06.05.07
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
In this futuristic society, young people believe they are ugly until, at age 16, they undergo an operation that changes them into “pretties.” Tally Youngblood looks forward to turning 16 until she meets another female named Shay who questions this way of life and urges Tally to defect to a distant settlement of simple living. When Shay disappears, Tally is coerced by cruel Dr. Cable to find Shay and her patriots or stay “ugly” forever.
Melissa VHS said,
October 23, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Uglies started out as a little boring but as the story line develops over time the book becomes more and more interesting. I believe that this book really shows how much importance our society places ob “beauty.”
In this book, everyone in Pretty town looks basically the same and they believe that everyone in Uglyville is absolutely hideous without the reconstruction surgery. When Tally meets Shay, her world changes. Tally discovers that being “ugly” is what makes some people pretty.
When Shay convinces Tally to go to the New Smoke, a village outside of the safety of both Uglyville and Pretty Town, Tally finds herself believing that she really is pretty as she is.
I believe that this book touches the main ideas of the “Ugly” people of this society and that being exactly as you are is better than fixing yourslef for the people around you.
Rachel VHS said,
October 30, 2007 at 1:23 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I do believe that our society has the potential to eventually become like the one Tally lives in. Whenever we turn on our televisions, or read a magazine, or hear a radio commercial, we are constantly bombarded with society’s ideals. Ideals of beauty, physique,habbits, whatever they may be, they have been ingrained into our minds since we were children. When a girl is young she sees her mother putting on her makeup and she sees the beautiful princesses in the movies and subconciously she begins to desire to be like that. She learns at a young age that in order to be accepted in society she must be beautiful, or the societys version of beautiful. Thin, lithe bodies with sun-kissed, tan skin and long, streight, glossy hair have been this country’s sense of ideal perfection for many years. But not everyone is made like that. People come in all different shapes and sizes and its not fair to set a unspoken rule that to be beautiful you have to look this way. The “uglies” in the book are just normal people, like you and me. They have bad hair days, break out in acne when its the most inconvinent,the gain weight, they lose weight, they have freckles, split ends, poor vison, etc. But these are the things that make them who they are, that give them a distinction. But because of their society, they are placed in a seperate dormatory of sorts until they can have the coveted opperation to finally make themselves beautiful.
Joey VHS said,
October 30, 2007 at 7:50 pm
David saw Tally differently then how she saw her self because he looked farther then skin deep. He saw her courage and strength that she needed to find the smoke alone. He sees her true self not what the specials considered pretty. David never look at flaws. I believe that is also because he wasn’t brain washed to believe that humans are flawed and must be changed. Since he grew up in smoke and not the city he saw the true qualities Tally had. But sadly
Tally didn’t see them until the end of the book.
Ruben VHS said,
October 31, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I will have to say no. I mean, there is a lot of pressure about looking good.
For example, people always say it in a cryptic way. Like there’s botox, clearskin, makeup, and a lot of other stuff. All of them designed to make you “look better”, but they’re choices, not mandatory. So even if appearence is getting more important every day because of the society we live in. There is no way that that the government will be able to force you to look “pretty”.
Uglies is a good book for people that like romance and drama. Which is not my thing, but if I was into those categories, I would say its a really good book
Courtney VHS said,
November 6, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
The only reason they live like this is because of the wars we had before and they think its easier to not know whats going on and to be “pretty minded.” They used our striving to be perfect and beautiful against them and thats why nobody questioned the transformation. I can see this happening and personally i wouldn’t mind it. Think of a world without war but then there is always the question of being able to think for yourself. So i dont know. I would be like Tally and would run away from it and get my mind back but for the whole world…it might just be better to have the thinking that ignorance is bliss.
Melissa 2 VHS said,
November 26, 2007 at 4:44 pm
2. Other than the pretty operation, what are the main differences between the pretty society and our own? (Are there any ways in which the pretty society is healthier than ours?)
The differences i see are that in the pretty society, they see the world in black and white, like kids, oblivious to the world around them. They never seem to worry about work money and the only thing they most likely stress over is what to were to a party. On the other hand our society always work, stress, and barely find time to relax. The pretty society has a possible chance in being healthier I believe is the fact that they have no complecations in their life since they dont see much of the world, work, or stress about anything.
Lauren VHS said,
November 27, 2007 at 4:15 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I absolutely love this book. I’m looking forward to reading ‘Pretties’.
I do feel that in our society is way too focused on looks. Also i think that our future generations are headed towards a mindless controlling way of life. Being different gives us the advantage of creativity and viewpoints. Without that we will never get far.
Heather VHS said,
December 4, 2007 at 9:59 am
When reading Uglies I found that the history of the ‘Rusties’, people like us, was just as interesting as the futuristic city. This book showed a very possible fate for our society. We have to ask ourselves is this what we want our world to be like?
With everyone focused on clothes and looks the operation doesn’t seem too far off, especially with modern day celebrities getting plastic surgery so often. In the end we have to realize what Tally realized by the end of the book, there is much more value in just being you.
Brittany VHS said,
December 18, 2007 at 4:13 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
Our society does put a lot of attention on those that are “beautiful”, but those individuals are only admired for their outer beauty, rather than what matters: their inner beauty.
Our society isn’t necissarily headed for the Communistic environment, but we do pay a lot of attention to people who are ugly on the inside and pretty on the outside.
Marlena SBA said,
December 20, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Hi everybody, I just wanted to let you all know that there will be a book club starting at the Satellite Beach Library. In January we will be discussing Uglies. Our meeting will be 1/17/08 @ 6:30 pm if any fans are interested. Contact the library for more info (321) 779-4004.
Elizabeth VHS said,
December 21, 2007 at 4:08 pm
I give this book a 3 out of 10, because it was SOOOOO hard to get through (it is just barely better than ‘Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie’).
Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
Only if us humans get smarter…
Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with computer programming that allows them to see themselves with an endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty in symmetry. Shay disagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned?
It depends really, because if you are forced to think that symmetry is beautiful long enough, it is…on ther other hand, if you’re not forced to think like that you may find yourself seeing that things or people are not symmetrical and it may bug you (like it does me…).
