Each student should post at least two comments as we continue to read Sold. Sold brings out many strong feelings as we read. Share some of your thoughts.
Brandon
1/14/2014 08:20:35 am
Test
Brandon A.
1/22/2014 10:46:21 am
I have to say this book is very strange as Lakshmi's perspective tends not to focus too much on the depressing subjects, but more on what goes right, even though many horrible things are happening around her.
Alexis DIaz
1/23/2014 10:47:41 am
I agree with you Brandon. I definitely see how the author, Patricia McCormick, had a challenge to keep the book from being too grim, and to keep Lakshmi’s humanity alive in a believable way. It was even in the grimmest of situations, there is kindness as well as cruelty, terror as well as boredom, and even, surprising as it may seem, humor.
Isaiah A
1/28/2014 09:59:35 am
I also agree that this book included slightly detailed info just to give the reader an idea on how Lakshmi was abused
madi faulk
1/30/2014 11:02:44 pm
I also agree that this book included detailed info just to give the reader an idea on how Lakshmi was token advantage of.
Joseph DiGeronimo
1/28/2014 02:15:44 pm
I agree Brandon. I also thought it was quite strange how her perspective mainly focused on what went right rather the other horrible things that happen.
Alexis Diaz
1/23/2014 10:42:49 am
I believe a foreshadowing of the book's plot is when early in the novel, Lakshmi's Ama gives her this warning, "It is a woman's fate to suffer (and) simply to endure is to triumph." It is an understatement to say Lakshim's story is devastating, and yet somehow she endures. If one considers the horrors that took place, one after another; she truly and most definitely triumphed.
Alexis
1/23/2014 10:43:59 am
she **has** truly...
(correction)
Rachael S
1/28/2014 10:20:23 am
I completely agree with you. She somehow she endures all the horrors she faced and still managed to figure a way out of her heart breaking situations.
Jason Evans
1/28/2014 01:10:23 pm
I agree and believe that it is a character trait she possesses and a coping mechanism. Lakshmi is just naturally optimistic.
Mae Sandhu
1/26/2014 10:50:39 am
I feel like Lakshmi is a very brave girl and she is someone who can endure some of the most horrible things. She is also very naïve as well, because of the events that led her to the Happiness House. Lakshmi was just a little girl, from a little house, on the side of a mountain. She left her home only to help her family by working in the town... Lakshmi did not deserve what she got, not at all.
Darby M
1/28/2014 11:11:24 am
I totally agree with you Mae. I think that she should have seen what was happening the whole time because I thought it was kind of obvious.
Megan Moxley
1/28/2014 12:30:24 pm
I agree with you because I could not begin to imagine half of the things that happened to Lakshmi if it were to happen to me. I thought it was good for the book to be written in her perspective.
Savanna Guertin
1/28/2014 02:02:38 pm
I thought the same that she was an incredibly brave girl. I know that if I found myself in a situation that she was in I probably would have totally given up on life and just either ended my life like that one new girl or just live my life in those horrible conditions.
Jenna Hunter
1/27/2014 08:59:13 am
I cannot believe she is one of the oldest girls now. A lot of time has pasted and girls can leave quickly. I am glad she has finally decided to find a way out of there. She is very stubborn and can get what she wants. I just hope she can trust the american.
Camille Maraj
1/28/2014 10:23:22 am
I feel like Lakshmi had the happiest ending out of all the girls. Some got taken away by police, some sent out on the streets, and some returning after going home to be beaten and disappointed by the news of them not being wanted. Lakshmi stood up and took a risk while others could not and was saved from a lifetime of fearing Mumtaz and being at the Happiness House.
Mae Sandhu
1/28/2014 12:41:46 pm
Camille, I never thought of it that way.. this just proves more that Lakshmi was a very strong girl. She took the chance of believing the American, when all of the other girls believed in the prejudice that they would be shamed by the Americans.
