Coming of Age Novel Conclusion Summary

I was in 5th grade when I first read American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, and I thought it was a silly graphic novel with no true purpose. The three main characters, Jin Wang, The Monkey King, and Danny all had ridiculous problems and did not deal with them well. When I decided to read it again as my Coming of Age novel, I realized I was wrong about American Born Chinese. The three characters all have one goal throughout the book: to fit in.
The Monkey King is a deity that has mastered Kung Fu. He rules all the monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain.   However one evening he goes to attend a dinner party in heaven, and is outraged when the guard says he cannot be let in because he is a monkey. The Monkey King becomes obsessed with fitting in with heaven and even changing his form to look humanoid. Instead of ignoring the insults and leaving with pride, the Monkey King feels like he needs to please the people. It changes his views on his life: "When he entered his royal chamber. the thick smell of monkey fur greeted him. He had never noticed it before. He stayed awake the rest of the night thinking of ways to get rid of it" (American Born Chinese pg 20). In my opinion, the Monkey King should go on with his life and forget what Heaven said.
Jin Wang faces as much if not more racism and discrimination than the Monkey King. He moved all the way to a new state from San Fransisco, a place where he really felt comfortable. At first, he has no friends because all of his classmates have the idea that Chinese people eat dogs. Then a boy from Taiwan comes and befriends him. Then, Jin falls in love with a girl.
Danny has an annoying Chinese cousin that screws up his social life so bad, he has to change schools.
Danny and Jin definitely have stories about coming of age. Jin faces a lot of discrimination and teenage emotions. Danny just wants to have normal friends, maybe even a girlfriend, but every time he starts to settle in, his cousin comes and ruins everything. Danny could choose to tell his cousin to leave him alone, but he knows that his cousin doesn't mean to mess everything up. The Monkey King is laughed at because no one takes him seriously because he is a monkey. This is why I chose American Born Chinese for my coming of age novel. I think every teenager has gone through what Jin, Danny or the Monkey King  have gone through. It is a great and inspiring book that I recommend to anyone. 

Coming of Age Novel Update- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novel about three different characters that just want to fit in. The three characters are: The Monkey King, Jin Yang, and Danny. 
       I think Danny faces the hardest problem. He is only a junior in high school and he's already been to three different schools. Every time he settles into a school, his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee comes for a visit and screws everything up for him. Danny is already going through enough trouble; he realizes that he wants to date his best friend Melanie, he needs to prove himself on the basketball court, and he needs to start making friends. Danny is basically facing all of the problems teenagers face, and then he has to deal with his psychotic cousin who won't let him live his life in peace. "By the time he leaves, no one thinks of me as Danny anymore. I'm Chin-Kee's cousin" (pg. 127). I can connect Danny's situation to the real world: If someone was trying to improve their social life, but they had a really annoying friend that screwed everything up for them, no one would want to associate with that person anymore.
       The Monkey King faces a different problem: discrimination because of his appearance. The Monkey King is a deity in a magical world, and one night the Monkey King was not allowed into a dinner party at Heaven because he was a monkey. He was so angered by this, but instead of leaving with pride, he suddenly did not want to be a monkey anymore. "When he entered his royal chamber, the thick smell of monkey fur greeted him. He'd never noticed it before. He stayed awake for the rest of the night thinking of ways to get rid of it" (pg. 20). This quotation shows that the Monkey King was suddenly ashamed of being a monkey and now did not want to be associated with them. At one point, The Monkey King changes his appearance so that he still has the face of a monkey but the body of a man. He gets trapped under tons of rocks for disobeying his master, and finds that he could have saved himself 500 years of imprisonment had he realized how good it was to be a monkey. The message here is that you shouldn't have to change who you are to impress other people, if they can't accept you for who you are then it is their fault.
        Jin Yang is a Chinese boy that has accepted that he will never be popular because of his race. One day, he sees a girl in his English class and basically falls in love with her. He is facing a normal teenage problem, but he thinks that he doesn't have a good chance of getting her because he is Chinese. Jin is so angry about this that he takes it out on his best friend Wei-Chen and is left with nothing. In a way, the story really revolves around Jin, because some magical woman transforms him into a white boy so that he can know what it feels like to not face discrimination. This new face turns out to be Danny, and Chin-Kee, his "cousin", turns out to be the Monkey King in disguise. In the end Jin accepts who he is and once again becomes friends with Wei-Chen.
 

