Harriet the Spy - Controversial Classic Childrens Book

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh has delighted kids and outraged some adults for more than 50 years. Spying is a serious business that requires concentration, patience, and an ability to think fast and write faster. Meet Harriet M. Welsch, 11-year-old girl spy and irreverent rebel. Fitzhugh’s classic novel Harriet the Spy, first published in 1964, introduced realism in the form of a flawed main character to an unsuspecting audience. Controversial and charismatic, Fitzhugh’s Harriet was a revolutionary personality bound to stir up dynamic discussion. The publisher recommends the book for ages 8-12. The Story Harriet M. Welsch is an 11-year-old sixth grader with a vivid imagination, a bossy attitude, and a freakish ability to hide in one spot for hours while observing her targets. The only child of a well-to-do New York couple, Harriet lives with her parents, a cook and a nurse named Ole Golly. She has two best friends, Sport and Janie, who are used to Harriet’s take-charge attitude and play along with her imaginary games. Although independent in her spy adventures, Harriet is a girl who depends on routine. Each day follows a schedule including coming home after to school for cake and milk before she takes off on her spy route. After school, she puts on her spy gear and canvases the neighborhood. Whether hanging out in a dark alley listening to the Dei Santi family, clinging to a window ledge to spy on Mr. Withers and his cats, or wedging herself tightly into a dumbwaiter to hear Mrs. Plumber’s theatrical phone calls, Harriet will wait for hours to hear something she can write down in her precious notebook. Life is neat and predictable for Harriet until the day she discovers that Ole Golly has a boyfriend! Dependent on Ole Golly for stability and routine, Harriet is distraught when the nurse announces that she’s getting married and leaving Harriet to start a new life in Canada. Harriet, shaken by this change in routine, focuses more on her spying and writes copious hateful notes about friends and neighbors. Meanwhile, she is fighting with her parents and finding it difficult to concentrate in school. Her troubles come to a head during a game of tag when she realizes her spy notebook has fallen into the hands of her classmates. The classmates’ revenge combined with Harriet’s personal world upheaval put into motion a roller coaster of disastrous events. Author Louise Fitzhugh Louise Fitzhugh, born October 5, 1928, in Memphis, Tennessee, did not have an ideal childhood. Her parents divorced when she was two and she was raised by her father who funded her attendance at Hutchins, an elite all-girl boarding school. Fitzhugh attended college to study painting and started her career as an illustrator. Harriet the Spy, which she also illustrated, debuted in 1964. Louise Fitzhugh died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm at the age of 46 in 1974. In addition to Harriet the Spy, Fitzhughs Nobodys Family is Going to Change, a realistic novel for middle-grade readers 10 and up, remains in print. (Source: Children’s Literature Network and Macmillan) Controversy Harriet M. Welsch is not only a girl spy; she’s a girl spy with spice and that type of character didn’t find favor with some parents and teachers. Besides being brash, self-centered and prone to throwing full-blown tantrums, Harriet was not the polite demure spy like Nancy Drew with whom most readers were familiar. Harriet cursed, talked back to her parents, and didn’t care that her words were hurtful. According to the NPR feature â€Å"Unapologetically Harriet, the Misfit Spy, the book was banned and challenged by many parents and teachers who felt Harriet was a poor role model for children because she exhibited delinquent tendencies. Harriet, the early critics argued, didn’t spy, but rather gossiped, slandered, and hurt other people without feeling sorry about her actions. Despite the early controversy, Harriet the Spy was listed as #17 on the list of Top 100 Children’s Novels in a 2012 poll of School Library Journal readers and is considered a landmark novel in realistic children’s literature. Our Recommendation Harriet isn’t exactly a paragon of virtue. Spying on her neighbors and friends, writing down mean and hurtful comments, she doesn’t seem truly sorry for her words or actions. Today these characteristics in a fictional children’s book character are not atypical, but in 1964 Harriet was unrivaled as a snarky character who was unafraid to speak her mind or talk back to her parents. Children’s book expert Anita Silvey, who included Harriet the Spy in her book 100 Best Books for Children, describes Harriet as a solid character who stays the same. She doesn’t metamorphose into a nice little girl who is deeply repentant for the harm she’s inflicted. Instead, she’s learned to be a bit more tactful in expressing herself. Harriet is a rebel, and it’s easy to believe that she’s a real person because she stays true to herself. Harriet the Spy is an engaging book for reluctant readers as well as for readers who enjoy stories with unique characters who think and speak outside the box. We recommend this book for readers ages 10-up. (Yearling Books, an imprint of Random House, 2001. Paperback ISBN: 9780440416791) The 50th Anniversary Edition In honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1964 publication of Harriet the Spy, a special hardcover edition was published in 2014, with a number of special additions. These include tributes by a number of well-known childrens authors, including Judy Blume, Lois Lowry, and Rebecca Stead and a map of Harriet’s New York City neighborhood and spy route.  The special edition also includes some of the original author and editor correspondence. Edited by Elizabeth Kennedy, Childrens Books Expert

Ryan White was the most prominent HIV/AIDS activist. He...

