Summary:
A Tap-Out has happened in California. Saying people were unprepared would be an understatement. No one has water for 2 weeks. Inside the drought is a high school girl named Alyssa. Her parents have just left to try to obtain water. They haven’t been back for hours, eventually hours turn to days, and Alyssa realizes she abs her brother are on their own.
For Alyssa to survive the Tap-out she is forced to make unthinkable decisions. Along with this she has to face forest fires, water hungry people that will quite literally kill to have it, and dehydration. All of this while still taking care of her brother. I guess you could say Alyssa has very big responsibilities. She’ll do anything to keep her and her brother from perishing from dehydration. She’s fortunate enough to have a neighbor that specializes in apocalyptic scenarios, Kelton. Kelton is able to protect Alyssa and her brother at the times that they are most vulnerable, mainly with a gun. Kelton becomes mentally determined after they all witness his brother being shot by his father. This trio goes through the whole Tap-Out together and eventually are able to survive. After the Tap-Out, California is never the same.
People experience PTSD from everything they experienced. Some people come back traumatized for the rest of their lives. Everyone is still not allowed to water their lawns. Pools are not allowed to be filled. Precautions will forever be taken to never allow this to happen again. The Tap-Out will always have a lingering affect on California and the people who were involved.
For Alyssa to survive the Tap-out she is forced to make unthinkable decisions. Along with this she has to face forest fires, water hungry people that will quite literally kill to have it, and dehydration. All of this while still taking care of her brother. I guess you could say Alyssa has very big responsibilities. She’ll do anything to keep her and her brother from perishing from dehydration. She’s fortunate enough to have a neighbor that specializes in apocalyptic scenarios, Kelton. Kelton is able to protect Alyssa and her brother at the times that they are most vulnerable, mainly with a gun. Kelton becomes mentally determined after they all witness his brother being shot by his father. This trio goes through the whole Tap-Out together and eventually are able to survive. After the Tap-Out, California is never the same.
People experience PTSD from everything they experienced. Some people come back traumatized for the rest of their lives. Everyone is still not allowed to water their lawns. Pools are not allowed to be filled. Precautions will forever be taken to never allow this to happen again. The Tap-Out will always have a lingering affect on California and the people who were involved.
Themes:
Everyone is human-
We all make mistakes, some being a lot worse than others. It’s a part of being human. It’s up to the individual to decide if they can forgive someone for being human.
Don't rely on government officials-
In times of unexpected crisis, government officials are just as unprepared as anyone else. Relying on them can lead to your downfall. Take accountability for yourself and be better prepared for unexpected disasters.
Don't trust people when in chaos-
People become monsters when in time of chaos. If they haven't turned yet, they will eventually. Don't risk it. Put your survival above all else.
We all make mistakes, some being a lot worse than others. It’s a part of being human. It’s up to the individual to decide if they can forgive someone for being human.
Don't rely on government officials-
In times of unexpected crisis, government officials are just as unprepared as anyone else. Relying on them can lead to your downfall. Take accountability for yourself and be better prepared for unexpected disasters.
Don't trust people when in chaos-
People become monsters when in time of chaos. If they haven't turned yet, they will eventually. Don't risk it. Put your survival above all else.
Favorite quote:
"That's because wealth is a mindset" (185).
Everything is a mindset. A wise man once said, "if you think you can't, you won't." Once you have a growth mindset, you become a lot more successful because you find opportunity in all things, including the bad.
Argument:
When in disastrous times, people are slow to react, panic, and make highly irrational decisions.
Essay:
First Comes Chaos, Then Comes Panic
They tell you that you can survive three days without water. Water is a necessity to our survival. In the novel, Dry, by Jarrod and Neal Schusterman, there’s a Tap-Out in California, one of the most populated areas in the world, you can imagine the chaos that is to come from such an event. It only lasts two weeks, but without preparation, two weeks without water can seem like a lifetime. Water within this time is valued above anything else. People threaten, harass, and in some cases even kill for water. When in chaos, people are slow to react, panic, and make highly irrational decisions.
In chaotic situations, you have a slower reaction. As stated by Schusterman, “But when something drastic happens, there’s a lag time. It’s not quite denial, and not quite shock, but more like a mental free fall. You’re spending so much time wrapping your mind around the problem, you don’t realize what you need to do until the window to do it has closed.” (12) Your mind is too slow processing the problem at hand and because of this you don’t think quickly enough, ultimately making you become more unprepared by not understanding what is needed to survive. Once you realize how serious the situation is, it has become too late and then people begin to panic.
Panic is the second step in chaotic situations. Once you realize how bad you have allowed your situation to become, one’s natural instinct is to freak out. People can freak out in a multitude of ways, such as buying out all the toilet paper. As stated by Schusterman, “Grief twist people in ways they’re not supposed to twist.” (177-178) Chaos and panic does the same thing. All of a sudden you do things you normally wouldn’t and begin making irrational decisions.
Making irrational decisions happens most often after experiencing traumatic events. How irrational a decision is can differentiate; whether it’s moving from across the country or buying a new dog. They happen a lot of the time due to traumatic events. Schusterman says, “Dealing with irrational people takes focus, intelligence, and extreme discipline-you have to maintain a sense of true emotional stasis[...].” (211) It does take an insane amount of energy when dealing with irrational people. Sometimes you have to realize it is not worth the wasted time and effort.
Chaotic and tragic events, people react slower to, panic, and make irrational decisions. These are all main themes implemented into Dry. It should remind a lot of us of how people have reacted to the Coronavirus as well. We were slower reacting to it and couldn’t prevent the spread of the disease. Everyone panicked. This eventually led to the irrational decision to buy out of all the supplies including toilet paper until hardly any was left. Next time we need to become more aware of the seriousness of the issue. Once this happens, we can eradicate panic and irrational decision making, keeping everything a lot more under control.
In chaotic situations, you have a slower reaction. As stated by Schusterman, “But when something drastic happens, there’s a lag time. It’s not quite denial, and not quite shock, but more like a mental free fall. You’re spending so much time wrapping your mind around the problem, you don’t realize what you need to do until the window to do it has closed.” (12) Your mind is too slow processing the problem at hand and because of this you don’t think quickly enough, ultimately making you become more unprepared by not understanding what is needed to survive. Once you realize how serious the situation is, it has become too late and then people begin to panic.
Panic is the second step in chaotic situations. Once you realize how bad you have allowed your situation to become, one’s natural instinct is to freak out. People can freak out in a multitude of ways, such as buying out all the toilet paper. As stated by Schusterman, “Grief twist people in ways they’re not supposed to twist.” (177-178) Chaos and panic does the same thing. All of a sudden you do things you normally wouldn’t and begin making irrational decisions.
Making irrational decisions happens most often after experiencing traumatic events. How irrational a decision is can differentiate; whether it’s moving from across the country or buying a new dog. They happen a lot of the time due to traumatic events. Schusterman says, “Dealing with irrational people takes focus, intelligence, and extreme discipline-you have to maintain a sense of true emotional stasis[...].” (211) It does take an insane amount of energy when dealing with irrational people. Sometimes you have to realize it is not worth the wasted time and effort.
Chaotic and tragic events, people react slower to, panic, and make irrational decisions. These are all main themes implemented into Dry. It should remind a lot of us of how people have reacted to the Coronavirus as well. We were slower reacting to it and couldn’t prevent the spread of the disease. Everyone panicked. This eventually led to the irrational decision to buy out of all the supplies including toilet paper until hardly any was left. Next time we need to become more aware of the seriousness of the issue. Once this happens, we can eradicate panic and irrational decision making, keeping everything a lot more under control.