♫Unwind the finale♪

1.What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?
2.For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)
3.Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.

The book that my group is centered on is titled, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, a teen adventure in a dystopia of the world. The novel is mainly focused on how Connor, Risa, and Lev run away, escaping their fate of being Unwinds. As you read Unwind you will find Shusterman's style of writing awkward at first, but i found that it was written in such a way that kept me interested. Point of view changes from chapter to chapter, which, admittedly kept the story at a quick pace and less boring. At first the three strangers could hardly put up with each other, but as they spent time surviving with each other bonds were quickly formed. In a world where the dis-assembling of "unruly" teens is widely accepted how will this bunch manage to continue living? I would recommend this book to anyone who would put the time to reflect on what they read. I wouldn't want this book to be simply read over without taking it to heart.
Mr. Shusterman throws out so many messages/purposes in this book like there's no tomorrow.

"I was asking if unwinding kills you, or if it leaves you alive somehow. C'mon—it's not like we haven't thought about it." (...)
What do you think, Connor?" asks Hayden. "What hap­pens to your soul when you get unwound?"

If you don't know what unwinding is here is a link to a previous blog its the paragraph before first quote. The problem addressed here is what happens to you after you essentially die. The reasonable response to this question would be, "Only one way to find out" a bit extreme, but there is no other way to find it for sure. The factor of unwinding comes in now, if 99.44% of you is still alive/functioning are you alive? If you give an organ to another person (lets say part of your brain), then you die soon after, are you still alive within the other person? Shusterman wants you to really ponder about this subject, although it can scare the shit out of many people (myself included), it's a very good question that can make you truely explore your real feelings on life.

"...One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have-people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives. Right now, I'm pleased to be in the light."

Shusterman is trying to relay the commonly used message of not everything is completely black/evil or white/good, but rather a mixture of the two always changing, and never being equal. I don't really think about my own good to evil ratio often, and i think Shusterman is trying to get readers to pay attention and be more self aware of our actions.

This novel is directed, quite obviously, towards the teenage audience. First chapter of the book is about Connor's relationship with a girl, and how she screws him over. The age of the main characters are ranging from 13-17. I believe Shusterman created this book with how teens feel towards adults in mind. How adults feel as though teens are just stupid versions of themselves and need to be trained to be on the same level as them.

"...(After Risa convinces a lady to give her clothes and food for a "school activity")..."What can i say? I'm an artist," she says. "It's like playing the piano; you just have to know which keys to strike in people."

Risa obviously knows how to get her way with adults who think they are superior in intellect by being sly. Risa definitely is smarter then the average adult in any world. That being said, adults can still love this book and would also enjoy it just as much as a teen would. All of the things Shusterman writes about is applicable to both age groups. "Unwinding" and "storking" are very much real in our world, it is just not widely accepted by the public, yet.
People who have been adopted will really relate to Risa, since she grew up in a homestead and it is brought up how that has effected the her way of thinking. Another group of people who i think would enjoy-err, well OK maybe not enjoy, but really reflect on what the author is saying are people who have had transplants or donated part of their body. I know i would be thoroughly freaked out if i had the same conditions(read the book, no spoilers!!) Cy-Fi had. The whole thing makes me want to be an organ donor in case I'm ever in a life threatening car crash or something else that's fatal.

Lev, the youngest of the two, and the most religious of the little gang has been my person of interest. Lev is the tenth child and the religious law states that a family must give up 1/10 of its goods. Lev has been up for an Unwinding his whole life, and on his 13th birthday he has a great party to see him off.

