Wednesday, 3 June 2015

ISU Blog Post #6

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-four-athletes-attempt-suicide-at-sports-institute-in-kerala-one-dies-probe-ordered-2083934

Why I Chose This Piece

I chose this piece because it was different from the rest of the pieces as it wasn't just an article but actually showed real life suicide thinking victims responding to suicidal thoughts. I chose this piece because it was different from the rest of the pieces as it wasn't just an article but actually showed real life suicide thinking victims responding to suicidal thoughts. It also helped us with an insight because we now know that this not only takes place in Canada but in foreign countries as well.

How It Connects To The Social Issue/Novel?
It connects to my social issue because it is also about suicide among teenagers and represents the struggles of pressured teens. It relates to my novel because Stefan also committed suicide because of school and just like these girls was a very promising athlete. This really represents something because we already know about suicide in our own country, Canada but it is so surprising when you hear about it from a different country because it just seems so odd. For example in  the book Stefan shot himself in the head which is odd because gun access is limited in Canada. But whats even more bizarre is that the girl in India died by eating a poisonous fruit and that has never happened in Canada in the past 10 years because access to poisonous fruits and berries is almost none. But what was shocking was that the girls in the article, 4 of them decided to commit suicide together and unlike Canada where suicides are usually committed alone this was a group thing but fortunately only 1 of the girls passed away saving 3 of them. Unfortunately in the book a gun is much more effective than a poisonous fruit and Stefan was killed instantly leaving his brains all over the family's garage which in the end they had to tear down.   

Monday, 1 June 2015

ISU Blog Post #5

Why I chose this piece?
I chose this piece because it relates to my book incredibly well as the oldest member of the family Stefan was also a star athlete just as Adebayor is and was also under a lot of pressure from home and school maybe not because of money like Adebayor but for different issues such as home, school, sports, and expectations that caused him to think about suicide as well. But unlike Adebayor he never talked to anyone about his potential problems.

How it relates to my social issue?

It relates to my social issue of death and family relations because both Adebayor and Stefan were under intense pressure from their families, Adebayor for his family’s financial state and Stefan because of his family, social and sports related pressures. If Stefan had talked about his problems with someone just as Adebayor would have done he would have still been alive right now and recounting this just as Adebayor is doing. Stefan would have just like Adebayor made it into to the big leagues for hockey as Adebayor is in the big leagues for soccer. Also unlike Adebayor Stefan didn’t leave any notes to his brothers or parents or even his friends which may have helped them know the reason for him to commit suicide. "I know people would relate to my story and others would learn from it.” Says Adebayor which is totally agreeable and would have been the same with Stefan if he hadn't resorted to suicide as the way out. Stefan's suicide led to even more family problems which was the main cause for the start of these problems. The mother and father going into states of depression at times and the younger son Jace is forced to take care of the younger brother with CDD and things just go down from there,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4-DW65nn6g

A short documentary on the suicides in sports and if you have time is great to watch. It really connects as it describes all the causes and is just really insightful and just is minblowing. You have to watch it to understand.

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Blog Post #4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejpWWP1HNGQ
A short video on an important issue in my book - Mental Illness

Why I chose this piece?
I chose this piece because words can't really describe the issue presented and really let you get the feel for what is going on. I tried to understand the issue of autism or CDD, which are both closely related, through words but it just didn't work. I chose this piece because it actually showed us examples of this illness and the main narrator is also diagnosed with a very mild type of autism. The video really helped to show how big this problem really is, it gave an example of showing the families of the children speaking to us about how they deal with having the child in their life. How difficult this condition makes it for them to live on a daily basis and just gives us a deep inside view and really understand a lot about my novel.
 
