Blog Reflection

What did you learn about yourself as a reader from creating and keeping up with your blog?        
          I think that having a blog this year and being able to write down my thoughts, opinions and questions about books and articles has really helped me grow as a reader. I learned a lot about myself from writing these blog posts. I learned what kinds of details I paid attention to in books, and after talking to my book club/ philosophy family about the book we read together, I also learned what kinds of details I had to pay more attention to when reading. By writing paragraphs and not just random post-its, I realized that the thoughts I had about books, characters and authors were all connected and you could almost trace my though-process in some of my blog posts. 

In what ways did you benefit from the experience?
          Writing blog posts allowed me to elaborate more and add to my thoughts about the characters and books. And I think that personally, writing things out always helps me remember them and keep track of them. So writing blog posts helped me keep track of my thoughts and also realize how my thoughts were connected.

Is writing online different than in a notebook?  In what ways?
          I think it's different to write online than in a notebook because we have a lot more resources and blog posts from the past that we can look at to get ideas and help us. And I also think it's different because when I write in my notebook I don't try to make it organized and I don't write as much or put as much effort into it. But when I write online I put more effort into it and I organize my writing and make sure that I include a lot of details and examples because I know that I'm posting it and that other people can read it so I want to make sure those people will be able to understand what I'm saying so that they could compare their thinking to mine. 

In what ways can writing online be liberating?  Limiting?
           Writing online can be liberating because you are free to write as much as you want and express your feelings and opinions about things. You can also get information and a better understanding of what you're reading or learning about by looking at ideas that other people have had and written about (mentor texts).            

Do you think that people are more real online or do we create online personalities that project the best of ourselves? Or something else?
            I think that people often create online personalities that just show the best of themselves. Because they can choose what other people see. They can edit pictures and think about their messages before they send them. So people can basically choose to only show the good parts of their lives, and just keep the other, worse parts to themselves.
            However, I think that a lot of people are also more real online because they can hide behind their computer screens, and they don't actually have to talk to people, they can just write what they want.

Do you think that teenagers abuse the freedom that being online gives you on sites like Facebook? Do people type things they would never say to a person's face? Do you think this is a good or bad thing? Why?
            I know that some teenagers abuse the freedom that being online gives you on sites like twitter, Facebook, kik, instagram, etc. Maybe they feel like there are no consequences for what they type online, or they  may be mean to people online because they don't actually have to talk to those people, they can just type it and hide behind their computer screens. Many people type and send things that they would never say to a person's face, and this is terrible. Because these people don't know or see how much their rude remarks, comments, and messages have on others, and don't always have to deal with the consequences so they just keep doing it.

Can you imagine yourself keeping up this blog or creating another one?  What would it be about?  What's your opinion of blogs in general and why?   
            I could imagine myself keeping up with this blog because it has been fun and it helped me elaborate and think about the books I've been reading. I think that blogs are a very interesting and fun way to share your thoughts and ideas with a lot of people. You can express you ideas freely, and other people can comment on your blog posts to discuss the topic of the post. 

