Beyond the Expected

Peter called Vivian to the property and asked about maps that were valuable to the government that Vivian had to keep hidden. Vivian thought he was going to bring the EO's and then Jonathan came and told Elizabeth that he had the key to disable the Line. They agreed that Jonathan would disable it and Rachel would cross but she couldn't come back because the Line would appear again. When they did that, Rachel found Pathik and he took her to his camp. She met Jab and Kinek and found out that those names were given because they had special abilities. In the end, Rachel was showing him pictures of his dad and Pathik acted very weird towards the digim and said that if she wanted an explanation then she would have to talk to Indigo, his grandfather.

This represents how Rachel was able to go beyond the barrier.

Rachel was talking to Pathik when they were trying to cross the Line and they were both so afraid. Pathik urged her to stop but she paused and said firmly;

"Don't you see? You can't be brave without being afraid. The brave ones are always afraid. But they do what they must, even so." (Hall 183).

When Rachel said this, it showed the perfect balance of how you can face your fears. Rachel meant that to accomplish what you want in life then you have to be brave. 

To do that, you have to be afraid or else it's not being brave. Every single person in the world is afraid of something but you have to conquer your fears to achieve your goals. For instance; Neil Armstrong was incredibly afraid of going to the moon, but he overcame his fears and went anyway. He is now known as the man who walked in space and that is the bravest thing, in my opinion, anyone has ever done.

When Peter came to the house to turn Vivian in, I realised how cruel people can be even if they are your friends. Just like Elizabeth said;

"You would be surprised at what people you thought were your friends might be capable of doing" (Hall 185).

This made me feel confused because if you think that the people who are closest to you betray you then it's hard to be happy. When you cannot find any loyalty in your life then, it is hard to find happiness because you are always expecting the worst things from others. I know that horrible things happen in the world now a days, however, this doesn't mean that everyone does them and that they will do this to you. There are some friendships that are worth the pain they might cause like a person who is there for you on the worst moments of your life. When you throw things like this away, then, no one will be there to help you ever. We have to learn to trust others in order to experience wonderful and unique feelings.

The author, Teri Hall, is touching topics related to human nature to make the reader see how humans are. Although this isn't a real story, it reveals real examples of what humans do. Like; selfishness, lying, corruption, among others. All of this topics have made me realize that we are creating an example to the new generation where this cruel things are normal and if we do them, then, life will be better. I believe that this shouldn't happen and each person has to find success through a life doing good things. This way, we can start to live in a world where there is no cruelty, only kindness. In conclusion, through this book readers can realize that we need morals to have a happy life for everyone.

Works Cited

Ratnesar, Romesh. "Reagan's Speech That Ended the Cold War." Time. Time Inc., 09 Nov. 2009. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1933194,00.html>.

"Ruleta Rusa." Dreamstime. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://es.dreamstime.com/imagenes-de-archivo-ruleta-rusa-image4100184>.

".logo.filled .inner, .logo:hover .inner { Opacity: 1; Fill: Url(#rollover); }." Some People Are worth Melting for Gif. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <https://www.tumblr.com/search/some%20people%20are%20worth%20melting%20for%20gif>.

"Miley Cyrus - True Friend Song." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw2rNbiMj6Q>.

An 'Underdog' Society

This represents the distance between Rachel and Pathik.

Pathik, a teenager who lived across the Line, had been looking for signs on the Greenhouse and saw a light being flashed (who had been Rachel) which meant he would be able to save his grandfather. As he sat there, Rachel came in closer until both of them were facing each other with the Line separating them; he asked for antibiotics and said he had a key which he lost to disable the Line but he would find a way to get past the Line. The next day, Rachel went back to the greenhouse and while she was talking to Indigo, Vivian and Ms. Moore caught her  and told Pathik to come back in two days but they didn't know if he heard them. Elizabeth Moore took them to her house to talk; she explained that she was in love with Indigo and they had a baby which meant Pathik was her grandson, she also said that she used to have a key to disable the Line. Lastly, Rachel went to tell her mom they had to help and then Elizabeth said that she used to have a key to disable the Line but it was stolen and Vivian added that she was going to check if a friend from Bensen still had one.

