Summer Reading
“Skeletons don’t like to stay in closets,” Clare states in the first pages of Learning Not to Drown, a novel by Anna Sindoa. The protagonist of the novel, Clare, and has plenty of skeletons in her closet, but one in particular stands out from the crowd. Luke, her older brother, just got released from prison for the 3rd time and even though she doesn’t show it, her fear is unimaginable. Anna Shindoa uses a non-linear plot line with narrating shifts and abrupt transitions to provide additional perspectives to the story this structure highlights the twists and turns that ultimately lead to the conclusion that for one to move on with life, they first have to accept their past.
In literature, a linear plot begins at a certain
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The first abrupt shift that occurred in my novel was the third chapter. the novel started with flashbacks which gave the reader some background information on the main character and her experiences. For instance Clare went through a traumatic experience when she was younger and held onto that experience for the rest of her life. For a person to move on with life he or she must accept their past, the theme of the novel Learning Not to Drown. The quote found on page one helps connect with the theme because that is a part of Clare's life that she has to accept to move on. “CRASH! We turned. The glass has cracked, with two spider webs suspended where Peter’s fists had just been.” (Pg. 140) Although Peter ends up being the better brother in the novel, Luke does pretty well when Clare was younger, although Luke was quite aggressive. Peter had just pulled a major prank on Clare when this quote happened. Using the previously stated process of identifying a theme in literature, Learning not To Drown is a non-fictional novel with a protagonist named Clare. Clare is a senior in high school, she has two brothers. Luke and Peter, Peter is a good kid but he is very mean to clare but what brothers are not? But Luke loves Clare to death the only problem is Luke is in and out of prison because of his drug/stealing addiction. Not to mention a rapist. This leaves …show more content…
This make the police question if the accident was actually a suicide or a murder. The flashbacks take the reader to the times where Emily and Chris were happy and in love then slowly introduces them to the underlying sadness that the author hid so well earlier in the novel. The theme in The Pact is that people don’t have to dwell on terrible experiences in their life, and instead can move on by accepting the past and looking towards the future. Although The Pact’s plot is non-linear, it is structured and shows a consistency in the rythym of the past. On the contrary, the TV show Lost is not structured. Each episode contains either some sense of a analepsis (flashback) or a prolepsis (forward flash). These transitions of time create confusion because of their lack of organization. Another example of a non-linear plot is American Horror Story. In the beginning each episode there is a flashback. In the pilot of the show they set the flashback to 1978 where 2 young boys enter the “murder house” only to find their demise. The flashbacks create the jump or gap in time forming a non-linear plot from the sporadic
Diane Urban, for instance, was one of the many people who were trapped inside this horror. She “was comforting a woman propped against a wall, her legs virtually amputated” (96). Flynn and Dwyer appeal to the reader’s ethical conscience and emotions by providing a story of a victim who went through many tragedies. Causing readers to feel empathy for the victims. In addition, you began to put yourself in their shoes and wonder what you would do.
People change everyday, whether it is from good to bad or for the better. People often say to themselves, maybe, if I didn't do “blank” this wouldn't have happened. However, the reality is, it happened, and there is no way to change that. Why go around throwing maybe’s around if you cannot change it? Authors purposefully make readers ask those questions. Authors love to create complex characters, characters that go through change. In Ellen Hopkins’ book, Crank, is the perfect example. Ellen Hopkins writes from her own daughter's perspective, Kristina, on how “the monster” changed her own life and her family's life.
