last BLOG post OF the WHOLE year - post B

Dear Khaled Hosseini,
I just finished your book and i am taken aback by the ending! in fact the whole book was amazing! In the last part of novel Amir comes across betrayal and redemption when he returns to his ravaged homeland to rescue the son of Hassan after the boy's parents are shot during the Taliban. When i heard that Hassan had died, I felt very sad because the whole book i was waiting for Hassan to go back and appoligize to him for the whole mess. Did you have this idea in mind when you started writing the book? But i was very proud of Amir when he made the difficult journey to Kabul, only to learn the boy has been enslaved by Assef, the guy who raped Hassan. It was ironic how the price Amir had to pay to recover Sohrab was similar to Hassan's. "For the first time since the winter of 1975, i felt at peace. My body was broken - just how badly i wouldn't find out until later - but i felt healed. healed at last" (289). It also shows about how childhood choices affect our adult lives. Another thing that was interesting was Baba, who infact is Hassan's father also. In short, i really liked your book. I thought it gave a great perceptive examination of recent Afghan history and its ramifications in both America and the Middle East which succeeded in exploring the culture of a previously obscure nation.
I enjoyed your book!
Claire

LaSt WeEk oF BLoGing eVER - Post A

A cultural difference i noted this week was how Aphgans lived their lives in Aphganistan. One thing i noticed was their families. They each had very extended families that they all knew very well. This is different because for me, it's like i know my first cousins and then i barely know my second cousins whereas in Aphganistan, they keep in touch with their 1st, 2nd & 3rd! "When hassan and i came home after watching a kindi film at cinema zainab, what Ali, rahim khan, baba, or the myriad of baba's friends - second and third cousins milling in and out of the house"(357). In short, Aphgans get together alot with their families and extended families and in my opinion, they all treat each other as if they are friends.

WEEK 6, post b

DEar Amir,

I have many questions for you especially about how your life has changed since you moved to America. Do you think the move affected your and Baba's relationship? Have you changed since you've moved to America? In my opinion to the first question i feel that your and Baba's relationship has gotten closer. I feel that while in Aphganistan you and Baba had such a tough time with your relationship because you tried too hard to get the love you wanted and Baba did not give you a chance to achieve that. When Baba died, you realized that now he was gone you needed him the most. "Listening to them, i realized how much of who i was, what i was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people's lives. My whole life, i had been 'baba's son.' Now he was gone. Baba couldn't show me the way anymore;i'd have to find it on my own"(174). Amir realizes that he had been relying on his father his whole life and he's afraid to move on and grow up. Answering to the second question, i feel that Amir has changed since he's been in America. Still haunted by Hassan and his childhood, Amir has changed. He so far has gotten married and goes to school but still thinks about Hassen. In fact, once he thought on his wedding night, "I wonder if Hassan has married. And if so whos facehe had seen in the mirror under the viel? Whose henna painted hands had he held?"(171).
Sincerely,
Claire

WEEK 6, POST A

This week i noticed many cultural differences from the novel Kite Runner. One was how the aphgans celebrated marriages. I also thought it was interesting how even though Amir and everyone else was living in America, they still celebrated Amir's wedding the traditonal way. First, was how the people dressed. "We seated around a table, Soraya and i dressed in green- the color of Islam, but also the color of spring and new beginings" (170). I thought this was intersting because traditional American weddings women usually wore colors like white. Another difference was the wedding itself. I learned that in Aphgani weddings, they were seated around a table, with all the relatives. A 'mullah' would from the table question the witnesses and read from the Koran. Then after this was done, they would walk toward the stage and present themselves to the rest of the guests. This was different where in America, people would be infront of all the guests while being questioned.

