In all five novels, the main character or characters face adversity in one way or another. Describe how you view the character's challenges in your book, and talk about how your character handles the hardships and struggles. If you were in your main character/characters situation, how would you handle yourself? What would you do?
Elie Wiesel, who is the main character and author of the book, goes through many challenges throughout the book at this point. I view his challenges as very hard through the obstacles he has to go through. At a young age, trying to understand what is going on with what Hitler is doing and the fact he has been in three concentration camps already really puts worry in his eyes for his mom and sister who he hasn't seen since they got to the first camp. He handles the struggles very calmly and does what his father would do, he does everything the SS officers ask him to do. He handles everything as any mature adult would. At first I would be very nervous and scared because when I would hear that they burn people if they are to skinny, to old and to out of shape. I would eat as much and do as much running to stay out of the furnace. I would do everything the SS officers tell me and I would work my hardest at everything I am put to work at.
ReplyDeleteI very much agree with how he feels about how his life is going. what I'm unsure on is how he felt and what he thought of Ms. Schacter screaming "fire fire", on the train ride to Auschwits.
Deletei don't know how he was able to go through all of that and not go insane. if that was me i would be so scared and confused.
Deletein the book the kite runner the main character Amir lives a very good life his dad is filthy rich and gives him whatever he wants. the hardship from what i can understand is that he has to watch his best friend Hassan whos family serves Amir's struggle thru life just walking around hassan gets bullied like a soldier telling him how much of a whore his mom was and then later in the story he gets raped and nothing can be done an=bout it because thats their culture if i was in their shoes i would just run away and never look back not to be dissing their culture or lifestle but i wouldnt want to live like that at all
ReplyDeleteThe big thing is Amir choose not to help hassan he could have spoken up or told someone after the fact but because he wanted the kite hassan had run for him. so instead of helping and risk the kite being destroyed he ran off and waited for the other kids to rape hassan and let him go with the kite
DeleteI think if i was Hassan I would be a little upset at Amir for choosing not to help me
DeleteAmir is our main character in the kite runner and the main issues he is dealing with at the moment steam from the main issue that Amir believes his father blames him for the death of his mother who hemorrhaged during childbirth. Because of that Amir has some real emotional problems that cause him to act out apon his friend/servants son Hassan. Hassen would give anything and has given a lot for Amir but Amir continues to mistreat him and feel extreme guilt. Most of Amir's struggles come from his own insecurity's. The worst part is instead of handling the situations in a mature way he lies and manipulates overall he is very selfish and quite a few if of his problems are self inflicted at this point in the story
ReplyDeleteIn "A Long Way Gone" the main characters mother also dies at a young age and it causes him to act out upon his struggles by beating up other children, and he ends up being the hot topic of his village.
DeleteAmir is the main character, first of he lived in Afghanistan, than is a big challenge he faced. But he has a rich father named Baba. This helpes. There is a war going on in Afghanistan during this time period. Amir's mother also died when he was born. But he had a women that acted as his mom. He misses his mom, but he reads her books and he becomes very smart. Hasson is his friend/slave they retreat to a pomigrant tree where they are safe from all this war. If I lost my mother at that age it wouldnt be that bad, because I woulda never known her. I would be reliant on my father which Amir is, but Baba never seems to have time for him, until they have to get outta town due to war. It we be tough to keep myself under control, i think id be a hard nosed guy due to only having a father. Crazy Book so far
ReplyDeleteAmir has only made the situation worse on himself by convincing himself his father blames him for his mothers death and that he hates him now. Even though baba can be a bit cold and dismissive of amir I don't think he hates him
DeleteSounds like Amir has had a rough life. I think it would be hard to keep calm if I had lost family members and there was a war going on.
