Stargirl By Jerry Spinelli

Is being a one of a kind a key to success? Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is a novel about a girl that attends a new school and everyone starts to become aware of the fact that she is not “normal”. As people start getting to know Stargirl, they start to realize that she is quite annoying due to her distinctive personality. For instance, she starts going around the lunchroom and starts singing “happy birthday” to whomever when it's their birthday. From this I can infer the author's intended message is to be nobody, but yourself in a world where everyone expects you be just like them.

Through my understanding of the book, Homeward Bound by Elaine Tyler May explores two traditional depictions of the 1950s, namely suburban domesticity and anticommunism. She intertwines both historical events into a captivating argument. Throughout the book, May aims to discover why “Post-war Americans accepted parenting as well as marriage with so much zeal” unlike their own parents and children. Her findings are that the “cold war ideology and domestic revival” were somewhat linked together. She saw “domestic containment” as an outgrowth of frights and desires that bloomed after the war. However, psychotherapeutic services were as much a boom then as now, and helped offer “private and personal solutions to social problems.” May reflects her views on the origin of domestic containment, and how it affected the lives of people who tried to live by it.

In the book Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, Susanna Kaysen was only 18 years old when she agreed to enter a medium security psychiatric facility in Boston, McLean hospital in April 1967, after a failed suicide attempt. She insisted that her over dose on aspirin was not a suicide attempt, but after a 20 minute interview the doctor decided she needed to be admitted to a hospital. During her prolonged two-year stay at the hospital Kaysen describes the issues that most of the patients in her ward have to deal with and how they all differently deal with the amount of time they must stay in the hospital for. While in the hospital Kaysen experienced a case of depersonalization where she tried to pull the skin of her hands to see if there were bones underneath, after a failed escape attempt. Soon, after going to therapy and analysis she was labeled as having recovered from borderline personality disorder. After her release she realizes that McLean Hospital provided patients with more freedom than the outside world, by being free responsibility of parental pressure, free from school and job responsibilities, and being free from the “social norms” that society comes up with. Ultimately, being in captivity gave the patients more freedom then in society and created a safe environment in which patients wanted to stay in.

Ghost Singer by Anna Lee Walters is a tale of the historical injustices suffered by Indigenous peoples and the modern consequences of those injustices. Although it is clear that the spirit people in the novel serve as the most outwardly fearsome people in the novel, it is important to take into account the overall systemic injustices that the characters of Native American heritage suffer under throughout the histories presented in the novel. Walters addresses fearsomeness and sympathetic characters through the use of dangerous characters and situations presented directly and indirectly to the characters. The fearsomeness of the characters and the sympathy felt for the characters is dependent upon the perspectives of the readers since these fearsome figures are “a cultural construct and a projection” of that cultures fears (Cohen 1). The fearsome figures in the novels are presented to initially be the spirits haunting the artifacts, but upon closer examination the larger more entrenched issue of outdated models of thought in relation to Indigenous peoples appear to be the most important fearsome figure. The protagonist of the novel is dependent upon the views taken, and the fearsome figures that the historians, such as David Evans, and characters are attempting aid the spirits, such as George Daylight. Walters addresses the fearsome nature of a system dependent on examining and judging indigenous societies based on white values, which is problematic since both cultures do not

To begin, Stargirl defies the term normal throughout the novel with her identity as the quirky over the top person she is. “She laughed when there was no joke. She a danced when there was no music. She had no friends, but was the friendliest person in school” (Page 15, Spinelli). This quote by Spinelli shows that Stargirl is different than everyone else, not only in the way she dresses and looks, but also in her demeanor and outlook in life. The book goes along to say that the kids at Mica Area High School couldn’t make her out. In fact, Stargirls identity and refusal to join the rest of the school in their conformity lifestyles, is drawn out though character Hillari Kimble spreading the rumour across the entire school that “She (Stargirl) isn’t real” (Spinelli, Pag 7). going onto to tell Mica Area High School her conspiracy about Stargirl being a ploy by the

Dorothy Allison’s essay, Panacea, recalls the fond childhood memories about her favorite dish, gravy. Allison uses vivid imagery to cook up a warm feeling about family meals to those who may be a poor family or a young mother. Appeal to the senses shows this warm feeling, along with a peaceful diction.