WEEK 5, post B

Although this week i did not really have a chance to read a ton, i am going to analyze the relationship between Baba and Amir.
Amir and baba have a very strang relationship. Baba is a very well-known man. Amir longs to be close to his father but Baba is very distant because his wife died while giving birth to Amir. He is often jealous of Hassan who his father cherishes. One time Amir heard a conversation between Baba and Rahim Khan. Baba says that he doesn’t understand Amir because he does not stand up for himself. Even when teased and pushed in the streets, Amir lets Hassan defend him. Baba does not respect this quality, and says that if he did not see Amir’s birth, he would not believe Amir is his son. Rahim Khan says Amir just lacks a mean streak. On the day of the kite contest, Amir decides he needs to win to prove his father that he can defend himself but while doing so he let's down Hassan. From that day on, he and his father get along well. They talk and go places but Amir doesn't feel right. "For at least a few months after the kite tournament, Baba and i immersed ourselves in a sweet illusion, saw each other in a way we never had before. We'd actually deceived ourselves into thinking a toy made of tissue paper, glus and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between up"(87). Amir realizes that he and his father are very differend people and their relationship will never be fixed.

Week 5, POST A

This week in reading, i noticed few cultural differences. One small one that i noticed was how Baba threw Amir a huge thirteenth birthday party. This is different where in America people usually have huge birthday bashes when they turn sixteen. I could understand though why thirteen would be an age for a party because it is when the person turns into a teenager, but personally i would rather have a big party for when i turn sixteen because you would be older and also you could get your liscense! sweet sixteen!

Week 4, POST B

Dear Hassan,
You are one of the main characters in the novel Kite Runner. I have just read the part in your book when you and your father leave Amir and Baba's house. How do you feel to be used by Amir, that you did not really steal the money or watch? What were you thinking when you realized Amir and your relationship would never be the same after what happened? I have alot of sympathy for you considering how much Amir treated you like a piece of dirt. Even though you two were best friends for the majority of your life, it just made me feel sad when it was all thrown away! Also, when did you realize Amir knew your secret? Did you always know? One thing is right though about Amir: besides the fact he is very selfish, he does feel really bad about what happened. For example, that night that everyone went to Jalalabad he became insomiac because of the guilt. In the middle of his sleepless night, he says to particularly no one, "I watched Hassan get raped". All in all Hassan, i hope that you and Amir can resolve your issues in teh end.
Thanks alot!
Claire

WEEK 4, POST A

This week I found another cultural difference that is common to many other cultures. This difference is the large extended families joining together for a piknic sort of thing. In the Kite Runner, Amir and Baba go to the Jalalabad to visit Baba's friend Homayoun. Instead of it just being him and Amir, they ended up inviting family friends and relatives. "The wives and daughters served dinner-rice, kofta, and chicken qurma-at sundown. We dines the traditional way, sitting on cushions around the room, tablecloth spread on the floor, eating with our hands in groups of four or five from common platters"(85). Another difference was how they ate. All together on the floor. This is very different from America where we usually eat at tables with utensils.

WeEk 3, PoSt B

Dear Khaled Hosseini,
So far i have really enjoyed your book! i cannot put it down at times and i cannot wait to see what happens! My favorite character is Hassan, and so far i do not like Amir. He is very selfish and only thinks of himself. Hassan portrays a picture-perfect best friend. He never lies, tattle-tales on Amir and he always obeys Amir as if Amir has the right to boss him around, even though Hassan is his servant. Hassan also gets very jealous of Amir because he feels his father likes Hassan better. When he entered the kite contest, he was determined to win, just to show his father that he was worthy. "I was going to win, and i was going to run that last kite. THen i'd bring it home and show it to Baba. Show his once and for all that his son was worthy. "(56). But even after his father accepted his as his son, Amir was still not happy. He soiled his and Hassan's friendship which changed his life from then on. I feel that Amir feels really bad about what he saw and how he did not try and stop it but now it's too late. He cannot just explain what he saw ten years later and expect not to be upset at. I cannot wait to see what happens!
cccclaire

WEEK 3, POST A

This week in the kite runner, i noticed one cultural difference that amazed my of how popular it is in Aphganistan: Kite contests. "Aphgans are independent people. Aphgans cherish customs but abhor rules. And so it was with kite fighting. The rules were simple: No rules. Fly your kite. Cut the opponents. Good luck"(52). When read about this 'game' at first, i was really surprised because something like kite flying in America was just like a random activity that most people did for fun on the beach or in wide open areas. BUt in Aphganistan, this sport was very intense. People would prepare for it the whole winter( summer to us) and when the final fighting day came they would fly kites for hours on end! This game was so big and popular that when he was so determined to win to get his father's attention. Also, This cultural difference i thought was very unique because i feel in America we have just regular and ordinary sports that most all countries can compare to but kite running is different!

