THINK, PAIR, SHARE
Post responses to reading questions from your reading so far:
A Prayer for the Dying
1. The book is narrated in the second person, addressing the main character, Jacob, as “you.” Who is speaking? Why do you think the author chose this mode to tell the story?
2. When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie, he has a very hard time pulling the trigger. Look at the passage (p. 49) in which he has to convince himself to kill her. Why does he agonize when he knows it’s the right thing? What does it mean that he’s “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? Does he continue to cling to that dream later in the story?
3. Why does Jacob elect to bleed and treat the bodies of some victims, even after Doc has told him not to, and even though he knows he’s putting himself in danger? Why is precision and diligence so important to him even when everyone around him is worried only about survival?
4. What role does religious faith play in the story? How does it influence Jacob, Chase, and other citizens of Friendship? Is their faith rewarded?
DEAD FATHERS CLUB
- During the course of his narrative, Philip Noble, commits a series of crimes that grow increasingly serious. Despite his criminal behavior, does he continue to move the sympathies of the reader? By what means does he do so?
- Leah confides to Philip that she hates God. By contrast, her father, Mr. Fairview, has turned enthusiastically toward religion after the death of his wife. What commentary does The Dead Fathers Club offer regarding religion, and how does religion influence events and relationships in the novel?
- Philip observes, “If you speak to yourself people think you are mad but if you write the same things they think you are clever.” Discuss examples from life or literature that bear out this observation on the nature of madness and intelligence.
- Philip routinely omits standard punctuation and sometimes arranges words on the page to add visual meanings to the verbal significance of his writing. How do these devices influence the experience of reading the novel?
Continue to work on finishing poetry cycles, new stories, Scholastic entries
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ReplyDeleteMariangelis Gonzalez
ReplyDelete1. The author probably chose this model to show that Jacob is speaking with his inner thoughts as if he had an inner struggle that he was going through. The author probably wants the reader to connect with Jacob's feelings, thoughts, and actions.
2. Jacob feels that Clytie is an innocent animal and that it would be wrong and ungodly to kill such an innocent creature. He clinges to the dream of innocence because it reminds him of when he killed animals in the war, which reminds him of what he did to Clytie.
3. Jacob chooses to treat the bodies of the victims because when he was in war, he was taught to respect those that have died. Precision and diligence are important to him to show that he keeps his moral and values to show testimony among himself and the community (town). Jacob is a committed guy.
4. Religious faith plays a role throughout the story because allows Jacob, Chase and the others to have hope. It allows them to be sane and hope for the best for the days to come. Religious faith also plays a role as they question God's power and their faith. It is the faith that has kept them alive. We read up to page 50, but I think that they will be rewarded because they have maintained themselves faithful to their faith.
A Prayer for the Dying
ReplyDelete1. The person speaking is a narrator that isn't present. The use of second person story telling develops a strong connection between the audience and the main character. This connection allows the reader to feel more for the main character.
2. He has a very hard time killing the cow because although it is the "right thing to do" it is still taking a life. Also, as someone who is a preacher, taking a life even if it is right is still murder and a sin. This "dream of innocence" that Jacob clings to is his dream of being a sinless man.
3. Jacob elects to bleed and treat the bodies despite being told not to because it is his responsibility as the constable and leader of the town and he also felt a connection to the body being a soldier too. Being different than everyone else and being in that role of a leader, Jacob can't panic or else the whole town will never be calm. He must be precise and diligent as the leader and role model of this town. The people look to him in times like this so he must stay calm.
4. Religion is always morally present in the story. During the disease that is hitting the citizens, religion is one of the few things people can lean on.
1. It can be inferred that the narrator is an omnipotent one, seeing as how they seem to know things about characters that aren't outright stated by them or other characters. O'Nan likely chose this mode in order to make the story feel more personal for the reader.
ReplyDelete2. He doesn't want to end a life. He's never had to use his gun on a person before as the sheriff, so it's understandable that he has a hard time killing something. By "clinging to the dream of innocence", it is said that he has an optimistic viewpoint despite the sorry state of the town.
3. Treating the bodies of the dead is his job, seeing as how he's the undertaker. He is concerned with precision because he wants to do his job well and set a good example for the rest of the town so that everybody remains calm.
4. Religion is something that the townspeople can turn to in a time of need. This is a common idea in a lot of media, actually. People turn to religion to give themselves hope or explain the unknown.
1. Jacob is speaking but the author chose this mode to help the reader feel more involved in the story.
ReplyDelete2. He struggles to pull the trigger because he can feel her Clytie’s pain in that moment right before he pulls the trigger. The feeling of innocence and blamelessness stems from Jacob wanting to be innocent and later on, that changes.
3. Because he wants to save them just like how he wants to save friendship.
4. Religious faith is used in the novel by many of the characters and it’s usually used in a time of need for them.