Jenna Hunter
1/28/2014 01:05:19 pm
I agree with you. She is the only one who could stand up and take a risk. To believe in the Americans was unthinkable. What could be worst than Happiness House? Most of the girls feared the unknown. But she could over come thoughs fears
Jenna Hunter
1/27/2014 09:07:34 am
I hope the old tea boy helps Lakshmi. I bet the tea boy did not change roots but got fired. I wonder why the author put the tea boy in the story? Did he represent temptation (to spend money)? Did he represent that city people aren't so bad? Hopefully I will be able to figure it out by the end of the book.
Mack Rhine
1/27/2014 09:34:53 am
I think it is supposed to mean that she is not alone in a struggle. Remember when he told her "We are both alone in this city"? I think that's what the author was trying to say. That through the worst, their are others like you and that can help you.
Paolo De Los Santos
1/29/2014 03:35:57 pm
i think this is totally true, i think the author put the tea boy in the story to symbolize that Lakshimi was not a lone in her struggle. I also agree with jenna that the tea boy could have also symbolized that the people in the city are not bad
Brandon A
1/27/2014 11:30:47 pm
I think the tea boy had gotten fired for giving out free stuff. He just didnt know how to tell them
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 09:17:59 am
That is absolutely right brandon, I think that maybe the tea boy would have told them that he got fired, but due to the fact that he liked Lakshmi, he felt that maybe he would hurt her feeling and would not want her to feel bad.
Jason Evans
1/28/2014 01:13:40 pm
I think another, very likely option, is that the tea boy was beaten to death by his boss for giving Lakshmi free tea and Coca-Cola. This would explain why he was never brought back into the picture.
Kayla S
1/29/2014 11:23:00 pm
That's definitely what I was thinking. I just think that he didn't want Lakshmi to blame herself for not always getting him the money.
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 09:21:02 am
The author put the tea boy in the story because she wanted to portray that Lakshmi was, in a way, not the only one suffering, and that, maybe, would make her feel a bit of support and comfort knowing that she is not the only one feeling the pain of losing her family, he is too.
Sophia Shyam
1/27/2014 10:49:51 am
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family's crops, her life changes perpetually. Her step father sells her to a Brothel to have some more money for their family, but in my opinion, it was just more gambling money. Next thing you know, she is in the Happiness House. Currently, in the book, she has been there for a long time, and I mean a LONG time. Here she has been beaten, abused, starved, and violated several times. Pushpa and Anita have told her not to go with anyone who offers her her freedom to leave there. When the American man comes and offers her freedom , she is speechless due to some things, like she is alreafy used to where she is now, and is afraid that she will not be able to make it out in the big world, and that she si afraid that he will shame ehr and make her walk naked in the streets. I think that this is a very controversial topic, because you can argue either way, that she should have left the Happiness House so she can be free and live a happy life, or that she should stay, becuase she has had prejudice stored in her conscious mind that something bad will happen to her.
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 09:15:52 am
Personally, I think that the Book had much more symbolism than we expected. In class, we have gone over many forms of it, but I noticed things that actually meant a little more than what it was portrayed to be.
1.) My first one was Auntie Bimla, when Lakshmi first met her, she was a beautiful woman who never showed lakshmi her other half of her face. But do you notice as we prgress through the book, and we learned more that things were going downhill for Lakshmi, that more things were unfolding. This is were I thought of this symbol. When Auntie Bimla uncovered her face and smiled it was black and ugly, which kind of symbolized Lakshmi's experience. At first it seemed that everything will be okay and will be just perfect, but then soon realized that everything was sugar - coated and now is horrible and ugly.
2.) My second One was actually pretty simple. Remember that Palm Frond machine? Yeah, well it was mentioned a lot and It made me wonder why it was mentioned so many times. I realized that maybe the author wanted us to relate this to something in the book. The Palm Frond machine spins around and around, until someone shuts it off. I felt that the preson who would switch the machine off was the American Man, and the palm frond machine was Lakshmi. Lakshmi would not have gotten out of that cycle of going to bed with men by force, if the American man had not come to stop that.
3.) The final one I noticed was the bottle of Alcohol the tea boy had in his caddy. When he came to sell tea to Lakshmi, she asked for the Alcohol, and he said no because you get addicted and it is bad for you. I felt like the Alcohol was Mumtaz, and the drinker would be Laksmi. Why? Because If you listen to Mumtaz, then there is no way that you will be able leave the happiness house, and you will end up staying at that bad place. Mumtaz does cruel things to innocent girls, like alcohol.
