Questions & Answers
Depression is a severe despondency and dejection, typically felt over a period of time and accompanied by feelings of hopelessness. Do you think the book properly portrays depression? Does it match the depression in our society?
Difficulty concentrating- Matt had trouble concentrating in class after he was allowed back into school. His good grades had started to slip as he was losing his focus on what was important.
Fatigue- Ursula seemed to be more and more tired as the problem further developed, she even quit basketball in an effort to have more time.
Insomnia- Matt appeared to never sleep or only sleep for a couple hours at a time. Matt would stay up emailing Ursula even after she had already went to bed.
Thoughts of suicide/suicide attempts- Ursula had found Matt in the nature preserve about to jump off the cliff in an attempt to get away from all the chaos he had been facing.
Persistent sad, anxious or empty feelings- Matt felt empty and unwanted when he returned to school. His emotion got the better of him causing him to become frequently distracted. Ursula felt like she wasn't good enough and that if she was like her little sister, maybe more people would like her and her parents would want to be more involved and supportive in her life.
Sometimes it seems as if depression is a trend in our society. In the book, it displays depression as a secret and you only show noticeable signs when you're by yourself.
Cyberbullying, physically, socially and verbally are some different ways you can experience bullying. In the book, Matt Donaghy is bullied for his parents wanting to sue the school. What were the reasons they wanted to sue? How is bullying shown in the book? How is it different from bullying nowadays? In what ways is the bullying similar?
Matt and his family were harassed with threats through phone calls and letters, because of this, Matt's parents wanted to sue for "defamation of character" and "mental distress" (132). Bullying is shown in the book mostly through Matt Donaghy. In the book, Trevor Cassity was the main bully. After Matt's parents sued the school, Matt was constantly threatened and harassed by kids from his school but mostly, Trevor Cassity. In one situation, Matt was walking home when Trevor Cassity and a couple of his friends basically jumped him, leaving him on the cold, icy ground in the middle of winter until a woman found him and helped him up. This differs somewhat from bullying today, given that a lot of social media sites are available now. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Vine, Tumblr and so many others. Today, bullying is most commonly cyberbullying vs. face to face bullying.
Sticks through tough times, listens, believes in him, can be himself around is Matt's idea of a real friend. What and who helps him realize this? After the accused bomb threat, all of Matt's "friends" stopped talking to him. Except for Ursula who wasn't really his friend to begin with but later, began connecting .
Difficulty concentrating- Matt had trouble concentrating in class after he was allowed back into school. His good grades had started to slip as he was losing his focus on what was important.
Fatigue- Ursula seemed to be more and more tired as the problem further developed, she even quit basketball in an effort to have more time.
Insomnia- Matt appeared to never sleep or only sleep for a couple hours at a time. Matt would stay up emailing Ursula even after she had already went to bed.
Thoughts of suicide/suicide attempts- Ursula had found Matt in the nature preserve about to jump off the cliff in an attempt to get away from all the chaos he had been facing.
Persistent sad, anxious or empty feelings- Matt felt empty and unwanted when he returned to school. His emotion got the better of him causing him to become frequently distracted. Ursula felt like she wasn't good enough and that if she was like her little sister, maybe more people would like her and her parents would want to be more involved and supportive in her life.
Sometimes it seems as if depression is a trend in our society. In the book, it displays depression as a secret and you only show noticeable signs when you're by yourself.
Cyberbullying, physically, socially and verbally are some different ways you can experience bullying. In the book, Matt Donaghy is bullied for his parents wanting to sue the school. What were the reasons they wanted to sue? How is bullying shown in the book? How is it different from bullying nowadays? In what ways is the bullying similar?
Matt and his family were harassed with threats through phone calls and letters, because of this, Matt's parents wanted to sue for "defamation of character" and "mental distress" (132). Bullying is shown in the book mostly through Matt Donaghy. In the book, Trevor Cassity was the main bully. After Matt's parents sued the school, Matt was constantly threatened and harassed by kids from his school but mostly, Trevor Cassity. In one situation, Matt was walking home when Trevor Cassity and a couple of his friends basically jumped him, leaving him on the cold, icy ground in the middle of winter until a woman found him and helped him up. This differs somewhat from bullying today, given that a lot of social media sites are available now. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Vine, Tumblr and so many others. Today, bullying is most commonly cyberbullying vs. face to face bullying.
Sticks through tough times, listens, believes in him, can be himself around is Matt's idea of a real friend. What and who helps him realize this? After the accused bomb threat, all of Matt's "friends" stopped talking to him. Except for Ursula who wasn't really his friend to begin with but later, began connecting .