In our class discussions, much has been made of Alex's gradual change from self-centeredness to a more selfless attitude. His focus is less on himself and more on those around him. Yet just when we think he's changed, we see him complaining, "I can't believe you set this up without asking me...You're not asking, you're telling me. And the answer is no. I don't want to be embarrassed again." (p211)
What does this response reveal about Alex? Do you think he has really changed, or does this most recent incident reveal something else. Support your answer with evidence from the text.
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I think that Alex was ashamed that he was kinda treating sol as an infant in ways like he was playing low level jazz music in front of a jazz expert and if i were in Alex's shoes I'd feel a little stupid. Another thing is that sol blew alex pretty muchly off the stage when he played and Although Alex was awestruck he also felt like the one thing he could be good at and make sol happy-- playing the guitar was taken away since sol was so good. I guess that Alex is a little intimidated by sol since they were having such a good relationship and the only universal bond that was holding it together was Alex's mediocre guitar skills
I think Alex was mad at sol for not asking him to play another concert, and at first he did't want to because he didt want to be embarased again.
i think alex is tying to be his normal self and not trying to show any of his feelings. he knows that sol is better than him so he doesnt want to do anything with him that might embarrese himself. he is just starting to get the hang of the new stuff sol is teaching him and he doesnt want to ruin it if he misses a note. he doesnt want to anything with sol because sol just knows that he cant compete with sol.
He doesn't really want to do the concert. Well that's what I think. He just gets really ticked off at Solomon because he set up something that had something to do with Alex without his permission. That just made Alex mad. I don't think he's that selfish anymore. He has changed a lot since the beginning of the book. He is mostly a selfless person now, but there's still a little bit of selfishness left in his system. Dang it!
I think that Alex really has changed, but like everyone he still has his moments where he is uncomfortable. Alex has come along way in learning valuable lessons and turning to selflessness rather than selfishness. I can understand anyone even the most selfless person on Earth being uncomfortable about having to be shown up again when they are serious about what they are doing and don't want to be known as a joke to something that they love to do. This moment can occur in the most respectable person's life, especially if this person is being shown up by an old man who hasn't played in over a decade!
Both in some ways Alex hs changed but he is also, in many ways still self-centered.
I think Alex has changed mostly but at the last concert Sol totally blew Alex away. Sol led Alex to beleave that Alex was good but then embarressed him at the concert and Alex doesn't want to look like an idiot again.
i think Alex was treating Sol like a little kid because he would take it easy on him and when sol told him this he was kinda ashamed. therefore i think alex was ashamed so he said that remark
I think that Alex really has changed. However he is scared that Sol is going to do the same thing he did at the last concert. So when he thought about it he automaticlly thought that he was going to be enbarrassed again. So in my oppinion I think he has changed he just is scared about his reputation being ruined.
Maybe it still means that he has changed but he doesn't want to be shown up by an old man again. And he is afraid that he will be ratted on for something that doesn't connect to him and get in even more trouble. But, shen he was going to the home even after his sentence was over shows that he has really changed.
I think that Alex is PROGRESSIVLY changing. It's not the end of the book yet so i can't come to the conclusion Alex hasn't improoved at all because i have noticed changes. That one outburst he pulled on Sol made himself look a little bit like how he started but i think he was just frustrated. I've noticed he has a short temper and the stress maybe made things worse and he just didn't want to put up with anything so he kinda. . .exploded we can say on Sol which was a little unecessary but it doesn't make me think he hasn't changed.
In a way I think that Alex was being selfish and going back to his old ways. On the other hand Sol just kind of sprung it on him so I think Alex has a reason to say no. I don't like it when people make dicisions for me so I see where Alex is coming from. He has good reason to be mad but then again ya did a little bit go back to his own ways.
I think alex feels very stupid for playing the guitar and not knowing sol was and expert guitarist. I just think he is mad that Sol blew him off the stage. Alex shouldnt be mad though because Sol wants to help Alex get better. I think Alex is sort of imbarised because he was playing for Sol all the time not knowing he was an expert at it, and not telling him. He isn't selfish.
I think that Alex was kind of embarrassed at the first concert, when Sol played great, so when Alex he has been playing in front of Sol during the hours of his sentence, he feels ashamed/embarrassed, since Sol used to be a professional jazz guitar player, and that is why Alex didn't really want to do another concert.
He did not want to do another concert at the home, or at least not this soon.
I think alex just wants to look good in front of Sol and to show an impression. Like when Sol blew him off the stage he was probably just embarrassed and was trying to make himself look good but for SOl but then SOl comes along and blows him off the stage. I think alex is just trying to look for SOl to give him compliments in any way..
I think that Alex was just upset that Sol overshowed him in the concert and didnt want to be looked at as a bad guitar player compared to Sol.
I think that even though he has changed on the outside, he is still alex on the inside. He gets mad yet he still cares for other people.
I think he's at his final turning point, and fragments of his self centerdness still remain and the mention of another concert for a moment sparked those thoughts
I think alex has changed mostly. But I think Alex feels a little stupid when he plays around Sol. Because Sol is an expert. And Alex is playing okay...
I think alex has changed a little bit. But i think Alex feels stupid when he plays around Sol. Because Sol is pretty much an expert at jazz playing. Alex plays at an ok level.
In a way he has kind of changed but he sill thinks alot about of himself. I think.
i think that alex has changed but in the same way he hasn't he has changed because he is more caring but at the same time he hasn't because he is still self centered and whatever his is doing it benefits him. So he has changed but at the same time he hasn't.