Throughout the book we learn when it is right to stand up and speak up. However, we also learn that sometimes is better not to say anything. Just like a collaborator told Vivian,

"If they are trying to dig up your grave," he had said, "you don't grab a shovel and help. You sit down and you shut up." (Hall 120).

This means that if they are trying to hurt you in a terrible way, you don't help them. Instead, you wait for them to solve a problem while you stay quiet and don't incentivize them. 

This picture shows that your options are never live or die.
There other things you can do.

I think that in real life you should listen to this advise because you should never give someone a reason to hurt you. For example; when someone is questioning a mistake you made, then, you shouldn't say anything that will add evidence of what you did. Instead, you stay quiet and look for a way to solve the issue.



Pathik was thinking about his grandfather Indigo who had told him that they had to be hopefull that they will someday get help. Pathik didn't believe him because he thought that things were over. Then Indigo patiently answered;

“As long as the sun has not set on a day, anything can happen.” (Hall 10).

This phrase gives so much hope in many ways. It means that things can change until it's truly over. It doesn't matter if time is running up, miracles can always occur. When my uncle had an accident the doctors put him under the intensive care unit. After a few days, the doctors said that if he didn't get better by noon then they would have to disconnect him which meant he would die. Just as noon was approaching we had already given up and we were saying goodbye but then, his breathing started regulating and he got better! Just like in the book, things can chance in a heartbeat.

Night Changes: One Direction. This video shows how 

everything can change all of a sudden.

I think that Rachel will cross the Line with her mom and Elizabeth to help Pathik. Although it is illegal, they have to think about others. Just like Trish in Divergent, when she had to stand up to the government and risk it all to change the opressive rules. Both should do this, thinking about the greater good by breaking the law. In conclusion, although breaking the law is wrong, it's even worse to let others die because of it.

Works Cited

"Key Success." Review Product Hub RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://reviewproducthub.tk/key-success>.

"Land of Quote." Land of Quote. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://landofquote.com/suits-quotes-collection/>.

"PictureQuotes.com." Picture Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.picturequotes.com/we-are-so-close-yet-so-far-quote-21527>.

"One Direction - Night Changes." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syFZfO_wfMQ>.

The Morals we NEED to Change

While Vivian was in Bensen, Rachel had gone to talk to Ms. Moore about offering her the job on the greenhouse to pay for college and she accepted. Rachel had gotten a vacation, to enjoy, she went to a picnic where she found a voice recorder that was thrown in the river that said help us, greenhouse and medicine. Rachel went to Bensen and there was an identification; Vivian took her away and explained that she was a collaborator which is people who go against the government and they can sometimes get caught. Later on, Ms. Moore had talked to Jonathan, her employee, who said he had seen Vivian and Rachel sneaking away from the identification which made him think they might be criminals.

While Rachel talked to Ms. Moore, she noticed a "digim" and she became very curious about it. As she looked, Rachel thought,

"It was an old fashioned, static 3-D digim, no animation no audio, so it revealed nothing of the subject besides his appearance." (Hall 58).

What she is describing is a futuristic photo that we would consider for it to be special since it's 3-D. However, while I read I began reflecting on how we don't appreciate amazing discoveries that were so valuable for mankind years ago. Through technology we have stopped looking at the wonders of a single object. For instance, the pens we hold in our hands everyday; we sometimes hate all the pens because we would rather type on a computer since it's faster. In the book, Rachel is explaining how dull the picture is since it doesn't have audio and it doesn't move but we can see into the future and realize that pictures hanging from our walls that are actually videos is to be thinking too crazy.

our current pictures

Pictures from the future

After Ms. Moore and Rachel finished talking Rachel apologized for being too defensive when they talked about colleges. There, we could see a different side of Elizabeth Moore and she gently said,

"It is never rude to respectfully state one's opinion. We simply have different thoughts on the subject." (Hall 64)

I agree with Elizabeth because what she said was that there is no problem to say what you believe as long as you calm down and do it respectfully. This happens everyday specially now toward our Latin American culture with the Donald Trump speeches. It is true that we have our rights of freedom of speech, however, there are limits towards expressing yourself. Maybe there are no legal rules that state this but there is a moral duty from each and every one of us to express ourselves stating our points and what we want as long as you make sure that it is RESPECTFUL.


