Outside Reading Blog Post #6

As the trial develops, many unexpected things happen. Characters develop in ways that the reader does not anticipate. Firstly, Brian reveals a change in heart about whether Anna should be a donor for Kate. Before the trial, he was consistently in support of Anna and in disagreement with his wife. But when asked at trial if he agrees with his wife's views on the matter, he surprisingly says, "Yes, I do.” When pressed further by Anna’s lawyer about the “right” answer, Brian turns the question back to Anna’s lawyer. In a “raw” voice filled with emotion, Brian asks, “Can you tell me what the right answer is here? . . . Because I don't know where to look for it. I know what's right. I know what's fair. But neither of those applies here. I can sit, and I can think about it, and I can tell you what should be and what ought to be. I can even tell you there's got to be a better solution. But it's been thirteen years, Mr. Alexander, and I still haven't found it" (346). It is never said why Brian changes his mind. But after hearing his wife testify about the bounty of love she has for both Anna and Kate, he seems to realize that keeping her alive is ultimately more important than respecting Anna’s wishes.

Another character who goes through a significant transformation is Julia. She comes across as being very strong willed and brave. But her vulnerability starts to show as the trial begins to develop and she is questioned by Campbell. She is asked to share what she believes is best for Anna and her family. As readers, we await an answer, but once she is on the witness stand, she realizes she doesn’t know what to say. She tells the judge, "This is the first time I've ever served as a guardian ad litem and been unable to reach a recommendation, and I know it's not acceptable....Your Honor. But you're not asking me to split a baby in half. You're asking me to split a family" (373). Her professional, business like personality is dissolving, and we begin to see her softer side.

The trial continues to be the main conflict as the novel continues. Campbell begins to realize that the probability of his winning the case is severely decreasing. He begins thinking less about Anna and more about his personal pride. He is returning to the way he acted in the beginning of the book; very self-centered. The trial is heading in a direction readers did not likely anticipate. Anna, Campbell, Julia, and Brian seemed like "powerhouses" compared to Sara. But now, they are beginning to understand, as Sara does, the true emotional scars the death of Kate may cause.

This novel is similar to our summer reading book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. In that book, Oskar loses his father in 9-11. Throughout the novel, we see the true mental and emotional effects death can cause. During the trial, in My Sister's Keeper, a physiologist explains how the death of Kate will affect Anna and the rest of her family. She says the family will feel depressed and Anna will feel a sense of regret. This is similar to Oskar’s feelings after his father’s death. This illustrates how ideas expressed in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close relate to those shown in My Sister’s Keeper.

Outside Reading Blog Post #5

In the next couple chapters I've read, the characters that are developed the most are Kate and Jesse. In one of Sara's chapters, she shares a story about a time when Kate is at the hospital for treatment and meets a boy named Taylor. Taylor also has a form of leukemia and is at the hospital for chemotherapy. Taylor and Kate's relationship develops and they spend more and more time together, just as normal teenages would do. Kate's leukemia returns, and she goes in for chemotherapy treatment. Taylor comes to help her through the excrutiating process. While they are there, Taylor asks Kate to the hospital sponsored dance. Through the next part of the chapter, Sara tells about the preparations for the dance. For once in her life, Kate gets to be treated as a "normal" child. Sara is glad to see her daughter be able to do regular teenage things for once. Brian is also overjoyed, and Sara states, "It was only when he turned around that I realized he'd come in here to cry" (319). Also in the section I recently read, we are able to see a different side of Jesse. In the beginning of the book, Jesse came across as a "bad boy" and very rebellious and angry. But in the last couple chapters we are able to see Jesse's softer side. While Kate is in the hospital, we see Jesse sitting at her bedside. He kisses her on the forehead and makes friendly conversation. This shows how much he cares for his sister and how much he truly loves her. He wants Kate to live and for her to not have to suffer anymore.

The two main conflicts in the most recent chapters I've read are the trial and Kate's hospitalization. Firstly, now that Anna's dad has taken her side, Sara is on her own. Cambell questions two doctors and also Sara. He asks Doctor Chance about the many procedures Anna has gone through. He claims that the procedures did not have any major risks, but Cambell pointed out that they did. Then he goes on the question Sara about the many procedures Anna has gone through for her sister. She gets angry at Campbell because he did not understand the other side of the story. In expressing her anger, she states, "But you only represent one of my daughters, Mr. Alexander, and only in this courtroom. I represent both of them equally, everywhere, every place. I love both of them equally, everywhere, everyplace" (298). If Anna wins the trial she is not obligated to give her sister a kidney, but then her sister may die.

This book relates to The 400 Blows because both deal with the rebellion of a child. Antoine doesn't want to be sent to military school, so he rebels and runs away. Similarily, Anna doesn't want to be a donor anymore for her sister, so she brings her parents to trial. Both Anna and Antoine are very courageous to go against their parents' will.

