This post is a combo from Stephen Gale in third period and Conner Turk in first period. We’ll start with Stephen.
Many times in life you can take the blame. I have covered for my friends in situations before. Have you ever covered for a friend so that they were able to avoid getting in trouble? Obviously, Ida is covering up and taking responsibility for something pretty big for Clara in the book. Would you ever cover a problem or situation of this magnitude for a friend? What things would you consider before covering or taking the blame for a friend? Again, feel free to speak from personal experience if you are comfortable doing so.
OK, and now for Conner’s:
Aunt Ida indicates in the beginning of the her section that “my life is like a ring of mountains, close together and separated by deep chasms” (297). What do you think Aunt Ida means by this? And what do you think is the significance of this passage? Consider ways you could change this metaphor to fit your own life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think everyone has covered for a friend before. I mean what are friends for, you have to have each others back. But yes its not always the smart and right thing to do. If one of my friends asked me to act like a baby was mine so they could save their own butt I would tell them yea right. That is just something too serious and also I could never raise a child and keep that big of a secret, it would just kill me. Before I cover or take blame for one of my friend I first think of how big the situation is. Then I think about how it is going to affect my life and if I am going to be in serious trouble or not.
ReplyDeleteFor me to take the blame for a friend, it would have to completetly depend on the situation. If me taking the blame was going to cause me to go to jail or something extreme, I probably wouldn't do it. I wouldn't just abandon my friend, but I couldn't risk getting in a lot of trouble. If my freind was truly in need, then I most likely would help.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ida makes the statement about the ring of mountains, I beleve that she means that her life seems to be going well, but then there are times when there is trouble.
Alright see yes we have all covered for a friend sometime or another, wether it is a serious situation or not so serious! I in this case would never cover for a friend who is preganant it was there choice to have sex and it was there fault they got this way, now i would help them anyway possiable and would be there for them throught it. I feel that when ida says her life is like a ring of mountains it means there are obsticales she is facing in life wether good or bad, she has to clomb the mt to reach her goes and make it through life the way she wants! And she is going well at times and she is bad at times! just like all of us!
ReplyDeleteFor me, i would take the blame for my friend but i think all true friends wouldn't let me do that. A true best friend wouldn't let them take the fall for there own mistakes. I have never came across as something as big as what ida did and hope i never have to. I deffinatly wouldn't of taken the responcibility like she did though. I would never let somebody just walk all over me like that even if it was my dad. I think ida means by saying that she has highs in her life and the lows just like everybody else does.
ReplyDeleteclimd* , Goals*
ReplyDeleteeveryone covers for someone deff if were really close. even if they did something really bad. i would take the fall for one of my friends because they would do the same for me
ReplyDeleteHonestly i think taking the blame for friends is worse than not. If you take the blame for something that happened your friend wont learn their consequences. If they dont learn then they will do it again, and that isnt good. I would help my friend through the situation but taking the blame wont happen. Plus, if my friends expected me to take the blame, are they really my friend at all? I know that all my best friends would handle their problems with out bringing their other friends down. The fact that Ida is covering up the situation is just causeing everything to be bad in the future. I dont really think that Ida had a choice so it isnt her fault. It just stinks because all of this has caused Christine and Ray to have pretty difficult lives.
ReplyDeleteI really dont know what that quote means. I think that she is saying that she is kind of lost in her life. Even though she is litterally close with everyone she isnt emotionally.
I don't think that i would cover for a friend if something like this had happened to them. it would simply ruin my life and that of the child for little reason. This time they would have to deal with the consiquences of their actions. i take several things into account before i consider covering for a friend. for one just how much trouble would i get into. if it would send me to jail i would not cover but if it was something small like being grounded for a day or two i would probably take the fall if i knew about it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could cover for a friend like Ida did for Clara. I mean she took in a kid. That is huge. I can cover for people, just nothing of that magntude. I would first figure out the cosequences of the action my friend took. If it was half my fault and half their's I wouldn't have a problem taking full blame, but if it was all them, I shouldn't have to effect my life because of them.
