Based on what you've read so far, what do you know about the characters in your books? In what way has the writer deliberately introduced you to the characters and the text that will follow? Do you feel connected to any characters? In what ways? Do you feel a disconnect between you and any characters? In what ways? What experience or expertise do you have that helps you relate to the characters?
How do you think these characters and their traits will affect the rest of the book? How will the connections or detachments between yourself and the characters affect YOUR reading, interpretation, and understanding of the text?
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When you've finished posting your response to this prompt, Kristen and I would like you to take some time to think of any character you can best relate to outside of your book. This might be a character from a TV show or website or cartoon or ad or book. Whatever the case, we'd like you to find a picture of this character on the internet and post it on the blog. With the picture, also post a few sentences, talking about how you can relate to the character and why you chose him, her, it.
Based on what I have read so far in Stranger than Fiction there has been no main characters. The author starts out with very vivid details about a sex festival in montana. I dont feel like I can relate to the people being described at the festival because I don't participate in public sex acts. I am not sure how this chapter will connect to the rest of the book but I am very interested to find out. I thought it was a great way to start the book because after reading that you don't want to put it down.
So far the Last American Man is a weird interesting book. It gives me a thrill to know that Eustace moved out his suburban home town where he lived at the age of 17. He pretty much knew how to live on his own at the age of 5 to 7. As of now he seems like a person that knows what he wants in life and would do whatever to takes to make it happen. He wants to do things his way and by that he would get by in life. It would give me a since of structure once i futhur on reading the story on how to take life as if everday counts.
From the couple pages I read in Our America, the two main characters LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman were introduced. These two ids live on the Southside of Chicago that lived in the Ida B Wells homes. I feel that i could kind of relate to them because it is hard living in the ghettos of Chicago with all the crime and drugs that go around. I know this because i used to live on the southside of Chicago and it wasn't the best neighbhorhood. I experienced things at the age of 2 that i shouldn't have but happened due to living in that area. I also feel like i dont connecet with them because there in a worse place then i was where crime and drugs was at a higher rate. I think that the characters will effect the book later on because they will go through different events which might change the flow of the story.
Eustace Conway seems to be a man of adventure. Taking risk and chances is what motivates him. He's not a person that's afraid to try new things.
The writer has made it clear that Eustace is a free soul. He doesn't have attachments that hold him to one place. While his family seems to have been a major influenece on the man that he became.
I feel somewhat connected to Eustace in the since of trying new things, although I feel that he was rather extreme to some extent. The way he choose to live wouldn't be somthing that I feel that I could have done. While he was brave I would have been terrified to be out in the middle of know where on my own.
I feel that me and Eustace share a common ground when it comes to your parents not putting fear in you. That was something that was putin me as a child and it ahs followed me through out my adult hood. Eustace was brought up the same way.
I think that Eustace will make this reading very interesting and sad at the same time. Interesting because I want to no what he's going to do next but sad because he has no o ne yo share his adventures with , so far.
The detachments will not affect my opinions at all because I have an open mind about all aspects of life.
In Stranger than Fiction i really like how in the introduction Palahniuk's talked about how people are alone. I thought it was interesting that people go through transitions, being alone, being with people and going back to alone again. I also like how he mentioned that we have to make plans and activities in order to kind of make it interesting to interact with others.
It is curious how people interact with each other and what "activities" they come up with so they can interact.
I viewed the first chapter as people who share the same comfortableness with their sexuality. They were able to get together in a social gathering to share their similar interests.
The two main characters in my book are two young black kids living in the worst possible community in Illinois.They are filled with sorrow,anger,and shame.They are confused because they don't understand why they are subjected to such for lack of better words.f***** up living conditions.
I think the picture on the cover of the book of LeAlan and Lloyd says it all. The anger ,and sorrow is written all over their faces.I believe David Isay did this to give the reader or even someone who just happened to see the book, the feeling that this book isn't about happy things, and that our country is f***** up.
I definitely feel connected to the boys on several levels. For one,I know how it feels to be lied to, ignored, and a black youth growing up in the midst of urban America.(ghettos) We don't understand exactly why kids like us are subjected to poverty, or how are we chosen out of all the kids in the world.why us?I also feel a disconnect beacuse I've never really faced poverty, and I've never known anyone that was thrown out of a window.
The character's traits will affect the book by giving it the ugly truth, and also sharing their raw feelings.
Based on what I have read I have learned that my main character feels alone during writing, and write to meet people, and then likes to go back into suclusion. He also like to spend time listening to other people's stories to break the cycle of everyday conversations that go nowhere. The other characters are wild people at a crazy festival in Montana, sex line operators, and alzheimers patients.
The author introduced me to the characters through explaining the events at the festival and rowdyness that insues. He also tells us about the patient's memories and how they change and such. I feel connected to the author through the introduction when he speaks about how no matter what you have you can always feel alone, but still not be lonely. I also feel misplaced at some times like the author must have at the festival and hospital.
I feel disconnected from the crazy party-goers because it's pretty much just gross, and something I'd never partake in.
I have experiences events similar but not on such an extreme sexual level in an extremely large group of people, and I have also communicated with people that have no idea what they are recalling.
I think these characters affect the rest of the book by changing the way the author sees everything and how he decides to start conversation with future characters.
I feel the connections I feel between my character will spark my attention to want to continue reading, and even reading ahead to find out what's next for the author. I feel I understand the text and can relate to the writing style of the author.
The book i am reading is Stranger Than Fiction. So far I have read the introduction and the first "chapter". I really connect with the introduction. Palahniuk, the author, talks about how when we are around people we want to be alone and how when we are alone we want people around. I know that a lot of times i feel that way. He also mentions a boy who can't swim and moves to Miami where the culture gathers socially in the water. Though I can't swim either I more indentify with idea that I find it hard to find a common interset with people and how when everyone else is swimming, I'm left at the shore.
On the surface I didn't connect at all with the group of people in the first chapter. What they do and how they are were strange to me. Reading about their acts made me uneasy. There's no way I can be a part of that. But there is where I do conncet. I understand bonding together with people with similar interest, whatever they may be, and getting together to have the fun they can't have a home with their other friends. To be able to find some release from your daily routine and cut loose is something I can definatly agree with even if I don't agree with what it is that's going on.
Though there is no set group of charecters in this book they all have something in common, they all feel the need to connect. As I progress through the book I think I will mostly look at how the charecters get together and how they differ form others in the general public.
These are all good connections and these responses seem to go deeper than your previous posts. Look to Derrick, Alexis, Josh, and Nick for examples of strong writing on these posts. Derrick is honest and is using his own terms to define and relate to the text; Alexis is using personal history; Josh is admitting little relation, but fully articulating why; and Nick is using an analysis of the text that looks at both the SURFACE of the book and the SUBTEXT. Nick's idea of "dissection" is a good one to start using in writing and a good way to begin reading--what are your gut instincts and why? How can the text support your reactions and how can you begin to move past your first response into a deeper way of thinking. Nick is, essentially, SUSTAINING THE THOUGHT and letting things gather to become a whole and connected idea of relating to texts. This is a good way to model reading / model thinking about reading.
It is a hard thing to talk about what you are thinking about. It is hard to think about thinking, write about writing, etc. If your peers are mentioned as doing a good job, it doesn't mean you aren't doing a good job, it means that your peers are taking some extra step and are giving you an example. This is collaboration.
Again, watch for capitalization of "I." Also, comma placement seems to be a pattern here. The most basic idea of the comma is when you would breathe in the sentence, that's where a comma goes. It isn't always true, but it's a good way to begin thinking about comma use. Most "new" writers become "comma happy" after they learn about the comma.
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