Responsibility

Lucas underestimating Amy

In Gore by Sarah Ellis, Lucas tries antagonizing Amy by stealing her book. When he did this, he thought that because he is stronger and more athletic she wouldn't be able to outsmart him. At the end, she used her intelligence to get her book back. I feel that this showed the responsibility we have to ourselves to not assume we're superior because of physical traits. People are capable of many different things and we have the responsibility to not assume or judge, and Lucas learned this.

This can be connected to Lamb to the Slaughter because everyone thought that Mary didn't have the willpower to kill her own husband. They assumed that she's just a weak, grieving woman and she was helpless. Mary was actually the opposite and she was so smart with the murder. The way she tricked the police into eating the murder weapon was completely unexpected and intelligent. Although I don't agree with murder, the cops had the responsibility to investigate her and they didn't because of their assumptions. This showed me how I'm responsible for not belittling anyone or assuming they're weak.

Elimina teaching herself how to read

In Gutter Child by Jael Richardson, Elimina explained that she had no education growing up because of the discrimination she experienced and oppression to "gutter children". There was a book on her mother's side table and she used it to teach herself how to read. She also said it was the only thing she brought to the academy. This shows great responsibility to herself because she presevered through tough times and did it herself when nobody was there to help her. Her education was important to her so she took the responsibility to teach herself, which is something we all could take inspiration from.

This can be connected to a lot of real life situations as some kids don't actually have access to education but still want to learn. In the story The Breadwinner, an Afghani girl disguised herself as a boy so she could go to school without getting caught by the Taliban. She experienced a lot of discrimination as a girl but still took the responsibility for herself to get an education. This inspired me to appreciate what I have and take bigger initiative for things I'm passionate about. Both of these stories have 2 brave girls taking on responsibility for their education.

Mirage apologizing to Mr. Ray

In Tomorrow, Summer by Naomi Shihab Nye I feel that Mirage shows a great example of our responsibility to others. After she repeatedly mocked Mr. Ray for being an unanimated and "uninteresting" teacher. She wrote an apology note after realizing how that could've hurt Mr. Ray. She didn't know what was going on in his life and took the initiative to be kinder and apologize for her actions, which was very responsible.

I can connect this example to the story Wonder. The main character, Auggie, got made fun of because he was born with facial deformities. Julian was one of his bullies and when he learned how being hateful makes him bitter and unhappy, he wrote an apology letter. This helped me deeper understand my responsibilities to other because both Julian and Mirage in these stories felt bad when they were being hateful. If you spread kindness good things come back to you and that's a responsibility I learn from these stories.

Honesty in The taste of Melon

In The Taste of Watermelon by Borden Deal the 2 main themes are guilt and honesty. The main character felt very guilty when he saw Mr. Will's reaction to his watermelon being stolen. He saw Mr. Will crying and realized he needed to come clean about his actions. This shows great responsibility because he could've stayed quiet with no repercussions but he took into account the feelings of others and decided to be honest about his wrongdoings.

Honesty is a very important aspect of my life so this can be connected to many things. In the show Suits, the main character, Mike, lies about going to Harvard law school to get a job at a law firm. He got into a serious relationship with a girl there and saw how keeping this lie was affecting their relationship. He came clean to her because he felt guilty for keeping it from her and things slowly started to fall in place. This showed me that we have the responsibility of being honest with others and take their feelings into account.

Georg and Ulrich making peace

In The Interlopers by Saki Georg and Ulrich ended their rivalry. Georg thought about feasting together at Ulrich's castle and them hunting together in some marshes. He changed his mind from hate and they became friends so there will be "no interlopers from outside". This shows responsibility because it takes a lot of maturity to put aside feelings of competition and turn it into a positive relationship.

I can connect this to the show Orange is the New Black. In the beginning, Alex and Piper had a huge rivalry because they went to prison for the same reason and blamed each other for it. They would get targeted by others for being quiet and "weak". When they decided to end their rivalry, they realized that their relationship was actually really good for them. The responsibility of being mature and moving on is something that can come with many benefits and I want to use that in my life.