A Silent Voice 4
What story elements (character, plot, mood, conflict, theme, etc.) are present in this book to make it "young adult"? What intrigued you the most about this book? What will you remember most about this book?
A Silent Voice 2
Do you believe in 100 years, this novel will be considered a "classic"? Will it stand the test of time and be something that students will be reading in an English class of the future? Why or why not?
The characters are all about 17 years old, and are thus young adults themselves. Furthermore, it tackles concepts which many young adults have either experienced or know about, such as suicide, guilt, and bullying. What intrigued me the most was that one of the characters was deaf, and seeing how that played into the story and the way in which the characters interacted. I'll remember how Shoya tackles the guilt he feels for his actions, the impact they had on him and his life, and the way in which he recovers from what his younger self did.
ReplyDeleteI whole-heartedly agree. I believe most to all young adult's struggle with what Shoya did at some point in their life. So yes, this book is young adult because it deals with many issues that teens can relate to. And many adults can relate to regretting what their younger self did.
DeleteThe concepts that the book tackle make it very YA. I wrote about this in my response, but I like how the x's are used to portray his anxiety. I think it's something every young adult can relate to.
DeleteI also agree that one of the most intriguing parts was that one of the characters was deaf. I also agree that this book is young adult because it displays many issues that young adults deal with.
DeleteThis story starts with the main characters as young kids, growing up. Many kids have also seen or dealt with the effects of bullying, a major plot in this story. The plot line of Shoko being deaf and seeing how that affected her world was what I was most drawn to. I will remember most Shoko's change of heart and how quickly we were introduced to this new version of himself after the guilt set in.
ReplyDeleteSeeing Shoya's change of heart and realizing what he did was wrong is something I will take away from this book too. After how he treated Shoko, but then changed his way of acting is really good to show how anyone can really change and become a better person.
DeleteI think it's an interesting concept that the authors chose to explore--the concept of a bully being affected by his own actions and him trying to repent. I think I will remember the new version of himself the best too.
DeleteI feel like almost every high-schooler knows the feeling of being an outcast and the feeling of a budding friendship, and this book makes one remember that.
ReplyDeleteI've said this before, but social anxiety is portrayed brilliantly in the series. I love how Shoko views people with an "x" over their face, because that's what social anxiety feels like--it's hard to look people in the eyes, you don't see them as individuals, and you don't believe that they care at all to see you. I also like how he imagines everyone's thoughts and dialogue in his head.
This shows his insecurity and his distrust. It reminds the reader that social outcasts usually ostracize themselves more than anyone else.
Eventually though, Shoko realizes that he needs to listen and look people in the eye in order to truly see these people and communicate with them. That's the big lesson that I took from this series, and I find myself using this advice frequently. My favorite part (which impacted me the most) is the moment when the x's fall off of everyone's face. This shows his acceptance of himself and him shedding his anxiety. This is one of my favorite series of all time, and I think anyone who wants to understand me better should read this series.
I think a lot of highschoolers definitely have had a feeling of being an outcast before and this book can go to show just how hard it can be. You never know what someone's struggles might be, but treating them like a normal person, will make you feel so much better just like how it made Shoya feel after he had started to treat people with more kindness.
DeleteI like this take. It is a great way to visualize that feeling of anxiety without explicitly stating it. I think eye contact is an intimidating thing, especially for me, and this series portrays that very well. It's able to connect with many readers who also may face these feelings.
DeleteThere was a lot of story elements that could make this contemporary young adult lit, but I think the biggest one was just the story line. I think there is a lot of kids that are getting bullied, but I was really pulled into how she reacted when she would get bullied for being deaf. She tried to stay positive, which I think made Shoya mad, but in the end, I think it helped him to grow stronger and overcome the fact of what he did, which helped his quilt go away. What I will take away most from this book is that you can overcome anything. Shoya started out as a bully, but when he had realized what he had done was wrong he completely changed his way of life. I think this goes to show that even if you think you are a bad person, you can change around to become someone that people want to be around, or someone that makes other people smile.