I think that he's changed a little but he still looks out for himself.
I think that he's still looking out for himself even though he has changed a little.
I think that Alex wants to do the concert, but doesn't want to be enbarrased, and so he wants Solomon to play with him, so he actually looks better than he really is.
I think he had changed cause he did play the concert but I think everyone is entitled to complain about being embrassed once in a while.
I believe that Alex has still changed but can have times where he can get a bit uptight and angry. I mean, it's totally part of life, it is called emotions, and Alex got pissed off on Sol's decision.
I think alex has really change and that he is actually a caring, kind, smart minded kinda
I think might care about himself more than others in some situations. I think he has changed a little about how he acts towards other people.
i think alex didnt want sol to embarase him but i think he has grown up alot since he first started visithing sol
To me this is not the type of thing that shows Alex going back to his old ways it is just a human response. For example if a person really embarrassed you by doing something and then told you that you where going to do it again would you say “well good golly gosh sure!” or would you reacted like Alex. I know I would react like Alex.
I think Alex has changed. I just think since he was caught off guard. I just think he was upset that he didn't get a say in something he was going to be involved in.
I think that Alex was just ashamed about what happend and he doesn't want it to happen again.
At the first concert he did something that he wasn't the most confident about and then got embarassed and didn't want it to happen again, I think that he has still changed because overall he has and if he doesn't feel confident about it he shouldn't have to do it.
I think Alex is trying to keep his feelings about the issue all bottled up inside of him. he knows how good sol is and he keeps comparing himself to sol. i also think he just doesnt want to be embarrased again
I think Alex was trying to say to Sol was that he would like to do another concert, but at the same time he doesn't want to be embarrased again, by him taking the spotlight.
this response reveal that alex is very senitive than before in the book. first he says that he won't do the concert, but later he says he will do it only is Sol does it with him. that is sort of kind of thinking about others, but he wants Sol to do it with him so he doesn 't look stupid. that is about him more than someone else.
alex is still thinking about himself.
I think Alex said that out of pure embarasment. He didnt want to be humiliated by Sol like the first concert. Also he has to play with Sol wich will be hard to do. I still thind Alex has changed but some of his old actions sliped out.
I think that Alex has canged and defentaly for the better. Even with that little outbreak with Sol after Alex was informed about the second concert I still think Alex has changed. I think that after all of his progress he is just ashamed that he cant play as good as the wise-eldery-jewish man-with a crazy past when everyone really saw Sol as the grouchy guy who liked to trick people. So after the first concert when Sol played and tricked Alex he just got a little embarresed becasue he realized her didnt know Sol as good as he thought he did.
i think alex doesnt want things set up involing him whithout his permition
i think alex was just a little mad that sol did not ask him if he wanted to do another concert, and that would make me a little mad also, so i understand why alex would react the was he did.
Yes i think Alsex has changed in a good way a mature way though.His relationship with people who love him has changed and he is a person that i would hang out with at school...
I think that Alex has really changed. Anybody can change from who they used to be, but that doesn't mean they are going to be perfect. Nobody is perfect. Everybody has at least a little bit selfishness inside of them. Some show it and some keep it kind of hdden. This is just one of the instances where Alex showed that he is still a real person so that means that he is somewhat selfish.
i think that alex has realy changed from a problem child to a teenage kid
i think that he has changed a little bit, but he still thinks about himself a little to
I think that this says that Alex is nice and considerate until someone does something that he neccesarily doesnt like and then all he thinks about is himself. How this will affect him not anybody around him.
I honestly think this statement is totally fair. I mean, put yourself in that situation!! Whether it's missing the game winning shot, messing up very bad on stage, or falling on the hurdles. I know from experience, NONE of these are fun to go through! They are ALL very embarassing and hard to overcome. I would NEVER want to go back and re-live those times! I think this is fair that Alex doesn't want to go through his embarasment again. But, I also think it is very neat that he does overcome his fear and goes out and puts on another KILLER performance!! :)
I dont think Alex liked what Sol did because it "wasnt planned" and Alex had everything going
great and he didnt like
when Sol barged in and wanted to do something.
I think alex is just being him self not thinking thinks through. or thinking before he speacks i think it just feel out with out him knowing what he said. There for i think alex has changed but still has that same side of himself.
well I think that he was showing sol that he didnt want to be messed with, i think he has hanged but some things have change him to be more srong like in a way he dosent want to be messed with, even tho that he has been joked on before by sol with "GOTCHA"
alex thought sol wasent good at the quiter and then sol sows off his skills after he tricked alex
i think that he has still changed.. and that he just doesent wont to be embarrassed again! i mean nobody likes being embarrassed!! and i think that he just doesent have enough confidence in himself yet... but he will and so ya he has changed...
I think Alex is just jelous of Sol's guitar playing and he finds it embarrassing.
i think alex was ashamed that he was treating sol like a littl kid becaus he was playing eazy music
yes i think his change has what made the theme of the book. Alex had a second chance and he took it and has really became selfless and learned his lesson
i think alex has changed so much through out the story that the complaining didnt really affect him as a character at all. he just didnt want to be embaresed again thats all.
i think that alex did change but temperaraly changed back. just like some people do when they are an alcoholic and are sober for a certin amount of time then all of a sudden they will start deinking agian for many different reasons.
i think he has changed but the stress does get to us evey once in a while
I truly think Alex has changed at parts he was complaning but now he is going to work at the nursing home full time he has changed.
i think alex has changed but the bad side of him does come out every once in a while
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