Reading Reflection 4

Book- The Burn Journals
Author- Brent Runyo
Pages read- 164- 211


Questions:

1. What was the Ronald Mcdonald house?

During the pages that I had read last friday, Brent mentions the "Ronal Mcdonald house" which I could not figure out what exactly he was referring too. My first idea might have been something such as Mcdonalds, considering Ronald Mcdonald the clown related to Mcdonald's. Though if I though about it correctly, not a single thing in this story can relate to something even remotely close to Mcdonald's. I still have not figured out what Brent is referring too, perhaps I had missed something that was said that I did not cross in the book.

Comments:

1. A comment I had during the reading on friday was when Brent talks about the idea of bottling everything up that is bothering him inside, and not telling a single sole about how he is feeling. My comment towards that was that everyone who has mentioned something like this has been told that it is very unhealthy. Almost dangerous, like your torturing yourself with bad thoughts. Reviling what is bothering you can almost refresh you. Make you feel good, almost like it's taking what is bad inside of you and throwing it away.

2. When Brent is in counseling with his parents, talking about everything that has happened, and the effects that it had upon his family, it must have gave Brent a huge feeling of guilt, it would for me at least. How trying to commit suicide not only had a new effect on himself, but it had an effect upon his parents, his friends, his school, the nurses and doctors that he had met, everything. That type of guilt almost isn't worth the task that he was trying to succeed, killing himself. Some people don't think about how much things will change once you try to commit suicide, how much your life will change. I wonder if Brent really thought about all the consequences and effects that he would lead too.

3. When Brent's parents come across a piece of paper with the word death written on it, including the knife they found, they of course come up to think of the worse scenario's possible of why they found that. This situation of course has no other explanation but a bad one. Though with other situations where parents find something and think worse of it then it actually is, happens to my parents and me quite a lot. For an example, if they get a call from my school, before listening to the voice mail they left, they will come to think the worse of what the school is informing them about. Or when they find a lighter in my room, they come to think I'm a smoker and such, when really it is just my friends. I can relate to Brent on how his parents come to think of the worse scenario's possible, though in his situation, it is very understandable.

Predictions:

After getting to where I currently am in the book now, where Brent has finally made it home, back to normal, I'm starting to think things will almost get back together. The only change in his life now is the fact that his mom has to rub cream on his back everyday, as well as he gets a different feeling, or vibe once he walks into the bathroom that he had once tried to commit suicide in. He has not gone to school yet, but from what I have learned while reading, I feel like things will be good at school. He may not like passing the locker that he had set on fire, and people may be more concerned about him, always keeping an eye on him, but eventually, his life will become good again.