ReplyDeleteYeah ive taken a blow for friends before just to help them out. But i cant say that ive ever been in a situation like Ida's. If the situatuion cam up and my friends needed help i wouldnt think twice but if its a big situtaion i still want to help and maybe try to find alternate solution to help. I have huge respect for ida for taking the fault. but i feel that she isnt getting the graditude that she deserves for taking the fall considering how her reputaion and young life has gone down the drain because of a lie to cover someone she cared so much about.
ReplyDeleteI think taking the blame for a friend is not the right choice to make. Friends do look out for each other and should help but if you weren't the one involved then don't bring yourself down too. I agree with Dana that if you take the blame for someone, they may not learn their lesson and repeat their mistakes over again. I also think that if you take the blame for someone they might think that you will always be there in the future when they mess up to take the blame again. When someone makes a wrong choice, like Clara's affair with Lecon, you need to face the consequences to learn for the future. Ida's choice to take the Clara's baby only set her life up to be a struggle, and I don't think anyone should wish their problems on others to suffer.
ReplyDeleteI know from experience that if you have a friend your close enough you would do anything for them. Put into a situation you would easily cover for them. You wouldnt think twice about it. In other cases, if a friend would let you take the blame for them then that person in fact is not a true friend. If you do it together you go down together. Clara and Ida were not very close, but for Ida to take Christine and take the consequence of Clara sleeping with Lecon was very admirable.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure every one has covered for frineds befor, but on this magnitude i wouldn't. If you got pregnent and it wasn't my fualt i am not about to take the blame for that that is somthing that is majorley life changing. If it was my fault i would definatley be there to help with it tho. If me and a friend did somthing that was wrong and we both got in trouble i might. but the action would get them in more trouble them me theres a chanse i might say i did more of it or convinced them to do it so i got more blaim. Depending on who you are most people have some type of boundrey that they wanna stay away from. whether or not it crosses your boundry is up to you
ReplyDeleteI feel friends are there for u through the thick and thin. But, when you ask for favors your going to find out how far your friendship will go. It all depends on how big the sitituation is and how strong ur relationship is with the other person. I would probaly not take care of my friends kid unless he died and wanted me for his dieing wish to take care of his kid. I just hope the kid aient no brat.
ReplyDeleteIdk about taking the blame for a friend if it was something big [like if my friend killed somebody] then hell no they on there own. But if it was something small yeah i would as long as i dont get in that much trouble.
ReplyDeleteThere has been multiple times where I have covered for a friend. If a friend needed an alliby by me saying that they stayed the night at my house, when in fact they didn't, I have no problem doing so. I know its not smart and that it can get me into trouble as well but I also understand that my friends wouldn't ask me to do so if they really didn't mean it. I also do it because I know that they would do it for me in return if I needed cover. I think Ida means by her quote that her family is all close and right next to each other and can see each other, but they are seperated (chasms).I think Ida is extremely brave for covering up for her family problems.
ReplyDeleteNot only have I taken the blame for my friends but my sisters as well. Normally it's for little things like leaving the milk out or if something gets spilled but i'm still there for them if I think they need it. I would take the blame for some of my friends even if it was serious. I would do so as long as it wouldn't put me in severe trouble or if it were to ruin my reputation completely to the point where people would never look at me the same.
ReplyDeleteWhen aunt Ida says that and it looks as if all her events in life are close together but the journey in life or "up the hill" is very long and it's a continueing journey.
ive takin blames for friends before because you dont wanna see them get in deep s***, but it also sucks for you cause you get blamed for something you didnt do but you kind of did something good for your friend but lied about it. I dont know if i would be able to cover for something like this, because think of the situation, your aunt cheated with your dad. So she basically ruined your family and made a barrier between your dad and mom, and then puts a heavy responsibility on you of taking care of a baby thats not yours so i think in this situation i wouldnt cover for clara because of what she did.
ReplyDeleteI would try to helpin any way I can,but im not sure that I would cover up this particular problem for Clara. I'm sorry but I think that she is the one who needs to take the consicenses for her actions and i think that Clarais wrong for letting Ida take the fall.
