Status Updates From Play the Game

An example of a literary element used in Play the Game by Charlene Allen are flashbacks. It is effective because it allows for the reader to piece together information details about the protagonists past.

I found pathos when VZ (protagonist) starts to have a crush on a girl he knows (Diamond). When trying to find clues in order to prove Jack innocent of the murder of the white cop that killed Ed, Diamond and VZ are brought closer together.

Why is racial discrimination still incorporated in the world when there have been multiple protests against it.

Boneheaded: To be stupid. I chose this word because it was the only word in my book that was unusual.

The use of irony in my novel (sarcasm) is a literary element that I found effective on page 175. It reads, "The cops should be all over that" (Allen). It was effective because it described the social issue in more depth; the police overlooked evidence of the white murderer but tried to plant evidence to convict the black murderer.

One appeal I found in my novel in today's reading was Pathos. It was very effective as it connected to prior experiences that most readers have, like sitting in a circle and discussing emotions. For example, Charlene Allen wrote, "It's not about who's right or wrong. It's about justice...for everybody" (141).

One appeal that I found was pathos because they used Ed's death for the reader to feel sympathy toward the ones affected.

One of the questions that came to mind today is, "How does drug abuse affect society's perspective on different races, and what other side effects does it bring along?" This question is important to understanding the social issues within my novel, such as poverty and racism.

The book made me ask the question of how often does racial injustice happen. Because it occurs in many books but not all of them are based on true stories.

Best Part of Today's Reading:
The best part of my reading today was that Charlene Allen gives clues about details in the story (implicit) rather than explicitly giving out information.

Why?:
It was the best part of my reading today because it made me think deeper into the plot and visualize it.

I liked how I am now starting to understand what Jack's life is like, and in the process, understanding the story better.

The best part of my reading was learning more about the story.

My word is memory. It refers to something that a person recollects from the past.

I have been surprised by how much the author connects to the characters. For example, Charlene Allen is a lawyer, and so is the main character's (VZ's) father, who remains unnamed, but we learn that he is a practicing lawyer.

I was surprised how the police team let go the person that killed Jack's friend VZ. In the world we live in right now, everyone in my area is treated as equals and with respect so I can't imagine how hard it must be for Jack.

I think Charlene Allen had to research criminal justice in order to write this book. I would ask the author how she got the idea to write this book because it is not easy to just "make up" a book like this.

One word or phrase I did not understand that would help with the context of the book was, "Don't be adding few-el to the fiya." This is just the accented way of saying, "Don't add more fuel to the fire".

Justice is used to show that people get what they want and people are held accountable.

I have currently learned that there is a Black community who have a common purpose to commonly fight for a purpose of justice. In addition I predict that in the next chapter, the main character, Jackson "Jackson," will meet someone to help in the Black community's self-investigation of Ed Henessy's Death.