Blog #6: In four-five sentences (or more), explain how June or Day meets the characteristics of a dystopian protagonist. You may reference anything up to page 200 in Legend. Click for the rubric.
It is clear, that in all dystopian novels, there is going at least 1 protagonist, who sees that something is wrong in the supposedly perfect world they live in. Day, from Legend by Marie Lu is a perfect example, as he questions the government, and sees what the average eye in the city does not. “I snort at that. Labor Camps. Yeah, right, and the Elector is fairly elected every term. Either she believes all that made up crap, or she’s taunting me,” (169 Lu). That passage describes Day as a protagonist for a few reasons. For one, he realizes something is wrong and he is questioning it. Because he went through “Labor Camps” he knows that the government keeps what really happens there a secret. Another is that he realizes that people are controlled, and are forced to believe things that are not true. “What if it was no accident that Eden got the plague? What if it’s no accident when anyone gets it?” (173 Lu). That passage is another scene where Day is again, questioning the Republic. In the scene, he sees one of the strange symbols on a door, and inside, a plague victim. In many different ways, Day meets and exceeds the traits for being a dystopian protagonist. He knows somethings is wrong in the society, and he questions everything the government does.
It is unmistakable that in all dystopian novels there will be at least 1 protagonist who sees flaws in the supposed 'Perfect World'. Day, from Legend by Marie Lu is a great example of a protagonist. I think he is a great protagonist because in Legend he has to break into a hospital to get plague vaccinations for his family which is not rich but fairly poor. He also has to bet on illegal street fights to earn enough money to support himself and his friend Tess, who he met when he was younger. Plus there is one scene where Day is acting like he is hurt and 'staggers' up to a guard there and tells him "I need the bathroom" and the guard snaps, "Over there, wipe some of that filth off your face. And if you touch me again, I'll fill you with bullets." That is why I think Day is a great example of a dystopian protagonist because he shows you what it is like to grow up without a lot of money and be treated differently because you don't have the same resources as others like food, shower, medical treatments etc.
I wouldn’t be able to compare June to Day on the elements of dystopian protagonist through the entire Legend series. However, in Legend, Day is the better dystopian protagonist. Day goes through all of the negative aspects of the Republic himself, and helps you realize them through his experiences. Day went to a “labor camp” after he was told he failed the Trial. Later in the book, he describes how he was experimented on by the Republic, and almost killed. Day questions the Republic through his actions not words, which led to him committing multiple crimes against the Republic. One of his crimes was assaulting a standing guard outside a sector’s quarantine zone, but after that event, Day gave food to the quarantined families. June shows the dystopian elements through the words she says, and Day shows them through actions, which speak louder than words. Day helps me see the negative side of the Republic much more than June in Legend, and therefore he is the better protagonist.
I think that June and Day meet the expectations of a dystopian protagonist in the book, Legend by Marie Lu. Day is a protagonist because he went through so much pain to get the vaccine to save his family. And he is also getting hunted down because he failed his trial. He is also getting hunted down by June since he killed Matias. So many people are trying to kill him and hunt him down and he still is thinking of saving his family from dying instead of trying to run away. That is why I think that Day is a protagonist. June is also a dystopian protagonist because she questions the Republic, the community in Legend. She also is determined to find out the secrets that the Republic hides from everyone else.
June and Day both meet the expectations of a dystopian protagonist, and they both clearly demonstrate those characteristics throughout the book. In my opinion, Day makes a better dystopian protagonist in Legend, written by Marie Lu, but as I have started Prodigy, both characters seem to think more as one, and they understand each other’s thoughts and ideas more. Day is a better dystopian protagonist in Legend because although Day and June both saw the flaws in the Republic society towards the middle of the book, and they both rebel against society’s plans, Day was put into a situation where he was abused by the government. Day experienced things that June never did, and he questioned the government abundantly in the beginning of the book. Day is also a good dystopian protagonist because he allows the audience to recognize the negative aspects of the society when he is treated poorly through the Republic. When Commander Jameson asks June to give Day food and water in his cell, she says, “Be creative when you’re giving it to him, if you wish. I’ll bet you can make him beg for it” (Lu 194). I think that this quote represents how poorly the Republic treats Day, and these experiences are what make him a great dystopian protagonist.
