Quotations

QUOTE 1

“We're not freaks, Tally. We're normal. We may not be gorgeous, but at least we're not hyped-up Barbie dolls.”

I believe that this is a great and important quote since it shows the significant message that the author is trying to convey.It does not matter what you look like on the outside because even if you are as fake and pretty as someone like Barbie your inside is what makes you special. These Uglies are told to believe that they are worthless and different.  The society is set up so that they are on the bottom with no respect and appreciation. This quote represents that Shay believes strongly that she is equal to pretties. The pretties which she means as Barbie dolls are fake objects that the society looks up to when the normal people are actually discriminated.

Text to Self

I have also sometimes  bought something or dressed a certain way just because of the society pressure. Once the media labels a certain object as “cool” everybody must have it and if you don’t, you are labeled as not normal or as Shay thinks “Freak”.  I understand how people like Tally want to be part of the “cool” group, but sometimes it is much more important to stay true to yourself and to be unique.

Text to World

A lot of young people of today are misled by the media’s and majority’s perception of beauty. In most cases, magazines, and shows, and advertisements show that you are only beautiful if you look a certain way, which most times is like a Barbie doll. This passes normality because with such pressure many people feel insecure. In fact, we have to  admit that this  also leads  to bullying and even suicides among young people.  When someone labels another person as a freak this is a form of bullying; unfortunately, you can find  behaviors as this in many schools. There is no such a thing as 'a freak' exactly as Shay says. Everybody is unique and different in their own way.

Text to Text

In the book “Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom” by Susin Nielsen, the main character Violet deals with some tough decisions when her Hollywood stepmom tries to make friends with her. Violet felt angry and jealous because her dad left her mom. When her stepmom offers a fun day to go to the salon and get a makeover, Violet refuses since she believes that beauty is not on the outside. Just because you live in Hollywood or the fact that your appearance is nice doesn’t make you more superior than other people. In a way, Violet is very similar to Shay refusing to follow the society’s idea of beauty.  

QUOTE 2

“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”

This quote depicts the dystopian society in the story. Every single being is made the same when the pretty operation occurs. The people are forced to believe that Pretties are beautiful when in fact they are all the same and boring (perhaps a logical consequence).  In any human world a sense of identity and difference must be found in every person. If eventually everyone is made to look the same what will follow? The thoughts and beliefs will also be made the same. This quote is significant since it shows the great secret of the pretty world; the lack of independent thinking and identity. People like Shay who want to remain themselves run away from the society, but the government must force everyone to become pretty so that a rebellion never takes them down. A society where everyone is the same is no society at all.

Text to World

In the world today many people are losing themselves. The media is advertising products that make the users essentially the same. Once a commercial is so tempting and clever, all of the viewer’s think that this product is actually useful when in fact, it is not. In addition, the globalizing of the world expands size so that every person has access to the same products which leads to unifying especially young people not always in a positive way. Media and advertising is a major problem for people’s identity because sometimes the pressure to be like everybody else is too much. It is the way society turns people into “Pretties”

Text to Text

           “Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way."( Christopher Hitchens's closing statement of the debate with William Dembski, 2010)

There are many great minds who describe the importance of independent thinking and it is for a reason. The whole world has evolved and changed due to the people who thought differently and valued their own wisdom.  This particular quote shows what the society described  in the book lacks. When Uglies become pretty, they lack the risk of independent thinking because the government has restricted them of it. When you think your own mind, it is most possible to find the greatest truth, happiness and wisdom. When you follow someone else's thoughts , you are not yourself. If every society nourishes  the independent thinking of its citizens rather than acquiring  beauty,  it would evolve as a place for people to be themselves and to find true happiness .

QUOTE 3

    

“Out here, you find out that the city fools you about how things really work.”

This quote explains the Shaw's deep realization how the life in the nature and the Smoke really differs from the bright lights of the city. It does not matter if you are pretty or ugly, the world shouldn’t be that way. That is what the quote means: uglies, pretties, government, whatever it is, it should not be the way it is in the book. The perception of all the people has been influenced by the government, so that one loses sense of what the real world looks like. This Pretty city is just one closed prison so that no one can ever find the magic of the real world. People are treated like robots. They cannot be free and leave the city. The world is a fascinating place and pretties will never find that out because their town is just a perception of fun and beauty.

