Times are a Changing

When readers first meet Jason Taylor, he is a small and fragile little boy. He gets pushed around by his sister, he is an outsider at school, and he witnesses fights between his parents. As the book starts to go along, Jason tries to find his voice whether it be by writing poetry, going down a bridle path, or tying a string to mans door. Eventually Jason's hard work and bravery pay off by him getting a chance to join the most exclusive gang in town. Although Jason is able to join, he makes morally correct decision to do the right thing, even though it would have grave consequences. This makes Jason become the punching bag of the school, but it also marks the point in time where Jason starts to find himself. As the text starts to reach the end of the book, Jason goes through a couple of experiences that really bring out who he is. In the end of the book, Jason finds out that he is a strong young boy who should not let other people push him around just because of the decisions he has made. To really pound this into his head, Jason's sister Julia asks if he is going to continue to write poetry. She asks because she knows that that is where Jason really shines, that poetry is where his true voice is.

The Lepers

Throughout the chapter Maggots, Jason is constantly being bullied and attacked by all of the "cool kids" from school. Jason is attacked because he went to the movies with his mom, he went back and saved Moran, being called a stutterer, and finally, being called a maggot. The bullies connect with Jason's own thoughts of himself about how he is a weak and pathetic person. Since Jason is now continuously being called a loser, he no longer has any confidence, which in turn, makes him even easier to target. For me, these issues connect to real life and shows just how easy it is to put someone down and make them feel like they do not belong just because of something very small that they did. To me, this is a real issue because it happens to much all over the country in person or online. Just like Jason, many kids feel persecuted and have no one to turn to for help. Even though this is a bad situation, Jason handles things the right way and does not fight back, causing less trouble. In order to be truly happy in all of our communities, people need to except everyone for who they are and what they do, no matter their personalities, class, religion, or looks.

The Voice of Poems

In the chapter Solarium, Jason gets a letter to come to a mansion and meet the vicar he had been sending his poems into. Instead, he meets a very odd yet interesting women. Even though this was not who he was expecting,  Jason decides to stay and talk with the old women. Once the two know each other, the old women starts to talk to Jason about his poems and how he can make them better. The advice that Madame Crommelynck gives to Jason is to be more truthful and confident. Although this advice could truly help Jason improve his poems, Jason did not know how to put these two things in use. As the chapter goes on, Madame C. realizes this and tells Jason how to become a truthful and confident poet. She tells him to stop worrying what other people think because the only opinion that matters is his. Madame C. also says to stop hiding the truth and tells Jason to write what he wants to write, to stop bending around the truth because he is scared that someone might make fun of him. In the end of the chapter, Madame C. has to leave and because of this, Jason feels that she had abandoned him, which makes him abandon her thought and ideas.

Role Models

One of Jason's main reasons that he does not have a voice is because he does not have any confidence, this however, is not the only reason why. In his life right now, Jason lacks a male role model to show and teach him what he should do as he gets into adulthood. For example, when Jason and his dad were on the beach and bumped into Mr. Salt, Jason's dad immediately backed down and let his pride be insulted. When Jason's dad did this, it taught Jason to not have a voice and to let other people push you around. While Jason may not have a male role model in his life, he does have two female role models, Julia and his mom. Both Julia and his mom each act and show the exact opposite of what Jason's dad shows. When Jason watches them, they teach him to have a voice and to never back down or be afraid. Julia shows this by not fearing their parents and being confident in what she talks about. Jason's mom shows Jason how to have a voice when she deals with the three shoplifters. During that time Jason's mom is yelled at, threatened, and about to be fought, but all the way through she kept her composure and dealt with the young women like an adult would have. Although Jason has no good male role models, he can look the other side of the family to teach and guide him into manhood.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

When I look back on the decision that Jason made about going back for Moran and not leaving him to hang out and dry, I feel that this it was the right one. Even though there were many reasons for Jason to not save him and see him as just a fool that fell through a Greenhouse by his own fault, he chose the harder, more morally correct path. If I was in that situation, I might not have chosen the same path. From Jason's perspective, he was never "in" with the cool kids, and this was his prime opportunity to finally become part of the BSG pack. Instead of rolling over and following the crowd, Jason decides to go back for a kid that has never abandoned him, no matter how great of an offer he had in front of him. To me this is very important because I would love to have friends that always had my back and were never going to desert me, no matter how much trouble they would get in, or how much reward they would miss out on.

The Life of Stammerers and Short Men

There are many ways in which I relate to Jason in Black Swan Green. One is, even though we are not the same age, being young men in the world we know today. Just like Jason, I do not understand everything that is going on around me. I remember three years ago when I was Jason's age, I found out that my grandpa had cancer. I had no idea what this meant and did not understand the severity of the situation. Luckily for me the cancer became terminal. Another way that I relate to Jason is just wanting to fit in with the "cool kids". Throughout my life I have attended four schools, lived in six different places, and the first thing that I did was to try and find the popular group and figure out how to fit in. This did not always work but turned me to different groups of friends that were the people that I should've wanted to be friends with from the beginning. Lastly, Jason and I share the attribute of having something that other people make fun of. Even though many people mean them as jokes and fun times, I always feel like I am being attacked when people call me short. I try to hide my shame and play along with the joke but in reality, I feel the words that they are saying. When called short, I feel as though I need to change it but realize that I can do nothing about it and I feel extremely powerless. Over the years it has gotten worse and it gets even better once people get to know me, but I still understand that way that Jason feels in Black Swan Green.

The Characteristics of Animals

There are many reasons that people will admire animals, they are caring, selfless, and loving. However, the first trait of animals that comes to mind is that they are loyal. Humans typically admire this trait because everyone wants to have loyal companions. No one wants to be stabbed in the back or double-crossed; they want to have friends that are loyal to a fault, who will always have their back.

In the two essays “The Courage of Turtles” and “The Death of a Moth”, Hoagland and Woolf admire these two animals because of how courageous they are. In Woolf’s essay, he talks about how he witnessed a moth’s courageousness and how he admired it. He says that in its last dying moments, the moth put all its energy and effort into flipping itself over. Woolf admired this last effort because even though it was useless, it took valor and pride to accomplish.

The animal that I admire the most is the dog. The reason that I admire this animal so much it because they has many qualities that I would like to have for myself, happiness, protectiveness, and loyalty. These traits mean a lot to me because they are what I look for in a person. I want all of my friends to be loyal and have my back; I want them to always be happy and able to cheer me up, and protect me from any threat. Animals mean a lot to me and I admire all, no matter how big or how small. They all live life without complaining, are courageous, and are loyal to a fault.
10/9/14 8:37 pm