Ryan White was the most prominent HIV/AIDS activist. He had become the national poster boy for HIV/AIDs in the United States. Ryan educated the public with knowledge about his disease. Because of Ryan’s experience being broadcasted across the nation, the discrimination of those who had HIV or AIDS was exposed and he spoke out for the rights of those who were living with AIDS. The programs started in his name today are the largest provider of services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. What is HIV/AIDS? HIV stands for â€Å"human immunodeficiency syndrome,† while AIDS stands for â€Å"acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.† AIDS is the final stage of HIV, which causes severe damage to the immune system. In our world today, over 35.3†¦show more content†¦In an interview with People Magazine nine years after his death, Ryan’s mother Jeanne described the types of hardships Ryan had to deal with once news of his disease spread. First, he was banned from Western Middle School. After a nine-month long court battle, Ryan was allowed to return to school, but the decision wasn’t favored by much. Students would spray paint obscenities inside his locker and scatter the hallways whenever he was approaching. Outside of school, the family would receive tons of hate letters, have garbage dumped on their lawn, and would be shunned by restaurant patrons whenever they would eat out. They were even treated poorly at the church they attended, St. Luk e’s United Methodist, where the pastor would have the family sit in the first or last pew so the congregation knew where they were at all times of the service. â€Å"He inspired the nation with his fight to live a normal life and his precociously eloquent advocacy of AIDS awareness, which left a legacy of saved and lengthened lives†¦ When he died at 18 in 1990 of complications from AIDS, Ryan was Americas kid, the innocent face of a plague that many people until then, had dismissed as being the result of irresponsible or sinful behavior† (Jerome). After being banned from his school, Ryan would fight for the right to return. All he wanted was to continue his life as a normal boy, but he wasn’t given that. Eyes were opened nationwide when

Communication and Correct Answer free essay sample

Response Feedback: Communication skills are critical to job placement, performance, and career advancement because the need for well-written messages has increased, oral and written communication skills are the top skills demanded by employers, and digital communication has replaced business letters and memos. . Question 5 . 0 out of 1 points Working with people from other cultures will require tolerance. One of the best ways to become more tolerant is by Answer Selected Answer: a. knowing your communication style. Correct Answer: b. practicing empathy. Response Feedback: Tolerance requires you to have sympathy for and appreciation of the customs of other cultures. You develop this tolerance through practicing empathy, which helps you to see the world through anothers eyes. If you are more individualistic or ethnocentric, you will probably have less tolerance. . Question 6 . 0 out of 1 points Which of the following is a common trait of a business communicator from a low-context culture? Answer Selected Answer: c. We will write a custom essay sample on Communication and Correct Answer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Assuming listeners require little background information Correct Answer: a. Keeping business and social relationships separate Response Feedback: Communicators from low-context cultures keep business and social relationships separate, assume listeners know little and present information directly, value independence, rely on facts, and value getting down to business and achieving results. . Question 7 . 1 out of 1 points Which of the following statements about todays business environments is most accurate? Answer Selected Answer: b. Many employees today no longer need an office; they can work anytime and anywhere. Correct Answer: b. Many employees today no longer need an office; they can work anytime and anywhere.

