Steve and Osvaldo: Similarities and Differences

So Steve and Osvaldo have some pretty significant differences and a few similarities. Differences: Steve is 16 while Osvaldo is 14. Osvaldo made a plea bargain and turned himself in so he wouldn't go to jail while Steve did not. Steve was a lookout inside the store while Osvaldo was a lookout outside of the store. Similarities: Both are African American. Both played a significant role in the crime, as both were lookouts.

In my opinion, both should be on trial, not just Steve. Both were involved in the crime, yet only Steve is being punished. Osvaldo turned himself in and admitted to the crime. In my opinion, that makes him just as big of a criminal as the rest. I think the main reasons Osvaldo is getting away are because he used a plea bargain and he's younger than Steve. The author intentionally made the story the way it is because Steve is the main character and we don't really need Osvaldo.

The Inner Conflict and Irony

Steve's inner conflict is that he still doesn't know who he truly is. We see this by him writing in his journal, saying how he wants people to look at him closely. We see Steve's vulnerable and confused side. He wants people to look into his heart and figure it out for him, to have them tell him that he's a good person. Steve's battling against himself to prove that he isn't a bad person. That he is innocent and doesn't deserve to be locked up in jail. He wants to know what people see when they look at him, if they view him as a bad person. The irony of the students being in the courtroom is the fact that he is still a student himself and may end up in jail. This plays into his conflict because one instant he was a student, the next he was in a jail cell, leading up to the point where he doesn't know who he is.

Monster- Crime Scene Notes

Events of the Crime:

-Peaches, Steve, James and Johnny talk about how they needed money and make a decision to rob Nesbitt’s store because they think that nobody will care too much about a black guy who has a green card with a little drug store.

- Steve Harmon enters the drug store to see if “the coast was clear”

-The other men involved in the crime, “Bobo” and James, enter the drug store and begin to clean out the cash register and grab 5 cartons of cigarettes.
-Osvaldo is standing outside to stop anybody who tries to go in.

- Somewhere between the time the men entered and the time the men left, Alguinaldo Nesbitt was murdered and left in the store.

- Jose Delgado reports to work at the drugstore and finds the dead body of his boss.

- Jose called the authorities and Detective Karyl who showed up

- Jose takes inventory and discovers that about 5 cartons of cigarettes are missing, along with the cash in the register.

- Bolden tells Sal Zinzi about the robbery and that he bought two packs of cigarettes.

- Zinzi rats Bolden out to Detective Gluck about the robbery information and gets himself out of jail.

- It is discovered that Bobo Evans was the one who sold the stolen cigarettes and gave Zinzi the information.
-Zinzi tells Detective Gluck about the cigarettes.
-Boldon and Zinzi use the information to try to get out of jail and make themselves look good.

-At the crime scene, no clear fingerprints are found.

Monster- Court Case Begins

Petrocelli is against Steve and her statement was about how it's all Steve's, King's, and Bobo's fault that Mr. Nesbitt is dead. O'Brien is for Steve and that opening statement was all about how Steve has always been innocent and still is. Then there's Briggs. Briggs is for King and Briggs talked about the judge giving a just verdict for the crimes Steve committed.

I think Steve is feeling scared and nervous about how the entire case will go. I do not think it is fair to give Steve the capital punishment in this case because it was not his fault. Steve was not in the store when Mr. Nesbitt was killed, therefore, he should not be given a death sentence. Capital punishment seems a little extreme, especially since Steve is still a teenager. Maybe if he were an adult, it would be different.

Characters and Review

Steve Harmon- the accused "murderer"
Sandra Petrocelli- prosecutor
Kathy O'Brian- defense attorney with doubts
James King- thug/ other person on trial
Richard "Bobo" Evans- the rat
Osvaldo Cruz- tough guy wannabe
Lorelle Henry- witness
Jose Delgado- the one who found the body
Ernie- jail mate going to bathroom
Sunset- jail mate putting on shirt
ASA Briggs- lead counsel for defense James King
Judge- man who is in charge of trial
Sal Zinzi-slightly overweight with thick framed glasses
Mr. Sawiki- Film Club mentor

Summary-
It starts out in Steve's jail cell. This soon moves to a van going to a court house and then it goes to the court house. Why is he going to the court house? Steve was accused of murder and is being put on trial. After everyone arrives at the court house, Steve starts writing in his movie journal. (His thoughts will only become a movie if he is released from jail.) The whole trial is being told in a voice over- a narration of things that are happening. O'Brian tells Steve what's going to happen during the days at the court and helps him understand what is going on. Next the two layers, (Petrocelli and O'Brian) give their opening to why their witnesses are innocent and the trial begins.

Thoughts on Monster

The main character's conflict is that he doesn't recognize who he is anymore. I know this because he doesn't recognize himself in the mirror. He is constantly surprised by the fact that he's in jail. He thought everything was like a movie. Now he wants to treat it like a movie that he's directing. He wants control over the events that are happening. He doesn't want to face the fact that he was imprisoned. The main character is facing a big conflict about how much he has changed.

I can relate this to a close friend who recently experienced self-loss. He had made some pretty bad decisions that haunted him for a very long time, and he never could figure out who he really was. Was he a thief, a smart kid, or something else entirely? My friend did figure out who he was and fixed his past mistakes, but it was a very painful time for him.

Where I'm From Poem

I am from hope

from pictures and books

I am from the laughter of my family

(bubbling and joyful)

I am from the rich strawberry patch

The barbed red rose bush

whose long gone limbs I remember

as if they were my own.

I’m from chocolate chip cookies and pudgy fingers

from David and Suzanne

I’m from the religious and idiotic

and from the imaginative.

I’m from I love you! and Jesus is with you!

and O’ Come All Ye Faithful!

I’m from Thanksgiving dinners without stuffing

I’m from Minneapolis and a long line of royalty.

Taco Bake and fudge

From my dad riding a child’s motorcycle at age 16

Black hair lashing at his face in the wind.

I’m from the castle of my great-grandfather’s

Over in Germany

Where it was built to protect us

Where my great-grandfather sacrificed it all for love

Giving up fortunes and heritage

Letting true love lead him home.

Walter Dean Myers and Harlem

    I think that the Walter Dean Myers writes to inspire kids to read by making books that kids can relate to, such as the character and setting. Kids need to know how to read and write so he gives them books that they want to pick up and read. Walter writes about cities to teach kids about the neighborhoods and cultures of cities and the problems city kids face. This is probably to teach children that life isn't always easy and lazy.
    Harlem, one of the places he writes about, is basically filled with African American people. Many famous African Americans moved to Harlem because it was a promise for a better life. The culture of Harlem is mostly fixed on music, and the culture is mixed between African American culture and modern times culture. You can also see people out on the streets doing their hobbies.

Teenager Crimes: Should They Be Tried as a Juvenile or Adult?

    I think that they should be tried as an adult depending on their crime and their age. If they're a murderer, they should be tried as an adult, as long as they're over the age of 13. Little children below that age don't belong in a jail. If they stole something expensive, they should be tried as an adult, as long as they're over the age of 10. Children younger than that don't know what they're doing and don't belong in a jail.   Another reason why I think this way is that they may have a criminal record/background, meaning they may have stolen things before, maybe they did other minor crimes that weren't severe enough to be charged. If the person being charged is over 13, then they have no excuses. They did something that they knew was wrong and need to be punished.