"...He's had his entire life to prepare for this-it should have been enough. He knew he was a tithe from the time he was little..."Your life will be to serve God, and mankind." "

Lev has been taught his whole life that being a sacrifice is a honorary privilege and to be proud. He's been taught this from when he was so young that he knows its correct. This is where i believe Shusterman is telling us how we shove all of this "knowledge" down the throats of our own kids at such an early age, that we are training them to become what we want them to be, instead of letting them mature on their own and grow their own opinions.
Once Lev becomes kidnapped by Connor he immediately plots his escape, showing he is not completely dense. As he attempts his escape, in which he had several chances, he chose some very dense options. I see Lev as the authors way of speaking about humanity. It'll believe most of what the world tells it, until one day the one thing snaps us out of our mindless daze and we come to our senses. As Lev matures he becomes more violent and angry with the world. As humans become an older species we too are constantly developing weapons and numerous ways to hurt each other. Lev becomes a clapper, no turning back in his mind set. Lev knows what he is going to do and nothing will stop him. The determination we all have and as a whole species our determination is immense. All in all Lev eventually snaps out of his delusional trance and saves Connor from death. Perhaps humans as a species can still turn around. Perhaps our Connor is the Earth. We just keeping pushing it's limits until we finally take note that it just won't survive without our positive interference and/or stop messing with the Earth.
Could you imagine having to Unwind Mars and putting some its parts on to Earth? Pretty crazy but i think it would be hilarious...if it happens i want credit for thinking of it!

"Nice Shoes"

future career(s)

First i would like to clearly state that I HAVE NO FUXIN IDEA WHAT I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP. Ok, thats false i really want to rule the world when i grow up >:3
The first thing that i would like to try at first i guess is being an author. I like to think that I have some sort of creativity. I dont really try to write about anything with too deep of a meaning or realistic. I use writing as a means of getting away from my real life when it's too boring, or when too much is happening. I can create MY own world then shamefully tr to get compliments from my friends. Seems more like a hobby at the moment, sadly. Apprently I cant keep focused and continue just ONE story. I have to create like 7 and only write a chapter or each before i get stuck or find it boring. I do love writing, but i think i should work on short stories more then a whole novel.
A field of interest i am obsessed with is space. Almost everything about it interests me. Learning about new planets that's around our solar system is also fascinating. Possible life in space is what has the majority of my attention. I probably wouldn't even mind if they were hostile, kinda weird...i mean unusual. Just the idea of another species, not even intelligent, living on another planet is an idea that puts joy into my life. Space travel and light speed are two subjects separated by a thin line. Without light speed traveling in space with current technology that the public is aware of isn't worth the amount of time that is needed. Oh space how i love thee so.. alas mathematics is our one strong defiance. Without having to deal with math then space and i would be the perfect match.
Marine biology is very close to home. My grandfatha used to study horse shoe crabs blood or some other stuff with marine life. What excites me with this subject is the potential of studying and finding new species. That is probably the closest i will ever get to an "alien" life form. The study of creatures under the huge pressure of the oceans is also something very complex that i would like to know more about. Some marine animals can thrive miles below the surface yet are sometimes seen near the surface, indicating that they have very adaptive bodies. The first "immortal" animal is a jellyfish.....cah ray zee
Something that i really would like to do is be a teacher. The idea just seems so awesome, i get to be the smartest one in the room and share everything i "know" with who ever is willing to listen. It feels like i should get a job first then after awhile step down to teaching and be "that one really old but still hella cool" teacher. Ahem.
I guess i just have too many things i wanna do. But in reality not too many are practical for me. I'm not very sure what i excel in quite yet, but as of now those are my top interests.
What do you think i should be?

lit circle 3

Ill dive right into the quote this time around.

"...We believe in randomness... We believe in forces of nature-and WE are forces of nature. We are havoc. We're chaos. We mess with the world... It dosnt matter who or what we mess with, just as long as we mess. The way we see it, the world dosent move if things dont get shaken up..."