Extended Response to "Zimmerman's Murder Charge: Prosection Must Prove 'Depraved Mind'

In late February, a boy named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a man named George Zimmerman. There has been some debate about whether Zimmerman really only killed Martin out of self defense or it was simply murder. Zimmerman was recently taken into custody without any chance of bail. I personally think that   Zimmerman is guilty and had no right to pursue and kill Martin, but do you think about all of this? Was Zimmerman acting in self-defense, or was it a deliberate kill. Let's see both sides of the story:
Prosecution: George Zimmerman was patrolling the "gated" community in Sanford at night when he saw Trayvon Martin walking alone with a hood over his head. Zimmerman thought that he looked suspicious, and began to follow him. As he was following him, Zimmerman called the police. The police ordered Zimmerman to stop following Martin, but he ignored them. This is the part that I don't understand: if the police told Zimmerman to stop following Martin, why did he continue to pursue him? Later, when Zimmerman caught up with Martin, there was most likely interaction and perhaps a struggle: "The 17 year-old was unarmed. Zimmerman told police he acted in self-defense" (Zimmerman's Murder Charge: Prosecution Must Prove 'Depraved Mind'). If Trayvon Martin was unarmed, and Zimmerman had a gun, how could it be self-defense?
Defense: The other opinion is that Trayvon Martin put up a fight and maybe even tried to injure Zimmerman when Zimmerman didn't even do anything yet. It is possible that Martin thought he was being mugged, and wanted to defend himself. If that is true, then it would all be a misunderstanding that went wrong. Despite this point, Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder.
Whatever really happened, George Zimmerman screwed everything up by ignoring the police's order and continuing to follow Trayvon Martin when it was unnecessary. Some people think that Zimmerman only thought Martin was suspicious because he was African American. From hearing both sides of the story, I am confident that most people would say George Zimmerman is guilty of murder.

  

Response to Plagiarizing

The student most likely was lazy and did not feel like writing an entire response, so they simply copied an actual response either forgot or didn't want to cite the source. What the student should have done was put quotation marks around the writing, cited it, then elaborated on the quotation. Then they couldn't be accused of plagiarizing.  

 Many people try to find the deeper meaning in the Starry Night Painting: "There is a peaceful essence flowing from the structures. Perhaps the cool dark colors and the fiery windows spark memories of our own warm childhood years filled with imagination of what exists in the night and dark starry skies. The center point of the town is the tall steeple of the church, reigning largely over the smaller buildings. This steeple casts down a sense of stability onto the town, and also creates a sense of size and seclusion" (A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings). 

To avoid plagiarizing, you can do at least 3 things: you can cite the source of the writing, paraphrase the writing and cite the original source, or simply summarize it in your own words. It's as simple as that.

2 Really Good Blog Posts of Thursday, April 12th

The first blog post I read was Joyce's, and I really liked it. I like how she made a separate paragraph when she was talking about Peeta, then another when she was talking about Gale. I can really appreciate this post now that I am familiar with the Hunger Games, and I agree with she was pointing out: Gale and Peeta do have different personalities. Joyce's post was very organized, she had an introduction with a thesis and a main idea, and made me feel very engaged in the post. I like how she asked the audience their opinion on the "Team Peeta" and "Team Gale" thing, and also mentioned her opinion. Joyce's blog post is a good model for an extended response essay.
The second blog post  I read was Aidan's, and once again, I was very impressed. Aidan's post was definitely a model essay, because it had an introduction with a thesis, three informative body paragraphs, and a conclusion to sum things up. I really liked how he included a brief background about his book Unwind, so I could relate to his main idea better. I also liked how he included character personalities and how they are similar or different from each other. 
I need to be more clear in my blog posts, because most of the time I stray off topic from my main idea. I will make them more like essays, just like Joyce and Aidan did. I think I will do more character comparisons, because I will have more to write about.  Both Joyce and Aidan's were really good. 

Much Ado About Nothing Review

Much Ado About Nothing was a clever and well thought out performance. I enjoyed the different characters, the subtle humor and the plot. I thought the actors and the director did a very good job.

