Monday, November 29, 2010

Izzy, willy-nilly by Cynthia Voigt

Izzy, or Isobel, is only fifteen when a car accident changes her life. She finds herself waking up in a hospital with the Doctor voice saying "Isobel? I'm afraid we're going to have to take it off" (1). It is her leg. Fifteen is too young to become a cripple. Too young for Izzy, who won't be known for her talent as a cheerleader or her pretty looks any longer. Dealing with this tragedy is a long difficult road of depression and hard work and it becomes even harder when her three best friends no longer want anything to do with her, slowly they quit visiting her in the hospital and never return her calls. She only finds comfort in her countdown of days until she can return home. Surprisingly, one of her classmates whom she had only known from Latin club, Rosamunde, comes to visit Izzy in the hospital. Now Rosamunde isn't exactly the type of girl Izzy would be found hanging out with, Izzy's mother comments after seeing her and not knowing who she is, "There was a girl, probably a couple of years older than you and -- Oh, not at all pretty, and not well dressed..." (106). Rosamunde is difficult for Izzy to be around, but she may be the only person Izzy can confide in about how she truly feels. Is Rosamunde the only person that Izzy can truly be herself around? She may just be the reason Izzy begins to see things in a new light and change the way she feels about a lot of things in her life.


1. If, like Izzy, you had to go through something like this and lose a limb, how do you think you would you deal with it? Would you even be able to?

2. Sometimes people find friends in the most unusual places and those new friends aren't always the type of people they would normally want to be around. Have you ever become friends with someone who didn't really fit the description of someone you would normally be friends with? If not, would you ever consider befriending someone who seems "weird" to you?

22 comments:

Natalie S Mods 5-6 said...

1)If I had to lose a limb, I know that it would drive me insane. I would probably become very depressed. I sprained my ankle this summer and not being able to walk for 3 days was torture. I cannot even imagine being permanently altered like that. It would take a long time for me to accept it.
2)I have definitely befriended people outside of my comfort zone. By doing this though, I've learned more about myself and more about different kinds of people. By befriending someone outside of my "norm" I have become a lot more open minded and understanding.

MaryL11-12 said...

I don't know if i would be able to handle losing a limb. My dad was in an accident when he was my age and ended up having to get half of one of his legs amputated, and after watching the life he's had to deal with, I don't know if I would put myself through the same thing.
In junior high I was that girl that didn't want to have anything to do with anyone unless they were cool or whatever. I was retarded. When I got to high school I started making friends with people I never even would've looked at a few years before, but they're honestly some of the coolest people I know. So yeah, I'd for sure be friends with weird people. I am one.

Eric Y 13-14 said...

For question one, as an athelete I would think it would be nearly impossible to live the life i want without the body parts I need, thus creating a tougher life, and like Izzy, maybe even a depression.

For two, I believe anyone is capable of being friends with another peer, it is just the environment in which the relationship presents itself. If a jock is in all honors classes, he or she is likely to be friends with as many smart kids as normal kids. If a jock is in all regular classes, he or she is probably more likely to not befriend the smarter kids. At least thats my opinion.

Deanna K 5-6 said...

1. I think that I would have a hard time dealing with it. In the end, I think that i would have to go through lots of pyhsical therapy and talk to other people going through the same thigns i was to get over over. I thihk i would be able to get over it, it would just take a while and be a lot of work.

2. Yes, I have definitely become friends with someone i normally wouldn't be friends with. Through cross country and track, I've become friends with a lot of girls who i normally wouldn't be friends with. Just based on class, I'm friends with a lot of younger kids and older kids not in my class because of cross country. Sports teams bring big groups of people together who may not have anything in commmon excaept that one sport. I would still consider becoming freinds with someone who is different than me or someone i normally wouldn't become friends with.

Mike B 13-14 said...

I believe anyone can become friends with people diffrent from themselves. It is nice to have a wide varity of friends you can do diffrent things with. Playing many sports i have made friends from specific sports who I would have probally never met if I hadent played that sport. I would never befriend a person that seemed weird to me I would try to get to know this person and may learn that I too like the things they are intrested in.

Anonymous said...

1. i would not be able to deal with losing a limb. because i am a drumset player each one of my limbs plays an important part in my playing. without one of them i cannot have total control of my instrument. if i had to deal with it then i would learn how to play without that limb. just like the guy from def leopard
2. i have made friends with a lot of people that i thought i would never talk to. its quite funny because those same people ended up being some of my best friends. you really never know what life will throw at you.

Bojana Duric said...

1. If I lost a limb, I would be seriously depressed. I don't know how I would handle it or if I could. Even though losing a limb is a devastating thing, the situation could be worse. You could have died in an acident; only losing a limb may be lucky.

2. I have become friends with people that are not in my "norm." Some of those people that I thought I would never be friends with turned out to be some of my best friends. Just because someone is "weird" doesn't mean that they aren't fun or nice people.

Brad S 11-12 said...

