Prompt:
Choose two
questions from the Discovering Subtext question list (found on the side panel of the blog where all the links are located)
and answer them in-depth. Make sure you answer these questions about your chosen novel - not just any book.
Format:
First and Last Name
Q: question one written out.
A: answer to question one
A: answer to question one
Q: question two written out
A: answer to question two
A: answer to question two
Due: Monday
February 4th by midnight
Notes: Review
grading rubric (my advice to you: edit, edit, edit). Don’t forget to COMMENT on
the prompt and to RESPOND to a peers comment. You might comment on similarities
and/or differences between your answers or comment on some element of their
answer that is unique and interesting to you. These are only suggestions,
though.
Rachel Vulk
ReplyDeleteQ:Who are the main characters in your book and what is their function? Why are they the main characters?
a: The main characters in my book, "Eli the Good", are Eli, who is a ten year old boy who sits and watches people close to him fighting. His mother and father are very close and his father was in the Vietnam War. His mother was adopted, and Eli once overheard her telling his dad that she loved him more than anyone else, which hurt Eli alot. His older sister is one of the people who he is closest to, and she always is rebelling against what her mother says. Eli's Aunt Nell is very free-spirited and he relates to her because he feels they're both hurting but no one notices. His best friend is Edie, who is a girl very torn because her parents are going through a divorce. I think that all these characters show that sometimes the person who seems to have a perfect life may really be struggling, but no one has taken the time to notice because they have their own problems.
Q:What is the conflict? Why did the author choose to focus on this conflict?
A: The conflict in the book is that Eli is watching his whole family and friends' lives get torn apart as they fight and ruin their relationships with eachother. The problem is that Eli is just a little ten year old boy caught in the middle and no one is taking the time to stop and notice that he is hurting and can't just be stuck in a corner through their fighting. I think the author tried to draw attention to this because many kids and adults around the world may be struggling with this problem every day, and people need to take the time to notice and help them.
Lauren Jones
DeleteThe fact that Edie's parents are going through a divorce must scare Eli. Eventhough Eli's parents are close their family is falling apart just like Edie's family. Do you know why he is called "Eli the Good?"
Rachel Vulk
DeleteI think that Eli may be called "Eli the Good" because he is the one person in all these characters who isn't in a constant fight with someone.
Lauren Jones
ReplyDeleteQ: How do they change and how does their change affect the other characters/story line?
A: Nora, the main character matures throughout the story. At the beginning of the story Nora’s mom and grandma are taking care of her. Towards the middle of the story, her mom became weak and ill, and she had to learn how to take care of herself and her mom. Nora’s maturation helped her family be successful and find her father. Nora’s dad was separated from Nora for a while, and he was disappointed at her level of maturity because he had missed seeing her grow up.
Q: What symbolism occurs in the story?
A: In the story there is a lifeguard named Lauren, and she refused to teach Nora how to swim. Nora almost drowned in the pool; however, Lauren didn’t save her. Nora’s situation represented how there were many people in Nora’s life who could have saved her from the poor conditions she was living in or taught her how to function on her own. Nobody saved Nora from her bad living conditions, and so she had to teach herself how to grow up and fix her own problems. In this situation the pool represents Nora’s life, and learning how to swim represents learning how to live without someone there to help.
Roland Kalman
DeleteThe symbolism in you'r book is very int resting. You did a good job in finding the connection between the life guard situation and Nora's life.
Mary Leigh Rock
DeleteWow, Lauren! I wouldn't have ever thought of that symbolism unless you would have pointed it out. That is very clever, and it is impressive that you pulled that out of your novel. It makes me want to go read the book.
Lauren, I'm also impressed!! You showed profound insight in your answer - marvelous job!
DeleteRachel Vulk
ReplyDeleteYour book seems very interesting! How old is Nora? She seems alot like the character Eli from my book.
Kerri Anne Chew
DeleteYour book sounds like something that applies a huge deal in life, something very practical. Life is definitely about struggling and becoming stronger after that. The book you are reading sounds interesting. When I have the time I hope to find the book you are reading.
Kerri Anne Chew
ReplyDeleteQ: Does the setting help you relate to the story better or worse?