The Travels Of Marco Polo By Marco Polo (approx. 1254 - 1324) Essays

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo (approx. 1254 - 1324) The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo (approx. 1254 - 1324) (as told to Rusticiano da Pisa and edited by Francis R, Gemma; originally titled A DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD) Type of Work: Autobiographical adventure Settings Venice, Italy and overland to Eastern China (Cathay) Principal Characters Marco Polo, a young nobleman, traveling merchant and adventurer Niccolo Polo, Marco's father, also a merchant Maffeo Polo, Niccolo's brother and business partner Kublai Khan, Emperor of China, descendent of Ghenghis Khan Historical Overview Prologue: (The book contains the story of Marco Polo's life and his travels from his home in Venice, Italy across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to the court of Khan, located in the area now known as Beijing, China. Marco was much liked by the Emperor, who made him his ambassador. The explorer describes his many adventures during his 26-year absence from home. An introduction outlines the biographical events (each that he himself personally witnessed or "heard tell by persons worthy of faith"), and sets us on our way with Marco en route to China.) Two wealthy Venetian gentleman-merchants, Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, sailed eastward from Venice about 1254, leaving Niccolo's infant son, Marco, in the care of his aunt. The travelers journeyed as far as the court of the great emperor Kublai Khan, where they became highly favored. After learning a little about the exotic Catholic religion of his guests, the Khan dispatched envoys to return with them to Italy to meet with the Pope. His desire was that the Pope should lend the services of as many as a hundred scholars to come to his court and prove that the Law of Christ was "most agreeable." If they succeeded, he vowed that he and all his subjects would become Christians. The Polos sailed into Acre, Italy in April of 1269, to the news that Pope Clement had died. Then the brothers journeyed on to Venice to await the anointing of a new pope. But after several years they tired of waiting and began to make their way again to Kubtai's court, this time accompanied by young Marco. Again in Acre, after some backtracking, the three finally met up with the newly-named Pope Gregory of Piacenza. He reluctantly agreed to cooperate with the Khan's commission, but sent only two ambassadors to accompany them. However, these priests soon became discouraged. Unwilling either to endure the privations the journey would require or to sacrifice their lives in the service of pagans, both eventually turned back. Book-by-Book Summary Book I contains Marco's descriptions of his three-and-a-half year journey to Kublai's court. It is a fascinating narrative, with vivid renditions not only of geography, natural phenomena and traveling distances and conditions, but of histories, food preparation and production, trade, religious practices, and customs and oral traditions among the many tribes and civilizations they encountered. Book II tells of life in the court of Kublai Khan. The person of the Khan is admiringly detailed: "He is of a good stature, neither tall nor short, but of a middle height. He has a becoming amount of flesh, and is very shapely in all his limbs. His complexion is white and red, the eyes black and fine, the nose well formed and well set on." The Khan's palaces, his vast court, his government and armies are depicted. An account is given of a battle led by great Khan himself. The narrative reports that "when all were in battle array [one could hear] a sound arise of many instruments of various music, and of the voices of the whole of the two hosts loudly singing. For this is the custom of the Tartars.. ." Portrayals of court affairs such as the marking of the calendar, and the celebration of thousands of festivals and hunting trips, are eloquently recorded. Record-keeping was very important to the Chinese. Each household kept near the front door a list of the names of all the home's inhabitants, and the keepers of hostelries were required to record the names of all travelers and the dates of their visits. Certain chapters relate some of the wondrous inventions Marco saw while serving the Khan. He writes of such marvels as paper money, a system of express messengers, fine highway systems (remnants of which are still in place), and a "black stone" (coal) used for fuel. For all of these wonders Marco gives full credit to the "Great Khan," whom he never tires of praising for his wisdom, power, wealth and skill. Now fluent in four different languages, Marco became a valuable ambassador for the Emperor. Book 11 ends with brief descriptions of his separate missions. Book III recounts in

Money Grocery Store and Students Essay

Money Grocery Store and Students Essay Money: Grocery Store and Students Essay When you are in college it is easy to act like your life is not exactly full of tough decisions. You live with all of your friends, there is always an opportunity to go out, and other than doing well academically, no real responsibility is put on you. Although this lifestyle seems pretty relaxed and carefree, for some reasons college students have high stress levels and always seem to want to take the easy way out, especially with low-involvement decisions. One of these low-involvement decisions is food purchases, although it seems like such a small choice that doesn’t have a large impact on our day to day spending, it turns out that this is something that causes the majority of students to constantly hit the ATM or swipe their credit cards. College students live a lifestyle where they live in the moment but I think that as a choice architect it is important to help students realize the importance of taking the time to make the smart decision and buy groceries instead of take the easy way out and just go out to eat. Shopping at the grocery store will allow students to save large amounts of money every week and also eat healthier. It is easy to explain why students dine out more than they buy groceries. The obvious reason is the general convenience of it all, not just in terms of time but also in terms of thinking. Students are given a menu with all ready-made recipes that are also tried and liked by other students. This is much more convenient that the thought of creating your own meal with the possibility that it may not even come out the way you want it to. Another perceived pro of dining out is the idea of not having to clean up and thinking too hard. With busy schedules often making them hungry and the constant temptation of so many restaurants, students often make compulsive decisions to eat out because they are in a hot state of mind. My last reason that students dine out instead of buy groceries is because it is a large aspect of their social lives. Cafes, eateries, and restaurants are places where students can study together, celebrate something, go on dates, or just hang out with friends. I think it is very reasonable to say that social pressures and groups largely affect dining out. In the Journal of Consumer Affairs, there is a study called â€Å"Money Attitudes, Credit Card Use, and Compulsive Buying among American College Students† that focuses on spending habits among college students. Overall there is a large trend of compulsivity, and lack of thinking and realizing the later costs. Students become doers instead of planners. By encouraging students to purchase groceries instead of going out to eat for instant gratification will help them be more financially stable in the long run. In order to become a choice architect and help students save money by regularly shopping at grocery stores, we must attack the reasons that cause them to go out to eat. Our mission should be to make grocery shopping a fun easy experience that rewards students for making such a smart decision by saving their money. The first issue is convenience; we must help students realize the cost now but strong benefit later by shopping at a grocery store. The best way for students to realize this is to try to make the cost as obsolete as possible. The first way to eliminate personal cost is by creating the most possible convenience. There should be at least two accessible grocery stores on campus, making it easy for students to get there. The

