Ranking the characters
This is the second blog posting for the short story unit and is due before class starts on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
So far, we've read about several teenage protagonists - Michael in "The Moustache," Jerry in "Through the Tunnel," and Millicent in "Initiation." Each have their own challenges and ways of overcoming them. Who had the most difficult decision? Take those three characters and rank them in order of who made the most difficult decision. In your response, rank the three characters and then explain why you put them in the order you did. Make specific references to the conflicts the characters faced and how they overcame them.
Remember, your response should be written in standard English with conventional punctuation and grammar. Put your first name only at the bottom of your entry.
10 comments:
I think that Michael had the most difficult decision because his problem was that his grandmother thought that he was her husband. Michael didn’t know what to do because his grandmother was very sick and he didn’t want to disappoint her by telling her that it was him, Michael her grandson not Michael her husband. This was difficult for him because Michael’s grandfather had died and he knew that his grandmother missed him very much. He didn’t want to make her upset. The reason why Michael’s grandmother thought he was her husband was because Michael had grown a moustache. I think Jerry also had a hard decision and I think it was the second hardest decision because Jerry was too scared to go through the tunnel. He wanted to prove to himself and to his friends that he wasn’t a little boy. But Jerry was so scared to go through the underwater tunnel. It is very dangerous down there and Jerry could have died. That’s why he also had a big decision. Millicent didn’t really have big decision like Michael and Jerry did because she was debating whether or not to join the sorority club. She realized as she got to understand how the girls acted that she didn’t like it and didn’t want to be in the club anymore. She didn’t know what to do. But this decision wasn’t a big decision because if she dropped out of the group nothing would have happened. Things wouldn’t have changed much. If she stayed with them she would have been treated terrible by the other girls and she would be popular. But to me that’s not a big decision. I think people should be who they think they are. They shouldn’t try and act like someone their not.
Christine Smith
English 10
Mr.Miller
Period 1
I think Michael had the most difficult decision than Jerry and Millicent because the conflict he faced was worst than the other two characters. Michael had to debate whether to tell his grandmother it was him and not really his grandfather. This may not seem like a difficult decision but it really was for Michael because he truly did love his grandmother and by him not telling her it wasn’t her husband he didn’t want to take the chance by hurting his grandmother.
Jerry also had a difficult decision to make, but I think it was the second hardest decision because he just had to face his fear. Jerry thought he was mature and old enough to do things on his own so by facing his fear and going through the dark tunnel he accomplished his goal. This proved to Jerry that he wasn’t mature enough to be on his own yet.
Lastly, Millicent had the third hardest decision. Millicent didn’t have to face anything major. Even though she had a huge problem when she was in the sorority group she had to decide whether she wanted to leave the group or stay. Millicent decided to leave the group because of the way people were treated. They were told what to do, and what to say. This may seem like a difficult decision but it really wasn’t because if she did leave the group nothing would happen to her since it was her choice to leave. And if she would have stayed in the group things for Millicent could have gotten worst. Millicent did learn a lot from the sorority group; she learned that if your not happy with who you are than know one will be and they will not take u seriously. -victoria
Michael in “The Moustache” made the hardest decision because he didn’t want to let his grandmother down. He chose not to say anything because he didn’t want to disappoint her when he saw how desperately she wanted to be forgiven. Because he loved her like the rest of the family he didn’t want to crush her sprit and break her heart. After he realizes that she was talking to his grandfather, he was “…scared because of what could happen to her when she realized the mistake she had made…” (13). Also, he made this decision because his grandmother looked so happy when she first saw him that Michael questioned himself, “are old people in places like this so lonesome, so abandoned that they go wild” (12). Jerry made the second hardest decision because he didn’t know if his choice was going to lead him to death. He considers his decision repeatedly because he was frightened that he could die in the tunnel and trembled with horror and fear. His decision wasn’t as difficult as Michaels because his decision didn’t affect anyone except for himself and he chose it because he wanted to prove to himself that he could make it through the tunnel. His problem was within himself. Jerry overcomes his fears by swimming through the tunnel. Finally, Millicent made the least difficult decision out of the three main characters because she knew what she wanted to do. During the initiation she learns that she can relate to people and still be friends with everyone without being part a group or having a certain reputation. As a result she chose not to be part of the sorority and she was sure “…that it was what she wanted…” (139). Millicent was certain that she didn’t belong with the sparrows but with the heather birds.
