The Hunger Games Essay

“The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins is a popular novel set in a futuristic world where one person has complete control over everyone else. After losing a war against the government, the people of Panem are split into Districts and forced to work for the “Capitol” which is where the president and highest class lives. To punish the rebellious people, every year two young members of each district are lotteried to fight to the death in The Hunger Games as entertainment. The story follows a girl Katniss and shows her journey when she is sent to the deadly Hunger Games arena. Throughout the book, many examples of harsh ruling are explained. Some citizens are beaten if they break a rule, others executed for making a mistake on the job. However all suffer from the effects of harsh rule by one president. The Hunger Games shows the worst that can happen when the wrong people have all the power.

President Snow and the capitol completely control all of the districts, and abuse their power. They watch their people with cameras and troops to make sure no small mistakes occur, and if they do find one they punish the person severely. The Capitol has strict rules that the districts must follow without any say. One quote from the novel reads, “When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol. Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble. So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts,” the government forbids any individuality or any freedom. They use their power not to help everyone, but to turn them to slaves. “Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you,” Katniss explains how the Capitol continues to punish the districts for the attempted rebellion that happened years ago. When people tried to stand up for themselves, they were pushed back down and punished in many different ways. The capitol and President don’t treat the districts like people, they treat them like slaves. The people of Panem are forced to live a terrible life due to the terrible people having the power.

When the government has such strict rules, people are bound to disagree and to eventually rebel. The Hunger Games shows how the mistreated people begin to fight back against the people controlling them. Katniss begins to feel disgusted towards the Capitol, “All I can think is how unjust the whole thing is, the Hunger Games. Why am I hopping around like some trained dog trying to please people I hate? The longer the interview goes on, the more my fury seems to rise to the surface,” under these terrible rules people are bound to realize how wrong they are. “I keep wishing I could think of a way to...to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their games,” eventually the anger inside people builds up, and the people of Panem are angry enough to do something, and to defy the Capitol.

The quote, “What goes around comes around,” applies to the book because the Capitol treated their people terribly and abused their power completely. The book shows the results of misused power through cruel unnecessary punishment and the beginning of a rebellion due to the treatment. The Hunger Games is a story about a world we never want to become.

Martín Espada Poems Essay

Previously in the United States, racism and segregation have been a terrible issue. A writer Martín Espada expresses the exclusion and frustration that comes from the same racism today through poetry. His three poems, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson”, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,”  and “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877,” all describe the misused power given to groups of people when it comes to differences in race.

Espada’s poem, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” tells a story where people are unjustly treated because of their race by the person holding power. “The boys chatter spanish/ while the principal/ listens from his stall/ the only word he recognizes/ is his own name/ and this constipates him.” This quote shows the principal unnecessarily fearing the unknown. Because he cannot understand exactly what the boys are saying about him in spanish, he assumes the worst. “He decides/ to ban spanish/ from the bathrooms.” The principal uses his power to limit others and to help himself. He selfishly forces children to abandon their native language in order to eavesdrop successfully. The poem makes the reader feel disappointed by seeing this grown man feel self conscious of his own students. The poem makes the reader question why selfish people (like the principal in the poem) have so much power, and why they can get away with taking power away from others who deserve it (like the spanish speaking boys).

Martín Espada’s poem, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” describes the annoyance that follows a mispronounced name and overlooked culture. “Whenever my name/ is mispronounced/ I want to.../ hijack a busload of Republican tourists/ and force them to chant/ anti- American slogans.” The power holding people in this scenario is society itself. One’s name is their identity and ultimately who they are. When another person ‘butchers’ their name it shows the lack of attention to a culture, and it’s frustrating to lose a piece of who they are. “Wait/ for a bilingual SWAT team/ begging me/ to be reasonable.” Espada adds irony to his poem, because he writes about how forcing Americans to go against their own country seems like the worst possible thing, but many other races in America are forced to do the same. He makes the reader think about how in this case many Americans have little respect for other races and culture, and seem to change people’s names. Espada’s poem is simple but causes awareness when it comes to society having an open mind to other races, and treating everyone like their own.

“Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877,” tells the story of two Mexicans lynched because townspeople thought they were guilty. “Forty gringo vigilantes/ cheered the rope/ that snapped two mexicanos.” The two Mexicans were not treated like people in the eyes of the townspeople because of their race. The power was distributed unfairly to racist townspeople and instead of a trail, they were instantly killed. “A high collared boy smirking, some peering/ from the shade of bowler hats, but all/ crowding into the photograph.” The moment where two men were murdered was photographed with proud smiling faces. The poem by Espada puts power holding into perspective, and makes readers wonder if the people who have it should have it. And if those who have power, will do the right thing. Two Mexican men were killed not because of the law, but because of racism and biased townspeople who held their fate.

All the people described in Martín Espadas poems suffered from unfair treatment due to their race. They were given extra problems, because those with power created more obstacles. The groups with the power, whether it was society, a principal, or a town, all abused it and supported racism with their actions. Espada’s short stories in his poems open eyes to the issue of racism and wrongly given power, and hopefully will spark an awareness to end those issues.

Gaokao Test Essay

Every year China administers a test called the Gaokao. An Upfront article explains the process including schools that specifically prepare kids for the test and are a place “where 20,000 students train around the clock for China’s national college-entrance examination.” The amount of pressure the test inflicts is incredible due to it being “the only thing that matters for admission to Chinese universities,” which could mean a life outside a factory. It’s completely unfair to put so much pressure on millions of Chinese students to do well on the test, because the students suffer by devoting years to studying, and some families have more money and an unfair advantage on the test.

One of the reasons the test should not have so much riding on it is because it directly influences all students and forces them to do nothing but study, which could give them negative emotional feelings like stress, exhaustion, and depression. The article explains a town that has, “shut down all forms of entertainment,” one kid living in the town adds, “There’s nothing to do but study.” The town restricts kids from dating, using any type of electronic device, and even electricity, to force them to study. Also studying for the Gaokao pushes kids ‘over the edge’ for example a photo was recently shared of  “a classroom of students all hooked up to intravenous drips to give them the strength to keep studying.” Plus “teenage suicide rates tend to ride as the gaokao nears.” The test’s pressure forces teenagers to not care about anything but the test and studying for it.

Another reason the test should not have complete control over job opportunities is because some students come from different income families which means they have different advantages. One teen says he has to study hard and do well on the test because his “father is out working construction far from home to pay [his] school fees.” Many Chinese families have to overwork just to pay the fee for public schools, but the Gaokao test adds more fees for tutors and textbooks. In addition, some students are forced to go to “poor schools,” that have “few well trained teachers.” They don’t get the same education or test prep as those who can “hire private tutors, pay for test-prep courses or bribe their way into the best city schools.” Those who come from a rich background have more opportunities and overall an advantage on the test over those who don’t.

In China a stack of papers can determine a teenagers entire future. If students score badly on the Gaokao “manual labor would be their fate,” and their future would be set. “A few points either way could determine whether students qualify for a degree that could change their life.” The pressure placed on the students is way too much and has caused kids to take their life. It may be an efficient way to place kids in schools, its not healthy or fair to put all the power on the Gaokao

The book 1984 by George Orwell depicts a world where the government controls every aspect of their people. They use technology called “telescreens” to watch over their citizens and inflict heavy punishment (like death) if they break strict rules. The government convinces everyone whatever they say is right. They erase all history to hide their mistakes, and to hide the idea of a free life. The government of the apocalyptic London is known as Big Brother, a man described as “...black haired, black moustachio’d, full of power and mysterious calm.” Winston the main character of the novel, disagrees with Big Brother while everyone around him thinks the opposite. The people are brainwashed to agree with the government, and are given no opportunities to think otherwise of the government. The novel 1984, shows a world where the government controls everything.

