Determine a symbol for each of your characters. What tangible item can represent something abstract about them? Explain your reason for your selection.

       My dad held the bike steady as my 6 year old sister climbed on. He kept hold of the seat of the bike as my sister tried to balance, steer, and pedal at the same time. She was struggling. This was just last weekend. I'm sure we can all kind of remember the first time we rode on a two- wheeler- the initial feeling of pure superiority followed by the feeling of pure fear. But soon, we would figure out that the key to riding a bike without training wheels was... JUST KEEP PEDALING. This was literally the only thing we had to do. Which brings me to this quote by Albert Einstein: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” I've come across a myriad number of inspiring quotes and most times I just think to myself, "Oh that's a neat way to view it." However, this quote really stuck with me; probably because it made so much sense. 

       There are 3 main characters in my book: Raphael, Rat, and Gardo. All of whom are dump site boys who make a living by digging through the trash. I think all three of them symbolize a bicycle. They have all endured so much difficulty and trouble throughout their life, but when they fall, they just brush themselves off and keep going. Raphael was taken by the police and tortured for information he had, but even in pain, he stood his ground and refused to give into the bullying. "My chair turned over and the side of my face was split. I fell badly, and my wrist was bend under me, and I saw him standing over me and I thought he was going to start kicking. (pg67)" They are the epitomes of perseverance. They've learned that when the going gets tough, they need to stand up and power through. 

       However, I think that these three individuals further represents a specific part of the bicycle. Gardo symbolizes the handles, because he is the older, tougher, and more mature of the group. He steers where they three of them will be headed too. He steps up as a leader and keeps the boys from heading in the wrong direction. ("Gardo's my partner... he looks after me." (pg7)) Rat can be compared to the wheels. He gives the group stability. Even though he is little, scrawny, and a bit roughed up, he provides the happiness and comfort that keeps the group going. He also supports the group financially with his 2000 pesos. Finally Raphael symbolizes the chains. He is the basic item that keeps the "bike" running. He found the wallet that led to their entire adventure and he just makes sure everything's is in place. 

       Overall, I think that the author did a great job depicting how hard life is for these boys, but also how strong and hardworking they are to make the best of the situation.

Check out this link for more information about Trash:

http://www.andymulliganbooks.com/trash/

Write a post about vocabulary you observe in the context of your book.

       Ok, so this book isn't one of those "read each paragraph ten times and still have no clue what it's saying" kind of books. It's a pretty simple read, the words aren't that complex, and the sentence formation is pretty rudimentary. Still, it is a very interesting book because every paragraph you read, questions and connections pop into your head. I feel like this book is written in a more simple manner because it's written in first person, and each chapter is like a character recounting his experience. So in a way, it's kind of like the characters are telling the story. And since the characters don't go to school, the words are pretty elementary.The tone of the novel is very conversational.
       The vocabulary of this book, furthermore, is quite like how you or I would talk in everyday life. Not too hard to understand, but based on who's point of view the chapter is from, the word choices can change the tone. When Father Julliard (the leader of a Mission school charity to help the Behala kids) talks, it is more educated and wise. When Olivia (an volunteer at the Mission school charity), she is more empathetic and uses words such as "love", "smiles", and "stupidly soft- hearted". From the way it's written, the reader can definitely tell that she adores the children she works with. Raphael (the main character) is illiterate and uses words that appeal to the readers emotions more: "I did not know what to do. I did not make a sound, and I did not move- I was too scared to breathe and I didn't know which man to look up at." Everyone has experienced this kind of fear before, so Raphael engages in words that fully capture human emotions.
       Also, I realized that by looking at not only the vocabulary choices, but also by looking at the way words are spelled and their placements can tell you a lot about the author. For example, as I was reading this book, I realized that the word "honor" was spelled "honour". So I deduced that the author had a British background. I googled him, and found that indeed, he spent much of his childhood in London. This really brought to my attention how there are books written by authors of so many different histories end up compiled in one library. Anyways, below is 1- minute book talk on why Mulligan wrote Trash. :)

Columnists: Krista Ramsey Post

1).I can't even start to imagine what it would feel like to be so 100% responsible for the life of another human being. In other words, I can't imagine what it would feel like to be a new mom. All the things that a baby requires, regardless of the time or of the weather is mind- numbing. Krista Ramsey wrote about how this fear is prevalent in the minds of all moms, but also about all the love and happiness that all mothers feel when they see their child smiling.