ashley
In the story, “The Moustache”, I feel that Michael, the protagonist, had the hardest decision. This is because his grandmother, who is essentially dying, thinks that God has answered her prayers and has sent her this opportunity to apologize to her husband for blaming him for something he did not do. However, in reality, it is Michael, her grandson. Michael’s grandmother’s heart was so set on apologizing to her “husband” that Michael found it very difficult to say it wasn’t her husband… so he didn’t. This was difficult because for many people, it is difficult to lie to loved ones. It is especially hard to lie to loved ones who are struggling. I think that Jerry had the second hardest decision in the short story “Through the Tunnel”, because it not only affected his mental boundaries, but his physical ones as well. Jerry wanted to prove to himself that he could swim through the tunnel. It was to prove to himself that he was no longer a child and he did not need his mother for everything. “Sunlight was falling through it, showing the clean, dark rock of the tunnel, a single mussel shell...” (147) I think this statement shows how the sunlight represents Jerry’s new beginning. His future and what his future holds. I think it represents his overcoming of an internal conflict and that he did it by himself. Finally, I think Millicent had the least difficult decision in the story “Initiation” because Millicent was older, and realized more quickly what was wrong with her wanting to be in the high school sorority. Millicent’s lack of status in her school drove her to want to be like one of the girls everyone adored and wanted to be like. Millicent was able to make her decision quickly, without too much thought it seemed. “… Millicent visualized them (the sparrows), pale gray-brown birds in a flock, one like the other, all exactly alike. And then for some reason, Millicent thought of the heather birds. Swooping carefree over the moors, they would go singing and crying out across the great spaces of air, dipping and darting, strong and proud in their freedom…” (139) Millicent would be the boring, same old sparrow if she became a member of the sorority, but she would be a free, happy, heather bird, if she followed her heart and was happy.
-Emily
In my opinion, I think Millicent had the hardest decision to make. Though Michael made the decision to conceal the secret that he was his grandma’s grandson rather than her husband, he was older. Michael was the oldest of the 3 characters and therefore probably had had the most experience in maturity. Also, he made his decision solely based on love. Most people have compassion and mercy, especially for family. If I were in Michael’s position, I may do the same thing because I love my grandmother and want her to be happy, especially if she’s on her death bed. Though I think Michael made the right decision, I don’t think it was the hardest. Jerry also made a decision, but it was driven out of pure curiosity, which I believe most typical kids of his age display. He acted on his drive to know what the tunnel was like and overcame his questioning. Jerry also wanted to be like the older boys. I believe most kids have a yearning to be like older kids because they want to emulate the apparent “coolness” they seem to exude. However, Millicent overcame her yearning to be like the “cool” crowd by deciding to not join the highly selective sorority at her high school. In a way, Jerry was weaker than Millicent because he gave in to his longing to be like the cooler, older kids. Millicent stood up for what she thought was right for her, which was going against the cooler, older kids. This seemed like a harder decision to make because I know how tough standing up to peer pressure can be. Although some physical challenges can be very strenuous, like Jerry’s tunnel, I believe the peers play a bigger and harsher mind game than tunnels.
Jena
I believe that Michael made the toughest decision. I think that his decisoon was a much harder than that of Millicent or Jerry because it had much more intense emotional ties than Jerry's or Millicent's did. Michael very unselfishy pretended to be his grandfather so that his sick grandmother could have a moment of happiness and redemption. Michael forgave his grandmother so that she could feel better for the time being and be happy. This was a much harder decisicion because it had to do with dynamics of love and relationships as well as that of overcoming a simple obstacle, as Jerry did in Through the Tunnel. In my opinion, i think that Millicent's was the second hardest decision to make. Millicent had to choose whether or not she wanted to be in the sorority or not. In this story she had to overcome her self conciousness and prove a point to these girls, that they do not need a sorority to feel better about themselves. because she had to overcome a serious internal conflict I think that Millicent's was the second hardest. Lastly, I think that Jerry's decision was the least difficult decision because he more or less really only had to overcome a physical obstacle. Although, he did struggle internally with trying to prove a point to himself. He had to swim through the tunnel which really was not that difficult of a decision.