Winston throughout the book disagrees with the government, but ultimately pays the price at the end of the story. The government kidnaps Winston and tortures him until he abandons his former beliefs. The government uses Winston’s greatest fear (rats) to break him. “They (the rats) are a form of pressure that you can not withstand even if you wished to. You will do what is required of you.” This example shows how government knows exactly how to control and break each one of their people who disobey. Quickly Winston does break and offers his lover to be tortured instead of him. At the end of the story Big Brother has won when“He (Winston) had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”  The whole story explains how Winston has a natural hatred towards Big Brother and how he will do anything to stop it, however when tortured and faced with his greatest fear he quickly abandons his hatred and he becomes one of the brainwashed people he despised. In this futuristic city where the government controls everything, people have no choice but to believe what the Big Brother wants them to believe, the government manipulates their people emotionally.

The authority in the novel also controls their people physically. They have cameras and spies that are waiting for someone to make one mistake so small as a twitch so they can hand them into the government for punishment. “Your worst enemy, he (Winston) reflected, was your own nervous system. At any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom.” These people of the apocalyptic city are contained in every way possible to avoid an uprise. Even a slight twitch could get you killed. The people are also forced when to wake up and when they do they must tirelessly exercise, when Winston Smith isn’t moving fast enough it get’s quickly noticed. “Smith!” screamed the shrewish voice from the telescreen...Bend lower please! You can do better than that. You’re not trying.” This shows how the government is able to control even the health of their people, and when someone falls out of line they quickly put them in their place.

The book 1984 describes a new kind of world and community where the people have no freedom, and are heavily controlled by their government. The novel shows what it would be like to live in those conditions and how dangerous and difficult it is to do so.

Social Injustice Project

The article “What Happened in Ferguson,” from the New York Times is explaning a topic that infuriates people due to social injustice. The article shows controversy with witnesses, some say Michael Brown charged towards the police officer (Officer Wilson), while others say he did not. I think this article shows social injustice, because the color of Brown’s skin probably affected the outcome of the situation. If Brown (hypothetically) charged towards Wilson, then why would the officer have felt there was no choice but to shoot him dead? Many are convinced it’s because of his skin color. There currently is a strong stereotype for african americans, which probably influenced Wilson and made him shoot out of fear. If there was a white teenage boy charging at the officer would he have felt in the same amount of danger? Would he have fired 12 rounds at the incoming boy? The article makes me realize how we haven’t come as far as we thought we had in terms of racism. There’s footage of protestors in the streets being taken out by tear gas, which looks similar to the protests for voting rights, that occured years ago. We do have a black president which is a major step forward, but seeing people shouting at officers in the streets really makes you wonder how much farther we have to go until we are all equal.

Buchanan, Larry. "What Happened in Ferguson?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouri-town-under-siege-after-police-shooting.html>.

Imagine by John Lennon (excerpt)

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

This excerpt from Imagine by John Lennon is about how much conflict there is in the world. It tells what the world could be if there wasn’t war, and tells the reader to imagine that. It traces war back to the division of the world by asking the reader to imagine no countries, and how that could mean “living life in peace”. The excerpt demonstreates injustice, because some of the army members are people who have no choice, because they really need the money.

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One day when I was walking down the street, I heard a man whistle to a woman. She was simply strolling down the street in jeans and a low hanging shirt, and hadn’t done anything to provoke this man. I watched in disgust as his eyes went up and down her body, and he shouted things at her. This is unfair to human rights, beacause you don’t see women whistling at men in tight shirts, or shouting for their number. This woman was only seen for her body, which is an example of something happening in this soceity that’s cruel and unfair.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

While watching popular TV shows my younger sister would watch on Disney Channel, I saw reocurring patterns. For starters, teens my age are generally white. They are skinny, wear flashy clothing, and never wear glasses (only “nerds” would wear those). They are portrayed as sneaky and are always hiding things from their parents. In every current Disney show there will be one episode where a main character breaks an object, or looses something. They will lie to their parents, and try to avoid any consequence. Eventually, they will get caught and are forced to fix their mess. Most of the teenagers live in big cities like Chicago or New York, and have loose parents who are willing to let them run around freely. These TV shows, give kids a strict image of how they should look, or what “pretty” should look like. Plus, there are many gender stereotypes. A typical girl character would buy shoes instead of studying, or a guy would play with trucks and throw dirt at his sisters. Looking back on the shows I used to watch on Disney, there are similarities and differences. For starters, there were actual african americans on the shows I watched. On Disney now, the only black person you will see is an extra in the background. Also, all the actors weren’t a size 0, which made kids love their bodies as they are. In addition, some of the episodes in shows would be relatable and would serve as advice, to educate and help kids watching. There would be episodes focusing on bullying, or even puberty. However, shows now and then have things in common. For instance, some of the older shows did include sneaky characters who would manipulate parents. Overall, the portrayal of teenagers is unrealistic and negative.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