2). Column Title: "Dear new mom, welcome to a loving group"
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/03/20/krista-ramsey-cradle-cincinnati/6676533/

3). "Good mothers are made, not born. Age, background and income level matter very little. Willingness to hold, talk to, read to, listen to, protect and love their child means everything."This passage truly shows how it's a tough job to be a new mother. There are so many things to keep in check. It also reassures mothers that their baby doesn't care how old they are, what their history was like, or how much money they make. The baby just cares about whether their mom is there for them when they need it most. The last sentence makes a list of all the different characteristics of a 'good' mother by using very gentle and caring words such as "hold", "protect", and "love". Ramsey also doesn't use the Oxford comma in this list, which could just be the way she was taught, or could be used to make the list seem more continuous and fluid.
 4).Ramsey writes from a very down- to- earth, and honest way. She incorporates experiences and feelings that every human being is familiar with, thus making her writing very relatable. For example,"You will never again sit beside a woman holding a child on a Metro bus, in a church pew or at a doctor's office without having something to talk about."  She also uses a very conversational tone that is easy to understand. "What ever magnificent things Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson do on the field Sunday at the Super Bowl. some of us appreciate what the two quarterbacks have done off the field all year." The way she writes also speaks to humanity as a whole. She always uses the pronouns such as "we" or "us", which portrays her as just any other person, just like you or me. "We've also all had..."
5). 1- "What event(s) inspired you to become a columnist?"    
    2- "Is it difficult writing about topics that you don't have as much experience on?"   
    3-"What is the greatest part of your job as a columnist?"

Describe the setting of the novel...

       Just a heads up, the setting of this book is not very beauteous- seeing as the book is called Trash. However, I believe that the author did an amazing job in portraying such a generic and "unspecial" scene. So the main setting, at least at the beginning of the book is in a dumpsite called Behala. This is located in a Third World contry, which means that it is a country who's political, social, and economic view points does not conform with those of more developed countries. Thus, inevitably, the country is very poor. Behala is literally a place where garbage trucks stop by everyday to empty their trash. There is a community of about a hundred or so people who are, unfortuneatly, too poor to live in the more advanced part of the main city. Instead, they rummage through the trash piles in search for anything they could sell to earn a little money, which includes used plastic, cloth, and even food. They live in little shacks or shambles that are constructed out of the "good" trash that its citizens uncover.

       A quote the author Andy Mulligan wrote (about a 10- year old boy with no family) that really stuck out to me was, "[Rat] was sitting on some layers of cardboard, and around him there were piles of rubbish that he must have been sorting. The walls and ceilings were damp brick, and there were cracks everywhere. That was where the rats came in and out..." This quote is the epitome of run-down in my opinion. The poor living conditions that an innocent little boy has to live through is perfectly captured by the author. Rat is literally living in garbage. There are rats crawling in from every corner, and they don't have running water or electricity.
It really showed me how badly some people's lives are going and it once again emphasized how blessed I am to be living in such a healthy and safe society.

Why I Chose This Book:

         Ok bad news. Had to return Wuthering Heights because there was a hold on it at the library. But, good news, I found a new book that I thought would be interesting. It was last Wednesday night and I was wandering down the endless aisles at the Mason Public Library. I looked at the titles of books that I didn't even know how to pronounce. I looked at the titles of books that I did know how to pronounce, but had NO idea what it could be about. Finally, I made it to familiar territory. The juvenile fiction category. I looked through the books, smiling every time I saw a book a remembered reading. 'Oh, the ending of this book was so boring. I can't believe I read all 400 pages to get to it.' or 'Oooh I liked this one a whole lot when I was young. I think the main character had a name with like 20 letters in it.' Well, one new title caught my eye. I saw a book that seemed like a good read. It was called Trash. Ok, the title might not sound very appealing, but I've found that in a lot of cases, the books that have titles I'd never imagine reading, turn out to be the best ones I read.
         So I open up the front flap and read the short synopsis. It's about a few (literally dirt poor) teenagers living in an unnamed Third World country. They survive by digging through the piles of garbage on the outskirts of town. Then one day, a boy named Raphael finds something very unique and special. This little item will turn Raphael and his friend's lives' upside down. They are faced with decisions that could define their entire futures and faced with consequences that can make their world come tumbling down. Below is a quick book trailer on it:

         I was shocked by this plot. It wasn't like a lot of the other books on the shelves- the ones about a girl who's best friend left her for another friend or the ones about so and so's heart-breaking break up. I felt like this books isn't about someone who's life is perfect and has a few petty problems that could be resolved in a heartbeat. This books really seemed to bring into light unimaginable poverty and the fear, hunger, and oppression so many countries in our world today suffers. I think this is what really drew me to it. The fact that it's about a terrible situation and about kids my age who have it so tough in life. Anyways, enough with this kind of depressing talk and onto a happier one- I look forward to continue reading it!!