Day 11: Allie

In True Notebooks, of course all of the characters are forced to leave their homes.  They are forced to leave the places they know and are comfortable with and are suddenly put in a cold, dark, place with total strangers and no freedom.  From the day they are thrown into prison, they are faced with new challenges, being outside of their comfort zone and with people they don't know at all. Mark is also another person who has had to leave, although I think he's left his situation more mentally than physically.  Although he is in a new place, he's not forced to live there, but he is forced to think outside of the box and think from a different perspective when he's working at the prison.  I think in a way Marjane and the boy's situations are the same because they are both being sent away for their own good even if they don't realize it.  Marjane's parents are just trying to protect her from the war and the law is trying to protect the boys from situations they don't need to be in as well as protecting others from them.  They have all had to leave their comfort zone and so maybe their challenges have become greater because of that, but it's also a learning process and an opportunity to grow.  Mark has had to leave his comfort zone and adapt to these boys; how they write, how they think, how they act, and how they feel, sometimes even just the slang they use.  Even though people might leave a situation they're in for the wrong reason or because of something bad, I feel like you can always learn something about the next situation you're put in.  I believe that it has happened for a reason and in the end will help you grow and develop as a person.  Even though I don't see the bridge program as prison, I still believe that in a way it ties together because I left my home to go to a new place and even though I didn't necessarily want to come here, I'm glad I came and it has made a difference in the way I think about school, and how I think of myself as a person.  Mark's writing class has turned the boys from lazy, unmotivated kids to passionate, strong-minded young men just like how being at bridge for me has made me step up and put careful consideration into my work.  Even though I think the process might take a while for the boys and I'm sure they will face a lot more challenges along the way, in the end no matter if they are released or locked up for life, they will be better people because of it.