Tilt By Ellen Hopkins (Revised Response)

Critical Thinking Question :

   How different are people allowed to be in your text? 

Does it assume everyone is happy and good in the same ways?

     Recently, I just started reading Tilt, by Ellen Hopkins. Each chapter is a new character and their point of view. They all have their own problems whether it's relationship or a problem at home. I realized that many characters in this book seem unhappy because people don't accept the way they choose to lie their life.

     When I first started reading this book, the first character that I was introduced to was Mikayla. She came off as a character who was up for anything and loved to experiment with her options. 

         

         "My World Tilted. Completely off it's axis the night I hooked up with Dylan Douglas. It was New Years Eve-- five months ago-- so maybe part of that earth-sway had something to do with the downers, weed, and cheap beer." (Hopkins, 1)

    Her parents don't watch her every move and I think she misses them guarding her down but they only care when they want to. Then, she continues to talk about her past relationships and how glad she is that she didn't give her virginity to her last boyfriend. Then later on she goes to sneak out with Dylan to go to a party in some short shorts and a revealing tank top. Her brother disapproves while her mother doesn't see. She knows her mother disagrees with almost everything she does. That doesn't matter though, because she gets away with almost anything because of how persuasive and a bit annoying she is.

    As I made my way through the book, I met Shane and Alex. They met each other online and they are both homosexual. They're not as open as others because not many people agree with their lifestyle choice. Therefore, to me, they are unhappy. "It wasn't even the gay-bashing. I got used to that in grade school." (Hopkins, 12) It's not like Shane told people he was gay. They just assumed from his actions, and they didn't accept him for who he was. Alex is even unhappier because he has HIV. His Step Uncle raped him when he was 10 and threatened that if Alex told, he would kill his sister. Alex is a secretive person because of this while Shane wants him to be more open and speak out. Shane is going through somethings himself. His parents act like they're divorced, constantly arguing and on top of that, his little sister is on the verge of dying and that's his mom's main focus. His mom is more accepting of the way he is while his dad barely agrees on this lifestyle choice, but he doesn't care about the opinion of others

     There are a few other characters that I was introduced to but I was more interested in Brianna. Brianna is unhappy because everything is backwards in her life. Everyone expects her to be like her sister and her mom, who acts younger than she is. Everyone thinks she wants to be a copy of her sister but in reality she thinks her sister, "exposes more than she should." (Hopkins, 95) Yet, because Brianna is nothing like her sister or mother, she is only liked by few. In Brianna's opinion, her mom is a 40 year old slut. Everyone notices her in a different light than she really is. In order for her to get friends, she has to act like her mom and her sister and because she doesn't want to be that way, she is unhappy and basically, lonely. 

     This text made me realize that people are still being stereotyped often nowadays and it's unfair. Whether it's by their lifestyle or appearance. Even the lifestyle and appearance of the people around them . Nobody expects Shane to be gay because his dad went to church when he was younger. Nobody expects Mikayla to act the way she does because usually her parents are watching her and they're known to be strict. Lastly, nobody expects Brianna to be a 'nobody' because of the way her sister and mother act, and their reputation. Everything a character in this story does, depends on what someone else thinks of them, and in the end, they're all unhappy and lacking patience. So far, what I have gotten from this story is that what you see on the outside is different than the point of view on the inside for each character. That's what I think the authors purpose of this book was for. Almost as if to say not to judge a person by their actions and appearance, but to get to know them first. 

Critical Thinking Response - TILT Ellen Hopkins

Critical Thinking Question :
   How different are people allowed to be in your text? 
Does it assume everyone is happy and good in the same ways?

     Recently, I just started reading Tilt, by Ellen Hopkins. Each chapter is a new character and their point of view and I've realized that at least one character relates to another. Whether it was lifestyle, attitude or the way they express themselves. After that realization, I realized that many characters in this book seem unhappy because people don't accept the way they choose to be.

     When I first started reading this book, the first character that I was introduced to was Mikayla. The first impression I had made of her was a teen who likes to experiment with life.
         
