Typical American Teen - Final Draft

Allison Finley March 26, 2011
English 1B
Professor Knapp

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Typical American Teen

Within the novel The Flowers, by Dagoberto Gilb, we find a rather typical American teenager named Sonny Bravo. This typical American teenager is our narrator, and the main character of the story. Throughout The Flowers, the way in which Sonny tells us his story makes him extremely relatable to the audience. Gilb shares Sonny’s story with us on a day-to-day basis by including what he is currently going through at that moment in the novel, while comparing that with memories that he’d made in the past. Which, I believe that style of writing that the author uses of present situations combined with past stories keeps him on a more relatable level because we go through life not only living in the present but thinking of our past as well. This type of first person point of view story telling allows us to fallow Sonny’s every move, and really divulge into his character; in which through his stories and encounters we are able to learn so much about him. Throughout this novel I have learned so much about Sonny Bravo including his risky behavior, his local hangout spot, and his adult influences; now using reader response threory, I will discuss key elements that prove Sonny to be a typical American teenager. However, my personal memory of being an American teenager varies quite drastically from Sonny’s habits and experiences. While Sonny would partake in some risky and strange behavior of watching

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people through their windows and venturing into their homes in order to avoid reality and learn more about the family who lived there; I never broke and entered or watched people from afar. I actually had to interact with people in order to learn more about them and in order to get to know them, I actually had to make he effort. Which has never been something I’ve found difficult to do, even in my teenage years during both junior high and high school. Also, I can’t necessarily say that throughout my teenage years, I had a some strange quirk or specific habit that would allow me that pleasure of being able to escape reality as often as he does in the novel. Sonny had the convenience of watching in order to learn and I had to interact and converse with people in order to do so. I feel as if, even though that was strange behavior, he had it easy to learn about people. However, since I’ve always been a social person who can talk to just about any one and by doing so, I feel as if that is the best way to know people.
Sonny’s voyeurism tendencies acted as an escape from his home life by being another place he can go, mentally as well as physically, to escape whatever it was he had to deal with at home. Which I completely understand the concept of wanting to escape, however in contrast with how he would escape, whenever my home life was too much to handle, I would simply go over to a friend’s house and hang out there for a couple hours, or even a couple days. Both Sonny and I would get away from our homes to avoid our parental figures. But while Sonny would basically break and enter to force his way into a home, I was invited and welcomed into a friend’s home. While Sonny didn’t like having to deal with his step-father, I wanted to get away from having to deal with my step-

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mother. Even though Sonny and my ways of escaping reality were quite different in how we would get away, the reasons why are so similar in that we both were faced with situations and parental figures we didn’t want to deal with at that time.
Also, at the beginning of the novel, Sonny would not only watch from the outside, but break and enter into different houses just to get a feel for what it would be like to live in other types of home atmospheres. On the first two pages alone, the first thing I learned about Sonny is that he would go inside strangers’ homes. “… I would go to a house… I’d crawl through an open window… I sprawled out on their couches or lay down on their beds. Go, How would it be if I lived here?” (pg. 1-2) While Sonny does this forcefully through breaking and entering, I would spend time at friend’s houses that have different family morals. Some would be of different religions; some would be a single parent home, while others would have both sets of parents with many siblings and I’d stay with them for a few days at a time and try my best to imagine what it would be like to live there. But the fact of the matter is, no matter how we would do it; we both liked to get away from our situations and try to imagine ourselves in different ones.
Another avenue of escape for Sonny is the bowling alley; it is another place where he can go to lose himself and forget about what is happening at his apartment, it is away for him to stop thinking about his mom and Cloyd, and it’s a local hang out spot where he can spend his time away from his home life. Just like many other typical teenagers everywhere, myself included, there is always a local hangout spot, where teens go to hang

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out with one another. I too had a place where my friends and I would go to spend hours just hanging out together. A local hang out spot for teens is less of an escape from reality in that specific moment, but is more like something to get excited over and think about and look forward to. I’d look forward to Fridays to hang out with my friends and loved knowing that every one was going to be there. Every Friday evening we’d all head down to the Tennant Station here in Morgan Hill.
It all started when I was in 7^th grade, I would bum a ride off someone old enough to drive us there, we’d all meet up there and hang out together for hours on end; or at least until our moms would come to pick us up. The funny part about it is that we would rarely ever do what we had come there to do. Within that Tennant Station is a movie theater, bowling alley, bocce ball court, and a Safeway. But being in junior high limited us with how much disposable income we had, we hardly ever saw a movie at that movie theater, we never step foot inside that bowling alley and we literally never bowled, with the bocce ball court you had to be 21 even in order to enter and we were only half that age, that left the spot where we spent most of our time, the Safeway. No one really knows why Safeway became our popular hang out destination for Friday nights, maybe it was because there was a Starbucks, a deli, and anything you could ever want to munch on; whatever the reason, that Safeway was our hang out spot where we would meet up and spend hours at every weekend. So throughout my younger teen years, maybe age 12-16, I would love hanging out with everyone at Safeway, but like anything it eventually got old and we started going into San Jose to hang out at the mall.