ReplyDeleteYes I have taken the blame for a friend before so that she would not get in trouble. I don't think I would take the blame for a situation as bad as Ida's. Everyone at some point in their life has covered for a freind or has covered for someone like a sibling so that they would not get in trouble with whatever they did. When I covered for my friend she had told her mother that she was staying the night at my house for the night but she didn't she spent the night with a whole bunch of friends at someones house and her mom called me to see if she was there and i covered for her and told her mom that she was in the shower and we were getting ready to go to a movie. Granted my situation is not as bad and i shouldn't have had to take the blame but i still did. In Ida's case she was covering for Clara because she admires her and thought that maybe she would help her out but Clara shouldn't have made her do that after all she was only a 15 year old saying that she was pregnant. Clara should have accepted the consequences that she would've gotten and Ida should not have had to take the fall for Clara getting pregnant by Lecon.
ReplyDeleteYes i've taken the blame for a friend before so that she wouldn't get in trouble, I only did it because she's one of my closest friends and her parents are completely unreasonable and overreact to the smallest of things. I'm not completely sure if i would taken on the responsibility of a child at the age of 17 like Ida did. I can understand that she probably didn't want her family to get shamed for the actions of her father and Clara but I think taking on a child may be a bit much. After all if Clara and Lecon made the mistake of having sex and Clara getting pregnant from it then she should deal with the consequences, not ask her 17 yr old niece to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteI think if you take the blame for your friend, they might not learn from their mistakes. They won't be able to link their actions with possible consequences because they'll think you'll always have their back abd do anything for them. I want to be there for my friends at all times, but letting them slip out of a tough situation with no consequence isn't helping anyone. Taking the blame isn't always the right choice.
ReplyDeleteIda could have easily walked away from the door when she oveheard the conversation, but she opened it. I don't think she realized how much her life would change.
I agree with hello_there. I think it depends on the situation and who they are getting in trouble with. If someone is getting in trouble with their parents for say underage drinking I stay out of it. They made those decisons and they need to live with the consequences. Now if they didn't drink and are being accused of it and I can prove that they weren't yes I would stand up for them.
ReplyDeleteI think Ida is talking about her life and how alot of hard events happend in her life all around the same time and they all effected the way she is now. I'm sure everyone can relate to this and has had different events in there lives that made them who they are today.
I've taken partial blame with a friend, but I don't think I've ever taken full blame for a friend. If both of us were in the wrong then I'll be accountable to my actions but having said that, I'm a strong believer in people having to be accountable to what they've done. And if i was considering taking the blame for something a friend did, i would have to consider what they had done, and how severe the consequences for those actions would be. I can't imagine ever taking the blame for a friend if they had committed a serious crime or cover for them so that they could do something that was wrong, but I'm sure there are certain situations where i would take the blame for someone.
ReplyDeletewould i ever cover somebody up for something of this magnitude. uuummm no..... if there problem has absolutley nothing to do with me then in no way will i take the blame. ppl got to take responsibility for there actions. thats how you learn in life. yeah it might suck but then you have some experience to tell your children so they dont make the same boneheaded mistake that you do. i would cover for a friend on minor things but if its something big like a baby and they want me to cover for them thats insane. i have a life to you know... as for connors question i think it means that ida has had her share of ups and dwns. good moments and bad moments. separated by deep chasms could mean like when its bad its really bad and when its good its really good. tell you the truth though i have no idea what a chasm is lol.
ReplyDeleteI take the blame for my friends whenever they need me too. Thank goodness it has never been anything as life changing as what Ida did. The only why I could do what she did was if my friend was dying or if she promised to take the child back as her own when able to.
ReplyDeleteI interpret the passage as meaning that Ida has many aspects that make up her life, yet they are very separate parts.
In my life i have covered for my friends so they wouldn't get in trouble. In a situation of this magnitude I would never cover for one of my friends. If this person was really your friend they wouldn't want you to take the blame for something that would mess up your life. I don't think Clara really cared about Ida because she put Ida in a horrible situation and wasn't very greatful. Clara was taking advantage of Ida.
ReplyDeletei have covered for people and friends b4, but nothing of aunt ida's magnitude. i would not cover up something this big, her covering up Christine's birth affects atleast 3 ppl, ida christine and her real mom. doing this also affects ray in a smaller way
ReplyDeleteI really have not taken the blame for anyone because most of the time i am usually the person getting in trouble but my siblings have taken the blame for me, and it seemed naturally like they were the ones who actually messed up and it was quick like their was not thinking about like when i broke the fan in the living room or shattered two windows playing baseball. However to the magnitude of taking the blame of a love child has not come my way yet and i hope never does. Also i think that if a situation presented itself for me to take the blame for a friend or family member i could honestly say that i would be their because it seems that is was is needed. However if it is a love child i might not be their i acutally might not even be in the state where you are at.
