Brave, by Sara Bareilles

The song, “Brave,” by Sara Bareilles, is very important to me because of the messages that the song is putting across: be brave and be who you want to be.

            (First Stanza) “ You can be amazing, you could turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug, you can be the outcast, or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love, or you can start speaking up.” I think that the writer of this song is trying to say that people should speak up for themselves, instead of allowing themselves to be mistreated by others.

            (Second Stanza) “Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do, when they settle ‘neath your skin, kept on the inside and no sunlight, sometimes a shadow wins, but I wonder what would happen if you…” I think that the writer is trying to show how much words can affect someone negatively and that we need to start thinking before we say things.

            (Chorus) “Say what you wanna say, and let the words fall out, honestly I wanna see you be brave, with what you want to say, and let the words fall out, honestly I wanna see you be brave, I just want to see you, I just wanna see you, I just wanna see you, I wanna see you be brave, I just wanna see you, I just wanna see you, I just wanna see you, I wanna see you be brave.” The writer is saying that she wants to see people that are bullied or told mean things to start speaking up for themselves, and wants them to be brave about it.

            (Third stanza) “Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down by the enemy, fallen for the fear, and done some disappearing, bow down to the mighty, don’t run, just stop holding your tongue.” I think that she’s saying that everyone’s been treated badly or been bullied before, and that when you get bullied, you shouldn’t just run away from the problem. You should defend yourself.

            (Fourth stanza) “Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live, maybe one of these days you can let the light in, show me how big your brave is.” She’s saying that you should be brave and stick up for yourself.

            (Fifth Stanza) “And since your history of silence, won’t do you any good. Did you think it would? Let your words be anything but empty, why don’t you tell them the truth?” I think that she’s saying that being silent and doing nothing against be bullied or bullying won’t help you, and that you have to speak up for yourself and others, and tell the truth.

            In conclusion, the song “Brave” by Sara Bareilles is very inspirational to me. This song helped me learn how to stick up for my self and others, and to not be anyone’s doormat, letting them step all over me. And from now on, because of this song, I will speak up against bullies and will not tolerate bullies.

Response to The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

In the book, the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I’ve noticed that Katniss cares more about her family than she does herself.

            She volunteered to go into the games for her little sister, Prim. For example, in the text it says, “but in district 12, where the word tribute is pretty much synonymous with the word corpse, volunteers are all be extinct.” At that moment, when Prim’s name was called, Katniss didn’t care what could happen to her. All that she cared about was protecting her sister, and the last thing on her mind was something about herself.

            Also, while Katniss was being taken away, all that she could think about was what could happen to other people. For example, while she was on the train being taken to the Capitol, Katniss wasn’t even thinking about the games, instead she was worried about whether Prim was eating and if her mother had gone back into depression. Katniss is very selfless when it comes to problems.

            In conclusion, I think that Katniss is a very generous and selfless person because of what she went through when her father died in a mine explosion. And I also predict that when she gets into the arena, this trait will affect her negatively.

           

Hunger Games Reading Response

Question: If the character in your book has problems, can you see how those problems are about having or not having money, struggling with others for power, or being cheated or helped by society rules?

               In the book, "The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins, the main character, Katniss Everdeen has many problems that are related to poverty and not having power.

            One of the main problems that Katniss has in the book is that her and most of her district live in poverty. After Katniss’ father died in a mine explosion, Katniss had to learn how to provide for her family and avoid being taken away from her mother, who was too depressed after the death of her father to provide them (Katniss and her little sister, Prim). For example, in the book, Katniss has to hunt (which is illegal) with her best friend Gale in order to provide for her family. And she struggles to make ends meet, like most of the people in district 12. However, this is very unfair because the Capitol people have more money than they need and many of the lower class districts are treated very unfairly from the Capitol.

            One of the biggest problems in this book is about power. In the text, the Capitol has all the power. The people in the districts get none. Instead, 2 kids from each district every year, kids aged 12-19 have to fight to death for the entertainment of the Capitol and to help keep the districts in line and not fight against the Capitol.

            Also they are cheated by society’s rules. The people in the districts are “kept in line” by the peacekeepers and are not treated right. While the people in the Capitol are treated fairly, the less fortunate people that live in the districts are not because they don’t have as much power as the people in the Capitol.

            In conclusion, Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins has many problems relating to money, being cheated by society’s rules, and struggling with others for power.