Share your literary essay with the rest of the students that chose this short story. Take some time to read 2 or 3 other essays. Comment on them. Your comment should be about something you noticed them doing well from our lessons. For example, "You did a really good job explaining your evidence"
The short story “Ruth” is about a young woman who had a good following on her twitter account where she posts about book reviews and recommendations and speaks up about her opinions on stuff like women's rights and education. Eventually she hears about an idea that was made by the government that states that they are thinking about banning muslim and Jewish people from adopting and she decides to make a post speaking out against that idea as she is a Jewish person herself. A little bit after making that post she received a hate comment which was very against Jewish people and called her a Jew in a hateful way and she continues receiving comments like that one despite her efforts to end the harassment. The author uses this to teach us lessons about cyberbullying; when you experience cyberbullying as the victim or cyberbully others as the bully themself, you don’t only end up hurting yourself, others around you get hurt as well.
ReplyDelete“Ruth” is a short story written by Laura Silverman about a girl who posts on twitter quite often about books and stuff she is interested in and eventually starts experiencing cyber bullying. However, after she posted a certain blog about a decision the government is trying to make about Jewish and muslim people, she receives a comment and continues to receive comments. She starts experiencing cyberbullying through these comments and she does not know how to react to these actions. As she has received comments kind of like this one on posts about things such as women's rights she has always just gone along with the thought of those comments being trolls. Since she has thought comments kind of like these were trolls in the past she didn’t necessarily know how to respond or react when she received that comment. The first way she tried dealing with the unwanted comments was on her own and to just and ignore them to see if they would eventually stop. She tried going along with the thought of this comment, also trying to be a troll or some elaborate prank as she knows what they are like from past experience. She has received comments sort of like that one in the past on other posts but she has always gone along with the thought of them being trolls so that is what she tried doing for that comment as well. After her first attempt at getting the unwanted comments to stop didn’t work she decided it was time to get someone else involved as well as, she didn’t know what to do and how she was going to go about that situation on her own anymore. She didn’t know how to respond to that comment by herself so she tried ignoring them to see if they would stop but they never did so, she told her friend and she helped her respond and take action against that act. Since she had tried one idea on her own and it didn’t quite work as planned she had decided to finally notify someone about what happened because she didn’t know what to do next. She used past experiences to reflect on her situation she was dealing with during present time even if this comment was different than the ones in the past.
Ruth wants to try and be independent and well caring for others and speak up about things that aren’t right so when she tried dealing with her issue on her own and it didn’t work she was hesitant about getting someone else involved. She had multiple different attempts at getting the online harassment over with but all but one she had to have her friend involved because her first attempt was by herself and it didn’t necessarily work out how she had planned which made her situation worse. 1/2
“Ruth” is a short story by Laura Silverman about a book blogger named Ruth. What makes this setting and story unique is the fact that Ruth is Jewish and someone finds out about her ethnicity. The theme of bullying starts when Ruth posts about the government trying to stop Jewish and Muslim communities from adopting; She receives a very hateful comment that changes how she thinks of herself. She opens up about it to her friend Kaitlyn and later opens up to the world. When she realizes it's time to make a difference, she stands up for herself. The author uses this to teach us lessons about bullying; when you stand up for yourself, you can overcome bullying.
ReplyDeleteThe plot events in “Ruth” show how bullying is best resolved when you stand up for yourself. First of all, Ruth posts online about an “adoption agency in Georgia refusing to let Jewish and Muslim couples adopt children.” You can see that in the author’s description, “I tweet the article link and caption it: “Congress is trying to ban Jewish and Muslim couples from adopting babies!! #VoteThemOut.” Secondly, she tells her friend about an incident that occured after this post. You can see that in the author’s description, “There was this troll on Twitter yesterday, and, um, they said shut up Jew?” The fans get the account banned and she finally feels a little bit happier. I wonder why she decides to tell Kaitlyn. Finally, she posts another blog, but this time she tells the world what is really happening to her. You can see that in the author's description, “If I let the trolls be the only voices out there, then they will win. So I will not encourage their hatefulness with my silence.” Clearly the actions throughout the short story showed that bullying can happen to anyone, and it is best dealt with when you stand up for yourself.
