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Is this too anti-establishment for middle school?
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A don't think zombies heed too many orders. They always do what they want. Even if it's a single thing :)
Zoltán wrote: "A don't think zombies heed too many orders. They always do what they want. Even if it's a single thing :)"Yeah. I didn't say this was a perfect theme, just one I could make work. The zombies is my metaphor for mindlessness, the vampire is my metaphor for directed passion.
My MC decides to stop being a zombie and become a vampire.
Looks perfect. You just reminded me how happy I am to be done with school!
I would love this if i were in middle school. Ha.
I'm in love with this metaphor and your point as well. (And the dialogue and the everything!) and if schools can't take this level of very merited criticism, then perhaps it's time to pull a Mother Russia and start banning them :)
Agree with the others. This is thought provoking and accessible for any age.
Thank you all. I will stop worrying now.
haha I love it.
As a matter of fact, I remember saying about the same thing back when I was in school, but using robots instead of zombies. (Zombies were not very popular back then.) You should not worry at all.
It's fine - you want to be in the kids' corner, relating to how they may feel, just as adults may feel they're on life's treadmill doing others' bidding through obligations and responsibilities we all have. Well done!
I depends. Some teachers are offended very easily. Others aren't. I find when teachers identify more with the teachers in the book than the kids they close themselves off, not remembering what it was like to be a kid or to see the kid's POV as valid.
This is going to be a bit off topic regarding the OP question and I might be in minority here.First of all, I clearly remember how it felt to be in high-school. I also have to add, that I've been in one of the strongest schools in my country. One commonly referred around here as 'racing team'. You could hardly make it more "go here, learn this, do that".
Still... taking the following sentence from the above quote: "Shuffling from class to class, going where they tell us, wandering aimlessly from point A to point B?"
The first part "Shuffling from class to class, going where they tell us," is true. But I have (and would have had) problem with the second part "wandering aimlessly from point A to point B?".
It is far from aimless. It has a very well set goal and closest to clean self interest as it will get to most people who will work at companies and serving the company goals. While adult and free, most adults are way more zombies than teens. The latter might not be self sufficient and have to follow other's direction, most will experience the most freedom in their life.
One of the reasons child labor is bad. It pulls the 'zombiness' into childhood.
I only saw a fraction of the book above, but there are few things where we can safely generalize. What is the average teen doing? They are "pushed around" during school and acquiring that can make their life better (might be 'low pay zombie' vs 'high pay zombie' later, but it does make a difference). Then they spend tie together watch TV, chat, etc. What is an average adult doing? Get up, go to work, got pushed around all day for the same pay, go home, spend some time with a tired "NOOP" activity, go to bed. Mince and repeat.
I'm talking about average people. You can surely show a handful of people who had barely done a high and got bloody rich, but compare that number to the billions. Lottery can make you rich, it it's not a career path :)
Just my 2 cents... You may safely ignore my rant ;)
Zoltán wrote: "Lottery can make you rich, it it's not a career path :)"I'm thinking less lottery, and more Silicon Valley.
@Susan: In Silicon Valley you find two kind of rich people. The ones who spent effort in being good in their fields and have good wages. And a small group who was at the right place at the right time and was fortunate to start something good. If you read the story of the big names of Silicon Valley, you will always see a good dose of luck. And everyone tends to forget about those hundreds of thousands who failed (to become billionaire). A big dose of lottery...
Middle school is how old? (I'm British lol) I'd say it's fine for 6+. Maybe 7, but it isn't that offensive or anything...
I like it, and think it's a fair assessment of how things work. It's a very good portrayal of not only a life of a child, but what to expect when you're a grown up too.
Any school that would ban that should not be entrusted with educating anyone. You're fine.
Maymunah wrote: "Middle school is how old? (I'm British lol) I'd say it's fine for 6+. Maybe 7, but it isn't that offensive or anything..."
Ages 10-14, but many people allow kids as young as 8 to read MG. It's meant more for 11 year olds. I think British MG is closer to acting like the real age group than American which is milder.
Maymunah wrote: "Middle school is how old? (I'm British lol) I'd say it's fine for 6+. Maybe 7, but it isn't that offensive or anything"
Middle school is 6-8 grade, my MC is 13 / eighth grade. Reading age is middle grades -- grade 4-7, or age 9-12. I guess at 13 you're a teenager, and they move you to YA whether you're ready or not.
--------text-------
During one of the commercials, Vicky turned philosophical. “Do you ever feel we’re zombies, Candy? Shuffling from class to class, going where they tell us, wandering aimlessly from point A to point B? Like the movie zombies in Monroeville Mall?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“We read what they tell us to read, write what they tell us to write, and move on to the next class. Then we do it all over again. But it’s worked for us so far. As long as we do what they say, they give us good grades, and privileges, and awards, and put our names in the school paper. Nice zombies. Good zombies. Straight-A zombies. But maybe we shouldn’t be zombies.”
And then the movie was back.