Social Justice Project Responses

When I born, I black.

When I grow up, I black.

When I go in sun, I black.

When I scared, I black.

When I sick, I black.

And when I die, I still black.

And you white people.

When you born, you pink.

When you grow up, you white.

When you go in sun, you red.

When you cold, you blue.

When you scared, you yellow.

When you sick, you green.

And when you die, you grey…

And you calling me colored?

-Malcolm X

This poem leads us to equality in all humans and being racially classified by color. It shows that white people call black people colored yet they go through every color of the rainbow. The fact that white people call black colored does not show human equality. Color doesn't define anyone, no race is supierior to the other. Even though this poem was developed a while ago, rascisim is still a problem. More specifically, human rights and equality.

Acts of Injustice

Being homeless is a great example of injustice. Sometimes homeless people mess up their lives on their own, but the unlucky ones are born into it. This doesn't show equality and human rights. They should be entitled to food, shelter, and money from the government. There are over 56,ooo homeless individuals. They are in need of stable housing and food. New York City is home to 103 billionares, more than any other city in the world. This makes me think of how selfish people can be. Although it's none of their business, I don't blame them, but it wouldn't kill them to spare a dollar or two. Or possibly give them another chance at their life. This makes me think about being grateful because homeless people have nothing, and you only realize how much you love something once it's gone.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/new-york-homelessness-billionaires_n_5953464.html

Ferguson,MO Rioting Live

     As I was watching the news, the riots in Ferguson, MO were being streamed live. These riots, on the streets of Ferguson, MO are destructive and unreasonable. People are rioting over the death of an unarmed African-American teenager, named Micheal Brown by the hands of a St. Louis, Missouri police officer. This rioting occurred after the officer who shot Micheal Brown was not indicted. The rioters are endangering more lives by protesting violently. For example, they were looting, burning down stores, businesses, police cars, and destroying the city. Peaceful protesting gets messages across of injustice more sensibly. If I was in the shoes of Micheal Brown's parents, I would feel overwhelmed because “my son's” death is what sparked the terror and destruction. I would tell the angry rioters to look honor Micheal's death and as a wake up call for our local politicians to train police officers more effectively all around the nation. These rioters are asking for their human rights and equality for African American citizens. They believe the white officer would not have felt threatened if Micheal Brown was white instead of being black. They are promoting equality for everyone no matter what race, gender or color a person is.

Detective Almontaser's View on How He Changes the World

Q: How does your job allow you to help change the world?

A: My job allows me to investigate and apprehend individuals who

have committed crimes against society.

Q: Do you enjoy your job?

A: Not necessarily, sometimes its not so fun. It exposes me to see

the terrible things that people can do to each other as humans.

The best part is putting a really bad guy in jail.

Q: What is the average of hours in the office?

A: The average is 65 hours a week, sometimes no days off. Depends

on what case I'm working on.

Q: What is the most amount of hours you have spent on a case?

A: Some cases only take me 2 hours of my week, but some cases will

take 100 hours of my week. It all depends.

Q: Are there any others way you change the world than your job?

A: I drive a hybrid (an eco-friendly electric car) and I recycle.

Q: What is your motto?

A: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men

to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke.

That's something I learned in the marines, that's something I took

from the marines, and that's something I took to my job.

Q: Can you share a story about your job?

A: Last Winter, we had to investigate a case of child abduction. We

were able to put clues together that the neighbor took the girl,

she was 5. It took us 2 days to get a warrant, an order from the

judge, to be able to ping the phone. Pinging a cell phone means

using cell site towers to triangulate the location. We were able to

find him in a house in NJ, and we returned the little girl to her

parents and the guy went to jail.

Our World- Both the Good and the Bad

*An interview with Nawal Almontaser, an educator in the New York City public

school system.

Q: What do you believe is good about our world and what is unfair

about our world?

A: Is there anything good about our world??? Well, what I think is

good about our world is the technological advances that our world

has achieved over time Particularly, computers, the internet and

cell phones. Major breakthroughs in medicine and science and the

abundant amount of natural resources our world provides us with.