Week 2, POST B

Dear Khaled Hosseini,
I have recently started your novel Kite Runner. So far, i enjoy it very much. It shows some very distinct examples of friendship and how the culture was in Aphganistan. I really like how you wrote the book so that the first chapter sets the tone for the entire novel. It was very interesting how before I knew Amir's name, I knew a significant event in his past has defined who he is today. This technique makes me want to continue reading so that i can find out more about that event! Another thing i admire about you novel is how you incorporate the friendship between the boys Amir and Hassan. Hassan always being the kind and nice one, "But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea" (4). I feel like i can relate because i have some best friends who would always back me up. I feel that Hassan has a part with the significant event because the novel goes right to him.
I cannot wait to keep reading!
~Claire O'Neill

Week 2, POST A

In the kite runner this week i noticed many other cultural differences. One that was very noticable this week was the way Baba felt about Amir not wanting to play sports. Baba wanted Amir to be an athlete like him, but Amir was not talented at soccer and did not have an interest in Baba's choice sport. "I'm telling you, I wasn't like that at all, and neither were any of the kids i grew up with"(22). This is a difference that american culture because most parents donnot get so worked up about if their kids cannot play sports and they for sure do not ignor their kids. This is why sports is a big part of the culture in Aphganistan wheras in America people are more concerned in other things.

World Issue Post

I have decided to do my research paper on pollution occuring in China.

Some articles I found interesting...

"Beijing's Olympic Quest: Turn Smoggy Sky Blue" from the New York Times accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-2802&artno=0000271241&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Beijing%27s%20Olympic%20Quest%3A%20Turn%20Smoggy%20Sky%20Blue&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

"The Last Empire" from Mother Jones accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-2802&artno=0000274438&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=The%20Last%20Empire&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

"Shadow Hangs over China's Boom" from San Jose Mercury News accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-2802&artno=0000265530&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Shadow%20Hangs%20Over%20China%27s%20Boom&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

OUTSIDE READING QUATER 4, Week 1- Post B

Dear Amir,
You are the narrator/main character in the novel Kite Runner. I have only read two chapters but so far what i have read is very good. The novel starts off by you saying, "I became what i am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975 [...] That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, i've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws it's way out. Looking back now, i realize i have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty six years"(1). You talk about your good friend Hassan who has a face of a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood. The face is marred by the harelip as through “the Chinese doll maker’s instrument may have slipped"(3). You live in a big house in Aphganistan in which Hassan and his father Ali live next door in a mud hut. I learned that you and Hassan had done everything together from the beginning. Your first words were Baba (Dad) but Hassan's was your name. So far you believe that the foundation for what happened in 1975 and all that followed was already laid in their first words. So far, i cannot wait to keep reading!
Sincerely,
Claire O'Neill

OUTSIDE READING QUARTER 4, Week 1 - Post A

A cultural difference i noted this week in the Kite RUnner was the discrimiation between other groups of people in this time period. In aphganistan, Amir (the narrator) recalls his best friend (Hassan) being discrimiated against because he was Hazara. I found out that Hazaras were in the minority, because they were Shi'a Muslims and not Sunni Muslims. "They calles him 'flat-nosed' because of Ali and Hassan's characteristic Hazara Mongoloid features"(9). This type of discrimiation was very common in that time period which influenced how the characters lived. This discrimiation was also different than American discriminationi because in Aphganistan, the children would say the insult to the person's face whereas in America people would talk behind others back.

THE KITE RUNNER!

