Comparing and Contrasting Steve and Cruz

Steve hadn't come from a bad background. His family cares for him a lot. Steve also has a conscious. He doesn't believe he's a bad boy. He also isn't involved in any gangs. He tries not to affiliate himself with bad people.

Osvaldo Cruz however would do nearly anything to get out of jail. But he is in a gang. To get into this gang, the Diablos, you have to leave your mark on someone. You have to slash someone where it shows. You also have to fight someone who already is a member. He tries to make himself look innocent in court, but outside of court, he isn't. I think he should be the one who is on trial. 

Similarities: They both are minority ethnic groups. They also both took part in the murder of Nesbitt. And they are both juveniles. They both started hanging out with the wrong crowds, too. And the last thing they had in common was that they both needed the money because they were poor.

I think the reason Walter Dean Myers did this is to make a twist in the story. I think they should have both Steve and Cruz on trial.

Steve's Inner Conflict for Journal Entry

Steve tells himself constantly that he's not a bad person over and over. Other people in the detention center say they don't care what happens to them. Steve isn't intimidated by James King anymore either. James tries to scare him but Steve realizes he isn't intimidated by it. Also, when Arcie starts to cry about going to jail, Steve realizes he will have to go to jail for at least 25 years. That makes him cry because he thinks he's not a bad person. In this blog, you see the vulnerable side to Steve.

CSI Report

This all started with the four boys (Steve Harmon, James King, Richard "Bobo" Evans, and the Rat). They were poor and decided to rob a drugstore owned by Alguinalldo Nesbitt. Steve's job was to go into the drugstore and check and see if anyone was in there. When the coast was clear, James King and Bobo Evans go in there start to rob the store. Osvaldo Cruz was to stay outside and be the lookout. Alguinalldo Nesbitt had a gun and start to wrestle with one of the boys and the gun goes off killing Alguinalldo Nesbitt. Then Bobo steals some cigarettes and sells them to Wendell Bolden. Wendell Bolden tells the story to Sal Zinzi and he tells the cops about it to get out of trouble. Then the cops find Bobo Evans and question him. He pleads guilty and then tells the cops who else did it. Steve Harmon and James King were caugt and are now in court.

Paragraphs about P. 20-40

Each of the lawyers want their side to be right. The prosecution wants to make Steve and the others look really bad and criminally mischievous. But the defense on the other hand wants to make the witnesses and the people testifying on the prosecution side to look criminally mischievous. The prosecution has some criminals testifying for them. And one of them is really desperate to get out of a bad situation. That's bad for them. 

 I would be terrified if I were in Steve's shoes right now. I would almost do anything to make sure I'm found not guilty. Especially if I didn't do it. I also want to know why Evans isn't on there. He was part of the crime. Also, Steve is a juvenile and I don't think juveniles should be put on Death Row. I think that if it is a bad enough crime, adults should be put on Death Row. But they should wait for the juvenile to grow up and realize what s/he has done before they kill him/her.

Summary of the First 19 Pages

The book starts out in the detention center and then it switches to a conference room, and then it goes to the courtroom. Steve and Kathy talk about whether he has a chance about winning. Steve's definition of winning is probably different than Kathy's. The last thing that happens is the judge asking the court how they have been the past few days. This book is kind of confusing. When the judge asked what they did over the Fourth of July I was confused. And when Steve raised his hand to comment that the ending of Sawicki's juried competition was good, I couldn't tell what that it was. Who is James King? I really don't like this movie thing very much.

Characters (Will be updated)

Steve Harmon: He's a little bit worried about how the trial will end off.

Kathy O'Brien: She's a little bit stoic and it sounds like she doesn't car about how the trial ends. She's kind of depressing. She has no emotion.

James King; One of the people accused for the murder of Alguinalldo Nesbitt.

Sandra Petrocelli: The attractive prosecutor, intensely motivated towards this case.

Asa Briggs: The lead counsel for the defense of James King.

Mr. Sawicki: He's with nine students and he is a film club mentor. He's kind of wise.

Alguinalldo Nesbitt: He was the guy murdered in the drug shop.

Jose Delgado: Worked in drugstore and found Mr. Nesbitt's body. Found out the cigarettes were stolen.

Sal Zinzi: When Bolden told him the story, Zinzi ran off to the police to tell them the story just to get out of a sticky situation.

Wendell Bolden: James King sold him some cigarettes and told him some things went down at the shop.

Jerry Harmon: Steve's younger brother.

Osvaldo Cruz: He was the lookout outside the drugstore.

Paragraphs about Monster

I think that he feels different about who he is. He's not a bad kid because he has feelings about the other inmates. To him, this whole jail experience doesn't seem real and it's confusing. He's going to tell this experience the way he can write and understand it himself. He feels alone when there is a lot of other people around him. This experience is different from his normal life.

                     I can understand what Steve is going through this book that I once read. In the book I read, the main character is Max. And Max life changed all in a matter of hours. He got kidnapped after school while in a detention and while in a strange building, he contemplates his life and what he would've changed. He realized that he was a jerk to people before and wants to change that. This reminds me of Monster. It doesn't feel real and it is kind of like what Steve is going through.

Where I'm from Poem

I am from Tide

from dusty fans and Sweet-smelling Lysol

I am from the Openness,

hot rooms, lingering lemony-lime scent.

I am from the grass and weeds

and from the mighty Mulberry tree

whose long gone limbs I remember

as if they were my own.

I’m from going to my grandma’s and eyeglasses

and from Duane and Beth.

I’m from sleeping in and academics

and from a Catholic-filled family.

I’m  from Santa Claus and fairy tales

and from not giving up.

I’m from Carroll, Iowa and a proud, Irish background

from the ever-present hamburgers and orange julius

I’m from first ever state track champion from Kuemper,

and from oil paintings from my dad’s grandma

on our wondrous Walls.

These are the things that I’m from, the things that will never be forgotten. I will cherish these with all my heart till the end of my days.

Walter Dean Myer's Purpose for Writing

I think Walter Dean Myers tries to connect with the kids who read his books. He writes books that kids want to read. He does that because he believes that kids need to read to be successful. Harlem I think is an interesting city with a lot of different cultures. I bet there are more than just the African (116th street) and modern cultures (125th street) there too. It didn't show the bad stuff though. Like kids smoking or bullies robbing people or beating them up. It happens, but the world doesn't know it.

Should Juveniles be Tried as Adults?

I think the juvenile system should stay the same. We should have it because kids' brains' are still developing. If you were really good at something before, like learning languages, but you won't be as good at it later in your life. That part of your brain that makes decisions is very weak when you are a kid. For adults, that part of your brain is done growing. Also, if an eight year old commits murder, it's not right fro that kid never to have a chance at life ever again. That's why I think the juvenile system should stay the same.