         "My World Tilted. Completely off it's axis the night I hooked up with Dylan Douglas. It was New Years Eve-- five months ago-- so maybe part of that earth-sway had something to do with the downers, weed, and cheap beer." (Hopkins, 1)

    Her parents don't watch her every move and I think she misses them guarding her down but they only care when they want to. Then, she continues to talk about her past relationships and how glad she is that she didn't give her virginity to her last boyfriend. Then later on she goes to sneak out with Dylan to go to a party in some short shorts and a revealing tank top. Her brother disapproves while her mother doesn't see. She knows her mother disagrees with almost everything she does. But, she doesn't care because she loves Dylan. In my opinion, the feeling isn't mutual. Dylan seems to just be using her for sex and her appearance.

    As I made my way through the book, I met Shane and Alex. They met each other online and they are both gay. They're not as open as others because not many people agree with their lifestyle choice. Therefore, they are unhappy. "It wasn't even the gay-bashing. I got used to that in grade school." (Hopkins, 12) It's not like Shane told people he was gay. They just assumed from his actions, and they didn't accept him for who he was. Alex is even unhappier because he has HIV. His Step Uncle raped him when he was 10 and threatened that if Alex told, he would kill his sister. Alex is a secretive person because of this while Shane wants him to be more open and speak out. Shane is going through somethings himself. His parents act like they're divorced, constantly arguing and on top of that, his little sister is on the verge of dying and that's his mom's main focus. His mom and dad barely agree on him being gay, but he doesn't care.

     There are a few other characters that I was introduced to but I was more interested in Brianna. Brianna is unhappy because everything is backwards. Everyone expects her to be like her sister and her mom, who acts younger than she is. Everyone thinks she wants to be a copy of her sister but in reality she thinks her sister, "exposes more than she should." (Hopkins, 95) Yet, because Brianna is nothing like her sister or mother, she is only liked by few. In Brianna's opinion, her mom is a 40 year old slut. Everyone see's her in a different light than she really is. In order for her to get friends, she has to act like her mom and her sister and because she doesn't want to be that way, she is unhappy and basically, lonely. 

     This text made me realize that people are still being stereotyped often. Whether it's by their lifestyle or appearance. Even the lifestyle and appearance of the people around them . Nobody expects Shane to be gay because his dad went to church when he was younger. Nobody expects Mikayla to act the way she does because usually her parents are watching her and they're strict. Lastly, nobody expects Brianna to be a 'nobody' because of the way her sister and mother act, and their reputation. Everything a character in this story does, depends on what someone else thinks of them, and in the end, they're all unhappy and lacking patience. So far, what I have gotten from this story is that what you see on the outside is different than the point of view on the inside for each character. That's what I think the authors purpose of this book was for. Almost as if to say not to judge a person by their actions and appearance, but to get to know them first. 

Argument Essay Final ~ Crank

Should Crank Be Banned In Classroom And School Libraries?

