The Tenth Circle post # 5 B

Analyzing Jasons Death

I believe that Laura murderded Jason. She had both motive and doesn't have an alliby as far as the reader knows. I also think that Laura murdered Jason because of the quote on page 204," The only thing Laura hadn't done was kill someone." I believe that this is an example of forshadowing.

I assume that the night Laura killed Jason it went something like this...She came home to wait and see if Trixie would come home after she had run away from seeing her dad fight with Jason. I think Laura's nerves got the best of her and she wanted to go and find Trixie instead of waiting and home so she went for a drive. When she saw Jason. Jason was already intoxicated so I assume that when she attempted to talk to him and he most likely did not reply in the most literate of ways she got angry. Before she new it her anger turned into rage and she pushed Jason off of the bridge. This theory is supported by the fact Detective Bartholemew found female blood near the victim. It wasn't Trixies because the book already said she went to the bank. Therefore meaning that Laura killed Jason.

The Tenth Circle post # 5 a

vocab
nonbarbiturate (194):not derived from barbituric acid
Luge (197):a one- or two-person sled for coasting or racing down a chute, used esp. in Europe.

Figurative Language
"Every now and then, he still woke up with the one thought caught like cotton on the roof of his mouth." (210) This is a simile because it is comparing the cotton as something that bothers a person, with the thought in his mind.

"But for Daniel it felt like shrugging on an old, soft suede coat that had been buried so deep in his closet he was certain it had long ago been given away to someone else who needed the cover." (211) This is an example of a simile as well as description because it uses the word like and a lot of adjectives.

"She was a lost girl with no way home." (215) This is a metaphor for how Trixie feels after hearing of Jason's death.

Quote
"It's how I run away." (246)
This quote signifies that Trixie is having severe problems with her cutting. When her father finds the other cuts on her wrist she tell him the quote above.

Theme
A new emerging theme in the book is what goes around comes around.

The Tenth Circle week #4 B.

Dear Laura (protagonists mother),
I am wondering how you have managed to make such a large change in your life so quickly? As you say in the book ,"You have entered every stage of hell."(199) Meaning that you have done almost every sinful act in the book. But somehow you have recently stopped cheating on your husband, stopped abandoning your loved ones, as well as stopped lying. Was Trixie's raping the main influence on your decision to change?
Another question I have for you is why are you so obsessed with The Inferno? I understand that you teach a class on it but it seams like you talk about the book all the time. Even when you play with Trixie in the snow you bring up how this is similar to Dante's seventh stage in hell. Don't you ever get tired of interpreting the same text over and over again? Were any of the punishments Dante received motivation for you to change you life style?
My last question is why Daniel Stone? From how the book talks about him it seams as though he has every quality a girl would want in an ex-boyfriend, not a husband. This is just proven by the fact that you didn't want to tell him you were pregnant. Do you ever regret marrying Daniel? Or do you ever regret making him change who he was just to be with you? I have always heard marriage is all about compromise, what did you compromise?
Sheri Hickey

The Tenth Circle post #4 a

anapest(205):a foot of three syllables, two short followed by one long in quantitative meter, and two unstressed followed by one stressed in accentual meter, as in for the nonce.
canzone(205):a variety of lyric poetry in the Italian style, of Provencal origin, that closely resembles the madrigal.
Figurative Language
"Or the ice storm that made the needles on the pines look like they were out of crystal."(196) This is an example of figurative language because like is used to compare the the needles on the pine trees to crystal.
"Or the kind of snow that landed like goose down, during mud season." (196) This is an example of a simile because the word like is used to compare how snow falls to how goose down falls.
"She started to role across the lawn, like a bandage." (197) This is a simile because the word like compares how she rolled across the snow to a bandage.
Quote
"Her eyes widened, hopeful and then dimmed with disappointment as she realized that in spite of her best intentions she was still there." (168)
This quote is significant because it refers to the most important event in the book so far, next to the raping, Trixie attempted suicide and lived through it.
Emerging theme
A new emerging theme would be that teenagers are ignorant. Examples of this are when Jason goes to his hockey game drunk, Trixie attempts suicide, and when Jason approaches Trixie in the grocery store parking lot even though he could go to Juvenile Hall for it.

