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"I mean, were Mexican Americans in Texas. We're the stereotype of illegals."

"Stereotypes stink. They give people an excuse to hate people who are different instead of taking the time to get to know them." (Flipps, 2021, p.71)

Explanation

This quote embodies ideas of critical race theory because it addresses a harmful racial stereotype and how what is the implication of it.

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“Mom says I’m too fat
and I need to stop eating so much.
Her words sink in,
swirling around in my head.
I start to believe them.
Maybe she’s right.
Maybe I don’t deserve to take up space.” (Flipps, 2021)

This verse illustrates how Ellie's sense of self is constructed through her interactions with her mother, reinforcing negative beliefs about her body. It aligns with social constructivism by showing how identity and knowledge are shaped by social influences.

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“Mom says things.
And then Lizzie copies her.
Like they’re playing some game
where I’m the loser
every time.”

(Flipps, 2021)

This verse illustrates how Ellie’s sister learns to bully her by observing and imitating their mother’s behavior. Social learning theory suggests that behaviors are acquired by watching others, and this goes to show how Lizzie models her behavior after their mother, perpetuating the cycle of shaming Ellie.

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Today, I already had to curse a guy out For pulling on my bra strap, Then shoved a senior into a locker For trying to whisper into my ear. “Big body joint,” they say, “we know what girls like you want.

Xiomara was constantly objectified because of her body. Boys verbally assaluated her and girls said she was trying to show off, these shaped Xiomara's feelings and identity.

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God made the Earth in seven days? Including humans, right. But in Biology we learned dinosaurs existed on Earth for  millions of years before other species…unless the seven days is a metaphor?…And about this apple, how come God didn’t explain why they couldn’t eat it? He gave Eve curiosity but didn’t expect her to use it? Unless the apple is a metaphor? Is the whole Bible a poem?

This verse illustrates Xiomara's relationship with her catholic religion. Her mother grew up with strong catholic faith and forces these beliefs on Xiomara.

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"5:28: a cop pulls Dad over for a broken taillight.

5:30: officer walks up and asks Dad for his license and registration.

5:32: team begins pregame warm-ups without Josh.

5:34: Dad tells the officer his wallet with his license is at home.

5:37: Dad says his name is Chuck Bell and he’s just trying to get his son to the basketball game.

5:47: Coach leads the Wildcats in prayer and Josh is praying Dad won’t get arrested.

5:48: Officer Googles Dad’s identity and smiles, saying that he’s “Da Man!”

5:50: Dad autographs a napkin for the officer and gets a warning.

6:01: They arrive at the game, and Josh slips into the mud as he runs in."

This is Socio-Cultural Theory because it shows the nervousness Jordan is about the police pulling him and his dad over but it also shows the power of being a professional athlete and the pull that can give you in society.

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"A simple basketball move

in which a player dribbles

the ball quickly

from one hand

to the other

As in: When done right,

a crossover can break

an opponent's ankles.

As in: Deron Williams's crossover

is nice, but Allen Iverson's crossover

was so deadly, he could've set up

his own podiatry practice.

As in: Dad taught me

how to give a soft cross first

to see if your opponent falls

for it,

then hit 'em

with the hard crossover"

This shows how the boys grew up watching their father and learning to play basketball through him. They picked up on basketball more than others because they were surrounded by professionals their whole life.

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"Random Thought No. 2

Always

always

always

be skeptical of a person

who answers a question

by asking a question.

Usually

usually

usually

it's a set up."

(Reynolds, 2011, p. 168).

This quote is able to represent socio-cultural theory since it shows the relationship that Will has to strangers that'll potentially snitch on him to the police , even if they're ghosts or family. It also represents the generational fear of the police that Will's brother and mother instilled in him and how much it actively affects him.

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"And I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them." (Elizabeth, 2018)

This is sociocultural theory because it talks about how social experience shapes a person's identity. It is more limited to women because women are always seen as incomparable to men.

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"It's just that my body takes up more room than my voice" (Elizabeth, 2018)

This is connected to social constructivism because she is struggling to find her voice because of her body and limiting her being heard and understood.

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"Dani was killed

before she ever learned

The Rules.

So I explained them to

her so she wouldn't think

less of me for following them

like I was another

block boy on one

looking to off one.

So that she knew I had a purpose

and that this was about

family"

(Reynolds, 2017, p. 141).

Since social learning theory is essentially expressing modeling behavior of others, this verse shows just that, it shows Will attempting to prove himself by following these rules that his brother was able to put into place for him.

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“This book is a fairy tale  in which I am the prince  and the princess. I am  the king and the queen.  I am my own wicked  witch and fairy godmother.  This book is a fairy tale  in which I’m cursed  and blessed by others.  But, finally, I am the fair y  finding my own magic.”