There is however a lot of unfairness in our world...perhaps more

than there is good. Unfairness with corrupt government that only

looks out for itself and not for its people, poverty of children in

the world and within the United states and inequality based on

gender, race, sex, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Hollywood's Perception VS Reality

I was watching a rerun of a Nickelodeon series, iCarly. iCarly is a sitcom about a teenage girl who lives with her older brother Spencer in Seattle, WA. Carly's father is in the U.S. Navy and does not live with her. Her older brother, Spencer, is her guardian and a father figure. They live in a modern fancy apartments with elevators that lead directly into their homes. I can infer they have a lot of money because they have a pretty big apartment in a big busy city, and those types of apartments can range in the hundred thousands.

The main actors on the show are middle class Caucasian teenagers, with the exception of one African American friend who live in Seattle Washington. The show portrays teens lounging around school hallways during school hours where all the drama takes place. The teens come and go as they please without parental permission or involvement. They get themselves into situations that don't seem very realistic mostly sparked by their online web show iCarly. These teens run around chasing the opposite sex and are rarely shown having any responsibilities or doing school work.

This Hollywood portrayal of teenagers influences many kids in my age group and exposes them to many mature things. Young children could stumble upon this show and find two 15 year olds making out or escaping from their fire escapes late at night. Children are exposed to content they are not educated on and make their own assumptions instead of being educated by their parents. This show exposes kids to unrealistic behavior where teenagers are always dressed to perfection with the coolest clothes, hair and makeup. These images are brainwashing children into thinking that their lifestyle is the norm and that they should be like them.

While walking through my neighborhood I observed...

• Homeless people asking for change
• Many idling cars - air pollution
• Hispanic construction workers
• Pedestrians distracted with their cell phones-hazardous to drivers

 While on my daily walk to school along 4^th ave, I pass by a few construction sites. The majority of the workers are of Hispanic descent and are hired by private contractors that pay their workers a mite of money for diligent work. These workers do their jobs from dusk til dawn and they need to be paid just like the others. I can infer that they don't have enough money to buy a cell phone because I witnessed more than once, a line of construction workers at a pay phone on 10^th street 4^th avenue. I've also observed minimal dollars in their wallets when they open it to pay for their modest breakfast, a coffee and bagel. They deserve to be paid more for the labor that they do.

Independent ELA Reading Essay

"When there is no struggle there is no strength." Oprah Winfrey. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick portrays the lifestyle of an orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station. Hugo Cabret is an orphan, but his unique qualities separate him from the rest; he is an orphan, a clock keeper, and a thief. Hugo has an astounding story behind him. He is an only child raised by his dad, who worked the night-shift at a museum in the heart of Paris. One night, his dad went through storage and found a broken automaton, a machine that writes a specified message when wound up. One night, his father attempted to repair the automaton when the museum mysteriously caught on fire. Hugo's father perished in the uncontrollable blaze. He never came home. The automaton was left behind in the ruins, and Hugo made it his mission to reveal what his dad's "message" was through the automaton. Throughout the book, Hugo taught himself the mechanics of clockworks and gears and little toys that wind up. He may be a homeless orphan, but his characteristics set him apart from the rest.

Hugo was singly raised by his father who died in a museum fire. Hugo’s father was a big part of his life, he only had his dad. “Soon Hugo’s father had filled several notebooks with drawings of the automaton. He opened the automaton up and carefully disassembled it. He drew detailed pictures of all it’s parts, then he cleaned them and patiently put it back together. On Hugo’s birthday, his father took him to the movies as usually done, and gave him one of the notebooks as a present.” Meanwhile, Hugo’s father grew obsessed with getting the automaton to work. He brought Hugo back to the museum a few more times and explained how the mechanisms worked. "One night, the old guard in the museum forgot that Hugo’s father was up in the attic, and he locked the door trapping him inside. Hugo had no way of knowing what happened, the museum set fire." Hugo was depressed and deeply shook by this event. He loved his father so much and this was the worst that callus ever happen to him. Most orphans go through this point in their lives but Hugo has many characteristics and personalities that makes him a unique orphan.

Hugo was a mental genius when it came to clockwork and gears. From here on Hugo was taken in by his alcoholic Uncle Claude being his only live relative. “‘Pack your things quickly, Nephew,’ Uncle Claude had said, his breath smelling of alcohol as usual.” Uncle Claude took Hugo to his hidden room in the walls of a Paris train station. His uncle’s job was to fix all the clocks around the station daily. Hugo caught up quickly and had to take over his uncle’s job, because he was always hungover and drunk. “A few weeks later, Uncle Claude was out late and never came home. He was found dead in a river not too far from a bar downtown.” Hugo had to keep on doing daily rounds around the station fixing the clocks so there wouldn't be a problem, and have the station guards realize Claude was dead. This eventually became a huge part of Hugo’s life. He felt close to his father when he spent time working with little mechanical toys and gears. All these events made Hugo strong, this helped him carry out tasks throughout the book.