Lori EJSHS said,
January 21, 2008 at 11:38 am
Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
xx
Okay, in response to this question, I agree with points that both Rachel and Ruben made.
I mean, yes, society does set ideals/standards of beauty, even though they are constantly changing, and lots of people (especially younger women) strive to meet these standards.
But, I seriously doubt that the government would ever mandate an operation for everyone on their 16th birthdays to make them ‘Pretty’. Think of how much money it would cost, both for the government and its citizens; I seriously doubt that the ’surge’ would be free like it is in the story.
Personally, I hope that our society doesn’t end up like the one in Uglies. Because 1, it shows how vain and shallow people can be; and 2, I’d rather look a little different than other people than look the same as a million other people. And if you do think you’re truly ugly, you can go out and spend thousands of money on plastic surgery (with the added the risk of ending up like Michael Jackson into the cost..).
Besides, If everyone’s ‘pretty’ is anyone really pretty?
Sissy SHS said,
January 24, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I tend to think that this book starts slower than normal ones; not to mention lower level vocabulary and the same terms used over and over again!
Don’t get me wrong it’s an extremely intriguing story. I simply couldn’t put the book down (I read it in a day! ^-^) And I intend on reading the sequel!!!
But anyhow, this story shows how much vanity could possibly control a society. Becoming “pretty” seems to be more important than almost anything.
I couldn’t ever imagine our society becoming this controled by looks, maybe one day in the future, but the people of this day and age usually have more important things to deal with.
I almost didn’t want Daniel to get with Tally, because I knew it would cause division between Tally and Shay…but that’s the way things go sometimes.
ANYHOW!!!
I can’t wait till I get the next book, the ending had me entirely disapointed
Alysha EJSHS said,
February 6, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Question #2
Beauty is something that is unique in everyone. Some people may think symmetry is pretty, while another thinks that originality is what makes someone pretty. But what really is “pretty?” Personally, I think that beauty is up to an individual’s discretion and is learned due to the society that we live in today.
In Uglies, Shay and Tally spend a lot of time together doing activities that they both enjoy, like hover boarding. The one thing that Tally enjoyed but Shay didn’t was playing on the computer-programming device where they could give each other makeovers. Tally was obsessed with becoming a pretty. She wanted nothing more than to cross the boundary of Uglyville, have a “pretty face” and an infinite amount of fun. Tally had become a pretty already; she was pre-programmed from the start. Her society led her to believe that all kids under the age of 16 were “Ugly.” Her perception on beauty vs. ugly wasn’t her own thought, it was the societies way of making people want to have the surgery that will change their minds forever. The government in this book was trying to create a utopian society by brainwashing the masses.
On the other hand, Shay didn’t want to become a pretty and didn’t want to create that picture in her mind. She wasn’t influenced by the rest of the society into becoming a “bubble-head” (The name that Shay and Tally gave the members of the pretty society). Shay always had her own mind set on what she felt was right and wasn’t planning on altering these views.
I think that beauty in the book’s society is learned due to the way that the society in the book was shaped. In a world like this, the children aren’t given a chance to say what they believe in. I think that in our society today, being pretty is a controversial thing. Beauty lies within the perception of the holder.
AmberEJSHS said,
February 6, 2008 at 9:06 pm
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
Tally lived in a society where people viewed themselves as ugly, and nothing more, because that is all they knew. Their society made them believe that they all were ugly and needed an operation to be beautiful.
Growing up, Tally played with her wallscreen imagining what she would be like as a pretty, and longed for the day she would turn. She focused on all her flaws and never saw the natural beauty that she really possessed.
When she traveled to the Smoke, Tally saw many people just like her, they were all uglies too. But unlike her they were content with the way they looked and knew they did not need an operation to be beautiful. Tally couldn’t help but notice the confidence they all possessed, they were so unlike any other ugly she’d ever met. She wondered how they could be so happy with the way they looked, after all they were still ugly. The only way she thought was possible to be truly content with the way you looked was to become pretty.
When Tally met David he said the first thing that attracted him to her was the scratches on her face. He said it looked like she had been through an adventure, and that impressed him more than anything. Tally, however found this to be a little odd, she thought that she looked like a mess. David also thought Tally was beautiful because of her smile and who she was on the inside. She was strong and always up for an adventure. He loved her serious nature and how she was so real about things. He thought she was beautiful mostly because who she was, but he also loved the way she looked. David loved Tally’s smile and every time she denied that she was beautiful, he tried to convince her otherwise. David saw Tally for who she was and also saw her as one of them (the Smokies). At the end of the story Tally finally realized her natural beauty and finally figured out who she was and how beautiful she really was.
ElleEJSHS said,
February 18, 2008 at 11:30 am
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
In Tally’s society, it is believed that anyone under the age of sixteen is ugly. Once they turn sixteen, they have an operation done on them to turn them into a pretty. They move from Uglyville to New Pretty Town where their only job is to have all the fun they want.
In school, uglies learns what a person should look like based on pretty standards. All her life, Tally had judged people based on their looks, such as being too skinny or having an disproportional face. When Tally meets Shay, she learns how other people view the operation. Shay thinks that it would be boring to have fun all the time. She’d rather sneak into New Pretty Town and cause trouble on her own. Eventually, Shay decides to run away to the Smokes, a place where uglies go when they don’t want to turn pretty.
Tally’s sixteenth birthday comes, but she is denied the operation by the Specials because she had been associated with Shay. They tell her that she can only have the operation if she travels to the Smokes and bring her back. Five days after this, Tally finally arrives to the Smokes. She discovers that the people that live there are uglies just like her, though they don’t obsess over their physical flaws and live their life perfectly content with their looks.
While Tally is in the Smokes, someone named David takes special notice of her. He views her differently than she does herself. He thinks that she’s beautiful, but she tries to convince him otherwise by pointing out everything wrong with herself. He also liked the scratches on her face because it meant she had been on an adventure. In addition, David felt like he could trust Tally more than anyone else, but she felt like she was the last person he could trust since she was there under the Specials’ requests. Towards the end of the book, David’s words finally set in and Tally becomes comfortable with herself.
