Day 4: Allie

Ashly

A lot of times I have made decisions out of anger and regretted it later.  I used to be the type of person to give up on things when they got hard and I would pay for it later when I saw what I missed out on.  When I was younger I used to dance all the time until I thought it was getting too hard or I simply did not want to go because I was in a bad mood.  Later I would go to the recital or go to someone elses class and regret quitting because I knew I had just as much potential to do what they were doing and that if I had stuck with it just a little longer it could've been me on stage with them.  I would feel really bad about letting everyone else down and myself and wish that I could go back in time and stick with it.  Because of this I always tell myself that not everyday will be a good day but if I stick with it, the reward will be worth it in the end.

In True Notebooks, Francisco is working really hard to change his ways.  He knows he's done wrong, and is now fighting for a second chance to prove that's not who he really is as a person.  I think he has a problem keeping his feelings and emotions under control, which is how he got himself into jail in the first place. On page 40 he says he was letting all of his problems get to his head.  Because he was able to realize that he was trying to run from his problems instead of facing them, he can now fix them and begin to start over and really take charge of his life.  It takes a strong and courageous person to realize their problems and take a step to fix them, even if he is learning the hard way.
I think everyday we're all trying to face our problems and our fears and are trying to overcome them. Some of them are bigger than others but they're all something we constantly struggle with. Somedays for me just getting out of bed takes all my effort and energy but I know I was woken up for a reason and there is a plan for me and whatever obstacles may come my way that day I will face them head on and with 100% effort and keep a strong attitude.


Natalia

I think it's ridiculous that they would have to stop seeing each other because of social class.  When you teach your children that all that matters are things like status, it makes them ignorant and unaware of everyone else around them and teaches them to love people for what they are instead of who they are. Just like in True Notebooks, Mehri was judged instantly because of her class just like Mark automatically judged and made assumptions about the inmates without knowing anything about them.  At my high school there were no cliques or groups or anything, you could come to school and talk to whoever you wanted to without fear of being judged or being discriminated against because of your status, what you wore, or what you looked like.  I think if the characters in Persepolis and True Notebooks both had perspective on sides other than theirs, they would see what's really important which is that people really are all the same underneath it all and when you judge someone you're only hurting yourself and reflecting on yourself.