"The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugenides

          The Virgin Suicides is a story by Jeffrey Eugenides, about the five Lisbon girls Cecilia, Bonnie, Mary, Therese and Lux. They live with their parents who are very protective over them. Mrs. Lisbon for example, makes sure that her daughters don't wear make-up or revealing clothes (or really anything that could make boys notice them), and that they don't talk to boys, because she "knows that there is only one thing that they want". All the girls have all killed themselves by the end of the story, and the book explains how and when, but not why they decided to all commit suicide. The readers are left to ask why the Lisbon girls killed themselves, since no one knows exactly why.
          I think that maybe the girls felt pressured. They're parents were religious and they didn't want their daughters to talk to boys, wear make up, or do anything like that. They were very overprotective to a point where it may have done more harm, than help the girls. The also seemed so different from everyone else in their town, and maybe the pressure of being different from everyone else in their neighborhood was too much.
          When I was reading this book, I wondered how our communities and people around us affect us and affect our moods, the way we think and what we do every day? Because I think that in this book, all the people who lived in the Lisbon's neighborhood affected the Lisbons a lot. I don't think that any of them were particularly sensitive when the girls killed themselves. Especially after Therese, Bonnie, Mary and Lux killed themselves. Because their neighbors and people in their community just said that they weren't surprised that they committed suicide. They didn't give Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon any privacy, there were always people trying to interview them, and write articles about the girls. It must have been painful for Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon to have to read about how their daughters committed suicide. People called Cecilia crazy and also during the "mass burial of the Lisbon girls" Father Moody said that he lost track of which girl lay in which grave, "'I had to keep the eulogies sort of general' he said." (234). Which I think is kind of disrespectful. But I also believe that everyone in that community were "observing" the Lisbons, and watching everything they did. They talked about them and thought that they were weird, fascinating and crazy. And the Lisbon girls knew that people thought that they were crazy, which may have made them feel a bit insecure or upset them.
          I think that the way the author wrote this book was really interesting, because he told it from the point of view a group of neighborhood boys who were once in love with the Lisbon girls. It was an interesting perspective because the readers got to know exactly what the Lisbon's neighbors thought about them, and what was happening. We got to know how mysterious the girls seemed to everyone and how interesting and unusual they were.  The boys seemed to be in awe and amazed at everything the Lisbon girls did. I also thought that it was really interesting that these boys described what the Lisbon girls looked like, and did, even the gross/ weird things about them, but they compared those weird things they did to something beautiful. For example when they said "Pillows snowed dead skin." (222) it compares something like dead skin, which really isn't special or beautiful in any way, to something beautiful like snow.
           The Lisbon girls all killed themselves, but when the Therese, Mary, Bonnie and Lux were killing themselves, the author wrote that "They were ready to assist one another, if need be" (210). And Mary helped Bonnie pack her suitcase, to make sure that it was heavy enough to be a drop wight to hang herself. In my book club we also asked when it's okay to commit suicide? And when answering this question, we kept talking about the age of the person committing suicide. We had different opinions about whether or not age should matter at all. And we discussed it, and I think that age should matter, as well as whether the person is mentally stable or not. Because I believe that if you're young, and you want to kill yourself, you shouldn't because whatever you're going through it does get better, and you can get help, and you have so much to live for and so many things that you still have to do before you die. But I think that if you're old, and you feel like you're done living, and have done everything that you wanted to do in life, and you're mentally stable, you should be allowed to decide for yourself if you want to kill yourself or not. But it also gets complicated when you think about all the people that you affect and hurt when you kill yourself, no matter what age you are. And also when a young, or old person is in physical pain every single day, or if they can't remember anything about themselves or their life, and they want to die, because it's hurting them and making them miserable to be alive. In those kinds of situations I can understand why they would want to die, although I don't necessarily agree with it. And I wondered, and was curious to know why the Lisbon girls decided to kill themselves. I wanted to know if they had a good reason, and what that reason was.
          We also discussed whether or not it's selfish to commit suicide. And I think that it could be thought of as selfish because it affects everyone around you, an it hurts your family and friends. But it might also hurt them to have to see you be unhappy and miserable, and maybe the person who wants to kill themselves doesn't want to burden other people with their problems, and they're just tired of having to deal with those problems everyday.
          And finally, I just want to comment on something that I realized after having finished this book. The Lisbon girls all kind of dressed up for their death. Cecilia wore her wedding dress, "Bonnie looked clean and festive, like a piñata." (209), Therese wore a dress, Lux wore a halter top that Mrs. Lisbon had told her she couldn't wear to school (a last act or rebellion) and Mary wore a lot of makeup and a black dress and veil. As if it were some sort of celebration of death or the after-life. Maybe Bonnie, Therese, Mary and Lux killed themselves so that they could join Cecilia, wherever she was. Maybe they thought of death as a celebration, and that's why they killed themselves.
          Overall, I thought that this book was really interesting and thought- provoking. It brings up a lot of questions, and think that having a book club to discuss those questions with was very helpful, and helped us better elaborate on each others thought and add to our own.

