ISU Blog Post #6

Not Gone

The journey has been long

Death is not an option

As I lead my sister

Out of doom and destruction.

The world I knew is now gone

My mother has passed on

My father swept away at sea

A sister died trying to do something noble for me.

I'm a failure at this hero thing

All I have is a gut renching will to live

I've tried my best to serve and protect.

This quarantined city is an albatross around my neck

Stifling, drowning and struggling 

Against nature's destruction

Is my case to bare.

Soon I will breathe air

Free from contagions and ash

I pray the sun to bake my back with its light of forgiveness and freedom.

The life I knew doesn't exist anymore

I must close and open a new door

I welcome normalcy once more.

     

ISU Blog Post #5- Loss

Through out my book "The Dead and the Gone" the main character Alex Morales experiences loss in many different ways. Alex's first experience with loss was when the apocalypse started. His employer was killed during the ongoing catastrophes and Alex was left with little money he saved up and his pay. Alex had to stretch his money and avoid wasting money. However, with supplies running low money was no longer the currency. Secondly, after coming home from work Alex realizes the world he once knew had changed. Alex came to terms with the reality of his mother and father missing. With Alex's father in Puerto Rico he knew his father's chances of surviving the mass flooding was slim. Alex figured his mother had the same fate as she went to work at the Hospital in the morning. Her means of transportation was the subway and they were flooded as well. Alex had no choice but to hope and pray for his parents survival. Lastly, on Alex's eighteenth birthday he lost his eldest sister Brianna. Alex was sick and bed bound by the flu. Brianna decide to light a candle for Alex and pray for his speedy recovery. However,  Brianna did not make the trip back to the apartment. She was killed in an elevator accident when the power went out in the apartment building. Alex as the leader and care taker of the family went through a lot of hardships. Alex tried his very best to be the hero and play protector but wasn't always successful. He learned that sometimes in life things can't always go your way.

ISU Blogpost #4- Family

My ISU book is called "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Pfeffer. My book is filled with death, sorrow and pain. Alex Morales is the main character. He is seventeen and attends a Catholic High School. He has plans of attending George Town but his whole world turns upside down. After work the moon is hit by an asteroid knocking closer to Earth causing floods, earthquakes and other catastrophes. With the loss of his parents Alex must learn to take care of his little sister become the man he needs to be to survive.

In my book a very common theme is Family and how important they can be. With their parents missing in a time of need Alex and his sisters must stay strong and look after each other. This family who wasn't all that close before, now stand side by side in trying to survive the apocalypse. Together they learn to treasure the little things they have such as food, water and shelter.They learned how to appreciate and to love each other. No one was ever left behind and no one decided to give up. They continued to believe and survive as one. Unfortunately, Alex's eldest sister does not make it through their final journey. Alex must now find a way out of New York city with his little sister and continue to survive in the name of their family.