Nightjohn Writing Project Final Draft
Would you break the rules just to be BRAVE?
Have you ever wondered how your life would have been if you didn’t know how to read? It would be terrible right, you would most likely not be able to survive in this world. But would you be brave enough to try even though it’s against the rules? Well Sarny was brave enough to do so in the Historical Fiction Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen. Sarny is one of the main characters of this book.The author Gary Paulsen who has not had an easy life really displayed the theme of Bravery greatly in Nightjohn. But he did not always have a passion for literature. Not until he went to the library and got his first book, then he was hooked. His basement filled up with books as an adolescent.
His book Nightjohn is about how Sarny that lives on a plantation meets a new slave called Nightjohn and they both are brave enough to read and write knowing that is prohibited. But Nightjohn already knows how to read and he is teaching Sarny which is against the rules. In Nightjohn, Gary Paulsen uses Bildungsroman, Characterization, and Pathos, to advance his overall theme of Bravery.
In Nightjohn, Gary Paulsen uses Bildungsroman to advance his overall theme of Bravery. Bildungsroman is a form of storytelling where the author centers the scheme around the overall growth of the main character which is sarny. In The beginning of Nightjohn Sarny starts off by saying, that this is story about Nightjohn but about her just as much (Paulsen 13). This depicts Bildungsroman because she is starting off telling the story and telling us what character or character’s will be having any growth in this story. Sarny also tells her birth story and what she knows about her birth mother (Paulsen 16). Telling this is showing that she is different person that she was at that time portraying bildungsroman. Also this advances the overall theme of bravery by the fact that her mother getting sold at her young age can be a touchy subject for her. Telling something this personal is brave. Lastly she tells how she was working and she was listening to what the sisters of the slave owner talk about how he “went out and bought another hand, Over a thousand dollars..”(Paulsen 21). Sarny is very Brave for doing this because if she would of got caught he could of been in lots of trouble. Also she could of went and tell everyone else and just kept it to herself. This is Obviously Bildungsroman, her telling how she was working and heard them talking. All of these examples of Bildungsroman depicts the overall theme of Bravery.
As you get more into the story and the conflict that the author is trying to present you could see how sarny uses Bildungsroman more to depict the overall theme of bravery. When sarny told about how when Nightjohn taught her her first letter (Paulsen 38) and that she knew they weren’t allowed to be reading or understand anything. This is Bildungsroman because she tells how they traded off , she gave him tobacco and he agreed to teach her to read. This is very Brave knowing she can get in lots of trouble because they were not supposed to be doing this. Sarny also did another brave thing, she snuck “mammy” a drink of water while she was chained to the wall all day (Paulsen 66). This shows Bildungsroman because she tells each step of what happened during that scene. Finally, Nightjohn had ran away but promised sarny he would come back(Paulsen 88). She didn’t believe this at first but he did. When he did he asked her to come into the woods at night and she did(Paulsen 91). This is a perfect example of how Paulsen depicts the theme of bravery through Bildungsroman she tells the story and is brave through this whole book as she grows as a person. In Nightjohn Gary Paulsen uses Bildungsroman to depict his overall theme of Bravery
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Paulsen uses Characterization to depict his overall theme of bravery. He introduces many different characters in the 4th chapter. Sarny broke many rules but the most biggest of all was trying to learn. Sarny is the main character in Nightjohn and Paulsen uses characterization well to show how bravery is the overall theme with sarny. He uses characterization by presenting sarny by her get thoughts and actions. In the book Nightjohn got his toe cut off when the slave owner found out he was teaching sarny letters and how to read(Paulsen 74). Running away is one of the worst things he could of done. Nightjohn is the second main character in this book. The author depicts his characterization through actions and interaction with the other characters. Like he told the truth about teaching sarny knowing the consequences matter of fact he knew the consequences from the beginning when he first started teaching her(Paulsen 72). The last main character Mammy who sacrificed herself for sarny. She was beaten and chained to a wall all day and more for being brave(Paulsen 65). Paulsen show’s Mammy’s characterization through interacting with other characters like sarny and er actions, taking responsibility. Characterization in this book is used to depict the overall theme of brave.