This is an extreme example of what happens when you don't think about what you say.
Click here to watch the video.


Rachel seems like a different character than the usual because she is protected by so many people which never let her do what she wants. For example, when she almost crossed the Line, Ms. Moore stopped her and forced her to work in order to distract Rachel. I feel that this book has changed the normal outcomes you usually see in other texts making this story not only unexpected but also full of suspenseful plot twists. For instance, how Daniel and Vivian went against the government and Daniel went to war to fight for the government, this gives a sense of irony that opens controversy between the story and the reader. Overall, I believe that the author has made an amazing story that I can't wait to finish.

Works Cited

"Guy Falkes White Mask Group Rally to Protest against Government."Demotix. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.demotix.com/news/2110965/guy-falkes-white-mask-group-rally-protest-against-government>.

"Polaroid Paris." Polaroid Paris Home Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.polaroidparis.com/>.

"When Hate Speech Comes To Campus." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Oct. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgkwcAFKpYA>.

Fear is another world for Corruption

"In a society that has developed all adventure, the only adventure left is to destroy that society." (Dystopian 1).

On The Line by Teri Hall, Rachel is part of a dystopian society where she lives right behind a line that no one in the U.S. is allowed to cross. Her mother, Vivian, is Ms. Moore housekeeper and she also teaches her daughter from home so she can hopefully go to a private college. Sadly, Rachel's father, Daniel, died at war. Rachel almost went across the Line one day and she broke a window; this meant she had to work with the orchids for Ms. Moore to pay for it. 

This represents how actions have consequences.

Once the window was almost paid for, Ms. Moore had broken her leg and meanwhile Vivian thought about Daniel and how they had planned to leave the country using their friends key but couldn't.

When Rachel was reading too much about away, Vivian told her to stop because she was too obsessed. She then told her for the hundredth time something she truly believed;

"You can't always believe what you're told" (Hall 34).

I think that this quote wasn't just referring to an specific topic but something the author was trying to convey to us in an extreme example. What this meant in the book was that Rachel couldn't trust the source. This "source" is the government in her society who hides the truth to the people and changes information to get away with what they want. But I think that the real message is, not everything we know is true. You must question what you know to discover the truth. This happens specially today in our lives since we can see the corruption from the Ecuadorian government right before our eyes and yet, many people believe everything this people say while later on we discover they were wrong or lying. Just like Rachel's world, the government hides information for their own advantages while others trust every word they say. 

In contrast, Ms. Moore doesn't lie or say anything at all. She never speaks of the past, just about business. When Vivian Quillen began working she began asking many questions but Elizabeth Moore cut her off and said;

"I prefer to keep my personal life personal, Ms. Quillen. Please start in the kitchen next." (Hall 42).

There are so many people who have had a rough past but they have never really talked about it. These secrets can eat them inside which is not good for yourself or anyone else who might try to get close to you. I think that it's okay to live independently but that doesn't mean that you should be stubborn every time someone opens up to you.

This book has made me relate it to my personal life and more specifically to the society we live on now a days. For example, how people are always unaware of what is happening around them even though it is so clear. I think that Rachel will keep investigating about the Line until she finds the answer of what is really out there and she will try to cross it. I feel that this isn't an ordinary book like any other I have read because it shows topics that throughout time have become "taboo" but it's healthy to talk about them and notice the truth about the real problem. In conclusion, I am eager to read more about the deeper meaning inside the book.

Works Cited

"Dystopian Deliciousness." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <https://www.pinterest.com/shelbyday/dystopian-deliciousness/>.

"Invisible Citizen." Dystopian Predictions. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://dosmosis.blogspot.com/2010/07/dystopian-analysis.html>.

Kvalifikacia. "Тъжна статистика – първи сме по висшисти и последни по брой университети на глава от населението." Тъжна статистика – първи сме по висшисти и последни по брой университети на глава от населението. Kvalifikacia.bg, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://kvalifikacia.bg/purvi-po-visshisti_i-posledni-po-broi-universiteti/>.

