Independent Novel Response 1

Bastian doesn’t impress me when he decides to steal, “The Neverending Story”, even though he knows better. His reasoning for stealing is that he believes the book, “call[s] him in a mysterious way” and that “he couldn’t leave without the book” (11). Bastion’s bold feelings demonstrate that his weaknesses lie in his spontaneity. With a positive outlook, strength is found because he follows through with his wishes and isn’t giving up. Moreover, Bastian mentions that he wants the book, “at any price” (12).Looking deeper, Bastian wants the book to avoid dealing with missing his mother, his bad relationship with his father, and his lack of friends. Furthermore, Bastian fears “the others,” or bullies that he runs from (7). It is said that the bullies call him names, like “screwball” because he is fat (9). An internal conflict Bastian is facing is if he should steal the book or not. He is conflicted by the possibility of a never-ending book, fulfilling his only passion. An external conflict Bastian is experiencing is when the books are “calling him” because they cloud his decision-making skills. I can relate with Bastian when he has the mindset of, “at any price” (12). I share this mindset when people aren’t being brought to justice. For example, in Cadets, if someone is being reprimanded for something they didn’t do, I stand up for them, even if it damages my reputation.  If I were in Bastian’s shoes ,in this situation, I wouldn’t steal the book because I would not be able to live with the guilt from stealing. I would have either worked for that book or compromised for another book, but never stolen.

 

 

 

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Dad is Dying Response

I believe that the benefits of Sam’s lie outweigh the issue of the lie itself. Although I don’t condone lying, Sam’s lie allows for his father to regain his confidence, gives his mother a break, and gets his family closer to others. At the beginning, Dave is worried about his age and constantly sneaks away to check his pulse and temperature. It is said that he is, “engulfed in a full blown hypochondriacal funk” (139). However, because of Sam’s lie, everyone floods him with positive comments that raise his self-esteem. Even Mary Turlington, a despiser of Dave, says, “you look great!”, and makes him think that, “he must be looking good” (152-153). Dave being less worried about his age will allow him to take on some of Morley’s responsibilities and become a better father, making Sam, “stir the wind” less (139). Secondly, the lie makes Morley a more tranquil and connected character. The introduction for her, talks about how busy she is and that she feels she is “feeling a loss of connection in everything that matter[s] to her” (139). After the lie, she enjoys a barbecue with the Turlington’s and it is mentioned that Sam “hadn’t seen her so relaxed in months” (156). Her being more relaxed will allow for a cohesive family because she deals with the families’ “unexpected flurry of budget problems” (139). Lastly, the family seems to make new friends and connections. Multiple families from the community approach Dave and Morley and give them either compliments or lasagnas. This friendly interaction between these people will not only provide temporary benefits for Dave and Morley, but also spark a new relationship between them. It is hinted that this family doesn’t have many friends because they are all caught up in their own problems. Them having friends, will allow them to prevent anymore internal conflicts from occurring because they will have new friends to talk things through and gain advice from. In conclusion, Sam’s lie did indeed “rescue the family” and might have started new friendships as well.

 

 

 

Chris will be a Bliss

Choosing the right person to spend a weekend with is no easy task, unless Chris is an option. Not only does Chris possess traits of an effective team player, he can make the retreat more comforting, and also teach me an important lesson. Firstly, Chris mentions that his favourite TV show is Star Trek, which is about futuristic space ships and intergalactic travel. Hence, for a person to enjoy this show, they must have a high level of acceptance and tolerance because the story can get quite unrealistic. If Chris is accepting to ideas of crazy space ships, he will probably be accepting to my need to be organized and clean in the outdoors.  In his statement, Chris revealed that one day he wants to say something worthwhile, which makes me believe that he is concise and to the point when he talks. As I like to jump from topic to topic, I feel that Chris will be able regulate and teach me how to stay relevant to what I am doing at that moment. Finally, Chris has excellent listening skills that are praised by his peers, making me think that he is an effective team player. Chris, being a team player, will come to great use when building tents, teaching lessons, and cooking as they require a collaborative effort. In short, Chris will make the retreat a more streamlined experience and teach me a lesson or two, which are the exact reasons why Chris is the perfect tentmate.

By: Joon Lee

Digital Footprint Assignment

Impacts of a Digital Footprint on Future Opportunities 

Impacts 1

An impact your digital footprint may have on your future is when applying for a job. When applying for a coveted job position, many other applicants will want that job too. It will be a very tough choice for the employer to decide who to employ and who to reject. Additionally, it is important to add that when applying for a coveted job, other applicants will have almost the same level of capability as you. Furthermore, the employer has a very tough choice to make so he will most likely look at the people themselves. However, instead of an interview, he will search up your name on the web and see if you have anything questionable posts. If the employer finds any posts that are a bad representation of what a good digital footprint is, he/she will most likely reject you for the job. This is very sad because it could have been a bad post 5 years ago that is haunting you in the future. According to The Career Builder, 63% of hiring managers decide not to hire an applicant because of something they found questionable on a social networking site. This whole concept/impact can be applied to other opportunities such as, college, clubs, societies, and any other application based system.

Impacts 2

Another impact your digital footprint may have is when making new friends. When making new friends your digital footprint is very important because it almost defines who you are these days. If you post something good like an award you received, your new friend’s interest in you will greatly increase. This is good because, in the future, friends are vital for getting knowledge and learning about new opportunities. On the contrary, if you post something bad like a picture of you doing illegal things, your friend’s opinions on you will change negatively. Sometimes this can even make them avoid you. Also, if you post something embarrassing of yourself, you can become an outcast with no friends which is not ideal for the future. Having no friends is bad for your future opportunities because friends are vital for getting knowledge and learning about new opportunities as I stated above.

Summary of Impacts

Your digital footprint is accessible by almost anyone who has the ability to go on to the internet, which is quite common these days. This fact means that before you post anything on the internet, you should think about how it could affect people’s opinions on you. Some posts are very positive for people’s opinion on you, however, some are not. It is very important to always THINK before posting. This is the case because a post is like a tattoo. Once it is on, it is extremely difficult to remove. Overall, a digital footprint isn’t a bad thing, only if you make it one.

Strategies to Keep your Digital Footprint Safe

1. Keep your account private on all social media accounts. Search on another person device your account, and see what information random people can see. Once you are comfortable with what random people can see, you are finished.
2. Delete old social media accounts if possible because they will follow you your entire life. Although deleting it won’t completely wipe your past online activity, it will make it way harder for people to find your past/child self.
3.  Lastly, prevent any negative things from happening by THINKing. If you THINK before you post, your digital footprint will be safe. Additionally, you will be proud of your footprints.

Advice to Give my Past Self

If I were to give advice to my past self about digital footprints I would tell him to not post anything embarrassing or unnecessary. Firstly, I would tell him not to post anything embarrassing so that my present self wouldn’t have to deal with the problems of having embarrassing things about me on the internet. Secondly, I would tell him to not post anything unnecessary because every time you post, your footprint path gets longer and longer. This can lead to more things adding up that are negative to my digital footprint. I could explain these things to my past self by showing him the problems I encountered because of him.