AveryEJSHS said,
February 18, 2008 at 10:17 pm
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
Tally grew up in a society, where all friendships, relationships, and opinions were heavily based on physical appearance. Her entire childhood, she was told how ugly she was, and how she would be until her 16th birthday. As a result, every thought and action she has revolves around the anticipation of that day, and that surgery. 15 years of imagining how lovely she could be, only after life altering surgery, seriously warped Tally’s mind. Rather than allowing her to focus on or seek out the positive aspects of how she, and her friends, looked, Tally was taught by example how to recognize only the negative. She was given a standard for what was “definition beautiful”, and it was the only idea of beauty she had.
David, on the other hand, although aware of the surgery, was not exposed to the extreme ideal Tally’s mind was warped to accept and uphold. In a simplistic society revolving simply on striving for survival, David easily focused on little beauty, simple beauty. Never once would he wish to have or to see perfect beauty. Within his surroundings, David is able to develop his own opinion of what he finds beautiful.
When David first meets Tally, he is impressed with the scratches on her face. Tally see’s these as flaws, and is ashamed to have them riddle her face. David on the other hand, is excited by a new friend, and intrigued by her visible scars resulting from an adventure. As their relationship grows, David drinks in Tally’s personality, and his attraction to her thoughts and opinions increases the beauty he sees. David, uninfluenced by an idealistic society, can see beauty inside and out of Tally. His view of her is different than her opinion of herself because he takes stride in her flaws and embraces the fact that nobody is without them. He has an open enough mind to realize that flaws are what make you stand out as an individual. Tally on the other hand, sees flaws as only flaws. Things she strives to change, and never embrace for what they make her.
RachelCEJSHS said,
February 19, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Question #1
Who came up with the “ideal” image that makes everyone want to look a certain way? Or the image that is what is considered pretty or ugly? All across the world, not one person looks exactly the same. So who’s to say that having straight blonde hair, a size 2 waist, or a six pack is pretty? In today’s society, people are brought up to believe that your appearance is very important in life, especially to teens. Even voting for Prom Queen or student class president, doesn’t go undone with some bit of a beauty contest. Most ads in TV commercials and magazines contain skinny, almost anorexic, log legged models, who wear a ton of make up. These ads have much affect on young adults and allow them to believe that they should look like this in order to be accepted by their physical appearance. Being anorexic is very dangerous and deadly if gone untreated and young adults shouldn’t have to feel that they need to look this way. The same goes for you male adults. People now are even referring to plastic surgery to try and enhance their physical appearance, which in some cases is extremely dangerous, and not to mention expensive. In Tally’s society, under the age of 16 was considered ugly, but once you turn 16 you become pretty. But the people in Tally’s society were being physically enhanced to give them that “pretty” look; too give them that size 2 waist, new skin, and perfect symmetrical faces. But the people in Tally’s society are not being shown as who they truly are. If we don’t stop to accept that everyone’s appearance is different and that we shouldn’t have to rely on a certain physical look in order to be accepted in our society, we will end up in a society like Tally’s. We will end up being forced to look a certain way and possibly have our minds altered to think a certain way.
SarahSHSDoerr1 said,
February 20, 2008 at 9:03 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
We already have plastic surgery isn’t that the first step?! I think are society is definitely heading in that direction with everyone being brainwashed by the media about what is beautiful! This book really almost scares me to think that the world could come to that. Maybe it already has. Maybe I am brain washed! But this book was a real thriller. I have also read the Pretties and Specials and am waiting to get Extras so far the books just keep getting better and better. This book series is on my list!
staceyshsdoerr6 said,
February 22, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Our society today does place a lot of importance on appearence. But I don’t think we place so much where we have to seperate the “ugly” and the “pretty” people from one another. Who would decide which of us were pretty, and which of us were ugly? One person could be the prettiest at school, but when you compare that person at home, they could be the ugliest, so which would they be? It all depends on who we compare them to.
Girls in our generation are affected the most i think. They see models all over the place, in magazines, and moveis. After seeing them, they think why they can’t be like that. So they will go to the extreme, and starve themselves because they think they are too fat. But is being sickly skinny really beauty? Or is beauty the type of person, no matter what they look like, that they hold their head up high, with confidence, and are happy with themselves?
In the book, Tally can’t bare to be ugly, for any longer. She was actually thinking about betraying her friend, so she could be pretty. But Shay would always tell her that she thinks Tally is pretty the way she is. Shay is the type of person where she doesn’t care what people think about her. Being happy with themselves though, is somehting their society wants. They think that beauty is when everyone looks and thinks the same. But isn’t beauty supposed to be unique? isn’t that what makes them beautiful? To me beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
Kaitlinshsdoerr4 said,
February 23, 2008 at 2:44 pm
1.Yes, because we believe if your pretty you get money, dates, go to parties, and be cool.
2.You get to constantly have fun and go to parties, and drink champagne; you get to do basically what ever you want.
3.I think it is natural because everyone does it from time to time.
4.David looks at the inside of people not their appearance, while Tally only looks at the appearance of people not their inside.
MaryBethSHSDoerr1 said,
February 25, 2008 at 9:42 pm
3. Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with computer programming that allows them to see themselves with an endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty in symmetry. Shay disagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned?
I think that it’s mostly natural to see beauty in symmetry because if you observe nature, you see alot of the time that animals search for perfect or close to perfect symmetry in their mates. It’s a favorable trait to have in your genes. When seeing such behaviors I start to think that since humans are like animals too, that it’s just “animal instinct”. On the other hand, it is very likely to be learned a little bit also. Society has taught us what’s “pretty” and what’s not, especially the society that Tally lives in. Like Tally, alot of us wish we had only the better side of our face on both sides so we could be symmetrical, and so that we can be “pretty”. Shay probably thinks that symmetry isn’t attractive because it means being pretty and that is something that she doesn’t want to do in the least bit.
I agree with what Kaitlin said (above) that people seem to look at symmetry from time to time to look for attractiveness. We may not even know that we are even doing it, and that may be a natural reaction that we were all born with. And what exactly does she mean by the phrase “from time to time”? Does she mean once a week, once a month, or even once a year? Did we inherit how much we think about symmetry down to the time? It could very possibly be.
katieshsdoerr1 said,
February 26, 2008 at 9:58 am
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
David saw Tally different than she saw herself because they had been raised in completely different environments. Tally was brought up being taught that she was ugly and awkward, and could never be capable of ceauty until the operation. David, however, was raised in the smoke where all of the uglies went, so he never saw any pretties. He was used to normal people.