"American Government Built on a Lie - Hankering for History." Hankering for History. N.p., 06 Feb. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://hankeringforhistory.com/american-government-built-on-a-lie/>.

"Finals Week, as Told by Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis." Her Campus. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.hercampus.com/school/c-mich/finals-week-told-will-ferrell-zach-galifianakis>.

13 PEOPLE To Teach 1 Lesson

On Cassette 6: Side B, Hannah is finally able to say SUICIDE. She had thought of EVERY WAY to do it but lastly, she decided to take pills. Hannah remembered that on her last weekend there had been a party at Courtney Crimson's house. She decided not to go but she walked by. After the party was over, Bryce called Hannah, he and Courtney convinced her to go to the Jacuzzi outside the house. After Courtney left, Bryce was hitting on Hannah and at that point she was done with life and let her reputation become true.

Cassette 7: Side A. This was the last tape and it was about Mr. Porter. He was the guidance counselor at school. Hannah said that she had decided to give life a chance and talk. She had recorded her meeting with the guidance counselor and he had basically told her that she could either talk to them and sort it out or she could move on. Finally, Hannah stormed off and Mr. Porter said that Hannah was no longer welcome. She was stunned. And the tapes had ended.

As the tapes ended, Clay cried thinking how he could've loved Hannah. The next day, Clay mailed the shoebox with the tapes to the next person on the list. When he got to school he bumped into Skye. A girl who now Clay realized was just like Hannah. But he wouldn't let this happen ever again. He turned and began talking to her.

As Hannah left Mr. Porter's office, she said that she was going to do it. She was going to swallow all those pills.

"A lot of you cared, just not enough. And that…that is what I needed to find out." (pg. 151)

This part of the book was so stressful in the sense that Hannah made this incredible, mature, and clever decision to talk to someone and this person was so unhelpful and he was guilty of making her think that no one would care if she was gone. This shows how little she thought of her life that just because people didn't go to her rescue meant that she had to commit suicide. I found this section confusing because on Clay's tapes she had written down 13 people she blamed for her life to change. But on this tape she said that she was talking to someone and telling us that it wasn’t a part of her plan. WHO WAS THE 13TH PERSON ON THE LIST? I think that maybe it was herself. She was guilty of not getting help until it was too late. 

Clay realized how unfair it was for people to go through life feeling in the worst way possible. He wanted to change that. Help someone else.

"A flood of emotion rushes into me. Pain and anger. Sadness and pity. But most surprising of all, hope. I keep walking. Skye’s footsteps are growing louder now. And the closer I get to her, the faster I walk, and the lighter I feel. My throat begins to relax. Two steps behind her, I say her name. “Skye.”" (pg. 155)

This was such a profound moment because Hannah had given 13 people a new perspective on life. Clay took advantage of it and thinking of Hannah's story, went to help someone else be happy. To me it seemed like throughout the whole story Jay Asher had been portraying Clay as the hero. He was someone who wasn't a bad person in any way. And even more, he was going to stop a girl from following Hannah's path. I think the author wanted to leave his character pure, innocent so the readers could have a role model while the person making all the mistakes was Hannah Baker. There are a few characters portrayed as innocent heroes such as; Jonas from the giver, Esther from The Fault In Our Stars, Quentin from Paper Towns, Bella from Twilight, etc. And all of these characters aren’t really innocent; they only seem like "good" heroes because the people who surround them make mistakes and are doing things that are wrong. In a way, they contrast them.

This book was so strong and hard to process at times. It gave me a new outlook on life that I am sure will change the way I treat others. It made me realize that even the smallest rude comment can make someone feel like "less" than what they truly are. THE SNOWBALL EFFECT, which I have talked so much about, is a perfect example of how little actions can lead to bigger things. It is SO IMPORTANT for people to always know how difficult and sad they can make someone's life. I feel empathy towards all bullying victims and also bullies because bullies don't realise that they make people's life a disaster. If they do know, it means that there must be something even more awful going on in their lives. What I definitely learned from THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is that if something is making you sad in life SOLVE IT! It is really good for people to talk about their problems. It doesn't matter how small you think they are.

CLICK HERE to listen to all of hannah's tapes and receive more information about the book!

