It All Started With a Love Letter

Lara Jean is the main character and narrator of To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. She is enjoying her laid-back junior year in high school. But things take a toll when her "love" letters get sent out by her little sister, and every boy who gets a love letter either talks to her in person or writes back. But the two most important letters are boys named Josh and Peter Kavinksy, Kavinsky for short. When Josh confronts Lara Jean about the letter, Lara Jean freaks out and tells Josh that Peter Kavinsky is her boyfriend. When Josh is skeptical Lara Jean runs into Peters's arms and kisses him. “...I kissed Peter Kavinsky. In the hallway, in front of everybody. In front of Josh.” (88). After some thinking, Peter and Lara Jean decide that it’s best for them to start fake dating. “Let's let people think we’re a couple….It’s driving Gen[Peter Kavinsky's Ex-girlfriend] crazy not knowing what's up with you and me.” (110). 

1. “Firsts are best because they are beginnings.” (62).

The first quote is very special to the book because Lara Jean is a goody-two-shoes girl. And in the first book, she has many firsts. First real boyfriend, first real heartbreak, first real kiss. The firsts lead to beginnings, like the first kiss between Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean. This kiss will lead to something real. 

2.  “I want to say yes, but I don’t want to be with a boy whose heart belongs to somebody else. Just once, I want to be some one else’s first choice.” (311).

Lara Jean is also worried about the firsts that are happening. She isn’t used to having a boyfriend or “belonging to someone.” She is very unsure if she is doing the right thing. Peter’s and Gen, Peters exgirlfriend, still have a very close relationship. This bugs Lara Jean and she is worried that if Peter had to choose between her and Gen, he’d choose Gen. Peter insists that nothing is going on between them and that they are over. But Lara Jean doesn’t want to keep having these feelings of doubt.

3.  “Margot would say she belongs to herself. Kitty would say she belongs to no one. And I guess I would say I belong to my sisters and my dad, but that won’t always be true. To belong to someone - I didn’t know it, but now that I think about it, it seems like that’s all I’ve ever wanted. To really be somebody’s, and to have them be mine.”(190).

Lara Jean and Peter have a special relationship, it started with a random kiss in the hallway to actually falling in love. She had never imagined herself with Peter, but when she really thinks about, it’s all shes ever wanted. To be more that just belonging to her family. She realizes that she wants to have Peter all to herself, to belong to him was all she needed.

 

Dex and Sophie. Besties for Life.

Cadence Scheunemann

Dexter Alvin Dizznee, known best as Dex, is Sophie's best friend in Keeper of the Lost Cities. Sophie, the main character, was raised in the forbidden cities (the place where humans reside). Sophie didn't know why she felt out of place around her family, when suddenly, *spoiler alert* she was told she is an elf! Elves are beings that have nearly immeasurable lifespans and powers such as telepathy (being able to read others minds) and conjuring (snapping objects out of thin air). Dex is Sophie's cousin by adoption and one of the first people to be kind to her in the Lost Cities (the name of the elvin world). Their relationship is shown marvelously through Shannon Messenger's words as Dex's character develops through every description.

After learning Sophie was in fact not human she then settles into her new home in the elvin world. When the doctor tells her she needs to purify her cells, Sophie's foster mom (soon to be adopted mom) takes her to gets some medicines from Slurps and Burps. This scene is where Sophie meets Dex for the first time in the apothecary store he helps his dad run. Dex is a strawberry-blonde elf with periwinkle eyes. Him and Sophie bond over a prank Dex pulled on a class bully, mixing her shampoo with shaving gel and rendering her bald. The first time he met Sophie, Dex "leaned close to [Sophie's] face and pointed to her eyes... 'I've never seen brown before. I like it.' She could feel her cheeks blush. 'Actually, I just have brown eyes.' 'Really? Excellent'"(Messenger 146). This is really nice of Dex to say because all elves have blue eyes. The fact that Sophie's eyes are a different color made her especially nervous about meeting new people, but Dex helped to warm her up to others. Dex's kindness towards Sophie right when they meet and beyond allows them to bond closely throughout the series. Both needing a friend, Dex reaches out to Sophie later on and comes to visit her with his mom (Sophie's adopted aunt). Dex is a great supporting figure in Sophie's life and he knows how to make her smile.