A: The setting of the story helps me to relate to the story better.The setting is modern day USA. It is easy to relate to it because there are many similarities between the story and my life. For example, how the protagonist, Mclean, is in a totally different environment which she has to adjust to. Especially since the story is to do with modern day USA, its easier to understand and relate to as it is the same time period now as it is in the book.
Q: What is their flaw? What does that flaw say about the human condition?
A: The protagonist's flaw is that she prefers to be someone else than herself. For example, in the story, she rather be addressed as Liz, Beth, Eliza or Lizbet, which originates from her middle name Elizabeth, instead of being called Mclean, which is her first name. As humans, we prefer to be someone else in order to fit in. We are never true to ourselves because there are always bound to be people who would judge us for who we are. Many of us rather play it safe and be someone else than take the risk and possibly be an outcast.
Rylee Wilks
DeleteIt's true that many people feel as though they have to be someone else in order to fit in. Just as you said, we are afraid to be judged by others just because of who we are. I also find it interesting that the names Mclean comes up with for herself originate from her middle name. That's something I've never heard of someone doing that before.
Steffi Sam
DeleteThe main character in my book sounds just like yours. She doesn't want to be herself so she tries to fit in. She doesn't want people to judge her for who she really is. It sounds like our characters have the same kind of personality. By the way are you reading What Happened to Goodbye? I really enjoyed that book.
Collin Staüd
DeleteYour main character and mine are very similar in the way that they both do what it takes to fit in, and are put into uncomfortable environments, of which they have not yet experienced. But, mine is different in the sense that he eventually develops a "take the risk" attitude, which ultimately serves him better in the end.
Jane Jang
DeleteI feel like my character tries to be someone she's not also! I guess a lot of other books are the same also.
Chris Gowens
ReplyDeleteQ: What is their flaw? What does that flaw say about the human condition?
A: My character's flaw is his pride and arrogance. He thinks he can take on anything and doesn't need help from others. This speaks volumes about how we as people feel like we can do everything on our own, even when it's clear we need help. This also causes us to look over our flaws, just like the protagonist in my book does sometimes.
Q: What is the conflict? Why did the author choose to focus on this conflict?
A: The conflict in my book is about how a young farm boy joins an army against a tyrannical king who forces the people to his will through fear and magic. It seems the author chose to focus on this conflict to perhaps show a similarity in how its like that in some places. The only exception is that guns are used and farm boys aren't exactly coming up with ways to defeat the tyrant. But they do use fear which the two have in common.
Sarah Thompson
DeleteYour character sounds very different from mine. Yours is arrogant while mine is meek and shy and eager to please (some may say, an "eager beaver"). It would be interesting to see what would happen if these two characters were friends.
Chris Gowens
DeleteI could see them having some difficulties before they could become friends. In the end though, I think they could become great friends my character and yours because sometimes the people with the most different personality can be the best of friends
Sarah Thompson
ReplyDeleteQ: Does the setting help you to relate to the story better or worse?
A: The setting helps me relate to the story better. The book takes place in the '50s but really it's just the date and the music and the clothing that's different. The characters still behave as they would if it were modern times. They still go to parties, still hang out with friends, still have sleepovers, still go on dates, still do many of the things that we would do now. It is almost no different than a book set in modern times.
Q:What is their flaw? What does that flaw say about the human condition?
A: Nora's (the main character) flaw is that she is very naive. This shows that human nature, to a certain extent, doesn't change. Teenagers are naive, even back then (this book took place in 1955).
Lisa Yang
DeleteOne of the main characters in my book is an eighteen-year-old girl named Skylar Thompson. She can relate to the teenagers in your novel because she is constantly changing her mind about her emotions about her family, friends, and boyfriend. She is scared of making her own decisions and is naive about everything.
Rylee Wilks
ReplyDeleteQ: Who are the main characters in your book and what is their function? Why are they the main characters?
A: The main character of my book, "Anna Dressed in Blood", is Cas Lowood. He is high school aged and is constantly moving around the world to do his job. He is currently living with his mother, an occult supplier and white witch, in Ontario, Canada. His father died when he was just seven years old after being literally eaten alive by some sort of ghost or demon. Seven years after that, Cas took on his father’s role as a ghost killer to avenge his death. His arrival in Canada is directly linked to his profession. He has to destroy Anna Korlov, a malevolent spirit, to stop her from murdering any more of the living.