13 People Who Made The WRONG Decision

Cassette 5: Side A. Clay decided to leave Rosie's diner. As he left, Tony told him to get inside his car and when he did Tony said he had the second set of tapes. Clay began listening. 

THIS TAPE WAS ABOUT HIM!

 But, as a surprise, Hannah explained that he was so nice to her. At the party, they started kissing but then stopped because Hannah began to cry. She had gone to the party to meet Clay Jensen because she had never heard ANYTHING bad about him. Hannah explained that the reason that she cried was because she remembered all the people who had changed her reputation and they haunted her life. Using a voice with so much kindness--something he had never heard before-- Hannah said that she had put him on the tapes to explain herself and that without him in the story, she couldn't continue to the next part.

On the next tape, Cassette 5: Side B, Hannah went home and wrote a list of all the people who hurt her and crossed some people out until she was left with 13 people. 13 REASONS WHY she had a different life. And, on the tapes, she told what had happened in the party after Clay left. Jessica Davis and Justin Fooley had too much to drink and they went to the room that Hannah was in. Justin saw that Jessica was too drunk and he tucked her in so she would rest and then left. Hannah stood up to leave and saw that Justin and someone else were talking outside of the room. That "someone else" entered and she got inside a closet. Sadly, the boy raped Jessica Davis. Hannah felt responsible for it.

As Tony and Clay drove around, Tony finally said why he had the tapes.

Hannah went to give him her bicycle as a gift and asked to borrow a voice recorder to put on tapes. Tony gave her these things and the next day he received the recorded tapes, the 2nd set. He called Hannah´s parents desperately and no one knew where she was.

Then, Tony and Clay played Cassette 6: Side A. This story begins when Jenny Kurltz, a cheerleader, gave Hannah a ride from the party. As they were driving through, Jenny hit a stop sign and it fell over. Hannah insisted that Jenny wouldn't drive and it pissed her off so she told Hannah to get out of the car. Hannah began walking through the rain. She reached a gas station and called the police to tell them about the stop sign but they said that it had already been reported. The next day she found out that it wasn't a knocked sign that they reported but an accident. After Hannah and Jenny had left, a delivery boy and an old man had a car crash because the stop sign wasn't visible. The boy, who also went to the same school as the others, died. The day of the funeral Hannah decided not to go and instead she had time to think about how her own funeral would be.

As Hannah began Clay's tape, she said something that I can connect to real life. How she wanted to know Clay just to meet him.

“And that’s why I wanted to know him better. Because everything I heard—and I mean everything!—was good. It was one of those things where, once I noticed it, I couldn’t stop noticing it." (Asher 105).

 I think that this example of how she noticed him is more of an excuse to why she wanted to meet Clay. As she said first, "Everything I heard—and I mean everything!—was good". Hannah had gone through so much pain and sadness that she just needed to see for herself how happy can a good person be. For example, I relate this to how people who don't have enough money to have a "comfortable" life sometimes think of how it would feel to be a "rich" person. Some even become so obsessed that waste their leftover money on casinos or have other gambling issues.

Hannah, at that point, already felt that she was helpless. Her life was just too messed up for anything to get better. If anything, things would stay the same instead of getting worse. But, of course, that didn't happen. When she was hiding in the closet Hannah thought,

“Like things had been out of control for so long that whatever I did hardly mattered anymore. And I couldn’t stand all the emotions anymore. I wanted the world to stop…to end".

Hannah's life was already considering suicide as the only exit to her awful life. Some people may argue that people who commit suicide are victims of their bullies. I think differently, these people are their own victims. If people are suicidal they must talk to someone or stay out of the scenarios where you know that you can get hurt. Hannah should change schools or talk to a counselor for her life to stop having these issues.

13 REASONS WHY has twists and turns on every chapter that has given me a new outlook on life. As I have said before on previous posts, even the smallest act of kindness or rudeness can change someone's life and it is up to us to determine which kind of act we want to live by. Overall I feel overwhelmed by this book since it has such strong messages and topics that are hard to reflect on. This new THEME about making the right decisions has made me realize how important it is to always think of others and reacting in the best way. I cannot wait to read what will happen next!

Always Help Others in any way you can!

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