     Reading is something that we are taught to do at a young age. Some of us read everyday, but do we all consider the harmful effects inside of these books? Books like Crank, by Ellen Hopkins is a book that I've recently finished reading, that's basically, sex and drugs. The sexual content in this book was disturbing to many readers such as myself and a few of my peers. The main character Kristina doesn't realize what sex and drugs are doing to her. She has transformed into a whole new person, Bree. Bree is her dark and odd side.Bree is the side of her that acts out and acts like a totally different person. Maybe her reason for doing things like this is because she is mad at the world because her mom and dad aren't together. It could be because she's angry that her dad hasn't made an effort to see her in 8 years and when he finally gets to, it's not what she wanted. Even though some may disagree, Crank should be banned in middle school classrooms and school libraries because the content inside the book is very inappropriate for a variety of the young teen population.
In Crank, the main character becomes interested in drugs and sex, which lead to so much more than expected. When going to live with her father for a few weeks for the first time in forever,  she learns from his ways. He comes home high the majority of the time and uses terms like, “Never been laid? Tell the truth little girl,” (Hopkins 24) In a way to possibly "get to know his daughter." He says things in reference to considering having sex with his boss to lay him off the hook for not doing his job: “Think I could convince her to try a line? I'd love to get her in bed” (Hopkins 104). What type of dad talks to their daughter about stuff like that? Then soon after, she meets Adam and they do things together. They have sex a few times even when she doesn't want to. She realizes that most of her choices are stupid because the chapter title is, “So of Course I Did A Really Stupid Thing” (Hopkins 161). She takes the crank, an addictive form of Crystal Meth, from Adam and gets high, and soon after they have sex, which in my point of view seemed a bit forced, considering the fact that her menstrual cycle had begun unexpectedly. No teen at all needs to experience something like that. The more she does things like this, the more it seems okay to do, and it's obviously not, but a reader who is easily influenced would do the same as her.
After awhile, the drug use and sex were less frequent, but it soon appeared again when she met two guys back at home with her mom. Their names were Brenden and Chase. She was trying to see how many guys she could interest herself in, meaning how many would have a mutual feeling towards her because of the way she presented herself. At first she was playing them. Simply messing around with their minds and being faster than she needed to be, when to her it was all just a joke. She started talking about having sex with Brendan. He took her seriously, but when they finally got together, she refused and he raped her even though her menstrual cycle had came yet again, which made him even more furious. He thought she was lying to get out of what she started. And then after that, he made her pay $250 worth all the drugs she got from him for free. That shows how addicted she was to it. No teen should ever have to experience being raped and used. The worst part of it all is that Brendan got her pregnant, but of course has no intention of caring for this child. It was hard enough to read the book, but even worse to see Kristina suffer even though she put all this stress on herself. 
If you disagree with the fact that this book should be banned, then most likely you're considering the fact that books like Crank can show readers the negative affects of drugs, having sex at a young age and this may prevent them from advancing themselves in these activities. The problem with that is that no student in middle school and elementary school should read about the reaction of drugs and what happens when you have sex at an age like Kristina, even if she is 17. If you're looking for a book to teach a lesson, then you should look for a book that focuses on the negative affects of drugs and not a character who continuously gets into trouble and walks around like a fool because of drugs, sex, and relationships in general. Kristina already knows her choices are stupid, but she continues to do them anyway. Thats a negative influence, and as stated before, a young teen who is easily influenced would most likely make the same choices as Kristina. They may not even realize the wrong in their choices, because they're not focused on that. I myself was disturbed a few times reading different parts of this book to the point where I couldn't even read it. In an article by Tanith Carey, “Sick Lit,” she states, “Most are liberally peppered with sex and swearing,” referring to books. That's all you read throughout this book along with drug use. There are a few scenes without these things but they just lead to the same topic consistently. The content in this book just isn't appropriate for the younger teen population. 
In the end, many people get influenced just by what they see on the street. So imagine how many people get influenced from the books they read on a daily basis... So imagine someone close to you telling you that they've developed an interest in alcohol and drugs. Imagine that the reason was because they read it in a book and they thought it was cool. I mean you could talk them out of it, like Chase, Kristina's new boyfriend tried to do with her, but what if that doesn't work? It obviously didn't help Kristina even after she had the baby by Brenden. She said it herself, “ Crank is more than just drug. It's a way of life. You can turn your back. But you can never walk away. The monster will forever speak to me,”(Hopkins 537). She's obviously tried and had the intention of quitting, for the sake of her child and the sake of being sane, but it never really happened. It didn't work for Kristina, so would it work for that person who is close to you? Would it work for a young teen?

Critical Thinking Response

     Question : What really hard things are happening in this text? Are these happening in the world now? Where?


