Essay for english (2nd sem.)

I’m Not Being “held back”

An alarming rate of boys are dropping out of high school. The numbers increase steadily every year. Why is this happening? Is it the schools fault or the students? Some will lead you to believe that schools these days are too focused on females and are holding boys back. That is not true. The current school system’s way of teaching does not “hold boys back,” but it does not help them improve either.

Are boys being held back by the school system? The answer is no. In Bauerlein’s and Stotsky’s “Why Johnny Won’t Read” it reads , “Publishers seem  to be more interested in avoiding ‘masculine’ perspectives or ‘stereo types’ than in getting boys to like what they are assigned to read (93).” Yes, I will admit that some of the materials male students are assigned might not be considered “cool,” but that does not change the fact that it needs to be done. Just because a piece a literature a student is assigned to read might appeal more to females than males should not “hold back” a male student. Yes, it is boring. Yes, it is a book for chicks. Oh well. Read the story, do the work, and get it over with. Do not just sit there and fail because the story is not written for your specific gender. Furthermore, in Ann Hullbert’s “Boy Problems” she writes, “Men in the Army or prison and more job options for males (in construction and manufacturing) that don’t require a college education but pay relatively well (97).” From about when I was 10 ‘till now I have heard countless times that when I grow up I will need to get a job and support my family. Now, I am pretty sure that a lot of other males have been taught this same thing. No matter what happens, a man is suppose to be able to provide for his family, So, if said man finds that there is a better opportunity to do that by working now instead of finishing school then I can understand why the drop-out rate is so high. Why deal with the stress of school and work if finishing school will not affect how much you make at that job? Now, I am not saying students should drop-out and find a job. I am just saying that it is understandable why the drop-out rates for males are so high since ,from birth for some, males have had the need to be able to provide forced into their skulls.

As I said earlier, some people, probably the males who dropped out, blame the failures on the school saying that the school is holding them back, and that the school is helping further the female students education. In David Brook’s “Mind Over Matter” he writes, “Others say the educational system has been overly feminized. Boys are asked to sit quietly for hours at a stretch under conditions where they find it harder to strive (94).” This is an understandable argument. How is one supposed to succeed when the conditions hinder said success? Well, I have a counter to that question. How do the conditions affect boys more than girls? Research done by the Children Trends Database, in October of 2012, shows that more boys choose to drop out than girls do. Honestly, I believe people who blame the school, entirely, for their failures are just plain lazy. Girls have to sit through the same classes and lectures and do the same work and homework as us boys do. Do they just drop out? Do they say it is unfair or that the school system is against them? No! They sit down, do their work, and get things done.

So, apparently the school system has been “feminized” and is causing the males nationwide to fall behind. A despairing predicament if you ask me. There is only one question to ask. How do we fix it? Well, if the system is more towards females then the obvious solutions would be to focus on boys right? WRONG! In Brook’s “Mind Over Matter” it states, “We conclude that the issue is far less driven by a nation’s culture than it is by basic difference between males and females in the modern world (94).” The school needs to find a common ground. It does not need to focus towards one gender, but on both. I am not saying it is going to happen over night or anything like that. It will take time and a lot of trial and error. Also, in Bill McBride’s “Closing the Achievement Gap: Teaching to Gender Differences” he claims, “If we don’t begin to alter our methodologies and materials for young men, the drop-out rates will continue to rise.” This is very true. If one gender is being focused on, then the other will just loose the want to improve and fall behind. If we had a more “competitive” school system, an example would be the way the Japanese schools rank their students, then I believe males and females would be more interested in doing better in school.

Is the current school system holding the male population back by unfairly feminizing the school curriculum? Are males just being lazy and need to start working harder if they truly want an education? Do males have too much expectations put on their shoulders to worry about school? I do not know. It is up to each individual male to determine that. All I am saying is, I am a male and I am doing just fine in school despite the “female centered” school curriculum. So, I will end this with a question. Do YOU, the reader, think that the school system that is applied in today’s society is oppressing the male population and giving an unfair advantage to the females, or do males just need to realize that their education is very important and start doubling, maybe even tripling their efforts when it comes to school work and just get the job done?

Book Review 4: Twelfth Grade Kills

Do you believe in the supernatural? How about vampires? What if one vampire, a special vampire, could rule all of man and vamp kind? Heather Brewer's Twelfth Grade Bleeds took hold and didnt realese its grip until the highly anticipated end.

Heather Brewer is one of my fav. authors. She has written many good books. What makes this one better than the rest? Three things in particular stand out to me. They the characters, the ability to hold my interest this long into the series, and having a satisfying end to said series.

