Reading Reflection #3

Reading Reflection #3

The Fault in our Stars

John Green

Pg. 160-313

This week’s reading went very well.  I was able to finish The Fault in our Stars.  For me, this is pretty good considering I’ve never really been much of a reader.  I really enjoyed the book.  Like the cover said, the book is both funny and sad at the same time.  You wouldn’t think that a book could actually be funny and sad, but it definitely was.  I would recommend reading this book to pretty much anyone.  It is an easy book to read and you get into it pretty quickly.  There isn’t much that you need to think about or figure out while reading this book, which made reading it easy and enjoyable. 

Throughout the book, I was really able to see the characters change throughout the story.  Hazel was definitely the character that changed the most.  She went from being a sad teenage girl who didn’t care about life or dying, to a happy person who cared about other as well as herself.  I believe that she changed because of Augustus.  He really helped her grow during the story.  Hazel was never really someone who wanted to get out and do things; she enjoyed staying at home watching TV.  After she met Augustus, this changed completely.  She now enjoyed her days, spending time with either him or Isaac. 

The title of the novel is The Fault in Our Stars.  To me, this title explains the story very well.  I believe that the fault in the stars is represented by all the bad things that happen to people for no reason.  Why do some people get cancer while others live a healthy life?  What determines who gets what?  The title is proving that nobody’s life can be perfect.  It shows us that no matter how good of a person you are, like Augustus for example, there’s still always a chance that something can go wrong; the fault.  It kind of sucks if you think about it, but it is completely true in reality.  There’s no explanation for it.  In the end when I put it all together I believe that the fault is representing in the case of the story the cancer to all of the teenagers, and the stars are representing everyone.  

Cheerleading

 

http://goo.gl/bJbqM 

 

This is a picture of my cheerleading team, at the Canadian Nationals Cheerleading Competition in Niagara Falls last year.  I am posting this picture on my blog because cheerleading is my favourite sport.  There are so  many aspects of cheerleading that make it such a great sport.  First of all its a combination of dancing, gymnastics and stunting.  On top of that cheerleading is a great team sport.  You need every single team member to be at practises and competitions in order for it to go as planned.  Currently I am on two cheerleading teams.  I am on the senior team as well as the open team!  Practises for both teams together end up being close to ten hours a week.  I love every minute of it!  I hope to continue cheerleading for the years to come and maybe make the university cheerleading team. 

Reading Reflection #2

Reading Reflection #2

The Fault in our Stars

John Green

Pg. 51-160

While reading this novel, I have started to like certain characters more than others.  So far Augustus is my favourite character in the book.  There are many reasons that make him stand out more than other characters.  First of all, I see Augustus as a very genuine person.  He shows this trait many times throughout the novel.  An example that proves this is that he has never lied about anything to Hazel.  Whenever she asks a question, he answers it truthfully.  Another example that proves that Augustus is genuine is how he gives his wish to Hazel.  He only had one wish and he decided to use it to benefit Hazel’s life, not his own.  I think that is a crazy thing to do considering she used her wish without giving much thought to it and going to Disney Land.  Another great thing about Augustus is that treats Hazel with a lot of respect.  He doesn’t look at her like a regular cancer patient, but a 16 year old girl instead.  Another comment that I have about Augustus is that he is very strong.  This is shown many times as well.  First of all I think that the fact that he puts a cigarette in his mouth without lighting it shows his strength.  He explains that he is holding the thing that could potentially kill him right in his mouth.  This shows us that he is strong minded. 

Hazel is also one of my favourite characters throughout the novel.  I think that she is an amazing person.  Hazel is also a very strong person just like Augustus.  This could be the reasoning behind why they get along so well.  Hazel demonstrates her strength throughout her fight with cancer.  Hazel has been to the hospital countless times, has stopped breathing, and her life has changed completely from the average 16 year old girl.  Throughout all of this Hazel manages to fight to live.  Not only that but I also believe that Hazel is very competitive.  This characteristic is shown at the support group.  Hazel wants to prove to everyone that she is doing okay and feeling good even when she is not.  Instead of using the elevator, Hazel decides to take the stairs along with carrying her air tank.  I also see Hazel as a stubborn person.  Although being stubborn isn’t always known to be a good thing, Hazel demonstrates it in a positive way.  An example is that she is certain that she will make it to Amsterdam to meet her favourite writer.

One of my least favourite characters at this point in the novel is Isaac.  I feel really bad for Isaac and everything but I think that he should try to see things from other people’s point of view.  Ii understand that Isaac is sad about his girlfriend breaking up with him but he should definitely look at it in her shoes.  She is only a young her herself, and needing to take care of a blind boyfriend would be very complicated.  This is a sad situation but I think that Isaac almost feels too sorry for himself and thinks that he has it the worst.

During my reading, I have also been able to make a few connections including to myself and to the world.  The first connection that I found was when Hazel was reading people wall posts on Facebook for a girl who past away from cancer.  I made a connection to myself because recently there have been a few people my age that have past away.  I read all of the wall posts and I feel like I understood exactly what Hazel felt when she was reading them.  It is very sad to read all of the posts.  The other connection that I found was a text to world connection.  In the book Hazel and Augustus both talk about the Cancer Wish Foundation.  This reminded me of the Children’s Wish Foundation that grants wishes for sick kids. 

In conclusion, I feel as if I understand the characters better than I did before.  I have been able to see what there characteristics are and how they play a part in the novel.  On top of that, I have also been able to make a few connections with the book and myself as well as the world. 

Introduction Post

My name is Missy Levasseur and this is my creative writing blog.  I hope to write a few times every week, and hopefully become a better writer.  I am currently 17 years old and i was born  on December 17th 1994.  One of my favourite things to do is cheerleading.  I have been doing it for 6 years.  I have one twin brother and 2 other brothers in my family.  My favourite courses in school are math and all kinds of sciences.  I do enjoy reading, but I don't always have time for it.  After Highschool i plan on going to the University of Manitoba, and hopefully becoming an orthodentist.  It will be a lot of work and time but I think that it will be worth it in the end.