 I was surprised that the play was not set way back to medieval times, but instead right after World War I. I always thought that a Shakespeare play had to be set way in the past or in present time (modern). But somehow, it made the performance easier to watch, because the time period was not completely alien to me, and it was more realistic. The clothing was not made out of silks, and the characters did not put on dramatic accents to try and make the show better.

I have seen five Shakespeare plays, not including Much Ado About Nothing: an adapted version of Macbeth only a year ago named The Throne of Blood; Romeo and Juliet; Twelfth Night; Cymbeline; and The Taming of the Shrew. I compared all of the shows and noticed that they had at least one thing in common: The way the actors/characters said their lines was not realistic. Instead of trying to speak normally, like they would with non-Shakespeare language, they yelled all of their words and paused for effect after every sentence. This made the plays interesting, but I couldn’t really connect to the characters or what they were saying. The reason I mentioned this is because in Much Ado About Nothing, I understood and connected to the situations because the actors delivered their lines realistically.

            My favorite character was Dogberry (a constable), because even though he wasn’t one of the main characters, he had stage presence and was a natural comedian. He had great comedic delivery, and made me laugh really hard. It is very important that the actor becomes their character, or else the audience will be taken out of the world of the play. The actor that played Dogberry became his character.

            Much Ado About Nothing was very fun to watch, and maybe one of the first Shakespeare plays that I really understood. The actors did a great job of becoming their characters, and the performance really makes me want to get more interested in the world of Shakespeare. The experience was thrilling. 

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Reckless by Cornelia Funke, is a suspenseful story that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. It starts off with a twelve year old boy whose father disappeared. His name is Jacob Reckless, and he has a younger brother named Will. Jacob discovers that the mirror in his father's study is a portal to a parallel world. This world is filled with magical creatures, and is very different from it's neighbor. 
Twelve years later, Jacob, who is now a grown man, has made a name for himself in the Mirrorworld as a treasure hunter. His brother followed him through this time and has been bitten by a Goyl. Goyl are people made of stone that wish to conquer the Mirrorworld. 
Jacob knows that he has limited time before Will grows stone skin of his own and becomes one of the fierce creatures. He goes on an adventure that will test his mentally and physically.
The Characters:
Jacob is very brave and clever, and probably the best treasure hunter in the world. He is restless, and needs to be on an adventure. Otherwise he will be miserable. Many girls are attracted to Jacob, yet he has never really stayed with one long.
Will's last name does not suit him at all. Where Jacob is rough, Will is gentle. Where Jacob is fidgety, Will is still. In love with a girl named Clara. Because of his sweet personality, the transformation is shocking when Will starts to behave like a Goyl: angry and fierce. He believes in Jacob.
Fox is a vixen that has the ability to change back into human form. She has been with Jacob since he saved her from a fox trap. No one can lie to Fox, and she knows Jacob better than he knows himself. She is secretly in love with Jacob, but the reader only finds this out later on, when there is an obvious connection between Jacob and Clara.
Clara is in love with Will, but later on, her emotions are clouded. Jacob and her both went for a drink at the river, but it turned out to be magical water. The water makes the drinker kiss and fall in love with the closest living thing, no matter how ugly. However, while Jacob continues to love Clara, she stays by Will's side always.
The relationships between these characters makes the book even more interesting.

Romeo and Juliet Reading Response

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a story about a boy and a girl from rival families that fall deeply in love. The characters each have their own personality that contributes to the plot. 
Romeo is a teenager that is in love with a girl (Rosaline) that does not love him back. During the night he wanders the forest, sighing and crying because of his longing for this girl. Come daylight, he comes home and shuts himself in his room, because he does not want to talk to anyone. I think Romeo finds love a very fragile thing that cannot be described through words. However, Romeo believes he has never loved until he sees Juliet. I don't think love has been very kind to Romeo.
Benvolio is Romeo's cousin and dear friend, and strongly thinks that Romeo should forget about Rosaline and move on. To Benvolio, love is not sacred (like it is to Romeo), and it should be easy to forget about a girl. I don't think he is trying to insult Romeo, because it really seems like he was worried when he talked about how Romeo was reacting to his un-returned love for Rosaline.
Mercutio is Romeo's other friend, who has an easier time calling Romeo out on the ridiculous things he does. For instance, when Romeo speaks of a dream, Mercutio mocks him by describing Queen Mab, a small fairy-like creature that brings specific dreams to people. But like Benvolio, Mercutio still cares about Romeo. When they all attend a masked banquet, Mercutio urges a reluctant Romeo to dance. He wants him to move on as well. I like Mercutio, because he seems like a very fun, lively character that brings a little humor into the play. 
Juliet is a young girl that is faced with the decision to marry a powerful Count named Paris. She does not want to marry at all, but considers it because it is what her parents want. When she sees Romeo, it is love at first sight. Even though he is a Montague,  she wants to be with him. Juliet is a very interesting character, because it seems that she hasn't really thought of love since she met Romeo.
With all of these characters, Romeo and Juliet is brought to life. 

