Social Awareness Writing Project - Choice 4; Write a reading response on a social issue in a literary work (on independent reading book)

'Burned' by Ellen Hopkins

 

In the book 'Burned' by Ellen Hopkins, the main character Pattyn is a part of a Mormon family. But Pattyn doesn't believe in the Mormon religion anymore. She doesn't want to be forced to have numerous babies and not have any say or control in her own house when she becomes married. In other words, she doesn't want to end up like her mother. Who is always being beat by her husband (Pattyn's father) because every baby she has is a girl. Pattyn's father is so upset at her decision to not want to be Mormon anymore that he beats her just like he does to her mother. He then disowns her and sends her to live with her Aunt J. When Pattyn's there, Aunt J teaches Pattyn about the true meaning of love.

 

I think that the issue in this book is child abuse and disowning. Because during the whole time Pattyn was living with her father, he would always beat both her and her mother. Even if they didn't do anything wrong.

 

The message in this book is to find the true meaning about yourself. Because her family is Mormon and pushing Pattyn to marry a "good Mormon boy" and follow the Mormon religion, etc. But she doesn't want that for her future. But when she moves in with her Aunt J, she learns about the true meaning of love and that God won't hate her if she doesn't choose to follow the Mormon religion.

 

This book makes me think a lot about child abuse because that seems to be what Pattyn's father does a lot. I also came to the conclusion that the father believes that men control women and also that women must completely obeh\y their husbands. I think that is sexist.

Blog Post Number Two - 'Burned' by Ellen Hopkins

In the book 'Burned' by Ellen Hopkins,

The main character Pattyn is a Mormon, she is one of seven children - she is also the oldest. All of which are girls. And her dad is a alcoholic who abuses her mother because out of all of the kids that she has, they continue to become girls. Her mother believes that her job is to have as many children as possible, especially a boy to carry on the family name. Because that is what her husband wants. But Pattyn disarees with the Mormon lifestyle she has been living by her whole seventeen years of life. I think that it is a good thing that Pattyn has a different opinion about her religion. Because it seems to me that she is being forced to live in a way that she is uncomfortable with.

Since Pattyn now doesn't believe in the Mormon religion, she wants to experience things that "normal" teens experience. So she starts dating Derek - a non Mormon. Which is against the Mormon religion. But Pattyn doesn't care anymore. She and Derek start to hang out and go to parties. But then they start drinking and also start to get stupid. But eventually, Pattyn's dad finds out and forbids her to see Derek again. He also threatens Derek to not see Pattyn either. Derek then starts dating another girl, who Pattyn later on punches in the face. Pattyn also does even more reckless things such as breaking a window in school, which her dad then has to pay for. As well as the girl Pattyn punched in the face because Pattyn broke her nose. I think that both Pattyn and her dad went a little to far with their actions. Because Pattyn didn't have to punch the girl in the face or break the window. And her father didn't have to threaten Derek to not see Pattyn again.

Pattyn then gets sent to her Aunt J's house in the country side, because of Pattyn's previous actions. While she's staying there, she meets a so-called "beautiful" boy named Ethan. Eventually Pattyn and Ethan start going out. They also fall in love with eachother. The two plan to move away together when Pattyn turns eighteen. Pattyn also winds up becoming pregnant with Ethan's child. But he doesn't leave her. When the two decide to leave with the still unborn baby, Pattyn's father finds out about everything. He then chases them in his car. Resultin in Ethan and Pattyn getting into a car crash. Both Ethan and the baby don't make it. And Pattyn cannot forgive her father for what he has done. I think that it was sweet that Ethan didn't leave Pattyn after she told him she was pregnant because most boys do that after they find out. But I also think that it was awful that Pattyn's father chased them around in his car. I thought that it was heartbreaking to find out that Ethan and the baby didn't survive because I wanted to know what would happen in Ethan and Pattyn's lives together.