Please respond to the following question in about one page of writing (less is fine, but it should be at least a long paragraph). Explain your ideas with examples about your own life and from the book. Then respond to two of your classmates posts.
1. What do you have in common with the main characters (either John or Lorraine or both)? How are you different than that same character? HINT: Think about what the characters care about, how they change over the course of the book, what they learn, their friendship with each other, their family situation and their school situation.
55 comments:
Even though I am very different than Lorraine, I have some things in common with her. Lorraine is a very caring person. She takes care of her mother and John even though they don't always treat her very nicely. Lorraine's mother especially seems to be unkind to her and to take advantage of her good heart. Even though Lorraine is a caring person she doesn't always do the right thing and is influenced by her friends. She gets carried away with John and ends up destroying the Pigman's house and his feelings. I consider myself a caring person but I have also lost sight of other people's feelings at times. I think Lorraine learns an important lesson when the Pigman's feelings are hurt and that she grows as a person. At the end of the book she reflects on her frienship with Mr. Pignati, and wonders whether she is in part responsible for his death. When she compare herself to the "babboons that build their own cages" she suggests that she has learned something important about herself. I think this shows she has matured greatly.
hey whats up
wow how interesting...
I can compare myself to Lorraine in some ways. From reading, The Pigman, I know that Lorraine is very under-confident of herself. I can compare myself to her because I know that often I am not very confident of myself. I am also very different from Lorraine as well. In the book, Lorraine showed that she gives into peer pressure easily by John influencing her to do the wrong thing. I know that it would be extremely difficult for someone to get me to give into peer pressure. In those kind of situations, I feel very confident of myself. These are one pair out of many simlarities and differences between Lorraine and myself.
I am not much like John because I am not a smoker or a drinker and I don't hate school. Also I wouldn't throw a party at someone else's house like John and Lorraine did.Unlike John i am actually satisfied with my life and how it is going. Although i have many differences from John and Lorraine, i am alike them because they blame themselves for the death of Mr. Pignati and i also some times in life blame my self for things that, in reality, are in fact not my fault at all. I think many people do this and all it means is that you are human. I am also alike John because i think friends should overlook the flaws in people. This is not what Lorraine's mother does. She critisizes Lorraine which gives Lorraine low self-esteem.
Frank...
I would agree with you that Lorraine does give into peer pressure easily by John influencing her to do the wrong thing because when the pigman gives them the check for ten dollars and Lorraine doesn't want to cash it, but John convinces her otherwise. I think that every now and then we all get under confident. I know I was when I took exams for the first time last year. I was so nervous that my grade would be effected greatly if I did bad.When i walked into the classroom i looked around and saw that many other people were nervous too.when the test was over i started thinking to my self, wow that was easy, i don't know why i was stressing so much. it turned out that the exams did nothing but help me.So frank don't think that you are the only one that every now and then doesn't feel very confident because i am right there with you.
Like many others, I have some differences and things in common with Lorraine. Just like Lorraine, I am a very thoughtful and considerate person. I enjoy helping others, and being especially friendly to family, friends, and new students.
Unlike Lorraine, however, I don't have a very low self esteem, and i'm not influenced by things such as peer pressure,drinking/smoking, and lying. After Lorraine gets caught up in her huge lye to the Pigman, she can't help herself but to continue what she started.
Since Lorraine "gives in" to almost everything that John says and does, the consequence of her actions end with her and john hurting the pigmans house, and his feelings.
After the tragic and sad death of the pigman, Lorraine and John question themselves as to whether he would have died that soon if they had, or hadn't come into his life. Lorraine and John also wonder what their lives would have been like if they had never made that prank call to the pigman. Lorraine even said that John never seemed the same after the pigman was out of their lives.
Austin: I agree with you on how you said that "friends should overlook the flaws in other people." And thats exactly what John does when it comes to being friends with Lorraine. Although her mother doesn't seem to overlook this, John comforts and makes Lorraine feel good about herself for once.
Michela...
I would agree with you that Lorraine "gives in" to John a lot even though she is a smart girl. she has very low self-esteem because her mother criticizes her a lot, but i think that even though she "gives in" to peer presure, she is a better person when she is with John than when she is at home. This is because, as i said in my response to the question, i think friends and usually parents over look flaws but in this occasion her mother doesn't.