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Every person, at one time or another in their lifetime will have the opportunity to look up to someone for some sort of guidance. Whether it be educational guidance or religious guidance, parental guidance or advice, and I am no exclusion. I have been faced with admiring someone for advice and support, the role that adults assume into a teenager’s life will help to shape who they will be one day. Sonny and I are no exclusion to this. Sonny has been faced with many different men from who his mother brings home to meet him. While Sonny is often smart enough to know whether or not the relationships between his mother and the men will last or not, when Cloyd becomes a more permanent figure in his life, Sonny will certainly be influenced by him. Cloyd is certainly a father figure to Sonny whether he is aware of it or not. Growing up, I didn’t have many male or father figure influences in my life because I was raised by single mother while sporadically visiting my own father. So when my mother was busy working, which she often was, I would actually look to friend’s mothers to for guidance. One mother in particular was always so accepting and so kind to me, she would offer me her best advice, she would help me with my homework and often feed me dinner. I would actually consider myself lucky to have had this lady in my life throughout some very impressionable years in my life in order to guide me in making the right decisions and having helped me in so many ways to become the woman that I am today.
Your typical American teenager is an easily influenced young adult faced with many difficult situations in which they need to figure out what is right and what is wrong. A typical teen has a local hangout spot and their own way of escaping reality from time to

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time. I certainly consider despite our subtle differences both Sonny and I to have been typical American teenagers.

Imitation

make sure it's in nuetral; turn the key to on; this is how you turn the gas on; turn the choke to half; kick it over; feather the throttle to give it some gas to keep it idling; turn the choke off; keep the gas on; pull in the clutch; kick it down into first gear; let the clutch out slow and give it gas; this is how you ride your dirtbike;

turn the ignition on; make sure its in nuetral; let the e-brake out; push in the clutch; put it into first gear; let out the clutch slow; give it gas; go; shift; this is how you drive your manual car;

this is how you tie a hook onto your line; attach your wieght; this is how you put your worm onto your hook; this is how to cast; this is how you plug for bass;

crack the eggs; put them into a bowl; this is how you mix them to make sure the yolks break; butter the pan; poor in the eggs; let them cook almost thoroughly; this is how you smoothly mix them around in the pan; keep them whole for as long as you can; this is how you scramble my eggs;

girl - by jamaica kincaid

Out of all of our short stories to choose from for this weeks assignment; I must say I like Girl the most. It was different and unique, strange and intense, intriguing and interesting. I've actually never read a short story in this fashion. Only separated by semi colons, no periods. It was a long story in the terms of it being a short story. The fact that it read like one long sentence also made it an easy read. One where I didn't want to stop reading at the pause of a semi colon, but instead I continued on reading looking for almost the point of the story. And it was intriguing when the point of the story came at the very end by way of question. At times in the reading I would find my mind multitasking by asking questions about where the story is taking me. Questions to try and find out information of where is our narrator? Where does she live? What's her culture? Religion? Race/Ethnicity? Is this information coming from mom, dad, an elder? Who is this telling her these life lessons and did they come out to her over a long expanded period of time? Or was it over a course of couple days, or hours even? This short story intrigued me with its difference that set it aside from other short stories I've read in the past.

Revised Thesis Statement - The Flowers

Here is my current thesis statement:
In this novel, we learn that Sonny partakes in some risky business, has a local hang out spot, and has a few very diverse adult influences; which in my oppinion are all typical teenage behaviors.

Revised thesis statement:
Throughout this novel I have learned so much about Sonny Bravo including his risky behavior, his local hangout spot, and his adult influences; now using reader response threory, I will discuss key elements that prove Sonny to be a typical American teenager.

For anyone reading this, feel free to help me by critique and of course constructive criticism! Thanks!

Transitions

Addition:
again, also, and, and then, beside, equally important to, finally, first, last, in addition, furthermore, second, still, too, next, moreover


Comparison:
also, in the same way, likewise, similarily


Concession:
granted, naturally, of course


Contrast:
although, and yet, at the same time, despite that, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary, still, though, yet, otherwise, regardless


Emphasis:
of course, in fact, indeed, certainly


Example:
for example, after all, in other words, of course, thus, that is, truly, to illistrate


Summary:
all in all, together, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in short, in summary, in simple terms, to summarize, that is, in particular

Time Sequence:
and then, also, meanwhile, in long, next, now, moreover, thereafter, too, since, so on, simulataniously, far, soon, still, then, thereafter, too, in the first place, in part, before, at last, in the first place, when, then

The Flowers - Rough Draft

            Within the novel The Flowers, by Dagoberto Gilb, we find a rather typical American teenager named Sonny. Sonny is our narrator, and the main character of the story. Throughout The Flowers, Sonny tells us his life story on a day-to-day basis by including what he is currently going through at that moment, while sharing memories that he’d made in the past. This balance of present versus past that Sonny conveys his story to us by, keeps him on a more relatable level because we go through life not only living in the present but thinking of our past as well. This type of first person point of view story telling allows us to fallow Sonny’s every move, and really divulge into his character; in which through his stories and encounters we are able to learn so much about him. In this novel, we learn that Sonny partakes in some risky business, has a local hang out spot, and has a few very diverse adult influences; which in my opinion are all typical teenage behaviors.  However, my personal memory of being an American teenager varies quite drastically from Sonny’s habits and experiences.