Romeo and Juliet (Act 1, Scene 1)

Now that I am able to understand the story, Romeo and Juliet, I really like it. Of course, I've heard about the story by seeing allusions from other books and movies, and even saw the end of a modern version of Romeo  and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio. All I knew was that there were two people in love, and they both ended up dying.

I like scene 1, because it introduces the story through a dialogue between two Capulets (family of Juliet) that despise the Montague family of Romeo. It is clear that there is a fierce rivalry between the two families. Only after a street fight brawl do we hear about Romeo. But Romeo is not in love with Juliet yet, he is in love with a girl named Rosaline. She does not love Romeo back, which causes him to wander alone in the woods, depressed. Benvolio, Romeo's cousin, is trying to make Romeo forget about Rosaline and observe "other beauties". So far, we have not heard of Juliet.  

My thoughts on Another Sonnet for Stephan

I see a little boy of four or five
Whose face lights up whenever we would play
Who made me feel it's great to be alive
And wish that time would never tick away
I see a college youth who goes to Penn,
Strong and handsome, smart in mind and dress,
Enthusiastic, kind, who scores a "ten,"
Possessing every trait that spells success.
       
I see the man who came from both those boys
Creating business plans and paths to wealth
With nochalance, with skills and unique poise
While fighting back attackers of his health.


The boy, the youth, the man are each now gone,
Except that in my heart they linger on.  
       -Another Sonnet for Stephan by Alvin Lester Sitomer


Another Sonnet for Stephan is a very moving piece, because it tells the brief story of a father's love for his child. He watches the boy grow up, and turn into a good man. Sitomer (the author), talks about Stephan's traits, and it is clear the father is proud of his son. Towards the end however, the reader understands that this sonnet has been written in the boy's memory. Sitomer does not just come out and say, "Stephan got sick and he died." He lets reader discover what has happened. 
It took me a while to understand  the sonnet completely. For one, I didn't know if the author was talking about his brother or someone else. He also wrote the poem in chronological order, so first he described 4 year old Stephan, then he described college Stephan. The next stanza says: I see the man who came from both those boys. I then thought that he was talking about two boys. After I read the poem twice more, I understood completely, though not what Sitomer must be feeling from losing his child.

My sonnet for the rain forest

The rain forest is a living being

Tears of the leaves splash on the muddy ground

The native creatures are wise, all seeing

Aware in the home to which they are bound

A savage howl echoes in a dark cave,

Stalactites shake with the loud, intense noise

Sun shines on the plants to which life he gave

The small tree frog’s skin is tinted turquoise

To outsiders, this place is dangerous

In many ways, they are in fact correct

The happenings here are spontaneous

Nothing scientists could try and dissect

Try to look upon it with your own eyes,

And see the wilderness without disguise. 

The Rain Forest sonnet by Zack Palomo

The rain forest sonnet was one of the most bizarre things I have ever encountered. Also one of the most difficult. Usually when I write a poem, I don't rhyme the stanzas, and I never go by the 10 centimeter/iambic pentameter rules. But as I started my sonnet, I realized that writing poetry can be interesting and fun. Trying to fit abstract ideas into 10 syllables a line, and attempting to give it rhythm was a challenge for me. I let my imagination wander, not really caring whether my words made sense, just trying to establish visualization. Rhyming the words added to this paradox. I had to create stanzas about a wild forest, but rhyme words like cave and gave. Believe it or not, the 10 syllable thing came easier for me. But the weirdest was the iambic pentameter. It was just too difficult to make a sentence that had a unstressed-stressed pattern. All in all, however, the rain forest sonnet is an accomplishment that I can be proud of.