Frank: I agree with you when you said that Lorraine isn't very confident in herself. I also wrote about how Lorraine isn't very confident. Like you, I occaisonally lose my confidence in tough situtions....usually right before a tough test or exam and i'm worried that I don't know some of the material, or I even studied the wrong material for like 5 hours!!
Michela: I totally agree with you about studying for tests and quizzes. Even though I have studied the material for a very long time, It still wont make any sense to me.
Austin: I agree with you about how me and you do not smoke or do drugs like John. I would also never think about throwing a party in someone else's house when they weren't home. Also destroying a very valuable collection of glass pigs.
John and I are very different individuals, but we have our similarities. John is more of a person who is confident of himself and does not care what other people think of him. For instance, when he puts the roller blades on in the mall he is only thinking of the fun that Mr. Pignati would have and not what the other people in the mall would think. Most of the time, this is how I act. We are different, however, in the fact that John knows he has bad habits such as drinking and smoking, but doesn't do anything to try to control them. When I realize that I have bad habits, I do what I can to stop them. I think that John also matures towards the end of the book when he realizes what harm he caused Mr. Pignati.
Michela: I would agree that in Lorraine "giving in" to everything that John says makes her his slave in a way. I also agree in the fact that they both don't act the same when the Pigman dies.
Austin: I agree with you because friends should overlook the flaws in people, but Lorraine's mother doesn't do that to John and looks only on the outside. Also, I think Lorraine overlooks the flaws in John and is friends with him.
For several reasons, I am different and alike Lorraine. For example, many other people said that Lorraine is a kind and caring person, she puts effort into doing the right thing, and takes care of the only family she has, (her mother) and her friend (John). I totally agree since, I take care of my family, too, as best as I can and try to help out my friends in the best way possible. But towards the end of the book, she ends up changing her relationship with everyone, from John to her mother to the Pigman especially. During the book, Lorraine tries to convince John to stop smoking and drinking, she tries to have a better relationship with her mother in some way and she tries to make the best of the conversations and outings she and John have with the Pigman. She realizes that she needs to improve her connection with her friends and family and tries to help them and herself into changing. I do that too, when needed, from encouraging friends to do something or even to help a family member stop smoking for his own health. Unfortunately though, she gives in to what John says and they go and have friendly conversations with the Pigman until all the problems start to happen. They end up destroying the home of the Pigman, using him a little to buy stuff since the Pigman was always so generous and at the end with not only these problems to fix and take care of, the Pigman dies because of health problems and that incident changes their lives forever. The Pigman, though, was a true friend and Lorraine and John were never going to forget him. I, on the other hand, would have never given in to the ideas that John had and what he said. I would have known that even though it might have even been fun and cool at times, there were going to be consequences whether they liked it or not and in all of the time spent with the Pigman I would have understood that it was time to act much more responsibly then they had. These are some examples of how I am alike and different from Lorraine.
In personal comparison of myself to the character John I find that I am like him in some ways. He enjoys having a good time with his friends, both John and I do not always agree with our parent's actions and rules. However,John and I are completely different in the level of respect we bestow upon our parents. No matter what occurs between my parents and myself, never do I disrespect them or refer to them by derogatory nicknames. My bad habits do not include smoking,drinking or taking advantage of the generosity of older people. During the course of my life I have also had xperiences that influenced my outlook on life. It was refreshing to see that John and Lorraine's friendship improved by spending time with an elderly gentlemen. Whenever I make mistakes, I learn from them and the next time the same situation occurs, it won't happen to me again as is true for John and Lorraine. Lorraine obviously felt terrible and learned from her mistake. This self reflection and learning is an influencial factor in her maturing process.
Ms. Chip,
I concur with the fact that Lorraine learns an important lesson and has reached the next level of maturity. Although I do feel badly that she had to learn it by My Pignati dying.
Michela I agree with you in the fact that Lorraine gives into peer pressure and one of the things she could do to improve this is to not be a follower. She should be a leader in positive actions and stand up for what she believes in.
John and I have different and similar personalities. One way John is different from me is that he keeps pushing things that are good for him and bad for others. I would never do that. Like when he took the ten dollars from Pigman. He keep seeing him and accepting gifts from Pigman. If I had to take ten dollars from Pigman I would have stopped seeing him after that. I am also similar to John because John uses his smarts to get out of things. For example, he sets off fire crackers in the boy’s bathroom but, He would always time the explosion so the boys smoking in the bathroom would get blamed for setting the fire crackers and not him. I have a similar and different personality than John.