The tenth circle week 3 post#2

As a teenager I find this book difficult to read. I have no way of relating what Trixie, the main character, has been through(rape) to myself but I can relate to how mean kids can be. I find myself having difficulty getting through some sections of the book, like when Trixie's nude photo is put on every computer screen in the school. I can't believe someone would do this, but then when you think about it there are kids going into schools and killing people for this kind of thing. It must be going on in real life as well. So as far fetched as it seams, it's really quite realistic.
I also can relate to Trixie in feeling that ones social life is very important. Although it seams that Trixie is a bit more obsessed with her social status I understand where she is coming from. Its so easy for a teenager to get so rapped up in the social scene that they can't think of anything else. You can get self absorbed and completely forget about that test you have in Math on Monday because you have to go to this big party.
But I think the one thing Trixie and I do not have in common is our quality of Friends. I know for a fact this could not happen to me because i surround myself with people i can trust. Where as Trixie basically discards all of her close friends who are girls just because she is now dating Jason. And the one friend she did have, turned out to be the worst friend of all. If Trixie had focused more on friendships than her and Jason's relationships I think it would be much easier for her to face what happened.

The tenth circle week 3 post 1

coxcomb:A vain, showy fellow(118)
calumny: False accusation of a crime or offense, intended to injure anothers reputation.(133)

Figurative language
-When Mike goes to the hospital to interview the doctor who examined Trixie he immediately is reminded of the last time he was in the hospital, to identify his daughters dead body.(141) This a flashback because he recalls a moment in the past, due to something he sees in the present.
-"She was immobile."(144) This is an example of a metaphor, Laura sees that Trixie has attempted suicide of some sort and is shocked, but she can move if she wants.
-"The walls of the room were covered in blood; streaks, puddles, splotches as Laura ran into the bathroom."(148)

Quote
"Trixie began running as far as she could from the school. She stopped at the bridge where a few days ago Zephyr had told Trixie how to win Jason back, an event in her old life."(137)
This shows you how Trixie is deeply effected by what is going on in her life. She has realized that she is a completely changed person and will never be what she once was, no matter how hard she tries.
Theme
A new theme occurring in the book is that kids can be unbelievable mean. Towards the end of this section a naked picture of Trixie is placed on every computer screen in the school as well as sent out to many e-mail address' and cell phones, this was obviously done by a student. The book continues to tell horrifying stories about how Trixie is torched by her once friends.

hornet league debate

Debate #1: A childs curfew
a. Mainly at the house of the child.
b. The debate ensures that both parties compromise on the child's curfew.
c. Most of the time the outcome is a compromise between both parties, making both parties happy.
d. The debate is unstructured
e. The debate brings attention to the parents that the child is unhappy with their curfew.
f. The parents take into consideration what time the child would like to be home at so that both parties are happy.
Debate #2: A woman's right to abortion
a. Mainly between political figures in government facilities.
b. The debate ensures that every ones different opinions are taken into account to make the decision.
c.Yes, if there was no debating of the issue then its possible that no one would agree with the outcome.
d.Majority of the debates are some what structured, but are not in a formal debate setting.
e. The debate ensures that the decision made is what the majority party wants.
Debate #3 Using electronics while driving.
a. Normally in government offices or in social conversations between people.
b. The debate ensures that people are safe when driving.
c. No, i would say that statistics are more of a deciding factor than debating.
d. These debates are never in a formal setting but are either in government settings or just in social conversation.
e. I think the debate changes the severity of the decision but when it comes to does it cause an unsafe situation that based on mainly facts.
Debate #4 should fast food restaurants be held accountable for making people overweight?
a. The debates are always in social settings, like in the movie, Super Size Me.
b.The debate attempts to pin point the largest cause of obesity.
c. I think this debate just cause a lot of discussion but it doesn't really force anything to happen to the restaurants.
d. The debates are unstructured
e. There really is no decision being made so the debate really doesn't do anything.
Debate #5 Do movie ratings really prevent children from being exposed to things at too young of an age?
a. These debates occur whenever people talk about censorship.
b. The debate ensures that children are not exposed to crude material too early.
c. Yes, this is an issue that is decided on debate only. Is it socially acceptable for a child to watch people doing drugs on TV?
d. The debate is unstructured.
e. This allows the decision to be a happy medium, not to severe and not too loose.