I chose the book Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini because by what i have heard from others, it is very good. I am really looking foward to reading it because alot of my friends have read it and they have talked about it but from now on i will know what they are talking about and i can join into their conversation! i hear that it is very good and hard to put down. Also, by reading the compliments on the cover from other authors and such it sounded like it was a pretty decent book. All in all, i chose the Kite Runner because it sounded like a very interesting book.

Last week of Blogging, Post B

Dear Kim Edwards,

your novel "the memory keeper's daughter" is amazing. i am so close to finishing and i cannot wait to figure out what happens in the end! this story has not only showed themes such as masks, regretfullness, grief, selfishness and lying but love. david henry gave his daughter away at birth which he regrets. but this selfish act forces him to lie to his wife and son which comprimises their relationship. phoebe, down syndromed daughter grew up with caroline, davids nurse. caroline loves phoebe and has fought and taught her very much. i feel that this novel has also taught me some lessons. what encouraged you to think of this topic? it is so thoughtful! do you have some similar instance that has happened? well i cannot wait to finish!
thanks,
Claire O'Neill

Week , Post A

Vocab

1.) giardiasis (174): an intestinal disorder characterized by abdominal discomfort and prolonged, intermittent diarrhea, caused by the protozoan
2.) meticulous (216): taking or showing extreme care about minute details

Fig Lang

1.) Metaphor. "Hands trembling, Caroline slid the newspaper clipping from her pocket. She had carried it for two weeks, her heart surging every time she touched it"(242). This quote is a metaphor because it describes how Caroline feels when she touches the clipping.
2.) Imagery. "The hillsides steepened and streams cascaded down and the houses grew steadily sparser, poorer"(263). This quote is imagery because i can imagine what this view looks like.
3.) Imagery. "The early light caught in her haid, frosted yesterday, glinting with red and gold"(276) This quote is clearly imagery because it describes her hair so that it is easy for the reader to imagine it.

Quote

"He had felt some darkness open up inside him when he saw his father's face, emotions that, at five, Paul couldn't explain or describe but that he knew already had to do with sorrow. His mother, too, when she'd taken the picture fromm his father, was touched with sadness but she slipped a mask over it"(213). This quote is another great part of this novel. masks. Paul knows that his parents are going through a rough time and he knows more than they think he does. His mother just slips over a mask of her true feelings whenever she is out or around anyone else because paul knows that, that is not how she really acts.

Theme

Another theme is masks. not literal masks, but pretend masks that hide your true feelings.

Week 6, Post B

Dear Paul,

You are the son of David and Norah in this novel. How does it feel to be able to get whatever you want (because your father is a doctor) but feel that it's not worth it? I feel that you paul, are a good boy. You enjoy music and are very active in school. You and your mother get along pretty well, but you and your father just does not work out. You feel that he doesnt get you,
"'I like music, it makes me feel alive. I guess i don't expect you to understant that.'
"'I understant it, but there's being alive, and there's making a living"(200). You and your father are on differend terms on how you feel about your music. I believe that you should keep doing what your doing because your father is wrong. He has always taken work before family and done things that do not benefit the family in a loving way rather just a money way. But your father is also a good role model so continue looking up to him but follow your dream.
Sincerely,
Claire O

Week 6, Post A

Vocab

1.) cadences(154): The measure or beat of movement, as in dancing or marching.
2.) lentils (158): The round, flattened seed of this plant.

Fig Land

1.) Similie. "The machine sat in the driveway, as incongruous and odd as a steel-blue pig"(136). This is a similie because it uses as and compared the machine to a pig.
2.) Similie. "These days they were like two planets in orbit around the same sun, not colliding but not drawing any closer either"(142). This quote compared Norah and David's relationship to two orbits: far away and distant from eachother.
3.) Similie. "A simple encounter, yet he felt strangely agitated, exposed and vulnerable, like past rising up like the sea"(148). This quote is describing how David felt, just like a sea, and never knowing what wouuld happen.

