Hughes-BlaumLENS2

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Kelsey Hughes-Blaum Dr. Sherry Literature for Young Adults 17 February 2011 Lens 2: Reader-Response //Monster// by Walter Dean Myers is a young adult novel that depicts the struggle of Steve Harmon, a sixteen year old boy. Steve’s life has been turned upside

down when he finds himself in jail, on trial for murder. He is referred to as a “monster” by the prosecutor and told that his chances of being deemed “not guilty” are slim

based purely on that he is young, African American, and simply on trial. As a reader, I can only imagine the impact these hurtful comments have on Steve, especially

because he knows he is not guilty. In my life, there have been times when people have judged me based upon physical characteristics like my age or gender. For

instance, in eighth grade my neighbor’s house was vandalized on mischief night. They immediately blamed my sister and me because we were high school students.

Another similar occurrence took place when I was applying for a job as a soccer coach at a summer camp. They questioned my ability to teach soccer because I was

female and asked if I thought I would need a male co-counselor to get through the summer. There are plenty of times when all of us feel as though we are being judged

unfairly when deep down we know what is truly right. This can be extremely frustrating. I know I felt wronged and insecure in my past experiences because, inside, I knew

that I would never vandalize a home and that I am completely capable of teaching soccer regardless of the fact that I’m a girl. I believe that //Monster// is a great book for

young adults because, not only does it teach valuable lessons and accurately portray an inside view of a trial, but it allows readers to identify with these feelings. This

text had a strong impact on me because it allowed me to sympathize with Steve. Overall, the particular passage that affected me the most was the part where Steve

says, “I wanted to open my shirt and tell her to look into my heart to see who I really was, who the real Steve Harmon was.” (Myers 92). I feel that this statement

accurately portrays the immediate reaction we all have when we are unfairly judged.