Deletein my book night Elie goes threw many difficult situations already in this book. wear they are in their home and they have to board up there windows, and moving to the small ghetto. now where I am at in the book they have gotten on a train and they are threatened by authority if anyone is missing in this car when they arrive at the next stop they will all be shot like dogs. Elie handles these situations like the other Jews in the book very scared and nervous of what is to come. if I was the main chanter in this situation I would handle this just like Elie is in the book worried of what is to come. I would try to escape and not get noticed every chance I get.
ReplyDeleteI have the same thoughts with you on how he handled the struggles and hardships that have stood in his path. The most iconic hardship so far has to be the way he was separated from his sister and mother at the first camp that are placed in. He handled it very maturely and as an adult. He didn't lose his cool, he knew that he was going to be going through he whole continuation of the concentration camp together.
DeleteI would have to say that i would do the same as him because if you give up and loose your head then you would probably die in that situation.
Deletethrough out the entire ordeal so far he has acted much like an adult and has stood stronger so far.
DeleteIshmael Beah is the main character of "along way gone". i view the challenges he has to face as very challenging because he has to avoid being killed by rebels every single day he is alive during the war he struggle's with hunger, He handles the hardships by stealing food and staying witha group of friends to defend themselves, i would be very nervous during the whole ordeal and wouldnt know what to do...
ReplyDeleteI agree there is nothing you can do except run away from the rebels, because eventually they will catch you no matter where you go.
DeleteThat sounds awful. Amir and his father escape to America and start over in life.
DeleteThere's nothing much you can do other that run in Ishmael's situation. you just have to try to survive, so i agree with you
DeleteI agree with you on how I wouldn't know what to do during this situation either but to just try and survive.
DeleteI agree with you on how I wouldn't know what to do during this situation either but to just try and survive.
DeleteIn the book I am Mulala, Mulala has to live with woman having zero rights. She has a bold personality that will probably get her in trouble because they dont have a right to speak up for themselves in her country. They are punished if they disagree with any way their government works. Mulala believes she should have the same rights as men do. She knows it is wrong. Woman do not go to school because they have to stay home and cook and clean. Mulala doesnt like that. I am not to the part in the book when this happens. But I know she will stick up for education and will be shot. I think she is a strong willed person, which isn't a good thing when she lives in such a hostile environment when she has no freedom of speech. If I was in Mulalas shoes, I would probably be more hesitant with speaking up for myself. I do not think I would stick up for education because I myself am not a huge fan. But I think woman should have rights and everyone should have freedom of speech.
ReplyDeleteTrue, since a kid Malala is very different from anyone else, she has wings as she states in the first chapter.
DeleteI agree, She was different since birth and always stood up for what she believes in.
DeleteIshmael from "A Long Way Gone" has been through some of the most difficult challenges any boy at the age of 12 can handle. He has lost his family and friends due to a rebellion and is being forced into being a killer. Many of us can't relate to him, because we grew up in a 1st world country where a rebellion is practically impossible. We tend not to think of anything bad like that happening to us, because most people are already ungrateful of the way we live now. If I were in his shoes now I would probably do the same thing he tried to do, and just run away from the evil.
ReplyDeleteIn kite runner Amir is also affected by a rebellion, but he just is living in the middle of one, he is not forced to have to fight.
Deleteishmael is doing his best to try to survive because his only option is to run
DeleteI agree, i would just run like Ishmael did, what else could a person possibly do in that situation.
DeleteI agree that we cant relate to him
DeleteIn "A Thousand Splendid Suns", Mariam is the main character and she is basically being controlled not just through her childhood but her whole life. Mariam as a child only got to see her father "Jalil" for 1 hour every Thursday. It only gets worse because her mother later hung herself and so Mariam moves in with her father whom we find out is actually not very nice to her. She was also forced to marry a guy that she has never even met before and it turns out that this guy is a big jerk too. He makes her chew on pebbles for god sake. What kind of a man does that to his wife? With all the hardships that Mariam has made so far, she has proven to be very tolerant with all of the people in her life. I don't know how much more tolerant she can be though.