When David and Tally start becoming closer, David begins to see Tally’s true inner beauty. Inner beauty was something Tally had never even thought about before David and the Smoke.
I think David could really see what an good person Tally really was and how brave she was too. He really made Tally realize that she was beautiful without the operation.
ZachSHSDoerr1 said,
February 26, 2008 at 10:06 am
In response to question one, I believe that our society is heading toward a less extreme variation of the one in “Uglies”. I mean, we already have plastic surgery which changes how people look the way they want to. More and more treatments become available to change every little detail on a person, from the shape of their nose all the way down to where they have hair or what their skin looks like. As humans become more advanced and technology developes more, we will always have more treatments and ways to change ourselves. In a decade or two we probably will have “full body makeovers” like the ones in the book.
However I don’t think there would be as much descrimination as Tally’s world between the uglies an pretties. I think the worst we’d have would just be name calling and bullying. If people become that brainwashed though, to think that even a little flaw makes you ugly, we may see a lot of quarreling.
In my life I always see people saying their nose is too big or they have wrinkles; little imperfections they find in front of the mirror that usually only they notice. The problem is that they see someone who appears to be flawless, and they set a goal of who to look like. I think they should just be themselves. The irony is that in “Uglies” when Tally sees magazines from our time with models in them, she considers them ugly. It’s like the people our society considers good looking are hideous in the future.
Hopeshsdoerr1 said,
February 26, 2008 at 10:08 am
1)Consider how much importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I believe that our society’s future is going to get to the point where people are going to do anything for surgery. Every day more people are getting plastic surgey to make themselves just how perfect they want to be. People are paying more attention to everyone elses appearances and their own. People shouldn’t be focusing on appearance. A lot of people don’t really care how dangerous it can be. Although I believe that our society is getting worse each day, I don’t think it will ever be as extreme as it is in Tally’s society. Sure, surgery is great, but they’re using it for the wrong reasons. If people would spend more time paying attention to disease or people in pain that really need sugery, then I strongly believe the world would be a better place. If the future holds surgery for appearance our society, then no one in it will be pure or natural.
MirandaSHSdoerr4 said,
February 26, 2008 at 12:44 pm
1. In ways our society is and isn’t becomming like the one in the book. Yes, we are starting to judge more and more people by the way they look, and there is also plastic surgery these days. But those things are optional, unlike in the book. I don’t think that our political world revolves around looks and beauty.
2. I don’t think there is anything healthy about the pretty world other than its a little more positive than the ugly world. But it seems impossible for any place to be healthy if all the people revolve around is being pretty.
3. I think symmetry is natural because thats just the way nature and our brains work. Even butterflies are symmetrical, so i think we just grow up having that image in our heads.
4. David saw Tally’s inner beauty, and he didn’t care what she looked like on the outside. Tally only grew up to see what she was taught to, so she only saw what she looked like on the outside.
justinshsdoerr4 said,
February 26, 2008 at 12:50 pm
1.NO!!! because, most poeple would like to be pretty but it is not a must if you are “pretty” in your eyes that would probaly be all you need.
2. You can basically do whatever you would like to do, go to parties, stay up late, anything.
3. I think it’s natural because at one point everyone does it.
4. David sees whats under the skin like the peoples good qualities, he doesn’t look at flaws like Tally.
TaylorSHSdoerr4 said,
February 26, 2008 at 12:55 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
*I think our society is slowly becoming like the book. We already have the standards where to be accepted in like Hollywood for example, you have to be pretty, have great hair, great skin, etc. More and more people are getting plastic surgury each day. I think we are definatley heading in that direction.
2. Other than the pretty operation what are the main differences between the pretty society and our own? ( Are there any ways in which the pretty society is healthier than ours?)
*They are always having parties, and doing whatever they want and we have limits on what we can and can’t do.
3. Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with the computer programming that allows them to see themselves with and endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people jsut naturally see beauty in symmetry. Shay dissagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned.
*I think that every body does it every once in a while. It’s jsut something people do, imagining themselves looking better.
4.How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
*Well David saw all the good characteristics in Tally. And Tally looked specifically at all of the flaws.
Carsonshsdoerr4 said,
February 26, 2008 at 1:06 pm
2. Other than the pretty operation, what are the main differences between the pretty society and our own? (Are there any ways in which the pretty society is healthier than ours?)
There are many differneces between our two societies. The fact that there are two seperate towns across on single small river doesn’t make sense either. The river is wide enough for Tally to climb from a rope on the tree across the river.
The social aspects of New Pretty Town and Uglyville are almost in a sense, segregational. Our society supported the same attitude torwards blacks as a skin color telling whether they are pretty or not. The pretties
use their “perfect” form as a base to associate someone from “ugly”. and “pretty”. Our society would segregate based on facial appearance or any other kind of appearance, but we do still pass judgement upon other harshly when we do not understand.
Most of us, unless on the weekends can’t even handle partying every single night of every week. The physical and emotional stress would cause us to have a literal “shutdown” or hangover from partying. Also, for the uglies, having too little activity, either emotional or physical would cause our bodies to become very lathargic and lazy. This would be VERY, VERY unhealthy for all of us, no matter how hard you party, or how lazy you are.
If our society ever came to that, most of us would either be very happy or very sad, depending upon your physical situation. ☺
YES! ¥¿¥
sarahshsdoerr6 said,
February 26, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I believe our socoety cares a lot about apperance, but will never become a society like Tally’s. In Tally’s society everyone who is normal is considered ugly, and without the operation you can never be pretty. In our society though people are also judged by the way they look. In a lot of cases girls take hours to look a certain way or to look prettier. Even though this is true I still don’t believe we will end up like Tally. Her society makes everyone look the same with only little things that at all resemble the person who they were before the operation. For that reason I don’t think we will ever end up like Tally because I think our society cares more about personal difference than apperance or beauty.
kaitlynshsdoerr6 said,
February 26, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Guestion: Tally and shay use the computer programming that allows them to see themselves witha n endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty, shay disagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned?