One of my moms, named Jen, used to work at a law firm for many years of her life. During her time there, she worked on many cases involving social injustice, one of which being racism. Low income black families were being cheated out of their money by the owner of their house, and Jen worked hard to prove this was happening and ended up winning her case. She was able to get money back to the people who really need it. Because the families were black, the predatory lender took the little money they had.

Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a lawyer?

A: Nope, not until late collage.

Q: Why did you want to be a lawyer?

A: In collage I learned a lot about civil rights movement and womans right movements and I felt that some things in the world are really awful, and unfair, and I felt like it would be great to try to do something about it.

Q: What do you think the greatest social injustice problem is facing the world?

A: I would say racial and ethnic stereotypes, and the distructive actions people take due to these assumptions that the stereotypes are true.

Q: What do you do to try to fix these problems?

A: For 16 years I represented poor people in court for free, and I tried to educate people in community groups about their rights and now I run a program for City Collage students from low income backgrounds who want to become lawyers.

Q: What was your biggest case to help these people?

A: In 2011, I and four other attorney attorneyrepresented six families against a predatory lender and who also fraudulent developer of homes. We won 10 million dollars for our clients and created the first case law regarding this particular type of loan, which will help other lawyers help other families who were victims of preditory lending.

Q: Would you say you change the world?

A: I feel like during my times at legal services I represented 2500 people or families, and won almost all of those cases so I feel like I changed a lot of individual peoples worlds, but on a global level I don’t think the work I did made a humongous change except fighting the fight against injustice.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I asked my mom named Lisa, about her opninions on social justice:

Q: How do you think we can fix social injustice problems?

A: I really don’t know, there’s just such a history in our country of salvery and anti-immagration.

Q: What do you think the biggest issues are?

A: One of them is definitely racism, I think everyone is somewhat racist today, but its not that simple because they deny it. Every white person has had at least one racist thought because of our history, and how we were rasied.

Q: What do you think is fair in the world?

A: Democaracy is the main prefered gov in the world i think this is a much better gover than kings and dictators and also there is all this social revolutions of the 60s: gay rights, womans rights, black luebration its open the door for people to disucss things like difference and acceptance of difference.

Q: What do you think is unfair about the world?

A: Biggest issue is economic difference rather than racial difference, the difference having money is of such high value in our culture.  

I personally agree with what Lisa was saying, there is definitly a problem with racism, and there are so many people who are racist because of our history. I think preventing racism will be a challenge for the US, because while we have come far, there’s still a lot of racism today.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

On the news there are many heartbreaking events, and one I saw was about a fire. The newscaster explains how a fire taking over 40 homes forced people to evacuate, and some people had merely moments to escape. The building was left demolished, and all belongings were destroyed. It would be tragic to be in their situation, because they would have lost almost everything. To have to escape from your home before your burned alive, and then having to watch your home go down in flames would be heartbreaking. You keep photo albums, electronics, toys, and so much more in your house, and I can’t imagine all of that being gone in a second. And now the evacuees are left searching for a place to stay, and then a new home.

Is Banning Books Necessary?

Emma Malcolm 802

Dear Ms Berner,

Potter Stewart, a past member of the Supreme Court once said, “Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.” In the United States today, over 11,300 books have been banned due to censorship. All over the country, libraries and schools pull books away from students in fear of the content being inappropriate. There’s a lot controversy over how much a teen can handle when it comes to gruesome topics like murder, rape, suicide, and others. However, constricting book access to teenagers is impractical, because dark and depressing topics can expose kids to the world, and can help them withstand it. Schools shouldn’t limit students access to certain books, because grim young adult novels can be beneficial to teens when applied to life.