As an orphan, there is a lack of food, and money With living in a crowded Paris train station, thats the perfect opportunity to steal and hide from guards. Hugo’s “morning routine” would be to take a fresh bottle of milk and a croissant. “Hugo slowly crept to the lower level of the station, the cafe bakery. He snatched a bottle of milk from the bottom shelf and took a cellophane wrapped croissant. He dashed off hoping Madame Emile didn't catch him.” Hugo only ate a croissant and drank a bottle a day. He had many struggles that other orphans never had. Orphans usually run away to a shelter or another family member, Hugo would've done the same. But, his main focus is to repair the automaton to see what his father’s message was. Every day Hugo would have the same nightmare, the station inspector chased him back to the time keepers room, where he stayed. The station inspector catches homeless kids using the station as a “shelter” and takes them to an orphanage. “At that moment, Hugo accidentally dropped the ice and the bottle of milk, which shattered loudly on the stone floor. As Madame Emile spun around and spotted him, she yelled, “My milk! So you’re the one who’s been stealing from me!” Madame Emile was talking to the station inspector when this happened, Hugo was chased by the station inspector. He ran into the walls of the station and the inspector soon followed. He chased Hugo throughout the whole interior of the station until he lost him. Hugo was hiding in the highest clock in the station. The clock at the top of the station.

In conclusion, Hugo is a unique orphan, his characteristics set him apart from the rest. His struggles as a young timekeeper and thief, leave him restless. All these events made Hugo strong, this helped him carry out tasks throughout the book. "When there is no struggle there is no strength." Oprah Winfrey.

Adam Almontaser 10/22/14

 Ashes Blog Final 

          “When there is no struggle, there is no strength” - Oprah Winfrey. In the short story Ashes by Beth Pfefferer, we see a lot of struggles and issues with Ashes. There is a clear theme that relationships can be complicated between parents and their kids. Sometimes our relationships can influence our life choices and give us decisions that will lead us to our future. Ashes has to deal with her fathers manipulation, there are promises not kept and her decisions on choosing to listen to her father or standby her mother.

          One of the issues Ashes has to deal with is her fathers verbal manipulation, he always says she is “One in a Million” to make her feel comfortable when she is with her dad. Her father used compliments to make Ashes do stuff she would have never done. She was “ordered” by her father to take money, $200 from her mom’s keep safe to give it to his dad from his divorced wife. “The skies turned grey as she looked out the window when she stole her moms’ keep safe money.” The skies turning grey is a sign of guilt. Ashes knew she did something wrong, she just thought she was helping her dad, but he knew she wasn’t. Ashes was out eating with her dad when he said his famous line, “ Your one in a million.” Her father thinks that his plan of manipulation is working but Ashes has suspicions. “Am I really?” I asked, not needing the reassurance. I knew I wasn’t a one in a million girl, no matter how often Dad told me I was.” Ashes didn’t need the reassurance because she is told that so many times. She know her dad isn’t truthful when he says “One in a million.” Ashes knows her dads methods and tactics to use her.

          Ashes also has to deal with as a young adult is accepting that her dad promises won’t be kept. Ashes’ dad promised her a necklace of stars, she never got it. “Dad used to promise me the stars for a necklace, but like most of his promises, that one never quite happened.” From this there is a clear statement, her dad has impossible promises, or in other words, unrealistic. “Mom said ‘He’s an irresponsible bum. That was her way of wording it.” This quote also supports the fact that the dad is untruthful, and irresponsible, bums are exactly that. Irresponsible people can’t keep promises, her dad is one of them.

          Lastly, another issue that Ashes has to deal with, is her decision making between her mother and her father. “No, I just thought maybe you could borrow the money, just for a day or two, until I straighten out all my finances. Your mother would never know the difference.” This the part where Ashes has to listen to her father, or standby her mother. This is a crucial moment in the book, she can destroy her relationship with her dad, who she sees twice a week, or her mom where she sees her on a normal day to day basis. “Dad touched me on my shoulder, gloved hand on winter coat. ‘You’re one in a million,’ he said to me. ‘The best daughter a man could dream of.” This quote is giving Ashes the “reassurance” she needs to give her dad the money. Although the short story didn’t end there, it left off with Ashes staring at the keep safe money listening to her dads car rumble in the distance. “Your one in a million it cried.”

