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Final Assignment Example: The Lightning Thief CONFLICTRick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief is an example of a Character vs Character conflict because Percy is not able to complete his story until he is able to battle Ares and return the bolt to Zeus. Quote: "The prophecy was right," I said. "You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it” (335). MOTIVATION Percy Jackson’s main motivation throughout the novel is to protect the people he cares about. Quote: “All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me” (28).FEELINGS Three things that are important to Percy are: his mom, Grover, and the Master Bolt. Quote proving Percy’s mom is important to him: “I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties” (19). Quote proving that Grover is important to Percy: “I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farm-house. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover-I wasn't going to let him go” (60). Quote proving that the Master Bolt is important to Percy: “Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief” (142). The four things you have left to do:THOUGHTS Before Percy goes to Camp Half-Blood, he thought of the Gods as myths and refuses to believe they could really exist. However, by the end of the book, he not only accepts they are real, but has a conversation with the most powerful of them all. Quote of what Percy thought at the start of the book: “"But they're stories," I said. "They're-myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science” (73). Quote of what Percy thought by the end of the book: “I approached the fisherman's throne and knelt at his feet. "Father." I dared not look up. My heart was racing. I could feel the energy emanating from the two gods. If I said the wrong thing, I had no doubt they could blast me into dust” (353). SPEECHBefore going on his journey, when Jonas would talk to his enemies, he’d just insult them. After he completes his journey, though, he realizes that he can use words to trick his enemies.Quote about how Jonas talks to others before his journey: “I probably should have let it go, but I said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth” (97).Quote about how Jonas talks to others by the end of his journey: “I turned back to Ares. "Are you going to fight me now?" I asked. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet?" Ares's face was purple with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into-" "A cockroach," I said. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?" Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot." "If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine and you have to go away” (339). ACTIONSAt the start of Percy’s journey, he acts impulsively, trying to protect others. But by the end, he allows the people he cares about to make their own decisions. Quote about how Percy acts before his journey: “All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me” (28). Quote about how Percy acts after his journey: “I could solve her problem. I wanted to slice that package open, plop it on the poker table, and take out what was inside. I could start my very own statue garden, right there in the living room…"I'll leave the box," I said. "If he threatens you ..." (355-356). CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTPercy has changed over the course of the novel by growing into a smarter fighter and a more trusting person. At the start of the book, he would rush into fights and take risks without thinking about the consequences, but by the end of the book, he was carefully planning each of his battles and strategizing so that he could win. Percy also learned to depend on other people rather than just counting on himself. He looked to Grover and Annabeth to help him during the quest rather than just trying to protect everyone else by doing everything himself. We also see this based on how he reacts to his mom’s trouble with Gabe. Instead of taking care of Gabe for her, he does everything he can to help her and then trusts her to make the right decision on her own. Based on the way that Percy has changed over the course of the story, I think that a theme Rick Riordan is communicating is that people learn best through real-life experience. Percy didn’t grow into a smarter fighter or a more trusting person until he was put in life-or-death situations that demanded personal growth. He had a hard time fighting Luke at the beginning of the story, just based on Luke’s advice, but when Percy gets into real battles, he makes some of his most significant growth. Percy also has to grow to trust Annabeth and Grover’s judgement as he continues on his quest. Although he is, at first, reluctant to listen to them about some things, eventually he understands how valuable they are as friends and allies and he begins to trust them, rather than trying to do everything himself. ................
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