Jacob O'Connor
Period 1
I think Michael faced the greatest conflict from all the three protagonists we have read about. The decision he had to make, whether to tell his Nana that he was her grandson or not, was mentally very difficult. The emotional grandma made him feel uneasy at the hospital and he desperately wanted to get out of there, but he chose to stay so he won't hurt the old woman. It's not easy for someone as old as Michael to face a situation where he's compelled to take the position of another person who's supposed to be more mature and experienced. He became his grandma's husband for a moment but with great difficulty. Then, he realized that he wasn't ready to wear a mustache yet. Jerry, an eleven year old, had the second hardest conflict to go through. The very young boy in the beginning seems as if he has never accomplished or even set up a goal by himself. His curiosity led to him discover the tunnel, but swimming through it looked risky. He could've even lost his life if he didn't have the patience for practicing to hold breath or the courage to keep moving through the tunnel when his lungs were cracking and head swelling. "He felt he was dying. He struggled on in the darkness between lapses into unconsciousness." This type of struggle he overcame was unsuitable to his age. I think Millicent had the least trouble facing the conflict. She had to chose whether sorority group was right for her. She's a teenager. It was hard for her to realize that being herself was more important than being popular in High School, but the things Michael and Jerry encountered were much more troubling.
Anjita
I think that Michael from The Moustache had to mak ethe hardest desicion,mainly because I know it is very hard to be around your grandma or grandpa and who dont even remember who you are. My grandpa is like that and I don't like visiting him, mostly because it is hard being around someone who you used to know and having them be a completely different person. But it was even harder for michael because his grandma remembered him as her husband, and he had to make to desicion of lying to her to make her happy or telling her it was him. even more importantly he the desicion he made was the one that would have made his grandmother happier, even thugh it was harder for him. The second hardest I think was jerry's, but its also a very different type of conflict, it is still and internal conflict but it is both a physical an mental challenge for him, to swim through that tunnel. It must have been very hard for him especially because he thought he might die as he was doing it. I thought Millicent's decision was third hardest because although her decision was between her best friend and fitting in, in my oppinin the others were hardest. FInally, Marigolds, Im not sure how hard a conflict or challange was in that because I didn't understand what the difficulty was for her.
Brede
i think that micael had a hard michael had the hardest descion because his grandfather dies. So his grandmother that iss sick in hospital get confused, and got michael and her husband mixedup up. So michael has to descide wether he should act like his grandfather or not. second i think Jerry had a hard descion because he had descide if he should go threw the underwater tunnel.He could have died underwater, but he could hold his breathe for 3 minutes. Third of all i think millicent had a hard descion because she didnt know whether she should join the seroity club. Once she joined she knew what the girls were liked, but she didnt drop out
Rashawn Bryant
I think michael had the hardest decission because he had to see if he wanted to be oldr or not to show his grandmother that he is her grandson not husband. Because they had the same first name and that she had amnesia. Which makes matters worse. But at the end he did shave it off. Jerry also had a tough decision. He aloways follwed his mother everywhere like a mammas boy and now he decided to swim with boys that are not even his same age and they don’t even speak english too. They speak spanish. Which he doesn’t understand. They were all swimmi9ng when jerry made a risky decision to go under the tunnel. He did make the decision and make it but he risk himself by gashing his head opened but I think he understands to be more mature to not to show off. Millicant didn’t didn’t have that big of a problem. She felt bad for her parents fighting and stepped on her neighbors flowers and threw the rocks to during her childhood. Shes going back in time she is in adult time now. She now feels guilty about stepping onto the flowers and want to go apologize to the neighbor. Which is very mature thing to do. But she should have done it earlier. And in inittion she had to do all of these embarreing things to get into a club and at the end she decided not to join the club.
elyssa
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