Austin: I agree with you that John is not satisifed with his life. Also i agree that its wasnt their fault that Pigman died even though they blamed themself.
Frank: I think that you are right that john is a bad influence on Lorraine and makes her give in to peer pressure. The same with her being under confident.
I have many things in common with Lorraine. Some of these things are we both are caring and we both like to know about different things. Some more ways i am like Lorraine is we both have the same perspective on drinking and smoking,they are bad for you and other around you. Some ways i am different than Lorraine are I don't let people keep me down and I have self confidence. Some ways Lorraine shows that she doesn't have self confidence is when her mom tells her she is not pretty she lets herself belive that she isn't.
I am more different than john than i have in common with him. I am different than him because I don't drink and smoke, i don't hate school, and i think my life is great the way it is. Some other ways I am different than john are I have more respect toward my parents and rules they have. On the other hand I am alike john because I like to have fun with my friends.
Just like Austin some situations in life you think it is all your fault but in reality it isn't. I also think that both of them, john and Loraine learned from there mistakes. When another situation comes up again I think they will make a smarter choice.
I am both different and similar with john. For example, i am different from john becuase he is a very self centered individual and does not put other peoples thoughts into consideration. He and Lorraine have a party at mr. pignati's house and destroy lots of his personal possessions. This is not very considerate. I am also different from john because i do not drink or smoke becuase i know it is very unhealthy to do. I am similar with john in several ways as well. I do not always do the rignt thing and when i dont i am sure to fix my mistake as soon as i can. I am also similar with john because he is a determined person and so am i. I am determined because when i want something, i will not stop until i earn the money to buy it, etc. John is also determined but in a different way than me because john wants different things than me.
Though Lorraine and I have very different qualities about ourselves we are also very much alike. I am like Lorraine because in opinion I am a caring and considerate person. We both do not mind helping our friends and family, especially our mothers, but I am also unlike her in others way too. However she both Lorraine and I slip up every once and a while like when she has a party at The Pigman’s home without asking permission. Unlike Lorraine I do not a have a low self esteem. Lorraine seems to dwell on her flaws instead of looking at the good things she has. Lorraine also has a very bad relationship with her mother. For example she feels she cannot be honest with her mom or go to her when she has a problem. I however go to my mom for everything. I also do not give into peer pressure like Lorraine does. She listens to almost everything her best friend John says which eventually leads to hurting someone else she cares about feelings. I believe by the end of the novel Lorraine learns several lessons and starts to grow as a person.
Austin: Although i have many differences from John and Lorraine, i am alike them because they blame themselves for the death of Mr. Pignati and i also some times in life blame my self for things that, in reality, are in fact not my fault at all. i agree to this because i too sometimes think things are my fault but really aren't.
michela: when you said Since Lorraine "gives in" to almost everything that John says and does, the consequence of her actions end with her and john hurting the pigmans house, and his feelings. i do agree that it hurt pigmans felling but I think it effected lorraine more.
Frank: I agree with you that Lorraine is a very under-confident. Also like you at times I have very low confidence.
Brayson: I agree that I like having a good time with my friends and I don’t always like the decisions my parents make. But unlike John I would not disrespect my parents just because of choices or rules they have made for me.
Brayson:i agree with you that john likes to have a good time with his friends and that he does not always agree with what his parents say.
David: i agree with you that john is always pushing things that are good for him and bad for others and that john is engaging is risky behavior by going over to the pigmans house many times after he got ten dollars.
Frank: I and many others agree with you that Lorraine has a low confidence level and for some reasons, that is why she gives in, like Michela said, to what John says.
Lorraine and I are similar and different in many ways. One way I am similar to Lorraine is that I say what I believe in. For example Lorraine always tries to get John to try to stop smoking and drinking. If I was in this situation I would also tell my friend that smoking is bad for them, and try and get them to stop. Also like Lorraine, I try to do the right thing. When John wanted to collect the ten dollars from the Pigman, she knew that it was the wrong thing to do, but unlike me, she went along and did it anyways. Also like Lorraine, I care for my family, and friends. Lorraine takes care of her mother, while I mainly take care of my sister and always look out for her.