Text to Self

            I feel that whenever I leave the city to go to my cottage or to visit the lake, the world is a much different place. There is a spiritual world out there with all of its vitality, aliveness and peacefulness.   Everything is so pure and natural. At night you can see how the stars light up the whole place while in the city you lose sense of the nature that surrounds you . The busy buildings, honking cars, crowds of people are all around you..., but when you leave and go somewhere close to nature, it is just you and the world. That connection, I believe, is what Shay felt in the wilderness when saying the quote. “Out here” it is just magnificent and moving and I know what she feels.

Text to World

            Today in many large cities like New York and Toronto (which were actually called The Big Smoke), people are bombarded with ads and things to buy right away. Everything in the city is about making money! The construction industry, the commercialization, restaurants and stores create enormous stress and do not let people escape from this burden of things to acquire. Nature is the calmest place on earth and humans must relax from the city more often. It's a well known fact that people who often come in contact with nature are happier and develop a different philosophy of life. Individuals like Shay have had enough of this city's pressure and just don’t want to lose their natural attentiveness to the world in all.

Text to Text

               Cities force growth, and make men talkative and entertaining, but they make them artificial.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

           

         In today’s world, same like the Pretties, the busyness of the big cities often pushes people to rush and follow schedules which turns them into worrisome robots who do not live in the present. They don’t experience the whole aspect of real life with the small joys and simple pleasures. As a result, we can say that  people become “artificial” as Emerson describes them. The connection between both quotes shows what modern cities and societies transform people into vain, less sensitive individuals. The Pretties may be so gorgeous and happy, but they are fake. It’s not the real them! This happiness and beauty lays in someone else’s idea, not theirs. No one else should live your life and no one else should ever control you. Freedom is lacking from the Prettytown since people cannot be who they want to. They are so confused and lost that they forget about what the real world really is. 

QUOTE 4

“The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.”

This quote sets the tone for the entire book. As an opening sentence it really grabs the reader’s attention and the mood feels different than any other book. There are rarely any stories with an opening sentence that can never be forgotten. This quote to me felt like something wrong and bad would follow in the story. If the book starts off so drastically, there must be something even more dramatic in the plot.  Right away after the opening quote you find out that Tally is lonely and sad since her best friend Peris left her to become pretty.  “Any other summer, a sunset like this would have been beautiful. But nothing had been beautiful since Peris turned pretty”. The awkward beginning quote was an introduction to the awkward world in the story.

Text to Self

I myself have experienced the haze in which the sun goes down during summer. I find it so magnifying how all those colors are like one big painting in the sky. It is quite a beautiful experience. Some things such as  just stopping to look at the sky are so easily passed by people who always rush. Life is meant to enjoy the simple things like just admiring the summer sunset. The world really is a magnifying place.

Text to World

Sometimes learning to stop and look up to everything that is going on in the nature can have such a big impact on our lives that we remember forever. With an good opening descriptive sentence about just plain nature you can already predict what is going to happen since humans are so connected to the natural world. There was time when Life as informed by nature and the earth's cycle drove the daily round of walking, working and sleeping. Somehow we have forgotten our small place in the grand scheme of things.

Text To Text

Recently one of the books that had an awkward yet very fascinating starting quote was “Stargirl” by Jerry Spinelli.  “When I was little, my uncle Pete had a necktie with a porcupine painted on it.”
 I find the stories with interesting opening sentences and quotes to be by far the best reads. The authors are different and unique which makes the style of writing intriguing. Both authors that I mention are very special.
 The first sentence really hooks the reader to read the rest of the book. 
Can you say the opening sentence of the book you are reading right now?

Glossary

Belly Ring: In the story one of the main methods of transportation was a hoverboard. The belly ring helps the board operate since it locates the center of gravity on the person wearing it. “Make sure you put your belly ring on if you want to make it past the river dry”

Bogus: A word that is used to describe something fake or counterfeit.  “This gold is completely bogus!”