Dex is such an awesome friend to Sophie throughout the whole Keeper of the Lost Cities series, in book one especially. Sophie has a bad falling out with one of her other friends near the middle of the book and a large plot twist occurs when she goes to cry in the caves near her house. Dex comes to the caves to check on how Sophie is doing and something big goes down. Throughout the whole next couple of scenes, Dex is right there with Sophie through every twist and turn, supporting her in any way he can. He is caught up in the drama because he won't ever give up on helping Sophie.

Dex and Sophie take a dangerous, non-voluntary, adventure at the end of the book. In an effort to help his friend, Dex ends up getting burned, and hurt by a Pyrokenetic. Dex successfully helps Sophie and proves how loyal of a friend he is by convincing her to trust him. Dex's kindness, trust, and thoughtfulness proves he is the perfect best friend for Sophie through all the ins and outs of friendship.

Samwise's conflict within the journey of the ring

In the book Lord of the Rings: The Followship of the Ring Samwise Gamgee (ideally referred to as Sam) is pulled into the quest concerning the ring by one of his closest friends, Frodo Baggins. He did not intend on going on this quest in the first place, but when Frodo (who he deems his master) feels he needs to go on this quest the only thing he feels is right is to follow him. Multiple times through out the chapters after their departure from from the shire Sam has conflicting thoughts weather or not he should return to the shire, he is homesick, he would not like to experience the dangers of the world and would prefer to stay at his safe home in the shire. 

Once the hobbits arrive in Rivendell with Aragorn, whom they met up with in Bree and is now their guide, they feel calm and at peace. Sam always dreamt of meeting the Elves and going to Rivendell, but it doesn't quite feel like home. At this point in the quest he feels that the ring is safe in Rivendell and they can leave it there and return to the shire, he thinks that his quest is over, unfortunately it isn't. Then, when the counsel of Elrond comes around, they decide that the ring cannot stay in Rivendell as, although it would be hidden and mostly safe, the threat would not be eliminated.

The ring is to go with a company of nine companions, equal to the nine ring wraiths of Sauron, during the council of Elrond nobody stood to take the ring to the mountain of doom. When nobody else would take it Frodo stood to the challenge and agreed to take the ring to Mordor, the first six companions were chosen during the council, one person from each free race of peoples of middle earth, for Hobbits it was Frodo the ring bearer, for men it was Aragorn and Boromir, for dwarfs it was Gimli, and for elves it was Legolas, Gandalf the wizard would act as their guide. Three more members were left to be chosen, Elrond suggested that he send with them elves of his house as the remaining three, Sam was to be the seventh member of the group, Elrond could not argue with this as he said in the book "You at least shall go with him. It is hardly possible to separate you from him, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

Elrond permitted Sam to go along with the fellowship of the ring, the final two members, who also begged to go along, were Merry and Pippin, two more hobbits. They begin the journey and Sam immediately starts second guessing himself when they mention going back to Rivendell because the route they were planning to take, he begins to think they also might second guess the quest and go back to Rivendell, but they decide to take a more dangerous route through the mountain Moria, as they were previously planning to go over it but were blocked by a snowstorm. While going through Moria they lose their guide Gandalf to a Balrog of Morgoth, a creature that dwells in the deep parts of mountains, made of both shadow and fire. The company is unsure where to go next as they have lost their guide, they decide that the nearest safe place is Lothlorien.