         In conclusion, struggles and teen issues relate to the book as a whole because Ashes is faced with many challenges, and tough decisions. Beth Pfefferer is clear and successful on bringing her message across throughout the short story because Ashes struggles and challenges are visible, they are relateable. From the ending of the short story, many predictions can be formed. She will take the money and make her dad joyful, or leave the money and make him disappointed. The quote “When there is no struggle, there is no strength” - Oprah Winfrey really ties into this book because this proves that Ashes is strong because there is lots of struggle in this short story.

        The book Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica is about a Valley, Massachusetts boy named Nate Brodie. Nate is not an ordinary boy, he has a passion for football. Sometimes when you were 13, nothing made sense to you. It was never like this for Nate. Nate had been having more and more trouble figuring out his world especially with everything that was happening to his family. He lived in a poor family. One-day during a football game, Nate makes his first touchdown and says I hope my mom got that on film with the camera we have thats on its last strand. And I know my dad is already not here because he is finishing his last shift at his second job. Nate's favorite football player is Tom Brady. One day Nate goes with his mom, and best friend Abby to a store to finally buy the Tom Brady autographed football he always wanted after saving for over a year. After he bought it he got the chance to sign up to throw a ball from 30 yards into a hole at the half of a New England Patriots game and win $1,000,000. He won the raffle and got to do it. This event takes place in a couple of months. He knew that if he made this throw, his life would be almost back to normal. He knew it would help his family and himself. This throw was a one time opportunity, a Million Dollar Throw.

Poetry Literary Essay

“We Grow Accustomed to the Dark” by Emily Dickinson and “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost both share the concept of darkness being a struggle, stress, and depression. Every poem uses techniques like P.O.V, imagery, and structure to alter with the feel of the poem. Both poems use these techniques to give the reader a view from different sides.

Both poems show different P.O.Vs in different ways. In “We Grow Accustomed to the Dark”, Dickinson uses the term “we” throughout the poem which gives the reader a sense that the author is referring to a group or more than two people. Maybe even the reader. “We grow accustomed to the Dark- When light is put away”. When using we, it makes us feel like what is happening can be applied to more than one person. It makes us think we are not alone, which can make the poem feel very moody. In “Acquainted with the Night”, Frost uses the term “I” throughout the poem. “I have been one acquainted with the night. I have walked out in rain- and back in rain”. This makes us think of a person who is stuck in the world of depression and sadness and doesn’t know how to overcome it. Using “I” throughout the poem gives the reader a better interpretation of the person being trapped or stuck and they feel as if they cant escape. The speaker doesn’t show much feeling, he doesn’t share his problems with anybody, that is why he can’t over come depression.

Imagery is an authors craft device used in both poems. Imagery is when metaphors, similes, descriptions, etc. paint a picture in your head of what is happening in the poem. For example in “Acquainted with the Night” the speaker says, “Still at an unearthly height, One luminary clock against the sky.” The word luminary means to be bright or to reflect light. From this quote, we can infer that the “luminary clock” is the moon because the moon can be used to tell time and it very luminary. In “We Grow Accustomed to the Dark” , there is a steady use of darkness being depression and stress. And light being a symbol of hope. We can identify this because the tone of the poem is very dark, it is about a group of people entering a life of depression and stress.

The structure of the poems are not so alike. The structure of the poem “Acquainted with the Night” , is in very short 3 burst stanzas. These 3 lined stanzas are very emotionless. They show no feeling; this makes us think that the speaker is trapped in a world of depression and stress and he doesn’t know how to cope with it or how to overcome it. In “We Grow Accustomed to the Dark”, we get the uneasy feeling of stumbling. The author uses hyphens throughout the poem to leave an uneasy feeling. This gives us an uneasy feeling because it is stopping in the middle of a stanza uncomfortably.

In conclusion, both poems share the same authors craft techniques. P.O.V, imagery, and structure to give the poems their very own feeling. These 2 poems can connect to the real world because people are in real life struggles they don’t know how to get out of. People let depression take over their life and they don’t reach out to others for help.