ReplyDeleteThe further we go on with this book it reveals more and more ugly truths that Mariam and her life. Trevor how would you feel if you had to be like Jalil or Rasheed?
Deletewell I don't have to be like them because I live in America. however, if I had to be like them I wouldn't treat my daughter/wife like crap.
DeleteIn the book A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam is the main character. Mariam lived far away from people with her mom called Nana. She had a father who saw Mariam here and there. She thought life was great until one day. She wanted to go to her dad's house and Nana told her no, but Mariam insisted. Mariam left and realized that her dad was not who he portrayed to be when he did his visits. When Mariam went home she broke down in tears because he everything(Nana) hung herself from their tree. Mariam had to go through a rough time, and had to move into her dad's house. She was not welcome their by his 3 wives and all of the siblings.Then she gets forced to marry a man named Rasheed. At first she was scared of him, and then things got better. Mariam is a lot braver then I ever will be and that's a fact. Dealing with her dad, her mom's death, and now being forced to marry a dude she did not even know. Mariam also had a rough time because she had seven miscarriages. If I was older and that happened to me I would be devastated and I would not be my normal self because I lost so many babies. Rasheed punished Mariam because of her rice that she cooked. If anyone pried my mouth open and forced me to eat pebbles I would cry in agony. I would not be able to handle the pain and all of that blood coming out. I mean that sounds worse then getting wisdom teeth out. I also would not be able to handle their culture that they have. The women stay home and clean and cook. When they go in public they cover up their body. They do not show there ankles and not allowed to show their face. They have to wear a burqa so no man get she there wives beautiful face.I would not like to wear a burqa because it would block my vision and I think I would get really warm. The women are allowed to go to school though which is good at least. Mariam is one tough cookie! She would last longer than I ever would.
ReplyDeleteShe is in away tough, but she is also afraid. She listens to what she is told to do and goes though her life without making decisions for herself. In her culture she is doing exactly what she should be doing. There is no one she can talk to, and nobody would do anything for her against her husbands will. She is brave and tough but that's because she is afraid and has to be.
DeleteI agree with your post. The women in general in this book and in the middle east are not treated right but at the same time it is all based on beliefs. Brittany, have you ever thought about their thoughts on our beliefs?
DeleteI like your summary but, not all of the women have to wear burqas, even after they are married. Rasheed is just extra restrictive and dislikes the progressive men who let wives go uncovered in public.
DeleteThey would think that our beliefs are completely strange because we have so many divorces now a days. Plus women actually stand up for themselves more now than they have back in the day. We all think different cultures are weird because we are not costumed to them. What do you think Trevor?
DeleteThat's exactly the point I was trying to make. Everyone has their own opinion on just about everything that there is to offer in this world. Cory what do you think?
DeleteI agree women have a lot more rights in America today. In the book they are in the middle of a huge political revolution and under the communist regime men and women are supposed to be equal, but the "old fashioned" men like Rasheed disagree with the new policies. Rasheed thinks that the men who let wives go uncovered in public are foolish and have abandoned their ancient beliefs.
DeleteIn the book "A Long Way Gone" the main Character is struggling to survive. He is running away from a rebel army with a group of people that are all tired, hungry and trying not to die. If I was in his shoes I would do the same thing he is doing and survive.
ReplyDeleteishmael is doing a good job trying to survive he formed a group with his brother and his friends and they are doing whatever it takes to survive
DeleteThat sounds like the best thing to do in that situation.
DeleteI agree with you, I would be doing the same as Ishmael is doing to be able to survive during this situation.
DeleteI think he is making a good choice by just listening to them
DeleteBut why is he running? What's the reason he doesn't join the forces? Needs more explanation.
DeleteThe main character takes the challenges head on because if he doesn't then he would be killed if he didn't listen to the officers in command. I don't know how I would be able to deal with that getting kicked out of my home and where you live by gun point. I know I wouldn't like that and I would try and do something about it.
