Themes In Gathering Blue By Lois Lowry

Imagine living in a world where the weak are cast aside and you yourself are crippled, but your life is spared by love. Then your mother dies unexpectedly and there is no longer anyone protecting you. What will happen to you now? This is what Kira faced in the novel Gathering Blue written by Lois Lowry. Kira was born with a deformed leg and faces physical challenges because of it. At the beginning of the book, Kira’s mother dies from an unexpected illness and Kira is attacked by a group of women led by Vandara. Vandara claims that Kira should be taken to the field and left for the beasts, which the reader finds out later are not real. The Council of Guardian’s then spares Kira’s life and appoints her official threader of the Singer’s robe. She later meets Thomas, the Carver, and Jo, the

Have you ever thought about what it would be like not to be free? What would it be like not to be able to make choices? What would it be like not to be able to do what you want? It's scary to think about not being free, but even in the world today some people don't even have basic human freedoms. Lois Lowry shows us in her books The Giver and Gathering Blue what it would be like not to have freedom and how important it is that we have it.

In Lynda Barry's essay “The Sanctuary of School” the author addresses the ongoing issue of funding for public schools in America. She is trying to persuade her American audience, such as the school board, and parents, that we need to keep the public schools. Barry is the perfect person to argue the importance of public schools and art and the children who attend them because she was one of those children. She is now a famous cartoonist and author, and she thanks her public school experience for her success. Her essay was intended for the people who believe they aren't important, people who work for school boards, maybe some parents, and the United States Department of Education. In “The Sanctuary of School,” Lynda Barry uses a sense of

Intimate partner violence is characterized not only by physical violence, but also sexual, emotional, and mental violence through the use of threats (Understanding Intimate Partner Violence, 2011). In Black and Blue, Anna Quindlen delves into the mind of a woman who faces intimate partner violence in her everyday life. Fran, or Beth, and her son attempt to get away from Fran’s abusive cop husband. While Black and Blue is a fiction novel, its points about intimate partner violence hold true in many cases such as the breaking of traditional gender roles, high levels of stress, alcohol overconsumption, and learned behavior.

Scrolling through the possible essays, it didn’t take long to find one that was eye catching. Walking While Black, by Garnette Cadogan, caught my attention for obvious reasons. The author takes a personal story that shows his interests-walking that is very current and understandable to most audiences. Cadogan depicts one of the terrors black men risk enduring everyday life in the United States. Cadogan’s storyline, quotes and informal language assist readers to reach a sense of connection with his experiences. The beginning of the essay takes us where his love of walking begins-his hometown Kingston, Jamaica. The storyline, starting from his late night strolls in his hometown, Cadogan walks us through how he ended up in the New York City

The genre of the story is historical fiction and the setting is the 1930’s southern America in a town called Maycomb, in Alabama. The story is narrated by Scout Finch, a young girl whose innocent heart has been exposed to the evils of southern United States in the 1930’s. This setting is vital to the plot of the summary because during that time was the great depression and racism was especially common in the south, where lynching rose from 8 in

Jeans have been around for decades, but have you ever wondered how they got their start? The passage Birth of the Blues, written by Melissa and Henry Billings, focuses on miners problems during the gold rush, and then later explains how this impacted a man to create the durable pants we wear today. Melissa and Henry billings show the birth of the blue jeans through a problem and solution text structure, they use examples of miners being too tough of their pants and the seams constantly ripping.

is taken to court to see if she is helpful to her village. She the is given to do the tasks that her mother had done and starts to learn threading.Throughout the course of the text Gathering Blue, the author uses text to convey the multiple themes by personification and symbolism.

In Monica Hesse’s Girl in the Blue Coat, themes of World War 2 can be seen throughout the Netherlands, where this story takes place. While this book is not written around a specific battle or event of World War 2, it portrays events such as Jewish holding camps, German soldiers patrolling within the Netherlands, and how the black market had an impact on the people in the war.

Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. In other words, as one obtains more and more power, he or she tends to take advantage of this power, ultimately resulting in a morality change. Elie Wiesel, the author of the memoir Night, shares his story about the Holocaust. Throughout the memoir, Wiesel talks about power and how those with more of it, tend to show greater immorality. The quote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men," by John Dalberg-Acton means that a person’s morality decreases as their power increases.

The book “Hillbilly Elegy”, written by J.D. Vance displays the theme of persistence, resilience, and grit. Vance writes this book from a first-person viewpoint, describing his life growing up in a low-class family. The title comes from Vance’s family growing up in a “hillbilly” lifestyle. The story starts with J.D. growing up in the Appalachian Valley, beginning his life in Jackson, Kentucky. Jackson, Kentucky is a very rural area where the culture of family’s focus is on loyalty, love for the country, and self-pride. We later learn that Vance moves in with his grandparents for a sense of stability and security.

Power corrupting individuals also applies to literature and fictional novels. One example of power causing corruption is found in a novel called Animal Farm by George Orwell. Animal Farm is a story about animals ruled and dictated by humans. Eventually, the animals overthrow their human dictator, Mr. Jones, and try to form their own government. After a pig named Napoleon was declared leader, he gained power which caused him to become corrupted. Napoleon dictated the animals and the entire farm throughout the novel. Napoleon considering himself as powerful as God is an example of Napoleon?s level of corruption. One loyal and

Eleanor & Park is a young adult novel by Rainbow Rowell. This story is praised and loved by all ages because of it’s ability to relate to the reader with it’s varied issues and themes that anyone can relate to. From romance, to bullying and violence, it has a little something for everyone. Overall themes are an important asset to this young adult novel, since they are the ideas that Rainbow Rowell explores, and helps the story take shape. It all goes back into the “coming of age” theme. The protagonists, Eleanor and Park, are two 16 year olds facing life’s obstacles, such as bullying, abuse, and even romance. This book teaches many lessons that one reader might relate to; although taking place in 1986, the lessons still relate to this day, from relationships, to issues at home. Eleanor & Park is an exceptional book that even the most hardened reader can relate to, this book handles a lot of issues and themes that anyone can relate to, and dishes out life lessons that will impact the reader, it’s written in such a realistic way, that it feels like a real story, and that is not in any way fictional. This book is a great piece of fiction that blends in pop culture, issues, and romance all in one that anyone can read.

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker is a series a letters by and to the main character, Celie. The book begins with fourteen year old Celie writing to God about her father raping her and taking away her children. After Celie's mother dies, Celie focuses on protecting her sister, Nettie, from her father's sexual advances and encourages her to run away. A widower called “Mr. __” wants to marry Nettie, but their father rejects him. Eventually Celie marries Mr. __, who later is called Albert, and her living conditions do not improve at all. Celie becomes infatuated with Shug Avery, a blues singer who is her husband's mistress. Years later, Celie helps nurse Shug back to health. Eventually, they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, Nettie

In Alice Walker's The Color Purple, she explores the thin grey line that stands between survival and living. Through her protagonist, Celie, she examines the dramatic shifts of empowerment; focusing on the young black girl in the 1850’s.