Hatchet A report of Gary Paulsen's book by Taylor Allen

Hatchet
A report of Gary Paulsen's book by Taylor Allen

Author, Book, and Publisher
This report will review and describe the content and context of "Hatchet" for the Unified Studies program instructed by Sidney Hatch and Anna Davis. Hatchet was written by the three time Newberry honor award author Gary Paulsen. The captivating story of Brian Robeson is told in 195 pages and was published by scholastic incorporated.  The first time I read "Hatchet", I did so because I loved the outdoors, and the idea of a lone boy trying to survive in the wilderness sounded daring and interesting to me. Others interested in these things would also enjoy this book.

Characters
In "Hatchet" Brian has few interactions with people; instead he deals with different aspects of surviving. Therefore i find it more informative to list aspects he deals with than the few characters. I will list the main aspects below.
Brian: Brian is a thirteen year old boy who is struggling with the divorce of his parents. When he goes to see his father he ends up in a plane crash that leaves him in the Canadian wilderness. He decides to survive and by the end of the book he is a changed, stronger person.
The Hatchet: The hatchet means everything to Brian. It is his main tool that enables him to survive.
Fire: Fire is Brian's best friend, but is a hungry one. Brian has to gather large amounts of wood often to keep fire alive.
Food: Brian begins to display his new knowledge when he achieves different foods. He is constantly striving to eat.
The Secret, the crash, the mosquitoes, the porcupine, the skunk, the moose, the storm: These aspects are the antagonists of the story. Brian must face these difficulties in order to survive.

Plot
Brian's mother divorces Brian's father in order to with be with another man. Brian accidentally discovers this and the knowledge hurts him deeply. In route to go see his father via a twin engine plane, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian is forced to crash land the plane into a lake in the canadian woods. Brian survives the crash and he takes account of what he has while beginning to learn to survive. Brian builds a shelter and discovers how to make fire, hunt birds and trap fish. Brian must face many events that impair his health, destroy his shelter and moral. After many such trials and obstacles Brian retrieves the survival pack from the submerged aircraft and accidentally summons help with an emergency transmitter. A fur trapper takes Brian back to civilization after he had spent 54 days alone in the wilderness. Brian survived.
Hatchet focuses on Brian's thoughts and his growth. Often times in the book a small event will create a snowball effect and devastate Brian's progress. Brian changes from a victim in the beginning to a survivor at the end.

Conclusion
My lasting impressions of "Hatchet" are as follows. Gary Paulsen produces vivid imagery from his writing in "Hatchet" as well as his other works. The reader is absorbed into the scenery and thoughts of the young boy trying to survive in the harsh wilderness. Reading this book as a young boy sparked my interest in wilderness survival and I went on to read many of the other works by Paulsen and similar authors. The imagery and plot weave a story together that intrigues and captivates the reader. I was slightly disappointed by the harsh droop off of rising action as the book came to a close. However, Paulsen recognized this problem and continued Brian’s story in another book called "Brian's Winter with the premise that Brian had not been rescued on the 54th day but had to survive the harsh winter.
During the early part of the book Brian quickly leans that becoming overwhelmed with emotion did not help his situation and often exacerbated the bad aspects of it. One can learn from this to stay calm and think clearly in all situations.
I thoroughly  enjoyed Hatchet and would highly recommend it for all readers, as the book is enjoyable, easy to read, and presents accurate survival techniques. I am glad I have read Hatchet.

School Prayer: A History of the Debate Taylor Allen Book report

School Prayer: A History of the Debate

Taylor Allen

Book report

I have honestly read this book, this quarter from cover to cover_________________________.

1. Title:School Prayer: A History of the Debate

2. Author: Tricia Andryszewski

3.Pages: 104

4.Characters and their roles.

There are different groups of people who want different things. They take the different roles in this book.

Non-Religious-- Do not want their right to not practice a religion respected.