            While Sonny partakes in some risky, and downright strange habits of watching people through their windows and seeing into their homes, both in order to learn so much information about the families who lived there, just by that simple act of watching them. I can’t necessarily say that throughout my teenage years, I had a specific habit that would allow me that pleasure of gaining knowledge about other people without actually interacting with them. On the other hand, I’ve actually always been a social person who can talk to just about any one and by doing so, I feel as if that is the way that I would get to know people. Sonny’s voyeurism tendencies acted as an escape from his home life by being another place he can go, mentally as well as physically, to escape whatever it was he had to deal with at home. In contrast, whenever my home life was too much to handle, I would go over to a friend’s house and hang out there for a couple hours, or even a couple days. Sonny and my escapes from reality are quite different in how we get away, yet the reasons why were so similar in that we both were faced with situations we didn’t want to deal with at the time. Also, at the beginning of the novel, Sonny would not only watch from the outside, but break and enter into different houses just to get a feel for what it would be like to live in other types of home atmospheres. On the first two pages alone, the first things we learn about Sonny is that he would go inside strangers’ homes. “… I would go to a house… I’d crawl through an open window… I sprawled out on their couches or lay down on their beds. Go, How would it be if I lived here?” (pg. 1-2) While Sonny does this forcefully, I would spend time at friend’s houses that have different family morals. Some would be of different religions; some would be a single parent home, while others would have both sets of parents with many siblings and I’d stay with them for a few days at a time and try my best to imagine what it would be like to live there. But the fact of the matter is, no matter how we would do it; we both liked to get away from our situations and try to imagine ourselves in different ones.

            Another avenue of escape for Sonny is the bowling alley; it is another place where he can go to lose himself and forget about what is happening at his apartment, it is away for him to stop thinking about his mom and Cloyd, and it’s a local hang out spot where he can spend his time away from his home life. I too had a place where my friends and I would go to spend hours just hanging out together. Every Friday evening we’d all head down to the Tennant Station here in Morgan Hill. It all started when I was in 7^th grade, I would bum a ride off someone old enough to drive us there, we’d all meet up there and hang out together for hours on end; or at least until our moms would come to pick us up. The funny part about it is that we would rarely ever do what we had come there to do. Within that Tennant Station is a movie theater, bowling alley, bocce ball court, and a Safeway. But being in junior high limited us with how much disposable income we had, we hardly ever saw a movie at that movie theater, we never step foot inside that bowling alley and we literally never bowled, with the bocce ball court you had to be 21 even in order to enter and we were only half that age, that left the spot where we spent most of our time, the Safeway. No one really knows why Safeway became our popular hang out destination for Friday nights, maybe it was because there was a Starbucks, a deli, and anything you could ever want to munch on; whatever the reason, that Safeway was our hang out spot where we would meet up and spend hours at every weekend.

            Every person, at one time or another in their lifetime will have the opportunity to look up to someone for guidance. They will be faced with admiring someone for advice or support, also the role that adults automatically assume into a teenager’s life will help to shape who they will be one day, and Sonny is no exclusion to this. Sonny has been faced with many different men from who his mother brings home to meet him. While Sonny is often smart enough to know whether or not the relationships between his mother and the men will last or not, when Cloyd becomes a more permanent figure in his life, Sonny will certainly be influenced by him. Cloyd is certainly a father figure to Sonny whether he is aware of it or not.  At all moments of time, we all have influences in our lives, however sometimes when we’re younger we are more susceptible to adult influences compared to when we grow up a little and become more self assured of who we are. Growing up, I didn’t have many male or father figure influences in my life because I was raised by single mother while sporadically visiting my own father. So when my mother was busy working, which she often was, I would actually look to friend’s mothers to for guidance. One mother in particular was always so accepting and so kind to me, she would offer me her best advice, she would help me with my homework and often feed me dinner. I would actually consider myself lucky to have had this lady in my life throughout some very impressionable years in my life in order to guide me in making the right decisions and having helped me in so many ways to become the woman that I am today. 

               

               

"idea paper"

As of right this moment, I believe I am going to adopt the feminist critical theory to write my essay on Sylvia from The Flowers!! But who knows if upon the completion of the novel whether or not I will change my mind and choose something different to write about and maybe even a different critical theory, we'll see!