We'll start things up with the characters. Now, the typical vamp book a person will read will have the vamps with all these superpowers and no where near human. Don't get me wrong, this book is pretty much just like that except that the author did a good job at making these certain vamps seem human enough to make them relatable to. Also, the other characters in this book are very good support characters that really help this story flow.

Next up, the books ability to keep my interest in the series so far into it. Many books that are series have lost my interest because after the second, sometimes first, they seem to just loose steam in manner of speaking. The first two are like BOOM, then the rest are just like meh. Except this one. This book is like a punch to the face from the beggining to the end.

And to finish it up, I shall talk about the amazing ending to an equally amazing series. How many times has a series, books, tv, or game, had an amazing run just to disappoint at the end? An unfortunate amount. This book, however, does not. It has a fitting ending to the story that does not leave the reader with an empty feeling like the story just ended with no real ending or that the ending was rushed. This one was well thought out and developed at just the right speed to leave the reader happy and content.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a very good book and worth the time to read.

Book Review 3: Airman (2nd sem.)

Take a moment to ponder on how it would feel to fly? Now take yourself back about the late 1800's-early 1900's and imagin how it would be to fly then. Eoin Colfer's Airman took hold and sent me soaring through this amazing story.

What makes a good book? While I am no author myself, I am a very avid reader and there are certain things that makes books "pop out" or "grab my interest." While there are a good bit of things to choose from I have to choose three. Those are: characters, genre of the book, and setting. These three aspects helped this book be even better and one of the best, in my opinion, that Mr. Colfer has written.

First up will be the one that has the least impact on the book: the genre. Before i start, yes, i understand that most people do pick or avoid certain books is because of the genre, i believe that the other two affected the book more. This book being in this certain genre caught my attention because usually when i think of Eoin Colfer, i think of fairies, magic, and little irish boy trying to steal gold, the Artims Fowl books for those who have no idea of what i am talking about, but this book is actually very realistic and non-fantastical. It is nice to read something different from the "norm" every now and then.

Next will be the aspect of this book that affected a great deal, but did not have the greatest impact per se, the setting. This book is located on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland. While the time frame of this book seams to be mideval, it is actual around the time where flying machines were first being built. So, this book has castles and airplanes. AWESOME! The setting, being the way it is, is very unique and inthralling adding to this books magnatism.

We will end this with the most impactful piece of this great book, the characters. This book has variety of characters. There is the young boy with a bright future, the srong-willed dad, the ecentric mento, the evil, treacherous villian, and the henchman to said villian. All of these characters have a realness about them that makes the reader believe that they are real and helps the book come to life. The characters in this book are exceptional. That's good because, i strongly believe this, if a book dose not have good characters, the book will fail. Hard.

While this is not the best book i have read, it's pretty close though, i would still have to recommend it to anyone and everyone. It has action, adventure, suspensce, comedy, and even a little romance. So, if you see this book, pick it up. It won't disappoint.

Book Review 2: Second Chance (2nd sem)

Have you ever wondered if there are vampires? Have you ever asked yourself what it would be like to be one? How about, what it would be like to hunt one? Heather Brewer's The Hunter's Chronicles: Second Chance pulled me in with its likable characters and chilling story and didn't let me go 'till it was over.

There are many things I like about this book. A few examples would be the characters, the writing style, and the author. While these are just a few things I like about this book, these are the ones that really made this book spectacular in my opinion. First up, the author.

The author, Heather Brewer, is among the top of my favorite authors. I like her writing style and the worlds she creates. Books like the Vladimir Todd series, the Slayer Chronicles series, the series this book is apart of, and the Legacy of Tril series are the books that make Mrs. Brewer one of my favorite authors. I would recommend her books to anyone and everyone.

Next, the writing style I mentioned before. Heather Brewer has a phenomenal writing style. She has enough story development to make it interesting, but spaces it out enough to where the story is actually fun to read. It draws you in and keeps you interested and entertained until the very end. I give the w.s. an 8/10.

Finally, and what I consider the most important out of the three, the characters. The main group of characters in this book some of the best characters in any book I have read. They are relatable  while being fantastical enough to be wowed by them. Also, They give off this family vibe that just draws the reader in more. Like I said, this is the most important aspect of this book because even with an amazing story, fantastic writing style, and a respectable background, if the characters suck then the book is gonna bomb. More than a few books have lost my interest because I just did not like the characters.

Everything considered, this book would have to be in my top 10 favorite books. I would definatly recommend this book to any vamp lover or fantasy reader as well as anyone who enjoys a good story. This is definatly a book one dose NOT want to pass on.

C.C. 4: Gender Roles (2nd sem.)