Bubbly: This word shows the pride and energy rush that Pretties experience when performing a special stunt or an act against the government’s law. “We finally snuck into the master’s room! Wow I haven’t felt so bubbly in a long time”

Crash Bracelets: Bands on your arm that are worn when hoverboarding. If you slip or lose your balance of the board the bracelet catches you before hitting the ground. “Thank god it was for my Crash Bracelet or I would be flat on the ground right now”

House Minder: A term used in the Uglies for a person who takes care of the house and keeps it clean.  “The House Minder seems like a very nice guy, but he’s always so quiet and shy”

Hoverboard: A board that lets the rider hover above ground and transport to locations. It can only function due to the magnetic field around minerals under the ground. “Get your Hoverboards! Let’s head down to the lake!”

The Smoke: A town of runaway Uglies who refuse to take the operation and choose to remain Ugly all their life. This town was formed by the runaways, but was soon abolished due to the attack by the Special 

Circumstances. “The Smoke is such a real and special environment. Anything better than that fake Pretty 

world”

Rusty Ruins: The remains of an ancient city that once was the civilization today. It is now abandoned due to the lack of oil. The word Rusty also means old or of the old age when there was no barrier between uglies and pretties. “I don’t want to see this town turn into nothing. Sooner or later we will be the next Rusty Ruins”

Pretties: Humans that are turned pretty by an operation at the age of 16. This operation is held by the government and when you fully become pretty you move to Prettytown where you are only told to have fun. “Wow, I still have so much time until I become a pretty. I can’t take it anymore!

Journal Entry 4 (Reflection)

                I wrote this journal from Shay's point of view showing that she feels glad from escaping this sick dystopian society. Her running away to the Smoke is to get away from the pressure of becoming Pretty and all the discrimination towards Uglies. She feels very strongly for how people should not be judged because of their appearance and should be appreciated for what is inside them. As one of the greatest quotes goes "Do not judge a book by it's cover"
              The government is creating all these pretties with an operation to make the uglies feel bad about themselves and to lower their self-esteem in order to join the Pretty world. Shay did not fall for this discrimination and her solution was to just escape this evil society. In the Smoke people are all Ugly yet very different since they still possess the power of independent thinking and self thoughts. When made pretty the people are transformed to look all essentially the same and think the same. This limits them from overpowering the government. As I mentioned before in a story called "Harrison Bergeron" the people are also limited to forgetting all their thoughts every minute. This prevents any revolution that could overpower the government and this is the greatest problem in the totalitarian societies.
           Shay also believes that Tally is making the wrong decision about becoming a Pretty. She so strongly convinced that the operation supports the government interests and by not agreeing to it you actually oppose against it. As a result, Shay tried to discourage her friend Tally from falling for the pressure. The fact that she is surrounded by people with same beliefs makes her feel safe and calm

Journal Entry 4 (Shay)

            Finally after several days of traveling I arrived late at night to the fiery city. I felt so safe and calm as soon as I saw the blazing in the distance. This felt like home. I am really tired from that fake pretty world where no one cares about anyone. Here in the Smoke  people actually understand you and share the same anger towards the government. These Pretties are just trying to make us all feel bad about ourselves so we look up to them and worship them. This operation is just one big joke to me. When you get pretty you simply blend in with everyone else. Who are you!? Even when you get to the city you just are told to have fun. What kind of fun is that!? My life right now is fulfilled and I feel content. I would choose any day to be myself and to be free then to be some fake pretty and to have no self thoughts. I value freedom, of speech, of identity, because it defines you as a person. Your thoughts and attitude make YOU, not your appearance. The fact that few people understand  this  really torments me! What does your appearance have to do with who you are?! I dream it was like the days long ago when people were treated for who they really were and what  lays inside of them, instead of how their face looks.

        I wish I am free and safe here in the Smoke. Everybody is so nice and calm. No one is pressuring you to make choices or to feel bad about yourself. The sense of real freedom is tangible. The burden  of not being yourself and  feeling bad is what I wanted to get away from. Oh, Tally!... Tally can do whatever she likes. I am not the boss of her and if she wants to become pretty and throw her own life in the drain, that is fine with me. I still have hope she will realize that this pretty, fun city has a very mean and dark side.