The Tenth Circle post #2 part B

Analyzing Trixie before and After the rape
Before:
Before the rape Trixie was a fun and social girl. She hung out with friends a lot, had a lot of friends, and was dating one of the most popular boys in school. "And then there was the lunch table were Trixie once belonged- the one with the popular kids."(117) Trixie was a popular girl.
Trixie and Jason then break up. Although Trixie is very sad she still has her good friend Zephyr on her side, as well as Jason's friends who directly tell Trixie that they are on her side.
After
Trixie now can barely look anyone in the eye. The police detective says,"Trixie please speak up, and look at me when giving your statement."(84) This shows you Trixie has lost a lot of her social skills and confidence due to the raping. Trixie also mentions that her best friend Zephyr did not call her once after people found out about the rape, a time period of over a month. Trixie also refuses to go to school for about three weeks, because she is afraid of how people will react to her. And lastly, Trixie decides to cut her hair, this is the only physical change that occurs to Trixie after the rape. This shows the reader she has changed as a person, she is no longer that happy social girl, but a sad lonely no body.

The Tenth circle post #2 part1

Contrition: sincere penitence or remorse
Regressed:To go back; move backward.


Figurative Language
"She got in the shower but could not rinse herself clean. She would be dirty forever."(82)
- This is a metaphor because it says that she would always be dirty. We know that she will not always be physically dirty but we can assume that the statements means she Will feel dirty for the rest of her life.
"He grabbed Laura's upper arms and shook her so hard that her head snapped back and her eyes became wide open with fear."(91)
-this is an example of irony because the beginning of the book talks about how Daniel has become a new man. He was once a very bad person who was always violent, but once he married Laura he claimed to become a new person. Now that Trixie is rapped Daniel rages at Laura and begin to act like he claimed he would never act like again.
"I tried to get away, but he's bigger than I am, and he pushed me down again. It was like a game to him. He held my hands up over my head and he pulled down my pants. I said i wanted him to stop, but he didn't and then he pushed me down hard and raped me."(79)
-This is an example of imagery because it tells the reader a detailed description of how Trixie was raped.
Quote

"I want a buzz cut."(100)
-This quote is significant because it's about when Trixie get her hair cut. She decides to drastically shave her head of long hair because of the rape. This signifies that the rape has not only made Trixie out of sorts, but has also made her become a different person.
Theme
A new emerging theme in the book if that rape changes your life. Through out this chapter you realize how Trixie is changing because of the rape, even only days after it, like the buzz cut or not hanging out with friends at all. Trixie now completely isolates herself from the social world.

Book aproval

2 quarter reading
The Tenth Circle By: Jodi Picoult
Published in 2006
fiction
385 pages
-The book is not only long, but it also uses a wide range of vocabulary. I have read Jodi Picoult books before and they are very appropriate for high school reading.
-I chose this book I have many friends who are huge Jodi Picoult fans. I read one of her books last year but unfortunately didn't like it very much. I want to read this book to see what I missed with the first book I read. Why does everyone love Jodi Picoult so much?

The tenth circle Post #1 part 2

Dear Jodi Picoult,
I read your book, My Sister's Keeper, and I am currently reading The Tenth Circle. I dedicded to read My Sister's Kepper because I heard many good things about it. But after reading it I have to say I was slightly disappointed. I think that they way you told they story really confused the reader as well as distracted from the main plot of the story. I also think that the ending was too predictable. On the other hand I thought the story like was very interesting and unique. How did you come up with it?
After being dissapointed in your first book I thought that I would not read another book you have written. But after hearing more rave reviews of your latest books I decided to give The Tenth Circle a chance. I am only 55 pages into it but I think that what yuo have done with this book is great! You have combined the things I liked with the last book and changed the things I didn't like. The Tenth Circle is emotional and very heart warming. I always have a great idea of what the characters are thinking. I also like how you tell the story from the third person and not from each characters view like in My Sister's Keeper. Overall I can tell I am really going to enjoy this book.
Keep up the good work,
Sheri Hickey

The Tenth Circle post #1

Welt(53):a ridge or wale on the surface of the body, as from a blow of a stick or whip.
Freudian(23):of or pertaining to Sigmund Freud or his doctrines, esp. with respect to the causes and treatment of neurotic and psychopathic states, the interpretation of dreams, etc.
Figurative Language
"her hands were knotted together between them like a heart that had broken it's bounds."(55)This is a simile. I know this because it is comparing two things by using like.
"She was an old pair of shoes, tossed to the side forever."(22)This is a metaphor because it is comparing her to an old pair of shoes, with out using like or as.
"The hardwood floor was cold as ice."(54) This is an example of a simile because the author uses as to compare the floor and ice.
Quote
"He raped me."(55) This quote is significant because it begins the plot of the book.
Theme
One emerging theme in the book is lying just makes a situation worse.

