Wonder: An illusion of Life

By -
Tasnia Chowhdury
Ms. Asuncion
English 9H Block 3
7 January 2016
Wonder: An illusion of Life
            “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio tells the story of a ten-year-old boy called August Pullman. He isn’t born with a normal face like everyone else. He has the type of face that scares kids and makes people stare at him. He was born with a craniofacial disability. He has been homeschooled due to health issues and countless surgeries. Now he is going to Beecher prep for fifth grade. August only agreed to go to Beecher Prep because his parents think that it is time for him to interact with other kids. August has a sister named Via, who is very caring towards him and she supports Auggie as he struggles with the changes in his life. August has to check out his new school before attending it, so he meets some students named Jack, Summer and Julian, who tour him around the school. He becomes friends with Jack and Summer but Julian turns out to be mean. This story is told from Auggie’s perspective as well as his sister Via’s.
            His first day at Beecher Prep went well, however some students did not want to be near him. So, Jack sits next to August in all his classes and Summer sits with him in lunch. Jack is technically Auggie’s “assigned friend” and when Auggie finds out about it, they start drifting apart. Then they patch up during Christmas. Via is also learning about herself. She often feels jealous of the attention that August gets because of his deformity, but she also feels guilty for thinking that way. Her old friends leave her and she figures out who she really is. Miranda is her former friend. Via gets shocked by Miranda’s new look, then both former friends start to drift apart. Via then reconnects with Miranda. Jack and August confront some older boys from a different school at a sleep-away camp. A group of boys who were against Jack and August help defend them from the bullies. After the incident, his classmates begin to get along with him, which creates a new bond among them as they also realize how smart and funny he is.
            In the end, August has a successful year at school. He gets an award for being diligent, which he doesn’t understand: “To me, though, I’m just me. An ordinary kid. But hey, if they want to give me a medal for being me, that’s okay. I’ll take it. I didn’t destroy a Death Star or anything like that, but I did just get through the fifth grade. And that’s not easy, even if you’re not me.” (Palacio p.306) They all celebrate their graduation together. On the way to a party, August thanks his parents for making him go to Beecher Prep and his mom thanks him for being such a “wonder.” 
            August had a lot of ups and downs in his life; therefore his character was much similar to me. For example, August was torn between tough decisions. I also experienced that a lot of times, especially when I was in a depressing situation. I had to make tough decisions very wisely. Auggie did not want to go to Beecher prep, but he went because he wanted to make his parents proud. I can also see how Via and I have few similarities. She learned more about herself throughout the book and she understood how it felt to be in a situation like her brother. We all have a loving, supportive and protective family. They always guide me through tough times and support me. In the past few years, I have learned to be myself and not follow in people’s footsteps. August made me realize this. He never changed in the book and never cared about what others thought of him, even though people were very rude to him.
            This book also made me realize that you do not have to be perfect in order to impress people. There are other things in life that you could be worrying about. You should not stress over small problems, others have it even worse. No one realized how smart and funny Auggie was, until they came to know him better. If I put myself in Auggie’s situation, I would have never gone back to school. He was so brave to go through all this and pretend not to notice that people were staring at him and making fun of him.

            I hope that someday people would appreciate others and value them. They are humans; they are all our own kid. I also hope that people stop worrying about small things. The more you think about it, the more you feel anxious and worried. This book is amazing and it made me feel ashamed of how cruel people can be. Palacio created a believable world complete with the cruelty children can impose on one another and the complicity of childish adults. He also illustrated how kindness and empathy can trump cruelty. I never saw anyone bullying someone else but whenever I watch videos, movies or read books about it, it makes me feel so sad about what people go through every day. Don’t ever judge a person by their appearance. You haven’t stepped in their shoes and experienced their life. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reader Response Exp.

By -
Poojitha   Tanjore   Ms. Asuncion    English 9H   February 3 2016   "Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock"  Reader Response   Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock,   By Matthew Quick, is  quite possibly  one of the most important and influential books of this generation. Leonard, a neurotic and impulsive high schooler, brings the reader along on a day in which he plans to kill an enemy in his school, and later himself. Calling this adventure a murder-suicide, Leonard shows us the heartfelt, raw  point of view  of a boy in severe need of help. Matthew Quick creates a compelling main character who speaks  to  many peoples deepest fears and scariest thoughts. Not only does Matthew Quick write in manner that  reaches all five senses , he writes in a way that creates an immediate need to  evaluate priorities,  he  urges the reader to  be kind ,  and he  truly allow s  the r...
Read more

The House

By -
Masan Brown   Ms. Asuncion   English 9H, Block 3   1 October 2015   The House   The box, the door, it  begged me to enter.    What lies beyond the door is my bad past,   I open the door, see and remember .   Waking in slow, I feel like an outcast.   The stairs I sat on,  waiting  for presents,   The kitchen where holiday meals were made.   I'm frozen thinking about those events ,   Thi s is where it happened, I wish I stayed.   I was scared seeing my house would hurt me,   This is where my family had fell apart.    Standing where my mom was finally free ;   As I'm in this house I feel my heartbeat.    Seeing this house is  impossibly hard,   The last thing I ever see is the yard!  
Read more

Original Poem

By -
Kathryn Stone Ms. Asuncion English 9H Block 2 5 October, 2015 Times of the Year We start with fall. Leaves crumbling from the branches. Orange, red, yellow and brown. Floating in the wind. Kids knocking from door to door. Dressed in costumes, collecting candy. Pumpkins scattered all over the neighborhood. Next we have winter. Snowing falling from the sky. Every snowflake unique. Your fingers so cold, they become numb. Waking up with the surprise of no school. Making snow angels and having snowball fights. The warm embrace of the holidays. Then we have spring. Rain plunging from the sky. Plants popping from the ground. Purple, yellow, pink and green. The Easter Bunny visits the kids’ homes. Kids playing in the puddles of the streets. People dancing in the rain. Finally we have summer. The sun shining. No school. Kids outside, playing all day. Road trips across the country. Planes flying high, making memories for fam...
Read more