Dear Anna,
That must have been quite the surprise when the notice of your legal affair was brought to your mother when you all were with your sister as she was receiving a transfusion treatment!! I can't imagine what it was like for everyone to have the peacekeeper of the family suddenly turn and ask for her own rights to herself. I think that your mother became extremely irrational, when Kate got really sick and the nurses had to be paged. It is a little bit weird that with all this sudden family stress/trauma that Kate's health would rapidly decline. When Jesse welcomed you to the dark side, I wonder how his thoughts of you have changed since finding out that you no longer want to be a part of Kate's lifeline. It seems that Jesse has made that decision, being that he refuses to live in the house like a normal family member and instead reside above the garage. Jesse seems like a good person to go to when the rest of the family is far too frustrated with your decision to seek medical emancipation. I think that the hardest part is going to be feeling guilt about Kate, and that if you succeed in receiving the medical emancipation that you seek that you are not responsible or reliable for supplying Kate with extra cells. Because Kate never got the chance to have a normal childhood, with being in and out of multiple treatments, she never really got to make any good friends, and that is why you're so important to her, being the closest thing she has to a friend.
Best of Luck,
<3C
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
{Post A Week 3}
VOCABULARY:
coxcomb (59):a vain or conceited man
succumb (63):to give in, fail to resist pressure
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:
"In the hospital cafeteria, eating rubberized French fries and red Jell-O, I'd gland around from table to table..."(49)
This is an example of figurative language because Anna describes the texture and appearance of her food when she is at the hospital with her sister. This really gives the reader an excellent idea of what exactly Anna is eating.
"The last thing I see as I run out of the room is my mother pushing the nurse's call button over and over, as if it's the trigger to a bomb."(52)
The author uses a simile to help the reader visualize the way the mother is frantically pushing the nurse's call button because her daughter is coding and she just found out that she is being sued by her daughter so she is in an absolute state of panic.
"My throat closes like the shutter of a camera, so that any air or excuses must move through a tunnel as thin as a pin."(54)
Jackpot!! Here Jodi Picoult uses two similes to give insight into how Anna feels when her parents have just received the official paperwork saying that they are being sued by their daughter for medical emancipation. I know these are similes through the use of "like" and "as" to compare the size of her throat to a camera, and the tunnel to a pin.
SIGNIFICANT QUOTE:
"Suddenly, the curtain whips aside, leaving me totally bare. "That's what I wanted to talk about," Kate says. "If you don't want to be my sister, that's one thing. But I don't think I could stand to lose you as a friend."
This really sums up a lot about what I read this week. As Kate is in the hospital receiving a transfusion, the sheriff comes in, and gives Sara (the mother) the official notice that she is being sued by her own daughter to get medical emancipation. The family gets spun into an absolute frantic. The parental concern is blatantly obvious, but what Picoult hides until the end of the section, is how Kate, the one whose life support rests on Anna's shoulders, feels about her sister not wanting to give up her body anymore.
PROBABLE THEME:
I think that the theme comes down to how much of an obligation one has to their family, and where it begins and where it ends.
coxcomb (59):a vain or conceited man
succumb (63):to give in, fail to resist pressure
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:
"In the hospital cafeteria, eating rubberized French fries and red Jell-O, I'd gland around from table to table..."(49)
This is an example of figurative language because Anna describes the texture and appearance of her food when she is at the hospital with her sister. This really gives the reader an excellent idea of what exactly Anna is eating.
"The last thing I see as I run out of the room is my mother pushing the nurse's call button over and over, as if it's the trigger to a bomb."(52)
The author uses a simile to help the reader visualize the way the mother is frantically pushing the nurse's call button because her daughter is coding and she just found out that she is being sued by her daughter so she is in an absolute state of panic.
"My throat closes like the shutter of a camera, so that any air or excuses must move through a tunnel as thin as a pin."(54)
Jackpot!! Here Jodi Picoult uses two similes to give insight into how Anna feels when her parents have just received the official paperwork saying that they are being sued by their daughter for medical emancipation. I know these are similes through the use of "like" and "as" to compare the size of her throat to a camera, and the tunnel to a pin.
SIGNIFICANT QUOTE:
"Suddenly, the curtain whips aside, leaving me totally bare. "That's what I wanted to talk about," Kate says. "If you don't want to be my sister, that's one thing. But I don't think I could stand to lose you as a friend."