Lucky final paper

When Alice Sebold began college she was brutally attacked and raped. In the book, Lucky, Alice tells her side of the attack as well as what she goes through when trying to deal with the raping. Alice wrote the book to tell others that being raped changes your life through her use of tone, word choice and imagery.
Throughout the book Alice uses tone to express the main message that being raped changes your life. For example, Alice returns home from college and her mother decides to tell the priest at their church what happened to Alice. The entire congregation then begins to treat her differently," As I walked into church I felt every ones eyes on me, I was no longer Alice the nice girl next door, but I was the filthy rape victim."(44) Alice's serious tone in this quote tells the reader that one aspect of her life that changed was how people viewed her. The tone also tells the reader that Alice wishes she was not viewed as "the rape victim". Another example of tone that expresses Alice's message is when she talks about Lila's family's reaction to Lila being raped and hanging out with Alice,"I was to be banished from seeing Lila. I had a disease, it was catching."(224) Alice's sad tone tells you she is upset that she no longer can see her friend Lila because of what happened to Alice in the past. Alice feels helpless and also responsible for what happened to her friend. Overall Alice Sebold's use of tone throughout the book, Lucky, shows the reader that being raped changes your life.
Another way that Alice expresses her main message throughout the book is by word choice. " I was now convinced no nice boy would ever want me. I was all those horrible words used for rape; I was changed, bloodied, damaged goods, ruined."(45) Alice uses alot of depressing words to describe how she feels about herself after being raped. Not only do others (nice boys) not want her, but she thinks of herself as horrible too. The grave word choice shows you that Alice is very serious about what she is saying. Another example is when Alice talks about how she sees herself after being raped,"The wounds on the outside are gone, but I am more wounded than ever."(78) The word choice in this quote tells you that Alice is emotional scared from the incident. The word ever is especially important because it tells you she is more hurt than she ever has been before. Alices sad and serious word choice shows the reader that being raped changed her life.
Lastly, Alice uses imagery to stress the main message she is trying to get across. When Alice describes the details of the night she was being raped she creates a mental picture in the readers mind that is so clear, its scary. She puts the reader in her position, a victim."He raped his hands around my neck and began to squeeze. I began to loose conciessnes. I could feel my life slowly slipping away. First I began to see spots, then I could barely think. I then ralized I was looking into the eyes of the man who would kill me"(8). The image Alice gives the reader is very clear. The reader is allowed to loose conciesness with Alice and expirience the raping first hand, wich later on allows you to be able to understand why Alices life changed after being raped. Alice Sebold's use of imagery strongly enforces to the reader that being raped changes your life.
In conclusion Alice Sebold wrote the book, Lucky, to tell others that being raped chagnes your life. She re-enforeced this message by using tone, word choice, and imagery. Wether Alice was talking about church, how people viewed her after being raped, or simply how she viewed herself, the literary techniques in the book strongly re-enforce the overal message the being raped changes your life.

Lucky FINAL POST

Alice begins dating a student named Steve. They become very close, but she also begins to date a student named Marc. Alice also moves into an apartment with Lila and a one of Lila's friends, Pat.
One day Alice is in class when she begins to feel sharp pains in her back. She tries to wait them out but eventually leaves class because they get so severe. Marc comes and picks Alice up and begins to drive her to her apartment. As soon as they drive up to the apartment Alice notices cop cars outside. She ran up to the first police man she saw. He tells her that her friend, Lila has been raped and is being looked at by a doctor in the ambulance in the parking lot.
Alice feels horrible. She feels responsible for what happened to Lila. She accompanies Lila to the hospital but things don't turn out well. Every officer, nurse and doctor focuses on Alice's success story and Lila begins to fade into the back round. They then go to the police department. Once again the officers pester Alice and forget about Lila. Finally Lila begins to look through mug shots to try and identify her rapist. She asks Alice to leave the room. Shortly after this Lila comes out of the room and tells Alice she no longer wants to look for her rapist and that she just wants to return to a normal life.
Lila and Alice move into a new apartment but things don't work out. Eventually Lila tells Alice that it is too hard for her to live with Alice, the strong rape victim, when Lila is not. She immediately disconnects from Alice and they never talk again.
The ending of the book is a brief summary of what has happened to Alice since. She moved to Texas and became a heroin user, with her new boyfriend John. They eventually broke up and Alice moved to California. After spending some time in California Alice was ready to move back to New York and began to stop "dabbling in heroin" as she puts it. She lived there for quite some time until returning again to California.