Q: Who is the antagonist? Why are they in the novel? Why are they portrayed the way they are? How do they act as a foil character?
A: The antagonist of the story is Anna Korlov, a malicious and violent spirit who resides in the house she lived in when she was alive. Anyone who enters into her house is brutally murdered, which is why Cas decided to travel to Canada in the first place. She is completely different from all of the other ghosts Cas has killed before. She knows that she is in fact dead, which is a characteristic that shows very rarely in spirits, and she spared his life for reasons unknown to him. Being as strong and tricky as she is, Anna proved nearly impossible to kill, something Cas is not at all used to. Every move he makes, she counteracts with something he doesn’t expect at all, such as simply throwing him out of her house instead of tearing him in half. But she’s not just an angry ghost out for blood, she also seems lonely and regretful of everything she has done.
Roland Kalman
ReplyDeleteQ:What is their flaw? What does that flaw say about the human condition?
A: Matt is a clone. Most everyone views Matt as a dirty animal due to the fact that he is a clone. This shows that humans will reject people even due to the smallest differences between them. Even though Matt is a clone, he is a human. That makes him no different than Rosa, a maid who hates him.
Q:What is the conflict? Why did the author choose to focus on this conflict?
A: The main conflict in this book is Matt being a clone. He is trying to fit in, but he constantly gets rejected. Later in the book we find out that Matt is going to be killed and so he escapes to Mexico. There he is able to fit in without anyone knowing he is a clone. This is important because cloning was just introduced 4 years before the release of the book. Dolly the sheep was a cloned sheep made in 1996. Many people argued that cloning is wrong. religious leaders argue that man is trying to be equal with God with creating life like this. This book tries to address these issues and how a clone might be treated in real life.
Austin Eager
DeleteThe topic of cloning is very interesting to me, even though I know nothing about it. I would be very interested to know how a clone would be seen or treated right now. To me, cloning isn't right because of how others would treat the clone or how they would react to being able to clone most things.
Thank you for telling us all of your cloning facts - that makes a difference on novel interpretation. Great insight and great job in picking up on the cloning information!
DeleteAustin Eager
ReplyDeleteQ: From which point of view is the narrator speaking? How does this affect your reading? How does this point of view shape the story?
A: I have two narrators in my story. One is named Day and he is a criminal in the eyes of the Republic. Day steals from the Republic to help his family, who thinks he is dead. He never kills anyone, except June’s brother, and only steals what he needs to give to his family. The other narrator is named June, and she lives in the Republic and despises Day for killing her brother. She believes Day is a criminal who doesn’t care about anyone. She is a genius, and is the only person to ever get a 1500 on the Trial, a test the Republic uses to scout out future military people. These two completely different points of view let you see into both character’s minds and what they are thinking. You also can understand both sides of the story, because Day is trying to save his family, and June is trying to avenge her brother’s death. These points of view give you a glimpse into the upper class Elite and the lower class poor. It also shows how these two classes differ and what they think of each other, even as teenagers.
Q: What is the conflict? Why did the author choose to focus on this conflict?
A: The main conflict in this story is between June and Day. Day is trying to save his family from starvation and the plague, while June is trying to catch Day because he killed her brother while trying to get plague medicine. Also, Day doesn’t know that he killed June’s brother, Medias, because he didn’t see where he hit Medias. Neither one understands what the other is going through or what they have experienced because they both come from very different walks of life. The author probably chose this conflict because it shows the differences of the upper and lower classes, even today. Also, the author might want the reader to have to decide whose side they were on: June’s or Day’s. Both of their actions seem justified, but the reader has to choose which character he or she likes more.
Billy Borders
DeleteI'm pretty sure that you've noticed this already, but it looks like the narrators names are symbolic. However, I couldn't tell you how as I have never read the book. Other than that it sounds very interesting.
Steffi Sam
ReplyDeleteQ: What is their flaw? What does that flaw say about the human condition?