    Nowadays, a lot of us teens are rushing to grow up. From what I've read in several books, it's not what it seems. I mean we're leveling up slowly but surely, but things happen. We're going to get our high school acceptance letters soon and go off to high school. But growing up comes with obstacles, whether you're a boy, a girl, a 40 year old man or a 26 year old woman. Things happen as we get older and we have to find ways around them, like Neema in "2 Days" by L.B Tillet. After getting kicked out of her house by her mom because her moms boyfriend touched her inappropriately, but failed to believe her, she soon goes to live with her senior boyfriend and his family. Her being a sophomore in high school, she still has a ways to go. The night she gets kicked out, her and Nate have sex in his run down mini van. She was only prepared to be gone a few days and then reason with her mom soon after that. She thought these few days would be easy but the plan doesn't go as followed. When she left the house she packed a bunch of emergency items, but failed to pack birth control. 

    A really hard thing happening in this text is that Neema fails to realize that she's pregnant and she fails to believe it when all the signs appear. She's failing her classes and she doesn't think her mom loves her anymore. She doesn't have a permanent place to live because no one wants to live off of someone for the rest of their life. Its hard to watch your ex boyfriend walking around with another girl and thinking that you're not worth anything anymore. The main problem is that Neema has to raise this child on her own because now Nate and his family want nothing to do with her. They don't believe that that's his child and they like his new girlfriend way better than Neema. It's hard to see that nobody is really supporting you. 

    Things like this are happening all around the world. Teens are getting pregnant often nowadays, and are being left with no support at all. They're being kicked out, forced to live alone or off of someone. Nobody wants to be known this way, but they find ways around this. It's not easy either. There's not always someone that you can go to, but luckily Neema's friend Mike is there to help her out. Like stated before, growing up isn't always fun and it comes with several obstacles. I'm going to take my time growing up before I'm hit with several obstacles. 
     

   

Works Cited For Argument Essay ~

Carey, Tanith. "The 'sick-lit' Books Aimed at Children: It's a Disturbing Phenomenon. Tales of Teenage Cancer, Self-harm and Suicide..." Mail Online. Mail Online, 2 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2256356/The-sick-lit-books-aimed-children-Its-disturbing-phenomenon-Tales-teenage-cancer-self-harm-suicide-.html>.

Hopkins, Ellen. Crank. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004. Print.

Argument Essay Draft #2 ~ Should Crank be Banned in Classroom and School Libraries?

