Josef Reuther
English Language Arts

          In the books "The Power of Six" by Pittacus Lore and "The Death Cure" by James Dashner characters face many similar issues however they treat them very differently. Both Thomas and John face many internal as well external issues.

           John the main character of the "Power of Six" comes from a foreign planet called Lorien. He was forced to flee Lorien with nine other children to Earth as a rival civilization known as Mogadorians attacked Lorien seeking its natural resources. John and the other children develop legacies, which give them extraordinary abilities such as being able to turn invisible. On Earth they continue to be hunted down by the Mogadorians, for they alone have the power to take back Lorien. On Earth John is constantly on the run hiding from the Mogadorians, which is the greatest external issue that he faces. At one point John falls in love with a girl named Sarah, but as he always did he had to leave that life behind after a short time. He longs for her all the time while he is on the run. And returns to see her. But because John was believed to be terrorist she turned him in despite her love for him. John felt betrayed by Sarah for turning him in and is haunted by the thought constantly. John also falls in love again with another member from Lorien named Six. John feels conflicted between loving Sarah and Six and is reminded by it every time he sees six.
           Thomas the main character of "The Death Cure" finds himself in an apocalyptic world. The flare, which is a disease that has turned 99% of the people on Earth into primitive animals as there brains rot to nothing. Thomas is one of very few people who is immune to the flare. He and several other teenagers are being used to find a cure for the flare by a department called WICKED. WICKED has forced Thomas and his friends through three trials studying their reactions to terrible things. All the time Thomas is unsure about whether WICKED is simply evil or if they are forcing them through this for a greater good.