My reponse: I believe it is amixture of both. Everyone has their own opinion on what beauty is. Though at the same time what everyone around you looks like or what they think is pretty and what you see in magizines does have an effect on what you consider pretty. But the majority is our opinion. Seeing beauty is more natural then learned.
AMYsaysRAWR EJSH said,
February 27, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Tally always saw herself as ugly, because she had always over examined her ow flaws. David, however, loved Tally for her personality and therefore didn’t see any flaws in her, he loved her flaws.
Well, of course then there’s the fact that Tally had been comparing herself to Prettys all of her life, and David had never even seen one. However, I find that Davids love for Tally was much more relevant.
I really liked this book. I’ve actually already read Prettys and Specials, both of which I highly recommend. I do love Sci-Fi stories, but this one went so above and beyond. It makes you think and its just one of those books that’s impossible to put down.
jillianshsdoerr5 said,
February 27, 2008 at 8:03 pm
3. Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with computer programming that allows them to see themselves with an endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty in symmetry. Shay disagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned?
I think that the whole thing about being “Uglies” is learned. David thought Tally was pretty even though she was considered to be ugly. Obviously David did not see beauty in symmetry or in being turned pretty and looking like everyone else. Shay knew that once she was turned pretty, that life would be boring and she’d walk around not thinking on her own. Plus she liked the way she looked and didn’t want to be changed. Tally on the other hand, is brainwashed into thinking that getting the operation is the only way to be pretty. It’s all a matter of you’re talking to. Tally would say it’s natural and Shay would say it’s learned. I agree with Shay.
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
David kept telling Tally how beautiful she was. She couldn’t believe it when he first said it. She thought it was crazy how an “Ugly” could possibly be called a “Pretty”. David saw her inner-beauty though. Her personality was what made her pretty in his eyes, which is just like the saying “Beauty lies in the eyes the beholder.”
KoreyEJSHS said,
February 27, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with computer programming that allows them to see an endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty in symmetry, Shay disagrees. Do I think it is natural or learned? I think that seeing beauty in symmetry is definitely something that is learned. So I would agree with Shay because it is not natural to see beauty as being perfectly symmetrical. What makes people stand out and be pretty are their unusual features. Some are more drastic than others, but maybe not symmetrical. They are the ones who might be the gorgeous ones. Even though you may think you are not pretty, because something on your face is crooked or too big, someone out there thinks you are beautiful. Like Tally, she does not think of herself as being pretty. Later her mind is changed by this so called David who really does think she is pretty no matter what is wrong. Being perfectly, symmetrically beautiful is only what you see in magazines. Which those people normally do not look like their picture. They are all wearing a good amount of make-up and there is a good possibility their picture has been touched up. There are still those people out in the world who have good symmetry that are pretty. But if you are all perfectly pretty, like in pretty town, there is no being different or unusual. In the end though it all comes down to each individual. Since every person has there own view of what they think being beautiful is, whether it be crooked or symmetric.
Megan EJSHS said,
February 29, 2008 at 8:48 pm
3. Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with computer programming that allows them to see themselves with an endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty in symmetry. Shay disagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned?
When new, young minds are still developing, they see the world in an innocent way and can’t help but find beauty in almost everything around them. However, when they are educated, their minds are molded by those around them and they look at everything like they are looking through someone else’s glasses; they see differently now and soon accustom to someone else’s way of looking at the world.
In Uglies, children are raised and taught that they are different than others and that they lack a certain thing that is the key into fitting into their society: beauty. They are taught to look at the world in a way that makes them feel ‘below the standard.’ Also, they adapt to envy those who have already been accepted into their society. This makes them realize that being a Pretty is the only way to live and the only way out.
Two people can look at the same thing and see totally different things. In Uglies, they prevent this from happening. They want the citizens to see a Pretty and know it is a Pretty. They are a Pretty or an Ugly, nothing in between.
In this case, people learn to see the beauty in the flawless face of a Pretty. They do not go beyond what their eyes see. Throughout their entire life and education as an Ugly, they are shown what is and what is not beauty (which is basically a Pretty or not). Deviated from what they used to think of as beautiful, brainwashed teenagers have learned to have their mind set on one thing: being a Pretty. Tally looks at the symmetrical faces and sees what the society wants her see as beautiful. Shay, on the other hand, has not been convinced one bit. Her initial instincts from the very beginning still remain in her mind and she knows what is really exquisite.
So, in Tally’s world, beauty is taught and they learn. They learn that being a Pretty is the only thing considered to be beautiful. She learns that the perfect, unnatural features of the Pretties is the luxury of life. It is as real to her as 2+2=4 is to us.
Zan SHSDoerr6 said,
March 3, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I agree with Sissy SHS. Vanity does seem to control the world at this point in time. Everyone’s always obsessing over the way they look.
Take my sister for example. When she was in seventh grade, she thought she was fat and she wasn’t, but she became anorexic and it was really sad, but she’s fine now. That incident made me realize how much the physical looks of things controls people.
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I believe that it is. Soon, the definition of “Beautiful” will be taken a little too far. I think that this book is kind of a prophecy in that fact.
2. Other than the pretty operation, what are the main differences between the pretty society and our own? (Are there any ways in which the pretty society is healthier than ours?)
The main differences are the fact that everyone’s so happy, and the Pretties are constantly partying. No one goes to school there, and Pretties can do anything they want. I think that the healthy part of Pretty Society is the fact that pretties don’t get into fights, and they have tons of experiences. There’s always something to do, and no one gets bored.
3. Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with computer programming that allows them to see themselves with an endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty in symmetry. Shay disagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned?
I think that it’s learned. Like, when I see a painting, I don’t pay attention to symmetry. I think it’s the imperfection in a piece art that’s beautiful.
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
Tally saw herself as someone increasingly ugly. David sees her as someone beautiful. He sees her as one of the most beautiful people around.