There were many places where Day showed himself to be a great dystopian protagonist. One of the characteristics from our lesson on Monday was that these characters feel trapped and are struggling to escape. Day exhibits these qualities several times, for example when he talks of leaving the Republic but he can’t because his family can’t leave without raising an alarm. Lu writes, “If it were up to me, I’d cross the whole country alone and escape into the Colonies first chance I got. I don’t mind risking my own life. It’s not like John and Mom can just pick up and leave their assigned jobs to flee with me. It’s not like Eden can just withdraw from his assigned school” (58). Clearly, Day feels trapped in this society where he doesn’t want to be. Another characteristic that all dystopian protagonists share is that they dislike and do not think highly of their society. Day exhibits this quality many times, for example when he is making fun of the Republic’s technology, as he writes: “Like all guns, it has precision, guided by magnets and electric currents, and can accurately shoot a target three blocks away. It’s totally tech stolen from the Colonies, though of course the Republic would never tell you that.” (Lu 5). Day makes the reader see that the Republic doesn’t really have anything great about it, as far as its technology goes, compared to the Colonies. Later, Day also makes fun of the Republic’s foreign policy when he says: “The Republic didn’t sign an import deal with China (or really, conquer China and take over its businesses)…” (Lu 68). He also shows you the unfairness and audacity of the government when he talks about its “high bimonthly taxes” one the same page. Clearly, Day shows a lot of the qualities that a dystopian protagonist does.
All dystopian books have a clear protagonist who questions society, in Legend that protagonist is Day. Marie Lu, the author, has Day rebel against the government. He has a new outlook on politics in his world that the government disapproves of. "He's attacked the Republic's military assets on his own, slowed down shipments to the warfront, and destroyed our warfront bound airships and fighter jets." (Lu June is explaining most of Days crimes in this part of the book. All of his felonies are connected to stopping the Republic in the war against the Colonies. Day is clearly not in the Republics side, which is why I think that Day is the protagonist.
Even though they both display the amazing qualities of a dystopian protagonist, and they both lead the story equally well, I think that you can relate more to June than you can to Day. Even though Day helps the audience recognize the terrible aspects of the Republic, what with the trials, and the plagues that the poor are not vaccinated for, and also shows the true nature of the Republic with information on the many flaws that it has, I think of June as the better protagonist. June gives up more than Day, and does it willingly, by her own tough choice. She is also more relatable to us as a class reading this book. I don't think anyone in our english class has experienced what Day has, and could view the world in the harsh manner that he does. But June is like us. We have most of the things that we want, and she also had most of the things that she could ever want. But she is the one who questions society after being raised in the finest places, having the nicest things, attending the best schools, and getting the best treatment. To do what was right, June sacrificed everything (by choice), selflessly performing whatever actions it would take for her to support the right thing. She didn't have to question society, she could have let Day succumb to his fate while she still lived a happy life. But the fact that she threw away everything she had or could have had for Day, and to support the right cause, shows a true relatable protagonist for the story, because if any of us filled a character's shoes in this story, it would be June.
In my perspective, I deduce that June and Day contribute many different elements of the book that fulfill the necessary aspects of a dystopian protagonist, but I will discuss how June posses these characteristics. The author, Marie Lu, allows June to minister to the audience about how she struggles to escape the way of life she has been taught from birth. Throughout the Legend series, June often feels trapped because she has to decide where her loyalties lie. In Legend, June is a fully devoted Republic soldier. As the book Legend develops, June assumes (from the word being spread) that her brother, Metias, was murdered by Day. She was ordered by Commander Jameson to hunt him down, but she remembers that he saved her when she was undercover in the “slums”. However, June was loyal to the Republic and carried out the plan but then discovered that Day didn’t commit the murder. At this point, her loyalty towards the Republic starts to fade when she figures out that this was probably not the only reason why they wanted to take Day out. Through her many thoughts, she exhibits another element of a dystopian protagonist: questioning the society and political systems. This is clear when June uncovers, through her dead brother’s secret website, that the Republic has been hiding the actual way her parents had died. She starts to unravel the answers as she rebels against the society’s authority. June helped me understand that she feels there are wrong things arising in her society and why she gave up her well being. June, through her rich society perspective, also allowed me to recognize the Republic’s many negative aspects that are concealed away from the people’s view. Overall, through the entire Legend series, I believe June mainly produced the element of the series, that is the plot, yet Day conveyed the emotions of the book greatly.
