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The Importance of Setting- Lullabies for Little Criminals

The place in which we grow up can have a drastic effect on our personalities, moral and values, and even our future. Some may even say the circumstances in which we grow up shape who we are as people. Whilst reading "Lullabies for Little Criminals" by Heather O'Neill, I noticed the importance of the setting within the novel and how the author used the setting to her advantage to add to the books plot, character development and foreshadowing events. The story is narrated by Baby, a 13 year old girl who lives with her 26 year old drug addicted father Jules. Jules does not have a solid job and often leaves Baby at home by herself for days. Baby spends most of her childhood in the streets of Montreal moving from apartment to apartment, occasionally spending time in foster homes. Eventually Baby falls in the hands of a local pimp, as the line between childhood and adulthood begins to blur. The novel follows nieve Baby as she has a moral dilemma of what path she would like...
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Adnan Syed- Is He Innocent After All?

The murder case of Hae Min  Lee is a controversial one that specifically sparked my interest after I had a chance to listen to the podcast "Serial", created by Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder. The podcast goes through the events that occurred January 13th, 1999- the day Hae was murdered. Adnan Syed, Haes classmate and ex boyfriend at the time was arrested for her murder, however the debate still goes on to this day about whether or not Adnan is innocent or guilty. Hae and Adnan at Prom https://news.sky.com/story/the-case-against-adnan-syed- there-could-be-thousands-more-flawed-convictions-11675415 The story begins in Baltimore, where 17 year old Adnan and 18 year old Hae went to high school. After Hae was brutally murdered and found burried in the woods a month later, Adnan was arrested for her murder. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and the main case the court had against Adnan was the testimony given by Jay, one of his friends. Jay's story ...

Serial Podcast Reaction

          This previous week I have begun to watch the podcast "Serial". It is a true story about a young high school student named Hae Min Lee who was tragically murdered. Her ex-boyfriend at the time Adnan Syed was arrested for her murder, however a lot of people seem to think he is still innocent. This podcast goes through the narrators journey of figuring out what truly happened to Hae Min Lee. If I was in the position of Hae's family knowing that this podcast got this popular, I would either feel offended that this podcast is using her death for entertainment, or happy that awareness is being raised. It really depends on how you want to look at the story.            So far, I am really enjoying this podcast. It is very interesting and is almost as if it is a TV show without the visuals. The narrator does a great job allowing the audience to visualize what is going on in the story, and keeping the listeners atte...

Set The World On Fire

St Catherine of Siena said, "If you are what you should be, then you will set the world on fire.".There is so much we can take from St Catherine's words of motivation to apply to our lives post secondary. The main message we can take from this is that if we find the right path to go on we will strive. Whether that be going to a post secondary program you enjoy, or not going to post secondary at all, all of us have different purposes on this Earth. We have to do not necessarily what others tell us we should be doing, but what makes us happy. Finding the right path may take some longer than others, but it is all about the journey in finding ourselves. For example, lots of university students hit a 'slump' at sometime in their studies, and realize that the program they are in may not be for them. It can feel like you are stuck at a dead end if you do not know what other program you would want to do, which can be  a very scary feeling. However there is always anoth...

Grade 12 English- Should It Be Mandatory?

         As grade 12 English has become a requirement for every single university program out there, it has raised the very controversial question of whether or not this course should be mandatory when applying to post secondary schools. Some may argue that it only comes to use to those in English- related programs, however this course may be more useful than you think.          English class is more than just practicing reading, grammar rules, etc. It forces us to develop our communication skills which is crucial in everyday life. I can guarantee you that in one way or another everybody will be in a position where these English skills are very important. This could be through writing an essay, email and even oral communication.          When it comes to university programs, even if you are in a program that is not English based, for example Engineering or Architecture, it will still be required of you to wr...