Thematic Essay

The book I chose is “Son” by Lois Lowry. It is the 4th book of The Giver quartet. The book is about a mother in search of her son, who was stolen from her. Claire will stop at nothing to find her son. I think the thesis is; Don’t let others control you.

One of the places in the book where this lesson shows up is where Claire, the main character, feels un-able to save her son from being taken elsewhere because he is not able to function to the community’s standards.   

Another place this lesson shows up is when the antagonist, Trademaster, trades one of the best qualities of people for something they really want. The people he trades with feel like they are under control from his evil spell.

The last place I think this lesson shows up is where Gabe, Claire’s son, has to defeat Trademaster and he has to resist the temptation of his trades. Gabe defeats the Trademaster by using his special power called veer which is where Gabe is able to look into someone’s mind for a few seconds.

I like this book because it is confusing and mysterious. It keeps you turning the pages. I think the lesson is; Don’t let others control you. The book gives you many examples from each perspective of when you let people control you to when you fight the temptation.

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
I feel like as an 8th grade this verse makes me feel like a stronger leader. I also feel like as a Christian the foundation I have at school will help me in my faith. This verse to me is a great foundation start for my faith as a Christian and for being a leader as an 8th grader at ZCS.

As an 8th grader at ZCS this verse is saying to have a good foundation on God so you will start off with a strong foundation for your faith. I also think it’s saying to have a strong foundation to be a good leader and example for the younger grades at school. Right now we might not be have the perfect foundation to be a good example because we haven’t really been at the top, so we might have only a little foundation in leading others. As we learn to lead others our foundation in that will get stronger. I think we should all try our best to get the best foundation we can on God so we can have a good structure on God for if we go to a public school or even if we go to a christian school. But just having a good foundation in God will give us a good starting point on our faith path.

As a Christian in the world the foundation we get from going to a christian school will give us a great foundation to our faith. There are lots of things to give us a foundation; (Church, youth group, ZCS, others, your parents…). Being a Christian and going to a public high school could be ruff but if you have a strong starting foundation in Him you will have an easier time dealing with harder things. The starting foundation you get from school or from your parents can affect your high school foundation, whether it’s in God or not. I think it’s important to have a strong starting foundation in Christ so you might follow Him forever.

This verse to me is a great foundation start for my faith as a Christian and for being a leader as an 8th grader at ZCS. I want to let you know that I think you should have a good foundation in leadership for 8th grade and have a strong foundation in Christ so you can live your life knowing what He has done for us all.