The Last Judgment Poem (From his viewpoint)

My painting is alive. 

Every figure,

whether it's a

demon

angel

or man

is moving.

The colors twist with the excitement of the moment,

creating darkness,

brightness

and something in between.

Look into eyes of my work,

and you will be pulled into chaos.

My intention of was not strike fear into the hearts of my audience,

but that is what I have done.

When evil characters are made, paintings become darker.

By making Charon and King Minos,

I've made more than just a drawing,

I've made a premonition of the end of the world.

The Last Judgment 

has

made

me 

UNTOUCHABLE

for better

or worse

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

Michelangelo was born in Caprese, the Republic of Florence, in 1475, and was seen as one of the greatest artists of his time. He was an Italian sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. many people know him from the sculpture David and the masterpiece of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo was born at the end of the Renaissance, which was a prime time for art. Northern Italy had become the center of art and learning. 
23 years after he painted the miraculous ceiling, Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel to paint, The Last Judgment. Even though this should have been easier to paint then the ceiling he painted before, it took him 6 years to complete The Last Judgment, while the Sistine Ceiling took him 4 years. He started the painting in 1535. It seemed like Michelangelo was working alone this time. "He worked slowly, still without help from his assistants. He survived a fall from his scaffolding to finish the wall in 1541" (Famous Artists: Michelangelo; page 27). This painting is describing the brutality of the end of the world, where souls would have to face a final judgment. 
Michelangelo put so much time and effort into this painting, showing details that would take days to discover. He created depths in The Last Judgment, showing the darkness of hell, the brightness of heaven, and the balance of the light on Earth. It is said that he made the painting so that people would go from the bottom left, and watch a short story that ended in the bottom right corner. Even though there are a lot of overwhelming images, it is clear that there are a few main ideas: The first shows Jesus in the middle of all the chaos, his hand raised as he sends the damned souls to hell. He is flanked by his mother, Mary. The second main image is Charon, the ferry man that deports the evil souls to the Underworld. The third image is very frightening and powerful. It shows King Minos, the King of Hell, surrounded by hungry looking demons. Many people were terrified of Michelangelo's interpretation of Judgment Day, so I think it is safe to say that people were intimidated by his work. 
Based on The Last Judgment, I can guess that Michelangelo was very religious, and he wanted to display his thoughts on Christianity. He made Jesus look very buff, showing that he has power and control. Strangely enough, he also made Minos buff, perhaps showing that he is evil and powerful. Maybe Michelangelo was trying to scare the world with this, or maybe his imagination was really warped. 
The reason I love The Last Judgment so much is because it is chaotic. Even creepy. A lot of artwork back in Michelangelo's time was peaceful, realistic. But Michelangelo brought a whole new meaning to art, showing of his brilliant mind, and fitting his opinions into his paintings and sculptures. The Last Judgment stands in the Vatican, still amazing people to this day.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eion Colfer

The first time I encountered Artemis Fowl, I didn't understand a word of the language. I mostly skimmed through it because it was the summer reading assignment for 6th grade. I hated the book because of its big vocabulary, but even then I realized that the story itself had potential. So I put it on hold and forgot about it after awhile. Now that I'm in 8th grade, I decided to read the second book: Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. It was one of the best books I have ever read. Eion Colfer introduces a character that has never been seen before. A criminal mastermind by the name of Artemis Fowl disappeared on a boat "accident". During his absence, his heir and son Artemis Fowl the Second steps in to save the illegal career of his father. This anti social boy is a genius, and more devious then anyone could ever imagine. He even has a super strong bodyguard named Butler, who is AWESOME. Even more interesting is when Colfer introduces the fairy world, where all of the mythological creatures are found underground. Artemis attempts to capture an elf named Holly Short to restore his grief stricken mother's sanity. He succeeds, creating even more dangerous enemies.
Since the story is told from two points of view, I really do not know who to root for. Artemis Fowl is the main  character, of course, but is he really the protagonist? It seems to me that the fairies should win, because they never did anything to harm Artemis. In the second book however, I have an easier time cheering for Artemis. He has changed with his coming of age, and has openly admitted his mistake to the fairy folk. In fact, I almost feel bad for Artemis. In this book all Artemis cares about is finding his dad, since he has discovered that he is alive and being held for ransom. The details in the book are incredible, even making me feel like I'm inside of the story. Both one and two will have the readers on the edge of their side, eyes glued to the page.

