Survival is Key

Survival: The hard, terrible road to staying alive, protecting yourself and the others around you to avoid death. Everyone has to do it. Or everyone has to try. Thomas, in The Maze Runner series, and Katniss in The Hunger Games Series probably know a thing or two more about survival than us. They have to endure people controlling their minds, people controlling their actions, and people controlling their hearts. Not to mention being in some unthinkable situations such as fighting a griever or killing a friend.

                In The Maze Runner series, Thomas’s brain is being controlled by WICKED. They have thrown him in the maze with a bunch of others, and they have to fend for themselves to stay alive. No grownups, no civilization, no nothing. One example of a terrifying moment for him is when he arrives in the glade. He comes in the big metal box, and when he gets out he sees hundreds of faces staring at him. He has no memory of his past and knows nothing of where he is now.  A million thoughts are running through his mind, but it is in his nature to put survival first. The first thing he does is pop out of the box and start asking questions. He makes sure he is in a safe place and with people he can trust. It is in Thomas’s blood to survive and he will do anything to do it.

                Another book that has a survival theme is The Hunger Games. Katniss must survive the games if she ever wants to see her sister or her friend Gale again…and since she has to endure psychos with knives and the Capitol’s little tricks, it’s not that easy. Katniss is a fighter but she has a lot to learn. One time her natural instincts kick in is when Rue gets killed by someone. Rue is like a sister to her, and Katniss is devastated when she dies. For the next few days, she is on the alert for the person who did it. She finally finds him, and kills him.  She didn’t want to though; it was not her goal to kill anybody. It was her goal to survive.

                In both of these books, some things happen for a reason. For example, in the beginning of the book, Katniss hunts a lot. Ever since her dad died, it was her responsibility to find the food. While she is hunting, you are wondering why it is relevant to the story. Later in the book, you learn that her hunting helped her with her archery skills. She killed Rue’s murderer this way, so you learn that it really is important for her survival abilities. In The Maze Runner Thomas can speak telepathically with a girl named Teresa. Much like in The Hunger Games, It does not appear to have a reason but you learn that it is really very important. Later it the book, Teresa uses their telepathy to give him a warning about Wicked. That information helped him survive because he could prepare for Wicked’s evil plans.

Survival: it might seem hard, but Thomas and Katniss did it. They survived when the unimaginable happened. They survived when friends did not. They survived when the whole world thought they couldn’t.  And they will continue to fight for their survival as long as they live.  

Don't Be a Heather

          Are you the person who tries really hard to fit in? Are you the person who leaves friends when someone better comes along? Are you the person who then goes crawling back to them when someone better comes along? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are a Heather, a character from the novel Speak, a no good, superficial meanie who cares about popularity more than anything else.

Heather bases her friendships on her own ulterior motives. At first she is worried about not fitting in and goes to Melinda for help. In the beginning she seems very nice and friendly (All smiles and rainbows if you know what I mean) always wanting to hang out with Melinda and trying to help her have fun and live life. But as the story progresses she gives up and starts talking to another group of girls named the Marthas. She starts talking to Melinda less and less unless she needs to ask for a favor. (The Marthas always put her up to an impossible task and she had no one else to turn to for help) Finally, Heather decides to stop all communication with Melinda. She states then she doesn’t want to be friends with someone like her that always wants to sit around and do nothing. Heather stops being Melinda’s friend just when she needs one the most. But sure enough, Heather can’t live up to the Martha’s expectations and they kick her out. With no one else to turn to, she crawls back to Melinda like nothing ever happened between them. Heather treated Melinda terribly, and hoped she would forget all about her wrongdoings when she wanted to be her friend again. Heather's ulterior motive is to make sure that she has at least one person at her side. 

If you are just like Heather, then you could also be classified as a Quinn. Quinn is from the TV musical series Glee and she is also all about fitting in. Even though she likes Glee Club the best, she usually chooses cheerleading over it to be popular. She is worried that she will get treated badly because she enjoys Glee Club. Quinn is, like Heather, a meanie. She pretends to hate her Glee Club friends in order to keep up with the social status of their school. Then, after the rest of the students are gone and it is just her and the others in the club, she is friends with them much like Heather with Melinda.

Whether you want to be called a Heather or a Quinn, it doesn’t really matter because they are the same. No good, superficial meanies that strive to be popular more than anything else. They manipulate people into thinking they are their friend, then turn around and push them away when somebody better comes along.
 Don’t be a Heather.