasons. First of all, she has been going through a lot of things and just has not been herself. When I say this, I mean that she has been acting totally different since the end of middle school and has focused on other things that aren't that important to someone like Via but are important to a lot of other people, and that is popularity. Last year, Miranda wasn't at all focused about popularity at all and was fine being the dork she was (as Via said), but she's changed a lot by this point and has not been herself and has done things that she wouldn't have done before such as smoking, dying her hair pink, and doing other bad things and that leads me up to say that she now feels absolutely happy because she can now be herself again when she's with Via and the rest of the Pullmans. Miranda's basically being forced by all the other kids she hangs out with to do the stuff they say so she can remain popular, but now there's nobody forcing her to do things, and there's nobody criticizing her on the outside as the Pullmans as a family only care about what's on the inside. Secondly, when she says they started leading me out of the crowd, I think that sentence means more than just what is says literally. It shows that Miranda is being pulled out of all the popularity stuff and starting her friendship back with Via, and this really shows a good sign. In conclusion, Miranda's in a good position right now and should seize the opportunity, and I sense good things coming up between Via and Miranda.

Characterization

Main Character Usually the character that presents good traits the good guy Usually involved in climax, resultsdownfall of antagonist
 * Protagonist:**

The bad guy the one in the story that is the one in conflict with the protagonist Julian was the true antagonist of the story
 * Antagonist:**

They are both characters

We have 2 types of conflict within these characters/story internal ex. Auggie vs self doubt external
 * Conflict**

Character or characters that go through the story with change Dynamic characters: Auggie, Miranda
 * Dynamic:**

Character or characters that go through the story with little to no change Static Characters: Julian, Summer
 * Static:**

Example: Saying someone is mean Author gives exact wording Speaking it right now tells the audience what the personality of the character is.
 * Direct Characterization:**

Example: showing someone is mean by actions Showing it in a different way shows things that reveal the personality of a character. thoughts actions
 * Indirect Characterization**

// Nothing But the Truth // May 10, 2016-1. Do you think parents should believe the stories their children tell, or should they investigate the truth when important matters are involved? Do you think a parent's role is to give a child emotional support even when he or she has done something wrong? Is there a point at which a parent may have to let society punish a child for wrong-doing?

I think it really depends on how realistic the stories that the children are telling to their parents are. When important matters are involved, I do think they should investigate the truth, but again, it all comes down to how realistic the stories are. A parent's role should be to give a child emotional support even when they have done something wrong because the child is feeling down and feels bad that he/she has done something wrong, and so the parents need to support the child. At some extent yes, there is a point at which a parent may have to let society punish a child for wrong-doing. This would happen either when the child has done something extremely bad or when the child keeps doing wrong things over and over again and won't bother or try to stop doing wrong actions.

May 10, 2016-2. When a rule at school does not make sense to you, do you have the right to decide which rules you will obey and which you will not? Can you think of a rule you would refuse to obey? What would be the consequences?

If the rule at school doesn't make sense to you, then you don't really have the right to decide which rules you will obey and which you will not. Anyone, if they want to, can break the rules, they are capable of doing it, but it isn't the right thing to do, unless if the rule is so much to the extremes. I say this because if we couldn't do some actions such as talking, asking questions, etc. would be very extreme. A rule I would refuse to obey is if we didn't have a right to raise our hands, ask questions in class, and talk freely. The consequences might be having hours of detention or even in school suspension, but I am so happy that that isn't true, and that we can ask questions, etc.