Outside Reading Blog Post #4

Since I last blogged, some of the characters have experienced a change in personality and we learn more about their pasts. In the chapter's Sara narrates, she describes the stuggles they've experienced with Kate's illness in the past. She has always tried to love her other two children but many times they fall through the cracks. There is just so much going on in her life that her other two childrens, many times, come at the bottom of her priority list. Jesse, her oldest child, gets ignored the most. Kate is sick and Anna is helping, Jesse doesn't know where he fits in. Whenever he tries to talk to his parents they always seem to be preoccupied. This is evidenced by a time when Jesse was trying to talk to his father and he notes,"My father looked right at me, but he didn't answer. And his eyes were dazed and staring through me, like I was made of smoke" (245). Because his parents don't pay much attention to him, he turns to drugs and arson to try to make himself feel better. Lastly, Brian has changed significantly since I posted last. He started off quite angry about the lawsuit that his daughter, Anna, started. In the last chapters I have read he begins to take Anna's side. When he finally admits this to his wife she states, "If you testify for Anna, the judge is going to say that at least one of her parents is capable of supporting this petition and he's going to rule in her favor" (259). Brian then replies, "I know that. Why else would I do it?" (259).

Also, in the last couple of chapters I've read, we get a better understanding of the past conflicts the family has dealt with. One thing we learn about is the first time Anna gave bone marrow to her sister. Annna is very frightened and has no idea of what to expect. Once she is out of the surgery she asks for her father. First he says he is too busy but then decides he'll quickly go up to check on her. Anna is relieved to see him but when he is about to leave after only minutes of visiting with her she questions, "Can you stay here?" I shake my head. "Kate's sick. I'm going to heave to go back. Anna pulls away. 'But I'm in the hospital,' she says. 'I'm in the hospital'"(233). Even though Anna courageously gave bone marrow to her sister, Kate is still top priority and Anna and Jesse get the back seat. Secondly, we learn that Kate has a close encounter with death. When Anna was approximetly 10 years old, Kate gets very sick and almost dies. The readers are able to see how worried the family gets. They are always at the hospital and never leave Kate's side. They even say their goodbyes but fortunately Kate holds on to life. This past experience of theirs impacted the way they act now. They are very concerned and are watching Kate's every move. They give Kate even more attention and even less to Anna and Jesse.

This book is very similar to the book Black Boy. Richard experiences neglect from his parents and this causes him to act up. Jesse is similar to Richard. He is in the back of his parents mind because they are too worried about Kate. This causes Jesse to turn to drugs and alcohol to solve his problems instead of telling his parents how he feels. Also, he starts commiting arson, which is most likely the result of his parents neglect as well. When a child is neglected and not paid attention too, they will act out in order to gain the attention they want. All Jesse wants is for someone to love him and talk to him but his parents seem to be a bit preoccupied.

Characters in My Sister's Keeper

In the novel My Sister's Keeper has multiple narrators as I said in my first post. This gives us a real sense of who each character is and how they feel about the central conflict, Kate's sickness. First we have Anna who is the main character. She is very strong willed and independent she is going against her parents will for her to be a donor and is suing them for the rights to her own body. At first she is determined to get rights to her body but after her parents find out and she sees their reactions, she isn't sure if she should continue with the lawsuit. She realizes that the lawsuit is what she truly wants and states, "I can't give a kidney to my sister. I just can't" (87).

Secondly, there is Sara who is Anna's mom. She has had a very tough life. She has gone through so much starting with the diagnosis of her daughter Kate to the lawsuit filed against her by Anna. I would consider her to be a very stong woman considering all she has been through. She tries to love all her children but she loves Anna in a different way than Kate. Sara loves Kate as she would any child but she loves Anna because she is helping save Kate's life. She is more grateful to have Anna instead of actually loving her. While in the middle of labor giving birth to Anna she states, "The umbilical cord, "I remind him. 'Be careful (104).

Another main character in this book is, of course, Kate. She was the first daughter born to Sara and Brian and was born just because they wanted a child to love and nurture. Kate and Anna seem to have opposite personalities. Kate is very dependent upon her mother and other family memebers partially because of her illness. She's dealt with this illness her whole life and has gotten used to having people do things for her and take care of her. She never looks forward to things or has future goals in life because she's not sure she'll be around long enough to experience things.

Brian and Sara have two daughters as well as an older son named Jesse. Jesse seems to have a very rebellious and depressed personality due to the situation his family has been going through. Because of all the attention Kate required, little attention could be given to Jesse. Jesse's facination with fire grew as he matured and he began to start many large fires in abandoned buildings. This shows his rebellious nature. As I said above, Jesse has low self esteem and seems to be depressed. While driving down the road he thinks, "It would solve a thousand problems if I rolled the jeep over an embankment" (94).

Lastly, the character Cambell is Anna's lawyer. He is helping her sue her parents for rights to her own body but he seems to be doing it for the wrong reasons. He seems to be selfish and wants to help Anna just for the money. As Anna leaves his office after their first meeting Campbell converses with his secretary, "You can't expect a child to fend for herself.' I head back into my office. Judge follows, pausing just inside the threshold. 'It's not my problem,' I say" (25.)