The Sea Inside - post 3

The main thing I noticed about the directors camera technique was a pattern he used very often through out the movie. He would begin a scene with a Trucking dolly followed by multiple extreme close-ups, mainly during conversations. It helped the reader to follow the movie better because the sequence was very fluid. It also gave the reader a better sense of what was going on in the movie because the close-ups showed you a lot more emotion in the characters faces. I think the director used this sequence because it gives the reader a feeling like they are apart of the conversation. For example, when you first start a conversation you look around and check out your surroundings(medium shot,then you begin to talk about more interesting topics and you focus mainly on the other person(extreme close-up).

The Sea Inside - post 2

The Sea Inside and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly were very different. The sea Inside is a movie that depicts a quadriplegic who simply can't move him limbs but can still talk and feel in his face. He request to be killed because he claims he is not living life the way he wants too. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly book was written by a man who lived with Locked in Syndrome, a disease where the patient is paralyzed except for blinking. This book is more focused on what it is like to have the disease and not at all about him wanting to die. I think that The Sea Inside was more powerful just because of the visual aspect of film. When you Ramon lying there in the bed unable to move, it makes the situation seam much more real. It also allows the watcher to understand the story better because you are not only seeing what is going on but you are hearing it as well. Of course the most obvious diffrence between the two is that one dies naturally and one man baisically commits suicide.

The sea Inside - post 1

I overall thought the movie was o.k. I think it got a little long towards the end. Although I did not get to see the entire movie I think overall it was entertaining and that about it. I didn't really understand the whole requested suicide thing? If he wanted to die, why now? Why not right after the accident? I thought the movie did a poor job of explaining why he wanted to die. I think the courts decision was right because they can't bend the law for certain people. I think it was right for his Friends to help him. They were doing what he wanted, which is all that matters. It is no different than him taking his own life he was just unable to do so. You could almost compare the situation to when people become brain dead, but are kept alive by machines. Ramon's case is the same except he is able to tell people to pull the plug himself.

Week 5 post #2

Alice comes to town for her trial with her dad. When they get to the airport they meet their escort for the weekend, detective John Murphy. Once they get to their hotel they go out to dinner with Gail, Alice's attorney. She tells them what the trial is going to be like, and what Alice should expect.
The following day is Alice's trial. Unfortunately, after Alice arrives they tell her that he father is not allowed in the court while it's in session. Although Alice is upset about this she still has to testify. Her lawyer asks her to re-tell the story of what happened the night of the rape and then shows her pictures of herself the night of the rape. Alice begins to cry hysterically on the stand. Once she is done being questioned by her attorney she get a ten minute break.
Then Alice is questioned by Madison's lawyer. He first tries to wear her out by asking her alot of pointless questions. Then he asks her about her glasses, her testimony she gave the police, her encounter with Madison in October and finaly the lineup. After causing Alice to cry again he finishes questioning her.
In the end the judge says the Madison was guilty on all 6 accounts and is sentenced for a minimum of 8 years.

I personally was very satisfied with the outcome of this section. Had her rapist gone free I probably would have really wanted to stop reading the book.
This section was very realistic. The way Alice describes the courtroom and what happens in the trial is very much how i would have pictured it. I also felt like the chapter may have been a little over dramatized. The trial was one of the most important parts of the book but all of the crying and gasping and twists and turns sidetracked me from the main story. I also thought that the outcome of the rapist being convicted was predictable.
Overall I thought this section was boring. I was not very interested in the trial because it was basically the same thing as the first trial. I am overall loosing a lot of interest in this book. I think that the plot is getting really old and no offense to the author but I'm just getting sick of hearing the story of the rape told over and over again.