“If subjects like these [depression, self harm, etc] are in YA books, it’s to show that they are real, they have happened to others, and they can be survived.” Says the article, “Yes, teen fiction can be dark-but it shows teenagers they aren’t alone,” by Maureen Johnson. Growing up as a teenager is challenging, and there are many difficult situations one must endure. A woman struggling through a methamphetamine addiction, for example, was saved by the YA novel Crank. “Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti-Censorship Manifesto,” by Ellen Hopkins explains how a woman, “...saw herself in those pages, and suddenly knew she didn't want to be there. That book turned her around.” The depressing and dark novel was able to guide a woman from her addiction. Think of how many other people could be saved daily by these novels. For instance, if a self harming teenager reads about another teen in the same situation, she would know she’s not the only one struggling. Maureen Johnson says, “For teenagers there is sometimes no message more critical than: you are not alone,” and proposes, “If the character overcomes her complication, a kid reading could get the courage to do the same.” Sherman Alexie the author of, “Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood,” explains “Now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers...I write to give them weapons–in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters.” Those who have survived gruesome events can use their experiences to assist others.

        Grim young adult novel plots tend to be based off real life situations and, “Fiction is a safe way for kids to explore these issues,” as described in “Books Bring Dark Issues To Light For Teen Readers”. These YA books can help a teenager learn about their world through a character's eyes, instead of living it firsthand. YA novels “make [teens] ask questions about the world they live in and the choices they make.” Through books, teenagers are able to see different perspectives of a known issue, and the world itself. Many young adult novels are raw, and don't sugarcoat the problems described, this way teenagers are able to see their environment in a realistic way, even if it can be gloomy and frightening. They are able to fully understand issues in the world. “Are Teen Novels Dark and Depraved- or Saving Lives,” brings up the idea that, “Books...deal with millions of subjects that are sometimes uncomfortable to deal with. It’s the way we deal with and introduce subjects into the consciousness.... We can use those resources in art and literature as ways of understanding them.” Dark novels can bring difficult topics into discussion, and cause awareness.

There are many people against the idea of topics like depression, or child abuse, in the minds of teens. Many worry the popular YA novels will normalize intense problems facing the country, and could even encourage teenagers to try them out. It’s been said that it’s "also possible...that books focusing on pathologies help normalize them, and in the case of self harm, may even spread the plausibility and likelihood to young people who might otherwise never have imagined such extreme measures," explains the article, “Should Young Adult Books Explore Difficult Issues”. However there are many accounts of teens showing the opposite effects that were accused. In the article, “Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti-Censorship Manifesto,” Ellen Hopkins exclaims, "I have received tens of thousands of messages from readers, thanking me for turning them around, giving much needed insight, and even literally saving their lives”. YA books encourage teens to avoid the situation described in the book, because most novels show the terrible outcome these situations have on the character. Young adult books do not convince kids to follow the footsteps into a terrible addiction for example, they convince kids to avoid the addiction entirely, or to get themselves out of it.

There is no real reason to ban books. Banning books would make it more difficult to get the book, but not impossible teens can access censored books on the internet, or from friends.  The world can be a scary and dark place, and YA books are the survival guide. They don’t exaggerate the dark parts to life, they simply don’t try to hide it. Teens deserve to learn about problems they could face in the future, or may already be suffering through.        

        

Give a Boy a Gun- Reading Response

According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, in the year 2010 guns slaughtered 31,076 American citizens in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. “Give a Boy a Gun” a novel by Todd Strasser, addresses the disagreements towards gun control laws due to all the deaths caused my guns. The story takes place at Middletown High school where two boys are victims of continuous bullying, and one day seek revenge by trapping their peers at a school dance with the help of guns and bombs. The young adult novel makes readers question who is to blame for gun incidents; the bullies, gun laws, or the kids using guns against others.

