Research Response: Eating Disorders

     When you hear 'eating disorders', most people automatically think of anorexia or bulimia. However, there are people who suffer from eating too much food. These people have what's called Compulsive Overeating. People also suffer from eating disorders like Pica, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Night Eating Syndrome, Sleep Eating Disorder (SED-NOS), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Orthorexia Nervosa Bigorexia. However, most of these disorders are more of a mental problem, not formed by the person 
suffering from the disorder. When I researched each of these disorders, I found that the ones that were developed by the person's thoughts on themselves, are caused mostly by other people's influences on them. 
     People who suffer from Compulsive Overeating, eat to get through their emotions. Then they become ashamed of their appearance and eat more to try and cope with those feelings. People who are anorexic or bulimic are extremely self conscious about their weight and these disorders may also be influenced by deep emotions.
     I think that if people weren't so judgmental and were more accepting, these eating disorders wouldn't be such a problem. Some people don't like people who are overweight or think they are disgusting. Well, some people might not be able to control that. That person might be the healthiest person on earth but still have a few extra pounds. Also, what does someone's weight have to do with who they are as a person? Because what you say to someone could change the way they think about themselves and lead them along an unhealthy path. I know this sounds extremely cliche, but people come in all shapes and sizes. 


http://www.something-fishy.org/whatarethey/other.php 
http://www.something-fishy.org/prevention/what.php

Reading Response: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

     When I first started reading How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, I wasn't able to connect to any of the characters or the plot or anything. However, as I read on and the characters developed, I think that I can connect with the main character, Daisy.
     Daisy's feelings towards the cousins she's just moved in with have really grown. She's extremely fond of all of them and as she starts to like each of them more and more, she feels responsible for them as well. I can connect with Daisy in the way that I think I'm receiving more responsibility. My responsibility for my little brother is what comes to mind when I thought of Daisy's new responsibilities.
     As I grew up, my parents started to trust me more, and they started to let me babysit my brother. I felt a huge responsibility for him because I knew that if anything went wrong, I would loose the trust my parents have in me. When I became aware of this responsibility, I did what I could to watch out for my brother and keep him occupied while my parents were out. I think that Daisy will do the same and really make sure that her cousins are kept safe because she loves all of her cousins, and doesn't want to let them down, her aunt down, or her parents down.

Social Awareness #3: Social Issues in How I Live Now

     In How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, a lot of themes came up. However, the one that stood out to me was responsibility. In this book, Daisy was not used to having any responsibility for anyone or anything but herself. But when she gets sent to live with her aunt and cousins, that changes and she's left feeling all this responsibility.
     In the beginning of the story, a war starts while Daisy's aunt is away from home. That made Daisy the oldest of the five of them left at home with no one to watch them. Through the time she spent with her cousins, she developed this love for each of them and that came with the sense of responsibility. Daisy even says that she feels responsible for their safety and happiness.
     I think that this will be a big change for Daisy because she has never had to look after anyone but herself and now she feels this responsibility for her four cousins. However, even if she really loves her cousins, I think it will be a challenge to watch out for all of them because they had gotten split up. I think this will be really hard on her because she really cares for each of her cousins and it would hurt not being able to watch out for them all.
   

My Two Voice Poem: Poverty

Italicized is voice one
Underlined is voice two
CAPS IS BOTH VOICES

I HATE MY HOUSE
My house is not big enough. Three floors will never be big enough.
The streets are my home


I HATE MY FAMILY
I wanted a pony for my birthday but all I got was another dog.
May family left me, abandoned me in the streets.


WHEN I'M HUNGRY...
I told my mother I wanted a big steak dinner. Of course I got it.
Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I'll find or collect enough money to get a small something at McDonald's. Most days, I'm left with trash.


BUT I HAVE A FUTURE
When I grow up, I'm going to be an astronaut that lives in a mansion with thousands of servants and hundreds of ponies.
When I get older, I wish to have received some kind of education, live in my own house, and start my own family.




     I thought that writing this poem was hard because I had to get into the minds of two different characters that I'm not. It was hard writing about something that I didn't really know much about. I tried to take what I've seen on like TV shows and read in books and put that in a poem from my perspective.
     In movies and books, rich kids are usually snotty and greedy and don't really ever think much of others. I tried to write in a snooty kind of way to make the wealthy child sound a little obnoxious. In books and things, I feel like people in poverty are very kind and thoughtful towards things and they seem very... innocent, so I tired to sound that way.
     I think it was a difficult activity for a lot of people because we each had to get into the minds of different people.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff Pt. 2

