James Patterson

Plenty of teenagers read books every day for entertainment and for school. But they don’t just read for amusement or that they need it for their classwork, they read because it is what they go to when things turn rough. Like what people said, books are a powerful thing, it can be hopeful and scary. Sherman Alexie is a wonderful writer, poet, and has published plenty of novels and short stories. Sherman Alexie’s purpose of writing is to give teenagers hope that things would work out alright, although it might be rough from time to time, and he also uses humor to entertain his readers. He provides teenagers things that they can relate to, and he addresses many crucial issues in his works. He uses numerous amount of stylistic techniques in his

Despite all the formal training and experience in this field, Twenge herself is a part of the target audience. Twenge is a mother of three who states “they’re not yet old enough to display the traits of IGen teens, but I have already witnessed firsthand just how ingrained new media are in their young lives.” Throughout the article she provides both personal and statistical information to enhance her argument and support her findings. These Range from multiple surveys conducted throughout the country, including one that had been performed on undergraduates at San Diego State University. An interview with a teen girl from Texas had also been included into the work, avoiding a bombardment of the reader with evidence and numerical data. By providing this break from purely logos argumentation she allows the reader to build an emotional connection with the work; as well as, create a bridge between author and reader. The way she presents the statistical information in her article is by providing the reader with multiple surveys and studies that show this new generational data of how teens are becoming less socially interactive in public. while presenting her information she does show that there

Some might claim the YA genre has grown to be too dark for its target audience. Meghan Gurdon, a firm believer of this idea, explains why she believes this in her article, “Darkness Too Visible”. Gurdon describes the experience of a mother of three in a bookstore looking to purchase a YA novel for one of her children, when she found herself leaving the bookstore empty-handed due to the content of the teen books. While teen books decades ago contained less violent/corrupted material, times have changed along with the genre. She is concerned that these books could have an effect on these young readers’ brains as they are merely transferring from childhood to adulthood. Gurdon still has faith that YA books would sell just as well and connect with young readers today without all of the dark subject matters discussed in them these days.

It is unrealistic that a teenage boy could survive upwards of 200 days in the middle of the Pacific Ocean alongside a 450-pound tiger. But literature does not reflect ordinary life, therefore it is important in the study of literature to separate the two, because literature is not about being practical or realistic, it is about being imaginative. The unreality of Life of Pi allows the Hero’s Journey archetype to be easily identifiable, for example, as literature provides the extremes of scenarios, stretching the capacity of the imagination to the very heights and depths of what the human mind can conceive. Literature provides us with an experience that reality cannot, because in reality, the imagination is limited to what is physically possible, but in literature, the imagination is able to be free. Through understanding the conventions of literature, the individual, in studying more complex works, is able to appreciate the use of the imagination to reach beyond what reality offers us and is able to refine his sensibilities as he recognizes the partition between life and literature.

It is agreed that if an author is stating his assertion to a topic, then he should incorporate what the opposing view has to say; therefore, without the other view he writes nothing but fallacies. However, in Gurdon’s case she offers support from the other side allowing them to state their claim. She recognizes the use of first person in these particular YA books, permitting the reader to take on the “persona of the narrator” (Gurdon 2). Then, she detects the claim of the book industry writing that “kids have a right to read whatever they want” and that “the world is a tough place; and that there’s no point shielding children from reality” (Gurdon 3). Refuting this assertion she calls out the incorrect logic of the claim stating that in other words the authority adults have over the content children absorb should “somehow vaporize when it comes in contact with the printed word” (Gurdon 3). The things children read teach them what to presume about the world around them, and that “books don’t just cater to tastes. They form tastes” (Gurdon 4). Subsequently, she offers her proposal that people associated with the publication of books would “exercise better taste” (Gurdon 2) than that of every teen experience. The comprehension of Gurdon’s claim becomes clearer after integrating the opposing view and using it to support her

Dark themes are on the rise in young adult literature, and parents can’t help but wonder if this is due to the abundance of these subjects in adult literature. Literary critic Meghan Cox Gurdon’s editorial “Darkness Too Visible” and author Sherman Alexie’s response “Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood” have contrasting views on this subject. However, with the superior techniques Alexie Sherman is more effective. Both authors use themes and style in their writing, but with his superior use of persuasive techniques Alexie Sherman’s article is ultimately more effective.