Religious-- Want their right to practice their religion in a school setting.

Christian Coalition-- lobbying group

Supreme Court-- Made many the final decisions.

Engel vs. Vitale-- Determined that a composed school prayer for recitation was unconstitutional.

Abington vs. Schempp-- Determined that bible recitation was unconstitutional.

5.Book rating: I would rate this book a 4. It seemed a bit repetitive, but was very informative.

6. Law Terms

Supreme Court-- The highest court of the United States, composed of nine judges.

First amendment-- Amendment that protects the rights of Religion, petition, press, assembly, and speech.

Fourteenth amendment-- Protects the rights of individuals on the the state level

ACLU-- American Civil Liberties Union. Legal union that protects rights of individuals and groups.

7. Book Summary

School Prayer: A History of the Debate

During the 1950’s and 1960’s a debate began to arise about school prayer and its constitutionality. The Proponents of it said, that it was unconstitutional to NOT be able to pray in schools as it was one’s religious right. The opponents of School prayer said the same thing, that it was unconstitutional, on the basis that it forced others religious beliefs on individuals. During this time it was common practice for the day to begin with recitation of a prayer, reading the bible and saying the pledge of allegiance. A movement for more secular government began, beginning with the public schools. This naturally incited many emotions.

In 1959 a local school board required that the “regents’ prayer” be recited after the pledge of allegiance. Many students and parents objected to this practice and the families filed a law suit. This suit became known as Engel vs. Vitale. After a lot of time and money, the decision was appealed to the supreme court. On June 25th, 1962, the court decreed that school prayer was unconstitutional even if not all of the students were required to participate.

One year later on June,17, 1963, the court made another decision, in the Abington vs. Schempp case. The court decreed that bible reading of any kind, even if some students chose not to participate, was unconstitutional. After these two decisions, many people were outraged. Some states and school boards refused to change. They continued with their own practices.

After this major change, there began to arise questions of whether public could be used by religious groups. Congress passed the equal access act, stating that facilities could be used for meeting if all other groups were also allowed the opportunity, ( with a few other limitations).

Many individuals and groups have attempted to create amendments to the constitution allowing school prayer, or other religious material, but have been unsuccessful. The supreme courts decision stands today.

Should Drugs be legalized?? Taylor Allen Book report

Should Drugs be legalized??

Taylor Allen

Book report

I have honestly read this book, this quarter from cover to cover_________________________.

1. Title:Should Drugs be legalized?

2. Author:Susan Neibeurg Terkel

3.Pages:159

4.Characters and their roles.

There are no characters in this book, however there are many different variables that effect the situation.

Number of Users-- Would drug legalization dramatically increase drug use?

Money Spent-- Should we spend more money on a cause we are already losing?

Decriminalization-- Should drug use be decriminalized?

People in prison because of drug use-- Should they be in prison? Does it help the situation?

Taxation of drugs-- Is taxation of drugs possible?

Is it worth the risk?

5.Book rating: I would rate this book a 4. The book was very informative. It maintained a very neutral standpoint. It is well written. It has a variety of different sources. I found frustration, however, with the age of the book. The book was published in 1990. I feel as though I have a good concept of the consequences and different variables of drug legalization, but I know that the majority if not all of the facts that I read are outdated.

6. Law Terms

Legalization-- The repeal of laws against recreational drug use.

Decriminalization-- When violation of a law is treated as civil instead of a criminal offense.

De facto legalization-- When law enforcement ignores a law

Convention-- Treaty or agreement

Money laundering-- Funneling the cash profits from illegal drug sales into legitimate bank accounts, businesses, and other operations.

Interdiction-- Seizing drugs in transit or upon arrival at a country's border

Iatrogenic addiction-- Doctor-caused addiction

Extradition-- Surrendering a suspect to another jurisdiction or country for prosecution

Eradication-- Destruction of illegally grown drug crops, for example, by spraying herbicides.