How it connects to the social issue/novel?
This connects to the social issue in my novel because in my book mental illness is a very big problem. It helps explain as the youngest child in the family, Lucas has CDD, child disintegrative disorder which is very similar to autism. It is the type of autism that Rosie's brother Lenny has. The type that doesn't allow him to be independent but rather the type that makes him stay quite, not talk much and be very specific about certain things or he jus cant focus. This is exactly what Lucas has as Lucas doesn't talk much, he is very specific about certain things and sometimes just run off. But most of all is lost in space most of the time. Also it really connected to the part where the families talk about how difficult it is to deal with the kids it really connects. Like in the book we are able to tell that the family has to go out of their way to take care of Lucas and it begins to annoy everyone and it is especially hard because a sibling had recently passed away as well. So it connects because you can tell that both these families find it extremely difficult to take care of them as their mental illness really comes in the way of that limiting it. On top of that they are on vacation in one of Mexico's top five star resorts but all Lucas wants to do is go swimming. But even through all this they still love him and respect him and take him swimming to keep him happy. Similar to in the video how they deal with his disorder and keep Lenny happy. Also in the video we see that there are many types of autism's and CDD's but we can tell that Lucas is lucky and has one of the milder ones. In the video how it explains that people with autism live in a world of their own and block out other people just like Lucas does most of the time when he goes out to play and how when autistic people want something they will stop at nothing to get it. Similarly Lucas runs off at random times and just goes into the water not really listening and there are many clues that connect from the video to the book. I just wish we got a better perspective on Lucas as it would've helped us learn so much more about this.  

Friday, 10 April 2015

ISU Blog #3

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/170629-lnlb/

Why I chose this article?
I chose this article because it poses many similarities to my article. In my book there is much depression presented in many ways as well. In the article it describes how depression can be internal and doesn't have to show every single time and can sometimes just happen and no one around will know. It also describes what depressions can lead to and the many outcomes after. It also tells us how men and women deal with depression and you can see some of the signs and signals throughout my book and it enables us to know that the character is depressed or not. The article allows us to learn more deeply about the characters and really understand what is going on within them. How they try to deal with it and much more. It gives the reader a much deeper understanding of what is happening and how the social issue of depression and death can be found throughout. Before reading this article I didn't even understand this social issue even though I knew it was taking place but after reading it I understood all the little articles.
 
How it relates to the social issue?
It relates to one of the social issues in my book, death and depression very well. It connects because various characters in my book are depressed. For example Jace, the main character is dealing with depression in many ways but appears to be happy and enjoying his expensive vacation. Yet on the inside is dying because his brother has just died, he is ignored and unhappy in his family, he's still a virgin and he is sick and tired of caring for his younger brother who has CDD. The article helps us by telling us how he is ignoring his depression but can not shake it off as you have to deal with it to get over it. He was feeling the shame in depression just as the article mentions so he was trying to shake it off by trying to have fun, having sex, it wasn't working. Also Jace's older brother, Stephen was a perfect example of hidden depression. No one even knew why how or when he was depressed but they knew he was after they found his body. Just like the article says, depression is not funny, and people should deal with it as ignoring it just begins to become unbearable. Jace's mother and father are also depressed as they are dealing with the death of their son. They're are many little things mentioned throughout the article such as the signs of depression and as you begin to connect it to the book and you really begin to understand the little details that the author put in and it just makes so much more sense then.



This is a really powerful picture as the book runs very smoothly throughout and everyone seems happy but a dark mood is set and for many characters this is a key quote.

Saturday, 28 March 2015

Slam Poetry (Blog Post #2)

This poem is about "The Space in Between" which is one of the social issues in my book.
It refers too how there is always space between some children and how they are always left out.

No matter how much your parents tell you
No matter what they mean
It doesn't even matter if they yell or scream
Your always feeling left out, by the space in between

Your mind is always full
But your heart is always dull
Thinking that you are loved
But never are they true 
Because there are always bigger problems, than you

Your brothers a superstar
Always top of the class
While your struggling just to pass
Teachers have high expectations
"Oh your his brother"
But by mid-term
They realize your just another

CDD
The three letters that you always hate to hear
But as you realize
You'll have to play it by the ear
Now you begin to fear 
That the space in between is really near

Now your feeling empty
With no one left to be 
Younger brother with CDD
Older brother disease free
One on the top 
Another at rock bottom
The people that once gave birth to you
Now have no time for you

When your life is just ordinary
Nothing special happens to you
No one pays attention to what you have to say
Because your just the child in between
Nothing special, nothing mean, just the child in between

So here's a little poem, to show you how I feel
Roses are red
Violets are blue
The space in between, is not meant for you