Comparing Poetrey Essay

The poems “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden  both introduce a working class father and the bond with their children. In both poems the speaker focuses on a memory from when they were a child. In “Those Winter Sundays”, the father is faced with unnoticed love from his children. They take his hard work for granted even when he wakes up early on Sundays, his day to relax, to do chores. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, a memory of the speaker and their father is revealed, we are introduced to a father that is a very hard worker and has a drink of whiskey to settle in after a long day of labor. After that customary routine is over, he waltzes his son to bed, almost every night.

            “Those Winter Sundays” and “My Papas Waltz”  both share the same concept and theme. They’re both about relationships and bonds between a father and his children. Both poems are portrayed as a memory. In “Those Winter Sundays” the speaker looks back on all the chores and hard labor his dad did for him. “Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in a blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.” This quote is saying that even on the father’s day off from work, he still gets up early and works. Because the father had cracked hands, you can infer that he worked hard. No one ever thanked him or appreciated what he did. The speaker took his father’s labor and hard work for granted, until he looked back at the past and realized that he was just showing love, something he never received from his children. The speaker regrets not showing the love his father deserves.

Although there are bonds in both poems, they are not exactly the same kind. In “My Papa’s Waltz” we’re brought into a memory of a usual evening with another hard working father who’s described as loving and caring with “palms caked hard with dirt, and whiskey breath that could make a small boy dizzy.” We can infer that he was also a hard worker as well. The bond between the father and his son is much stronger than the one in “Those Winter Sundays”. The father has a usual routine, when he comes home, he likes to have a whiskey to settle in and relax. It is possible to infer he may have had a little to much to drink since his breath could make a small boy dizzy. Their bonding is in a fun and gentle way, just like waltzing off to bed. “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother’s countenance Could not unfrown itself.” This quote is saying that the father is more of the outgoing parent and wants to have fun with his on since he doesn't see him a lot. The father and son were very much into the waltzing that they didn’t realize the pans fell. This caused the mothers’ frown as she looked at the close bond they had.

In conclusion, both poems share the same theme with having working class families and how they have bonded with their children. Both fathers are similar, they are both very hard workers but, they have very different bonds with their sons. For some families in the world this isn’t a poem to them, it is a reality. Some fathers aren't appreciated for the work they do for their kids and families. The take home message or theme from this poem is that love is shown in different ways and nothing lasts forever so take nothing for granted.

Argument Essay Final: Should College Athletes be Paid? Adam Almontaser 1/28/14

           The  NCAA has a rule where they don’t allow any of their college athletes to be paid by their universities. Even though the athletes makes tens of millions of dollars for colleges, they don’t receive a dime for their hard work. This has caused an immense debate between players, their coaches, and those outside of the system like students and adults. College athletes should be paid because they don’t have enough time for jobs or for work. They need money to support themselves, it is challenging to live without food or clothes, they should receive a stipend.

One reason college athletes should be paid is that they don’t have enough time to work for money when they are at practice all the time. Also the teams travel a lot so they can’t really work at a store or. Huffington Post states “… For little extra money to see a movie or go out to dinner ONCE a week, my freshman roommate worked a job at the university working about $7 an hour…” This quote basically says that not all players come from a rich background and can just get money from their parents. It also shows how athletes need money to do things they want to do. USA Today Sports claimed “… I feel for athletes whose families need money. Those athletes need to work and we don’t have time because of our school and practice. There are some situations where I feel they should be paid. I feel like I’m here…” -Justin Utupo a football college athlete that plays for Notre Dom, a college football team. Again, this ties in with jobs, everybody doesn’t come from a wealthy background where they can get money from their parents. Another reason why college athletes should be paid is because they need money for necessities like food and purchasing clothes and shoes. Huffington Post also claims “…However, once the season started up, my freshman roommate couldn’t work that job anymore..” When the players are off of the team, when they aren’t playing, they have little to no time to work. The season comes along every few months and the players barely have enough to support themselves. Almost any NCAA executive that has a playing college team is ensured about one million dollars per year while their players who make them that money don’t get a single dime.

Another reason why college athletes should be paid is that scholarships aren’t enough money. Most colleges provide cafeteria’s with food plans for their students. But, just because colleges provide their students with free food, doesn’t mean that students have physical pocket money for other things they might need. Tyson Hartnett, a visionary entrepreneur, and a former high-level professional basketball player, was interviewed by Huffington Post and stated that “..the point of  this is that a scholarship doesn’t equal cash in a players pocket. Even with any type of scholarship, college athletes are typically dead broke…”  This means that college athletes have no money to go out and have fun with their family or friends. Scholarships still don’t leave money in a players pocket when they should to help them get a form of money.



