Characters

Raphael, Gardo and Rat all have same things in common, loyalty, intelligence and they trust each other to make the right decisions.  These characters are very similar because they all trust each other. They are different because not every one of them are as brave, or smart, or fast. They are all different in their own ways. I think I’m more like Jun-Jun, because if I have to depend on myself, I am able to and people underestimate me just like people underestimate him because he is small.

Empowerment

By the end of the novel, ‘Trash,” Rat states, “Jun – no longer Rat. My name is Jun-Jun” (p.217).  I believe he says this because he no longer thinks himself as a rat, he doesn’t think he is worthless or useless. Raphael and Gardo enable this by treating Jun-Jun with respect, and treating him like a friend. After the adventure Raphael, Gardo and Jun-Jun have, Jun-Jun realizes that he is needed and he is important. I believe that after this adventure Jun-Jun realized that not only Raphael and Gardo count himself as a friend but Father Julliard and Sister Olivia too, that is when he gained self-respect towards himself and decided that he isn’t going to be called Rat anymore, he is going to be called by his name, Jun-Jun.

This Story is About...

This story is about 3 boys on an adventure trying to solve a crime an innocent man was framed for, it is about trust because Raphael, Gardo and Rat have to depend and trust each other to not turn each other in or leave each other, this story is also about changes, changes happen when Raphael and Gardo found Jose Angelico’s bag and when Raphael got back from the prison; Rat, Raphael and Gardo had become more brave and also smart, courage is one main point in this book because it takes a lot of courage to go against the law, the police and the senator.

Climax

In the last section of the book, the boys tell the story together, Andy Mulligan makes this happen because it creates a more dramatic scene. The boys telling the story together gets the reader thinking, “Something important might happen, why else would they tell the story together?” The story is getting interesting because the 3 boys are all telling it together, the reader has been waiting and reading to find out what happens to them at the ending and by writing one entry by Raphael, Gardo and Jun-Jun, It tells the reader that it is the dramatic ending in which all the questions are answered. This makes the book more exciting and more fun to read.

Style

At the end of part 4, Andy Mulligan uses newspaper stories to reveal further information about Senator Zapanta and the mystery. The clue revealed in the first newspaper article is that the vice-president never denied that he stole money from the country, which creates suspicion. Evidence shows that the first newspaper article is no doubt bias to the government because it mentions Vice-President Zapanta’s reelection campaign where he looks like he is caring about dumpsite orphans.

All the articles do not share the same point of view. The first one is clearly bias to the government by only informing the reader the good things about Vice-president Zapanta. The other three articles aren’t scared to get their hands dirty, they inform the reader the truth about the corrupt Vice-president Zapanta. They inform the reader how the vice president used the dumpsite orphans for his campaign but didn’t pay them a single dime and they ask us how Zapanta had that much money in the first place, since it is a poor country.

This is an effective way to reveal the story because it makes the reader more hooked and the story more interesting. The articles help confirm that Zapanta is a very corrupt man. I think that these articles help the reader sit on the edge of their seats and continue on in the book with more information and more understanding of what’s happening

Family

In this story, family means everything. “Immediately there was a great commotion, and I saw how important it was that I was not taken,” This is when the police are taking Raphael from Behala. This shows that the people in Behala are family even if they’re not blood related they are as close as a real family. When someone is taken away or sick they are all sick or they feel helpless by not keeping the person or fighting for the person who was taken. The people in Behala have been through a lot together. For example, being judged by the wealthy, the police always thinking they’re guilty, working everyday with no rest just to get a meal for their family. So in this story family means everything. 

Multiple Perspectives

Throughout the novel, Raphael, Gardo, and Rat take turns recounting their story. Hearing the multiple perspectives of this story benefits the reader because then you will know what every character is thinking about and what they’re planning to do. It also benefits the reader because then you will know more about what’s happening. When the reader reads the book the different stories told by the characters help the reader understand every characters feelings instead of one main character, also not every character knows the full story like father Julliard and sister Olivia so their stories combined with Raphael’s, Gardo’s and Rats fits together and makes sense, If we didn’t have multiple characters telling the story and just had one main character telling the story we wouldn’t have known what happened in the prison with Sister Olivia, Gardo and Gabriel. 

Tecnichues of Suspense Andy Mulligan Uses

In the book Trash written by Andy Mulligan. The writer uses many techniques to create a interesting suspense to hang on to when you’re reading.

One technique he uses is to make the reader follow a trail of clues that are given in the book. An example of this is when Raphael, Gardo and Rat go to the train station and find the letter in the locker, by now the reader is probably thinking about what the letter says, What the letter means, who is it for and why was it hidden in a train station locker. This has already created suspense for the reader because you’re left with the smallest clues you can’t figure out.

Another way that suspense is created is by creating conflict between characters. Examples of this include Jose Angelico and his conflict between the police; Since Raphael, Gardo and Rat are trying to figure out the crime that was mas made by the senator; since they are on Jose Angelico’s side they aren’t very popular with the police. Now the reader is probably thinking if the police will do something to the boys because they are investigating the crime Gabriel Olondriz was framed for.