The dialogue in “Ruth” shows how bullying is best dealt with when you stand up for yourself. First of all, when Ruth tells Kaitlyn about the “Shut up Jew” comment, Kaitlyn responds in a positive way. This is shown in the author's description, “Are you serious? That's disgusting, Ruth! We have to do something about it!” Kaitlyn shows Ruth that this behavior is not okay and she needs to do something about it. Secondly, when the account makes the last comment, Ruth finally decides it is time to stand up for herself. We can see this when the author says, “when I read a book with horrible representation, whether it’s ableist or racist or fatphobic, I tweet and blog about it, making sure everyone I can reach hears me. I stand up for what's right. So why have I not been doing that for myself?” Finally, Ruth researched a quote and it changed the way she thought about the situation. The author shows this when, “and maybe if no one speaks up to those guys at a cafeteria table, they’ll grow up and become politicians, and they won’t see anything wrong about voting for laws not allowing us to adopt from certain places because to be honest they’ve always heard bad things about those Jews.” Clearly the dialogue throughout the short story showed that bullying is best dealt with when you stand up for yourself.
Ruth had only ever dealt with comments that she didn’t necessarily like on posts about issues with things like women's rights and education but she had always ignored them with the thought of them being trolls so when this happened she tried to make herself believe that the comment was the same case as the past ones and that they were just trolls even though this comment was different and and didn’t feel okay to her. She had dealt with comments that were kind of hateful on past posts but this comment on her post about Jewish people had felt different in a bad way but she wanted to believe that it was just a troll or a random person trying to be spiteful but she keep receiving comments like that one and she knows it's not right and it is cyberbullying that should be stood up against. She is trying to convince herself otherwise and believe that it is not something worse and more harmful to her. Clearly, the theme of the story “Ruth” is bullying. This is first seen when the author used repetition. Towards the middle of the story Ruth started receiving hate comments that turned into cyberbullying and those acts of bullying kept repeating throughout the story. Next, the theme was created when the author used symbolism. The author used symbolism all throughout the story but started in the beginning when they first mentioned the internet trolls that she dealt with. Finally, the author used figurative language to create the theme. Readers saw this when she used a lot of metaphors to explain how she felt about certain decisions of the government. As a result, it is evident that the theme of the “short story Ruth” is bullying. 2/2
ReplyDeletePart 2
ReplyDeleteThe figurative language in “Ruth” shows how bullying can hurt us, however, standing up for yourself can make a difference. First of all, when Ruth posts her tweet about the Jewish and Muslim couples banned from adopting children, she receives multiple notifications. We can see repetition in the author's description, “my phone pings. Then pings again and again and again.” Secondly, when Ruth first received the comment from the account, it affected her in a negative way. You can see that in the author’s description, “My stomach drops, throat tightens. The words stare me down.” At this moment, it certainly could be said the author created a theme of race. While this is a good point, it fails to account for the fact that not only does Ruth experience multiple hate comments and slurs, she also has to deal with her mental health because she constantly thinks about the incident in her head. As a result, the theme is clearly bullying. Finally, Ruth was negatively affected by the comment. She kept repeating it in her head. The metaphor shows how she was nervous after the incident. You can see that in the author’s description, “Another notification pings in. My heart skips a beat.” Clearly the figurative language throughout the short story showed that bullying can be dealt with if you stand up for yourself.
Clearly, the theme of “Ruth“ is bullying is best dealt with when you stand up for yourself. This is first seen when the author used plot events. Ruth gets a text about the government preventing Jewish and Muslim couples from adopting children, so then she posts online about her feelings. Then an anonymous person posts a hateful comment that leaves Ruth in shock. After one last hateful comment, she posts online about her story dealing with it and stands up for herself and for what is right. Next, the theme was created when the author used dialogue. When Ruth and her friend Kaitlyn are talking to each other about the comment that was posted, Kaitlyn gets Ruth to stand up for herself. Later, when Ruth is still dealing with all the online bullying, she finds a quote that inspires her to post about the issue and finally reveal that she is Jewish. Finally, the author used figurative language to create the theme. The author showed us repetition. Readers saw this when she repeats the comment “Shut up Jew” in her head multiple times. The author also used “the words stare back” to show personification. As a result, it is evident that the theme of “Ruth” is bullying is best dealt with when you show strength and stand up for yourself and for what is right.
Part one!!!!
ReplyDelete“Ruth” is a short story by Laura Silverman and it’s about a book blogger named Ruth. What makes this setting and story unique is the fact that Ruth is Jewish, and a bully finds out about her religion. The bully posts a rude comment on Ruth’s blog, and she has to stop it. The short story focuses on Ruth trying to deal with an online bully. Ruth asks her friends how to help and they tell her that she needs to stick up for herself. Because Ruth is Jewish, the bully thinks that they can bully her. The author uses this to teach us lessons about bullying; bullying is best beat when you stand up for yourself.