Some people may think college athletes shouldn’t get paid. They think that enough money is already spent on them. Pitching Politics, a network that excels with college sports knowledge says  “… Tens of millions of dollars are invested into practice, exercise, and training their 18-22 year old athletes…” That’s the college’s decision, not the players. The players join a team to help the college earn money for itself but also to earn money for the players. With Greg Bishop, a retired American college and professional player, speaking, a video from cnn.money.com explains that “… Everyone can make money off of Johnny Manzeil (a football college athlete) except for Johnny Manzeil…” Colleges can sell his jerseys for a decent amount of money without him getting any. This quote is saying that everyone can benefit off of Johnny except for himself. He cant receive any form of profit for selling jerseys or autographs. Colleges basically use their players to make money if their players aren’t receiving any form of payment.


In conclusion, college athletes should be paid. They don’t have money for necessities, and they don’t have time to work jobs to earn cash outside of training. Scholarships aren’t enough, college athletes are very busy, and they need to start making money by playing for their teams.




Bibliography:
Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
http://huffingtonpost.com/      tyson-hartnett/college-athletes-should-be-paid.
Pitching Politics. Pitching Politics, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://wnd.com/2013/09/
why-college-athletes-should-not-be-paid/print/>.

Should College Athletes be paid? ESPN Videos. ESPN, 4 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
     <http://espn.com/videos/college/athletes/be/paid>.

Should The NCAA Pay College Players. CNN Money. CNN, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
     <http://cnn.money.com>.

USA Today. USA Today, 7 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. http://www.usatoday.com.

D,G,&,DP

                     Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie is an intense book about a 13 year old boy in 8th grade named Steven Alpart and his family going through troubles when they find out that their 5 year old son Jeffery has cancer. When Jeffery found out he had cancer, he really didn't know what it was until his mom and his doctor explained to him in a friendly way. When Steve was making moat meal for Jeffery, Jeffery feel off his high stool and banged his nose on the counter top. Then, he started to bleed non stop so he was rushed to the emergency room. There, it was said that Jeffery had leukemia. 

                 In this book, Steven changes from a boy to a man and a hero to his little brother. In the beginning of this book, Steven says that having a little brother is horrible, its the worst thing you can imagine! After Steven sees Jeffy in the hospital, he sees the pain that Jeffery has to go through everyday in the hospital from the "bone 'narrows" to the blood tests. Steven then comes along with Jeffery to help him stay calm when Medic Mike (Jeffery's toy) isn't there. One day, at the end of the book, Steven's crush Renee Albert comes at his house then he slams the door on her. Jeffery realizes Renne went from being beautiful to being my friend, and Annet went from being my friend to being beautiful. Steven realizes how beautiful and nice Annet is when he stops liking Renee ( the hottest girl in school).

              In conclusion, Steven changes from a boy to a man. After being with Jeffery for a day when his mom was sick, Steven and his dad realize the troubles of their mom and Jeffery. Everyone's bond in the family is then strengthened and tighten together.

Character Change: Greg Heffley

                  Greg Heffley, the star of the popular Diary of a Wimpy series, has released a new book in the series. Number 8, Hard Luck. Since I've read all the Diary of a Wimpy kid books, I've noticed changes in Greg from when he was in 6th grade to 8th grade. He went through all the changes a normal teenager would go through. For example, break ups with friends, and fitting in with his peers.

                 Greg Heffley and Rowley Jefferson have been friends since before they could even speak to each other. Breaking them apart would be a tough job. But, when Rowley gets a girlfriend, Greg seems to envy him. Greg thought he was better than Rowley, he felt that Rowley followed HIM. When Rowley was with his girlfriend, he would never do anything they used to do together. For example, blowing bubbles in their milk or anything silly. Rowley would think they would be immature.

                When Rowley and Abigail (Rowley's girlfriend) broke up, everything turned back to normal. Greg realizes that middle school is a bumpy ride that will almost last forever. They started to hang out again and blow bubbles in their milk at lunch. Rowley then soon finds out that Abigail never loved him, and that going out with him was just to get her old boyfriend, Micheal, to be jealous. Then after that, Abigail and Micheal were back together again.