Lucky week 4 part 2

Alice's trial starts for her rape case. This first trial is to see if the case will go to a jury. Alice's case is very strong. The rapist lawyer tells the rapist to not come to the trial. This way he is able to prove to the judge that Alice is yet to see her attacker in custody and that she doesn't know for sure if they have the right man. But luckily in the end the judge decides to send the case to a grand jury.
The book then fast forwards to the lineup created to try and get Alice to identify her attacker. As Alice moves through the lineup she realizes that two of the men are almost identical. One man, number four, is starring at the floor. The other man, number five, is starring straight at Alice. Alice then decides on number 5 because he looked like he would have killed her if there was no glass between them.
Alice is later told that she chose the wrong man in the line up. She had a feeling the entire day she had chose the wrong guy. Her lawyer then comes up to her and tells her these men do this a lot. It is the defendants civil right to have a Friend stand with him in the line up and these men do this for each other every time because they are identical.
The next chapter starts off with a girl at Alice's school attempting to commit suicide. Alice goes and visits her at the hospital where the girl tells her that she was raped as a child and the poem Alice wrote brought back all of the memories. They shared a very special bond together.
Gregory Madison's pubic hairs are tested with the pubic hairs taken from Alice the night of her rape. They match perfectly on all 17 accounts.

Lucky week 4

"I myself am not a fighter. If it comes down to giving up and getting raped or dying trying, I would choose giving up."(22- Lucky)
-I found this quote interesting because I have never thought of getting raped as a choice. Later on in the book Alice talks to her dad about how he thinks you physically can't be raped without somewhat consenting. I have never thought of rape in that way. This quote answers that question easily for the reader about Alice.

"They tried to trick you. Madison has done it many times before. He gets one of his friends to stand in the lineup with him who looks exactly like him. His friend stares at the person looking at the lineup and scares them into believing he was the murdered." (127- Lucky)
-This quote was really interesting because I would think that once a person has seen there attacker they could always identify them. It seams to me that their face would be burned in my mind. It goes to show you that fear can motivate someone to do weird things.

Diving Bell and the Butterfly Analysis

I think that the book, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was boring. Although it was interesting to here such an original story, I overall did not like the book. I thought that the author hopped around a lot to different events which left me confused and lost. He often talked about characters he had yet to talk about without explaining who they were, which also made me not like the book. All of these things made me not like the book as much, but the one thing that absolutely drove me crazy was how metaphoric the book was. I would try to interpret the metaphors, but most of the time not interpret them right, or I would not get the metaphor at all and just kept reading hoping that there would be clarification later in the book.
On the other hand I did like some things in the book. I liked the authors choice of descriptive language. I thought it really helped me, the reader, envision what was happening in the book. I also like how the book was short. The length helped you to not loose interest in the book. Lastly I thought the story itself was the best part of the book. I thought the idea of a man being locked in his body was really interesting to read about. For example, I never realized how often he must be uncomfortable. The idea of him feeling stiff and uncomfortable never really crossed my mind. I thought people who were paralyzed couldn't feel there bodies period.
In conclusion I would not recommend the book to other people. Instead, I would tell them to research the story itself. The flashbacks and metaphors made the book to confusing, so if someone researched the story I think that it would have a better effect on them than reading the book.

Week 3 posting #2

The beginning of the book was very exciting. It really got me interested in the book. Although hearing thing in depth details of her raping was at some points very hard to read through, i think it has really helped me to understand Alice's recovery process much more. I also thought the things that her raper said to her really showed the reader that a person who does this to someone is truly deranged. For example, the rapist is very mean to Alice and has a very stern tone through out the rape, but towards the end Alice is putting her clothes back on and he apologizes to her, but then he follows apologizing with calling her a bitch and asking what she is going to if she has a baby.
I thought the author really rushed through what happened after the rape, meaning going to the police, the hospital etc. I surprisingly liked this because it gave the reader a similar experience to the victim, that after something like that happens everything becomes a blur.
When Alice is finished with the police work she must fill out she call her mom to come and pick her up from school and bring her home. I didn't like this section of the book because it was very awkward. It didn't seam to really flow into the storyline.
Alice then tells the reader a lot of things about her childhood. I thought this part was interesting because it helped to make sense of how Alice reacted to the rape and calling her mother to come pick her up. But i also thought that some of the events were strange and not necessary for the book, this section of the book got a little long.
The next part of the book I read was a section about Alice choosing her college and then moving in. This section showed me that Alice is not a very social person, but tries to be. I get this feeling because her family is like this, which is why she wanted to go to school far away, to reinvent herself. Also the fact that she is unable to find any friends the first few weeks makes me think she is not very outgoing.
The latest section of the book I read would have been much more exciting had it not been spoiled for me while researching the author of the book. I though the section where Alice sees her attacker should have been much more exciting and fast pace. Instead the author kind of jumps around between making new friends and the police trying to find Alice's attacker.
Overall the book is o.k. I'm not dying to read it when i come home but when i do read it holds my attention mostly. I wish the raping was the end of the book or at least in another place in the book because now it kind of seams like the climax already happened and i am just waisting my time.

