Who We Really Are

Mr. Browne (August’s Teacher) talks to the students about percepts in the beginning of the novel, he says that that “Who were are! Us! Right? What kind of people are we? What kind of person are you? Isn’t that the most important thing of all?” (47 Palacio). This is a theme throughout the novel Wonder.  When people look at August, they often react like they had seen horrer. They don’t see right through to his heart first. Those who take the time to get to know August, learn that they don’t really notice his face anymore. Instead, they find a boy who is both smart and funny from the inside.

At one point in the resolution , Miranda comments that the “Universe was not kind to August Pullman” (204). Justin (August’s sisters boyfriend) thinks long and hard about what Miranda meant about that and realizes that “ The Universe is a giant lottery. You purchase a ticket when you’re born. And it’s all just random weather you get a good ticket or a bad ticket. It’s all just luck. “( 204) He then understands then that the Universe gave a bit of a bonus to those who got a bad ticket. In August’s case, a loving family and very loyal friends balanced his disfigurements.

When the reader looks closely at the text, you notice that those who got a good ticket when they were born didn’t have the a bonus of loyal friends and a loving family. Julian (A bully in the novel) was born in a rich family, and had all he wanted. However, when August invites him to his bowling birthday party, “His mom was the only person who didn’t RSVP at all.” (67). Then August’s mother comments by saying,“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” (67).  August’s mom is trying to say that Julian’s parents had influenced Julian to be just like them in their school years. Their family are the kind people who think that they were above everyone else, but in reality, they are below everyone else.

Who we are. “Isn’t that the kind of question we should be asking ourselves all the time? What kind of person am I?” (47) And more importantly what kind of person are you?

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The Bizarre Beta's

 

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This postcard was sent to my family back at home, and it describes my interactions and feelings of the Beta Culture. The experience was quite interesting and it was quite surprising how different our cultures were.  And from my experience I have to say that I preferrer  the Alphan culture over the Beta Culture.

Citations:

http://www.nicoledextras.com/index.php?/wordssummer/culture/

The Credit Card Illusion

 

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Credit Cards? Well, the only thing you need to know about Credit Card is that they can be useful when needed. Most of the time. However, Credit Cards are not as simple as the bank website shows them as…

By using the spreadsheet program we learned that formulas are very valuable and useful to the consumers of credit cards. It is user friendly, and within ten minutes you will be able to tell what credit card suites you the best. Formulas avoid the hassle of calculating the amounts due and how long it will take to pay of your debt and interest.  With a simple press of a couple buttons you are able to see the type of credit card you want.  By running the different scenarios on the spreadsheet, you could see that paying bills with different amounts would take longer periods of time. For example, if you paid off all of your debt in a month, you would have none left to pay and you would have to pay no interest. However, if you pay small amounts of money ever month it showed how long it took to pay off your amount due with the interest. Depending on the type of person you are, paying your bills immediately or laying them out over a couple of months is all up to the consumer.

A Credit Card is the ability to buy something with the promise to pay later. Credit cards allow consumers to purchase expensive items without having to save up the money. The purchase can be charged and paid off over time. This greater purchasing power is also handy in an emergency. For example, a credit card can be used to pay for unexpected expenses such as medical bills, dental work or car repairs that would be too expensive to pay in cash. They can even boost a user’s credit rating if used responsibly. However, Credit Cards are not as simple and user “Friendly” as they might seem.  If you were a new student at University, a credit card could be the wrong choice. If you accumulate a credit card balance, you will owe interest on the debt. Missing a credit card payments, will impact your credit score. It will cause it to go down and if you carry a high balance on a credit card, it can cause problems in the future. Throughout our unit with credit cards we learned about APR or annual percentage rate. Otherwise, an APR is the percentage of interest that is charged for debt growth.  Besides APR, interest also seems to play huge role in the credit card industry.  Interest is the fee charged when you don’t pay enough money to restore your debt. Interest increase very time you don’t pay your debt. This will be a huge problem when you don’t pay your money to restore your debt. If I had to give advice to a new consumer to the credit card market, I would tell them to use the credit card wisely. Know your balance, stick with your payments, and avoid unnecessary purchases. Lastly, be careful with the illusion of the money you don’t have.

 

Texting The Answers

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In these series of text messages, I described a couple of conflicts that occur in the rising action and climax of the novel Wonder, by  R.J Palacio. In the text threads,  August the main character is talking with his friend Jack, about their friendship. August is not any normal child if you take in is outer looks.  As August struggles with his first year in Middle School, he struggles to fit in.  “Would you want to kill yourself if you were me?” (167) August’s feels as an “Outsider” in Beecher Prep, and hopes to change that.   Julian a teacher- pet or otherwise the “Antagonist ” of the novel Wonder feels that August does not belong at Beecher Prep. “ Did you really punch Julian” (165). With Jack struggling to decided who really is his friend, he eventually passes the boiling point with Julian and punches him.  However, August finds out that Jack told Julian that he was only hanging out with him because the principal told him too.  On page 164 Palacio writes “Sorry. I just really wanted to say that.” Jack tries to apologize to August, however, August feels as if he was stabbed in the back.  With bullies around the corner, August struggles to be seen as just another person in the crowd.

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"August through a peephole"

  “Courage. Kindness.  These are quality that defines us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.” ( R.J Palacio). August Pullman is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face.  August was born with facial deformity, which had prevented him from going to “Mainstream” school until now.  August does ordinary things that a ten-year old would do. “ I eat ice cream. I ride my bike.  I have an Xbox. “ (3) This was not enough to convince his classmates that he could be considered “Ordinary”. However, there are always a few classmates who step up and don’t think about August’s looks. “They try to find something that has been buried in the astronaut helmet he wore practically every day of the year” (93), and bring it out of him.  They would face their fear to become August’s friend.  If you were ever the new kid at school you would understand how hard it is to belong. “ When given the choice between being right or being kind. Chose kind. (48) This is showed when Summer sat with August at lunch when know one else would even come close to him. Kindness is not something you are born with, it is something you chose to do. “If every person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary – the world really would be a better place”.  (R.J Palacio) Will August be able to survive his first year in middle school, and convince his classmates that he is ordinary, despite his appearance? What kind of person would you be?

 

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