Eleanor and Park - What Difficult or Complex Things Happen In the Text?

What difficult or complex things are happening in the text?



          The book "Eleanor and Park" is a novel about two teens that fall in love despite their respective social groups. Park is an Asian-american who lives a "Perfect Life" and Eleanor who lives in a run down home with an abusive step dad and poor mother who is unable to provide.
           Eleanor looks to Park refuge from her daily, crazy life. A complex idea that pops up is bullying, not their concept but the way it's shown through out the story. Bullying, itself is a concept that is covered in many stories, however in Eleanor and Park, Eleanor's step father, Richie, writes inappropriate notes in her text book such as "suck me off", "pop that cherry" and "i know youre a slut, you smell like cum". It is never really addressed why he wrote her these notes being that we only receive the perspectives of Eleanor and Park. Nevertheless Eleanor ponders why he might of done this and thinks it's because he really did like her or enjoyed and fed off of her misery to make him happier.
             Another complex thing that happens is when Eleanor decides to run away. Park then agrees in the middle of the night to take his parents car and drive her across a state and a half to her uncles home where knows she will be safe. Eleanor, also questions whether or not she should go back to the house and "save" he brothers and sisters, saying she wishes she could sneak back into the house and take them with her. She realizes this would be nearly impossible to do with Richie on the loose. This entire section of the story brings up the themes of family and abuse and the act doing what you need to do to save yourself rather than the ones you love. The craft of this section of the text is written in an intense and fast passed but sincere way. This part of the text also brings up the idea of how would you go to protect the one(s) you love. (Park obviously willing to do anything to make sure Eleanor is safe even if it means he will never see her again.)
              The book in total is more than just a love story, it creates a real life scenario in the eyes of Eleanor and Park and also tests many limits.

Divergent

Allegiant by Veronica Roth is a science-fiction novel set in the distant future where everyone is grouped into things called factions. Each faction is dedicated to a single train each person in a certain factions has that stands out among all others. Each faction also has a different set of beliefs based on each trait. "Divergence" is having healed genes that you're born with. The novel introduces a new group, the "Allegiant" a group of people who are loyal to the faction system, but the "Bureau" seeks to "cure" all the non divergent people. Tris, the main character is forced to choose who she wants to help and how she’s going to do what’s right for the whole. A theme that shines through the book is sacrifice and I think that Tris is used to represent sacrifice throughout the novel and series.

First off in "Insurgent" Tris sacrifices herself to the Erudite leader Janine, when she demands that the refugees give her I divergent to test on or she will continue to use the simulation to kill two dauntless everyday. Tris represents the idea of sacrifice because she out of all of people chooses to give possibly her life to keep hundreds of people safe. Tris herself does this out of the love she has for these people. She doesn't tell anyone that she is leaving to save them so they don't worry about and try to get her to stop. This shows that she doesn't want anyone to stop her and that she does love them enough to sacrifice herself, which is what sacrifice is described as in Allegiant by Tobias.

Secondly, in "Allegiant" Tris willingly gives her life to keep Caleb from dying knowing he sacrificed himself out of guilt and not because he knows the humane values of sacrifice and loving another human. She says that she knows that he’s doing this out of guilt and realizes that it’s wrong to that. Tris, I feel ends up forgiving Caleb and accept that even though she'll never forget what he's done to her it's no reason to act like she doesn't still love him. That's the whole reason why she does what she does to save Caleb.

Last, in “Divergent” Tobias, who was under the serum of the factions had a gun and encountered Tris and was ordered to protect the room. He sees her and holds up his gun and she tells him that he can shoot her. This part shows more of Tris’s selfless side. She would let the person that loves her shoot her if they didn’t remember her. She basically offers to sacrifice herself knowing that if the one person that loves her would be willing to shoot her there not really a reason to live. This shows in a different way how Tris represents the idea of sacrifice because this for of sacrifice has more to do with revealing your own personal demons knowing someone who love can’t love you back.

            Throughout the Divergent series Veronica Roth uses her main character Tris as a way to represent the values and ideas of sacrifice. Even though it’s not always obvious, she throws in little acts of bravery, kindness and selflessness that represents that sacrifice is something that is done when you love someone enough to put their values ahead of yours and sometimes that means giving your life for the greater good. 

Divergent Series - Literary Essay - NOT A FINAL

Tris - main character

Tris is put in the story to specifically embody the meaning and value of sacrifice and what it really is and means.

What i think sacrifice in the book is often described as giving up something you love or are dear too in order to help the greater good or to help the people or objects you keep close and dear to your heart as opposed to sacrificing innocent people or objects for personal gain in terms of your own views in what may be good or bad.

How Tris represents this idea of sacrifice:

1. In Insurgent Tris gives herself to Janine after she demands that one divergent be given to her or she will use the simulation to kill several dauntless members. Tris represents this idea of sacrifice because she is doing it to keep the people of her faction but more importantly her friends and tobia safe from Janine

2. In Allegiant Tris willingly gives her life to keep Caleb from dying knowing he sacrificed himself out of guilt and not because he knows the humane values This does. She also does this to keep the people of her faction and city safe from the mmstors of the bureau

3. Still working on this

Government Control - Catching Fire - Literary Essay

  In Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, government control is one of the central themes of the book and the series. Katniss and must return to the arena when they are once again reaped to compete. The ideas of rebellion grow stronger, but with the rebellion come tighter government control than ever. The government showcases their control and ruling in many ways and it is used to strike fear and destroy hope in the citizens of Panem.

       First off, the main way the government attempts to strike fear into the people of Panem is the yearly Hunger Games, where 2 random children are selected to compete against each other to the death until one is the victor. The reason this works is because the games showcase the power the government has and what they are able to do if anyone were to get out of line. The capital is able to create poisonous gas that kills within minutes and grows and moves on its own uncontrollably, as seen in the book while Katniss, Peeta Finnick and Mags are in the games and the are infected and poisoned by the gas. The Hunger Games are also used to exhibit the fact that the government shows no leniency to those that do no harm, therefore there will be no mercy to those who do wrong and attempt to rebel.

         In addition to the Hunger Games, the peacekeepers are also used as a way to suppress hope and control the people of the districts to make sure they are too scared to defy the rules. The peacekeepers will also attack a citizen for the smallest reasons but they are all punished the same. The peacekeepers will often publicly whip people who disobey the rules to scare people into behaving and doing the write things. The peacekeepers are chosen by the government and are told by the government what to do in case of any situations and how to make people scared into doing the right things. However, in some districts the peacekeepers aren't able to really scare people into doing the right things, like when Katniss gives her speech to district 11 and an old man salutes her but because of this he is murdered by the rulings of the government. This is only done to make an example, to keep other people in line.

         Lastly, the government is merciless and will go to extremes to make an example or even if they feel the slightest threat. Firstly, president Snow changes the original quarter quell rule to the new one stating "the tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors". He (head of the government does this to show the people that even though hope is stronger than fear they (the government) can make sure with all the abundance of their power that any shred of hope that lurks within the districts is eradicated in one way or another and this was his gameplan. However, the government's (sort of) endgame move was to bomb district 12, again to display this aura of complete control and mercilessness for the weaker and wrong doers.

         The Capitol government is able to use the immense power it has to scare the residents of the districts into behaving. The weapons most used by the government are psychological ones that have to do with replacing hope with fear and making sure that the people are too scared to ever do what they want or step out of line.

         The government continues its reign into mockingjay, but targets Katniss directly using Peeta as a weapon.