Week 3 posting

Alice Sebold She grew up in Philadelphia. She then went on to college at Syracuse University, where freshman year she was brutally attacked and raped at a park on campus. After months at home she came back to Syracuse to get her bachelors degree. After graduating Syracuse University she moved to Texas, and then back to Manhattan, where she experienced a two year drug use problem with heroin.

Alice wrote a bestseller in 202 titles The Lovely Bones, and is currently writing a book which is supposed to come out this year. She currently is married and lives in Southern California.

Part 2

The section starts off with Alice looking for colleges with her parents. She talks about her parents wanted her to stay close to home, but she wanted to go far away so that seh could "re-invent herself."

Alice decides on Syracuse but for the first couple of weeks does not like it. She thinks her roomate is too perfects and doesn't make any friends. Until one night when everyone in the dorm is out partying she hears her neighbor playing music. She knocked on the door and then met Mary Alice. They then hit it off and became great friends. Alice also became good friends with two boy who were in the arts program aswell.

Then the book switches to Alices parents finally allowing her to go back to college for her second year. Her parents plan out a very detailed schedule for her to obide to for school, including making her move into a single dorm room in an all girls dorm.

Alice begins to go to her new classes including a poetry workshop with her favorite poet, Ms. Galagher. Finally Ms. Galagher helps alice to open up and write a poem about her raping. The poem really allows Alice to let go of alot of emotions she was holding in.

On Alices way back from class she sees him, the rapist. She is stunned as he walks near and says," ha, do i know you from somewhere?" Alice is so stunned she walks to her next class and tells her proffesor she needs to go to the police.

The police arrive at her dorm, where she has made a very detailed sketch of her atttacker. They then proceed to take her out in the cop car to see if her attacker is still in the area. Unfortunaley they don't find him.

Alice is then escorted to the police station. She spends a few hours looking through book sof mug shots when a police officer comes in and tells her that a police officer has identified her raper and new his name, Gregory Madison. After this they issue a warrant for his arrest adn Alice is sent home.

Alice goes about a week before getting the good news that Gregory was caught and taken into custody. She invites her teacher, Mrs. Galagher to be with her at the trial where she is supposed to testify.

Lucky section 2 (36-80)

Loaded Words
-Panic (47)
Panic gives the reader a sudden feeling of urgency, wich is just what the author was trying to do. By using panic you gain a better understanding of what Alice's mother thinks of her "flaps," which is that they are terriffying and uncontrolable.
-Flap (47)
Alice's mother is a recovering alcoholic, causing her mom to often have panic attacks or flaps. By calling the attacks flaps and not panic attacks the author shows the reader that the family is very hush hush, and does not like to air their dirty laundry in public.
- Old Maid (67)
The author uses the term old maid becuase the word is much more frightening than say, single elderly woman. This gives both the reader and Alice a sense of urgency to become married, becuase being old and single is horrible.
- Violence (68)
Violence is used as a general term which connects Alice to people with similar emotions. This makes the reader realize that anyone affected by violence is subject to some sort of life change.
-Damaged Goods (69)
When the authors referes to herself feeling like damaged goods it creates sympathy from the reader to the author, and allows you to some what be able to relate to the author in another way.
-Pretty (71)
The author uses the word pretty to describe her sister because it gives you a mental picture of a nice, cute, and friendly girl, which describes her sister very well. Had the author used beautiful the reader would have thought more on the lines of unique instead of plain Jane pretty, which is not what the author would want.
-Revelation (73)
This word tells the reader that Tom's mother telling him she was raped as a girl was a very big thing for her to tell him.
-Fat (74)
When Alice's parents refer to their church priest as a fat man waiting to die of a heart attack it shows the reader a more judgmental side of the Sebold family that has not yet been shown in the book.
-Pits (75)
Alice refers to her mother face as having large pits in it. This gives the reader a visual of her mother having acne scars which has not yet been described in the book, and helps the reader create a better mental picture.
-Affection (77)
Alice's mother says,"Your father doesn't know the meaning of affection." This once again tells the reader that the family is somewhat strange and dysfunctional.
Summary
This section mainly told the reader of Alice's weird family and what kind of childhood she had. It also touches on her recovery at home.
At the beginning of the section Alice talks about how she only has one memory of her parents being affectionate, which was a time when Alice yelled Dad kiss mom! Her father then kissed her mother but awkwardly and on her forehead.
Alice also talks about how her childhood was very lonely and what she would do as a child to try to get some attention, including making her dogs run wildly around the house or try to get her mother to touch her in an affectionate way.
Towards the end of the section Alice talks about what happens when she comes home. Alice's priest makes an announcement of what happened to her at church and she is visited by a wide variety of people from church.

