Reading Response: Divergent and Insurgent

  I began reading Divergent a few weeks ago and stole Ms. James book and read it within two days. The book is all about a girl who is dealing with choosing a faction when she turns 16. Everyone goes through a simulation when they turn 16 to see which faction will be best for their personality. What is a faction; it is divisions of the city that are grouped together by "rules" and expectations for everyone to follow. Tris, the main character gets her test results back from the simulation and the woman who delivered the news told her whispered it to her that her tesr results were inconclusive and she was a Divergent. This was secret information and Tris was supposed to never tell anyone; her test results were even altered so that no one could use it against her.
  The next day was the choosing ceremony where all the families would gather and the children would wait their turn to choose a faction. Caleb, Tris's brother chose Erudite, a faction of computes and knowledge. Tris was so shocked by her brother's betrayal and his choice that when she went up she wasn't completely sure of her choice still. When it came down to it, Tris choose to be in Dauntless which was the most extreme group of all the factions.
   Tris departs from her family and heads out on her new life as a part of Dauntless. She learns the customs of the group but never really feels like she truly fits in and can change her mindset like the rest of them do. Tris learns what strength really is and starts making it to the tops of the leader boards after training from the leaders. In the middle of the night, Tris is captured and a group tries to throw her over board into a gully. She struggles and she feels that it is the end, just when she is just about to be thrown over the edge, one of her leaders, Four saves her.

  From that point on in the story, a relationship between Tris and Four begins to blossom and they are better together, as many of us are. It is weird because in the book the relationship is so unexpected and Tris feels like she isn't capable of love. I feel like many of us feel like this; that we aren't capable of receiving love or giving it so often times we push away. Then, when we least expect it, a relationship blooms from out of nowhere. Relationships often times change you for the better, if you allow them. So often kids my age take relationships to the extreme. It seems as if no one in high school remotely knows what the concept of dating is. Instead we all jump head first into these relationships with tons of expectations and think that sexual things are meant to happen.

 We are called the Entitlement generation for a reason; we feel as if we deserve the things that are given to us, or we expect things to happen. In the book, I feel like Tris is a lot like me in the sense that she has no expectations for her relationship because she has never been in one before and all she has had as an example for a relationship are her parents who were very non-physical with things. We all need to look for these examples in our lives and try to live out a better life by them.
  So far I love this series and am seeking out the third book to read already! I am so excited by what's to come, but I am predicting death since the series stops after the third book. I would love to do a writing assignment on making an alternate ending or taking a different route in the book that we are reading. I feel like that would be challenging and fun!