Furthermore, in Trash, we don’t always know if the character is good or bad. Examples of this include Marco the police man, he is a police man who cant be trusted because he said he was going to give the bible to Gardo but for a price, all he needs is money; so the police can pay him off for information that is why we don’t know if he is good or bad.  Another character, which might have been good or bad, is Jose Angelico, in part 1 his ID was found in the bag the boys found which was wanted by the police; by now the reader will probably think is he a criminal? Why would the police be looking for his ID? Did he kill someone?  But then we find out that he was the one who was killed in a police interrogation room and was a good man.

In addition, Mulligan also creates suspense by having characters work against a deadline. If the boys don’t discover the mystery then they will probably get thrown in jail for accusing the police of containing evidence and accusing the senator of stealing money or worse, they get killed. This kind of suspense will get you to stop everything your doing a read o because you want to know if the boys die or if they succeed.

Moreover Mulligan also has different characters telling the story. He does this so that the reader will get pieces of the information bit by bit in a long period of time. He does this to hook the reader in and not give away the whole story. This also fills the reader in on what the different characters are thinking instead of just reading about one characters thoughts.

These are the techniques Andy Mulligan uses to create suspense in his book Trash. These techniques are used very well in the book because it will keep you guessing and reading. How Mulligan writes this book is a clever way because you have to finish the book to know what happens to Raphael, Gardo, Rat, the police, Senator Zapanta, Father Julliard, Sister Olivia and the rest of the character in the book. 

Is it OK to Lie?

Is it OK to lie?

In the book Trash by Andy Mulligan Raphael, Gardo, Rat (Jun-Jun) and the police lie. They lie for all different reasons, some for good reasons, some for selfish reasons.

Raphael lied when he said he didnt find a bag but found a shoe instead (page 12-13) He also lied when he was interoggated by the police he said he didnt find a bag and was harrased violently because the police thought he was lieing (page 60-66)  Grado aso lied in the book; He lied when he told sister Olivia his grandfather, Gabriel Olondriz, was in prison, he also lied to sister Olivia when he told her his grandfather was going to lose his house (page 80) Not only Raphael and Gardo lies Rat (Jun-Jun) lies too, he doesnt say his lies he just doesnt object to things said about him that aren't true. For example when Raphael say that there is nothing to steal from Rat and he doesnt have any money (page 111-113) Then the three boys lied all together to Father Juilliard when they asked to use the computer for a quiz they said they were competing in. These boys lie to survive.

The boys arent the only ones who lie in this book, the police lie too. They lied when they promised to give good money to the person who finds the bag (page 11) the police also lied when they told Raphael that they would give him the money everyone will be happy if he gives the bag he found to them (page 60) There are some parts where the police lie like Rat does, they deny it but doesnt give the evidence to back it up. For example when Pascal Aguila died with 26 bullets in him with the same calibre the police men use (page 50) The evidence seriously points to the police but no one will stand up because they control most people.

Lieing is ok depending on the situation your in. If its life threatening then its fine but if its not and you just dont want to get in trouble by blaming someone else, it is not okay. In the story Raphael, Gardo and Rat lie to survive, they lie to not be killed by the corrupt police. The lies the boys have told are known as "White lies" White lies are lies meant for a good purpose, not bad ones. Whereas the police lie for money, they lie for bad purposes. So it is ok to lie or work against the law if it is life threatening or it is right but lieing everyday just to get out of something you got yourself into is a very bad habit.

Trash Orientation Part 1

In the book Trash written by Andy Mulligan. 3 dumpsite boys, Raphael, Gardo and Rat (Jun jun) accidently get into something deep and mysterious. It all started when Raphael and Gardo find a bag, a bag in which there is some papers, a wallet filled with 1100 pesos, an ID card belonging to Jose Angelico and a key with the numbers 101 wrapped in the town map. Then the police came, they came to look for the bag, the bag Raphael and Gardo found. When the police announced that they'd give
10 000 pesos to the person who finds it Raphael and Gardo knew there was something up so they lied, they didnt give in the bag because they dont believe that the police would give the money. Gardo had an idea, they would hide the bag in Rats home. When they went over there Rats figured out what the key was for but not without a price of 100 pesos so Raphael gave him the money. The key opens a locker at the train station. Raphael, Gardo and Rat go to the train station a few days after they found out to not look suspicious. In the locker they found a brown envelope, inside that brown envelope was a letter to a prisoner, in that letter was a peice of paper with a line of numbers that made no sense to them.

In the book there are evidence of police corruption. For example "You really think they will give it?" Gardo was talking to Rat when he asked why they didnt just swap the bag for money. Page 24. This shows that Gardo and Raphael dont trust the police. They think that the police is only saying that to get the bag. Another example is when Gardo is thinking to himself "If the police think you've got something, they wont stop until they've got it." Page 35. This shows that the police will do anything to get what they want. They will abuse their power and will get it from you violently if they have to and they will  get away because Behala is poor and cant fight back. This show that they are corrupt.

In the book there is also evidence that there are many dangers of poverty. For example "I would not have lived there- anywhere would have been better," Raphael commenting on Rats hole. This shows that Rat, a 10-year-old boy, lives under the trash. Raphael says that he wouldnt love there because the mountain of trash moves. The hole Rat lives in can collapse any second because of the weight of trash its under. Another example is when Raphael's auntie says "I'm too old to move again, and the two little ones..." This shows that Raphael's auntie knows what will happen if she gets caught with the bag. She knows that people dont care about the poor and bad things will not only happen to her but also the two little ones.