Point of View

The book The Summer I turned Pretty is written in the point of view of Belly, a teenaged girl who is constantly looking for love. In this book she often states her opinions and emotions. She makes it sound like she's so innocent and that she should have the perfect boyfriend at her side. I'm not quite sure if I can believe her side of the stories she tells. I wish the author Jenny Han would've switched characters in some chapters so they can tell their own point of view like in "The Last Song". That would make the story more interesting. Some of the chapters in this book relate back to a different summer in the past and Belly explains a scene that happened in that summer, to give the reader some background knowledge.

This book would be very different if someone else was telling the story. Perhaps Jeremiah or Conrad. They would probably talk about what Belly means to them and how they feel about their mother, Susannah being sick or how they feel about their parents getting a divorce. It would also be different if Laurel, Belly's mom, was telling the story. Laurel would probably explain how it feels to have a best friend fighting against cancer and how she likes the beach house. She might also add that she's uncomfortable having Belly so interested in boys. The point of view is very important in a book. The story would change completely if it was in a different character's point of view.

Prediction

The book "The Summer I turned Pretty" has what every girl wants in a summer. Belly, the main character stays at the family beach house every summer with her brother, Steven, looking for a great time with her friends and family. This year her best friend Taylor Jewel is coming out to visit her. Susannah a loving caring mother of two boys is very close friends with Belly's mother Laurel. Belly seems to have very strong feelings towards Susannah's sons Jeremiah and Conrad. They are like brothers to her, and they've known each other since they were very little. They are practically part of the family. As the summers go by Belly develops more feelings for Conrad. She has a secret crush on him but is afraid to admit it. Although, he treats her like a little sister, always bossing her around and telling her what she can or cannot do.  She becomes slightly annoyed. But one night when she's invited to a bonfire everything changes for her and her love life. She meets Cam, a nice local boy that almost everyone knows. Belly and Cam are an example of love at first sight. Ever since they began talking at the bonfire they relationship has been great and Belly is starting to take her mind off of Conrad. Conrad, however, is not okay with it.

What's my prediction of what's going to happen next? I think that Belly and Cam are going to break up and her and Conrad are somehow going to get together. I think it will take some time but they will eventually both fall in love. I already know that Belly has strong feelings for Conrad she just doesn’t want to admit it yet. Conrad is jealous of Belly and Cam because I think he still cares for Belly. All of the summers in the past have led up to this. Them being together.

Life of Pi Essay

What would you do if you were stranded on a boat in the middle of the ocean? How would you survive physically and mentally? In the book Life of Pi, sixteen year old Pi Patel spends 227 days on a life boat in the Pacific Ocean. He is accompanied by a wild tiger named Richard Parker and runs into some strange animals like an orangutan, a zebra and even a hyena. He also encounters a blind man who wishes to eat him. But is he really surrounded by all of these animals? Is this blind man he's seeing a real person? Or is it just his imagination taking over his mind?

While Pi and Richard Parker sat there in the middle of the ocean all of a sudden a blind man hopped on their boat . I think that Pi and Richard Parker were partly blind when this man arrived. I don't think they were literally blind but I think because they were so exhausted, dehydrated and hungry that they weren't in a clear state of mind. As soon as the blind man tries to take a bite out of Pi, Richard Parker attacks him.

When I first read about the blind man I wasn't sure if he was a real person or simply just a dream or a thought. But now, after finishing the whole book I have a theory on the blind man. I believe that the blind man is a part of Pi. Almost as if he's Pi's conscience. Because of Pi's poor nutrition his imagination is taking over his mind. This explains why the blind man wanted to kill Pi.  He thinks that suicide is the only solution which is the part of him that is the blind man. 

There is a very large amount of symbolism in this book which can cause the reader confusion. While reading the book I didn't understand it until I finished and everything fell into place. The blind man, the island, and the animals all suddenly made sense.  This book was about survival. Pi had to rely on Richard Parker to protect him and keep him safe. At the beginning of the novel,  Pi was very scared and guarded with a wild tiger on his side. But as their journey on the boat continued they became closer and shared a deep trust.

You may disagree with me about the blind man and what he symbolizes. But my personal opinion is that the blind man is a part of Pi that wants to end his suffering, his subconscious. His lack of nutrition causes him confusion and he's mentally out of it. Pi's not literally blind, but his mind is blind, out of focus and confused. Which could happen to anyone under the same circumstances.