ReplyDeletetaking the blame for someone is easier said then done, but its definitely doable, but if the conciesences are harsh and the act that you're taking the blame for is wrong to a large extent then maybe the person doing the act should take the blame so they can learn from their mistake. And with Aunt Ida talking about her mountains I feel like it can relate to all of us. Its like our lives, everything is so close but things are always seperating you from others or from what you what. Its a constant battle running from one mountain to another, and hopefully there is some way of building a bridge to connect them all; making everything in your life whole-one, and honest.
ReplyDeleteOf course I have taken the blame before for something, I don't know anyone who hasn't. It's really easy to do when we have a identical twin. I haven't regretted doing it yet and i doubt it'll be the last time i do. Nobodys perfect. I think that Ida means to say that everything is close her but things feel so far way. I see it as when you look up at the stars and you want to touch them but they're too far to every get close to. Everyone can probably feel like that from time to time.
ReplyDeleteThe metaphor used makes a lot of sense for Ida's life, it alludes to the many secrets she holds and the mountains talk about the hardships she holds. I think that it was very admirable that Ida sacrificed basically her life for clara. I would not be able to something so large. I hope that is not selfish, but i value my potential and my life more than helping someone who messed up by themselves. I would do a lot for friends, but my future is something that i value. It is different in different situations, but i wonder what heights Ida could have reached if CLara and Christine hadn't happened.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time i would cover for my fried, but it depends a lot on the consequences for me and my friend. If they are too bad for me, I would not do it. My friend would need to learn from their mistakes. If I was in Aunt Ida's shoes, I would not of done that. What she was covering up was too big and clara needs to learn her lesson. I think it means that in her life she has a lot of missing pieces and a lot of that she doesn't know but life goes on.
ReplyDeletei think in some situations it is ok to cover for your friends. Sometimes a friend might need help if they made a mistake or they just wanna get out of something. But it all depends on what the consequences would be 4 me. If covering for my friend would get me in too much trouble i wouldnt do it. I would not cover 4 a friend in Ida's situation because that would be way too influencial on my life. I feel like the consequnces would be too much to handle.
ReplyDeleteIn Ida's situation, I woudnt take on such a heavy load just to cover for a friend. This is something my friend would have to take on, on her own or have help from the family. Asking a friend to take care of yor child because you want to hide the fact that you had a affair, thats just not right. At this point, Clara should have come forward and admit to what she has done and take responsibility for her actions.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ida says that her life is like a ring of mountains, i believe that she is saying that she has wored hard to become who she is today. she's overcome a lot of problems (the deep chasm's), to get to the high points in her life....and that as soon as one problem was resolved, another one came soon after.
Of course I have covered for a friend but I belive that if you feel that you are old enough to have sex then you are old enough to deal with the consequences that come with it. So no i would not claim a friend's baby but I would do anything I could to help.
ReplyDeleteFor me,I dont think i could take on as big of a favor such as taking care of their baby, but i have covered for friends numerous times, as they have for me. I took the blame for my friends one time and it got me into trouble, but i felt responsible being the only LEGAL adult int he situation i was in so naturally i felt the need to take the blame and spare my friends the trouble they were going to get in with their parents. It really all deprends on the situation and however you look at it from your own personal view.
ReplyDeleteI honestly would never take the blame for something that was that big of a deal. I feel that I would never let anyone else take the blame for something that I did either.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, you should take responsibility for your own actions, no matter how severe the consequences are.
Yes i have took the blame for a friend before. Imean it wasnt nothing to serious where it put me in jail or got me beat up for them. I honestly dont think that i would want somebody to take the blame for me. Cuz the way i see it, its my actions and my problem. U just have to take the except the consequences that come along with it.
ReplyDeleteMost people who responded to this question said that they wouldn't take the blame for a situation of this magnitude. Also most people said that they have taken the blame for a friend but it wasn't that serious. After reading a lot of the responses i feel like the person who did it should take the blame for it. Also you would only do something like this if you knew that person would do the same for you if you were in the same situation.
ReplyDelete