Practice Essay

English Practise Essay

Michael Gerard Bauer’s novel The Running Man demonstrates through multiple characters the dangers of stereotyping and ‘putting people in boxes’. The characters that show this the best are Tom Leyton, Joseph Davidson and Mrs Mossop as they all have been judged and have been trapped.

Tom Leyton demonstrates to readers the dangers of stereotyping and trapping people in their homes like boxes. Tom supports this message as he has experienced them both. He has been judged and has terrible rumours about him. From is experiences during his life, he has locked himself away to prevent the terrible prejudice thought and opinions from other people like Mrs Mossop when she said; “ I hope so Laura, because I think Tom Leyton is a dangerous, sick man, and he’ll be watching your son.” (pg 11) Although Tom doesn’t know what Mrs Mossop thinks about him, he doesn’t want to see the expressions on peoples face when he steps out side and think of him like Mrs Mossop. Tom has been stereotyped ever since he came back from Vietnam. Like Mrs Mossop people think of he as a dangerous man and he is someone to stay away from. Tom Leyton demonstrates clearly that stereotyping and trapping people in themselves is dangerous.

Mrs Mossop highly shows the dangers of stereotyping and ‘putting people in boxes’. She demonstrates this, as she is the one that stereotypes about other people. Although she is the one stereotyping she is also judged by her gossip and judgements. Mrs Mossop is always judging a person by its cover and the story behind the first layer of skin and she is always the one that starts to pass it around as a rumour. Stereotyping like Mrs Mossop is highly dangerous as people can then start to not trust and share stories about them to her. People like Caroline, Toms sister, can’t imagine ‘Mrs Mossop staying still for more than a millisecond…. Certainly not her mouth, anyway.’ (pg.15) This demonstrates that people think that even though she like to share her opinion, she shares to much and talks in a prejudice way. Mrs Mossop’s opinions and judgements trap people in to thinking that she is always right. In doing this, people lose their confidence and self-esteem. Mrs Mossp is a prime example of the dangers of stereotyping and trapping people in themselves like boxes.

The danger of stereotyping and ‘putting people in boxes’ is also demonstrated through the character of Joseph Davidson. He portrays this message as he judged people before he knew them and finds out who they really are. He also has experienced being trapped inside himself like a locked box. Joseph at the start of the novel was judging and was locked away in his personal box. He would judge Tom from all the rumours told by Mrs Mossop. He would judge Tom Leyton ‘and now the brother whose existence she previously failed to acknowledge was now called ‘Tommy’ as if he were a harmless child.’ (pg 18) This is demonstrating that Joseph has a bad mindset on Tom Leyton as a character. As the novel progressed Joseph learnt the dangers of stereotyping and he broke from his box. In doing so he helped Tom break his slowly. Joseph Davidson has showed the dangers of stereotyping and putting other down and has realised that is was wrong.

The novel The Running Man has clearly demonstrated the dangers of stereotyping and ‘putting people in a box’. Through realising the dangers of stereotyping and being trapped in a box is not good, a few of the characters developed habits to go around those horrible moments. The dangers of doing these things can be consequential and Michael Gerard Bauer has demonstrated this magnificently.

Quation homework

The theme my quotes will be in is, The Importance of Family. 

The importance of family is a big role and message in the novel The Running Man

1. "Josephbowed his head, unable to stop feeling more then guilty about his role in Tom's condition." (pg.182).

This quote relates to my theme as is shows how much Joseph cares about Tom and how he feels like he could've avoided that.

2. "Ever since then she's had to take care of him- ..... For all those years. And look what it has done to her- drained her dry. Her career, her fiancé, her future - all gone." (pg.10) 

This quote relates to my theme as importance of family involves sacrifice and caring. Caroling, Toms sister has sacrificed her life to be with him and look after him. 

3. ' that afternoon Joseph felt an overwhelming dread hardening inside him like ice. At first the headline Three Missing PNG Landslide failed to make a connection, but whe Bougainville leapt form the page and felt as if he had been kicked in the chest.' (pg. 233)

This quote shows the importance of family as Joseph reading the headlines in the newspaper started to worry him, as that was where his father was working. Importance of family have many emotions with it and worrying, sorrow and dreadfulness, shows that we care for one another and that we couldn't stand to see one another get hurt and that is what Joseph and his mother are feeling at this point in time in the book.