Quote

"He'd thrown the photos out, negatives and all, but still they haunted him. He was afraid they always would. He had lied after all; he had given away their daughter. That terrible consequences would follow seemed both inevitable and just"(108).
This quote is all about things coming back to haunt you. David knows what he did was wrong and now he has to suffer the consequences of never knowing when Norah might be sad or angry. What he did will always stay with him and haunt him for the rest of his life.

Theme

One theme is doing something you regret doing and being haunted for it the rest of your life.

Week 5, Post B

Dear Caroline,

How is everything? Considering that 18 years ago you were told by your boss to take his child and bring her to an institution. It moved me that you had the courage to not listen to him and bring Phoebe, now your child home with you. After leaving to David Henry's office that snowy night, everything changed for you. You say that before you left, you were waiting. Waiting for a husband, just waiting. But after you left, you began to start your life. "Caroline stood still a moment longer. This was her life. Not the life she had once dreamed of, not a life her younger self would ever have imagined or desired, but the life she was living, with all its complexities. This was her life, built with care and attention, and it was good"(254). Its amazing how all that you ahve been through you still appreciate your life. I think about Norah Henry, how she is married to a doctor, and has everything she could possibly dream of but is still unhappy. Even depressed. But you appreciate everything that you have done.
Sincerely,
Claire O'Neill

Week 5, Post A

Vocab

1.) Gregarious(145): fond of the company of others; sociable.
2.) Hostile (146): of, pertaining to, or characteristic of an enemy.

Fig Lang

1.) Similie. "A film closed over the past as she spoke, a barrier as brittle and fragile as ice forming"(88). This quote is a similie because it compares her past closing to ice forming.
2.) Imagery. " Norah was ahead of him, moving like light, flashes of white and denim amid the trees: there, and then gone"(106). This quote is clearly a similie, but i also thought it could be classified as imagery because it is describing where norah was in the forest.
3.) Imagery. "The sun forever in the sky and the dry leaves moving under his feet"(118). This is another imagery because it is describing how that day in the forest was for David so that the reader could imagine it.

Quote

"Paul would not grow up as David had, suffering the loss of his sister. He would not be forced to fend for himself because his sister couldn't"(113).
This quote is very ironic to the whole novel. David lost his sister when he was younger to heart failure and that was why he decided to give his daughter away. He could not have to deal with the grief of going through that period in his life again and he did not want to put Paul through it.

Theme

A very important theme is grief and selfishness. Grief because amny characters are put through grief in this novel but do not back down. Another aspect is selfishness because firstly, David is very selfish and does not want to go through that horrible time again with his daughter so he gave her away without anyone's consent.

Week 4, Post B

Dear Norah,

I am very sorry about your daughter. It must be tragic to find out that your daughter died but you have no proof, no sureness how she died. I know you think that she is somewhere out there in the world . You feel her sometimes and it always comes back to that day in the hospital. That day that you gave birth to two babies. You know its a mystery and i believe you are rig ht. You feel sad all the time because of many reasons but many because of Phoebe. For awhile, you were becoming a person, " Set loose by grief into a world that made no sense"(77). Because of this tragic mystery, you have been moving further and further away from your husband. Its very sad because you feel like you do not know much about him. And when you went on your vacation in Aruba, you feeling left out, you decided to do something very uncalled for and i hope you learn from that mistake, because your husband and son were very unhappy about that. I cannot wait to see what else happens between you, Paul, David and possible Phoebe!
sincerely,
Claire O'Neill

Week 4, Post A

VoCaB

1.) Geode (78): a hollow concretionary or nodular stone often lined with crystals.
2.) Catalpas (145): Any of various, usually deciduous trees of the genus Catalpa, especially C. bignonioides or C. speciosa, native to the United States and having whorled, heart-shaped leaves, showy clusters of white flowers, and long, slender, cylindrical pods. Also called Indian bean.

Figurative Language

1.) Similie. "Now, wide-eyed, he watched the streamers, as beautiful and elusive as butterflies"(73). This quote is clearly a similie because it uses as but also, it compares the streamers to butterflies.
2.) Similie. "Ofter, still, her sense of loss stirred up, like flames out of embers"(75). This quote is another similie because it uses like and it compares her sense of loss because of phoebe to how it stirred up like flames.
3.) Metaphor. " Her new house was ablaze with lights in every window, upstairs and down, light pouring out liek something liquid, something that how overflowed and could no longer be contained"(86). This quote is a metaphor because it shows how Norah is feeling. Her new house may be better and nicer than the old one, but she felt more overwhelmed in it and out of control.