ReplyDeletethat is very true about how he has to listen otherwise he would be shot on the spot. I don't know about you but I wouldn't leave my home. I would be like kill me then so I don't have to live threw this hell.
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DeleteI could not live like this. I would try my hardest to get out of there before I say something that shouldn't be said.
DeleteI'm not sure which character you are referring to? You need to be more specific with your descriptions.
Deletemariam had to get married when she didnt want to. the struggle there is she has to be with someone who she really doesnt want to be with. its like eating something that you hate with a passion but have to eat it. i really dont care about this book its kkinda bad.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree that she had to do something that she didn't want to do. On another note the book gets better and better you just have to get into it.
DeleteWhat do you mean by bad?...boring?...bad things happening?...I think the book is pretty good.
DeleteIn my mind, it's not an awful book. It's just really difficult to understand and relate to. I understand certain things but I tend to not pick up on what they are saying. I do understand the part you said that she did something she didn't want to do.
DeleteHow would you feel if you were forced to marry someone who you didn't love? Is this part of their culture? More details needed.
DeleteIn "A Long way Gone" Ishmael is a 12 year old boy who is captured and forced to serve and kill for an army that destroyed his home town. I honestly don't know what i would do differently from Ishmael if i were in his situation. i would just do what i'm told and try to survive as long as i could, just like he is doing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I would just make sure to listen and not mess up what hes doing.
DeleteWhy did the army destroy his home? What's happening to him, and how would you handle this situation, if your home was taken from you? Needs more specific details.
DeleteI am reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Mariam has already faced many challenges. Most of the decisions in her life have been made for her and the most challenging one thus far was probably when she had to marry Rasheed and ended up stuck with him. Rasheed is quite abusive and rude, but there isn't much that Mariam can do.
ReplyDeleteIf I was her I would be doing the exact same thing. In their culture the men are the ones who are in charge and Mariam has to stay with her husband. Her only other options are running away, but that wouldn't do much good either.
Most of her decisions have been made by her father Jalil who does not care for her. Mariam is put through a lot of stressful situations and handles them better than I ever would.
DeleteThat might work but would be hard because of the fact that she wouldn't have a place to stay and if she was found by any of her fathers wife's she would be reported to Rasheed.
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ReplyDeletein "A Thousand Splendid Suns" Mariam faces adversity most often after she marries Rasheed. Rasheed does not appreciate all the good that Mariam does for her and is can be abusive when she does something wrong. At the beginning of their marriage Rasheed would be kind to Mariam on occasions, but after she miscarried their baby multiple times, Rasheed began to neglect her and became abusive. If I was in Mariam's situation I would try to reason with Rasheed and make him see all the good things I was doing for him and I would tell Rasheed I appreciated all the good things he was doing for me.
ReplyDeleteShe could try, but if he doesn't want to hear it then that's the way it's going to be.
DeleteBut I guess it's worth a try.
That is always a good first step but Rasheed is one with the old and feels that women should not speak against their husband or any man which could lead into worse punishments in the relationships.
DeleteMalala as many other girls are growing up with extreme practices for women. Woman have no value, all they are seen for, is for having babies, and staying at home to keep their husband happy. Malala is lucky to go to school, thanks to her father who is well educated, and supports her. As the Taliban comes closer many people are starting to despise the idea of girls going to school. If the Taliban, ban school for girls completely they will destroy the most important thing for her, and her family. For Mala, being educated will make her successfully help others, and make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI agree, i think that all she wants is to help others and educate them
DeleteHer father plays a huge role in her confidence and they way she stands up for herself. Unlike other girls in her country she is supported by her family as if she were equal to a male. I think it is cool the way her family supports her
DeleteIf you were in Malala's place and were denied an education, what would you do?