       The government wants all the power it can get, meanwhile limiting the knowledge of all its citizens. This is so wrong! Such greed for power is just destroying our world in general. When you get it all, what difference does it make when your entire city is dumb and clueless. I tried to escape this horrible society as fast as I can. In the Smoke I feel safe for the moment and everyone understands me. For once, I feel happy.

Journal Entry 3 (Reflection)

In my journal entry for Dr. Cable I try to show the world from her point of view. I stress the fact that everyone must become pretty whether they like it or not because the government shall remain the most powerful hierarchy.  When people like Shay decide to run away, the doctor fears that uglies have found out the secret of becoming pretty. Rusties must be demolished and made beautiful because she fears in an attack that could possibly harm the government’s power and the order in this dystopian society. In the book, Dr. Cable mainly plays as an evil leader who controls all of the minions (Pretties). In most fairy tales the good guy always wins, but Dr. Cable has not been brought down yet. She thinks of herself as a very powerful person and in charge. I tried to show her power by presenting the way she thinks that she can just find someone so easily and extinguish him like nothing ever happened. People showing such mentality are called dictators. For them nothing really matters and no one influences their choices as long as they maintain the power to control –their only goal. Unfortunately, such totalitarian regimes still remain in the modern day society in many third world countries where the citizens can’t find means to save themselves from the dictatorship. To me, the character of Dr. Cable exposes   another  major problem in the Uglies. How nobody has the freedom of speech and the freedom to be himself when  one person or one entire group (government) controls everyone’s thoughts, beliefs and actions.

Journal Entry 3 (Dr.Cable)

If people like the Smokies want to expose the government’s secret, they must be destroyed. In this society you get to be Ugly for 16 years so you live the horrible, low self-esteem life. To these people the Pretties must be worshiped like idols. The Pretties are better because they are pretty and that’s the rule. When people like this girl decide not to follow the rules then they must be punished! Why do they think they have a choice?! Not in OUR world! No! It doesn’t matter what you want. Rules are meant to be followed and it just gets me so angry when people think that they can just run away and remain free forever. 

That attack from the special circumstances was brought on by the Smokies themselves. They thought they were hidden and safe, but thankfully the Tally girl exposed and betrayed them.  I am glad we sent a message to those savages that the government is more powerful than all their beliefs. They think they can just believe whatever they want and act foolishly, but I tried to stop this non sense. The Pretties must not know about what has happened to them. 

This rumor about some brain lesion medicine frightens me. If this is exposed to the pretties, our power will be abolished. They must remain clueless and focus on nothing. I need to get my hands on the culprit who thought of this stupid idea to cure brain lesions. Our doctors are so smart and powerful that no medicine can beat them unless it came from someone on the inside. You never know who can betray you like how that Tally girl betrayed her entire world.

                 As for now I shall try and focus on finding this medicine maker and extinguish him. This government must remain powerful and nothing will ever abolish it as long as I’m part 

Journal Entry 2 (Reflection)

In this journal entry I show the feelings of Peris when he met Tally as an ugly.  My intention was to show that he is brainwashed and programmed to think that he is better than Tally and that he is more superior just because of his appearance. I believe that this is what the operation does to the Pretties. They want to be with people who look like them and who think like them. Whenever an outsider like Tally, who is ugly, enters their world, they feel threatened and perceive the ugly as less worthy. It is a consequence of the government limiting the pretties from self thoughts and independent thinking. The world is divided into two parts: Uglies and Pretties where people with beautiful appearance are thought to be more superior than uglies when in fact it should not matter.

               

            Also in this journal entry I attempt to show that Peris feels comfortable with pretties; they all look like him and think like him. His mind is held back from diversity and this leads to a very false society because a world with no distinction is no society at all.

In his life Peris is only having fun because he is told to have fun and has nothing else to do. The uglies, on the other hand, do not have limits and can do pretty much whatever they like because they are thought of as savages. Some of them may face the dilemma: to be pretty yet to have only fun or to be ugly and discriminated, but to have independent thinking. In the society of Uglies they are shadowed from the fact that when you become pretty you are not yourself anymore and that you turn into someone else. If the whole society was introduced to the fact that independent thinking is much more valuable than appearance I believe that Peris would have stayed the way he was.