I really enjoyed this book! :DDDDD It’s one of my favorites!! ^__^
Bridgett VHS said,
March 13, 2008 at 12:53 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
Yes, I do believe that our society will eventually become like Pretty Town. The society that we live in is becoming obese but all of the super models and actors that you see are thin and have abs. It gives the impression that if you don’t look like that then you aren’t beautiful.
Tori EJSHS said,
March 19, 2008 at 7:14 pm
3. Symmetry. Tally and Shay play with computer programming that allows them to see themselves with an endless array of makeovers. Tally believes people just naturally see beauty in symmetry. Shay disagrees. Do you think it is natural or learned?
I think it is learned. I grew up without the influence of being pretty on my shoulders and I see beauty in a person’s personality instead of how they look, just like Shay. Where as Tally grew up wanting to please others and the only way she knew how was following others and others are pretty so she saw the only way she and others can be happy is to be pretty. What was pretty to her is what she grew up around and was taught which was the symmetry. Shay was also a rebel so anything they tried to teach her she just did the opposite so symmetry was not appealing to her because she did not want to be what everyone else wanted her to be or think what everyone else wanted her to think. In our society propaganda is how we learn what is pretty. In hers it is learned in school and they do not know that it is not natural because they learn at such a young age what pretty is even though it is subconsciously. It is still learned none the less, not natural. Otherwise they would not have to teach them it, it would just come naturally and even Shay would agree.
Samantha EJSHS said,
March 19, 2008 at 8:18 pm
1. Consider how much importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I think our society is heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in. With the emphasis on beauty and looks it is very possible. While growing up we are bombarded with beauty all around us and we start to believe that beauty is everything. In the book, if you are fat, ugly and disproportional, yes you look like everyone else, but you aren’t the definition of “pretty.” Even in our society a lot of people aren’t accepted the way “pretty” people are. If you aren’t the definition of pretty you aren’t separated from everybody literally, but you do not fit in as well as everyone else does.
The way people write about celebrities and how pretty they are in magazines is leading us even closer to a society like Tally’s. The magazines, and even TV, focuses on how pretty and handsome everyone is, how fit and skinny everyone is. When you see someone pretty you want to be that way, everyone wants to be pretty and look like that pretty person. All this affects what our society relies on. Our society cares a lot about what other people think. With this a lot of people are getting surgeries and what not to better their appearance. If people are already doing this to improve their looks, what could happen when it becomes even more important to look beautiful.
Soon our whole society could rely on how people look. In the book the way they are separated from everyone else is very extreme and I would hope that our society doesn’t change to that, but I think it could.
Colleen EJSHS said,
March 19, 2008 at 9:03 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
Yes, I believe our society is headed into a society like Tally’s. Whether you flip through the pages in a magazine, turn on the television, or look at a billboard driving down the street, there is a constant “perfect image” being displayed. In Tally’s society they have an operation at age 16 to become a pretty, which they become “perfect”. This relates into our society because celebrities are constantly getting plastic surgery for the “perfect body image”. Many young girls look up to these celebrities as role models and want to be just like them. As they see them transform their body from plastic surgery, it can deeply affect how they look at themselves and others’ body image.
In HeatherVHS’ response she says, “When reading Uglies I found that the history of the ‘Rusties’, people like us…” The Rusties were represented through our time now and showed what happened to them and how much society changed. This can be a big wake up call when people read this. Having the need to be “perfect” can change so much about someone, or even a society in this case. This novel has demonstrated that trying to be perfect can drastically change someone or something and it may not be all that great. If everyone is perfect, then everyone is the same; and that may not be what everyone wants.
kayleighEJSHS said,
March 23, 2008 at 10:24 am
1. Consider how much importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
The society today is heading towards a community like the one Tally lives in. In Tally’s society the “right” or “pretty” appearance of someone is drilled into the littlies heads. The littlies and uglys are always wanted to be one of the pretties and have fun. In our society we are really concerned with our appearance and style. Most people today look in magazines and wish they looked like that or had the clothing that the model is wearing. Our society is almost like Tally’s because many people have cosmetic surgery to become “pretty”. Even at school people are constantly talking about how someone dresses or if they have little imperfections.
KoreyEJSHS said “I think that seeing beauty in symmetry is definitely something that is learned.” Beauty is something that is learned and something that comes naturally. Someones pretty can be someone elses ugly. Most people see models as pretty, but others might see them as way too skinny and tall. I think some people are taught what is pretty and others know what pretty is in their own minds.
Jamilah said,
March 23, 2008 at 2:39 pm
when i first read the begining of the book i put it right back on the bookshelf because it was SO boring and i skipped to pretties but while i was reading i was so lost so i went back and it became gradually more interesting. so far im on page 202 and i only been reading 4 5 days 1hr per day
ChrisW EJSHS said,
March 23, 2008 at 4:40 pm
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
From birth, Tally has thought herself, along with everybody else who’s younger then 16 years of age, is ugly. Every adult figure, her teachers, parents, friends, have all said that without the operation she was just an ugly and would get no where. Since it was said at every turn, she believed it and instead of pointing out and seeing the positive features of a person’s being, she, along with everyone else in her society, sees all of the negatives of a person’s look. When Tally meets a person she sees their big nose or off set smile, and not the persons good features such as their full lips or beautiful eyes.
However, in the smoke, things are different. David, being born in the Smoke, was never exposed to the born ugly mentality of Tally’s civilization. He was born in the Smoke, where everyone is ugly (no one has the operation) and people have no reference point for beauty. They believe in natural beauty. the Smokies like every persons imperfections and believe it makes the person beautiful in their own right. That’s why David thinks Tally is beautiful, because she has a natural beauty; she is not perfect. What Tally thinks are horrid scars, David thinks are signs of strength, survivalism, and adventure. That is where David’s and Tally’s, and their respective cities of origin, picture beauty differently.
Quoting AMYsaysRAWR EJSH: “There’s the fact that Tally had been comparing herself to prettys all of her life, and David had never even seen one.”
This one of the major reasons David sees Tally differently then she sees herself. Born and raised in a place of extreme, even unnatural, beauty, Tally, compared to other prettys of her society, is ugly. However, with David’s case, he has never seen or been exposed to prettys and has no idea how they look compared to other people of the Smoke. David can only compare Tally to other Smokies, whom are ugly. So comparatively, to David, Tally is beautiful.
