Power and Resistsnce Titans Curse Response

         In the Percy Jackson book "The Titans Curse" by Rick Riordan a group of 5 go across the country from New York to San Fransisco. They are trying to save their friend Annabeth the god Artemis from Kronos. During their adventure they have many decisions to make and someone needs to lead them, the question is who? In their group 3 of the members are very strong, powerful and experienced leaders, and when they  are put together they are not okay with being led they want to be in charge like they are used to. A fight among 3 powerful leaders for power makes things hard for the group.
          Percy and Thalia and Zoë  are all powerful but they are all both quiet quick tempered. Thalia and Percy are more powerful considering their parentage and they get in fights more often which becomes dangerous. Powerful people together becomes dangerous in any circumstance and in the book mix magic in and there is a whole load of chaos. Zoë is also a leader and shes been leading for thousands of years, being immortal and this makes her feel superior and a bit cocky possibly a hint of braty but she has some right to do so. Thalia and Percy are both extremely inexperienced compared to Zoë they are both powerful but only been demigods for a total of about 3 or 4 years Zoë. has several thousand years on them. Experience is everything when it comes to leading if you have been doing something for 3 years compared to someone who's been doing it for 13, now matter how natural you are their is a good chance they are better then you. Thalia and Percy both argue with each other but also with Zoë about her making decisions but they seem just jealous and out of place, used to being the one who tells people what to do.
          In the quest the 5 of them do have great struggle because of the strong resistance to each other, but then there is the two other people who, Bianca and Grover. Grover and Bianca are both portrayed at first as weaker people and not as combat ready. They are good supporters and back ups and there is zero resistance, even as Bianca quickly becomes skilled and powerful. Both characters seem modest and are glad to let the three be powerful and leading but they do little to support them in fights among one another or stop/ break up an argument which spirals into violent combat. Sometimes a little resistance is necessary to maybe stop a stupid decision, they become so obeying and quiet, never going against a command they never tell someone "Thats not really the best idea" and as good as it is that they listen and are modest sometimes you need to step in before things get ugly.
          In the book great power and soldiers are put in a mix, and doesn't come out well. The mix of such high powers is to much and can actually make things worse. Mixing three people who are known to be highly skilled on one team doesn't always work out, you need one person who can be in charge. You need a skilled and experienced and then you need people in the middle, and putting people who are new and unskilled does not even it out. You can really only have one best, not three.
        

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Power Scale

         In books and in life there's almost always that one or two people who really call the shots. Everyone might say, "noooo! We're all equal in this group, no one person is more powerful then another, ha!" but really there will be that one person in your group, who may even realize it, be the one who really makes the decisions, where you go what you all do. They're not necessarily being mean but it's pretty likely that in one of your group of friend's there's one. In "Percy Jackson" Annabeth seems to be calling the shots in their group of her, Grover, and Percy, but throughout the  book it seems Percy seems a resistant to many forms of power.

         Percy consistently in the book seems to be a bit of rebel and resists major power. When he meets the gods he was extremely disrespectful and mocked them to the point of a fight with one. Percy is developing into a Short-tempered character and doesn't understand when maybe he needs to be quiet. There's many times in life when we burst out, we just want to scream at some one we really shouldn't, but we still do. This is understandable, but Percy is often set off by tiny remarks and some times when people are the ones with power and they are better or smarter then you, some times you need to step down and hold in your resistance no matter how hard or you might lose them and their help.

         Annabeth is definitely the most powerful in the group of three. She being a daughter of the goddess of planning she usually is the one to make the calls. She is a bit controlling though and forces her way to the leading position. For example in the scene when Percy and Annabeth are hurtling towards the gates Percy says  "when I say" Annabeth says "NO! When I say!"

This happens several times but she has the right. In life sometimes you need to take charge when you know that your going to do a better job, sometimes even if it's rude or a little mean you need to take charge. This is exactly what Annabeth is doing, Later Percy admits if he called it they'd be dead. Annabeth takes charge firmly but she must or they would never get anywhere with out her push.

        Grover is not a leader, in their group he is supposed to be the protector of Percy and Annabeth but they often end up saving his life. I don't think Grover is a leading character, he should be a sidekick not a leader. Grover is jittery and Nervous and sometimes has poor judgement, he's not proud of constantly being protected and saved but i think it's content for him and he was made to listen, because he's pretty good at being the look out or the backup. Some are made to help others, not to lead them but to give assistance, this really is what suits Grover the best he should not be in power but to help the ones with it.