In a world as messed up as the world in Unwind, anarchists have the perfect place to act up in. Anarchy extremists can only thrive in a setting thats corrupt. In a world FULL of teenagers on the run from being chopped up into pieces I doubt it would be hard to convince to convince a kid to become an extremist. Imagine if the whole society you live in want you dead for something you don't even have control off, such as blood type or looking at a higher up the wrong way, or even being the tenth child in the family. Then comes along Mr. sleazy feeding you how the world is agaisnt you and needs to be "rocked" ,and even better by your own hands!! Boom a clapper is born. I would love to shake the world with my own might, but not as badly as to become a clapper, and probably a tad more productive then a clapper. People who feel the need to "to a force of nature" unto the world are adrenaline junkies who need the rush to feel better. The person who i quoted got killed in a riot, he died smiling because he was able to witness a giant riot at his last moments.

"the whole process of being unwound"

HOLY SHIT, THAT SCENE WILL GIVE ME NIGHTMARES FOREVER. Instead of being normal about and knocking you out during the process you HAVE to be awake. They take out your blood and give you a different fluid that gives your organs oxygen. You feel a comfortablenesses and tugging at limbs and as they work their way up your body they take away sections of the table our laying on. Then as they work on your brain, taking it apart bit by bit, memories flash by then disappear. Senses, names, memories all flash then fade until a comfortable rest takes over your sense of mind..then nothing. THATS JUST TOO SCARY FOR ME TO GO THROUGH. I would hate that more then anything. Nightmares are inspired by that one scene, its dark, but i love it =(. This scene is probably the most memorable to me.
Later guys~

Love (made to be edited later)

A lot of the "rules" of love do come from the mass media. Romantic movies play with the "standard bar" of what you should be doing with your significant other. Online porn may give you a feeling of what what the normals is, but may be complete actions to your partner. No doubt an exposure to TV, the internet, and advertising in general affect the general person in a significant way. People are just too embarressed to admit that they have no idea what to do so they have to steal ideas and actions from things they see and have been TAUGHT to do. In a perfect world (my mind) everyone would ignore the bs that is being shoved down our throats, and have an honest talk with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Talk about things your comfortable with and stuff thats not acceptable to you. If it's too uncomfortable to talk about things such as this pass notes, but stay in person. The only thing making us suspectable to the what the media feeds is is our own egos. We MUST be the best at everything and not show flaws so we subconsciously take notes on things that "work" from movies or other forms of media.
Guy's imaginations run amok when they think of doing the "wrong" thing. "If i kiss her she'll slap me or definetly kick in the balls." I can't say I've ever seen someone seriously do that to their boyfriend. The only place where i can remember seeing anything remotely similar to that kind of action is in movies. In reality the worst thing that i have been through or seen is just a really awkward moment. Of course we hate going through those, its not as bad as a kick to the family jewels. When girls think about doing something "wrong" i think they take it even worse. A lot of my friend girls always tell me that they did so and so and now they were terrified their boyfriend would break up with them. Well sure some boys would break up with girls for stupid reasons, but most of the time we are just happy your trying stuff with only us. So I think the only real consequence of doing somthing wrong with your partner is just a few moments of awkwardness that you could easily laugh off.
Rules that dictate what a couple do these days i think mainly relies on your friends. Those are the only people who i feel i care what they think about me. What they talk about and what they share can shape what you do with your partner.

Unwind letter 2

Ok so im going to try to do something a tad different, sorry if this ruins your whole plan Mr. S. Instead of picking my own quotes I am going to take one quote from my partners and write my own opinions of the specific segment(damn i cant find tim's blog, ill do his quote later expect an edited updated version). Perhaps this way we will have something better to talk about since it will be directly related.
Second part of the book is just as exciting as the first. Reaching people who actually care about the Unwinds shows us there is still hope for the "troublesome" children. They may just have a chance to escape their cruel world and make a living, literally. Connor and Risa's relationship is becoming more evident and is blooming into something with significance. While Connor and Risa are being transported to several different safe houses, Lev is on an adventure of his own. Lev meets a person who has received part of a brain from an Unwound kid. We see how it effects his being as a whole and how he views of having a part of him thats not acutally him. After that whole ordeal Lev manages to get his way into the same safe zone Connor and Risa are residing in. I don't really know what else to tell you about the story without giving massive spoilers, I would be devastated to ruin an AMAZING book for someone who hasn't read this before.