DeleteWhen Mariam goes to visit her father she is left to deal with the fact that her father doesn't truly care about her the way she has thought he did. When she was on her way home she found her mother dead in the tree and she feels that it is her fault that she killed herself. To make her life worse she is forced to live with her father and his family that doesn't care about her and forces her to get married to someone she doesn't know. I would have refused to get married to complete stranger and would have mad a huge scene and made sure I would be able to be by myself.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that must be hard for her especially when she loved Jalil more than her mom and her mom always said he didnt truly love her like that so she'll look back at it.
DeleteI understand everything you are saying. It was like the mother knew something Mariam didn't know about her father. I think the mother couldn't handle it all when Mariam liked him better. I feel that the mother was the one watching out for Mariam and didn't want her to get hurt.
DeleteIn I Am Malala, Malala struggles with the Pakistan's societal views on her actions. Malala struggles with alot of them like stealing and going to school. She handles both situations completely opposite and she still goes to school and she apologized for stealing and has plegded her life to never do it again. If I were her I would do as she does and fight to continue going to school.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that the why she things is because of her father, a very educated man always protecting her,
DeleteI think the reason she is so strong is because of the way her father raised her how to act and respond to all the negativity surrounding her
DeleteI think her personality is very strong and she will try to change the way woman are treated.
DeleteA bit vague on how she handles the situations differently? You need to be more specific in your answers.
DeleteIn "I am Malala" a conflict that she deals with is the fight against the Taliban. The Taliban are trying to take control of Malala's homeland. As well as this the Taliban have opposing views on Malala's idea of universal education and are trying to stop her. The way she deals with this situation is striking against the Taliban and fighting for peace and not letting the Taliban control her. If I was the main character in this book I personally think after I got shot in the head I would stop fighting against the Taliban.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you spencer I would back down too. I also think she has such a strong personality that she will keep on fighting even after she gets shot.
DeleteWhy would you stop fighting for something you believe so strongly in?? Answer the question completely.
DeleteElie Wieselgoes through many challenges throughout the book. At a young age he tries to understand what is going, tries to keep hold of hope and his faith, and the fact he has been in three concentration camps and has already seen lots of death. He struggles stay calm and does what his father would do, he does everything the SS officers ask him to do. He handles everything as any mature adult would. I would be very scared when I hear that they are burning and killing people if they are to skinny, to old and to out of shape, or just at random. I would try to keep my head down and just focus on staying alive. I would do everything the SS officers tells me to and I would work my hardest at everything I am put to work at.
ReplyDeleteThe way you said you would handle it is the same exact way that I would handle it. Keeping your head down and listening to everything the SS officers say are exactly what I would do if I was in his situation.
DeleteIn the book "A Long Way Gone" the main character is a 12 year old boy named Ishmael Beah. The challenges he faces are very scary and tough. Some are avoiding rebels everyday trying not to get killed, struggling for hunger, and loosing his family/ friends. If I were in his position i would be doing exactly what hes doing to try and survive.
ReplyDeleteif i was in his position i would try to survive but cry all the time
DeleteI agree that to try to survive is the best thing to do in his position
DeleteI agree I would give it my all and try to survive as much as I can
DeleteBut why would you be doing the same thing? What would you do if you were in his position...if the challenges are "scary and tough", how would you try to make life better?
DeleteI would try to stick it out, just thinking hopefully it won't last my whole life and look forward to my better days ahead of me.
DeleteThe characters in my book are in a harsh place with very harsh situations. They have to deal with hunger and survival from the world and humans. I never been in they're situation before so i cant tell you if they handled they're struggles good or bad but from what i read they're still alive so they are doing something right. If i was in they're shoes i would cry and get killed at the start of all of it.
ReplyDeleteIn the book "Night" some challenges that Elie and his family face are very scary and hard to deal with. Elie and his family get taken away from there home and get brought to a concentration camp. This is a major challenge for then because they are getting mistreated and split apart from the women and men. If I were Elie I wouldn't even know how to handle myself. I would be terrified for life. I wouldn't know what to think. I would try my hardest to escape from that concentration camp with my family and run away!