I am different from Lorranie because I am not that big of a pushover. When John wants to collect the ten dollars from the Pigman, Lorraine does not want to do it, but in the end goes anyways. I would never do anything that I feel is not right. She also origanally does not want to have a party at the Pigman's house, but ends up going along with the idea, which in the end backfires.
Jeremey: I agree that when John put on the rollerblades in the zoo,because he was thinking of the Pigman and the fun he would have had, and not the other people looking at him. This shows that John has some sort of compassion and cares about the Pigman, even though he tries to hide his feeling under his tough exterior.
Frank: I agree with you that Lorraine caves into peer preasure, mainly from John so much. This shows she has very low esteem. I think this may come from her mom who always points out all of her flaws
I think i'm similar to John in a few ways. he started the book as this guy with this image as angry and rebellious. he came up with ways to cause some sort of not really really dangerous trouble (like the fruit roll) and doesn't always respect his parents. i used to be one of the people who sat in the back of the room in a public schl classroom with 30 kids or so and didn't pay attention, and i think that's what john's "image" is like too. he also is unsatisfied with is life and thinks it's boring and sometimes i do too. (however i don't make things up, drink or smoke.) he also doesn't want a boreining carrer. eventually he got at least a little more positive because he stopped writing on desks, and i stopeed chewing gum in class amd stuff like that. john also hangs around with a bunch of people that annoy him (Dennis and Norton) but likes to spend time and joke with them anyway, and that's pretty much how i am too. he cares a lot about Lorraine, and the memorial epic is written because john saw lorraine was feeling really depressed about the Pigman dieing and that writing it would help. i care a lot about my friends too, and would probably do almost anytihng to help if we knew someone like the pigman and he died, because i'd feel responsible, too.
ps-disclaimer-sory i was late and sloppy with this.
I would have to agree with a lot of the comments about Lorraine. I am most like Loraine, but also would have say I am very different from her as well. First I am like Lorraine because she can resist peer pressure, for example, John drinks and smokes while Lorraine does not. She even tells him he is going to kill himself one day from drinking and smoking. I resist peer pressure and I do not drink or do drugs like her. In another way Lorraine does give into peer pressure like when she gave into letting the Pigman buy them things, for example, roller skates and going along with the party they threw at the Pigmans house. This is one way I am different from Lorraine because I would not let this happen even though peer pressure is something hard to get out of. At the end of the story the Pigman dies and Lorraine feels responsible and learns from her experience. If i was Lorraine I would feel responsible for the Pigmans death as well.
Although of the obvious gender difference I can compare myself to Lorraine because of many reasons. She is a caring person and takes care of her mother and john even though she might not get anything back from doing so. Also she cannot deal with the felling of guilt. for instance when Lorraine and John went to go collect the money for the “charity”, she had a feeling of guilt taking this money from a lonely old man, but the only thing that john could think of is getting money for alcohol that his parents refused to give him. The difference between the two of us is that she gives up quickly, such as the fact that John has smoking and drinking problem. From my perspective she tried once to help John and then gave up. Unlike her I would have tried over and over to save a best friend.
Michela: I agree with you when you said that Lorraine had a very low self esteem. I believe she does have a very low self esteem but she matures by the end of the book.
Frank: I agree with you that Lorraine gives into too much pressure with John. If she had not given into peer pressure like that then she would not have been in as much trouble as she had.
i agree that loraine matured during the book.
maybe it's because when she finally tells her mother she was friends w/mr pignati and helping her mother see lorraine more clearly made loraine see herself more confidently or something?
Lorraine and I have a few similarities but we also have a couple things that are very different about us. Lorraine and I are both caring but I wouldn’t let someone take advantage of my help like what Lorraine’s mom does to her. Lorraine also gives into peer pressure when agrees to have the party at Mr. Pignati’s house.If I were Lorraine I would most likely not agree with John when he suggested the party. I can relate to Lorraine when Mr. Pignati finds them having a party at his house and Lorraine feels awful for having the party in the first place. Her life changed drastically because of knowing Mr. Pignati.