Wyatt EJSHS said,
March 23, 2008 at 9:55 pm
1. Consider how much importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
Society today places vast amounts of importance in appearance. I would argue the only thing that separates us from the future Tally lives in is the super surgery that turns one “pretty”. Teenagers already think about nothing else but their looks, and our society already approves the idea of attractiveness equaling happiness. In the book Uglies the “Pretties” were happy and the “Uglies” were miserable. The idea of not being happy because one is not perfect is already used effectively in marketing. Young Teens are already stressing over their looks, and believe that they will not be successful or happy unless they are “pretty”. Our society has consistently become more and more image conscious, and I believe that in the next 50-80 years a surgery resembling the one used in Uglies will exist, hopefully our society won’t go to the extreme that the one in the book did.
In Colleen EJSHS response, he claims “Many young girls look up to these celebrities as role models and want to be just like them”. I agree with his claim. Unfortunately, this horrid truth is a reality. These celebrities only redeeming qualities are their botox bloated faces and their bleached blonde hair. With all these celebrities conforming to the same generic idea of beauty, they really do resemble the “Pretties”. With the idea of being pretty the only think that matters, the importance of ones self and intelligence are quickly diminished and thrown away. Then society is slowly filled will blissful ignorant people who do nothing with their lives, and are emotional unhealthy. I hope that the importance of character and intelligence soon overrides the importance of the “perfect image”.
Colton EJSHS said,
March 24, 2008 at 5:21 pm
4.How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
Tally saw herself as disloyal, deceitful, and ugly because she was the cause of the Smoke’s decimation and because she had not undergone the “pretty” transformation. David saw her as serious and felt attraction to her, as well as seeing her as beautiful.
I disagree with AmysaysRAWR about this book going above and beyond as a science fiction story. He put to much emphasis on the “everyone is their own kind of pretty” idea to make this a simple science fiction novel. I think he should have stuck to this idea instead of explaining the technology in the book so that the book wasn’t torn between two themes.
Angelina, SHS said,
March 26, 2008 at 12:11 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
In a way if we think about it logically we could be. People put alot of emphasis on physical apperance, which was one of the basis of this book. However, I do not think It will ever go to that extreme, I am just saying that it is possible we will be seeing a lot more plastic than skin in our immediate future.
On an added note, for those of us who watch older TV shows I am wondering if anyone made the connection between this and the Twilight Zone Episode that had alot to do with this. The Episode entailed everyone thinking this woman was so ugly and you do not see her face till the very end of the Episode and when you see her they Scream “OH SHE”S HIDEOUS THE OPERATION WAS A FAILURE!”
When we see her she is a beautful woman, though not perfect she is still very pretty and when we see everyone around her they are all hideous Pig things. So the narrator fades out with something along the lines of ‘maybe it isn’t so good to be like everyone else.’
See the connection? If you don’t I will explain on request but this book was obviously inspired by this chilling episode of the Twilight Zone.
Tiffany said,
March 28, 2008 at 10:54 am
This book is one of my favorites. It was grabbed my attention the minute I opened it. Its not like other books.I really enjoyed it.
SECRET@#$* said,
March 30, 2008 at 7:10 pm
were REDING THS BOOK IN CLASS ITGOOD BUT STARTED BORING IT GOT INTERESTING WHEN DAVID AND TALLEY KISSED
rachelshsdoerr5 said,
March 31, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I believe the idea of uglies and pretties is learned becuase of the environment Tally has grown in. Shay disagrees because she can see beyond it all, but even she( against her will) starts to believe in the ways of this evil society. Although some people do think this way, we can see that Tally isn’t that shallow. She’s shows a transformation throughout the book and sees the beauty inside. They learn to live this way; everyone has been brainwashed.
Armando EJSHS said,
April 1, 2008 at 10:38 pm
1. Consider how much importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
In today’s society, with the rich culture of beauty, people are perceived by their looks rather than their personalities. All around, images of models are used for advertisement for cosmetics and etc, promoting teenagers and young adults to want to look just as good as the models. In the book, the people who are considered ugly are looked down upon as immature and childish, as for the “pretties” are looked as a stage of adulthood. This is similar in the real world, where teenagers who are seen as beautiful are the center of attention and thought of as the higher class while those who are considered unattractive are teased and put down to the point where all they care is how they look and how to impress the “pretties”.
With all this adding up, I see that there is a possibility that our society might wind up like the world Tally lives in. All the advertisement in this world is like the cosmetic surgery in the book, it brain washes people, bringing only jealousy and envy among the people who only wish they can look good. And the teenagers of today are like the form of government explained in the book, the “pretties” in the real world control and rule those who are thought of less value. Our society is just in the beginning and early stage of what seems to be similar to the book. Yes, I see our society heading in the same direction as Tally’s world.
A Koenig Ehs said,
April 2, 2008 at 9:10 am
Uglies was a great beginning to a very good story. I loved the futuristic setting and the characters were so fitting. Tally was created so perfectly. I really enjoyed reading about hover boards and interface rings. I really was intrigued by those rings. It’s amazing how Scott Westerfield put everything together. It must have taken a lot of thought. He wrote the series-starter so well.
Besides all that, this story also made me think of how I wouldn’t want our community to turn out like this book. In the story, when children are young, they are considered ugly. I really don’t like how they look so forward to being a “pretty.” They look forward to getting a more advanced version of plastic surgery plus brainwash. When they turn pretty, they turn stupid. Even though most don’t realize this, Tally does. They are brainwashed to not realize this and to never find out. Tally escapes to the Smoke, a place to avoid the surgery where normal “ugly” people live. David, the leader of the Smoke, his parents are working on a cure and are on the verge of a breakthrough. Tally looks forward to helping test the drug…until Special Circumstances arrive to take Tally away!
imer chs said,
April 4, 2008 at 2:06 pm
This book is interesting, because it talks about people that lives in different communities, uglies lives in one cummunity and pretties lives in other, this books tells the reader how the life of all this people is and how changes when somebody turn 16, in this book appearence is a big thing, but, in real life sometimes we dont care about how people look and how they are.
