Project 3

My idea for my paper is exploring the characteristics of Asperger’s and the way they are used in modern texts today. I will be specifically looking at Jodi Picoult’s, House Rules. A teenage boy with Asperger’s is the main character in this novel and the plot revolves around his disability and the struggle not only he, but also the rest of his family faces as well. I think this novel was written very well with the use of Asperger’s as the main idea and I am interested to see how other texts use this same topic and if they display the true characteristics of Asperger’s. I chose to research and write about this topic because I find it very interesting and I love learning new things that I didn’t know about Autism and Asperger’s already. Since I am majoring in Special Education, this topic is very important and interesting to me. I luckily did not have a difficult time thinking of a research topic for this novel, since Asperger’s was they key concept and something I can find a lot of research on. The part of this project that I am worried about though, is tying in the sources of research I find into my paper. I tend to have difficulties when researching and finding the right information for my paper in order to stay on topic. So far, the sources I found are from the database, Project Muse. The sources consist of journals about other books that have used the topic of Autism in them as well. I hope by using these sources I can make a connection with the way Jodi Picoult used this topic and be able to write an excellent research paper. Overall, I am very worried about this project but hopefully I can succeed with this idea. 


Word count: 302

Jodi Picoult’s, House Rules, Takes You Into A Whole New World

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to view the world through the eyes of a individual with Asperger’s? Can you imagine how difficult it is for the mother of a child with Asperger’s to see their child suffer, constantly being misunderstood by society? All of these thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and questions are displayed, and can be lived through the book, House Rules, by Jodi Picoult.

Picoult writes yet another outstanding novel. Like all her other novels, the basis of this one is based on controversial issues and different challenges that are faced everyday by millions of individuals. House Rules not only takes on the challenges of being a child with Asperger’s, or being the family with the child, but also takes on forensic science, crime scenes, and the law. Forensic science is an obsession held by the main character Jacob, who is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. When his obsession of forensic science and creating crime scenes gets out of control, could it be true that he committed the murder or his tutor, Jess Ogilvey?

This story is not only relatable for the individuals that have a child with Asperger’s in their family, or someone who knows an individual like Jacob; but it also throws in a twist of crime and solving a mystery. Unlike some individuals who read this novel, I was not able to solve the crime before it was revealed. I was drawn into the story the entire time and could not put the book down because I wanted to know the ending. One thing I did not like about this novel is the way the ending leaves you with questions to still be answered. The crime is finally solved, but I was angry to find out I don’t know what happened to the individuals involved.

Being a special education major, I know a lot about individuals with disabilities, and have worked with children with Asperger’s and Autism first hand. While reading this novel I was able to relate to all the things I know and have seen. I know that everything described in the novel are all typical behaviors and characteristics displayed by individuals with Asperger’s. Picoult did an excellent job in her research for this novel and you can tell the research was very detailed and important to her before writing this novel.

Although this novel is something that a lot of women and mothers would be interested in reading and able to relate to, it is not limited to this one group of individuals. I am not a mother, nor close to being one, and I absolutely loved this novel. Many teen girls that I know also love Jodi Picoult’s books as well. The whole plot and setting was put together very well making this my new favorite book. Many other individuals that I have discussed this novel with all say that out of all the Jodi Picoult books they have read, House Rules is their favorite. I, one hundred percent, recommend this book to anyone looking for a new novel to read. I caution though, you are going to lose sleep, due to the action of holding the book in your hands and not wanting to put it down.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/reviews/House-Rules%2FJodi-Picoult/1100259946?sort=3

The name I used on this site is the same as mine on the blog: cllavan.

Spring Break

Spring break is FINALLY here! I am not going on a cool vacation anywhere for spring break, but I am just as excited to go home, as anyone else would be to go to Florida or wherever he or she may be going. I haven’t been home since winter break, which has been a reallyyy long stretch for me. I am a huge family person so I cannot wait to see my parents and brother and all my other extended family.

Over break I plan to spend all the time I can with my family and of course visit with my friends and boyfriend. My boyfriend and I already planned to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, which I am so excited for because I haven’t been there since I have been at ISU. My grandma on my mom’s side is having a dinner for St. Patrick’s day on Sunday, and the next Saturday I am going to dinner to celebrate my grandparents, on my dad’s side, 50^th anniversary. I am also going to be babysitting over the week, continuing with my nanny job of helping out with a little girl with cerebral palsy. I am also going to visit my old high school to visit some old teachers I had and to take out some friends to lunch that still attend there.

One thing that I wish was different about spring break, was that schools made all the spring breaks the same week. I will not be able to see a lot of my friends over spring break because their spring breaks are all different than mine. That is the only part that stinks about spring break, otherwise it is going to be very fun and I cannot wait until I am leaving at noon on Friday! Also, it is very nice to think that when we get back from spring break we only have 6 weeks of school, finals, and then done for the summer!

