Lexi Schroeder

Period 6
2/22/17
Monster Essay

People always worry about the extinction of a species, but have they ever really

considered what could happen if all of the, say, wolves were gone. This would lead to

there being an abundance of rabbits and their other prey, most of which are herbivores.

Which means all of these prey left unchecked would come in large, eating off the rest of

the grass, then without that grass, all of the rabbits would die off. Leaving there to be no

wolves, grass, or rabbits at that time. This is just a small look at a chain reaction after

one occurrence. The book, Monster, a novel by Walter Dean Myers, focuses on the

story of a black boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just because of one

small decision, Steve Harmon, the books main character, is facing a life sentence of

jail, and the chances of getting out are low. As will be explained throughout this essay,

one small decision, that seems miniscule, could be the reason for something completely

different that happens years later.

If you have ever heard of the saying one lie can ruin a thousand truths, then

you can understand that lying about one thing can expand or destroy any truthful thing

you or another has said. Criminals often come across this problem, because they will

say something like, I was shopping for my girlfriend, while being interrogated. Then

later on they will say they do not have any relationships or connections with friends,

which counters their previous statement. Another example of this is in Monster when

different people are brought to the stand to make statements about the robbery, murder,

and people involved. One of the people brought up is a criminal named Osvaldo, as he

says in response to the question, who exactly were you afraid of? Bobo, James King,
and Steve Harmon. By saying these names he is implying that these three people are

threatening and they seem worse in the eyes of the jury. Everything you say or do can

end up affecting your own or someone else's life.

When given the choice between the tough road or easy road, whichever you

choose can affect your future. There is a Newsela article about Renata Phillip, who was

a teacher, but later began training to be a police officer. In this article it is mentioned

that, Only three recruits out of every 100 will make it to graduation. This quote shows

that despite the difficulties and struggles Phillip would have to go through to become a

police officer, she was willing to do the work in order to later help protect and stand up

for others. Another example of someone who chose the hard road is Martin Luther King

Jr., who played a major role in the fight for civil rights. As mentioned in a Newsela

article, King waged a nonviolent war against racism. This quote demonstrates how,

despite the cries for violence, King was willing to be patient and fight for what was right

without anybody getting hurt in the process, even if it would be harder. A persons

determination to get something done, regardless of the difficulties, can influence the

way their future turns out.

Every decision a person makes, can have an effect on their future and life. These

decisions can include style, or the method a person uses to complete tasks. Other

decisions are the things people say, or how hard someone is willing to work for what

they want. Although it sounds harsh, a single decision can even turn out to be the

difference between life and death.

Works Cited on Next Page

 Works Cited

"Former Teacher Turns LAPD Officer-in-training to Better Serve Community." The

Associated Press (2016): n. pag. Newsela. Newsela, 23 Aug. 16. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

"Martin Luther King Jr.'s Last March: The Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike." National

Archives (n.d.): n. pag. Newsela. Newsela. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <newsela.com>.

Myers, Walter Dean, and Christopher Myers- Illustrator. Monster. New York: Harper

Collins, 1999. Print.

"Teens with Summer Jobs Are Arrested Less Often, One Study Found." The Philadelphia

Inquirer (2014): n. pag. Newsela. Newsela, 21 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

<newsela.com>.