This really sums up a lot about what I read this week. As Kate is in the hospital receiving a transfusion, the sheriff comes in, and gives Sara (the mother) the official notice that she is being sued by her own daughter to get medical emancipation. The family gets spun into an absolute frantic. The parental concern is blatantly obvious, but what Picoult hides until the end of the section, is how Kate, the one whose life support rests on Anna's shoulders, feels about her sister not wanting to give up her body anymore.
PROBABLE THEME:
I think that the theme comes down to how much of an obligation one has to their family, and where it begins and where it ends.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
{Post B Week 2}
Dear Campbell Alexander,
I too think it's very funny that you are a firsty-lasty. It was very noble of you to agree to take on Anna's case. How exactly do you plan on being paid for your services, when you know very well that Anna is just in middle school, with no source of income? I'm curious as to when you will talk to her parents, and how they will react knowing that their daughter, who has been so patient and tolerant all along with each and every surgery she has endured with her sister, doesn't want to be the Godsend anymore.I wish you luck with your new case.
Dear Sara,
How you felt when you thought about starting a family at first is exactly how I feel. Starting a career that you truly have a passion for, and then being willing to give it up to devote your time 110% to your children. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to notice a string of bruises down your daughters back. What all started out as a simple observation turned out to be a very serious and fatal disease.As Kate layed on the table, anesthetized, I found it so interesting that you described Kate crying, even though she was sleeping. I wish you very much strength in the process of fighting off Kate's leukemia. I wish you could've been warned to hold on to the rest of your family as you are Kate...both Jesse and Anna are slipping from the family...and the worst part is, is that nobody seems to notice.
<3C
I too think it's very funny that you are a firsty-lasty. It was very noble of you to agree to take on Anna's case. How exactly do you plan on being paid for your services, when you know very well that Anna is just in middle school, with no source of income? I'm curious as to when you will talk to her parents, and how they will react knowing that their daughter, who has been so patient and tolerant all along with each and every surgery she has endured with her sister, doesn't want to be the Godsend anymore.I wish you luck with your new case.
Dear Sara,
How you felt when you thought about starting a family at first is exactly how I feel. Starting a career that you truly have a passion for, and then being willing to give it up to devote your time 110% to your children. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to notice a string of bruises down your daughters back. What all started out as a simple observation turned out to be a very serious and fatal disease.As Kate layed on the table, anesthetized, I found it so interesting that you described Kate crying, even though she was sleeping. I wish you very much strength in the process of fighting off Kate's leukemia. I wish you could've been warned to hold on to the rest of your family as you are Kate...both Jesse and Anna are slipping from the family...and the worst part is, is that nobody seems to notice.
<3C
Monday, February 18, 2008
{Post A Week 2}
phlebotomist(31):a nurse or other health worker trained in drawing venous blood for testing or donation.
asbestos(38): a fibrous mineral, either amphibole or chrysotile, formerly used for making incombustible or fireproof articles.
"Trailing her spine, like a line of small blue jewels, are a string of bruises."(28)
This is figurative language because the bruises on Kate's back are being compared to a line of jewels. This is the first sign of Kate possibly having more of illness than just a cold.
"Tonight, Sara makes roast beef. It sits on the table like a sleeping infant as she calls us to dinner."(38)
This is an example of a simile because of the use of the word "like" to compare the what the food looks like sitting on the table to a small child.
"Look at my child, at the shine of her flyaway curls and the butterfly flight of her smile--this is not the face of someone dying by degrees."(34)
This is really good imagery for what Kate looks like as she is going through multiple tests to see what exactly is wrong with her. The mother, Sara, realizes that you don't have to be awake to cry when her young anesthetized daughter is crying on the table.
SIGNIFICANT QUOTE:
"This is when I realize that Anna has already left the table, and more importantly, that nobody noticed." (40)
I thought that this quote was really significant because this is essentially what the book is about...Anna feeling like the only reason she is part of the family is just to be her sister's lifeline.Anna goes out by herself and finds a lawyer to try and regain rights to her own body because she hates that every single time her sister ends up in the hospital, she does too. When Anna comes to the dinner table, obviously upset, her family barely seems to notice, and just continue what they were doing. It is her father who says the above, and realizes that there just might be something going on (considering Anna isn't wearing the locket that he gave her, and that she has rarely taken off since she was young).
PROBABLE THEME:
I think the theme is how tightly does family obligation bind one and to what extent should a person allow it before demanding freedom?
asbestos(38): a fibrous mineral, either amphibole or chrysotile, formerly used for making incombustible or fireproof articles.
"Trailing her spine, like a line of small blue jewels, are a string of bruises."(28)
This is figurative language because the bruises on Kate's back are being compared to a line of jewels. This is the first sign of Kate possibly having more of illness than just a cold.