Word Count: 326

Movie Fan

This week’s blog is about either going to the normal theater or renting a movie from Movie Fan. I actually went to Movie Fan two weeks ago for the first time when my boyfriend cam to visit and we wanted to watch a movie. We both think Movie Fan is an awesome place. The owner is so welcoming and every time I asked him where a movie was, he knew the EXACT place it was kept even though there are thousands of movies there!  He made the experience really calm and easy going since he was able to help us find the movies we were looking for very quickly. I enjoy Movie Fan much more than I ever liked Blockbuster. The main thing I like about Movie Fan is how all the movies are split into their separate genres and there are so many good old movies to choose from! They also have the new releases of course, but I like renting the good old movies that are always good to watch again, like the family section with all the animated and little kid movies, my favorite! If anyone is ever looking for a place to rent movies I will definitely refer them to Movie Fan because it is a very different type of environment, but one that I really enjoyed. I also love how cheap it is to rent the movies! 1 buck for 2 movies?! What a deal that is! Blockbuster was always such a rip off and I hated having to rent movies from there because it always seemed like so much money to just rent a movie or two for one night. I also felt more welcomed walking into Movie Fan than I ever had while going to Blockbuster. Overall it is a neat place and this was an interesting task to complete for out blogs! 

Randomm

            So I know this post is a little late since it is supposed to be posted by 9 a.m. but I totally forgot until now, so I figured it would be better to post a blog late than to not post one at all, right? Well, I was trying to figure out what I want to write about this week since it is another free write which always stump me. This week I decided I’m going to write about my two new obsessions.

            My first new obsession is the blended café caramel drink for Einstein Bros Bagels. I have always HATED coffee. The smell, the taste, the after taste it leaves in your mouth; I just could not understand what made people like it, until now. Multiple people in my family are addicted to coffee and so is my boyfriend, so I am always surrounded by it. Well last time my boyfriend visited me I gave coffee one more shot and to my surprise, I liked it. So I tried the blended drink from Einstein’s and it is delicious! So that is now where I will be wasting my flex dollars… good thing we have those!

            My second new obsession is watching the TV show, Big Bang Theory. My aunt and uncle made me watch a disc of one of the seasons with them and ever since that day I have been hooked. I don’t know if any of you have watched this show, but you should because it is hilarious! One of the characters, Sheldon, is the strangest and intelligent human you will encounter which just makes the entire show. There are currently four seasons out to buy and thanks to my boyfriend who just bought me the last one I now have them all up to date! My time will now be spent laughing at this show instead of doing homework… :)

Word Count: 314

Pictures!

This is the book that I chose to talk about this week. I know the prompt was to talk about a book that had pictures and words, but this book is 128 pages and has only pictures. As you look at the cover of this book you can see a man holding a briefcase and looking at a foreign creature. This book shows a series of pictures through the story of a man’s life as he goes through the process of immigration. The pictures are very detailed and show the whole story through these pictures without the need for words at all.

            I have never encountered a book like this, which is very fascinating to me. As I “read” the book through the pictures, I found that it was amazing to be able to interpret the pictures and follow the man’s journey. The pictures used many different facial expressions to show the characters emotions, such as the man’s wife and child frowning and crying when they had to part. The artist used some abstract looking pictures to show the way the characters perceived the two different towns. The town the man used to live in was illustrated with “dragon-spikey looking” shadows across the town showing that the town was not a good place to be and the people living there did not like it. When you saw pictures of the new town the man went to, it looks super pretty and perfect. I really liked the way the author used the illustrations to tell the story. I think this was a really clever idea and I recommend everyone to check out this book and give it chance. I hope you will be amazed with this book just like I was! It is called “The Arrival” by Shaun Tan, give it a chance!

(Word count: 302)

Smiles

So this blog is supposed to be about anything we want, so I decided I’m going to talk about something that is very important to me and my future; special education. I love working with other individuals to help them and make a difference in their lives. When I see or hear other individuals making fun of and individual with a disability it breaks my heart. Every time I hear someone use the word “retarded” I cringe at the sound of it. While many people do not use the word directly related to an individual with a disability, it is still a word very offensive to them or someone they are related to. Actually, the phrase “mentally retarded” is not even correct anymore. There was a law passed against that word and the correct way to say it is, “individual with a disability.” Also, when talking about someone with a disability, you should always put his or her name first and then the disability. Such as, “Sam, a child with Autism” instead of saying, “Sam, the autistic child.” Everyone on this earth is here for a reason and we all deserve to be treated equally and with the same respect as anyone else.

Whenever I am working with an individual with a disability there is always a smile on my face. Not because I’m just trying to be happy and nice, but because the individual puts that smile there. Here at ISU, I am part of the program called Best Buddies. In this program you are paired with an individual with a disability from the Normal, Bloomington area. My best buddy is Ed. Every time I call Ed or see him; he is the happiest person, talking about the latest Bugs Bunny episode he has seen or the Chicago Bears football team, which is his favorite. When I volunteered in my aunt’s special ed classroom, it was the best experience I have had. Nikki, a little girl with Down’s Syndrome was my little pal for that week always talking up storm about Hannah Montana and that she was really Hannah and would even get up and show the dances and songs she knew. Leaving at the end of the week was so hard to say goodbye to the class, as all 8 of the children came up and gave me a hug, sad to depart.

So next time you hear someone use the “R” word or make fun of an individual with a disability, I hope you can tell them to stop like I do. Instead of making fun of, become that individual’s friend and feel the smile grow on your face. Not only will you change their life, but watch yours change too. 


(word count: 454)