The book is focused around two boys named Brendan and Gary, and is told through quotes from acquaintances. Through these quotes you are able to gain an understanding of the emotional and physical torture the two boys suffer. Ranging from punches to exclusion, Brendan and Gary are in pain everyday at school and quickly become angry and suicidal. One teenager, a friend of the two boys, described the bullying they face everyday by explaining when someone calls him a faggot, “to him [the bully] it’s nothing...but it’s burned in your brain. It’s a permanent scar.” The words from the teenage boy give the reader a sense of how crude nicknames can affect a person forever. After a year of bullying from football players it’s described Gary doesn’t “...really care. He was the past the point of caring. He wanted them to die.” Quickly after the bullying begins, Gary and Brendan become tired, and search for a way to make their bullies feel pain like they do. Additionally, another teenager in the book describes an event where a football player attacked Brendan including “Sam was definitely going for Brendans face”. The same kid even adds “...If I’d had a gun…, I would have shot Sam myself.” This teenager proves how terrible the bully is, because even though he isn’t the target of the attack he feels rage like Brendan and Gary do. If it wasn’t for the teasing and pushing in the hallways the two boys suffer, they wouldn’t have had the depression or rage they deal with throughout the novel. If they hadn’t been wounded by words or fists, they wouldn’t have had the rage that led them straight to guns.

The terror in the Middletown gym was caused by guns, and the gun manufacturers could be at fault for that reason. Gary and Brendan wouldn’t have been able to disable a peer permanently, or hold their grade hostage if they hadn’t gotten their hands on guns. The gun laws in the US are very lenient. A fact in the book states, “more than 50% of male youths say it would be easy to obtain a gun.” Brendan was able to buy a gun for $100 from “...this kid in school.” These proves any person (even a child) with cash could obtain a real gun with real bullets, that could cause real damage. Someone could kill others or themselves, because they don’t know how to property use a gun. Or some people could purposely kill or harm others (like Brendan and Gary) due to personal problems. A quote in the book supports this by saying, “I’ve heard the argument that it’s okay to give guns to kids as long as you make sure they’re trained on how to use them safely. I have to disagree. These are children, and they can be extremely emotional or impulsive and not always completely in touch with reality…” Lastly, many people have guns to hunt animals, or to protect their family (which doesn’t always come to use). But, the book explains how the guns Brendan and Gary got their hands on “...are pretty much the same thing the army uses. They’re not made for hunting or target practice. They’re just made to kill people…” This fact makes the reader wonder why stores would be allowed to sell these guns, or why they could even be obtained by the public. If military weapons couldn’t be given to hands of any age with a few hundred dollars (like they are now), the tragic accidents events occurring all over the Nation could be prevented. If Gary and Brendan couldn’t have gotten the right weapons for their plan, they wouldn’t have made newspaper headlines.

Finally, the blame could fall down onto the two boys holding the guns, Brendan and Gary. A gun’s trigger needs been pushed by a human hand to fire the bullet, a person fires a gun. In the story Brendan says, “Gun[s] don’t kill people. People kill people.” A gun is only a tool used in Brendan and Gary’s “revenge”. The two teenagers are the ones who created the plan, held the guns to students heads, and hit three people with bullets. “At lunch [Brendan would] put his arm on the table and plant his chin behind it so it looked like he was peeking over a wall...he’d stick his thumb and point his finger at the kids he hated. He’d go “Point and click, point and click. Die suckas.” Like he was picking them off one by one.” A girl describes how Brendan would practice shooting a gun at classmates around him. This portrays how Brendan was ultimately the one pointing and shooting the gun to harm people, and he had the motive behind it to make it an easy task. The two teenage boys were the ones who ultimately set the plan into action, and if they hadn’t created the hostage plan, or even set it into action, the events at Middletown High could have never happened.

Bullies, gun laws, and the teenagers, all contribute to the tragic story of what happened at Middletown High. Each side of the story has compelling reasoning for being the cause of the incident, and leaves the reader wondering who to blame. Are the people giving Brendan and Gary the anger and sadness, the reason why the high school class was taken hostage? Did a teenage boy become disabled, because Brendan and Gary were able to shoot military type bullets into his knee? Or were the actual people behind the idea of the attack, the ones who should be punished? The choice is yours. Is there anyway to actually punish whoever is behind the violence? Is there anyway to stop the innocent shootings? It’s up to us. We have to take charge and do what we can to preserve the innocent lives that could be taken in gun violence.