FINAL WAVE ASSIGNMENT

1. I think that this means that you should follow your own path and not someone else's. If you do that, you have no freewill, and you cannot control your life. You can still be part of a group, but if you don't want to do something, then don't, and if you want to, then do it.


In my life, I'm usually part of a specific group or with my friends. Whenever I'm with them, they do a lot of things, but some I don't really like. They might want to do something bad and sneak off, but I say no and stay put. I usually go along with them, but I can't cross my line in the sand. When It's just too much, I just go somewhere else and do something else, rather than do what I don't want. For me, freedom is a necessity, so I can choose my path and choose to follow or not, to fight or defend, to take action or stay put.


2. At the beginning of the novel, Robert was lazy and seemed a bit of a weirdo. He was definitely a nobody. When he got into The Wave though, he started to change. He began to taste power and respect, finding equality among his classmates and The Wave. Then he became power-hungry because he liked the taste of power and wanted more, and turned it into communism by accident. Everyone was included in The Wave, so he liked it, but they all didn't notice that outsiders weren't included.

After The Wave, he felt pretty depressed, but Mr. Ross helped cheer him up. When he said that he would talk with Robert, I think that he's going to talk with Robert about how life is good and that he should try to be his best at all times. I think that he can only improve, and now that The Wave is over, he learned his lesson, and won't go power-hungry again. He might go on to be a good person someday, and help benefit mankind.


3.
a. I see that The Wave is an absolute example of fascism, in fact they are the same. Ben seems to be the dictator, and it's a fact because Ben Ross states himself that he was "a teacher that had accidentally slipped into the role of a dictator". If the students are The Wave, then Ben is the earthquake causing it. He also has a society that excludes non-Wave members from certain things, such as the Wave rally. The students follow his commands like little Nazis and without question.

b. A historical event that was fascist was of course Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. It was the whole reason The Wave started. When Hitler ruled, he destroyed all of the Jewish people because they didn't want to be Nazis. I don't really know about it because I don't remember learning it, but I know that fascism is the general idea.


4.
AVOIDING MOB MENTALITY: A PRACTICAL GUIDE BY A MIDDLE STUDENT
Many times during the year, you see groups and want to join, even if they're bad. How can you stop yourself from joining? First of all, think of yourself as an individual body, not part of anything. Sure, we're all humans, but we all have different personalities and feelings. Don't join, but instead use your willpower and do something else. It's like smoking, you do it because of peer pressure, then get hooked and can't stop. What you have to do is say no, and walk away. It's very hard to because your mind wants to be led by others. Use your own willpower and start bottom-up. Do little things like staying inside when everyone wants to go outside, play volleyball instead of kickball, and you'll have less trouble handling these situations later in life.