In the courtroom in chapter 26 of Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, the characters J.T., Digger, and Brady have an experience that they will never forget. At first, Brady thinks that he'll have to testify against his friends, but instead they plead guilty. Hearing this gave me a sense of relief and worry. Pleading guilty means that they will definitely be sent to some sort of juvenile detention, but it also means Brady won't have to stand up in front of his friends and incriminate them. That's why I was extremely surprised when they pleaded guilty. Even if they are guilty, doing that guarantees them punishment for their crimes, instead of having any sort of chance.
J.T. and Digger's honesty is very important. Although they didn't intend for anyone to get hurt, it did result in someone's life being taken. They seem truly sorry for that and willing to take any punishment that is given to them. I think that it was very brave of Digger to take all of the blame for it, although it wasn't necessary. J.T. is still at fault for his actions and not saying anything about it. Another key moment in this chapter was when they only received 9 months of forestry camp. The way the judge was putting it, I thought they'd be held in a detention center until they were 21. If i were in their situation, I'd probably feel so guilty that I would plead guilty myself, especially if I were digger. Just thinking about one of my siblings dying because of someone else, and that person not owning up to it would make me immensely sad and angry. If I were in J.T.'s situation, I would feel like I deserve the same punishment as Digger, and that everyone should stop making me look like a saint. I would want to own up to it and wouldn't want one of my best friends to take all the blame. If I were Brady, I would be upset that my friends were probably never going to forgive me, and that I might never see them again. Overall, if I were in any of the character's places, I would be dismayed because of the outcome of drilling holes in the kayak and and petrified of what's to come. Brady babysat Ben, the DiAngelo's young son one weekend. They watched the lion king together, then Ben asked Brady why why the hyenas turn against the villain scar. Brady replies, "Because he's bad." After thinking about it, Ben said, "Scaw's not bad. He's just being mean." Brady learned that even though people, in his case his friends, did a bad thing, it doesn't mean they are bad people. Just because they did one thing wrong, it doesn't mean that everything that they did that was good doesn't count anymore. They still deserve forgiveness. Sometimes it may be hard to forgive, but it's what you would want if you were them, especially if you were truly sorry for what you had done. I can relate to this because I have gotten into fights with my friends and family, but we always work it out in the end and admit to what we had done wrong. I am always sorry for anything that I have done wrong, particularly if it caused emotional or physical pain for someone else, and so are the people I love. We always find a way to resolve it in the end, as long as we both try to fix it.
Text to Self: I can relate to Brady because he knows information and he can Jeopardize relationships by telling someone. I've never been in a situation quite as serious as his, but I still wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want anyone to be mad at me, but I had to tell someone because, like him, it was weighing heavy on my conscience. I did the right thing, and nothing very bad came from it. I ended up feeling better in the end.
Text to Text: In A Face First, Kelley's mom blames herself for Kelley's accident. This is similar to how Brady blames himself for Ben's death. They both feel like its their fault their loved ones were harmed, and are not sure how to cope with it. Text to World: Girls in Pakistan fought for education rights, although they knew there would be punishment. They did what they knew was right and just, and the Pakistan Taliban threw acid in their faces to cause permanent scarring and serve as a warning to anyone else who even thinks about fighting for equal rights. This is similar to how Brady wants to do what's right, but knows there will be consequences. At this point in the novel, events have greatly affected relationships between many of the characters. First of all, Mr. and Mrs. DiAngelo are not in the best situation. Mr. DiAngelo blames Mrs. DiAngelo for their son's death. He left their house for a couple of months, and although he returned on July 4th, there is no telling how upset he may still be. Brady and his friends may also be in jeopardy. Because J.T. and Digger drilled holes in the kayak and refuse to tell anyone, Brady feels tremendous guilt. He wants to tell someone, but is afraid of how they might react. Although Brady and his father have a great relationship, a big event like the one they are experiencing can place stress on it. Once he confesses to his father, Brady feels both relieved and worried. Relieved because he finally told someone, and worried because he's unsure how his father will respond.
If the Mr. DiAngelo finds out what really happened, he might stop blaming Mrs. DiAngelo once and for all, because there was another factor she had no idea about. Once J.T. and Digger realize that Brady confessed to the police, they will probably be thrown into Juvenile Detention and won't forgive him. Depending on the trial results, Brady and his father might not be as close as before. Digger’s home life is rough. His mother has to repeatedly take them out of the house for a few days because his dad is violent and had a drinking problem. Digger takes it upon himself to take care of his younger siblings, and makes sure they are okay through everything. I don’t think it’s an excuse for his behavior, but it is a reason. It tells us why, but it doesn’t make it okay. Sometimes people act out in school when other things are bothering them. I don’t think that I’ve ever taken it to Digger’s level, but I am definitely more irritable when something is bothering me. For example, if my parents and I get into a fight before school and don’t resolve it before it starts; I might be in a bad mood that day.
Once, I was at my horse barn, and I saw a 20 dollar bill on the ground. I could have taken it without anyone noticing, or them believing it was mine. I didn’t do that because I knew that someone was missing it, so I picked it up, and put it on a table, so that if they found it they could find it. A few minutes later, a girl was worried about not having money for lunch, and how she knew she brought money. At first, I didn’t think much of I, but then I remembered the money I found earlier. I quickly picked it up where I left it, and handed it to her. I’m really glad I didn’t decide to keep it, because I would have felt bad if she wasn’t able to eat lunch, or had to borrow money because of me. Honestly, I probably would have felt bad for taking someone else’s money anyways. They worked hard for that, and it’s not fair that just because they misplaced it, I took it.
If I were in Brady’s situation, I’d try to figure something out rationally with my friends and tell one of my parents. I trust that my parents would help me make a logical decision that wouldn’t get me in trouble. I’d talk to my friends because I care about their well as my own, and it’s in all of our best interests if we come up with a decision that we all agree on. I don’t think that I would make any decisions, like throwing the drill in the water, without talking to someone first.
In Chapters 17-22 in Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, many things happen. First, Digger approaches Brady and asks what he did with the drill. Brady then goes to his Aunt Janet's house in Rhode Island for a break during the first week of summer. While he's there he sees a picture of Amanda, his deceased baby sister. He puts the photo in his wallet, and decides to keep it for later. On the train ride there and back, he wonders what he should do with the drill, and decides to throw it into a creek. Even after doing that, he feels no relief, and even feels more guilty than before. He starts to work for Mrs. DiAngelo, and on the fourth of July, Mr. DiAngelo comes back. One day, in his room he takes out the picture of Amanda, and his mother sees. That is when they confess their true feelings about her death to one another. A few days later, he and his uncle Carl rent a movie and have dinner together. While they are there, Brady runs into J.T. and notices that he looks very pale and tired. When he got home from Carl's, he talked to his dad about the protest in Crisfield, and eventually asks him to help haul something out of the water. Brady's dad correctly guesses that it is the red kayak, and Brady wonders why he didn't just tell his father the truth.
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