"I know. I deserved it, and so it's okay, says Lev. But don't you ever git me again, or you'll regret it... Lev leaves, but Conner can't sleep. Every Unwind has a story you don't want to know. He supposes that Lev now has his"

Lev, the kid who used to be a little wimp about everything. The kid who blindly followed the every word his parents told him. Who actually accepted the idea of being Unwound. We;; obviously that has changed, he is not a total badass. I never imagined someone with his mind set would be able to talk to Connor in such a way. The whole ordeal of running from the authority i guess can change your whole being, is what i am getting from this scene. A dark process that every Unwind has been through and utterly changed their whole characteristic. I wonder if i would be able to stay "Adam" if i knew society was fine with me being killed and encouraged the pursuit of my limbs.
Tim i will take your quote after i contact you and get your blogger address.

sounds

My sound environment I think would be the same as any other Alemedan. When I wake up I'm delightfully greeted by a blaring alarm. Slowly, I rise from my deep slumber and head to the bathroom. The light hum of the heater and fan go by unnoticed as i do my buisness. I hear my dog, Radar, barking or clawing at the door trying to pry inside to the warm haven. Dressed, I prepare my things for school. The rough zipper sound fills the air as my backpack becomes full. The heavy footsteps of my dad coming downstairs tells me it's about time to leave.
Opening and closing the front door creates an unsightly squeal. For a brief moment the birds above stop conversing to check us out, noting that we are of no threat, the birds cheerfully go back to their chirps. Once inside the car not much talking happens between my dad and I. Still groggy and nothing on our minds words just dont flow. Instead the noise of an annoying radio show host fills my ears while stare ahead. Soon all sounds get drowned out as i put my headphones on, temporarily escaping from a boring world.
Once inside school the chatter of the other kids is deafening. Although, eleven years of it has trained me to subconciously block out all kinds of chatter recieving only sound from friends, whose voices i am well accustomed to. AS we share our thoughts in the morning my locker opens with a clang of metal on metal. The locker below mine echoes with a deep rumble as i stack books on top carelessly. When im done my locker shuts with an obnoxious clammer that receives a few stray looks.
The soft ring of the bell is barely audible over the orgy of voices trying to invade my ears, but we all hear it and take notice. No one jumps or makes a sudden movement, it's like the wind it just passes by like a normal occurrence. The thunderous sound of feet surround us as the stream of kids lazily go to their respective classes. I'm absoloutely positive that they are all talking, but i hear nothing. My mind is focused no my own stuff i don't have time to comprehend what each individual around me is saying or, for the matter care.
Sitting down in my History class i absent mindlessly stare outside the window. The chatter of classmates increases as time goes on. The soft conversations of people outside the window slowly make their way into my ears and i catch small segments of conversation. I secretly choose someone in the class and eavesdrop as i wait for the period to begin.As the period starts all conversations seem to fade into oblivion. It amazes me how students can be controlled be a single sound. The period is normally silent as Casper lectures, but as the period ends the noise raises.
Next period is Sutherland. The class is pretty noisy, but you know how to control us when need be. I love the sound of paper turning as we read in class. The pencils tapping against the hard desks during a quick write as everyone furiously trys to unload their minds contents into the paper in front of them. The accents you make are wondervul by the way.
Chemistry is just chaos. Jokes that all kids our age knows while the teacher just goes by thinking we are talking about normal things. Sometimes i feel bad, but then i get reminded of my grade and i dont feel too bad anymore.
I dont wanna go on about my day anymore so i just wanna say the sounds of my day are quite noisy. Most of it goes my unnoticed unless i think back to it. Kind of a sad way that everyday isnt completely different, but i think humans look forward to something repetitive somthing they can rely on that will never change. Silly humans.