Quote

"Norah wanted to speak and set things in motion again. The right words hovered in her mind, but she could not seem to find her voice. She sat silently, and the silence became a lake, an ocean where they all might drown"(46). I feel like this quote really described Norah. She seems to always be thinking of something that means alot to her but she never speaks her mind. She is very undecided and cannot make up her mind at all.

Theme

From this quote, i think the theme is being in the background and not telling the whole truth or not saying anything at all. Norah and David have issues with eachother as well as how David does not tell anyone about Phoebe.

Week 3, Post B

I am going to analyze a section in the novel that i though was really important so far as to how the whole thing has been laid out.
"David looked at Paul, sleeping so deeply on the blanket with his head turned to the side, his long hair curling against his damp next. His son, at least, he had sheltered from grief. Paul would not grow up, as David had, suffering the loss of his sister. He would not be forced to fend for himself because his sister couldn't. This thought, and the force of its bitterness, shocked David. He wanted to believe he'd done the right thing when he handed his daughter to Caroline Gill. Or at least that he'd had the right reasons."(113).
I think that David's whole reason to give his daughter up was because of his past. I do not understand how someone could be so selfish but i guess he could not have his son grow up the same way he did: always helping his sister June who had heart problems. That would have been very similar for Paul if he would have kept Phoebe but is that really so bad? i belive David is not a good man. His wife and son know that a large something is missing from their lives but they do not know what! David, i think you need to tell the truth before its too late. I feel like it would be better for your wife and son to know that Phoebe is alive somewher out ther instead of grieving.

Week 3, Post A

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

VoCaB

1.) Reticence (27): disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.
2.) Precariously (73): dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain.

FiGuRaTiVe LaNgUaGe

1.) Similie. "She traveled slowly backward in the softening darkness, the stilled traffic like a frozen river" (32). The author is comparing the stilled traffic to a frozen river therefor it is a similie.
2.) Similie. " Norah looked at her son's tiny face, surprised, as always, by his name. He had not grown into it yet, he still wore it like a wristband, something that might easily slip off and disappear" (40). The author is comparing her son's new name and how it is similar to a wristband that could easily just slip away becuase it is so new.
3.) Imagery. "He left then, and everything was the same as it had been: the clock on the mantel, the square of light on the floor, the sharp shadows of bare branches"(66). I think that this quote is an imagery because it is descibing David's house and making it easy to think about during other descriptions.

QuOte

"Did he miss his twin, Norah wondered, that vanished presence, his short life's close companion? Would he always feel a sense of loss?"(44). I like this quote because it is representing how Paul, an infant who probably has no clue even though he has lived next to his sister for 9 monthes, yet Norah was feeling depressed because of her daughter and never really had that connection. Or, maybe she did have a largeg connection and just cannot live with the fact her daughter "died"?

Theme

I think a possible theme is grieving. Norah grives for her daughter and cannot stand the fact that her husband is not doing a thing.

Week 2, Post B

Dear David,
You are one of the main characters in the novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Your wife recently had twins and you had to deliver them in your office because of a snowstorm. During that time, you made the split-second choice to send the baby girl with downsyndrome with the nurse to bring to an institution. What made you decide you couldn't have a baby with a disability? And what made you decide to lie about it to your wife? You say, "This would destroy Norah. I will not have her deystroyed"(30). You tell Norah that the baby died at birth, but i believe it would have been better of you to at least tell the truth and see what happens from then. Norah is already depressed about her "dead" daughter. She keeps saying, "I had twins, No one else will say a word about her. They act like since I have Paul, i ought to be satisfied. Like lives are interchangeable. But I had twins. I had a daughter too"(43). David, you thought that Norah would forget about it, but is forgetting wanting to go to the graveyard once of week to mourn over your alive daughter's grave? I think you need to talk to your wife because so far i realize there will be some consequences!
sincerely,
Claire O'Neill

Week 2, Post A

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Vocab

1.) Poultices (23): A soft moist mass of bread, meal, clay, or other adhesive substance, usually heated, spread on cloth, and applied to warm, moisten, or stimulate an aching or inflamed part of the body.
2.) Macabre (44): gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible.