     Reading is something that we are taught to do at a young age. Some of us read everyday, but do we all consider the negative in these books? Books like Crank, by Ellen Hopkins is a book that I've recently finished reading. The content in this book is basically, sex and drug use, but mainly drugs like Crank. The sexual content in this book was disturbing to many readers such as myself and a few of my peers. The main character Kristina doesn't realize what sex and drugs are doing to her. She has transformed into a whole new person, Bree. Bree is her dark and odd side. Maybe her reason for doing things like this is because she is mad at the world and the fact that she doesn't get the attention she wants. Even though some may disagree, Crank should be banned in classroom and school libraries because the content inside the book is very inappropriate for many teens.
In the book, Crank, the main character interest herself in drugs, and sex, which leads to so much more than expected. When going to live with her father for a few weeks for the first time,  she learns from his ways. He comes home high the majority of the time and uses terms like, “Never been laid? Tell the truth little girl,” (Hopkins 24) and says things in reference to considering having sex with his boss to lay him off the hook for not doing his job. “Think I could convince her to try a line? I'd love to get her in bed,” (Hopkins 104), which was disturbing for me to read. What type of dad talks to their daughter about stuff like that? Then soon after, she meets Adam and they do things together. They have sex a few times even when she doesn't want to. She realizes that most of her choices are stupid because the chapter title is, “So of Course I Did A Really Stupid Thing.” (Hopkins 161) She takes the crank from Adam and gets high, and soon after they have sex, which in my point of view seemed a bit forced, and the fact that her monthly friends had came around. No teen at all needs to experience something like that. The more she does things like this, the more it seems okay to do, and it's obviously not, but a reader who is easily influenced would do the same as her
After awhile, the drug use and sex was less frequent, but it came back again when she met two guys back at home with her mom, Brenden and Chase. She was trying to see how many guys she could interest herself in, and how many would have a mutual feeling towards her because of the way she presented herself. At first she was playing them. She was messing around with their minds, but she was a little too fast. She started talking about having sex with Brendan, but in reality she was just messing with his head. He took her seriously, but when they finally got together, she refused and he raped her even though her monthly friend had came around, which made him even more furious. He thought she was lying to get out of it. And then after that, he made her pay $250 worth all the drugs she got from him for free. That shows how addicted she was to it. No teen should ever have to experience being raped and used. Th worst part of it all is that Brendan got her pregnant, but of course has no intention of helping her. It was hard enough to read the book, but even worse to see Kristina suffer even though she put all this stress on herself. 
If you disagree with the fact that this book should be banned, then most likely you're considering the fact that books like Crank can show readers the negative affects of drugs and having sex at a young age and prevent you from advancing themselves in these things. My problem with that is that no student in middle school and elementary school should read about the reaction of drugs and what happens when you have sex at a age like Kristina, even if she is 17. If you're looking for a book to teach a lesson, then you should look for a book that focuses on the negative affects of drugs and not a character who continuously gets into trouble because of drugs, sex, and relationships in general. Kristina already knows her choices are stupid, but she continues to do them anyway. Thats a negative influence, and as stated before, a kid who is easily influenced would most likely make the same choices as Kristina. They may not even realize the wrong in their choices, because they're not focused on that. I myself was disturbed a few times reading different parts of this book to the point where I couldn't even read it. Even an author agrees with me. In an article by Tanith Carey, “Sick Lit,” she states, “Most are liberally peppered with sex and swearing.” That's all you read throughout this book along with drug use. There are a few scenes without these things but they just lead to the same topic consistently. The content in this book just isn't appropriate for kids 13 and under in my opinion. 
In the end, many people get influenced just by what they see on the street. So imagine how many people get influenced from the books they read on a daily basis... So imagine someone close to you telling you that they've developed an interest in alcohol and drugs. Imagine that the reason was because they read it in a book and they thought it was cool. I mean you could talk them out of it, like Chase, Kristina's new boyfriend tried to do with her, but what if that doesn't work? It obviously didn't help Kristina even after she had the baby by Brenden. She said it herself, “ Crank is more than just drug. It's a way of life. You can turn your back. But you can never walk away. The monster will forever speak to me,”(Hopkins 537) on the last page of the book. She's obviously tried and had the intention of quitting, for the sake of her child, but it never really happened. It didn't work for her, so would it work for that person who is close to you? 

Monday Muses ~ In Response To Prompt #1

     You never realize how good you've got it, until you see someone a bit less fortunate than you are. 


     A movie that always leaves me thinking around this time of year is, " A Search For Santa Paws". In this movie, Santa Clause travels to New York and gets hit by a cab, leaving his sleigh in Central Park unattended. Until Willamina believes in Christmas, Santa won't be able to deliver gifts for Christmas because his crystal has been stolen. Quinn and Paws need her help Willamina's help. Quinn and Willamina are orphans who live in a orphanage where the lady who runs it all, doesn't believe in Christmas and decorating, and toys. She burns all the children's toys every year, leaving them with nothing. It's not really the Christmas part that leaves me thinking, but it's the fact that a lot of people take the things they have for granted. For Christmas plenty of kids get pairs of Jordan's, brand name clothing, several electronic items and more. Kids in orphanages and kids who don't have homes don't really get to have these things. When we get things like a new shirt or something, of course we are thankful, but we don't think much of it. When someone homeless and/or less fortunate gets something like that, they're more than thankful. They take care of the things they have. I mean it's bad enough that they don't have families exactly how some of us do. The kids in this movie don't have much to do because don't get to celebrate anything,go anywhere and nor do they get to play with toys and have much fun. 
     So we should be more than thankful, like they are when they get things. There are plenty of families out there who can't afford half the things some of us have. We should all take care of our gifts and possession's,and lastly, we should cherish the stuff we have because if we were to switch roles, we wouldn't enjoy it so much.