June and Day both meet the expectations of a dystopian protagonist, in the book Legend by Marie Lu. In my opinion Day is more of a protagonist because you can see that he questions the government/society more clearly than June. Day rebels against the government which the government does not approve. "He's attacked the Republic's military assets on his own, slowed down shipments to the warfront, and destroyed our warfront bound airships and fighter jets." In this sentence someone is saying just some of the things that Day has done. This one by far shows you the most about how he is a protagonist. He has attacked some of the militaries items. This showing that he is not on the Republic/governments side.
In all dystopian books, there's one protagonist, in Legend, there's Day. Day questions society and makes doubts in peoples mind. Through all Days crimes, people question the Republic, asking if they can protect them after all. June is a great protagonist. June tries to escape her sad past of Metias' death, and her parents. In Legend though, Day outweighs June because June only gets into the story a little, but Day is full in showing how he questions the Republic and tries to change the society. Day is a Dystopian protagonist because he questions society, and later wants to escape his past. June in Legend doesn't get too far but wants to escape her past, the only reason for me why Day is better is because Marie Lu shows greater detail about him than June.
In my opinion, Day is definitely more a dystopian protagonist compared to June. First, Day questions society more than June does. Next, Day is not a part of the upper class unlike June. June is a part of the richer part of the society, so I feel like even though she rebels she didn't realize until later in her life unlike Day. Finally, Day is already a wanted criminal which means he isn't wanted by the community because he is a threat. In conclusion Day is most definitely the strongest Protagonist in the book Legend
One of the characteristics of a dystopian novel is to have a person who is against a society, also known as a protagonist. In the Dystopian novel Legend by Marie Lu, there are two possible characters, June and Day who could be considered as a protagonist in the Legend society. In my opinion, I think Day meets the characteristics of a protagonist well because there are many clues found in the book that supports this argument. A quote stating “ Day broke into a bank vault, torched a whole squadron of fighter jets, vandalized the side of a military building, grounded airships by crippling their engines” (48) proves that Day is against the Republic. Harming military supplies and weapons defines the action of impudence and dishonor, Day’s destructive action shows that he is against the government. Not only Day showed violence towards the Republic, but Day also refused to say a part of the pledge, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the great Republic of America, to our Elector Primo…” (68). Since pledging to the flag represents the action of courtesy to the country, Day’s dispassionate attitude shows that he does not respect or support the Republic and love his country. Therefore, with these evidences from the book, it confirms that Day most likely has the characteristics of a protagonist in the Legend society.
Normally there is only one protagonist. However, the legend series made two very different protagonists, Day and June. The question is, who is really the better protagonist? Are they both equally good or are neither a good protagonists? Day has the background of being poor and abused but, he takes it and allows those bad times or to make him stronger giving him the benefit of getting support from others. The problem is that throughout the books you can tell that his enemies change and sometimes he doesn't even know who his enemies are. What makes him seem like a good protagonist is that he goes against what he believes is wrong or not right and tries to change it. June has the opposite background of Day, she was raised wealthy. Although June has the same problem that Day has. However, instead of jumping to conclusions she would go deeper to see who is really her ally and who is her enemy. That is what benefits her throughout each book that is what gives her the appearance of a protagonist.
June and day are very different, but yet the same. Day is always breaking the laws by stealing, assault, arson, destruction of military property, hindering the war effort, and suspected for murder. He only is doing these things for his family. Eden, his younger brother, has caught the plague, and he was stealing medicine for him when he threw a knife which hit Metias in the shoulder. That is where he is suspected for murder. He never kills people so this one would be a first. He’s always on the run and knowing the government is never helping the people. If you get the plague, you and your family aren’t allowed to leave your house. They don’t bring you medicine or doctors. They wait for you to die or get better. They need to help people, but they don’t. Everyone knows this, but Day knows it’s really wrong. Other people feel bad for plague victims. Day is trying to change the governments way.