Jessica VHS said,
April 22, 2008 at 3:43 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
In out society we place so much importance on looks and beauty and how we look we have lost focus on what really matters. We have forgotten the things in life that dont have to do with looks, so to answer the question yes i do think that out society is headed in a direction like theirs.
And just for a comment on the book, i first picked up the book and read the first chapter and it did not grab my attention. So i put it down, then a week later i picked up the book again and decided to read the whole thing cover to cover no matter what. So i did and i was pleasantly suprised after the first chapter or so the story line picked up and, got more and more intresting. It ended up to be a great book, i guess i just forgot that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Sora VHS said,
April 23, 2008 at 1:46 am
Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I would have to say no, I mean, sure we all love to make our appearance more presentable and everything, with makeup and those who go to the extremes of plastic surgery. But we choose for ourselves and try not to define ourselves as a ‘pretty’ or an ‘ugly’. We have the choice to accept or keep putting on materials that mask who we truly are. Our society isn’t that, I guess drastic or dramatic as the book.
brittshsdoerr6 said,
April 29, 2008 at 8:04 am
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
David saw Tally as herself he didnt compare her to any pretties he just liked her for her and nothing else. He didnt even dare what she looked like what he realy liked about her was her personality and adventurous soul about her in his oppinion that is what makes her beautiful.
Makenna EJSHS said,
April 29, 2008 at 7:39 pm
1. Consider how much we importance we place upon appearance. Is our society heading toward a future like the one Tally lives in?
I believe our society could eventually end up like the one Tally lived in. Our society has slowly morphed into one where appearance is the most important quality to a person. Society pressures all people to fit the stereotype of beauty, tall, thin and tan. In Tally’s society everyone wanted to become a pretty. In our society, while we arent quite as bad as Tally’s society, present day society is headed down a path where surgery to become beautiful could be the norm.
Appearance is becoming more of a priority in our society. People are judging people more and more based on their looks, than their personality. Also more people worry over how they look than how they treat others. It is a horrible curse for our society to fall under. Hopefully it can be cured before appearance becomes everything.
AshleighEJHS said,
May 13, 2008 at 4:00 pm
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
In Uglyville, everyone is considered ‘ugly’ until they turn sixteen and undergo a reconstruction surgery. Their scars are removed, new skin is grown, and new features are instilled. Tally only has two months and sixteen days until she is to undergo the ‘life-changing’ surgery. She spends her time daydreaming about how the new her will look. She dreams of reuniting with her best friend, Peris, and wanting to be pretty, like him. Because Tally is so caught up in the pretties, she focuses all of her attention on each and every one of her tiny flaws. David, however, believes she’s gorgeous, despite her views. Tally grew up with the idea that everyone is ugly, which isn’t entirely true, before the operation. David also thinks that the ‘ugly’ cuts on her face give her character. They distinguish her from the rest of the uglies. They show that’s she’s had more than one adventure in her life. Tally will refuse to believe him because all she wants is to fit in at New Pretty Town. All she can remember is sneaking in wearing a pig mask and all of the pretties making fun of her. Before Tally met Shay, she truly believed that every ugly had the same views as her. Her eyes are opened when she discovers that Shay is perfectly happy being ‘ugly.’ She didn’t understand why Shay was so offended when Tally began to point out each of their flaws. Towards the end of the book, Tally learns that being truly pretty does not mean undergoing an operation. It is what is inside that counts.
RebeccaEJSHS said,
May 19, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I agree with AveryEJSHS. Tally Youngblood lives in a place called Uglyville, where you are considered “ugly” until you turn sixteen. After an “ugly” turns sixteen, they go through an operation that makes them into a “pretty”. After the ugly is a pretty, they move to New Pretty Town where there is nothing but parties, and the only job they have is to do nothing but have fun. Through Tally’s eyes, she considers herself ugly and can’t wait for her sixteenth birthday which is just a few days away. Soon, Tally meets Shay, a defiant ugly who likes the way she is. She doesn’t want to turn pretty and grow up. She wants to stay ugly, have fun, and play tricks on the pretties. When Tally tries to convince Shay of the positives of becoming pretty, Shay decides to run away and escape her operation and escapes to a place called the Smoke. Tally soon goes to her operation but is stopped by Special Circumstances. They tell her to go to the Smoke then signal them so they could capture the other uglies who ran away. If Tally should refuse, she would stay ugly forever. Therefore, Tally goes to the Smoke and reunites with Shay who then introduces Tally to a boy named David. The first thing that David liked about Tally was her scratches. They made it look like Tally went on an adventure to get to the Smoke. Although David sees her as beautiful, Tally still believes herself to be ugly, because that is what she was taught. In the end, Tally discovers her true beauty deep within herself and that it is what’s inside that really counts.
Chrissy said,
May 20, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Some people think that our sociaty could not come to that, how every i belive that our society is heading to the point of how tally’s was. think about it, the only people who make it big in the world are the super perfect, super beautiful people(unless of course you are in politicts). You have to be super talinted and beautiful. At a young age we are inforcing that upon the young people. What are you telling your child when you cannot go outside becouse you haven’t put yuor make-up on? When the life that we know it fails, people that are left are going to want to make a difference in it. i see it happing to us, the same thing that happend to tally.
Jacki EJSHS said,
May 21, 2008 at 4:42 pm
4. How did David see Tally differently than she saw herself?
Through out the whole book tally always found ways to bring attention to how “ugly” she was. David was raised in a society where there were no uglies or Pretties, just people. The way David was raised is how we, in our time period, live today. Tally was raised believing automatically that she was ugly, nothing more, nothing less.
In our society and David’s society, Tally would have probably been an average looking girl or better. But we would never know by the way that Tally kept degrating herself.
I believe that David saw Tally differently because he looked at who she was and not what she looked like. And it’s that type of true affection that females want. For them to be told not just how great they look physically (not that that’s bad at all), but how great they, as a person, are.
David didn’t see how one side of her face was off a bit, or how her nose was ugly. He saw Tally. The Tally that had fun playing games! Who was risk taking, intelligent in her own way. I have read the Uglies, Pretties, and the Specials. But the Uglies is the one that sticks out. It shows true affection towards another person. Some thing we are all looking for, even me.