I think what makes this quote work more in tandem with the message of this book, the ability and the right to be what you need to be, the magic you want to believe in and the strength you have doing it. More to the fact of him bi-racial makes every single moment of this book feel so much more to what it stands for as a CRT and a very strong queer text.

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"Doc and I agree

I'm a lot like the rescued pug.

I need to take some steps

to live like I'm free

from the Fat Girl Rules." (196)

This verse aligns with social constructivism because Ellie is unlearning/learning new ways of thinking through the conversations she has with her therapist.

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“At my size, shopping for clothes isn’t fun. I just want what everyone else my age wears, to blend in, since I already stand out. But it’s hardly ever in my size.”

While I did not think this book was a shining example of body positivity, this quote did really hit home for me as someone who used to be terrified as a teenager to go into stores like Hollister and Aerie with her friends because they’re literally so fatphobic (but somehow it felt more like my fault for being plus sized). This theory is all about examining words and statements to question the status quo, and I do think the positive parts of this book actually do encourage people to question society’s big issue with fatness.

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“Heave-ho, the whale must go. Heave-ho, the whale must go.” Kortnee starts the chant and soon the words echo throughout the gym.”

In this book, the main character is bullied relentlessly at school for being fat, and a lot of times, people seem to hear someone else saying something and then they just start piling on more hate. I think this is a good show of how others can observe someone’s bigoted behavior, see that it is being well received by the majority of people, and want to join in to also seem cool.

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“It's not a gun, but a gun, a tool for the job, that was always gonna get the job done.”

Socail Learning Theory is more or less behavior that is learned through imitiation of others. This quote highlights that in the sense that he has been almost conditioned to no longer view a gun as a weapon or something that can cause death, but it's simply a tool to get the job done. This view almost helps to take responsibility of murder off the shooter's shoulders.

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“That's the thing about a gun, it makes you feel tough. It makes you feel like you can do anything.”

Sociolinguistic Theory focuses on how language varies and changes in social contexts, influencing individual behavior and thought processes.

Through Will's language here, you can see the conformity take place when it comes to ideas of masculinity and power. You can see how Will's identity and thought process is shaped by the language and narratives of his community.

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"Enjoy sixth grade, Splash,"

Anais calls over her shoulder as she leaves to start her senior year of high school". That's like saying to a shark bite victim , "Enjoy the free liposuction."

I wonder if my sister even remembers its her fault everyone calls me Splash, how that one word, on that one day, changed my world (p. 41)

To me, this illustrates social learning theory because the others learned to call her Splash by imitation of her sister the very first time she did it. By doing so, that caused the ripple effects of that word on her life that we see throughout the novel.

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"THE INVENTION OF THE RULES ain't come from my brother, his friends, my dad, my uncle, the guys outside, the hustlers and shooters, and definitely not from me.”

This shows social learning theory as the rules that Will's community follows are past down. No one knows exactly where they came from but each generation learned from watching the other and sharing the Rules with the next person. The attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the Rules influence their society.

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“Always
always
always

be skeptical of a person
who answers a question
by asking a question.

Usually
usually
usually

it’s a setup.”

This particular part of the book shows social constructivism theory, as "Social Constructivism Theory is focused on knowledge being formed by social interactions between people." Will has had experiences and interactions with people who answer questions with a question. He has learned to be skeptical and is now passing on the information to the reader. Much of the knowledge in the novel is focused on social interactions and advice Will receives and the things he experiences and shares to the reader.

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"I accept Jack's apology,

tell him I hope he figures out

his truth and how to tell it.

We hug and go back inside.

But that's not what happened,

that was just a sweet fantasy."

(387)

This verse aligns with social constructivism because in this moment the reader knows that the conversation between Jack and Mike is not happening the way it says because Jack has not all of a sudden become accepting. The next "chapter" that follows is the same conversation but what actually happens of Jack trying to shame Mike for doing drag. This verse is the beginning of a total smackdown from Mike saying that he's not ashamed of who he is, showing just how much he has grown over the course of the novel.

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"Costume Confidence

I masquerade in makeup

and feathers, and hope to be applauded.

I evoke you as a metaphor;

attach my meaning to you.

Oh, Black Flamingo, here I stand

in your shadow. You are

my costume, my muse,

my poise and my strut,

my poetic and my purpose

but when I am naked

and plainly spoken

I don't feel so worthy of attention"

(325)

Mike is a poet and writes poems about his experiences. I chose this one as an example of Social Learning Theory because he is learning how to do drag from the others in the drag club. The makeup he learned at a makeup store as well as the other performers. The feathers were given to him from the head of the club. He is still learning from everyone in the club and has yet to figure out who he personally is as a drag artist.