     In my last post about How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, I said that I had suspicion about this family. Those suspicions have grown as I keep reading.
     I don't think that Edmond and his so called siblings are actually Daisy's cousins. Can you fall in love with your cousin? I don't think so. And also, if Edmond knew they were cousins, he wouldn't have kissed her. But he did. Since he's some like crazy mind reader, does he know that they're not really cousins? I think he does. They don't act like cousins either, or like they had just met. They act like best friends who have know each other forever. Also, they had never met before. Their mom is her mom's sister. When her mom died, wouldn't they have been at her funeral? However, if they're not cousins, then how do they know each other?
     Well, I know that their mom somehow knows Daisy's mom. And that through her, she knows her dad. But maybe she's not her sister. What if the parents made that up to hide something. What would they be hiding though? I kind of have a feeling that Daisy's cousins know something she doesn't...

I can't wait to read more and find out what's going on. I highly recommend this book!

Social Actions Blog

     For this post, I observed my surroundings. I noticed that a lot of name calling went on between people my age.

     We all have called people names, either to someones face, or behind their back. But how would that make the person feel when they know that you've been talking bad about them? Or when you say it to their face? Or even when you can't even say it yourself so you have to send someone else to tell them? It sure doesn't make them feel good about themself. That person will change to try and please everyone. They'll become someone they're not, and that's what some people like to concider as "fake".
     Would you enjoy being fake? Would you like to have to pretend to be someone your not all the time just to try and please people who wouldn't even like you for you? Why would you want to be around those people anyway? I feel like people who pretend to be who they're not, get so caught up in their act that they become someone they're not. If people think that you're fake, and they start spreading that, then where will you be? Nowhere. No one wants to be friends with someone who's fake, someone who has to try too hard to get people to like them. There are always people who will like you for you. If everyone thought the same, acted the same, dressed the same, the world would be pretty boring and dull. And when you are you, you add your own special something to the world.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

     In the book How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, the main character, Daisy, was kicked out of her house by her  dad, and sent to live with her aunt and cousins in London. The book doesn't say exactly why he kicked her out, but I think it has something to do with his fiance and her not getting along.
      I'm not far along enough in the book to have any really deep connections or thoughts about this book, but I can tell that something is up with Daisy's cousins.
     First of all, it seems that her cousin, Edmond, can read her mind. One example is when she first arrives in London, she is thinking all these thoughts about what is different about London like the fact that her 14 year old cousin is driving and smoking. Then, he looks at her and says, "you'll get used to it." She's a little weirded out by this and it happens constantly throughout the book.
     Another strange thing about this family she's living with, is that their mother is not around most of the time. She just leaves her young children home alone. This gives he children time to learn how to basically fend for themselves and entertain themselves. The youngest one, a girl, automatically loves Daisy and is caring for her as if she were her mother, even though she's like 9 or something. All the children are so sophisticated for their age; speaking like they're twice as old as they really are. All the children are also home schooled, except for Osbert, but their mother is barley even home.
     Something else I find kind of weird about this family, is their house. Their house is huge, falling apart, and beautiful. They also keep a lot of animals. But they don't really keep the animals for purpose... is that weird? They just have random goats and stuff walking around.
     In conclusion, I feel like something is up with this family. The kids are strange, the mother is never around, and they have animals wandering all over thier land. Also, Daisy has never met this part of her family before. Is there a reason for that? Are they hiding something from her?

     I can't wait to read more and find out what'll happen!!

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I think the purpose of the book Stardust by Neil Gaiman is to teach readers to accept people even if they seem different and to not be prejudice.

Tristran Thorn is the main character in this book. Tristran's mom is a catlike woman from the other side of "the wall" where people from the Village of Wall are not allowed. His father, is a norman human being, but Tristran looks a little different from normal. Tristran thinks he is in love with this girl Victoria. Victoria is said to be the most beautiful girl in all of Wall. Tristran was rejected by her because of his different looks. :(   Victoria then says she will give him whatever he wishes if he catches the star they had just witness fall. When Tristran returns with the star Victoria feels terrible. I think she really underestimated him because of his looks! I think this is really unfair and if I were Tristran, I would feel so terrible and disrespected.

Another example of judging people in this book, is when Tristran finds the fallen star. The star hates his from the start. She doesn't talk to him, and even runs away once, but he finds her. At first, I thought they were going to fall in love, because that's how those types of relationships usually end up in books. However, as they went through this journey, I didn't see any signs of it. But thennn at the very end, they realize that they do love each other.  This shows that the star shouldn't have judged Tristran. She obviously came to like him a lot.

From this amazing book, I've learned to not judge or be prejudice. I know this sounds extremely cliche, but don't judge a book by it's cover. The outside doesn't count nearly as much as what's inside.