2. Explain how a character in the book changed or is starting to change in the part you are reading?
Susanna recalls her suicide attempt: “I wanted to get rid of a certain aspect of my character. I was performing a kind of self-abortion of my character… but i had no heart to try it again” (Kaysen 39). Although Susanna’s action is viewed by some critics as alarming, it was a learning experience for her, and she moved on. Furthermore, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs emphasizes the idea of undergoing drastic measures in order for results to be evident. Also, self-actualization stresses the need for personal growth that spans a person’s lifetime (McLeod). Susanna’s drastic actions allow her to realize her need for self-evaluation and understanding her actions. Susanna explains that “scar tissue has no character... It doesn’t show age or illness... It shields and disguises what’s beneath. That’s why we grow it, we have something to hide” (Kaysen 16). Seeing Polly’s scar tissue, Susanna acknowledges the motives behind the creation of the form of skin, and thus, her understanding brings her closer to identifying her motives and what she seeks to gain from her actions. Susanna explains what goes into one’s detachment from life: “... practice imagining yourself dead, or in the process of dying” (Kaysen 36). Susanna acknowledges preparing for suicide, however, she realizes after
The prologue of a novel plays a crucial role in introducing the setting of the story. The prologue also sets the tone of the tale and can sometimes hide vital information from the reader. The art of foreshadowing is often used in the prologue, and after reading through the story, reverting back to the prologue can help connect the many themes and motifs that are prevalent throughout the narrative. A high-quality example of a prose with a prologue that is riddled with underlying foreshadowing is The Assault, by Harry Mulisch. By analyzing a single passage of the prologue and comparing it with other small potions of the text, the foretelling of events in the prologue of The Assault by Harry Mulisch can easily be related to how Anton believed the killing of his family was a simple affair, when in reality, it was a more complicated incident than
Typically, a novel contains four basic parts: a beginning, middle, climax, and the end. The beginning sets the tone for the book and introduces the reader to the characters and the setting. The majority of the novel comes from middle where the plot takes place. The plot is what usually captures the reader’s attention and allows the reader to become mentally involved. Next, is the climax of the story. This is the point in the book where everything comes together and the reader’s attention is at the fullest. Finally, there is the end. In the end of a book, the reader is typically left asking no questions, and satisfied with the outcome of the previous events. However, in the novel The Things They Carried the setup of the book is quite different. This book is written in a genre of literature called “metafiction.” “Metafiction” is a term given to fictional story in which the author makes the reader question what is fiction and what is reality. This is very important in the setup of the Tim’s writing because it forces the reader to draw his or her own conclusion about the story. However, this is not one story at all; instead, O’Brien writes the book as if each chapter were its own short story. Although all the chapters have relation to one another, when reading the book, the reader is compelled to keep reading. It is almost as if the reader is listening to a “soldier storyteller” over a long period of time.
Though, acceptance of trauma can allow hindered development, eventually allowing full self-acceptance. Bernice, a once strong woman has been verbally, emotionally and physically abused since her childhood. Resulting in a loss of her sense of being. Within the beginning of the novel, when she is reflecting on her past memories, it becomes clear to the reader that in order for her to be able to accept herself, she needs to surface her past traumas. Bernice explains that, “In the tendrils, Bernice realizes there is remorse in her body and she is trying to kick it out. Her shell rejects remorse. Shame. Feeling bad over feeling good” (49). This mindset is negative and expresses her inability to share her emotions due to previous emotional abuse from her family and the many men that have taken advantage of her. This idea of disallowing happiness hinders her ability to accept herself and her past actions. However, through more time of self-reflection (over 200 hundred pages of her lying in bed with the author switching perspectives, confusing the hell out of me lol) Bernice realizes that she must learn to cope with these traumas and attempt to have a positive outlook on life. As Bernice is accepting the damaged part of herself, she comes to the realization that, “She can feel her body now, its loose and stiff at the same time. Her head, though will be the hard part. Part of her lost for so long that it is hard to enunciate what, exactly, she has found” (228). In comparison to when Bernice was unable to acknowledge her feelings and thoughts, it is now clear that she is slowly learning to manage her issues. By Bernice discovering that she is beginning to acknowledge her thoughts, this is the first step to being able to accept one’s self. In Total, It is shown that Bernice is deeply affected by the trauma within her life, however she is able to
...sition. For example, you could spend a paragraph on Jack's transition from a boy unwilling to kill a pig, to savagely killing the mother pig to killing Simon and Piggy and finally to hunting Ralph. Then you could spend another paragraph on Jack's transition from acting as a rule-abiding member of the group to leaving the group and finally to taking over the group. You could also, spend a paragraph discussing Jack's physical transition, from the school-boy uniform at the beginning of the novel to the savage beast hiding behind the mask at the end of the novel. Organizing your paper in this fashion allows you to separate and discuss each aspect of Jack's transition clearly and thoroughly.