The Wrath of Darth Maul by Ryder Windham

I was very impressed by The Wrath of Darth Maul, especially because I really didn't expect it to be a great book. In case you didn't know already, Darth Maul is one of the evil characters of Star Wars that gets killed off way too quickly in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. The author, Ryder Windham, shows the reader a side of Darth Maul that we never got to see before: the creation of Maul. The book starts off with his childhood, then goes on to show the many years of intense training with the dark Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. At some point, I start to feel bad for Maul, realizing that it wasn't his choice to be born into darkness. Maul was just an innocent, curious little boy that was taught to embrace his anger and use it to hunt down the weaker species. Windham does an excellent job of leading the story up to the point where the Phantom Menace begins. It's very interesting hearing about the events that took place from someone else's point of view, especially during the final battle. Towards the end, a hero known as Obi-Wan Kenobi slices Maul right through the middle, letting his remains fall into a huge pit. In the movie, you automatically assume that Maul died, but in the book, that's not what happens. The main character somehow survived the maim and the fall, but lost his memory during the recovery! Windham then takes some information from the TV series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars by bringing in a recently made character, Savage Opress. Opress comes looking for Maul, and takes him along in his ship. The story ends will Maul thinking about how he will destroy Obi-Wan. I loved this book! I think my favorite part was Darth Maul's character change, how he went from an open minded child to a ruthless, angry killer. This makes me think that behind every character, good or bad, there is always a story to how they got to their position now.

Mythology by Edith Hamilton

In case you didn't know a thing about the Greek, Roman, or Norse Gods, Mythology is definitely the book to read. It has everything you couldn't ever want to learn about, from Theseus and the Minotaur to Jason and the Golden Fleece. I really like how all of the stories are written in the form of poetry, and some of the phrases are riddles. For instance, I'm currently reading the adventure of the Golden Fleece, and the language is very hard to understand. But I realize that when you really listen to the words, they are really descriptive and beautiful.
Another observation has to do with character. I realized that all of the characters are the same-strong and heroic. Hercules and Achilles might as well be the same people. But Jason is different. Jason is a quiet, humble person, that accepted a quest because he needed the support of his future kingdom. Jason is not big and strong, nor is he invulnerable. He is a mortal that has been forced into a perilous journey. I rooted for Jason, because he was a good friend. He would risk his life for the other people on the quest, even though he had a throne waiting for him.  For many reasons, I would like to be like Jason. He is brave and thoughtful, and a kind person as well. My next fiction story will be on a character like this.

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

In The Son of Neptune, a character we have known for so long (Percy Jackson), has lost in memory and is thrust into danger immediately. He meets new friends along the way and discovers the real meaning to being a hero. Percy and I are alike in many ways, because we both have the same personalities, and we both handle difficult situations the same way.
A lot of people have a hard time taking Percy seriously, because he seems to be goofy kid. He has a nag for making jokes on very sensitive topics, and can sometimes say very dumb things. This causes his friends to underestimate him. "Hazel made a mental note not to underestimate Percy again. When he'd first arrived, she'd thought he was a little goofy from the questions he'd asked-about the Feast of Tuna and all-but clearly he was smarter than he let on"(99). A lot of people feel the same way about me. I like to have a sense of humor during dark moments and can sometimes say ridiculous things. But most of the time, I can be very intelligent and thoughtful.
I have a very hard time making important choices. Especially when a lot of people are depending on me, and my choice will affect all of them. Percy has the same problem, but the difference between us is that Percy seems to know what he wants, and what he doesn't want. During Percy's brief time in Camp Jupiter, demigods all around have seen what powerful and effective leader he is. This causes their leader Reyna to ask Percy to share her power. Percy is nervous, confused, and afraid of making the wrong decision. He says no to her offer, which is very surprising. Of course, I have never been offered something as huge as this, but I think Percy was thinking the same thing I was: I don't want that kind of responsibility, and I don't want to have to take the blame if something goes wrong.
Percy Jackson might the Son of Poseidon, but he can also be just like any normal teenager. By making Percy like this, I can connect to the book easier. Percy Jackson and I are alike in many ways, not because of what he is, but who he is. And isn't that what defines us? Not what we are, but who we are.