Sunday, May 15, 2011

Small Steps

The novel "Small Steps" written by Louis Sachar is the sequel to his previous novel "Holes". It tells of the life that a camp member at Camp Green Lake detention center mentioned in "Holes" named Armpit or Theodore. He lives in Texas next door to a little girl named Ginny. She has cerebral palsy. Armpit is trying to make an honest living being a landscaper when X-Ray, his friend from Camp Green Lake, shows up with a money making idea: ticket scalping of a Kaira DeLeon concert. At first he is skeptical of taking part in illegal behavior after his visit at Camp Green Lake, but he is eventually persuaded by X-Ray. Before the day of selling the tickets, Armpit decides to take Ginny to the concert because she is a big fan of Kaira. X-Ray gives them two tickets, but it turns out that they were fake copies. Armpit is arrested at the concert but he is saved by the mayor whom he did landscaping for. Kaira DeLeon invites them for a backstage experience because of the incident. From the beginning there is an immediate spark between Armpit and Kaira. His opinion of her changes from being,"Kind of sassy and playful...," to respect for her daily concerns and difficulties (15). Between them they will go through their ups and downs and even a life threatening situation. Sachar takes us on an amazing journey with the two people from two different worlds and their love for each other.

1. Do you think that one should take some small steps to reach his or her goal and take big steps when they readily become available or always take small steps or always big steps? Why?

17 comments:

Leah K. 7-8 said...

1. They should start off with the small steps that are avaiable to them but if a big step is ready for them to take then they should take it. It will just help them to reach their goal a lot faster.

Heather B. 1-2 said...

1.) People should start off with small steps so that they do not become overwhelmed by whatever it is they were trying to do. However, once they become more sure of themselves, they should be able to take bigger steps to reach their goals faster.

Garret Edward Patrick Graehling 1/2 said...

It depends on the situation and the person it's hard to say.

Natesa W. 7-8 said...

1. You should start out with small steps to make sure what you are doing is achievable. Once you are ready, you can begin making big decisions.

Sara D. 7-8 said...

I agree with Natesa, one should start off with small steps then begin taking big steps when they are available because if you start off with big steps you will most likely quit after a couple of days. Also, by taking big steps later on that might not be available to you any later, you will not regret the decisions you could have made. It is like the whole "Carpe Diem" thing.

Avi D. 7/8 said...

I agree, one should take small steps in the beginning and take big steps when they are readily available. Sara I like how you compared this to a transcendental idea; "Carpe Diem"

Sarah N. 7-8 said...

1. I agree with Heather and the other comments. I think that in the beginning it is important to take small steps to get your "footing" and become comfortable with the situation. However, I think that if you are ready to take a big step you should. It all depends on the situation. It is true that larger steps get you to your goal faster, but you should not take to large of steps and become overwhelmed.

Abby M. 1-2 said...

1. I definately think it depends on the situation. If a big step is available when you start out then I say take it, you have nothing to loose. I think you should start out taking big steps, because if you fail you will just be back where you started, but as you move on take smaller steps because you have taken the time to build something up, and you stand to loose more if you take a big step and fail.

jessica b 1/2 said...

1. It obviously depends on the people and situautions involved, but I personally believe, that in most cases, it is better to take small steps at first, so one do not get overwhelmed, and eventually work their way into bigger steps to finaly reach your goal.

Hannah J. 7-8 said...

1. i think there should be small and big steps should be taken. it obviously depends on the situation to decide which size steps to take but i think there are appropriate times for each.

Jacob C. 1-2 said...

1. I believe people should mainly make small steps. However, one should take advantage of opportunities that are presented to them. So basically a person should work bit by bit toward their goal unless an opportunity arises to take a leap towards the goal.

Kyle N.1-2 said...

I agree with Jacob and Abby and the others. Small steps are always good, but when you can take a big step, go for it.

Unknown said...

1. I think one should begin taking small steps to set the pace, then as the goal becomes closer and easier to reach start taking big steps.

Spencer P. 1-2 said...

1. There is a saying, "Slow and steady wins the race." But that's garbage, I believe fast and steady wins the race. Give it your all and do anything you can to reach your goal.

Sydney M 7-8 said...

1. I think starting off with small steps is the best way to go. After awhile, if you feel comfortable then I think you should take big steps to reach your goal.

Adam B. 7-8 said...

1. Taking small steps at the beginning would be the best idea. It would give the person the confidence to take the big step to reach their goal if that opportunity presents itself.

Anna W. 1-2 said...

1. Like many others have said, the circumstances should be weighed in making a decision to be realistic about achieving it with big or small steps. I think it would be wise to first consider what is realistic and take small steps to achieve it then move onto big steps once you can attain it. In this way, there is no burden of overwhelming yourself, and if you find out it is not attainable to you, then the losts are not heavy.