Gorillaz song

I do not own or claim to own these lyrics, i am obviously "borrowing" it from the Gorillaz just to post it. Please don't sue me =)

"Fire Coming Out Of A Monkey's Head"

Once upon a time at the foot of a great mountain,
there was a town where the people known as Happyfolk lived,
their very existence a mystery to the rest of the world,
obscured as it was by great clouds.
Here they played out their peaceful lives,
innocent of the litany of excess and violence that was growing in the world below.
To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain called Monkey was enough.
Then one day Strangefolk arrived in the town.
They came in camouflage, hidden behind dark glasses, but no one noticed them: they only saw shadows.
You see, without the Truth of the Eyes, the Happyfolk were blind.

Falling out of aeroplanes and hiding out in holes
Waiting for the sunset to come, people going home
Jump out from behind them and shoot them in the head
Now everybody dancing the dance of the dead,
the dance of the dead,
the dance of the dead

In time, Strangefolk found their way into the higher reaches of the mountain,
and it was there that they found the caves of unimaginable Sincerity and Beauty.
By chance, they stumbled upon the Place Where All Good Souls Come to Rest.
The Strangefolk, they coveted the jewels in these caves above all things,
and soon they began to mine the mountain, its rich seam fueling the chaos of their own world.
Meanwhile, down in the town, the Happyfolk slept restlessly,
their dreams invaded by shadowy figures digging away at their souls.
Every day, people would wake and stare at the mountain.
Why was it bringing darkness into their lives?
And as the Strangefolk mined deeper and deeper into the mountain,
holes began to appear, bringing with them a cold and bitter wind that chilled the very soul of the monkey.
For the first time, the Happyfolk felt fearful for they knew that soon the Monkey would stir from its deep sleep.
And then came a sound. Distant first, it grew into castrophany so immense it could be heard far away in space.
There were no screams. There was no time.
The mountain called Monkey had spoken.
There was only fire.
And then, nothing.

O little town in U.S.A, your time has come to see
There's nothing you believe you want
But where were you when it all came down on me?
Did you call me now?

If you liked it go check out the real song.
I really like this song. I love songs that tell a story. I love stories~

rough draft zombie

The clatter of feet echoed back and forth inside the hallways. The once cheery posters campaigning to vote for certain school presidents and VP's are now smeared with blood. This shouldn't have happened, not to this school it was supposed to be like any other day. Daniel was sitting in his science class when it began. Already staring out the window he notices a girl outside walking aimlessly with hair all over the place. "Mrs. Pert can i go to the bathroom? It's an emergency!" Daniel said without even trying to be sincere. Running down the hallway too catch up with mysterious girl he made sure to look at his reflection. His black wavy hair slyly touched his ear lobes. Brown eyes that gave a limited view into his personality. Tall for his age, and never let anyone forget it. Finally catching up to her, Daniel notices security walking up to her. Peeking out of the window, but crouching low enough to not be witnessed for leaving class. Slowly the security officer reached out for her shoulder trying to be calming. The second the security guards hand touched her, it was like the flip of a switch. Her head lunged for his outstretched arm, teeth fully bared. Daniel saw the teeth easily sink into the arm and let out a yelp. A terrifying yell escaped his mouth as his blood seeped in between skin and teeth. Three more guards rushed outside to aid him pepper spray drawn. All three sprayed the girl's eyes, but it had no effect. She didn't even wince, let alone wince. Daniel was stuck to where he was. The sight was horrifying, but his feet wouldn't listen to him. He knew he should run out and help, but all he could do was turn away and run.
Katie saw Daniel rush towards the building entrance, and couldn't resist following him. Every girl who had her wits about her knew that Daniel was one of the best looking boys at school. Having her chance to be alone with him she took it without thinking twice. Sure she would probably get detention, but hey! it's Daniel! Katie saw Daniel crouching looking out the window. Trying to be flirtatious she sneaked up behind him. Just as she was about to put her hands over his eyes he jerked up, slamming his head into her nose. Her shriek went unnoticed, due to the commotion outside.
Daniel didn't feel a thing. Numb from the grotesque sight he just witnessed, he gladly turned around to help Katie up. Katie was just a someone he saw every now and then not someone who stood out to him. The blood spilling out of her nose made him shudder and feel more guilty about what he just did to her.
"I'm sorry about that, i was spooked that's all."
Nose in agony Katie lamely replied, "It's fine i just wanted to talk to you. You look kinda pale, you ok Daniel?"
A swarm of police officers ran past them, guns drawn. Daniel quickly ignored Katie and turned for the window. The girl was lazily attacking the security gaurds who were covered in dark red, from the many bites. The officers yelled at the girl to get on the ground. The first officer decided to taze the girl. Eyes grew wide as the electricity made her body jump, but not making her fall. In fact this woke her up. Eyes grew wide, suddenly she sprinted to the officer. Shots were fired, but that wouldn't stop her from sinking her teeth into the neck of the man who tazed her. Katie screamed, Daniel stood in horror. Daniel caught a glimpse of what was outside of the school gates. More people who mimicked the weird girls movement slowly heading towards the school.
OK guys kind of rushed would love to revise it with you guys.

