SSR project 5th Six Weeks
By: Alyssa Ross
Book: The Voyage of the Frog
Author: Gary Paulsen
The Voyage of the Frog had a major lesson that I learned from reading it. David the main character of the story is stranded on his uncle’s boat in the middle of the ocean. David had to rely on himself in order to survive. In life we often want people to help us make our own decisions. David had to make his own decisions based off his knowledge he had while he was on this boat. In the novel David says “I want to know everything, but that’s impossible” (Paulsen, 24). By saying this David is implying that he wishes he knew everything in order to make certain decisions for himself. There is a point in the novel in which David had “Short thoughts about mistakes he had made, or mistakes he was making” (Paulsen, 25). David has also made mistakes based off of the decisions he made. This taught me not to be scared about the decisions I make, and not to be scared to make a mistake. In the novel David noticed that “Part of his brain kept pushing tiny little warnings at him” (Paulsen, 77). Even though David was alone there were still signs that led him to make certain decisions. This taught me that sometimes we have to follow our heart in order to make the right decisions in life. In life I have come across many decisions in which I wanted guidance from someone else to help me decide. After reading this book I have realized that my decisions in life cannot be influenced by others. I have learned that I need to take make my own decisions and be independent.
Painting: Two Paths
Artist: Dima Dmitriv
This painting resembles a girl who has come to a huge decision in life. She must choose between two different paths. This girl in the painting is young. From looking at this painting I realized that when I was young I had to make decisions too. This young girl is looking at the two different paths and does not know what to choose. She is looking for guidance. As I look at this painting I realize that this girl is just like me. This young girl with her hair in pig tails and her red jacket is just like me. My whole life I have looked to people for guidance. By looking at this painting I learned that I have to be independent and stop looking for someone to guide me in the right direction.
Works Cited
Dmitriev, Dima. Two Paths. 2013. Oil on canvas. N.p.
Paulsen, Gary. The Voyage of the Frog. New York: Orchard, 1989. Print.