Stargirl is a very unique individual. She is very thoughtful of other people and doesn’t do much for herself. When Stargirl goes from homeschooling to a normal school with hundreds of kids, she doesn’t fit in. She finds a good

When Stargirl first comes to Mica High, everyone is shocked by her long dresses and odd behaviors. She is far different than anyone else they had ever seen, and because of this, her peers do not accept her. While this would make most teenagers would be devastated by the rejection, it has no effect on her happiness or treatment of others. Leo says, “She laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music. She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in the school” (15). This shows that from the start, Stargirl’s happiness comes from within, not from others’ opinions. She did not need others to be friendly to her in order for her to accept everyone else, nor did she need others to

Mia takes readers on a captivating journey, trying to navigate the ups and downs of middle school while simultaneously trying to deal with her sick cat and her newly diagnosed synesthesia. Wendy Mass has written a whole host of other books as well, all of which have relatable characters and captivating themes. Although none of the characters are quite the same, and none of the themes are completely synonymous, they all share the same basic trait: connecting with readers. One such book is Every Soul a Star. The book has three main protagonists: Ally, a girl who has lived with her family on an isolated campground, Bree, a tween who has grand plans to be a supermodel, and Jack, a middle school student who is failing his science class. They all meet on Ally’s campground to watch a rare solar eclipse, and in the process change each other’s lives as well as their own. One of the major themes of the book is that friendships can form in unlikely places. Many of Mass’ books have a similar theme to this, although no two are in the exact same circumstances. Even though the theme is not exactly the same as in A Mango-Shaped Space, they are both very moving, very influential

Stargirl could not survive in our high school. Stargirl would never make it because she would get made fun of everyday. She also made her own pledge. So i don't think that she would make it in our high school.

Rebecca McClanahan’s essay, “Interstellar,” is a memoir explaining what it is like, “To be the sister of a sad and beautiful woman,” (354). This line is one of the many uses of repetition the narrator utilizes to speak on the relationships her sister and her endure, while also explaining their relationship with each other. These relationships are magnified by the narrator’s use of literary elements such as metaphors, allusion, repetition, second person voice and her diction. These elements help develop characters, as well as give us a deeper sense of the relationships between the characters themselves.

The story “Way too cool” by Brenda Woods is an outlandish story because the main character Aston James changes twice. Before the change he was a teenage norm, trying to comprehend where he belongs and who he really is. The change occurs when he realizes that not being yourself is not cool but foolish. However in the end he changes back to Mr. Cool due to peer pressure and to maintain his stature. Through this last change the author helps me understand that peer pressure negatively affects one’s decision-making skills and self-esteem. This story also gives me an insight into why students give up or even commit suicide due to their peers.

Dogeaters is Jessica Hagedorn’s first novel. The author returned to her native Philippines in 1988 to write the work, and it was published in 1990 when it received the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. The novel reflects the eclectic life of its author whose experiences have included acting, singing, songwriting, and writing poetry, drama, and fiction. For the most part, Dogeaters has been well received by critics and scholars who commend its experimental nature and innovative writing style. Jessica Hagedorn is a well-respected post-colonial author whose works present gender, social, and cultural themes. Dogeaters is considered one of the most widely studied novels about the Philippines and is an important example of

“When you have the kind of disability that Aston has, there’s only one way to handle it.” In the beginning of the short story, “Way Too Cool,” by Brenda Woods, the main character Aston James is portrayed as a short-sighted, single-minded, and image-conscious asthmatic teen. Aston experiences two changes throughout this short story. The first change comes when he realizes there is more to life than being cool. But he immediately returns to his original state of mind of “being cool is everything,” when the second change occurs. At first I thought that he had changed for good and he would remake himself and his life. After the second change occurred, I realized that social stature and being cool meant way more to him then his health or anything else. His changes left me to think about the effects of negative peer pressure and acceptance.

Identity shapes the theme of “Stargirl” because she isn’t happier when her peers accepted her, she is truly happy when she is herself. One of the first