Reasoning Themes In Gary Forto's The Jacket By Gary Soto

The author states,”... An idea occurred to me,the first with any energy behind it since finny fell from the tree. I decided to put on his clothes”(Knowles 62).This quote shows that gene putting on finny clothes

Pace provides the reader with information that many students suffered from “tremendous pressure to dress properly in front of their peers.” This dress was both fancy and elaborate, with the entire wardrobe proving quite expensive. This is proved by William G. Fields finical record of the costs of clothing and other various expenses. Around half of his $602.88 was spent on clothing alone with items, such as fine black coats, fancy pants, gloves and boats.

Gene becomes more and more jealous of Finny’s identity and therefore has to fight an internal battle against himself as his desire to be like Finny grows stronger and eventually leads to a tragedy. Gene is jealous of Finny because he can get away with anything. However, jealousy isn’t just a random feeling, it is a desire to obtain something that others have - sometimes no matter what the cost is. In the beginning of the novel, Finny decides to wear his pink shirt that his mom sent him, even though it was against school rules. Gene thinks that Finny is going to get in trouble for wearing a non-school uniform, but instead begins to understand that, “Phineas could get away with anything” (Knowles 25).

Stargirl and Wonder are two different books about being accepted in modern day society. Stargirl is about a highschool girl who is unique and “different” and shows it with clothes and accessory choice. Wonder however, is about a boy who has unfortunate facial deformities. But, in both novels, the author is trying to teach us that everything isn’t always on the outside, and sometimes, you have to look beneath their outward appearance.

Thesis: In the texts Bad boy by Walter Dean Myers and I was a skinny tomboy kid by Alma Luz Villanueva both authors develop the theme of through \ and childhood challenges In the first text, Bad Boy, the message is that the boy felt scared because In the second text, I was a skinny tomboy.

Elementary school is a big step, especially getting ready for middle school. For example if one is bitter towards someone, meaning jealous or angry, then their middle school years won’t go very well. They will go through being angry and it will make them focus on less important stuff rather than their studies or sports. Similar to the boy in “The Jacket” by “Gary Soto,”he goes through his life being jealous of kids that are happy or have good relationships and new clothes. The boy does not like the jacket his mother got him and does not appreciate it enough, even though it gets the job done.

In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene Forrester inadvertently causes the death of his best friend, Finny, a tragedy which results in his premature metamorphosis from an envious and insecure teenager into a man who loves himself and therefore others. At the beginning of the novel, during the summer session at Devon School, Gene describes his feelings about Finny’s evading disciplinary action for using a tie as a belt, a dress code violation: “He had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment. That was because I just wanted to see some more excitement; that must have been it” (Knowles 28). Gene is tired of Finny’s rule-breaking and is jealous of Finny’s powers of persuasion.

He is very intelligent, however he is also extremely insecure. As a result of his insecurities, Gene becomes frustrated and allows himself to be overcome by his self-hatred, which causes him to harm himself and act unreasonably insecure. Gene is not inherently evil, rather he becomes corrupt as a result of his insecurities which provoke confusion and vice. Gene allows himself to obsess over Finny’s success and loses sight of his own self. Throughout the beginning of the book, Gene shows his personal insecurities through self-hatred and envy towards Finny, who he views as perfect.

In Gary Soto’s short story “The Jacket” the main character, the boy in the jacket, vows “ I spent my sixth-grade year in a tree in the alley, waiting for something good to happen to me in that jacket, which had become the ugly brother who tagged along wherever I went.” The boy blames his jacket for all the struggles that happened to him and he believes that the jacket brought him bad luck. Soto uses this to support the theme because the boy is being distracted by the jacket. Which makes him not try to improve his life.

In Gary Soto’s story, “1, 2, 3,” he recounts an even dealing with prejudice that has a significant impact on the characters. The altercation occurs when a little girl falls off of a swing and her father accuses a young Mexican girl of pushing her. *[By making connections to the characters’ values in their speech and actions and repeating certain words or phrases to emphasize a point, Gary Soto explains that the way one should respond to prejudice is not by assuming the worst of people and fighting them; instead, one should try to help others, understand their point of view and values in order to prevent the negative effects of prejudice.] * *[One’s values and assumptions play a role in how that person responds to prejudice and can have an impact on how he or she views certain people. ]

Throughout the book his attitude towards the jacket changes as he learns to accept it. The main idea where this is portrayed is when he calls the jacket “that green ugly brother who breathed over my shoulder that day and ever since.” This quote also uses personification to describe his new feelings towards his jacket. The figurative language extends the understanding of his new reaction to the jacket by being able to relate to their own lives

“I stared at the jacket, like an enemy, thinking bad things before I took off my old jacket, whose sleeves climbed halfway up my elbow,” (Soto

When people where comfortable clothing, they tend to perform worse or not listen as well. This means that when people at school are wearing comfortable clothing, they will not pay attention or understand information nearly as well. However, the clothing that a dress code requires tends to be tight or rough, and is quite uncomfortable. Uncomfortable clothing is very good at forcing students to pay attention and focus during class, so that they can understand the material

The presence of advertisements in society influence people into buying, supporting, and inclusively stir them to take action towards a certain object or cause. Among many advertisements that exists, the use of logos, ethos, and pathos exists in order to achieve their purpose. In the advertisement that I chose to analyze the use of logos by the creator creates an amazing impact. Facts such as “one out of every three girls will be sexually assaulted” and “1 out of 7 children are abused” obtains the audience’s attention since such facts cause a shock value among majority of the people. With such surprising sentences the designer is seeking for people to take action and this is mostly seen when the last line of the advertisement is “you can’t afford to ignore it.”

Envision waking up every morning to put on the same outfit and walk out the door, stress free. People would not have to worry about what fits, or what is fashionable at the time. Schools would not have to worry about inappropriate clothing but at the same time, that clothing may be a way for a student to express himself. Many schools view uniforms as a solution to several problems, but many schools view uniforms as a lack of self expression. School uniforms should continue, even though children may not get to express themselves, because they prohibit violence, provide cheaper lifestyles, and promote better education.