Rumble Fish

After reading this throwback novel from my middle school years, it made me think about how different things are in certain areas of the country as compared to the way they were around 1975, which is when the novel took place. The book Rumble Fish is about a 14 year old boy and his friends who have grown up, learning about nothing more than gangs, drugs and alcohol. The main character, Rusty-James, tends to get himself into a lot of trouble, but he can usually back himself up since he is one of the toughest guys in the neighborhood. Rusty comes from a pretty beat up little town and he plans to be just like his older brother when he grows up. Unfortunately, things don't work out for Rusty the way we would have liked them to. As the story goes on, Rusty begins to find himself and realize who he really is, instead of trying so hard to be like his brother. 

I think the overall message of this story is to never give up on what makes you happy. Although Rusty-James didn't come from the greatest area, he learned a lot as he grew up and this helped him become more of a well rounded man. It is important to be yourself and make a name for yourself and let your legacy live on in those that follow your footsteps and I think this story is a great example of that. 

I Don't Read..

Blogging is fun. I have nothing against it. The only problem I have with it is coming up with solid content to blog about. I've been asked to only blog about literature related topics but I'm not a big fan of reading books, nor am I interested in any type of literature, unless there is more to it than I currently know. I'm not asking for this to be an easy assignment, but it doesn't make sense to grade different people on the same thing because everyone has their own interests. Blogging about Lit may be easy for someone who enjoys it, but it's not for everyone. It would make more sense to allow us to blog about things that are closer and more important in our individual lives. This would also turn out to be a great way to get to know each other better. I have nothing against reading, it's just not my cup of tea. It's like asking a fish and a monkey to climb a tree and grading them both equally. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses and it would be more logical that we would be able to work to our own strengths. I'm pretty good at poety, I can make a rhyme any time. I enjoy sports and other outdoor activities and games. Not everyone is into reading and/or has the patience to sit down and read a book and I believe it is unfair to be graded on that. Keep in mind, I have no problem with the act of blogging as an assignment, I just wish we had more freedom to choose what we blog about. Thank you. I hope you take this into consideration.