June on the other hand, is always going out of her way at college and doing bad things that the Republic doesn’t want her to do. Her brother, Metias, was always protective of her before he died. “You really scared me today,” he says. “I was afraid they’d mistake you for Day and shoot at you.”(17). This is when June climbs on the side on a fourteen story building. She can’t help it. She got a perfect score for her trial test. She wants to be like her brother. She breaks her brothers rule. She was told not to leave the house, but she was leaving right as Thomas came to pick her up. She never wants to be like everyone else. She likes to break the rules sometimes. Shes like Day, the odd one out.
In Marie Lu's Legend, there are two protagonists fighting and rebelling against society. Day and June. These are characteristics of dystopian protagonist. Day comes from a poor family, and he is trying to protect his family from a distressful plague. He will not only take risks, but he will fight and do anything it takes to get his way. When Day finds out that someone in his family is dying because of the dreadful plague, he infiltrates a hospital just to save them. His caring heart and soldier-like mind is explained very well during the infiltration, "I press my knife harder against his neck, careful not to cut him. 'I won't hurt you,' I whisper in his ear. 'Tell me where to get the plague cures.'" (29, Lu.) He is not just breaking the law, but he is feeling uncomfortable with the way things are in society. Not only does he have a very tough attitude, but he can be very caring, nurturing, and empathetic at times. When Day meets Tess, he feels that the people around him are trying to fight against the Republic too. "The instant I got within ten feet of the girl, she let out a strangled cry and darted away. She ran so fast she tripped, falling onto the asphalt on her hands and knees. I limped over to her. My old knee injury was worse back then--and I can remember stumbling in my rush. 'Hey!' I said. 'Are you all right?'" This quote shows how Day feels obligated to help the people around him rise against the government. Although Day is an aggressive character, he has a soft side too.
I every dystopian novel, there's that one character that can see the flaws in society, maybe not automatically, but they eventually do. Day and June both see the flaws in society, but at different times. They both have some kind of emotion that they are fighting for. For Katness, it was for her family, love. For June it's revenge and Day its probably like Katness, for Tess and his family. There are many other qualities that the two possess, like a strong will and a fighting spirit, and these many qualities are what intricately weave the web of a dystopian novel.
It is clear, that in all dystopian novels, there is going at least 1 protagonist, who sees that something is wrong in the supposedly perfect world they live in. Day, from Legend by Marie Lu is a perfect example, as he questions the government, and sees what the average eye in the city does not.
ReplyDelete“I snort at that. Labor Camps. Yeah, right, and the Elector is fairly elected every term. Either she believes all that made up crap, or she’s taunting me,” (169 Lu). That passage describes Day as a protagonist for a few reasons. For one, he realizes something is wrong and he is questioning it. Because he went through “Labor Camps” he knows that the government keeps what really happens there a secret. Another is that he realizes that people are controlled, and are forced to believe things that are not true.
“What if it was no accident that Eden got the plague? What if it’s no accident when anyone gets it?” (173 Lu). That passage is another scene where Day is again, questioning the Republic. In the scene, he sees one of the strange symbols on a door, and inside, a plague victim.
In many different ways, Day meets and exceeds the traits for being a dystopian protagonist. He knows somethings is wrong in the society, and he questions everything the government does.
It is unmistakable that in all dystopian novels there will be at least 1 protagonist who sees flaws in the supposed 'Perfect World'. Day, from Legend by Marie Lu is a great example of a protagonist. I think he is a great protagonist because in Legend he has to break into a hospital to get plague vaccinations for his family which is not rich but fairly poor. He also has to bet on illegal street fights to earn enough money to support himself and his friend Tess, who he met when he was younger. Plus there is one scene where Day is acting like he is hurt and 'staggers' up to a guard there and tells him "I need the bathroom" and the guard snaps, "Over there, wipe some of that filth off your face. And if you touch me again, I'll fill you with bullets." That is why I think Day is a great example of a dystopian protagonist because he shows you what it is like to grow up without a lot of money and be treated differently because you don't have the same resources as others like food, shower, medical treatments etc.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t be able to compare June to Day on the elements of dystopian protagonist through the entire Legend series. However, in Legend, Day is the better dystopian protagonist. Day goes through all of the negative aspects of the Republic himself, and helps you realize them through his experiences. Day went to a “labor camp” after he was told he failed the Trial. Later in the book, he describes how he was experimented on by the Republic, and almost killed. Day questions the Republic through his actions not words, which led to him committing multiple crimes against the Republic. One of his crimes was assaulting a standing guard outside a sector’s quarantine zone, but after that event, Day gave food to the quarantined families. June shows the dystopian elements through the words she says, and Day shows them through actions, which speak louder than words. Day helps me see the negative side of the Republic much more than June in Legend, and therefore he is the better protagonist.