7. Book Summary

Should drugs be legalized??

There are many different concepts in this book I will try to cover the majority of them chapter by chapter of the book.

1 Prophecies of Change

2The government of the United States has tried to stop drug use for about 90 years now. We still have not succeed against turning the tide of drug use, and the consequences it has. Are we adding to this problem by trying to regulate something that is above our control. Is there a better way to try to regulate drugs? Over 14 million Americans use drugs regularly. Does Criminalization of drugs hurt more than it helps?

3 History of Regulation

4 Iatrogenic addiction, is addiction that is caused by a physician prescribing a drug that the patient cannot stop taking, even when the treatment is complete. In the 18th and 19th centuries opiates were used extensively in medicine for pain, sleeplessness, diarrhea, anxiety, and insanity. They were often prescribed for malaria, smallpox, syphilis and tuberculosis. Many people became addicted to opiates. Narcotics were also widely prescribed.

5 Coca- Cola had cocain in their soda until 1903. During the 20th century, drug use began to be regulated by the government.

6 Laws against Drugs

7This chapter deals with the current regulation of drugs. The controlled substance Act of 1970, established the regulation of all drugs. Drugs are placed in five categories that are determined by their 1) Possible Medical Use 2) Potential for Abuse AND 3) Safety or Dependence Liability. These five categories or schedules determine what the drugs may be used for. This chapter also discusses who how enforcement currently works and what the penalties are for breaking the law.

1 How would legalization Work?

2This chapter gives several possible scenarios of how drugs could be legalized and how it would work, while including advantages and disadvantages of each. There are three ways of how drug law could be reformed, By a court decision, a statute, or by popular vote. There are several options when it comes to drug reform. All laws restricting drugs could be repealed. Certain drugs could be legalized. De Facto Legalization and decriminalization can be used.

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4 A Right or Ridiculous Idea?

5People do dangerous things all the time. They go skydiving. They smoke cigarretts, or they drive a motorcycle when a crash or fall is generally inevitable. Is it our place to regulate the behaviors of others? Do people have a right to use drugs? Discussion of fourth amendment rights.

6 The Billion Dollar Industry?

7Drugs are currently sold in the black market. If drugs were to be legalized, much, much less money would go straight to the black market which invitably ends up supporting additional crime. Instead drugs could be taxed. It is estimated that 10 billion dollars per year could be taken in by the government. This money could be used for treatment, prevention, ext.....

8 Can Legalization reduce crime?

9Many arrests are made in the behalf of simple recreational drug use, without violence ext. . Most prisons are overfilled, and there is not room to house recreational drug users. If drugs are legalized criminals will take in less money from selling drugs as they will be more readily available and which will decrease the costs.

10 Do Drug laws overburden enforcement?

11Attempting to enforce all drug use is very difficult. Might our efforts be better spent in another fashion? Interdiction is largely innefective. As is attempting to further sealing of the boarders. Eradication is harmfull to the environment, the people who grow drug plants to support themselves and their families. There is a large burden on the judicial system to try all these people as well.

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13 The Effect of Legalization on foreign policy

14Not all countries are cooperative to comply with attempting to stomp out drug use. Drug Cartels have a great control over governments in the area and often kill mercilessly to maintain their position. Treaties are mainly ineffective and many countries do not honor them. Few countries extradite their criminals. We have some DEA agents in other countries working to improve the global situation.

15 What's the Gamble??

16There are many different variables to the situation, and we are unsure of how things will change if drug policy is reformed. Would reform eventually lead to improving the situation or would it create more problems? What about the drug use of minors? It would most likely be illegal but, largely minors are the ones who are using drugs.

Conclusion: It is hard to know if drug reform would help or hurt the situation, but additional evauation of the situation, and action is necessary if we hope to have a better situation. We put a man on the moon. We have the intelligence to come up with a solution. We need to implement one, as there are many problems with the current situation.