Beautiful imagery laced amidst a wondrous storyline, accompanied by memorable and lovable characters are all elements pertaining to enjoyable works of fiction. Tales that keep one up late into the night forever reading just “one more page” forever propelling the intrinsic imagination for a novel enthusiast. Yet, at times there are deeper meanings hidden between the lines. Symbols, analogies, and latent parallels all connecting to real life events and situations being portrayed by the author. Using literary theory can bring a more profound understanding of the reading material at hand, as well as unique insight as to what the author was feeling or intending to portray at the time of writing.

All this has added to the growing popularity of the Harry Potter brand that is everywhere today. Young readers can relate to Harry’s issues and the books create another world the readers can subconsciously ‘escape’ too.

In the article “The Root of the Problem,” Orlando Patterson describes the historical events that leads Jamestown, Virginia from a slave owning state to the birthplace of a new era. One of the events began near the mid-16th century. White indentured servants and African slaves worked with each other in the same field as a mixed population. According to Patterson, the idea of letting slaves free was a common idea that some freed slaves were able to prosper as other African slaves and white indentured servants fell in love. The matter of letting slaves free never occurred to the white elites, because they believed in their own indentured servants. Before the 1660s, white indentured servants were bought by the white elites to help support the labor force, because they were cheaper. Then not long after, the order of things

William Paterson (Patterson) was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1745. When he was almost 2 years of age, his family emigrated to America, disembarking at New Castle, DE. While the father traveled about the country, apparently selling tinware, the family lived in New London, other places in Connecticut, and in Trenton, NJ. In 1750 he settled in Princeton, NJ. There, he became a merchant and manufacturer of tin goods. His prosperity enabled William to attend local private schools and the College of New Jersey (later Princeton). He took a B.A. in 1763 and an M.A. 3 years later.

. Captivated by the trials of others’ encounters, the reader finds hope in his own life. For some, books are an escape. He is able to disappear into a new world, with different lives, and extreme or sometimes even similar situations. However, his real world problems are still ever-present. In Sherman Alexie’s article, “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood,” he claims that many

In “Why Don’t Teens Read For Pleasure Like They Used To?,” Jennifer Ludden a writer from Mind/Shift, KQED.org explains why many teens aren’t reading for pleasure anymore. A study done by Common Sense Media, shows that “Nearly half of 17-year-olds say they read for pleasure no more than one or times a year - if that.” Ludden states that with the digital revolution, there are more platforms than ever to read on. Even though the number of American teens reading for pleasure has dramatically. Additionally, Jim Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, says he’s been studying the impact of technology on children.

In Maximum Ride Forever throughout the book is shows that the reader is Max. I think that James Patterson did this in order to give the book a more of a real life emotion as max has obstacles thrown at her. In the book there are times where we get to see the rest of the flock where max isn't witch in not in max’s head but upon further inspection yes we are not max then but we are never anyone other than Max.We only see what they are doing and how they respond to things we never really see inside their heads like Max. This kind of perspective is good for this book because if we knew more than max did we would know what come and that would have ruined the book for the readers so this is the best way to write this book in

Stories of teenage years and coming-of-age have always enrapt children, teens, and adults alike. But why do they? These groups share virtually none of the same interests, and reside in very different emotional levels of life. In every other form of media, these groups can scarcely coexist—the prospect of watching Power Rangers for the six hundredth time would make any parent blanch, and the thought of their four year old asking to borrow his parents’ copy of The Canterbury Tales is laughable. And surely no other age group would condemn themselves so deeply to internet culture than teens. Coming of age stories, however, are the exception. Nadine Gordimer beautifully explains this phenomenon in her short story “A Company of Laughing Faces”.

Many authors like to write fantasy novels, stories that detached themselves from reality, novels that tell us about magic, parallel dimensions, between others. But even in these fictional stories there is still the presence of the universal themes that can be touched not only in this kind of novels but also in the simpler ones, themes like the fight between good and evil, love, between others.