As they enter Lothlorien, another elvish city, as it is a pure place of joy, their grief is momentarily removed while they reside that place. Sam feels safe here, he always loved the elves and loved to see what he called "elf magic" but he still misses his house and mentions how he loves where he is but he still misses the Shire. When they meet Galadriel "the lady of light" who rules over Lothlorien, she speaks in their minds, she tempts them, she temps Sam, she ask him if he would go home if she brought him safely home. Later as they discuss everything she said to them, he says that, if he could go home, and if Frodo would go with him, he would leave and go home. This shows his commitment to Frodo and how much he feels responsible for him and how much he cares about him.

Erik

Is Live-Streaming Classes a Good Idea?

When you have adults observing you at school, what do you do? Would you change the way you behave? Obviously, right? But, what happens when you’re being watched every day, every class, and every break during your school day? Would you still be on your tip-top behavior; or rather, can you still be on your best behavior? Would you still pass that note to a friend, or check your phone from under the desk? This is the conundrum students at thousands of schools face as their classrooms are live-streamed daily to the public. Though there are many downsides, I believe students would pay more attention in class, and teachers would be held accountable for their actions.  Live-streaming classrooms have a certain positive effect, especially in more formulaic subjects, though it depends on the school and environment. 

The idea of recording a classroom, and even publicly streaming it online may seem like a complete breach of privacy to many of us, but the school environment in China differs vastly from the environment in the US. According to the National Center on Education and the Economy, China’s curriculum still widely focuses on the passing of information from teacher to student; regurgitating information from textbooks onto tests, though they’re trying to shift it to a more student-centered approach. In addition, the primary goal of lower and upper secondary schools is to prepare for the 高考, gaokao, China’s college entrance exam, which determines which colleges students are eligible to join (NCEE). Because of the overbearing focus on exams and the tight competition amongst peers nationally, parents stress over how their students behave in classes. If their student doesn’t pay attention well in class, then they’re less prepared for other classes and their exams, stunting their future. In this environment, recording classrooms hold students accountable for their actions, as misbehaving could earn them a lecture from their worrisome parents and comments from netizens. In addition, Chinese citizens live in a society with mass government surveillance. According to Josh Chin and Liza Lin, journalists for the Wall Street Journal, China has    “a new social contract with its citizens: they give up their data in exchange for more precise governance that, ideally, makes their lives safer and easier” (MIT Technology Review). Citizens accept their surveillance on their streets – how far-stretched is surveillance in classrooms? 

Classroom surveillance will not change a classroom environment largely, as most of the public will forget or accept it in a few weeks or months, and students and teachers will do the same. There’s always going uproar when something so headline-worthy is posted online, but when the attention dies down, the only people watching the stream ultimately are going to be parents of the children. Even then, it’s going to be on occasion, for probably a minute or two because there is nothing to watch. It’s just teachers teaching and students learning and participating. 

The camera acts as a reminder to behave well and focus and it provides records to prevent unfair actions done by teachers. Parents can notice unfair treatment of students or other issues without the need to sit in on class if their student complains to them. If they visit the class, they will get an unrealistic view of what goes on in class daily, as the teacher will act better to their child if their parent is watching them. Similarly, surveillance can prevent bullying, as people can access recordings. When issues arise in the classroom, the camera serves as a neutral source to resolve conflict. 

Of course, there are downsides to classroom surveillance – but the negatives will go away with time, and the benefits outweigh them. While students may be discouraged from participating in class because of the livestream, they will realize that the point of the camera is not to catch their mistakes. There won’t be people watching their specific classroom intently unless there are problems, whether that be behavioral or among peers and teachers. The opposite could also happen, where students, wanting to please their parents, might start participating more. Subjects that are more information-based – like math and science – will benefit as students won’t fool around as much and focus on the lectures. Parents will also look at these classes more often, as they’re core classes. Most parents respect their child’s teachers to know what they’re doing and what they’re teaching is important for their child, so they will respect their choices in topics and activities when looking at surveillance. With issues on privacy, schools can unlist these livestreams from the public and only share them with parent accounts through school systems. Schools can also choose to only share recordings after the day ends, instead of live-streaming it. Since China is already a relatively safe country because of its government, the risk of intruders or people watching the cameras for harmful purposes is much lower than in other countries. 