During the book I somewhat did realize that I have sorta related to Lorraine in some ways, but not to John. I am able to relate my self to Lorraine. I can be caring but sometimes when I see what other friends do I feel like I should do it too. For example, she cared for her mother during the good and the bad.Also I am that same way around new people I may meet, and family/friends. As well, Lorraine would fall under the influence of John. Plus, sometimes I might, but there's other times where I know what's right and wrong. And sometimes I can feel very unconfident and insecure like Lorraine, as she has felt sometimes during The Pigman. For instance, the way she felt about the way she looked. I am nothing like John. I wouldn't smoke or drink like he does. I also wouldn't be able to throw a party at someone else's house that I have gained trust with. It would be unthinkable. These are some of the alike and differences that John, Lorraine, and I share.
im slightly like john in a couple ways. i am like john in the sense that i sometimes get so bored with life in general that i sometimes make up stories and get really into them. i will be talking too a friend and will make something up and elaborate it to the point where it seems realy believeable. In some ways i am not like john at all though. i would never go quite as far as he does like to put glue in the phone or anything like that. i think that john doesnt really like his parents and that is why he antagonizes them to such an extent.
Owen: I would also feel guilty for taking money from a nice old man just like Lorraine.
Michela: I agree with you about studying for tests and quizes also becauss sometimes I can study for hours but when I'm about to take the quiz/test I forget a lot of the information.
Liza
I can agree with you that its hard to get out of peer pressure when your in it. And I would also feel responsible for the Pigman's death and also feel like you could have done something else to prevent it. I also agree with you on that Lorraine does give in too much to what John may do.
by the way gibsonsg1312 is noah because i am not sure how to fix the name to be mine instead of my screenname
frank...
i agree with you in the sense that lorainne is very underconfident with herself. i think this because she believes herself not to be pretty or special. i think this is because of her mother always talking about how bad she looks and how bad her posture is so lorainne is very insecure. i also think that lorainne is so very easily submitable to peer pressure because she believes john to be much better than her because he is not afraid of anything really and very handsome.
david...
i agree with you in the sense that john is very selfish like jow he always accepts things from mister pignati with little (if any) guilt. i disagree with you that john is smart because he otherwise probably would have not put on the skates that mr.pignati bought him in the store.
I am different from John and Lorraine in many ways as well. For example, I would never choose a random person out of a phone book, call him/her, and use false identities posing as the L & J Fund. Not to mention collecting money from Mr. Pignati, him thinking it is for a good cause. Again, as I mentioned earlier, there is another example of John persuading Lorraine to do what is wrong. I cant blame Lorraine that she gives into peer pressure so easily. After all, she has a mother at home that is not supportive at all and very mean and cruel. Lorraine's mother has problems as her own. John does not seem to like his parents either. All I am trying to get to is that I am unlike Lorraine and John in this way becuase of their choice making in the book.
Julia
I can relate to you by, I used to sometimes try to go in my own corner and try to getaway from the atmosphere of school and not pay any attention to what anyone was saying. And that John does care a lot about Lorraine and would maybe just do about anything for her. And he does stop vandalize the schools property, and feeling a little more positive about himself.
Kiki: I agree because Lorraine does have a tendency to slip up and make mistakes but she is overall a nice and caring person
i agree with many of these comments, and i am like john in many ways. john is some what of a dare devil and he likes to make a lot of trouble and i kind of have that personality in me.then again he likes to smoke and drink and i think that that is a horrible thing to do. also he has and awful family and i love my family and i would never ever even think about killing myself. that is what john says he wants to do closer to the end of the book.
I am like Lorraine in that I sometimes take interest in other people’s lives and I look to my mom for advice every now and then. The fact that I take responsibility for my own life and I don’t compare my life to that of baboons makes me different than Lorraine. Also, I am not insecure and I know how to stand up for myself. I am not like John because I have a good family situation, I like school and I don’t take people for granted. Both Lorraine and John always thought more about themselves than other people. It took the death of Pigman for Lorraine and John to realize that life is about more than just them. His death also made them realize that they needed to start taking responsibility for their lives because they were becoming young adults. I don’t need for someone close to me to die to realize that I need to be more responsible. I feel like I am learning about being more responsible now and I have people around to positively influence my behavior.
Mike:
I agree that John is irresponsible when it comes to his health and his character. I also think that John is very determined but, unlike you, his determination is usually not productive.
Marina:
You're right, Lorraine does care about other people but I think she spends more time thinking about herself.
I have in common with John that I used to be kind of off the wall and destructive when I was younger like when John was the bathroom bomber (but not so extreme) and i used to make stuff up alot. However I am difrent in things like famoly in wich regard I am better off then he is.
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