2. I have become good friends with a few people that don't really "fit into" my looks. Judging others by looks is pretty ignorant, though. If people seem "weird" it's just because they are different, and everyone is supposed to be different, correct? So if no one is the same and we are all unique, why should people be labeled "weird?" Weird is just a word used for others who don't understand, too lazy to understand, or have no consideration for anybody else. Sure, everyone says that others are weird, but really it's just our inability to understand everyone in the world, and there is not one person who understands all. If you find a nice, caring, or funny person you can get along with, i say be their friend. So what if they're not exactly like you? We're not meant to be robots.

Heather M. 13-14 said...

the idea of losing a limb would be hard to accept for me. Im sure it would be difficult for anyone to accept because most people have become used to having the luxury of using their limbs and never had to deal with losing one. But if they did lose one, life would become completely different because you would have to try and adjust everything you were once able to do. It would take time but i think that i would eventually be able to accept it.

Betsy C 1314 said...

1 If I had something horrible like this happen to me, I would most likely lash out at everybody close to me. I dont have much patience as it is, and not being able to do things for myself would put me over the edge. Not to mention the cost of the hospital bills.

Kali D. 13-14 said...

1. I think it would be very hard to deal with something like this. Your life would be completely different and everything your use to doing would change. I think i would try to find the positives in the situation, but it may take some time for this to happen.

Amanda Z. 11-12 said...

1. I s'pose I'd *have* to deal with it if I lost a limb. Hopefully, though, my friends would ditch me as Izzy's friends did. I wouldn't be able to get through it if I didn't have a strong support system.
2. All of my friends are weird, so really its no biggie to befriend someone you wouldn't generally think of befriending. Those friendships are the most unique and arguably the most rewarding.

Megan D. 11-12 said...

1) Although it would be incredibly difficult, I would learn to live with out a limb if I had to have one amputated. Although I definitely would go into a period or depression directly after-wards, I believe in the end I would choose to live and try to make the best of the life I still had. Also, as Amanda said, I would need a strong support system to help me get back to "normal" life.
2) Just like everyone is saying, I have made friends with some of the weirdest people in the world. They are strange and hilarious and I don't know what else, but that's exactly what I like about them. I learn so many new things by hanging out with my foils.

Cassie M 11-12 said...

2. I have never had a preference on the type of person I'm befriending. I don't think there is a set type because every person I meet is original. I am friends with people that all have different backgrounds and interests. Somehow, I have something in common with all of them. Not to mention that I don't think I've met anyone weirder than myself, so it would be pretty difficult for me to judge someone else that way.

Hayley D said...

1.I agree with what everyone else has said, it would be extremely difficult for me to cope with a situation like that. It would be so hard to adjust to not being able to do everything that you normally could do easily. I think that it would take me a long time to accept what had happened but hopefully I would eventually come to terms with it and make the best out of your new life.
2. I don't think that I've ever really not spoken to people because they are "weird". I feel that if people are different, that is a good thing. And even though someone is "different," it doesn't mean that you should exclude them. Odds are, you would find that you have something in common with them if you just take the time to talk with them. So yes, I would befriend someone different than I am, because that is what makes life interesting.

McKenzieM 11-12 said...

1. If I ever lost a limb I would be devastated but I think eventually I would learn to live with it and move on.
2. I think it's important to have lots of different types of friends. Having different types of people around you makes you a more rounded person.

Jacob B 11-12 said...

1. If i were to loose a limb i probably would not be able to deal with it. I would most likely become very depressed for a long time because there are many aspects of my life that will change.
2. I have befriended "wierd" people before and some of them have turned out to be some of my best friends. Just because your first impression of a person is not good does not mean they arent good people

Matt P. 13-14 said...

For question one, I don't know how I would react, because it would be such a big change that I wouldn't even be able to comprehend the changes that I would have to make until it happened to me. I don't think I would take it well, but over time hopefully I would be able to move on and continue with life. It would be such a big thing to get over that it would take a long time to get over it, and even then I don't think I would ever be fully over it.

Emily C. 13-14 said...

I have no idea how i would deal with that situation. i think everyone in life takes advantage of things and jut the fact that most people arent in that situation they dont stop to think about what it would be like to not have a leg or be thankful that they do. it would be so hard to dealw ith it i dont even think i would be able to because my whole life pretty much revolves around walking and moving around.

Julie S. 5-6 said...

Yes I have become friends with people I wouldn't normally expect but it helps to have a good perspective on life and not get stuck in a rut.
If I lost a limb I would not be able to handle it very well. I can barely cope with losing a dollar and my limbs are all very important to me. I have a lot of respect for anyone who can come to terms with that sort of thing.

Alexander C. [13-14] said...

1. Losing a limb is something that I feel I could live without. Like when a person goes blind or death, their other senses are enhanced and they learn to cope with their ailment. Adapting to a certain condtion is one thing the human race has gotten right for the past 100,000 years. This is evidence to why everyone who loses a limb can fight through the pain and overcome their disability only if they are willing to put hard work and dedication into their condition.

Mrs. Sherwood said...

thread graded, closed