ReplyDeleteI think that June and Day meet the expectations of a dystopian protagonist in the book, Legend by Marie Lu. Day is a protagonist because he went through so much pain to get the vaccine to save his family. And he is also getting hunted down because he failed his trial. He is also getting hunted down by June since he killed Matias. So many people are trying to kill him and hunt him down and he still is thinking of saving his family from dying instead of trying to run away. That is why I think that Day is a protagonist. June is also a dystopian protagonist because she questions the Republic, the community in Legend. She also is determined to find out the secrets that the Republic hides from everyone else.
ReplyDeleteJune and Day both meet the expectations of a dystopian protagonist, and they both clearly demonstrate those characteristics throughout the book. In my opinion, Day makes a better dystopian protagonist in Legend, written by Marie Lu, but as I have started Prodigy, both characters seem to think more as one, and they understand each other’s thoughts and ideas more. Day is a better dystopian protagonist in Legend because although Day and June both saw the flaws in the Republic society towards the middle of the book, and they both rebel against society’s plans, Day was put into a situation where he was abused by the government. Day experienced things that June never did, and he questioned the government abundantly in the beginning of the book. Day is also a good dystopian protagonist because he allows the audience to recognize the negative aspects of the society when he is treated poorly through the Republic. When Commander Jameson asks June to give Day food and water in his cell, she says, “Be creative when you’re giving it to him, if you wish. I’ll bet you can make him beg for it” (Lu 194). I think that this quote represents how poorly the Republic treats Day, and these experiences are what make him a great dystopian protagonist.
ReplyDeleteThere were many places where Day showed himself to be a great dystopian protagonist. One of the characteristics from our lesson on Monday was that these characters feel trapped and are struggling to escape. Day exhibits these qualities several times, for example when he talks of leaving the Republic but he can’t because his family can’t leave without raising an alarm. Lu writes, “If it were up to me, I’d cross the whole country alone and escape into the Colonies first chance I got. I don’t mind risking my own life. It’s not like John and Mom can just pick up and leave their assigned jobs to flee with me. It’s not like Eden can just withdraw from his assigned school” (58). Clearly, Day feels trapped in this society where he doesn’t want to be.
ReplyDeleteAnother characteristic that all dystopian protagonists share is that they dislike and do not think highly of their society. Day exhibits this quality many times, for example when he is making fun of the Republic’s technology, as he writes: “Like all guns, it has precision, guided by magnets and electric currents, and can accurately shoot a target three blocks away. It’s totally tech stolen from the Colonies, though of course the Republic would never tell you that.” (Lu 5). Day makes the reader see that the Republic doesn’t really have anything great about it, as far as its technology goes, compared to the Colonies. Later, Day also makes fun of the Republic’s foreign policy when he says: “The Republic didn’t sign an import deal with China (or really, conquer China and take over its businesses)…” (Lu 68). He also shows you the unfairness and audacity of the government when he talks about its “high bimonthly taxes” one the same page. Clearly, Day shows a lot of the qualities that a dystopian protagonist does.
All dystopian books have a clear protagonist who questions society, in Legend that protagonist is Day. Marie Lu, the author, has Day rebel against the government. He has a new outlook on politics in his world that the government disapproves of.
ReplyDelete"He's attacked the Republic's military assets on his own, slowed down shipments to the warfront, and destroyed our warfront bound airships and fighter jets." (Lu June is explaining most of Days crimes in this part of the book. All of his felonies are connected to stopping the Republic in the war against the Colonies. Day is clearly not in the Republics side, which is why I think that Day is the protagonist.
