Response to Clary from "City of Bones"

Inquiry: How do Characters feel when they face problems with other characters?

     You may often wonder why many people shut others out or are not very friendly. This could be just their personality but many times people act this way because of something that has affected them in their life. In the book, "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare, Clary's mother mysteriously disappears and Clary has no clue where she is or why she is gone. Clary meets many people, some of which try to help her but Clary can only trust herself, especially with her secrets. Clary doesn't trust anyone in her life because over her years she has learnt to fend on her own.
     In the book Clary only trusts herself because that is what she is used to. In the book Clary's mother has lied to Clary her whole life, kept secrets and told Clary lies. In the book, Clary's mother, Jocylen, tells Clary that they were just normal people, when infact, they are shadowhunters. Also in the text, Clary tells her mom that she doesnt want to go on a vacation because her mom isnt thinking of what she wants and needs. Clary had planned her whole summer and her mom wanted to take this away from her even though it meant so much, her mom couldn't be trusted. Clearly there is a reason for Clary to shut others out, the person she was supposed to support her told her lies and kept secrets. If she couldn't trust her own mother, then who could she trust others? Clary responds to these lies by telling herself that she can't trust anyone; on page 74 Clary doesn't want the Shadowhunters to see her emotions, "I will not cry, she thought, not in front of these people". It is easy to see that Clary shuts others out, she would rather keep to herself than risk being hurt by others. Another time, Clary doesn't even trust her best friend, on page 17 the text says, "She wondered why she was not telling him the truth" and "something about his voice when he'd said have you talked with the night children? that she wanted to keep to herself." Obviously Clary doesn't trust the people who are closest to her because the last time she did that, her own mother lied to her. It is hard for Clary to let people in on what is really going on in her life because a huge part of her life was false.
     Finally, Clary chooses not to let people into her life because she has been betrayed before by someone who was meant to always make the best choices for her. This is so important because it portrays how one friend's honesty and loyalty can change the other's social comfortabiliy and relationship with so may other people. A person should be able to rely on friends in their life without worrying if they are fake.

Upfront Response to "No Job? Get Lost!"

Tait Berwick           class 809

     Many countries all over the world suffer from problems such as gangs, stealing and violence. But little town; Svalbard seems to have eliminated all these problems.The article "No Job? Get Lost!" by Andrew Higgins, from Upfront Magazine is about how a small town in Norway has set strict rules that set their town apart from the rest. Svalbard does not allow unemployment, homelessness and requires that citizens carry guns outside of the city borders. The author shows both sides of the argument by giving detailed examples.
     The author shows the good side to these strict rules by providing evidence. the text says, "Nobody has been locked up in the capital, Longyearbyen, since the summer of 2013. and that was for just two days." Higgins also compares this safe and almost robotic community to others by showing how one person, Mark Sabbatini, felt about it, " 'I used to be a crime reporter in Los Angeles,' he says. 'I can't say I enjoyed it.' " It is clear to see that Higgins uses real evidence to support one side of this topic. He states one side clearly by using solid evidence that only supports that side.
     On the other hand, Andrew Higgins uses evidence that goes against the idea that such a controlling place is good. all these laws means higher prices too; "25 percent sales tax, the ninth-highest in the world" and "A local newspaper ran an 'expose' on what it called the world's most expensive milk(nearly $27 per gallon, compared with the average of about $3.70 in the U.S.)". Obviously, Higgins uses evidence to support the other side of the topic. this way he can show both sides of the argument using objective examples that aren't biased to any opinion.
     Overall, Andrew Higgins gives factual evidence to both sides so the reader can see the pros and cons to this topic and form their own opinion based on what they have read. This is important to give people the space to take a side on their own (or not any side at all) because our society is pushing more and more to have people be one way and all the same. This is a chance for opinions to spread without pushing in one direction.