"Spark" by John J. Ratey

          I started reading the book "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" was written by John R. Ratey. It basically explains with details and scientific explanations and facts how exercising is beneficial. I have only read about a fifth of the book so far. It's very interesting and the author explains the variety of positive effects and benefits exercising has on our brains and how it can help you focus and do better in school. Ratey explains the ways that our brains have evolved and benefit from physical activity. The author also explains all the statistics and facts that he included, and he talks a lot about neuroscience and how exactly our brain and physical activity/ exercise relate.
          I really liked the way the author started this book with an example of a school in Naperville, Chicago. The author tells the story of how the gym teacher at Naperville Central High School decided that he wanted to change the way gym teachers taught Physical Education in schools. He didn't want for only the most athletic kids to have fun and be able to exercise during gym, so he started  having his students actually exercise. They ran laps and they had heart monitors, so that the gym teachers knew that they were actually running at a good pace, and working out. The students who participated in this experiment showed a 17% improvement in reading and comprehension. This was really interesting to me, and I thought it was amazing when the author said that exercise can help people improve their ability to focus. So this means that exercising everyday, or before you go to school or work, or take a test you should exercise so that you can better focus during the test.
          And apparently this experiment in Naperville inspired other people, and teachers to change the way they teach their physical education classes. And I think that this is a good thing, because then students would actually learn how to workout and exercise during their physical education classes, and they would learn how important it is to exercise and how it affects the brain.
          Although the beginning was interesting, it got a confusing and slightly boring as I got further into the book. But I think you just have to be able to pay attention to everything in the text, and then you really realize how amazing it is, and you learn about all the advantages of exercising.
          I learned that exercise helps produce chemicals in the brain that can help grow new neurons, and our learning aptitude could increase. I've also learned that exercising can help balance a lot of hormones and chemicals in our brains that are related to/ affect our mood. So exercise may be a good way to help people who are depressed. And since it can help people focus, exercise could be beneficial for people who have a hard time paying attention and focusing. I think that exercising could also help balance out women's hormone levels and also help keep our energy levels high.
          I think that the author of this book is probably trying to educate people and inform them of how exercise could really improve our lives. It could be a good motivation to start exercising since the book informs the readers of all the benefits of exercising. And exercise could help people who are struggling with depression, or addictions, and have a hard time focusing.

"Every Day" by David Levithan

          I`ve started the book "Every Day" by David Levithan, which is about A, who wakes up in a different body every day. A wakes up in a different body and sees the world from a different perspective. A has developed guidelines for how to live and how to avoid messing up peoples lives, by trying to not interfere and not get too attached, because A knows that every morning starts with waking up in the body of a different 16-year old person and having to access their memories in order to know how to act and who to talk to. A tries to interfere as little as possible, until he meets Rhiannon. A falls in love with her and chooses to try to explain his life to her, and tell her the truth. A meets her several different times, each day in a different body, and convinces and proves to Rhiannon that he/ she is telling the truth. It takes Rhiannon a while to fully process what she has been told, and she tries to believe A, since there really is no other reasonable explanation. A has never truly been in love before, or let himself/ herself fall in love, so A has no clue what to do, he/she just wants to be with Rhiannon. And A wants Rhiannon to leave her boyfriend, Justin who doesn`t treat her nicely or with respect. But Rhiannon keeps saying that A can`t understand her relationship with Justin, and that she wouldn´t be able to be with A because she couldn`t love him.