In a novel, the theme is the insight of real life. J.D. Salinger’s initiation novel, The Catcher In The Rye, describes the adventures of 16-year old Holden Caulfield, the protagonist and first person narrator, who refuses to grow up and enter manhood. The most important theme developed by Salinger is Holden’s problem of dealing with change; he has trouble dealing with death, he refuses to accept children’s loss of innocence as a necessary step in the growing-up process, and has difficulties with growing up.
Imagine that your father has been murdered but you can’t look into it because of your gender. In Jennifer Donnelly’s novel, These Shallow Graves, you explore Josephine Monfort’s life as she tries to uncover her father’s secrets, including those that lead to his death. Set in New York during the nineteenth century, Josephine cannot just be a journalist as she dreams, and has to set out for help from a writer to find answers. Coming from a wealthy family, every move is watched by her family, friends, and even enemies. Jo has to act like a lady at all times, and when she stops, those closest to her take extreme measures to keep her from the truth that would ruin them all. This novel addresses and challenges gender roles, as Josephine turns from New York’s most attractive to most unsophisticated by speaking out, being curious, and persisting to find the truth.
Many people experience many things throughout life and it sometimes comes from your parents living structure. The glass castle by Jeannette Wall is a memoir based off the events that took place in her life. She soon talks about what horrible things she encountered growing up when she was younger. Jeannette talks about how her parents were and the person she is today reflects on why she wanted to change her living structure.Despite the school boards recent sentiments regarding the lack of value that fiction provides, fiction should remain in the school curriculum because it's something that connects with real world situations, most people don't know what other people experience throughout life, and it's sometimes
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a harrowing and heartbreaking yet an inspiring memoir of a young girl named Jeannette who was deprived of her childhood by her dysfunctional and unorthodox parents, Rex and Rose Mary Walls. Forced to grow up, Walls stumbled upon coping with of her impractical “free-spirited” mother and her intellectual but alcoholic father, which became her asylum from the real world, spinning her uncontrollably. Walls uses pathos, imagery, and narrative coherence to illustrate that sometimes one needs to go through the hardships of life in order to find the determination to become a better individual.
During the first few chapters, the reader begins to examine the plot, absorb the characters lives and take in the setting. One would never guess what terrible tragic events would occur as each page is turned and more information is gathered. As the reader continues, each page dramatically changes the plot. Othello and Gatsby both commence as outsiders, unaware of their surroundings. Disorder initiates when other characters begin to take action, influencing madness, eventually leading to the climax, where everything turns into turmoil. In the end, consequence leads to every character’s boundless downfall.
She continues in this sequel to talk about the abuse she faced and the dysfunction that surrounded her life as a child and as a teen, and the ‘empty space’ in which she lived in as a result. She talks about the multiple personalities she was exhibiting, the rebellious “Willie” and the kind “Carol”; as well as hearing noises and her sensory problems. In this book, the author puts more emphasis on the “consciousness” and “awareness” and how important that was for her therapeutic process. She could not just be on “auto-pilot” and act normal; the road to recovery was filled with self-awareness and the need to process all the pieces of the puzzle—often with the guidance and assistance of her therapist. She had a need to analyze the abstract concept of emotions as well as feelings and thoughts. Connecting with others who go through what she did was also integral to her
...-linear. What happens in the past does not stay in the past. Water comes back when land is reclaimed, eels reproduce via a circular journey, traits of parents are transferred to their children, and decisions affect the future. Throughout the novel, Tom explains how history “goes backwards as it goes forward. It loops. It takes detours,” and it does the same with his style of his narrative (155). The stories communicated by Tom shows how, “[History] repeats itself, how it goes back on itself, no matter how we try to straighten it out. How it twists and turns. How it goes in circles and brings us back to the same place” (162). The narrative embodies the circular progression of time showing that history is never gone, but rather, it manifests itself in the present and somehow repeats.