Paragraph Question

In the novel the Running Man by Michael Gerard Bauer, there are many experiences and personalities from which Joseph as a character has changed and developed his understanding of others. Joseph at the beginning of the novel was someone who was shy and believed every rumor that was said and /or described by Mrs Mossop. As the novel progress, so did Joseph. His progress started from one afternoon in the Leyton's backyard. He was helping Caroline Layton (his neighbor) with her lawn. They were talking about Josephs art project; he had to draw a portrait of a real person that he knew. Caroline had then suggested the following;
"Caroline looked at the young boy before her and seemed reassured by his open, friendly expression, but what she said next hit Joseph like an unexpected blow to the stomach.
'I thought perhaps you could draw my brother Tommy?'"(pg.17)
What Caroline had said made Joseph think quiet bit about her proposal. He was changing his find to weather he should or not go. A few pages later in the book, Joseph was over hearing his mother and Mrs Mossop talk about Caroline's proposal. He felt as though at that moment in the novel, as though Mrs Mossop was praying on his mothers conversation with caroline that had happen earlier that morning about the portrait. As his mother and Mrs Mossop started turning there discussion on Joseph he felt like;
" Everyone was always saying that he was too quiet or too shy, blaming his fathers absence or his mothers 'mollycoddling', whatever that meant. They were always asking if the cat had got his tongue. He hated it. It just made him feel less sure and more lost in his own silent world. And now Mrs Mossop and his mother were convinced that he was too timid, too scared - too much of a baby - to face up to Tom Layton."(pg. 49)
Joseph knew that he had to do something, to prove to them that he has changed and is tough enough to be in the same room as Tom Layton. What he did, surprised everyone in the room when he agreed to Caroline's offer. His first session with Tom, was quiet silent and mysterious. Just as he was about to leave he saw a box full of unhatched silkworms which he saw Tom hovering over. Joseph didn't like going to he Layton's house, for the first few times. But as the silkworms grew and developed, so did Josephs regular visits to the Layton's house. His relationship with Tom grew as the visits became more based on the silkworms. The silkworms would bring them together, and they would share stories of life experiences. Joseph had found out more about Tom then any other person living in the street. He started to enjoy visiting the Layton's. He found that the stories that he was told about Tom Layton, weren't true and that his personality wasn't all that bad. Overall Joseph has dramatically changed through the experiences that he has come across quiet early in the book. He has relised that he is tough enough to stand up to his fears and also that his opinions have changed about people and who they are.

What I had done in class when Mrs Damon was away

English
Chapter 1:

Q1. He felt guilty in some way as though it was his fault that someone had died. He felt like he was in a dark room full of shadows and sorrows.

Q2. He was thinking of it as if one fragile silkworm thread would lead him forward. He was trying to figure out the memory's that had come across him.

Q3.

Q4. The simile that was used was 'perched high on its black timber stumps like some long- legged creature waiting in the shadows.

Chapter 2:

Q1. The attitudes that come across when Tom Leyton is brung up is mysterious, scared, dark and dangerous. They talk about the gossip about him in a different way then other gossip. He has sent off vibes to bring these signs of emotions and attitudes from how he sits inside and hides.

Q2. He was very surprised and scared. He was thinking of all the rumors that Mrs Mossip had mention to him. He felt guilty no taking it right away, and when he decided he wouldn't take it he would remember Caroline over the sink. This made him feel self conscious every time he would think about the topic. He didn't really want to draw him, but he then started having self doubts with his decision.

Q3. Some references that had come up in the chapter are when Caroline had mentioned about his work. Joseph's reaction to this is that she corrects her and nods and avoids direct eye contact to Caroline. He also wipes some droplets away from his eyes as he misses him so much. Another references that was made when Joseph was thinking about Caroline's suggestion. He started think on what his dad would think about the desicion that Joseph had to make.

Chapter 3:

Q1. I think is dream came back because, one he saw him again and also because of the suggestion that Caroline had mentioned earlier to him. Another might because of the thought and fear of Tom Layton brought up the same emotion and / or reaction that the dream had gave Joseph.

Q2. Joseph decides to draw Tom Layton as he is influenced by mrs Mossip 'attacking' (verbally) his mum in ways he doesn't want to hear. Also because he thought when he heard that they think he is weak and so he wanted to prove to is mother and mrs Mossip that he is not.      

Chapter 4:

Q1. Joseph thinks of mrs Mossip as a bird because she sticks her nose into everything, like foraging for juicy gossip. Joseph's image of a bird changed as soon as she started preying on his mothers words about the Layton's.

Q2. He felt like he had to prove that he was tough enough to take the offer by Caroline as his mother and mrs Mossop think he is to weak to take a challenge. He also wanted to prove that everyone can change in a matter of time and that he was going to take the risk of going, even if he didn't want to go.

Q3. The feeling and memories that aroused in Joseph were the ones that had gone in past in a speed of light when he was agreeing to Caroline's offer to mrs Mossop and his mum. He had to go over in what had just happened to him as he tries to remember why he did what he did.

Q4. The effect that was caused at the end of the chapter was a dramatic and partly mysterious. As Joseph was looking over his street peeping into windows and seeing the Layton's in there house and mrs Mossip and his mum in his. As he was trying to look even further into the street, the branch he was on broke and he slid down grazing him self but luckily stopped. His heart was racing and as a drop of blood fell down onto the dead trees, he was towered in mocking silence all around.

Getting to know the Running Man Homework

What are your initial impressions of this man?

The initial impressions this man has given me are that he is a lonely person who has plenty of time to spare. He is miserable and that he is determined to "get closer" relentlessly. He doesn't care what people think about him, he only agrees with him self.

On What do you base these impressions?

I base these impressions on the fact that he is slouching which gives me the impression that he is lonely. His hat is covering his face which gives off the impression that he is miserable, doesn't care about what people think and that he only agrees with him self. Also the way his arms, legs and slouched back tells me that he is determined to "get closer" relentlessly. 

Using at least three sentences, discuss the importance of physical appearance in how we judge others and assumptions we make about them.

Physical appearance plays a big role in who we think is dangerous, kind and selfless. Using the picture of the running man he is someone who's appearance shocks, scares others a make them believe he is a dangerous man. Although he may seem dangerous by looks but he could be personally kind and sweet in the inside. We make assumptions about people that may not be true.

Emily Baker 9H