Today, Lindsay, Heather, Sam,
and I met for a third time. We used Google Plus Hangouts to discuss pages 97 –
157. For our discussion today, we mainly focused on more life lessons taught by
Duke and how they apply to everyday life (no matter the person).
First,
we all agreed that everyone can make the same choices in life. Every individual
is free to speak however they want to speak and free to act the way they want
to act. Obviously there are different outcomes and some individuals may have
advantages/disadvantages, but overall, we have the ability to make the same
types of choices in life. This led us into talking about the consequences to
actions. No matter what choices one makes in life, there are always consequences to actions, both good and
bad.
In
Duke’s shop, we see all different types of people coming in and out. Some of
these people make an impression on Jimmy, especially Dr. Ernie Colfax. Dr.
Colfax could have been in the NBA, but instead, he chose to go to medical
school and become a doctor. This captures Jimmy’s interest, making him wonder
if that was a hard decision. Dr. Colfax explains how med school
was definitely hard, but totally worth it. Duke and Dr. Colfax also get into
talking about drugs. One thing we know is that drugs don’t discriminate. As
much as one may say they will never do drugs, there is no guarantee that they
won’t, and we see this every day. All you can do is make a plan for your life,
make smart decisions, and think about what the consequences of your actions may
be.
In
addition, we got into talking about “good” and “bad” people. Everyone is
innately born good, but how they are raised and the people they choose to
associate with can definitely have an effect on the way they turn out. It is
important to have someone whom you can look up to in your life, someone who
wants to help you become successful. Especially during adolescence, this type
of guidance and support is key. In this case, Duke is that role model for
Jimmy, whether he likes to admit it or not.
Throughout
my reading, I saw Jimmy becoming more open minded and receptive Duke’s life
lessons. One thing that made me happy was when Duke took Jimmy to the
basketball game. At first Jimmy wanted nothing to do with it, but with a little
push from his mother Jimmy went with Duke. To his surprise, he had a great day
and was thankful to have shared it with Duke. Even when Kevin called him that
night to ask how it was, Jimmy said he had a great time and actually became a
little defensive when Kevin was talking poorly about the day.
The more I read, the more I get
the idea that Kevin is very self centered and selfish. He only wants to
associate himself with people who have
excellent grades and involvement with clubs/organizations. From what I know, he
judges from outer appearance and doesn't give other individuals a chance. One
thing I don't like is that Kevin has been acting as if he were above Jimmy,
when in reality, they both have
gotten trouble with the law.
Questions while reading:
- Is Jimmy's dad going to somehow come back into the picture?
- Will the tension increase between Jimmy and Kevin? Or will they just drop it?
No comments:
Post a Comment