---- Anyways, those were some of the thoughts I had while reading this moving book. It really did paint vivid pictures with its words so that we can react and become more aware of what was happening to impoverished areas, and girls on that side of the world.----
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 09:29:07 am
I would like to add that I was very surprised about the way Lakshmi's personality was. I have been to India twice and I have witnessed a contrasting personality from one of my aunts. Their family is pretty well to do, but the formality in India is that the woman needs to stay home and make food, clean, and take care of the family. She goes by the same standards as ama was saying, that just to do what the custom is is to triumph. ( just a clarification that my aunt is not abused, it is just the custom in India that women are not really worth much but brides and cooks, and care givers.). That is just a little personal example of how these things are portrayed in another part of the world. I still, although, think it is very valiant of her to be the headstrong and willfull girl she is and not to give in to mumtaz's leather strap and to her taunts and insults.
Isaiah A
1/28/2014 09:56:09 am
I just have to say that I was surprised that the book ended so suddenly and I hope there will be another.
Ian B
1/28/2014 10:08:21 am
The book is really only to show the life Lakshmi in the brothel. There is no good reason to make sequel she is already out so the suffering ended. Also, the author's note did the job of explaining what happen to Lakshmi.
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 01:33:10 pm
Actually, a sequel WOULD make sense, because I guess maybe some of us would like to see what would happen to her in the new place she goes, or if she ever makes it there, or even if the American mad was who he said he was
Rachael S
1/28/2014 10:12:21 am
I believe that the theme is about how temptation may lead to regret and heartache. Lakishmi longs for her home, her own ways and her old life. She misses her little pleasure in life. Instead, she is trapped, giving herself to strangers and paying her families debt. This story touches those who have been shielded from the unthinkable truth that still exists today: sex trafficking. Our culture is protected and shielded from problems like these, which is why this book was so haunting and powerful.
Camille Maraj
1/28/2014 10:13:25 am
Now that we have finished the book, I wonder what became of her family. She was always thinking that she would go back home, but she did not. What led her to go to the clean place instead of asking to be returned to her family? Personally, I think she could not face her family. Her stepfather sold her into prostitution, and her mother might be ashamed of her daughter for trying so hard to get men when she believed she could pay off her debt. Plus she might have been scared to go back to her old life like she was scared to leave Happiness House.
Rachael S
1/28/2014 10:24:08 am
She most likely was afraid to be turned away and shamed like Monica was with her own family. Plus, the clean place was probably much safer than returning home as people (like the goondas) could have followed her home and put her in danger. Also, Stepfather was the one that knowingly sold her into prostitution, he could be infuriated with her return.
Nathaniel Nun3z
1/28/2014 10:25:08 am
Camille, I think what led Lakishmi to go to the clean place instead of asking to be returned to her family was that she might have been afraid that she would get sold again into prostitution.
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 01:38:50 pm
Nate, I never actually thought of it that way. I agree, that she was afraid to go back, because since her family never saw a dime, then that means that they are still very poor, and the stepfather, who does not care neither like lakshmi, may send her back into prostitution and will just be goign back through the motions again
Darby M
1/28/2014 11:18:28 am
I really did not like Mumtaz in this story at all. She is a mean person and she shouldn't be that mean to the girls, it's already bad enough that they have to have sex with guys. Mumtaz doesn't have to have to experience what the other girls go through so I don't think they should be punished that badly.
Adrian S
1/28/2014 12:09:32 pm
Overall I thought this was a good book, but I was left with a few questions that I wish had been answered at the end.
Mae Sandhu
1/28/2014 12:47:03 pm
Me too! I hated the ending to this book because I don't think her story was quite over yet.. Did she make it to the clean place? Or did the Goondas stop her? Did she remain in contact with her family? Or did she never see them again?
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 01:43:40 pm
I wondered the same exact thing mae. I would have liked to know if she ever made it. or if she ever got to see her mom and brother again. The book just ended and almost like left us hanging on a cliff.