          I think that the book is partly about accepting and realizing that people are all different. Different sizes, genders, shapes, etc. And A accepts that every day he ends up in a different body, whether it`s the body of a depressed girl or a football player or a drug addict. A doesn`t judge the person of the body he`s in because he realizes that there isn`t a lot the person could do to make things different, and that it´s hard to change. A realizes that it`s biology is a big part of someone`s makeup, which is demonstrated several times throughout the book. A is truly "Walking a mile in someone else`s shoes", and he`s getting to view the world from so many different perspectives, and as A said in the book; he/ she gets to for example see how cherries have different tastes for different people. While A doesn`t think of people differently because of their gender, or what they look like, Rhiannon does. She says that they can`t be together because "I feel like I`m meeting a new person every time I see you. Because you can`t be there for me. Because I don`t think I can like you no matter what. Not like this." (Pg. 153) And this may seem selfish and insensitive, it still makes sense. Loving someone can also mean that you are comfortable with the person you love, and you want to be with them all the time, and have them be someone that`s always there for you. And A can care for Rhiannon, I just think it would be hard for A to be with Rhiannon since she won`t even be able to recognize him/her. Rhiannon also says that "When I kiss you, I`m not actually kissing you, you know. You´re inside there somewhere. But I´m kissing the outside part." (Pg.132) And even though she knows that A is inside the body, the actual body is not A, and A is not really physically there. It´s sad because A wants to be able to be with Rhiannon but he/ she can´t really.

          A explains the feeling he/ she feels when waking up in the body of a drug addict, the feeling that there is something chemically wrong. A explains that the body is almost as powerful as the mind. Its urges and needs control the body. A explains that his/ her mind has to battle the body and fight, so that the body doesn´t give into the urges it has. A explains that "I have to  imagine my mind as something physical, something that can control the body. I have to picture my mind, holding the body down." (Pg. 63) And its hard to try to put yourself in that situation, in order to fully comprehend what A has to deal with. A says that "It´s a mistake to think of the body as a vessel. It is as active as  any mind, any soul. And the more you give yourself to it, the harder your life will be. I have been in thee bodies of starvers and purgers, gluttons and addicts. they all think their actions make their lives more desirable.  But the body always defeats them in the end." (Pg. 65) I think it´s really interesting when A thinks this way, and explains what he has learned during his years of living in different bodies. It makes you think and consider the way A thinks and how it would feel to be in a situation like this.

          It´s also really interesting when A is in the body of Roger Wilson. When A goes to church with Roger´s family he/ she thinks about the ways in which we are all the same, even though we like to think that we are all different. A says that everyone needs to realize "that no matter what our religion or gender or race or geographic background, we all have about 98 percent in common with each other...For whatever reason, we like to focus on the 2 percent that´s different, and most of the conflict in the world comes from that." (Pg. 77) I, personally think that this is really interesting, because we learned in science that we have 98 percent in common, and so it´s interesting because we like to think that we are so different, and that we are better than everyone else, when really it´s no more than 2 percent that differentiates us. I think we have more in common than we think, but I think that the way we think and the way that we choose to look at things and the way we view ourselves is different from one person to another.

          A explains the feeling of waking up as a person who is depressed, this person being Kelsea Cook. A explains that people think that mental illness is relevant to a person´s mood and personality. however A explains that "I realized these inclinations, these compulsions, were as much a part of the body as its eye color or its voice. Yes, the feelings themselves were intangible, amorphous, but the cause of the feeling was a matter or chemistry, biology." (Pg. 119) This is really fascinating to realize that if someone is for ex, depressed, they´re not just super sad, there is something that´s chemically wrong, or unbalanced.

          I think that in the beginning of the book, A tries very hard to stick to his guidelines and not interfere or become attached. However, after meeting Rhiannon I think A begins to feel like A could help or change someone`s life/ make it better. Which is dangerous because the person`s body A is in, won`t remember all the details of the day that A was inside their body. They will know where they went and have a story and some memories, but they won`t remember the conversations A had with people, or really know what they actually did.

          This book makes me frustrated. Not because it´s a bad book, just because I have so many questions, and these questions are never really answered in the book, so you´re just left to make your own assumptions. I questioned almost every single thing, and it confusing and hard to try to understand how all of this would work.