In James Leather's article Today's Gender Roles he describes his views on the gender roles of today's society. I am writing this to explain two things. 1) What exactly has changed. 2) Do we have to change as well.
In today's society it is not normal to see a woman being the main income for her family or to see said female own a company. The employment percentage of employed married women rose from 25% in 1950 to 67% in 1998. Recent studies show that it is even higher now. Also, in 1947 only 12% of women went to college after high school. Now in 2011 it is up to 72% and in 2006 it was shown that 58% of students enrolled in college were of the female population.
Now, a person could go around asking different people what their viewpoints on this was and that person would get mixed results. Some would say they liked the change, some would say that it needs to go back to women staying home and men working, or some, this guy included, might not care either way. So, do people have to change with the changing of the roles? The answer is........wait for it.......NO!!!
It is up to you, the reader. A person is free to make their own decision on this subject. A person can choose to be open minded and let a woman do what she wants or be a man who rules his wife with an iron fist. Either way, it's up to you reader.  So, which is it going to be? Open minded or tyranny?

C.C. 3: Gender Roles (2nd sem. gender roles)

In Suzanne Venker's article "To be Happy, We Must Admit Women and Men Aren't 'Equal'" she informs readers of two things. 1) How the gender rolls of society were and 2) how they are now.  I'm pretty sure that the people reading this, if there is any, have there own opinion on this matter but I geuss I'll never know. So, on to the story.

When people think of a women's role in society, let's say, 20 years back, it was more than likely a little something like this. Women were to find a good man, marry him, have kids, cook and clean. Now, yes, some women still do that and it is a very honorable role and, as my mother has told me countless time, not a very easy one.

Now days you find some women are the ones out working and the men at home. You see more women with jobs and even thier own businesses. Why? Here's the reason. Females in today's culture are told to be strong and independent and don't submit to the will of men. Now, I don't see the problem for both the man and a woman to have a job and a family if they are happy, but, as Suzanne later goes on to say, this way of thinking can cause trouble and eventually lead to "a battle about whom does more on the home front and how they’re going to get everything done. That’s not a marriage. That’s war." At least according to Suzanne that is.

Honestly, I don't care which way it goes. Being an engadged man myself, I do not believe a woman's place is "in the kitchen" as some would say. If she chooses to be there, fine. That's good for her if she wants to do that. On the other hand, if my fiancee wants to go get a job and work, I'm not gonna stop her because it really does not matter. I think if both people work, that's more money and, hopefully, better lives. That's my opinion on the matter. If you, the reader, wanna state yours then that's what the comment section is for. Feel free to write 'till your hearts content.

Book Review 1: The Reckoning (2nd Semester)

                 In a world where there are superhumans and a cult that is quickly gaining population, there is a war coming. One that might not have many survivors. Michael Carroll's Quantum Prophecy: The Reckoning captivated me with its in depth story, mind boggling plot twists, and likable characters.
                 Three things that really made this book stand out for me was the setting, the characters, and the writing style of this book. These elements of the book really helped tie it all together and made this book better than the rest of the series, the Quantum Prophecy series. Now I will further describe why said elements have such an impact on the story.
                   First up is the setting. This book takes you to many different places in varying parts of the world.The reader goes from a secret military base somewhere in the U.S. to Lieberstan, then to Satu Mare. These helps because with the military base, Sakkara, it shows the imprisonment of the new superheros while the harsh landscape and the blistering heat of Lieberstan shows the inhumane working conditions of the prisoners there. These in depth settings help the reader really get into the story.
                   Next are the characters. There are a multitude of characters to pick from. A super fast teenager who found out his dad is actually an impostor and he killed his actual dad, a girl who has been frozen for the past 10 years or a super strong, energy controlling 15 year old on the run. Well I decided to pick a character  that, in my opinion, is more relatable than any of the others. That character would be Paragon, the human with the desire to save the world. His lack of powers is more than made up for with his will to do right and his unyielding need for justice. True he does die in this book, but the way he dies is even heroic. It's him and another family. Both captured. Only one can live and it's not even in there hands. It's in the hands of said 15 year old superhero mentioned earlier. What does Paragon do? Does he beg for his life? Does he beg Colin to pick him to live and condemn the family? No. He tells him to do the right thing and let the family live. A truly heroic move if you ask me.
                     Lastly is the writing style. The style is something readers see a lot of in very successful books. Sorta makes you wonder why he picked it. There is a perfect blend of comedy, suspense, mystery, and character development that is the final thread in this amazing story. He lets the readers get to know the characters. The readers get inside the head of them and gets to know what they are thinking. Also, if the situation is getting very serious, he brings in some humor to lighten the mood without making it obvious what he's doing, but there is enough seriousness that the book can be taken as a good action packed book.
                       I would recomened this book to anyone. Especially the readers out there who love action books and books with superpowers. I rate this book a 4/5.