An Old man Jim who sarny introduces in the book is also brave. Jim ran away at night time but the dogs found him in the morning(Paulsen 47). Paulsen having Jim put in the story by sarny is characterization from speech because she is telling the story. Jim’s bravery to even try to run away further increases Gary’s overall theme of bravery in this book. Alice was forced to become a breeder but fought back then got whipped really bad then eventually successfully ran away(Paulsen 42). This character is very strong, brave, and determined. She is characterized through speech also because sarny tells all about her. In Nightjohn Gary Paulsen uses characterization to depict his overall theme of bravery.
Gary Paulsen uses Pathos to depict the overall theme of Bravery in his book called Nightjohn. Pathos is the appeal to emotions and there are many emotions associated with slavery. Gary used these to show how brave the character’s were and how that’s the overall theme of this book. When Nightjohn was brought in “bad” as sarny had said(Paulsen 25). He was naked and had a rope around his neck connected to the saddle of a horse in the hot sun with whips all over his back. This definitely gives the emotion of sadness because it is sad to be in this situation. But for Nightjohn to handle all of this and still be strong after all he has been through is just what Paulsen is trying to show, his bravery! At night sarny hears a lot of different things from new workers who cry in their sleep every night to people who just breathe loud(Paulsen 56). This can produce empathy; understanding the feelings of another, for the reader who might have been in the same situation. Sarny and the reader are both brave for not giving up and going through the night listening to all of those sounds as they try to sleep. Another way Paulsen produces empathy in Nightjohn is when the field workers come back from work and are so tired and exhausted all they want to do is eat ten go to sleep(Paulsen 30.). I’m pretty sure you have felt this way before in your life. You & the field workers are brave for not quitting and to keep working.
When Nightjon kept his promise and came back for sarny this most likely produced happiness because sarny doubted and didn't believe him at first. Paulsen generates happiness and relief in this part not giving up hope for sarny and the reader. This is also very brave of Nightjohn because he knows that if he gets caught maybe the rest of his toes will be gone or even worse he’ll be dead. Now on to a different character, Alice was forced to be pregnant and she didn’t like that so she fought back and got whipped for fighting back, the eventually successfully ran away(Paulsen 42). What happened to Alice leads to the emotion of disgust and sadness. Disgust because someone would want to force a women to do something she doesn’t want to do, especially something so extreme as pregnancy! Which is sad but she is brave for fighting for what she believed in and running away.
In Nightjohn Gary Paulsen uses Bildungsroman, Characterization, and Pathos to advance his overall theme of Bravery. Gary Paulsen does an amazing job at this. The same thing happens in the novel The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. A book full of any short stories about a little girl named Esperanza who is sad and confused about what she needs or wants to do in life but she makes brave choices to throughout the novel to her best ability. For example when I don’t feel like I want to do something to help someone but I do it anyway I feel as though that is being brave because I may not know that person but I am still up to helping them. In this world today just be brave don’t let anyone or anyone stop you from doing what you believe is right.
This is the Generation!
Were you born in the 2000s, if so your generation has experienced some of the hottest years on earth in decades ; 2015 being the hottest. This means that your generation is and will be living with the effects of this increase in climate change and will be the last generation to do something about it(President Obama).
This generation first needs to be educated and informed on what Climate change and how they have already been affected. One of the most noticeable effects are longer summers and heavier rainfalls(Landua,2014).
Now I will list things that can be done to change Climate change. One thing you can do is use Fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs(Heidy,2016). This is because Fluorescent light bulbs save more energy and last longer but they do cost more than incandescent light bulbs.
Also not eating red meats. This is because 18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from meat & dairy production(Suzuki,2016). So not eating them can reduce that.
If you drive a car then you can take a big step & get an electric car instead of a gasoline-powered car because that pollutes the air with exhaust & evaporative emissions.
Some of these include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, vapours of fuel and more. These things also come from Airplanes. And the gases released creates a large carbon footprint(Suzuki,2016). A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide. In conclusion, you should educate yourself more on climate change to help the earth that we live on.
Sources: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-you-can-stop-climate-change/ http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/06/us/climate-change-strategies/ http://www.diffen.com/difference/Fluorescent_Bulbs_vs_Incandescent_Bulbs Interview with Expert: Heidy Palacios President obama video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWKy9zN90A