ReplyDeleteI would try and be on my best behavior and do the things the commander wants me to do so I wouldn't get punished.
DeleteIn the book "A thousand splendid suns" Mariam has to face some challenges by herself. I think the first challenge is her Mother committing suicide. That must've been hard on her because I don't know what I would do without my mother. Afterwards, she has to go live with Jalil which she doesn't mind only to find out she has to get married at a young age because Afsoon doesn't like her. I honestly would've kicked Afsoon out of the house and stayed peacefully but thats just me. She also find her husband very ugly which I don't blame her hes an old man. She also got forced into sleeping with her husband which she wasnt a big fan not to mention she doesn't talk to Jalil anymore either.
ReplyDeleteThe struggles Mariam has had were not so easy to deal with. She got married to someone she does not want to be with. She got pregnant and the baby died. She dealt with these things by just going with it and married him anyways. She also buried the baby's coat. I also forgot to mention that the mother (Nana) had passed away and the father (Jalil) doesn't really want anything to do anything with her. I couldn't really relate but it sounds difficult
ReplyDeleteYou may not be able to relate, but if you were forced to marry someone you did not love, how would you handle it?
DeleteI understand how hard it would be on her, she has gone through a lot and just needs to look forward to her better days.
DeleteOne of the main characters Hassan was raped and his wealthy friend Amir was present and chose to do nothing about it. If I were Hassan would run away for ever and never come back because of the poor quality of life that has lead up to the rape and the rape would push me over the edge
ReplyDeleteNot enough information about the hardships that Hassan is going through? And what about Amir having to sit back and do nothing??
DeleteIn the novel "Night" Elie and his family face many challenges. The first challenge they face is being taken away from their home and sent to a concentration camp. I feel like this would be very hard for me because I would not like the fact that I had no say so in what I was doing. Elie and his father get split up from his mother and sister which is something that is going to be very hard for them to deal with. Someone from their family could die and they wouldn't even know. If I had to be in this situation I would try and make the best out of it. I would try and not do anything wrong so the SS men had no reason to get mad and punish me.
ReplyDeleteI agree that is honestly one of the best ways to handle being in a situation like this.
DeleteIn the book A Long Way Gone the little 12 year old boy, Ishmael, and other friends has traveled to a different town starting out in the book. While they are gone, their hometown gets attacked by the 'Rebels' which are the one destroying all the surrounding towns and killing people. Later, Ishmael is forced into being part of the Rebels after they had attacked his hometown. I couldn't even imagine the things that this kid has gone through and had to witnessed. I've never been through something like this so i cant personally relate to this story but i think it would be horrific.
ReplyDeleteBut if you were placed in a situation like Ishmael, how would you handle it?
DeleteIn the book night some of the things that the main character elie had to go through, would be so hard I don't know if I would be able to handle it. I think the best thing I could do is make the best of the situation and try my hardest to survive.
ReplyDeleteWhat did he have to go through? And how would you survive if you were placed in this situation??
DeleteIn the book A Thousand Splendid Suns the main character is Mariam. She goes through a lot of adversity throughout the book. For one her father really never saw her a lot so one day she went to visit him and she found Nana hung in the tree out front. She then is forced to live with her father and really never got accepted into the family by anybody. She then has to marry a man named Rasheed that she finds unattractive and really isn't much of a fan of and has never met him before this. Then to top that off she has many miscarriages which is hard enough on a family let alone all of this happening in a person's life. It is difficult to even read about the hardships that Mariam goes through, I can honestly not imagine what I would do or what would happen to me. Oh and by the way this is all going on a country where women aren't treated equally either. Mariam is a trooper through all of the struggles, if I had to give any advise I would say it will get better but in all honesty I'm not sure if it will.
ReplyDelete