        Powers a big thing in a relationship, people may deny it but there's definitely a sense of power in any group or partnership. In Percy Jackson power is different for how some use it, or feel about it. Power in relationship causes great controversy  everyone wants to be the one who calls the shots, makes the move, some don't, some hate power and are against the ones with it, and some just aren't sure and are lead and it just fits. Power is weird and all over the place but it's important in a relationship, it decides how everything functions

Upfront Response to " No Job? Get Lost!" by Andrew Higgins

          In the article " No Job? Get Lost!" by Andrew Higgins the author discusses a town in Norway with some interesting political strategies. The town is called Svalbard, they have a law that is, if you don't have a job then your breaking the law, it is illegal to be unemployed. This may seem ludicrous but it's turning out to be effective with only the need of six police officer and one jail cell, which the article states as 'overkill'. The area is twice the size of New Jersey but there biggest issue is some scientists who were littering in the woods.
          The reason that most crime are so small and insignificant is because most crimes come from unemployed people in other countries. The idea is a bit harsh and not like other laws where you just don't do something and your fin, but I believe it's effective and worth the strict policy. You also may not be homeless you must stay in some form of official home, apartment, etc. Although this law may be difficult to  abide for some, but it's probably a law that every ones going to want to follow, I mean who ants to be homeless. This is definitely unfair to be a law but according to the article unemployment is 3.3% of the population. This means that 98.7% of the country is employed! The residents of Svalbard feel very safe and secure. I would honestly love to feel the ease and relaxation they do. "Residents regularly leave their car and snowmobile keys in the ignition and don't bother locking their front doors." as a new yorker this seems ridiculous because of the constant car robberies in our city but their they feel confident that wit hthe little crime going on that there's no way that they'll get robbed. The also feel safe enough that "Coffee shop patrons leave their computers unattended, never worrying they might get stolen." In a city full of crime no one in this city would risk leaving their precious lab tops out. This area feels so safe that they are confident, not in their police, but in the community. I think that this idea is actually pretty smart, since evrey one has a job no needs to commit crimes, since most crimes are from the homeless and unemployed.
          This act may seem crazy to the outsiders but in the article they give more and more reasons that this isn't so stupid. To other countries this may be idiotic but it is pretty in genius to me. There isn't any major cons besides that if you really just can't get a job or you can't afford house. This may seem harsh but it's pretty tough anyway to be homeless and unemployed and it makes people commit more. You may not want to live there but the people who do are relaxed at ease and life just seems better.

Darkness to Visible

     In the article, "Darkness to Visible" the author Megan Cox Gurdon published in the wall street journal, the author is trying to get a message out. She wants us, the readers, to know that the content of young adult books has become much more "grueling", then a few decades previous. She wants us as readers, after reading her article, to think or agree with her that the literature of YA books has become highly in inappropriate our future generation of young adults.
     The author not only is trying to persuade us something, but also trying to
 makes feel a certain way (in order to persuade us). The author, Megan Cox Gurdon is trying to put us in a feeling of darkness, because she wants us to understand that lots of YA books  are dark, so ,of course, she wants to put us in a "dark" mood. To put us in a dark mood she definetly uses the word "dark in numerous forms a large sum of times.
She also gives of books like "The Marbury Lens" or "Go Ask Alice and then gives a dark,  descriptions that make the books look worse then they may really be.
For example for "Go Ask Alice" the author states  "recounts a girl spiral into drug addiction, rape, prostituition and a fatal overdose. Also the description of "the Outsiders" is much worse then the book really is; "class tensions, family dysfunction and violent, disaffected youth" I have read this book and personally the description to me is way overboard. There are warm hearted scenes of family and friendship and other beautiful moments that if anything is a good influence on teens. The author to set the mood and to make the feel dark or effected gives several examples of YA books and gives grueling descriptions of them and is very dramatic to connect with her readers.
     I do agree that there are plenty of Young Adult books that are violent inappropriate and disgusting, but I do not like the way the author, Megan Cox Gurdon, tries to persuade her reason. I'm actually in some way irritated with the way she described some of the books. Honestly I haven't read to many of the books she mentioned but she just completely made these books sound cruel and vicious. She is way to dramatic about the subject, although the way she makes these books sounds, she is quite successful with her arguing, but still I do not agree with her perspective on most of these books, even though i have not even read most of them. If anything after reading this article her righting has irritaed me to the point that I now want to read some of these books just to see if her dramatics are true to the book.