Physical Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Physical Education - Essay Example However, this teaching and learning approach minimizes teachers overall participation in the students learning process. Marching students and teachers experience together ensures a successful learning outcome (Vickerman 2006). Therefore, the minimization of teacher’s participation is a negative impact that this teaching and learning approach can bring to the implementation of national curriculum for PE. It is believed that it can hinder skills development in physical activities and thus hinder achievement of successful learning outcomes. That is why it is always advisable to use this teaching and learning approach in combination with other approaches. The other most widely used learning style is the command style. In this learning style, the teacher makes all the decisions in the learning process (Mohnsen 2008). Command style can combine well with all our three learning styles, which are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. When combined with these learning styles it assists in the delivering of the PE curriculum in several ways. According to Stidder (2010), this type of teaching style could promote safety during the implementation of the curriculum. This is because the teacher is always under control of all the activities undertaken during a learning process. This actually makes this teaching and learning approach to be very popular in PE education due to the risky activities involved. When this approach is adapted in implementing a PE Curriculum, both positive and negative impacts are experienced. This kind of approach allows delivering of information to a large group of people in a short period (Galligan 2000). The national curriculum for PE is large in terms of content and thus in most cases... The other most widely used learning style is the command style. In this learning style, the teacher makes all the decisions in the learning process. Command style can combine well with all our three learning styles, which are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. When combined with these learning styles it assists in the delivering of the PE curriculum in several ways. According to Stidder (2010), this type of teaching style could promote safety during the implementation of the curriculum. This is because the teacher is always under control of all the activities undertaken during a learning process. This actually makes this teaching and learning approach to be very popular in PE education due to the risky activities involved.When this approach is adopted in implementing a PE Curriculum, both positive and negative impacts are experienced. This kind of approach allows delivering of information to a large group of people in a short period. The national curriculum for PE is large in terms o f content and thus in most cases, the time allocated is not sufficient. Furthermore, there is always a need to administer it to a large group of students within the little time allocated. This makes this approach very fundamental when it comes to implementation of the curriculum for physical education. However, it also has some negative impacts, especially when used alone to implement a curriculum. The major negative impact of this approach is that it does not give students freedom of choice to reason out a solution to a particular problem.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Summary - Essay Example Gruwell soon finds out that the students she was stranded with were far different from her expectations. Her class is categorized into four groups – whites, Latinos, Cambodians and blacks. She resorts to unconventional teaching approaches despite the disagreement with her departmental head Margaret Campbell (enacted by Imelda Stauton) and her colleagues. In the course of her determination and campaign she ends up working more in the school and spending less time with her husband which later becomes a source of constant complain from his side, finally leading to their separation. She pulls up money from other part time jobs to buy books for them instead of abiding by the conventions. She begins her campaign by teaching lessons from the Holocaust, which even involves a trip to the Museum of Tolerance. The idea was to generate feelings of harmony irrespective of races. She arranges meetings with the survivors of the Holocaust and reads through The Diary of Anne Frank. Later she i nvites to the class the lady named Miep Gies (enacted by Pat Carroll) who once gave shelter to Anne Frank. Meanwhile parallel to these lessons the boyfriend of a Cambodian student names Sindy gets killed accidentally by Eva’s boyfriend. ... This brings about the climax of the movie (after the first 90 minutes run) where Eva takes a decision, which would bring a twist to the lives of her family and friends. Eva therefore considers saying the truth and gives the right testimony to the rage of several onlookers. The members of her gang initially decide to kill her but owing tot heir respect for their father they back off. A racial discrimination was broken as Eva takes back her decision of defending the criminal boyfriend form her race and instead does what she feels is morally right. This is an evidence of the transformation, which Gruwell was able to embed amongst his students. During her classes Erin always encourages the young students to make entries in their notebooks on a regular basis. The best part of the lessons delivered by Gruwell includes her asking the students to write their notes taken down in their diaries in the form of a book. She alter combines all these documents into a single book known as The Freedom Writers Diary. Later she was asked to stop teaching her students but Gruwell goes on to assure the superintendent of her ways of teaching. Certain distractions like Gruwell’s pearl necklace initially cause interest but later the film takes us to more sublime themes. The movie succeeds in delivering the note of hope along with emotional and intellectual fulfillment. It also exploits the potential of the young performers adequately, especially that of Hernandez. The movie also manages to retain the touch of originality by quoting verses from students’ diaries in order to give rise to the complementary themes or stories. The movie in general has a lot to offer to the audience who look out for something to identify themselves with rather than complete fiction.