Even though they both display the amazing qualities of a dystopian protagonist, and they both lead the story equally well, I think that you can relate more to June than you can to Day. Even though Day helps the audience recognize the terrible aspects of the Republic, what with the trials, and the plagues that the poor are not vaccinated for, and also shows the true nature of the Republic with information on the many flaws that it has, I think of June as the better protagonist. June gives up more than Day, and does it willingly, by her own tough choice. She is also more relatable to us as a class reading this book. I don't think anyone in our english class has experienced what Day has, and could view the world in the harsh manner that he does. But June is like us. We have most of the things that we want, and she also had most of the things that she could ever want. But she is the one who questions society after being raised in the finest places, having the nicest things, attending the best schools, and getting the best treatment. To do what was right, June sacrificed everything (by choice), selflessly performing whatever actions it would take for her to support the right thing. She didn't have to question society, she could have let Day succumb to his fate while she still lived a happy life. But the fact that she threw away everything she had or could have had for Day, and to support the right cause, shows a true relatable protagonist for the story, because if any of us filled a character's shoes in this story, it would be June.
ReplyDeleteIn my perspective, I deduce that June and Day contribute many different elements of the book that fulfill the necessary aspects of a dystopian protagonist, but I will discuss how June posses these characteristics. The author, Marie Lu, allows June to minister to the audience about how she struggles to escape the way of life she has been taught from birth. Throughout the Legend series, June often feels trapped because she has to decide where her loyalties lie. In Legend, June is a fully devoted Republic soldier. As the book Legend develops, June assumes (from the word being spread) that her brother, Metias, was murdered by Day. She was ordered by Commander Jameson to hunt him down, but she remembers that he saved her when she was undercover in the “slums”. However, June was loyal to the Republic and carried out the plan but then discovered that Day didn’t commit the murder. At this point, her loyalty towards the Republic starts to fade when she figures out that this was probably not the only reason why they wanted to take Day out. Through her many thoughts, she exhibits another element of a dystopian protagonist: questioning the society and political systems. This is clear when June uncovers, through her dead brother’s secret website, that the Republic has been hiding the actual way her parents had died. She starts to unravel the answers as she rebels against the society’s authority. June helped me understand that she feels there are wrong things arising in her society and why she gave up her well being. June, through her rich society perspective, also allowed me to recognize the Republic’s many negative aspects that are concealed away from the people’s view. Overall, through the entire Legend series, I believe June mainly produced the element of the series, that is the plot, yet Day conveyed the emotions of the book greatly.
ReplyDeleteJune and Day both meet the expectations of a dystopian protagonist, in the book Legend by Marie Lu. In my opinion Day is more of a protagonist because you can see that he questions the government/society more clearly than June. Day rebels against the government which the government does not approve. "He's attacked the Republic's military assets on his own, slowed down shipments to the warfront, and destroyed our warfront bound airships and fighter jets." In this sentence someone is saying just some of the things that Day has done. This one by far shows you the most about how he is a protagonist. He has attacked some of the militaries items. This showing that he is not on the Republic/governments side.
ReplyDeleteIn all dystopian books, there's one protagonist, in Legend, there's Day. Day questions society and makes doubts in peoples mind. Through all Days crimes, people question the Republic, asking if they can protect them after all. June is a great protagonist. June tries to escape her sad past of Metias' death, and her parents. In Legend though, Day outweighs June because June only gets into the story a little, but Day is full in showing how he questions the Republic and tries to change the society. Day is a Dystopian protagonist because he questions society, and later wants to escape his past. June in Legend doesn't get too far but wants to escape her past, the only reason for me why Day is better is because Marie Lu shows greater detail about him than June.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Day is definitely more a dystopian protagonist compared to June.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Day questions society more than June does. Next, Day is not a part of the upper class unlike June. June is a part of the richer part of the society, so I feel like even though she rebels she didn't realize until later in her life unlike Day. Finally, Day is already a wanted criminal which means he isn't wanted by the community because he is a threat. In conclusion Day is most definitely the strongest Protagonist in the book Legend
One of the characteristics of a dystopian novel is to have a person who is against a society, also known as a protagonist. In the Dystopian novel Legend by Marie Lu, there are two possible characters, June and Day who could be considered as a protagonist in the Legend society. In my opinion, I think Day meets the characteristics of a protagonist well because there are many clues found in the book that supports this argument. A quote stating “ Day broke into a bank vault, torched a whole squadron of fighter jets, vandalized the side of a military building, grounded airships by crippling their engines” (48) proves that Day is against the Republic. Harming military supplies and weapons defines the action of impudence and dishonor, Day’s destructive action shows that he is against the government. Not only Day showed violence towards the Republic, but Day also refused to say a part of the pledge, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the great Republic of America, to our Elector Primo…” (68). Since pledging to the flag represents the action of courtesy to the country, Day’s dispassionate attitude shows that he does not respect or support the Republic and love his country. Therefore, with these evidences from the book, it confirms that Day most likely has the characteristics of a protagonist in the Legend society.
