"The Power People Have" By: Alexis Hernandez

   I believe that people have the power to change the problems of the world.
Yes, this isn't a perfect world, but many people can help to fix that. People can all have the ability to change “some” but not all of them. I thought that this world can change and the people in it. Then I realized, you can't change seven billion people. We all have to contribute to solve the problems together.

   Once when I was downtown with my parents, we were walking in and out of stores. It was so cold, it felt like someone just stuffed me in a fresh pile of cold fluffy snow. I couldn't feel my feet at all, my nose could no longer breath in the icy air, my hands were about to fall of. As I thought of these things happening, I saw a couple on the ground together. They didn't have a very big coat for themselves, and they were holding onto each other so tight, I knew that they were feeling the same as me. They were homeless, they had a little cup in their hands that barely had two dollars. I walked passed them asking my mom and dad for money to give to them. They said they didn't have any cash, but I knew they were lying. I had the power to be able to help them. I could have done something else for them. People who walked by them also could have the power to help them. Later, I saw another homeless person, he was on his knees bending forward, as if he was bowing down to someone. He put his head down between his arms, and he held up a cup. I wished I could have gave the poor man money, or at least something. Then, a man came and gave him money. The poor man lifted his head, and thanked him. That man knew he had the power to help another person.

   One time, there was a protest about cops being racist to black people. Some people watched, and some joined. Those people that are protesting are trying to change something they feel is wrong to them. They are trying to make the world a better place. That is the power those people had, to change a problem.

   I learned that not everything isn't the way you really want it to be. This world has many problems, and we can all change it together, because we all have the power to do so. One person can do many positive things. People like Fred Hampton, and Martin Luther King- They changed what felt was wrong because they knew they can.

   We should all care about making the world a better place. Little changes, big changes, they all can help. That's why I believe that people have the power to change problems of the world.

Literature Circle/Non-fiction blog

   One of the essential questions that I chose, was will Jack be able to forgive his mother this time for leaving him? This question was just running back and fourth in my mind while reading. I was just waiting for the longest time to finally know if Jack was upset with his mom, or not.  But at the last chapter, Jack realized that his grandmother was the one trying to make his life better. It wasn't her fault, nor was Jack's moms fault. It was just that Jack's mom had a sickness, which influenced her to not being able to take care of Jack no more. It wasn't for the best for herself, it was just so that Kacl can live a better life. So Jack was not actually mad at hi grandmother or mother, he just understood the reasons why she left.

     While reading the book "Small As An Elephant" and reading the article "Bluffs mother abandons son by road, tells officer she couldn't be late for work". I've noticed that both mothers had left their sons with not enough, or no money, food, or a phone to call. Both the boy in the article, and Jack in the book, were around 11 or 10. The mother left her son because he was throwing a tantrum, an she couldn't be late for work. In the article it says "The boy, who didn't have a phone, money for food or a key to get back into his hotel room.." This article explained that the mother didn't care at all and just completely left her child alone with no source of anything for his health. Just like Jack, although Jack did have money and a Phone, he just wasted the money and wet his phone.

   In the book, Jack wasn't left all alone on purpose, it was for a reason. The reason was because Jacks mother could no longer take care of him, it was for his own good. She knew what was best for him, but it was still wrong. She didn't Jack with enough food, or money. In the book on page 37 it says "The last time had been at home, an he had just stayed in the apartment, and there was food." This quote explains that Jack was hungry and that he wished their was food for himself. Jack was left alone a previous time where it was easy for him. But now it much harder since Jack has to find food. It was the same as the boy was in the article, the only difference was that there was different reason ps for the mothers to leave, one was close to home, one was not, one had some money, and phone, and the other did not.

  

Jacobson, Jennifer Richard. Small as an elephant. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2013. Print.

BellMbell@nonpareilonline.com, Mike. "Bluffs mother abandons son by road, tells officer she couldn’t be late for work." The Daily Nonpareil - Council Bluffs, Iowa. N.p., 21 Jan. 2017. Web. 12 May 2017. <http://www.nonpareilonline.com/news/local/bluffs-mother-abandons-son-by-road-tells-officer-she-couldn/article_ff6f9d1d-96b4-5797-a845-737513c1e877.html>.

Small As An Elephant

Q: After reading, I wonder...

    In the book Jack and his mother went on a trip, or as you can say a camping trip together. But Jack had never thought that his mother would be gone the next day he woke up, leaving Jack all by himself. Jack had previous incidents were his mother has left him alone, but never longer than a day or half a day. This time it was different to Jack, he knew something was up when he saw all of his moms belonging and car were gone. Also the fact that she had been gone a whole day. When Jack had met a new friend named Aiden, his mom had became suspicious of Jacks moms whereabouts. That's when it ws time for Jack to leave because he knew that if he told someone about his mom being "missing", someone might separate them. So that's when his journey began of finding his mom. Some things that Jack did was traveling a lot to many places. sprained or broke his pinky, stole a toy plastic elephant, ate someone else's farm vegetables, took a ride to what he thought was going to be his home town, and is now locked in a store. This was all because of his mom leaving him, and being the caring person that he is, Jack went out to look for his mom. Also Jack has to face the fact that he is now being looked for on the news and his considered a criminal for stealing the elephant.

   Well, I'm not quite done reading the book, but it sure has questions running up in my mind. I wonder if he ever finds his mom. If he does I wondered if he is going to forgive her, tell authorities on her, or might even be separated from her. All these thoughts had left me wondering what's really going to happen in the end. In my head, I believe that he does find his mom and forgives. Even though it probably won't end up like that. To me I feel like Jack is very confident that he'll find his mom, and know that his mom was "looking" for him as well. Jack always gets his hopes up, which lead me to another question, when Jack says things like "this always happens" "she's looking for me" "she is just sick, she won't just leave me", it make we wonder if he really knows the reason why his mom left. Maybe even he just doesn't want to except reality of what's happening to him.

Other questions I have is, what happens to the people Jack has met during his journey of finding his mom. Will they tell his mom (if he finds his mom) all the things they've seen Jack do, or tell her what he talks to them about. Will Jack keep in touch with Bug Jack, or even Aiden and his family. All these questions will probably be answered at the end of the book. That's what I'm mostly excited about, wondering if all my questions will be answered sooner or later in the book, or not even be answered at all.