Unwind letter 1

Okay gotta just say this first, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I would say it's my favorite book of it's just pure win. It covers all the genres i like in a book and keeps the story moving at an awesome pace. Definetly an all night reader if you ever get a chance to read it. Romance, action, and the realism is what first attracted me to this book. Everything in this story feels like it could happen tomorrow if things took a bad turn. Even the Clappers, who seem hard to believe, are actually very capable in real life. Good thing terrorists don't read teenage books though... i hope.
In Unwind, the process of being unwound is when your parents sign a paper saying they don't want you and the government can basically take your body and use all of it's parts to give to other people who need them. From 13-18 you are at risk of being signed up for an unwinding, but abortion is now outlawed. This is only reasonable to the people because your not REALLY dieing, how can you be dead if 99.44% of your body is still alive and functioning. The only difference is that you are not all together in one place. Reasonable logic right...?
The Storking Initiative is if you have a baby but don't want it, you can simply place it on someones doorstep. If you can leave it their without anyone seeing you place the baby on the steps that baby is no longer legally yours, but now the owner of the house. If the anyone catches you trying to stork a baby then by law that baby remains yours until you dont get caught. Its like a fun game! Playing with the babies life ooh fun world.

"She considers ringing the bell and running, but she realizes that would not be a good idea. If they catch her, she;s obliged to keep the baby-that's part of the Storking Initiative too-but if they open the door and find nothing but the child, it's "finder's keepers" in the eyes of the law. Whether they want it or not, the baby is legally theirs."

This girl a teenager just dosn't want to have the responsibility of taking care of a baby at her age so she decides to stork the baby. If you can't handle consequences then make him wear a damn condom if your going to have sex, come on. If i was Storked i would most likely hate all adult figures who let this happen day to day and do nothing about it. To not act against an unjust action is just as bad as doing the action yourself. Perhaps the author was trying to convey the message that we as a society are lazy and rather the easy way out then actually dealing with our bad judgment.
Are we, as a country, too dependent on tests to judge to judge the worth of our youth and citizens? While some students excell at school work and testing, others may be extremely talented in other areas of importance that noone will ever realize because people judge so extremely on what other people tell them to judge you on.

"I was never going to amount to much anyway, but now, statistically speaking, there's a better chance that some part of me will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless."

This kid has been fed this garbage over and over until he finally started seeing the way his peers did. Stockholm Syndrome? I would rather be in one piece as adam then be separate all over the world doing things i could already be doing with my body as a whole. Unwinding is when parents think their child or society thinks that a kid (13-18) is of no use to the world, besides limbs and organs. Instead of trying to teach a them how to improove their life and give them life skills they would be able to use in the future, they get rid of the problem by turning their backs on people who could use the most help. Being useful to the world for only your blood type is way more depressing then being re-educated. To be unwound by your parents, non the less would be horrible for your psych someone who you've been with for the first 13 years of your life decides to throw you out at just a few complications that may or may not have been your fault.