Gabriel Campos
1/29/2014 11:15:31 am
I agree with with Adrian that it was a really good book ,but it leaves something out in the end and we as readers want to know what happened to the other girls.
Nathaniel Nun3z
1/28/2014 12:21:59 pm
I thought that this book was an overall good book. It had a good story line that was based on what still happens today. I still think that the end should tell us more about what happened to the other girls.
Jason Evans
1/28/2014 01:07:55 pm
I agree with this, Nate. I think the book should have at least had an epilogue that informed the reader if Lakshmi was ever taken to the clean place safely, what happened to the other girls, and if Lakshmi ever saw her family again.
Gabriel Campos
1/29/2014 11:12:54 am
I agree with with nate that it was a really good book ,but it leaves something out in the end and we as readers want to know what happened to the other girls.
Megan Moxley
1/28/2014 12:33:53 pm
I enjoyed this book because it showed how horrible things are a reality and it informed while giving an idea of this through the eyes of an innocent girl. I was very curious though about what happened to Harish, the street boy, Monica, and Shahana.
Sophia Shyam
1/28/2014 01:41:11 pm
Harish, went with the american woman he wen to on saturdays
it said that in the book
Jason Evans
1/28/2014 01:04:45 pm
I thought the book was very consistent with staying in the first person view of Lakshmi. For example how each person is described by how they look or what they do until their name is discovered, as Lakshmi frequently did. Also, I enjoyed all of the imagery and symbolism that were given in a vast variety throughout the book.
Savanna Guertin
1/28/2014 01:58:36 pm
Throughout the book I would always think "NO DONT DO THAT THEY ARE LYING!" However, after really thinking through the story I realize that if I were to be in that situation thinking I was going to be a maid and not knowing what was going on. I would have most likely done the same for fear of being in the wrong hands and getting killed. It also astonished me at the end how Lakshmi found herself to believe the Americans were good because she went through so many situations where when she believed someone it led to something worse. But, since she believed one last time she was able to be saved.
Joseph DiGeronimo
1/28/2014 02:21:31 pm
After we finished the book I was wondering what happened at Lakshmi's home while she was gone for that year because she could never returned for a visit. What do you guys think may have happened there during Lakshmi's absence?
Elyas Chopan
1/28/2014 11:35:39 pm
I think her family got those treats Lakshmi bought for them. I think then the stepfather gambled the rest of the money away. Also, I think Ama figured out she was sold into prostitution because it's been a year and they did not receive any money. Also, she stepfather told her when she was drunk or something.
Elyas Chopan
1/28/2014 11:32:29 pm
I feel good about the book because it had a somewhat happy ending. I could not belive that juntas could do that innocent girls. Trick them and then use thm for prostitution. However, the book does not tell us what happens to the tea cart boy, harish, and her family. I would have like it if the ending would have been longer explaining these subjects.
Gabriel Campos
1/29/2014 11:09:15 am
I really liked this book not of the bad things that are in it. but it showed the public that this stuff happens in this world and that we should take action and not be ignorant
Mack Rhine
1/29/2014 12:55:14 pm
I did not have much to say about this book. I remember my old school covering about the experiences these children face in India. Lakshmi is awfully lucky, actually. It is not easy to save these kids. She was at least taken into a brothel, which is much safer than the streets where a pimp could have controlled her and forced her to have sex or get beaten, have her eyes burned in hot oil, or worse. And though the underlying motto for the book was to never give fall on hope, there are thousands of children who face these problems around the world. I am sure some certainly have.
Paolo De Los Santos
1/29/2014 03:28:06 pm
This was a intersting book, i agree with brandon in the very beginning of the comments. I agree that she is really just focusing on the wrong things around her and that she should take control of what is happening now
Kayla S
1/29/2014 11:29:13 pm
I think that it was a great book. Though, i disliked the ending because I feel that the story could have been continued so much farther and it would still be interesting. I personally, got left wanting to know where she went and wanting to know what happened in this new place.
madi faulk
1/30/2014 11:01:17 pm
I feel Lakshmi was disrespected by her father because her father sold her with out letting ama know what she would be doing in the city she thought she would come home because she was just going to a maid.
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