A: Lucy struggles with being herself and showing who she really is. She worries that her peers will make fun of her and judge her. She tries so hard to fit in and cover-up. Since her mom is a hoarder, Lucy spends most of her life trying to be someone who she's really not. She doesn't want to let people into her life, so she hides and spends most of her life isolated from the outside world. Lucy knows that her home life isn't normal but instead of facing that problem head-on she tries to go around it.
Q: What is the conflict? Why did the author choose to focus on this conflict?
A: Lucy comes home one morning and finds her mom buried under a stack of magazines, dead.Instead of calling 911 or a relative, she spends the next day cleaning. As she goes through the piles of garbage, she finds out more about her mom's secret life. Memories and flashbacks flood her of when she was a younger child. I think the author chose to focus on this conflict because it shows a different side of the story. Her mom's death was a life-changing event for Lucy and it shows the different emotions that she goes through having to deal with this alone. The majority of this book centers around Lucy trying to clean the house up.
Brandon Miles
DeleteI think your book is similar to mine in the way that my character has to deal with a death as well. He investigates a murder case and ends up learning that his ex-girlfriend was one of the victims. He ends up continuing the case, despite his ex's murder. Even though he continues on, it was still a life-changing event for him.
Noah Howard
DeleteYour book seems very interesting and I think I would enjoy reading it. Mysteries or Thrillers are my favorite type of book.
Who are the main characters in your book and what is their function? Why are they the main characters?
ReplyDeleteThe two main characters in my book are Alex Cross and his girlfriend, Bree. They are both detectives who investigate homicide cases. In this particular book, they are investigate a gang-related homicide. They are main characters because they (as detectives) are trying to find out who did this and their motive.
What does the conflict tell us about our lives?
I think this conflict tells us many things about our lives. It tells us that sad and heart-breaking things can happen in our lifetime. In this book, Alex ends up learning that his ex-girlfriend was one of the victims of the homicide that he is investigating. It can also tell us that these things can happen to people we know and love. Despite all this, we are able to move on and continue with our lives, like how Alex was able to continue the case even though he was investigating his ex's murder case.
Brandon Miles
DeleteSorry. I forgot to add my name.
Noah Howard
ReplyDeleteQ: Does the setting help you relate to the story better or worse?
A: The setting of my book helps display conflict between side stories inside the main story. For example, the main setting is on a yacht in which the main the characters, Susannah and Martin, are heading into a huge storm. The second setting is on a plane which is flying into the wtorm as well. The main characters in this side story are Elwood, Jeremy, and Shako who ate assigned killers for hire. These settings help me feel like I'm in the story line changing positions from a different point of view.
Q: From which point of view is the narrator speaking? How does this affect your reading? How does this point of view shape the story?
A:The point of view this story is told from is 3rd person. The narrator quotes from the charchters when ever they say anything but also describes each character. This affects the way I read and understand the story. For example, I understand the characters in more depth when the story is told from this point of view. I also have to understand and interpret the story from many different views. This allows me to make my decisions on who the best character or the worst. This point of view shapes the way I see it because I can interpret what ever I think of it.
Mary Leigh Rock
ReplyDelete“What gender, age, and race are the characters? Does the genetic make-up of the characters tell us something about a point the author is trying to make?”
In my novel, the characters are particularly young. The main character, Louise, is a seventh grade female. Her best friend is Reni who is the same age. The two girls are boy-crazy, just like most middle school girls. Louise is obsessed with a boy and is determined to meet him and find out if he is the one writing her the love letters. Reni is the supportive best friend who has a hopeless crush on Justin Bieber. I think the author was trying to give the characters personalities that fit modern day society, and frankly, she did a good job of that. The troubles that middle schoolers go through are hopeless crushes and heartbreaks.
“Where is your story taking place? What is the time period? How do these two things affect your reading of the story?”
My story takes place in the fictional town of Pottsboro. The town consists of North Pottsboro and South Pottsboro. The time period is modern day time. An interesting aspect in my novel is the difference between North and South. In the North, the streets are named after spices such as Cinnamon Street and Nutmeg Street. This is where Louise used to live until a change occurred and she had to move to South. Louise makes you feel like the North is a warm, happy environment to live in, while she makes the South sound like a dirty slum. Her views and descriptions influence the reader’s opinion and feel on the two parts of the town.