Non-fiction Critical Analysis "Bagging Plastic" by Veronica Majerol

          The article Bagging Plastic by Veronica Majerol, is about plastic bags, what it's doing to our environment and our sea life and she talks about the plastic bag ban. She says  that there are two sides to the debate on whether plastic bags are good or not, and whether we should ban them or not. She supports her claim with quotes from biologists, a state senator and a member of the American Progressive Bag Alliance. She also includes statistics and other facts as evidence to support both sides of the argument.
          Every single day we use disposable plastic bags, and some people are trying to get others to stop with the habit of using plastic bags. They said that they are trying to reduce pollution. Over one-hundred counties and larger cities in the U.S. have bans on plastic shopping bags. Americans use around one-hundred plastic bags every year. And Veronica Majerol states that "In 2012, Americans generated about 32 million tons of plastic waste,  including shopping bags and beverage bottles, and recycled only about 9 percent of it,". So we're using an incredibly large amount of plastic bags, and we aren't recycling enough of them, and it's hurting our environment. She also explains that the plastic bags we don't recycle end up on landfills, and there it takes them over one-thousand years to decompose. And some of it is blown into the ocean. The plastic in the ocean can harm our sea life, because animals such as whales and sea turtles get caught in it and they often mistake it as food, and choke on it. Majerol also says that making plastic bags uses several million barrels of oil every year.
          The other side of the argument says that disposable plastic bags should not be banned. Majerol explains that Mark Daniels of the American Progressive Bag Alliance "says 9 out of 10 Americans reuse plastic bags for things like packing lunch, lining trash cans, and picking up after their dogs." So a large percentage of people reuse bags, and the bags can also be recycled. Also manufacturing plastic bags provides jobs for a lot of people, so banning plastic bags wouldn't be good for those people.
          Veronica Majerol wants to inform and educate the readers about this argument. She wants us (the readers) to know about both sides of the argument so that we have enough information to be able to form our own opinions on the topic. I think that she did a good job of this because she included quotes and information to support both sides of the argument, which allowed us to better understand the topic.
          After reading this I think that I agree that disposable plastic bags should be banned. I think this because the plastic bags are having a huge impact on our environment and it's hurting our sea life. It kills whales, sea turtles and sea bird. I think that we need to reduce the amount of plastic bags that we use in our everyday life and we need to recycle all of our plastic bags. I also think that it's good that manufacturing plastic bags provides jobs for over 30,000 people.

"Romeo and Juliet" Literary Essay

The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a tragedy about two young people who fall in love. However their families the Montagues and the Capulets, are sworn enemies. Neither one of the families want anything to do with the other one. This causes a lot of problems for the lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Throughout the play, many people die and argue and a lot of themes are shown. These themes are shown during different events throughout the play and they send messages to readers. Two themes that I thought were very important in the play were defiance and age. They are both visible and quite obvious throughout certain parts of the play, and they are the cause of many events that occur.

Throughout the play, the character talk a lot about age and how some people are too young and others too old to do or be able to understand certain things. For example, when Capulet was talking to Paris about Paris marrying Juliet, Capulet said “But saying o’er what I have said before: / My child is yet a stranger in the world, / She hath not seen the change of fourteen years; / Let two more summers wither in their pride / Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.” (1.2 7-11) He tells Paris that Juliet is still too young to get married and hopes that Paris can wait for two years until Juliet is older, and more ready to marry him. And yet when Juliet tells Capulet that she doesn’t want to marry Paris and Juliet says that she is too young to get married, Capulet mocks her for saying that she is too young and he threatens to throw her out of his house. Also because of Juliet’s age and gender, her father treats her like property. And Juliet doesn’t really have the freedom to do whatever she want because she is a young girl, she isn’t even supposed to be allowed to choose who to marry, but she disobeys her father when she chooses to marry Romeo. Juliet’s mother Lady Capulet talks to Juliet about marriage and having children. Juliet tells Lady Capulet that she is not interested in getting married and Lady Capulet tells her “Well, think of marriage now. Younger than you, / Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, / Are made already mothers. By my count,/ I was your mother much upon these years / That you are now a maid. Thus then in brief:/ The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.” (1.3 69-74) So she is basically saying that there are many girls that are even younger than Juliet, who are having or have already had children. Lady Capulet also says that she was about the same age that Juliet is, when Juliet was born. So While Lord Capulet thinks that Juliet is still very young, Lady Capulet believes that Juliet is old enough to get married and to have children. It’s insane that girls who were Juliet’s age were supposed to get married and have children, but they weren’t even allowed to choose who to marry. Romeo and Juliet both said that they don’t think old people understand love. When Juliet is waiting for the Nurse to come back after having talked to Romeo she says “Had she affections and warm youthful blood, / She would be as swift in motion as a ball;” (2.5 12-13) So she is implying that the Nurse is neither young nor passionate.