ReplyDeleteI was also fascinated by Shoko's reaction to getting bullied. She kept her head up and even tried to stop Shoya from getting bullied. She definitely helped Shoya realize his mistakes.
DeleteI agree. I think that it is kids getting bullied at school and being in that school setting almost alone could make it young adult. I also agree with your take away from the book. Y ou can change your outlook on things for the better and be a better person.
DeleteI agree with you. I will also take away from the book that you can overcome anything no matter how hard.
DeleteThe thing that intrigued me the most about this book were the interactions between Shoya and Shoko. They intrigued me because I honestly don't understand them. I don't get why Shoko would be nice or hold his hand and the time where they fully got into a fight because she touched him, I know they were in elementary school but even then, boys shouldn't hit girls. I also wonder why he flipped out so much like Shoko would just pull out her notebook and from what the pictures illustrated you could see Shoya fully have the reaction of seeing somebody get hit by a train. I'll remember the graphic the most for the most part they showed the right emotions and included nice details, but some pictures were muddy, and I couldn't really tell what was going on.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Some of his actions didn't seem very justified or logistical in my opinion. Like why did certain things upset him? Especially if they had zero effect on him. I think he was immature and not very well disciplined in the beginning.
DeleteI think that the characters and the setting make this book young adult. They are either in school or out with their friends most of the book. They also are in middle school, high school, or just after school throughout the book. I was intrigued the most by the plot of this book. I found it a little confusing and kind of hard to follow along with. It jumped from place to place a lot. I honestly was most intrigued by how it was written. I have never read a book like that before. I think that the thing that I will remember most about this book is everyone should be treated with kindness. You may think that they are horrible and no good but they could be the person protecting you from what others are saying about you.
ReplyDeleteI also found the book hard to follow along with. I have never seen a book written this way and it took a while for me to get used to it.
DeleteI think that the main elements that make this book young adult are the characters and the setting. It is based in a town with a small high school and the characters are all still in school. What intrigued me most was how Shoya's best friends went from hanging out with him every day and laughing with him to making fun of him and shutting him out. Although it was cruel of him to bully Shoko, his friends were doing it too and he shouldn't have to take all of the blame.
ReplyDeleteI agree, losing friends is rough and seeing how Shoya dealt with that was compelling. I find it unbelievable how he took all of the blame and his friends left him out to dry on his own. They knew what they did as well so I'm wondering what made them make that sudden change. The teacher also should've known it wasn't just him and the teacher knew he was being bullied after the incident and did nothing. I don't find enjoyment in books like these filled with corruption and unrealistic events.
DeleteI agree. I think that them being in school and that they are all childhood friends makes this story young adult. The setting of the school and them as children hanging out makes this book young adult. I also agree that he shouldnt have been the only one to blame when everyone else was bullying her and then making fun of him as well.
DeleteI think the characters make this story young adult. The book is about a deaf girl who is treated unfairly and is bullied. I think many teenagers can relate to her. Many kids are unkind to others because they are different. The part of the book that intrigued me the most was how Shoko delt with the bullying and was always the bigger person which I think is so hard to do in those situations. The part I will remember most about this book is how all the bullying that Shoyo did came back around to hurt him, and I think it taught him a very good lesson.
ReplyDeletethe most intrreging part about this book was the fact the boy got what he diserved for what he was doing to the girl
ReplyDeleteI can agree with that I felt like there should have been more to the book than just that though.
DeleteAll of the characters in the book are going through their version of high school making them great representatives of the young adult genre. this book also dealt with bullying something that is all too prevalent in the minds of young adults, I feel like the message that I will remember from this book is acceptance and that no one likes a person who is just blatantly mean. what intrigued me the most whats Shokos inability to act on what was happening to her and i felt the book could have been better if it explored both sides of the story instead of giving the reader a one side view of a topic with many layers. Though that could be what the wirter was going for in showing onlys Shoyas veiww.
ReplyDeletethis books theme of do not bully people and the consequences of bullying people make this book young adult. what intrigued me was the way this book was wrote.
ReplyDelete