Billy Borders
ReplyDeleteHow do they change and how does their change affect the other characters/story line?
One of the characters in my novel starts off as a below average, bland kid. Nobody notices him as anything except for "that kid that sits next to them in math." He then moves to an advanced math and science school and completely changes his look after he isn't anything special there either. He then takes up a thug persona and dyes his hair to act rebellious. This changes the story line as he now has somebody contacting him anonymously claiming that him/her knows who he really is. Later this causes him to have strange dreams and later to start cutting himself. It could further alter the book, but I haven't read any further.
Who is the antagonist? Why are they in the novel? Why are they portrayed the way they are? How do they act as a foil character?
The antagonist of the story is a girl named Ellie Frost. She is described as extremely beautiful and distracts the main character, James, from all of his activities. It's not just her beauty, but her icy demeanor that makes James curious. She employs her "evil" in a subconscious way, however, as she does not mean to be a huge distraction. It seems like she is the one thing stopping James from his perfect life at school.
Shavonne Newsome
DeleteI answered your first question too! I think you answered it better, though. You went into more detail about the back story. Your novel sounds rather interesting. I see kids struggling with their personal identities in real life pretty often. Keep up the good work!
Shavonne Newsome
ReplyDeleteQ: How do they change and how does their change affect the other characters/story line?
A: Rayne is a very shy, reserved girl who lives in an oppressed house and has an oppressive boyfriend. She has always felt like she needed to get away, Throughout the first three chapters she keeps repeating the same word-"space". She finally decides to find that space she needs and moves out of her house. She decides to apply to work at a room-and-board job out in the country. She is disappointed, and quite scared, when she finds out the haunting past of Morton's Keep. Now, to survive, Rayne must find out the secrets of Morton's Keep, all because she wanted to have a little peace and quiet.
Q:Look at what the characters do. Then, ask yourself this: what would make YOU act the way they did?
A: Rayne started her whole adventure because she just wanted space to think and be herself. She did this because she felt stifled. She felt like she couldn't grow in her situation. I would have probably done the same thing if I were her and felt the same way as her, though it was a kind of silly decision. If I were in this situation I would have moved away and gone to college, or something close to that. I would not have moved to some unknown place in the middle of the country just to get away from my problems. She hadn't solved anything in her life, she only procrastinated working through her true troubles.
Lisa Yang
ReplyDeleteQ: Who are the main characters in your book and what is their function? Why are they the main characters?
A: The main characters in my book, Lie, are Skylar Thompson and her boyfriend Jimmy Seeger.
Skylar Thompson is an eighteen-year-old high school student who is very troubled. Always being somewhat of an outcast in school, she always had to lean on someone to get her through difficult times and situations. When her mother died, she turned into an even bigger mess. After she meets Jimmy, though, she opens up her heart to him and letting him in on everything. When Jimmy gets arrested, she breaks down. She cannot decided how to testify against Jimmy and how to feel about him anymore. Skylar is clingy and emotionally unstable.
Jimmy Seeger is Skylar's boyfriend and one of the most popular boys in school. Jimmy attracted attention wherever he went. His handsome features and authoritative attitude earned the respect and love for him from all of his peers. His charm has won Skyler's heart and caused his friend, Sean Mayer, to obsess over him. Both treated him as their idol and kept him safe from any situation, but things take a quiet turn for the worst when he and Sean get arrested for a crime. He hopes his discreet manipulation of his friends will pull him through safely.
Q:What is their flaw? What does that flaw say about the human condition?
A:Skylar Thompson's biggest flaw is her dependence on others. She becomes increasingly vulnerable when Jimmy gets arrested, unable to think straight or handle the thoughts in her head. She has crucial decisions to make but cannot do so because of her dependence on other people to make them for her. Her lack of sense of independence shows that people tend to underestimate their own thoughts, letting an event determine what kind of a person they will be for the rest of their lives. When someone never takes risks and is always scared, it could cause him or her to never find who they truly are.
Jimmy's character flaw is that he is manipulative, especially when it comes to people's emotions. For example, when he was in jail, he told Skylar, for the first time, that he loved her. He probably only did that just so she will try even harder to free him make up lies to tell. His behavior shows that its human nature to pick up this kind of bad habit because of their desire for recognition and respect. It is natural for humans to want control, respect, and power. People also manipulate others because they want to love and feel loved, even if they don't realize it.