"Tonight, Sara makes roast beef. It sits on the table like a sleeping infant as she calls us to dinner."(38)
This is an example of a simile because of the use of the word "like" to compare the what the food looks like sitting on the table to a small child.
"Look at my child, at the shine of her flyaway curls and the butterfly flight of her smile--this is not the face of someone dying by degrees."(34)
This is really good imagery for what Kate looks like as she is going through multiple tests to see what exactly is wrong with her. The mother, Sara, realizes that you don't have to be awake to cry when her young anesthetized daughter is crying on the table.
SIGNIFICANT QUOTE:
"This is when I realize that Anna has already left the table, and more importantly, that nobody noticed." (40)
I thought that this quote was really significant because this is essentially what the book is about...Anna feeling like the only reason she is part of the family is just to be her sister's lifeline.Anna goes out by herself and finds a lawyer to try and regain rights to her own body because she hates that every single time her sister ends up in the hospital, she does too. When Anna comes to the dinner table, obviously upset, her family barely seems to notice, and just continue what they were doing. It is her father who says the above, and realizes that there just might be something going on (considering Anna isn't wearing the locket that he gave her, and that she has rarely taken off since she was young).
PROBABLE THEME:
I think the theme is how tightly does family obligation bind one and to what extent should a person allow it before demanding freedom?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
{Post B Week 1}
Dear Anna,
First of all, I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like for you to be a member of the family merely to be your sister's life support. I would grapple with the idea of not truly being wanted for the sake of having another child. I personally find it challenging with one other sibling—much more if I had two siblings, and they were the ones who were originally “wanted”. It seems like although you don’t see Jesse much, that you get along with him really well and he respects your more than just a living cell bank for your sister. Even though your mother says you’re special and because you hold the key to keeping your sister alive that it makes you that much more special doesn’t mean that you automatically feel part of the family. Mrs. Fitzgerald is always tending to Kate’s each and every whimper, often ignoring you. I guess that this is kind of understandable, but at the same time, you need attention to the same level that she does. Your undying love for your sister (even though she’s the reason why you were born in the first place!) is admirable. Like when she was having kidney pains, how you reached out over your bed for her hand so that she could have the comfort of knowing that you are there for you. It’s understandable for the two of you to be reliant on this kind of comfort, because if Kate is in the hospital, it automatically means that you are. Whenever something goes wrong with her, you have to be there in case she needs some sort of a transplant/transfusion, etc. Jesse calls you the “peace-keeper”. Although it is unfair to have you be born into a role, it’s a role that you have so far chosen to challenge.
Good luck,
<3C
First of all, I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like for you to be a member of the family merely to be your sister's life support. I would grapple with the idea of not truly being wanted for the sake of having another child. I personally find it challenging with one other sibling—much more if I had two siblings, and they were the ones who were originally “wanted”. It seems like although you don’t see Jesse much, that you get along with him really well and he respects your more than just a living cell bank for your sister. Even though your mother says you’re special and because you hold the key to keeping your sister alive that it makes you that much more special doesn’t mean that you automatically feel part of the family. Mrs. Fitzgerald is always tending to Kate’s each and every whimper, often ignoring you. I guess that this is kind of understandable, but at the same time, you need attention to the same level that she does. Your undying love for your sister (even though she’s the reason why you were born in the first place!) is admirable. Like when she was having kidney pains, how you reached out over your bed for her hand so that she could have the comfort of knowing that you are there for you. It’s understandable for the two of you to be reliant on this kind of comfort, because if Kate is in the hospital, it automatically means that you are. Whenever something goes wrong with her, you have to be there in case she needs some sort of a transplant/transfusion, etc. Jesse calls you the “peace-keeper”. Although it is unfair to have you be born into a role, it’s a role that you have so far chosen to challenge.
Good luck,
<3C
Monday, February 11, 2008
{Post A Week 1}
Loupe (9): a small magnifying glass commonly used by jewelers or watchmakers.
primitive (17) Denoting or preserving the character of an early stage in the evolutionary or historical development.
"Actually, that's not quite true--right now she doesn't have it, but it's hibernating under her skin like a bear, until it decides to roar again." (10) This is an example of figurative language in the form of a simile because of the use of "like" to demonstrate a comparison. Anna is her sister's allogeneic donor, and currently, Kate doesn't have her leukemia, but this is how Anna is describing her sisters illness.
"The walls are paneled with wood the color of a chestnut mare's coat..."(16) Jodi Picoult compares the colour of the wood paneling with the colour of a horse's coat because it makes it easier for the reader to visualize the room the Anna and Jesse had just walked into.
