I am woman....hear me roar.....
9 years ago
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Overview
Does the book deliver in terms of engaging you all the way through? Are characters compelling, is the plot suspenseful, and are you satisfied with how the story ends?
Monday, June 21, 2010
Main character
Which characters are most prominent to you? Who do you feel 'owns' the story? Or do you feel there is no one main character?
No men?
What are the features of Cranford that make it essentially a woman's town?Do the women of Cranford actually dislike men?
Elegant Economy
How do the opening paragraphs give a tone to the book? What does the phrase "elegant economy" mean?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
His parents
"My father was like a broom, sweeping me out into the world, while my mother was the dustpan, constantly gathering up the shattered pieces and putting me back together again". How do Erik's parents play complementary roles in his early life?
Fitting in
Erik says, "Being included was more important than the fear of getting hurt". How is this statement true for all middle school students, not only blind ones?
perceptions
How do others' perceptions of Erik's blindness limit him? How do our false perceptions of other people limit our ability to truly see them? What kinds of false perceptions can affect all people, not merely the blind? When have you overcome a negative or limiting stereotype?
Leadership
What is leadership? Erik says, "perhaps leadership was not so much a matter of raw talent, as raw courage". What does he mean by this statement? Do you think he is correct? Whom do you see as true leaders? Are leaders born or can leadership be learned and developed?
It sure is cold.. but at least it's windy
How does Chris's attitude of "positive pessimism" help the climbers deal with a harsh environment? Can you think of areas of your life that you could use it?
Failure
Jeff tells Erik, "When you try big things.. you gotta expect to fail sometimes." Is Jeff right? Can failure, ironically, be a crucial ingredient of success?
Life
Discuss Erik's belief that "life is never meant to be easy; exciting, challenging maybe, rewarding from time to time, but never easy." Is this true for the sighted as well as the blind?
True Summit
"A summit isn't just a place on a mountain. A summit exists in our hearts and minds. It is a tiny scrap of a dream made real, indisputable proof that our lives have meaning. A summit is a symbol that with our force of will and the power of our legs, our backs, and our two hands, we can transform our lives into whatever we choose them to be, whatever our hands our strong enough to create."
Do you believe this? Do you have summits in your heart and mind?
teamwork
" A mountain was such a huge and awesome force compared to the minuscule life of a human, to have a chance of standing on top, we combined our strengths and talents to become a more powerful force than we ever could have been as individuals."
In what ways do the members of Erik's team contribute to each other's success?
Parameters
Erik ends by admitting that part of his pleasure comes from "taking other people's very narrow parameters of what's possible and what's not, and shattering them into a million pieces."
Has reading Erik's life story changed your understanding of the "parameters of what's possible"?
Ellen's will
"He's going to a normal school, with normal children, and even if I have to go to school with him, he's going to learn."
"He's blind. He's not stupid, and he can do better work than this."
"He doesn't need self-esteem... He needs to know how to spell."
How does Ellen Baker Weihenmayer's fierce will influence her son's development?
Carrying our share
"I would carry my share. I would contribute as any team member. I would not be carried up the mountain and spiked on top like a football. If I were to reach the summit, I would reach it with dignity."
When has carrying your share given you a feeling of dignity? Do you agree with him?
Things we can and can't do
"The things I could not do, I would let go; but the things I could do, I would learn to do well."
Have you let yourself do this in your own life? Do you hold on to things you can't do because you want to be able to do everything? Are you able to let go?
Fear
"All my life, fear had paralyzed me."
"The greatest fear is in the reaching."
"A delicate strand of hope balanced by fear, each keeping the other in its place."
What do you fear?
When is reaching frightening?
In what ways do human beings use hope to balance their fears?
What did you learn about fear from reading this book?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The first narration
The first section moves between the past and present with little more than a change in typeface to signify time shifts. How did you learn to find your way through Benjy's chapter? What is Faulkner saying about time and memory by having Benjy introduce the Compson family story?
Reliable?
Although Benjy is mentally challenged, he is able to recall many conversations and significant moments from his family's past. Discuss some of the events Benjy is remembering. Do you think he is a reliable narrator?
Benjy's name
When Benjy was 5 years old his name was changed from Maury. For what reason was his name changed? What do you think this says about the Compson family values?
MacBeth
The title of the book is taken from the despairing speech in William Shakespeare's MacBeth: "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow/ Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,/ To the last syllable of recorded time/ And all our yesterdays have lighted fools/ The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!/ Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more. It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing." At this point in the play, MacBeth has just learned that his wife has killed herself and their plans for seizing the throne will not work out. How are Benjy and Quentin represented in the MacBeth quote? Who do you think is "the idiot"?
Clocks
Why does Quentin refuse to look at watches and clocks? How is time an important theme in the novel so far?
Quentin
Ultimately, why do you feel Quentin commits suicide? Why does Faulkner choose to have Quentin narrate his own section, even though he has been dead for nearly 18 years?
Emphasis on Caddy's life
Benjy, Quentin and Jason each put more emphasis on Caddy's life than can be considered healthy. How does each do this? What happens because of it?
Jasons prevention
Why did Jason prevent Caddy from seeing her own daughter, Miss Quentin? How would you describe Jason's mode of thinking and reasoning?
Mrs. Compson
Mrs. Compson says approvingly that Jason is more Bascomb (her family) than Compson (her husband's). Is this really such a compliment? How do you perceive Mrs. Compson's relationship with her children?
Caddy
While Caddy is presented as maternal and promiscuous, she is also unknowable, given that she can only be glimpsed in the rather unreliable narrations of her brothers. Does she appeal to you as a sympathetic character? Is Caddy's fall the cause of the family tragedy or is she just another child-victim of the abdication of parental responsibility?
Overlooked perspectives
Although this section isn't told from the first person, the third person narration favors Dilsey's perspective. It is also the closest we come to hearing a female voice in the novel. Why do you think Faulkner chose not to have Dilsey, Caddy, Caroline, or Miss Quentin narrate her own section? What do you think they might have said?
What is it about?
What would you say this novel is "about"? Think again about the Macbeth quotation—"[life] is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing." What does Faulkner's tale, told four times, signify?
Animal personification
What other books have you read that use animal personification? (animals taking on human characteristics) Do you like that?
The mole's actions
Do you think Mole did the right thing by preventing Rat from leaving home to travel with the Sea Rat? At what point does helping a friend cross the line into controlling a friend's actions?
Moral lessons
What moral lessons do you think the author was trying to teach his son through these characters? Which, do you believe, is the most valuable?
Adventure
Discuss the author's point of view on adventure. What is its purpose? What type of adventure does he find most suitable?
The best animal for a friend
Which of the characters in the book do you think would make the best friend? Why?
Toad's change
Do you believe Toad's change of attitude at the end of the book will last? Why or why not?
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