The theme defiance comes up/ is present in the play a lot. Romeo and Juliet were not allowed to get married or be together because of the feud and rivalry between their families. But the feud was ancient, and Romeo and Juliet were in love. There are several parts of the play that where Romeo and Juliet show defiance so that they can be together. Juliet defies her parents first indirectly, by marrying Romeo without asking for their approval, or even telling them. Then she defies them directly by refusing to marry Paris, who her father Lord Capulet, had chosen for her to marry. When she is told by her mother Lady Capulet that it was decided by her father and Paris that Juliet and Paris would get married next Thursday morning, Juliet says “I will not marry yet. And when I do, I swear/ It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,/ Rather than Paris. These are news indeed!” (5.3 210-212) She says that she will not marry Paris, and that she would rather marry Romeo than Paris, which is true. However, she lies to her mother and says that she hates Romeo so that her mother won’t suspect anything. And it’s a big deal for Juliet to defy her parents, especially since she’s a young girl. Because during this time period young girls were meant to be obedient and marry whoever their parents chose for them. And there were a lot of things that girls weren’t allowed to do, while guys could. One example of this is that girls didn’t have the freedom to choose who to marry, their fathers did it for them. Juliet also says “Deny thy father and refuse thy name./ Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,/ And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” (2.2 34-36) Even though she isn’t actually talking to Romeo, she is thinking about him. And she wonders why they can’t just change their names, or ignore them, so that they can be together, and why their names have to matter at all. And in the end, they don’t care about whether the other one is a Capulet or a Montague, because they are in love and they are both willing to anger their families, and even fake their death if it means that they can be together. Romeo also angered his family, but he wanted to be with the person he loved. He even killed himself when he thought that Juliet was dead, because he couldn’t imagine living without Juliet. However unlike Juliet, Romeo does not defy his parents directly, but he knows that his parents would never approve of him and Juliet being together. And Romeo is willing to defy his parents and sacrifice a lot in order to be with Juliet. They both also defy the social conventions, and what people believed was right and what they believed was wrong in their community. They do this when they get married so young, without either of their parent’s approval or knowledge.

I think that the actions of Juliet and Romeo caused a lot of problems but they also had positive effects on characters. By being disobedient and getting married and then faking their death, Romeo and Juliet were responsible for a lot of things that occurred in the story. A lot of people died and were killed in this story, and I think that the actions of Romeo and Juliet were to blame for some of those deaths. Many people died including Romeo, Juliet, Paris, Mercutio, Tybalt and Lady Montague. While Romeo and Juliet died because they committed suicide, Mercutio and Tybalt were killed, and Lady Montague died of heartache. When Montague shows up to the place where his son lays dead, he says “Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight! / Grief of my son’s exile hath stopped her breath.” (5.3 210-211) This shows that Lady Montague died because of her heartache and sorrow. And I think that Romeo and Juliet were partly to blame for this because their actions lead to Romeo (and Juliet) dying. Tybalt and Mercutio were both killed, Mercutio and Tybalt fight on behalf of Romeo and the friendship between Mercutio and Romeo. Mercutio is killed, and Romeo gets angry and fights Tybalt. When Romeo kills Tybalt, and he feels guilty and regrets it. And Romeo and Juliet die because when Romeo thinks that Juliet is dead, he kills himself. Then Juliet wakes up from her fake death and kills herself when she finds Romeo dead by her side. They couldn’t live without each other. However, the death of their children made the Montagues and Capulets finally end the feud and rivalry between the two families.