ReplyDeleteNormally there is only one protagonist. However, the legend series made two very different protagonists, Day and June. The question is, who is really the better protagonist? Are they both equally good or are neither a good protagonists?
ReplyDeleteDay has the background of being poor and abused but, he takes it and allows those bad times or to make him stronger giving him the benefit of getting support from others. The problem is that throughout the books you can tell that his enemies change and sometimes he doesn't even know who his enemies are. What makes him seem like a good protagonist is that he goes against what he believes is wrong or not right and tries to change it.
June has the opposite background of Day, she was raised wealthy. Although June has the same problem that Day has. However, instead of jumping to conclusions she would go deeper to see who is really her ally and who is her enemy. That is what benefits her throughout each book that is what gives her the appearance of a protagonist.
June and day are very different, but yet the same. Day is always breaking the laws by stealing, assault, arson, destruction of military property, hindering the war effort, and suspected for murder. He only is doing these things for his family. Eden, his younger brother, has caught the plague, and he was stealing medicine for him when he threw a knife which hit Metias in the shoulder. That is where he is suspected for murder. He never kills people so this one would be a first. He’s always on the run and knowing the government is never helping the people. If you get the plague, you and your family aren’t allowed to leave your house. They don’t bring you medicine or doctors. They wait for you to die or get better. They need to help people, but they don’t. Everyone knows this, but Day knows it’s really wrong. Other people feel bad for plague victims. Day is trying to change the governments way.
ReplyDeleteJune on the other hand, is always going out of her way at college and doing bad things that the Republic doesn’t want her to do. Her brother, Metias, was always protective of her before he died. “You really scared me today,” he says. “I was afraid they’d mistake you for Day and shoot at you.”(17). This is when June climbs on the side on a fourteen story building. She can’t help it. She got a perfect score for her trial test. She wants to be like her brother. She breaks her brothers rule. She was told not to leave the house, but she was leaving right as Thomas came to pick her up. She never wants to be like everyone else. She likes to break the rules sometimes. Shes like Day, the odd one out.
In Marie Lu's Legend, there are two protagonists fighting and rebelling against society. Day and June. These are characteristics of dystopian protagonist. Day comes from a poor family, and he is trying to protect his family from a distressful plague. He will not only take risks, but he will fight and do anything it takes to get his way. When Day finds out that someone in his family is dying because of the dreadful plague, he infiltrates a hospital just to save them. His caring heart and soldier-like mind is explained very well during the infiltration, "I press my knife harder against his neck, careful not to cut him. 'I won't hurt you,' I whisper in his ear. 'Tell me where to get the plague cures.'" (29, Lu.) He is not just breaking the law, but he is feeling uncomfortable with the way things are in society. Not only does he have a very tough attitude, but he can be very caring, nurturing, and empathetic at times. When Day meets Tess, he feels that the people around him are trying to fight against the Republic too. "The instant I got within ten feet of the girl, she let out a strangled cry and darted away. She ran so fast she tripped, falling onto the asphalt on her hands and knees. I limped over to her. My old knee injury was worse back then--and I can remember stumbling in my rush. 'Hey!' I said. 'Are you all right?'" This quote shows how Day feels obligated to help the people around him rise against the government. Although Day is an aggressive character, he has a soft side too.
ReplyDeleteI every dystopian novel, there's that one character that can see the flaws in society, maybe not automatically, but they eventually do. Day and June both see the flaws in society, but at different times. They both have some kind of emotion that they are fighting for. For Katness, it was for her family, love. For June it's revenge and Day its probably like Katness, for Tess and his family. There are many other qualities that the two possess, like a strong will and a fighting spirit, and these many qualities are what intricately weave the web of a dystopian novel.
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