Insurgent (spoilers)

      I have 4 very close friends, I have known them for years since around 1st grade. They are good guys and we are all great friends but we all, including myself, keep secrets from one another. Secrets that involve one another that all of us deserve to know. We hide these secrets for along time, the guilt changes us makes us feel awful and ruins u. When our truths finally, come out we've waited to long and the truth is terribly hurtful after such a long time. In the book "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth the main character, Tris, is in a tricky situation and is forced to shoot one of her best friends(previous book). Like me and my friends do so often she hides this secret. She buries it away, does not tell her boyfriend, Tobias, or her best friend, Christina. She is later forced to reveal the truth, by truth serum, and the two relationships between two very close people, who are one of her last people close to her after her parents death, is damaged greatly.Keeping secrets might seem like a good way of dealing with some issues but it can become the worst way.spoi
      When Tris is forced to reveal her secret of her unfortunate undoing of Will, the timing could not be worse. When she reveals it shes not doing it out of her own will its because she had to, implying she planned to hide it from them, this is not told but it could be inferred. Also this delicate subject is revealed in front of a large crowd instead alone. Tobias, who recently revealed extremely personal information showing that he trusted her, unlike the way he feels to the vast majority of people, is infuriated. He almost about 20 minutes ago told her she could trust him and she denies she has any secrets. We all think that keeping hurtful secrets in is best for everyone, but they are bound to come out eventually. We all regret not telling the people we kept it from earlier, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Tris probably feels miserable and loads of regret, most people would after keeping in a secret like that (although that is extremely unlikely in real life). Tobias has complete right to be infuriated, she had a chance to reveal herself several times but she kept it from him. Tris seems to be a secretive person, not revealing things, she does not seem like she is open, although she is not consistent, I think without her knowing it possibly shes pretty good at lying to Tobias. Tobias was not the only person effected by this news, another relationship was changed forever as well, her best friend.
      Although Tris is not given an ideal moment to reveal what happened, she still keeps the secret from Christina, who is one of her closet friends, until the truth serum. Revealing the truth to Christina was awful and the worst to reveal to. Christina being her best friend and Christina also being wills girlfriend. Best friends, no matter how strong there relationship can falter, they can be damaged they can be broken. This is not news for normal friends to get through like a small argument. This is something that only extremely close friends could get through, the murder another friends boyfriend is something that is not ordinary thing to get through. This an awful thing, but this also in away showed strength in their relationship. An awful time became a sign of strength and goodness in two friends.
      In my life and probably many others, people keep secrets. Sometimes the secret can really hurt someone close to you, you think, "less people will be hurt if no one knows".
Later the guilt gnaws away at you, you try to bury the secret but its to much, you live differently, the culpability is so much you must finally reveal it. Some are forced to reveal it and some choose to and some wait so long its to late. Tris waits so long that the secret comes out and relationships are damaged, hurt, and changed forever. Keeping some secrets may seem like the best thing to do but sometimes its the worst.

Divergent

   I'm currently reading "Divergent", so far really good. It is about a girl named Beatrice aka Tris who lives in city broken up into five factions she leaves her factions to join the faction dauntless who the brave and wild ones. In the book Tris seems confused because there will be times when she thinks like her old self from her old faction to be selfless and help others and other times she thinks bravely or even mean. Shes seems very lost, unsure and out of place with the dauntless yet she also seemed that way a bit with her old faction abnegation. The setting now in the Dauntless headquarters is very rough and violent, they are currently in initiation Tris does not seem likely to make it. She is constantly doubting herself it seems, if she doesn't soon think more like a dauntless, it seems like she will probably become factionless. She seems like the sort of character to disobey leaders and help people who are not supposed to be helped, Tris is a bit of a rebel, it seems like this may start to happen. Four is a character who seems very complex he will  help Tris and others or be kinder the most of the dauntless then at other times he can be hostile an tough he is hard to figure out because he can be so helpful and he will give Tris advice which helps her in tasks in initiation but out of training he is silent and when they try to converse or ask questions he shuts them down. Since Tori the person who gave Tris her test to help her decide which faction to choose told her she was Divergent which meant she was "special" and was different from everyone else I think Tris later in initiation will be the best and be surprisingly good.Since shes supposed to keep being Divergent a secret this will probaly expose her or cause suspicion since shes not doing well now.