Response+to+Literature

====** The emotional novel I read this summer was __That Was Then, This is Now,__ written by S.E. Hinton. The setting takes place at a poor bar in a town unmentioned. The characters all considered themselves to be tough. Mark was a little childish but mostly took things as if he was like a grown man. Bryan was very mature though and is also the narrator of this book. The conflict of this book was mainly involving Mark and Bryon. These two “brothers” were always by one another side. With that being said, the conclusion of my theme is “That was then and this is now” but there is also another one which is “keep moving forward.”  **==== ====** As I stated previously, the theme is "That was then this is now." Bryon was beginning to make better choices and began to change his life around but his "brother" Mark wasn't trying to do anything in life because he put himself down and wands up in jail. There were main characters demonstrating my theme. The two that demonstrated this was Mark and Bryon. Bryon began to realize when it comes to the end that tings in the past has to remain in the past and it can't be changed. Mark wanted to change his life but began to put himself down and ended up in jail. This could be applied to real life because people put themselves down so much that they end up nowhere in life. **==== ====** I would recommend this book to high school and middle school because students our age do a lot of crazy things that later on in life we regret. High school and middle school should read this because children in the world now witness everything. If they read this book, it could possibly help them. Throughout this book I learned that you should keep your head held high and move on. I say this because Bryon witnessed so much in his life from his friend Charlie getting shot, Mike Chambers being beaten because of the color of his skin, to his own "brother" being put behind bars. Mike Chambers being beaten because of the color of his skin, because he decided to help and African- American is and effective element in this book. **==== ==== ** The things I would change in this book are Bryon's ways at the end of this novel. He began to act as if he didn't care when he said that he would never see Mark in jail again. That was a terrible decision on his behalf because Mark and Bryon were suppose to be brothers and they let a little situation innerving with their relationship. Those two were close and they shouldn't pretend as if they both never existed to one another. With this being said, the entire book was a very well written emotional book. This book should and has to be read. ** ====