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Final Reflection Project

Procedure:

I. While you read your novel, make sure to be on the lookout for a main lesson or theme that the novel is trying to show the reader.

II. Create a project that shows how the lesson you select:

a) Is connected to your novel

and

b) Might be related to the world today (to your life, to the lives of young adults, to Canada, to a current event, etc.)

Project Requirements:

A) Plan out your ideas before beginning: brainstorm, outline….

B) Be sure to give your project a clear title.

C) Write the lesson you select somewhere prominently on your project.

D) Include and clearly list FOUR (4) specific examples from the novel. (These could be direct quotations, or explanations of situations that happened)

Mock Interview - “An Enlightening Shift in Perspective”

Brainstorming

Topic: Identity

Lesson:

Character: Dante

Examples:

Script

Individuality

Me: Thank you for joining me today, Dante Quintana.

Dante: My pleasure, I appreciate your invitation. I must say, I’m very impressed with the carpet you guys have; I thought it would be fairly ticklish, but it feels fluffy.

Me: Of course, I had kept it in mind to comfort your bare feet during this interview.

Dante: Shit. To think you guys would be so accommodating :,) Anyways, what topic will I be interrogated on today?

Me: Guess.

Dante: Is it identity?

Me: Wait, how do you know?

Dante: Because we are both reading off of the same script, silly.

Me: Oh. Well, in that case, let’s start off with a simple question; in your opinion, what is the most important thing you’ve learned so far in life?

Dante: I could easily respond in a stupid manner because of how abruptly that “simple” question was asked, but I think it’s important to establish and uphold your own identity, even if it is different from the expectations placed by society, to allow for invaluable experiences and opportunities for personal growth.

Me: Wow, what an empowering and thought-provoking statement. I’m surprised you didn’t mention anything about masturbation and smoking weed.

Dante: Did you invite me here to just ridicule my curiosity? Sounds like someone’s insecure and jealous!!!

Me: Hey, to be fair, I was kind enough to buy this carpet, so I’m not that mean. Let’s just drop the banter here, and focus on what you just said. I can already recall various instances of this ideology being applied in your decisions and identity: your sexuality, your role as a son, your ethnicity, and your literary interests, you must really love defying social norms, huh. How about this- you can start off by picking one of the topics, and we can go on from there.

Dante: I mean, sure. I guess we can start off with the elephant in the room, sexuality.

Me: Okay. I’m glad you brought this up first, as I have a recent experience in which I want to hear your opinion on.

Dante: I thought I was supposed to be an interviewee, not your consulting mother. What’s the occasion?

Me: Well, in my group chat with my friends, someone posted a picture of a male famous celebrity cosplaying as a female character in a video game. As a joke, my friends responded saying “Man”, except for one friend who accused the poster in encouraging transphobia. When my friends retaliated saying that it was “just a joke” and that it wasn’t intended to mean any harm, they also began to ridicule him. As a result, my friend decided to just leave the chat. I can understand how my friend wanted to act out against discrimination, but I can also understand how my other friends had no intentions to degrade the person. How should people act when their beliefs are attacked or drowned out by the majority? Should I have stepped in and said something to resolve the situation, as I’m the founder of the group chat?

Dante: What do you want me to say? I think your friend made the right choice; both sides simply had contrasting beliefs, and there was no point in arguing over something so pointless. If I were him, I would probably have left as well to find a new group of friends that accepted my beliefs. Think of Ari and his time at the pool- he wasn’t a big fan of the lifeguards and their interests, so he tried to avoid them as much as possible. Eventually, he was able to meet me for the first time, and from there, he was able to gain the support to mature and grow more than ripping leaves off of trees ever will :)

Me: Wow, I did not think of making that connection. However, transitioning into a new environment doesn’t resolve the conflict completely, as people can easily go out of their way to cruelly exercise their opinions on others. Shouldn’t you know this first hand from the beating you got after you were caught making out with Daniel?

Dante: Yeah, it sucks how those four guys were willing to assault me solely because of my sexuality, but they never won since I stayed grounded in my personal beliefs and didn’t run. Of course people are going to have opposing views if you’re in the minority, but it’s important that you don’t let such actions kill your identity. If I had second-guessed my sexual orientation and forced myself to be straight, I wouldn’t have been able to fully embrace the tranquil night where Ari confessed his love for me.

Me: With the different forms of prejudice happening in today’s modern society, that advice is even more important. The courage you exemplify is truly inspiring, do you have any doubts or areas of weakness at all? Actually, now that I think about it, there was one external influence that prevented you from coming out: your parents. Looking back on it, is there anything you would like to comment on?

Dante: I found it extremely difficult to confess my sexuality to my parents as I didn’t want to disappoint them by not having grandchildren, but I think it would have been better to tell them earlier. Hearing the news in the form of an injured son wasn’t the most ideal way of revealing the secret, and it prevented them from truly understanding and accepting their son. I think it’s better to bite the bullet as soon as possible, as keeping it hidden would further suppress my identity and limit my freedom. Fortunately, letting my parents know made them more supportive for me, which was especially crucial during my fragile state at the hospital. As teenagers begin to explore their own identities and venture past their parent’s ideals, we tend to stray further and further apart from our parents. While that lack of guidance allows us more freedom, I feel like we still need them in our lives for our times of need. Thus, I think it’s important to not do what I did, and to maintain such intimate relationships. After all, they were the ones who gave birth to us and nurtured us for the majority of our lives.

Me: I’m glad you were able to sort things out with your parents, and that they were completely accepting during such a sudden change. I agree with you completely; every single time I confessed something to my parents, they would always be there for me to lead me in the right direction. Lastly, I want to touch on your interest in literature. Many classmates I know dread the idea of having to read shakespeare or analyze poems, but you seem to enjoy such aspects of literature.

Dante: I mean, poetry isn’t for everyone, and forcing someone to do something they don’t want would be contrasting the ideas we’ve been discussing so far. Seeing that my dad is an English professor, it was inevitable for me to become engrossed in literature myself. As much as the different novels and poems I’ve read have influenced their lives in their respective ways, I find that the ability to share this enlightenment with others is just as rewarding. It took some time to convince Ari to indulge in the books I gave him, but by doing so, it’s opened up countless opportunities to get closer to Ari and learn more about him.

Me: I wish my friends were as willing as Ari; I tried recommending a book I had recently read to a friend as I felt it was relevant to his current struggles with self-esteem and motivation, but I don’t think he’s given it a second thought. Enough about me, thanks for taking the time to provide some more insight about the significance of your identity to me and whoever may be watching this interview. Since the story was entirely told from Ari’s point of view, it’s nice to have a shift in perspective to learn more about the other main character in the story. May I wish you the best of luck in your future with Ari, and cheers to the upcoming sequel coming this year :D Do you have any last words you would like to share with the audience?

Dante: Nope, I’m just waiting for the Budweiser you promised after the interview was over ;)

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