I thought that this section was a little on the boring side. Although it is interesting to hear about Alice's strange childhood, it's not what I expected the "recovery" section of the book would be like. I thought she would go to meetings or seek guidance but instead the section mainly talks about her internal struggle in dealing with the rape, not so much external. I hope that in the next section I read that there will be a bit more action.

Lucky Journal Week 1

Pages 1-35

The book starts out with Alice Sebold walking home one night when she is brutally attacked and raped. At the beginning her attacker tells her to stop fighting or else he will kill her, but she continues to try and fight back. He then pulls out a knife but she somehow manages to kick it out of his hand, which may have been the key factor in her survival. After Alice realizes that she can't physically keep up with her attacker she decides to go along with it to save her life. An example of this is when she says,"So he wouldn't hurt me more, I needed to say the right thing." Finally after a very difficult 20 minutes the attacker tells her that they are done and that she can leave, but not before making her give him a kiss goodbye.

As she begins to walk back to her dorm she hears people whispering about her appearance. She is covered in blood, bruised in multiple areas and her hair is torn out in certain spots.

She finally reaches her dorm where her Resident Security Assistant realizes that something has happened to her. All that she manages to say to him is that she is sorry, she left her i.d at home and would like to get into her room and go to bed. He finally allows her to go to her room.

Alice knocks on her dorm door but receives no response, because all of her belongings were left at the park she had no key. She goes to another friends dorm but as the girl opens the door she passes out and falls back asleep. Alice now has no one to turn to but her R.S.A. So she heads down stairs and says,"I was raped in the park, will you call the Police?"

Immediately Alice is rushed to the hospital where they collect the evidence for what the doctors refer to as a standard rape kit. At this time her two best Friends Tree and Mary Alice arrive at the hospital. After they finishes collecting the evidence on Alice's body she is driven to the police station.

When she arrives at the station Alice tells a young man with a type writer her story. She is then asked to try to identify her killer by looking through mounds of books filled with mug shots. Unfortunately Alice does not find him and is then sent home.

after finally gaining the courage Alice calls her mom and tells her what happened and that she would like her mom to come pick her up. After about thirty minutes Alice's mom comes and picks her up from school and drives Alice home.


Through out reading this section I was extremely suprised by the amount of detail the author put into the book. I could visualize every second of the rape, whether I wanted to or not. The only way I can phrase my reaction is schocked. I was filled with remorse for the author because it shows you just how much she went through. I think the fact that the rapping was told with such graffic detail will really help me to understand her recovery process.

Author: Martha Graham

Title: An Athlete of god

I believe that we learn by practice.

Examples: Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living.

Favorite Passage:" In all of us who perform there is an awareness of the smile which is part of the equipment, or gift, of the acrobat. We have all walked the high wire of circumstance at times. We recognize the gravity pull of the earth as he does. The smile is there because he is practicing living at that instant of danger. He does not choose to fall."- Martha Graham.

One goal for myself in my sophomore year is ...

My goal for sophmore year is to be more out going. I want to make sure I have the "highschool expirience," and meet as many new people and join and many clubs as possible. If I am more open to new things and really put myself out there I know it will make highschool that much better.

The thing I am most anxious about at Edina High School is ...

The thing I am most anxious about while starting Highschool is loosing the friendships I have with my friends from middle school. Throughout the past four years, I have built some of the strongest friendships I have ever had. I really cherish my friends and what great people they are. Not only do I enjoy there company but I also think that they make me a better person.
After watching my sisters go through highschool and seeing the amount of changes they went through with their friends, I can't help but think that will happen to me. I am so excited to meet new friends and experience new things in highschool. But at what point do I stop exploring new things and appreciate what I have going for me now?