Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

The Blind Side is an uplifting story about a young athletically gifted black teenager named Michael Oher. The son of a crack-addicted mother and murdered father, Michael has never had an easy or privileged life. He has no confidence, a high school GPA of 0.6, and nowhere to live. The only thing he has going for him is his size and strength on the field that gives him the chance as a future NFL left tackle. Sean Tuohy, the father of a girl in one of Michael’s classes, is a very rich and powerful white man who has been known to help impoverished students in the past. The family reaches out to Michael by offering him food and clothes, and as the story line progresses, they eventually take him in as one of their own.

1. Mrs. Tuohy is skeptical at first about helping Michael. If you had the opportunity to help someone who was in a situation like Michael, would you?

2. On the other side of thing, if you were in Michael’s situation, would you accept help from people you hardly knew? Consider the betrayal that Michael has faced in the past with his own family. Would you be willing to trust again?

3. Michael Lewis writes this book to show that even a little caring and compassion can make a huge difference in someone else’s life. Why do you think most people are usually so reluctant to give to those in need?

16 comments:

Brad S 11-12 said...

3. Well, i believe that at least the United States have become more materialistic. Most people don't appreciate the gift of life and just want big houses and fancy cars. To give away their wants, for somebody else who needs, is actually very rare. Most people have become so self absorbed that they have forgotten about others, and that they are human beings as well, and that they might do the same thing for them.

Heather M. 13-14 said...

1) If i had the ability to help someone in as desperate need as Michael, then i probably would as long as i had sufficient funds, such as Mr. Tuohy did, and enough to help support them while still caring for myself and my family. Michael had such a rough past and hard life that i'm sure he would somehow be able to appreciate any help that was offered to him, and if i was in the same position i think i would also appreciate any help that could be offered to me.

Kelsey M. 13-14 said...

1. I would like to think that I would do everything I could for someone in need like Michael. I think a lot pf people say that they would help others but many actually do not.

Kaitlyn S. 13-14 said...

1. I would like to think that I would help. I would probably need to know the person a bit and know for sure that they were a good person and just wouldn't take advantage of me. Once I agreed to help, I'd probably do all I could to make sure they lived a stable life.

2. I think I would be able to accept certain things without necessarily having to trust the person. If trust was involved in some way, I probably would not be able to accept it. I wouldn't want to be hurt again.

3. People may be reluctant because they aren't sure what to do in some cases. If you see someone on the street, most people get afraid because they believe they will rob them or commit some other crime because that person doesn't appear to have much to lose. I also think people may be lazy to go about doing it. With schooling, work, running errands and whatnot, people just don't stop for a moment. Some have problems connecting with their own family in their busy schedules let alone helping a stranger. A third thing may be that they believe it won't make a difference.

Cassie M 11-12 said...

3. I think another reason people don't help others is suspicion. How many of those organizations are real and actually effective at helping those who need it? I know that sometimes people that do try to make a difference are cheated and swindled by false charities on a daily basis. I think people need to get out there and find a way to help with their own two hands.

Hannah L 13-14 said...

3. I think the reason most people are so reluctant to help people is because we spend so much time thinking about ourselves and what we want to be doing, what we need to do, or what we would rather be doing. We don't take time to stop and think about other people and what they may need and how even something little that we do can affect their lives. I think that people are also afraid to get involved in other people's lives because they don't want the extra "burden" of having someone else to worry about.

Natalie S Mods 5-6 said...

1) If I was in a situation to help a student like Michael, I would have to at least try. Seeing that Michael is a kid who has had a rough upbringing,he deserves a chance to straighten out his life with more help and support.
2)If I were in Michael's shoses I do not know if I would be able to trust again. If I knew that the people were really trying to help me straighten out my life, I would make an effort to trust again.

Kali D. 13-14 said...

2. If i were in Michael's shoes, i would be a little weary of trusting others, but i may give it a chance because if i didnt have much like him, i would try to get as much help as a possible could.

allie s 11-12 said...

If i had the opportunity to help someone i would :) I would try my best and see what happens. All you can do is try. But if i was Micheal, i would be hesitant to accept help. But i too would try if they were tying to help me. I would grow to trust again.

Eric Y 13-14 said...

For question one, i believe personally it would be very hard to take in someone who looks intimidating and I have never met before.

For questio two, I think I would open up but only because this family has been so generous towards me.

Anonymous said...

1.i would try to help someone in that type of situation but i dont know if i could trust someone as much as she did. she took a really big chance.
2. in this case i doubt i would take the help. at that point in my life i wouldnt trust anyone anymore. i would fend for myself. unless they really showed me they were truly committed, i wouldnt take it.
3. because a lot of people only care about themselves. they feel that the person in need is just lazy. and we all see that this is not the case. these people (well most of them) arent lazy, they just have bad luck.

Joe K. 11-12 said...

I would definetly try to help Michael as much as I could. Bringing him into my house though would be in my opinion too far. Putting my family and myself at risk for someone who I barely know is not something I would want to do. Providing him with things is one thing, helping him to get adopted, having him over alot, helping him in school, etc. Thats all fine, but actually bringing him into the house is too far, it seems to be too much of a risk.

SeanK56 said...

3. People these days think differently, they think of themselves before others. When the chance to help someone does come along, many think of whether or not the person would do the same for them and that is what they choose to do. Also like helping the homeless, people think the person is just lazy and wont get a job or that they will just use the money for drugs.

LibbyS5/6 said...

I would definately be on skeptical of helping someone like michael. he comes from a background very different from my own and i would even know how to honestly help him. but i think mrs. tuohy did the right thing and alot of people can learn form her generosity.

Mrs. Sherwood said...

Thread graded, closed

tyler k 13-14 said...

I feel helping someone improve their life in any situation is an opportunity that I know I would take. The gift of life or new beggining is always something that can be appreciated.