Classroom surveillance is one idea for classroom management, and its risks and benefits depend on the location and environment of the school. In China, where these cameras are implemented, the usage of cameras is relatively safer and more accepted than in other countries. China’s curriculum stresses different values than America’s, so this kind of behavioral management works better for them. They allow worried parents to find solace; in that their child is diligently studying at school. 

Works Cited

"Shanghai-China." National Center on Education and the Economy, ncee.org/country/shanghai-china/. Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.

Yang, Zeyi. "The Chinese surveillance state proves that the idea of privacy is more 'malleable' than you'd expect." MIT Technology Review, 10 Oct. 2022, www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/10/1060982/china-pandemic-cameras-surveillance-state-book/. Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.

The Intriguing Structure of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder By Emma Hendricks

   

In the book the author uses comedy and mystery to intrigue the reader. There is also a good sad to funny ratio, with there being a lot of sad moments within the chapters they are evened out with a good amount of comedy. As for the mystery, you can find that throughout the book as Pip, the narrator tries to prove the “murderer” Sal to be innocent of killing his girlfriend. We find out that Sal is dead as well on a count of everyone believing he committed suicide. The author gives us a reading on what is going on in Pip’s mind and how she thinks about every detail of the case and writes it all down for her Senior Capstone Project. This was a cool way to read because it truly makes the book interesting and keeps you hooked on the story. It feels like you are helping unveil the mystery with Pip as she talks to each person and finds new leads each time to follow up on. Her drama and thoughts feel like they mesh together and become your own too. You feel so immersed in a mystery that you want to keep reading to find the next missing piece, that when you put the book down it feels wrong too. Like the mystery has come to a stop.

For Pip, she is the only narrator so we don’t get any insight on other characters and what they feel, rather we get an understanding on how Pip feels they feel. She will tell us how she sees the person expressing their emotion which isn’t an exact science and can complicate things if we don’t know what the other person is thinking. But, we can see certain flashbacks, but not with the usual definition of flashbacks. Instead of actually going back to the time and seeing the dialogue during that moment, we get information from people talking about the time and all the details they remember from that moment, so basically memories. Such as, “On Sunday afternoon me, Sal and his friends volunteered to help put up some missing posters…” Ravi explained what he remembered from years ago to the best of his ability. So in a way they are flashbacks but at the same time they are not. And for setting, the story is mostly set in the same place. Occasionally, there will be somewhere new but it's always the same town and normally it is set at Pip’s house because that is where she works on her Capstone project.

Along with all of these parts, the book is set up in an interesting way. Instead of just a novel, paragraphs through and through. The book will have your usual paragraphs and dialogue along with parts of interviews and Pip’s research paper. Like for the research paper every entry starts with “Pippa Fitz-Amobi” along with whatever the date is and then “Capstone Project Log—Entry…”). As you are reading and find that Pip is going to do an interview you get the transcript of the interview. Seeing this new set up immediately sucked me into the book. It made me feel like I helped conduct the interview and was there listening in on it. Another part of the story was seeing what Pip wrote down for the research paper. Every detail, note and lead for the investigation I got to see because Pip had an idea and put it down on paper. As an example Pip thinks, “I can’t believe I’m actually going to type this, but maybe Naomi had something to do with Andie… Or maybe I’m making something out of nothing. Either way, I think she has to go on the list” this shows what is going on in Pip’s mind by seeing her write it down on the paper. So I could keep all the leads in one place and could look back to what was written down and get back on track with Pip’s mindset.

Overall, the idea of the book’s set up is a fun and exciting way to execute a book. It keeps you interested and engaged, so you feel like you’re in the book solving the mystery with Pip. Every page has a new clue and adventure waiting for you to help uncover it. Everything about it is great besides there only being one point of view, being Pip’s. Even though it may fit the book better, it would be nice to understand what is actually going on in other characters' minds instead of just getting a guess from Pip. And finally the comedy and mystery really adds an extra piece to the book to wrap it all up in a neat little package.