"It is exactly the kind of case I want to avoid like the Black Plague--one which requires far too much effort and client baby-sitting. (20) The lawyer that Anna goes to does not take her seriously at first. He uses a simile to portray very clearly how strongly he feels about representing an eighth grader!
SIGNIFICANT QUOTE:
"See, unlike the rest of the world, I didn't get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, that reason better exist. Because once it's gone, so are you." (8) Anna's purpose from the moment she was conceived in a scientific lab was to be a perfect genetic match for her sister, Kate.Anna feels that she deserves rights to her own body because she wants to free herself of the purpose of being a perfect genetic match and her sister's lifesaver.
PROBABLE THEME:
Is it okay to conceive children for the purpose of saving the ones who have already been born, and what message is this sending to the child?
primitive (17) Denoting or preserving the character of an early stage in the evolutionary or historical development.
"Actually, that's not quite true--right now she doesn't have it, but it's hibernating under her skin like a bear, until it decides to roar again." (10) This is an example of figurative language in the form of a simile because of the use of "like" to demonstrate a comparison. Anna is her sister's allogeneic donor, and currently, Kate doesn't have her leukemia, but this is how Anna is describing her sisters illness.
"The walls are paneled with wood the color of a chestnut mare's coat..."(16) Jodi Picoult compares the colour of the wood paneling with the colour of a horse's coat because it makes it easier for the reader to visualize the room the Anna and Jesse had just walked into.
"It is exactly the kind of case I want to avoid like the Black Plague--one which requires far too much effort and client baby-sitting. (20) The lawyer that Anna goes to does not take her seriously at first. He uses a simile to portray very clearly how strongly he feels about representing an eighth grader!
SIGNIFICANT QUOTE:
"See, unlike the rest of the world, I didn't get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, that reason better exist. Because once it's gone, so are you." (8) Anna's purpose from the moment she was conceived in a scientific lab was to be a perfect genetic match for her sister, Kate.Anna feels that she deserves rights to her own body because she wants to free herself of the purpose of being a perfect genetic match and her sister's lifesaver.
PROBABLE THEME:
Is it okay to conceive children for the purpose of saving the ones who have already been born, and what message is this sending to the child?
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Penelope is Holding Out For A Hero
Holding Out For A Hero--Frou Frou
I chose Penelope for my mortal in The Odyssey. She inspires me because she is so sure of her husband's return (even if it is "someday") and she is strong to that belief. She is even willing to unravel her weave just to prolong the amount of time Odysseus has to return and save her from having to remarry to a suitor. Even though we as the readers don't hear as much about Penelope as we do her son Telemachus, her faith in her husband's existence shows her strength of character. However, even though she shows strength in holding out for her husband, her vulnerability is shown when Athena sends the ghost (who is like her sister) to comfort an anxious Penelope, whose son has just left on a voyage to find word of her husband. Penelope can only so much as dream that her husband will return home safely, even though it has been an excruciating amount of time for him to be missing.
I chose the song Holding Out For A Hero, because that is exactly what Penelope is doing, she is holding out from marrying a suitor for her hero of a husband to come home. The title just seemed to fit her character and what is happening in her life seamlessly.
LYRICS:
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night toss and turn and dream of what I need
(Chorus)
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
(Chorus)
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I would swear that there's someone somewhere
Watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach
Like the fire in my blood
(Chorus)
I chose Penelope for my mortal in The Odyssey. She inspires me because she is so sure of her husband's return (even if it is "someday") and she is strong to that belief. She is even willing to unravel her weave just to prolong the amount of time Odysseus has to return and save her from having to remarry to a suitor. Even though we as the readers don't hear as much about Penelope as we do her son Telemachus, her faith in her husband's existence shows her strength of character. However, even though she shows strength in holding out for her husband, her vulnerability is shown when Athena sends the ghost (who is like her sister) to comfort an anxious Penelope, whose son has just left on a voyage to find word of her husband. Penelope can only so much as dream that her husband will return home safely, even though it has been an excruciating amount of time for him to be missing.
I chose the song Holding Out For A Hero, because that is exactly what Penelope is doing, she is holding out from marrying a suitor for her hero of a husband to come home. The title just seemed to fit her character and what is happening in her life seamlessly.
LYRICS:
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night toss and turn and dream of what I need
(Chorus)
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
(Chorus)
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I would swear that there's someone somewhere
Watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach
Like the fire in my blood
(Chorus)
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