    The defiance of Romeo and Juliet caused a lot of things to occur, that probably could have been avoided if they had been obedient, and the opinions that characters in this play had about age was a big deal throughout the whole story. The defiance that Romeo and Juliet both show has a lot of consequences in this play. And even though a lot of people die because of the feud/ rivalry and because of the choices and actions of Romeo and Juliet, something good came out of it since the feud ended.          

"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

          The book "The Giver" by Lois Lowry is about a place where the people live in communities of sameness. They want everything to be the same, enough to not allow colors in normal life, each family is only allowed to have 2 children, 1 boy and 1 girl, and two parents that were matched. Jonas the main character, lives a colorless life. Until the day of the Ceremony of Twelve, where everyone who is moving up to the group of twelves is given a job that was specifically chosen for them to do. Jonas is chosen to become the new Receiver of Memory. This job is basically to hold the memories of the whole community, memories of real feelings, and things like snow and animals.
          In the book, all the characters except for the Giver, and Jonas had "The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without colour, pain or past." (Lois Lowry) And I think that this wasn't really a problem for anyone of these characters because they didn't know what, exactly, they were missing out on. They had never felt love, actual love, and they hadn't really felt the feelings of warmth and family. There were basically no comp,ex emotions in their lives. I think that once Jonas started to receive memories of these feelings as well as other feelings and events, like warmth and snow, he realized what everyone else in his community was missing out on. He felt bad because he loved seeing vibrant beautiful colors everywhere, it made him feel happy, on a deeper level than other people in his community ever could. He explained in the book, that he felt such love for his friends Ashton and Fiona, but it made him sad to know that they would never be capable of feeling the same way, which wasn't their fault. He explained in the book that "They were satisfied with their lives which had none of the vibrance his own was taking on. And he was angry at himself, that he could not change that for them." (Lois Lowry, pg. 99) Jonas wanted his friends and group mates to be able to see the colors and the things that he was learning to see, and experiencing through the memories that he was receiving, but of course they couldn't.
          I think that this book really shows the readers that memories are important. Because in this world, or place, most of the people in the community never have to feel bad feels or know about bad experiences, since they don't have those kinds of memories. Not having those kinds of memories means that they have no good memories, or knowledge of things like love, as well as not having to deal with the bad things, experiences and feelings. And since the time when Sameness was decided upon, people had not ever learned how to deal with all of the emotions, ideas and pain that memories can bring. This causes the characters to not have the ability of handling intense or serious issues and situations. So most of these characters, adults as well as children, have the emotional maturity of young kids. They haven't been able to learn from their experiences and enjoy the pleasure or pain of complex emotions. The group of elders in the community think that they're just protecting the citizens by having just one or two people deal with the memories of so many generations. They believe that that's what's best for them. I don't agree with this though, even though at times it might seem easier to just not be able to feel and have to deal with and handle certain emotions and situations, in the long run I think that getting to learn from the things you've experienced and felt, helps you in life, it helps you move forward and grow as a person. And since there is no memory of emotional or physical pain for these people, there also wouldn't be any memories of happiness.
          In this book, Elsewhere was a place where people went when they were released, either for having done something bad, or getting old, or if as a baby you don't learn to sleep through the night. The people of the community believe that Elsewhere is something like another  community, and they have no clue that the people who are released are actually killed. When Jonas leaves the community towards the end of the book, however, he just rides his bike away from the community, he escapes the strong holds of the community and its sameness. I think that in the book, Elsewhere is representing escaping the community for Jonas, he can get away from the people who can never feel complex emotions. But for the people who don't know that during a release, the person being released is killed, Elsewhere is a nice place to go, they have celebrations for the release of elders for example.
          This book talks and teaches the readers about how important memory is, and that learning from your experiences is so important in life. It shows that individuality is very important, by telling us about Jonas, and his journey of breaking away from his community of sameness in order to find his own path in life.