Figurative Language

1.) Similie. "She gestured to the house, veiled with snow and glowing like a lantern in the darkness of the street"(11). I feel that this is a similie because it uses like to compare the house and the lantern. Also this is an imagery because it describes the street and gives an image.
2.) Metaphor. "Since she had agreed to Dr. Henry's astonishing request, Caroline had felt as if she were falling through the air in slow motion, waiting to hit land and discover where she was"(22). This is a metaphor because it describes how Caroline has been feeling metaphorically.
3.) Similie. " Caroline drove fast once she reached the interstate, fatique sluicing through her body like water down rock"(31). This quote is describing how caroline's body felt like after she was driving fast.

Quote

"Yet he had sent her to this place with his infant daughter, this place where a woman had sat on the edge of a bed, her hair drifting into soft piles on the harsh cold light of the floor"(39). Caroline is puzzeled because David had seemed like a great guy: being a doctor, helping others for free but he does not want his own daughter who appears to have downsyndrome. She does not understand how she could have possibly liked him, so she decides to take the baby.

Theme

So far, i think the theme is lying to get the better way off. David lied to Norah about the baby which is causing her distress and pain. Also, i predict that that lie will come back and haunt him.

Week 1 - Post B

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Dear Kim Edwards,
I am only 20 pages into your novel but so far i am intrigued. I like how for this first chapter you have not said the main characters names yet but you have called them "he" "her" and "the doctor". I am very interested to see what their names are! But anyways, i think it is just horrible what the doctor does. I mean, give away his own daughter who comes out of the womb looking odd? How could any father do something as bad as that? Did you have anything to inspire to you write something like that? When the doctor says, "This poor child will most likely have a serious heart defect. A fatal one. I'm trying to spare us all a terrible grief"(19), does he really mean what he is saying or is he just being a selfish person who does not want to deal with a child dying? If i were the mother, i would want to know about this child. I would for sure not send it away...any loving mother who has carried her child for nine monthes would never do such a thing! But maybe the doctor just wanted not to tell his wife who was already stressed out about the condition she was in. Plus, the baby had a twin who lived. Although i am not very far into this novel, i find it very good! i cannot wait to keep on reading! =]
~claire O'Neill

Week 1 - Post A

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

VOCAB

1.) Eddies (3): a small whirlpool.
2.) Aberration (7): the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course.

Figurative Language

1.) Imagery. "A few flakes first, in the dull gray late-afternoon sky, and then wind-driven swirls and eddies around the edges of their wide front porch"(3). This quote is imagery because it is describing what the scene looks like and it gives an image to reader about what is going on.
2.) Metaphor. "He read well past midnight, until the words shimmered senselessly on the bright white pages"(8). This is a metaphor because words do not actually shimmer on the pages, but the author is using it to describe what it felt like.
3.) Similie. "When he turned off the lights, shards of fire glowed softly through layers of ash as delicate and white as the snow piled so high now on the porch railings"(8). This is a similie because it uses as and compares the fire and the white snow.

Quote

"It was a moment when all the disparate shards of his life seemed to knit themselves together, every past sadness and disappointment, every anxious secret and uncertainty hidden now beneath the soft white layers"(9).
I like this quote because Dr. Henry is recounting everything that has happened in his life before he married his wife and how now they seem to come together. Now all his bad memories have been changed or hidden and he has moved on.

Theme

So far, the theme in this novel is living with what you have. Dr. Henry's wife had to give birth in not a regular hospital because of the snow storm and it shows that anything is possible.