Collin Staüd
ReplyDeleteQ: What is the conflict? Why did the author choose to focus on this conflict?
A: The conflict in my novel centers around the idea of teen angst against unreliable treatment of dramatic matters (i.e. the treatment of consequence in the form of dangerously mannered "pranks"). The main character's friend, "The Colonel", is blamed to have "ratted" out other "friends" for doing some unmentionable things, of which (to say) were against three major school policies and boundaries. To get revenge on "The Colonel" for his "doing-so", they (as stated) pissed in his shoes, and even more provoking, threw the main character into a lake "duct-taped like a mummy" (in nothing but boxers). (Not to get to descriptive), but, to gain payback for the unnecessary treatment of false accusations, the main malevolent, mischievous group of characters decides to lead a formation of an all-time (which alludes expectations) prank. This is to say pranks are routine throughout the years at "Culver Creek", but this time, it has more of a purpose than classic mischief, which is mainly revenge. This conflict is a great reference to the overall theme and setting of the novel, painting a great picture of the "hows" and "whys" of how all these things came to be (put into perspective of course). It helps vividly sketch the idea of the past-present to present-future tense, as the story is written in two main section, which are one (before the prank), and two (of course after).
Q: Are any themes blatantly obvious? (war, friendship, love, prejudice, change, etc.) How does the author shape this theme? What is the author trying to say about this theme?
A: There are no "pretentious metaphors", but what I did come across as being "quite adequate" for response was a hidden theme about how you "use the future to escape the present". The other main character (Alaska) tells of the famous last words of Simon Bolivar, which were "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!" The labyrinth, which can be inferred to stand for suffering ("doing wrong and having wrong done to you"), can be used as a reference to the main character's life before "Culver Creek". This leads the reader to believe that Miles is looking for an escape from his "suffering", but is only "using the future to escape the past" at Culver. According to the characters in the novel (from what I have read thus far), you spend your whole life stuck in the so-called "labyrinth", thinking about how you will escape it, and how good it will be once you do, and how it keeps you imagining that the future keeps you going, but you never do. "You use the future to escape the past". The author is trying to say that, Miles, who is seeking a "Great Perhaps" is just now realizing how he can escape into his own life, and change what he wants to to live happy, which shapes through the experiences (along with friends) Miles encounters.
Jane Jang
ReplyDeleteQ:Who is the antagonist? Why are they in the novel? Why are they portrayed the way they are? How do they act as a foil character?
The antagonist in my book is Str-S-d, which is their name on a blog. This person is in the novel because this person wants Lucy dead and may potentially be involved in the abduction of Lucy. They are portrayed as they are because this person's actions are needed to show his or her hatred towards Lucy. Str-S-d acts as a foil character by always having a negative attitude towards Lucy and not having the place in his or her heart for forgiveness.
Q: From which point of view is the narrator speaking? How does this affect your reading? How does this point of view shape the story?
The narrator is speaking in blog entry form and omniscient 3rd person. This affects my reading because it helps me understand the feelings of all the characters and not just one. The point of view shapes the story by telling me the feelings and thoughts of all the characters.
Paul Fuentez
ReplyDeleteQ: Who is the main character and what does he do?Why are they the main characters?
My main character is named Ender, he is a 16 year and is the most intelligent war strategist/general. He has a rare disease called Antoine disease. This allows you to be smarter then others, but you have a shorter life and is overall smaller in size. Ender was exiled from Earth so now he can fully focus on scouring the universe to fin d a cure for the extremely rare disease he, his companion, and a giant have.
Q: What gender, age, and race are the characters? Does the genetic make-up of the characters tell us something about a point the author is trying to make?
Ender is a white 16 year old American/Earthling. Enders rare disease(Antione disease) allows us to know that he has to act fast and must be outgoing. He does have a shorter life span than a normal human so he has to be more outgoing. Having this disease allows you to be more smart than the avareg human so he can actully do more woth less chance of a faliure. Finally, his height is smaller than the average human so he can fit into smaller places than others can.