The dialogue in “Ruth” shows how bullying is best beat when you stand up for yourself. First of all, Ruth’s friend Kaitlyn tells Ruth the importance of standing up for yourself. Author’s description, “What?” Kaitlyn exclaims “Are you serious? That’s disgusting, Ruth! We have to do something about it!” “We do?” I ask “Of course! can’t let them get away with it.” Kaitlyn is telling Ruth that she must do something about the troll message. Secondly, Ruth heard two boys talking about how all Jews work in Hollywood. So, she tells Kaitlyn about it. She doesn’t think much of it, which hurts her. Author’s words, “‘They said like all Jews work in Hollywood’ Kaitlyn pauses, blinks, then shrugs. ‘Yeah, I mean a lot of them do, don’t they?’ My throat tightens. Suddenly, I feel hot and itchy and like I want to cry right here in the cafeteria.” This shows that Ruth didn't stand up for herself, which made her feel terrible. Finally, Ruth remembers the quote she saw about standing up for yourself if you’re getting bullied. Author’s words, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” This quote showed Ruth that she has to do something about the bullying. Clearly the dialogue throughout the short story showed that bullying is best beat when you stand up for yourself.
The plot events in “Ruth” show how bullying is best beat when you stand up for yourself. First of all, Ruth sees a post about how congress is trying to ban Jews from adopting. So she posts about it, and someone replies with a rude comment. The author’s description, “I tweet the article link and caption it: Congress is trying to ban Jewish and Muslim couples from adopting babies! #VoteThemOut…. I smile, glad to see I spread the word. I’m about to put my phone down and go back to reading when one more message pings in ‘Pepe lover: Shut up Jew’.” This could be interpreted as creating a theme of race; however it clearly created a theme of bullying because someone is actively bullying Ruth online. This is a sign to Ruth that she must stand up for herself. Secondly, The person came back and said a slur, so she disabled her account. The author’s description, “‘Pepe-Reborn: Can’t get rid of me that easily *slur*’...I don’t want to look at this. I can’t look at this… I put my account on lock, but some of the trolls have already followed me. Not knowing what else to do, I disable my account.” Since Ruth didn’t stand up for herself the first time, the troll was able to come back, with more people. Finally, She ends up posting about the trolls to spread awareness. The author’s description, “The post is beautiful. My very best yet… But I can’t let them stay out there alone, saying these hateful and false things, without someone countering them. Because if they’re the only voice out there, then they are right by default.” Ruth finally posted about the trolls, and she was able to stop it. Clearly the plot events of the characters throughout the short story showed that bullying is best beat when you stand up for yourself.
Part two!!!
ReplyDeleteThe figurative language in “Ruth” shows how bullying is best beat when you stand up for yourself. First of all, when Ruth sees the troll comment, she repeats it over and over in her head. The author’s description, “My stomach drops, throat tightens. The words stare me down. ‘Shut up Jew, Shut up Jew, Shut up Jew." Secondly, Ruth gets the second troll comment and the troll calls in reinforcements. The author’s description, “My heart races as I stare at the word… And who are all of those people he’s tagging? I go to text Kaitlyn for advice, but suddenly my phone buzzes again and again and again.” Finally, after Ruth gets the troll comment, another comment comes in, and she’s scared it’s another rude comment. The author’s description, “Suddenly the word I’ve identified with my entire life feels dirty. Another notification pings in. My heart skips a beat, and I swallow hard before reading it.” Clearly the figurative language throughout the short story showed that bullying is best beat when you stand up for yourself.
Clearly, the theme of “Ruth“ is bullying. This is first seen when the author used dialogue. When she heard those two boys talking about Jewish people and Kaitlyn not caring, or Kaitlyn telling Ruth that she has to do something about the comment, and the quote that she found that if you’re silent, your bully will continue. Next, the theme was created when the author used plot events. When the bullier commented twice on her blog, and how she finally got the courage to post about it, calling the bullier out. Finally, the author used figurative language to create the theme. Readers saw this when she kept repeating the three words the bullier used in the first comment. ‘Shut up Jew’, or the metaphors that were used to describe how she was feeling. As a result, it is evident that the theme of “Ruth“ is bullying.
Ruth gets a tweet message from a troll on twitter, and said “shut up jew” the bully is discriminitory and acts mean towards Ruth, and the troll messes with her head causing Ruth to tremble and get offended by the comment from the bully.
ReplyDeleteRuth tries to ignore the bully and she goes out to hang with her good friend Kaitlyn, they go out for a drink to talk about what has happened. Kaitlyn was stunned to hear about the rude comment.
She then tells Ruth that she needs to come up with a comeback tweet to the bully, Ruth lends her phone to Kaitlyn and she tries to think of something good, and she eventually replied to the bully: “Shut up troll”.
Kaitlyn also wanted to report and block the bully and had the idea to get other supporters to gang up on the bully, and it worked, the supporters reactions were sad, they felt sorry for Ruth and they gave comfort tweets to her, like “sending hugs” and "get better soon"