Athena - Lean on Me

Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, in the epic poem The Odyssey inspires me. She guides two important men in the right direction and acts somewhat as their guardian angel. If it weren’t for Athena, Telemachus probably would have stopped believing his father was alive and his mother would have probably married one of the suitors. She encourages Telemachus to go to Pylos and Sparta to find information about his father which helped him journey on his way to become a man. Athena defiantly has a major effect on how this story is going to turn out and with that, I think Odysseus and Telemachus are there to Lean On her.

Athena first inspired me in the first book when she went to Ithaca to speak to Telemachus. She says, “How obscenely they lounge and swagger here, look, gorging in your house. Why, any man of sense who chanced among them would be outraged seeing such behavior” [260]. And with that, Telemachus wants to get ride of the suitors. She is also very clever when she disguises herself as Telemachus to get a ship and crew. This brings me to think that she is an amazing master of disguise.

I chose the song Lean on Me by Bill Withers. I felt that those lyrics show that because Athena is an immortal Goddess her job is to let the immortals lean on her. Some lyrics that show how Athena cares and helps others move on are: Sometimes in our lives we all have pain / We all have sorrow / But if we are wise /We know that there's always tomorrow/Lean on me, when you're not strong/And I'll be your friend /I'll help you carry on. She helps Odysseus and Telemachus overcome their problems by giving each one strengths. She gives Telemachus courage to speak up to the suitors and go on a journey. Therfore, I think Athena is the type of person who is willing to give a hand whenever and be there to lean on.

Week 7, Post B

Dear Jodi,

I recently finished you novel and I've started another one of your books: The Pact. I have also read My sisters keeper and i noticed you have the same sort of theme in all your books: How well do you know your children. Do you enjoy writing about sad and depressing things that make the reader have sympathy for all the characters? well, you sure know how to make it seem that way! i am going to analyze your main quote of this novel.
"In nineteen minuted, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist;you can fold laundry for a family of five...In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge". This quote relates to many instances in this novel. For example, Peter decided to get revenge against all his classmates that ever bullied him. Do you think this was acceptable? Personally, i think no. But studies showed that Peter was in a state of not knowing what was going on. In the end, the secret is revealed about the truth, and in that instance, she jumped off of the world. Well Jodie, all in all, this novel was great. Although it had dark times, it taught me many lessons that i will always remember.
THANKS!
Claire O'Neill

Week 7, Post A

Nineteen Minutes

VOCAB

1.) Molotov (251): Soviet politician who was head of the Council of People's Commissars (1930-1941) and foreign minister (1939-1949 and 1953-1956).
2.) Crocuses (252):the flower or bulb of the crocus.

FIG LANGUAGE

1.) Imagery. "Josie glanced from the serviceable gray tile floor to the cinder-block walls, from the iron bars that isolated Dispatch from the sitting area to the heavy door with its automatic lock"(273). This quote is clearly imagery because it describes the jail as Josie is seeing it and you can imagine how it must look.
2.) Metaphor. "What they'd lost was written across their faces, a collective scar"(264). This quote is a metaphor because you could see what a person lost through their expressions but it wouldnt leave a scar but it might have left an inner scar.
3.) Similie. "How questions could build up like the pressure inside a champagne bottle"(274). This quote is a similie because it uses "like" but also, it compares building up questions to the pressure in a champagne bottle.

QUOTE

"Part of growing up was learning not to be quite that honest-learning when it was better to lie, rather than hurt someone witht eh truth. [...] it was why she was talking about camp and stuffed animals - the hallmarks of the son she remembered - instead of discovering who he had become. But Peter had never learned how to say one thing when he meant another. It was one of the reasons he'd been hurt so many times"(257). This quote was the turning point in the novel when lacy realizes that her son, Peter, knows that she cannot handle the fact he is in jail. She has gone so far to lying in order to make him not be hurt anymore with the truth that other kids have ruined his life with.

THEME

Relating to above, a major theme is lying rather than hurting someone with the truth. This is what is needed to do in order to make someone feel better about themselves even though it is not true. Lacy does this to her son in order to get other the truth that he is in jail.