Outside reading post #2

Conflict:

In my outside reading novel, many conflicts occur between many different characters. At first we learn that Anna's conflict about getting the rights to her own body isn't the only one. We also learn the story behind the discovery of Kate's cancer.

This story is told in the mom's perspcetive because the differnt chapters are narrated by different characters. The mom gets Kate out of the bathtub and notices a big bruise on her back. She brought her to the doctor expecting nothing to be wrong but then is sent to the hospital to get more tests done. Through her narration,you can really see how worried she is. She can't get ahold of her husband, because he is a firefighter. This adds to her anxiety as the doctors stick needles and IV's in Kate trying to figure out what's wrong. When they tell Kate's om she has cancer she doesn't know what to do or say. Even though I, fortunatly, haven't been through the same experience, I can just imagine how terrible that word "cancer would be to hear.

A little while later in the novel, while Anna is narrating, the parents find out that Anna has sued them for rights to her body. The police come to the hospital, where they are with Kate getting a normal exam, and give Anna's mom the paper work. From the look on her mom's face, Anna knows just what she i looking out so she runs out the door and calls her brother. We see that Anna is paniky and has no idea what to do. She is afraid of what her parents reaction will be. I can relate to this and I'm sure many others can as well; when you tell your parents something that you know they will be mad about, you are just waiting for their reaction. I hope later in the book we will be able to see the parents perspective or maybe even Kate's. I think that would enhance our understanding of the other characters and their personalities.

Outside Reading Post #1

My outside reading book for quarter 1 is called My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult. It is a heartfelt story of a girl named Anna who was conceived just so she could be a donor for her sister Kate who has leukemia. This story shows Anna's stuggles as she attempts to sue her parents for rights to her own body. Her whole life her parents have been deciding when she would give to her sister and Anna has never got a say in the matter. After thirteen long years of putting up with this, she feels that the right to her own body is more important than her sister and she decides to stand up for herself. She seeks the help of a lawyer by the name of Campbell Alexander. At first, Campbell is not sure what to think. There was a strange teenage girl in his officing planning on sueing her parents but he agrees to asist her. We soon learn that Campbell isn't doing it to be kind and genuine, he is doing it for the money. He doesn't really care about what happens to Anna.
Jodi Picoult has a very distinct style of writting and you get a sense of that even in the first couple chapters. First of all, each chapter is narrated by a different character. This gives the reader a real understanding of the different personalities of each character and how they feel about different situations. Secondly, the character narrates in the present tense. At first this was hard to get used to because many of the books I've read haven't been written in present tense besides dialogue. In a way, it is very interesting and makes you feel as though you are really "in the moment".
So far, My Sisters Keeper is a wonderful book and I can't wait to share more with you!

Why do people write memoirs? What power is there in telling our own stories?

Black Boy was a wonderful memoir written by Richard Wright. Through his writing we are able to get a true sense of his inner feelings and can, in some way, relate to his struggles. I think the main reason memoirs are written is so that the author can share their personal stuggles with the readers. It shows the authors true courage because they are revealing important maybe even difficult situations that occured in their past.
Memoirs are powerful pieces of work. Firstly, it is beneficial to the author; it gives them a way to "vent" and commemerate their past. They are able to go back and analyze their actions and rethink the things they did or what they should have done. Not only are memoirs valuable to the author, its useful for the audience who read the novel. Memoirs are very vivid and "real" because they are written by a really accurate source. The readers are able to relate to the actual situations and if they are struggling with the same thing, they can relate to the feelings of the author.

What Does RIchard "hunger" for?

Richard is a young boy who hungers for many things. He never seems to settle down and is always striving for something more or better. I believe two things Richard hungers for are and an understanding companion and success.
In Black Boy, Richards feelings are distinctively shown and you get true sense of his inner feelings. One things I believe he yearns for is a loving and understanding companion. First of all, his parents neglected him and never paid any attention to his wants and needs. Then when his mom became ill (84-86), he had move to his aunt and uncles house (89). Once he moved he found out that a boy had died in the current room he was residing in. This frightened him, but his aunt and uncle didn't understand why it scared him so much. They refused to let him return home but finally gave in (98). Secondly, Richards grandmother is very religious and so was the rest of his family. A neighbor across the street had a discussion with Richard one day about Christianity and questioned his faith (Richards sensed that this was his grandmother's doing). The neighbor simply could not understand Richard's view on faith which made him very defensive (114-115).
Another thing I feel Richard hungers for is success. When put into school he does all of his homework and passes through a whole grade in the time span two weeks. Ecstatic, Richard raced home to tell his family who didn't believe it was possible. But inside, Richard knew that anything was possible and he was inspired to go to medical school or become a writer (125). Richard is also determined to get a job so he can earn money so he won't have to feel hungry anymore. He asks around school about anyone who is in need of a job and was successful in finding one (148). These few examples really show Richard's true determination to succeed and his belief that he can do anything he sets his mind to.
I think when people hunger and strive for things it makes them a stronger and more independent person. They are able to set standards for themselves and feel accomplished once those standards are reached.