1.) Christopher, the
narrator, walks around his neighbor hood, and find’s Mrs. Shears dog, Wellington
(a poodle), dead. A fork was what killed the dog. Soon after that, Mrs. Shear
arrives, and screams/curses and Christopher. We do not know if she thinks he
did it, or is just rightfully upset that her dog was murdered. Next, a
policeman shows up and questions Christopher. He touches him, and gets hit.
Christopher is then taken to the police station, put in jail, and is later
bailed by his father. His father, when they get home, is really upset that the
dog was killed, and stays up late sobbing about it. Christopher fixes himself
up a nice cup of juice, and heads to bed. The novel is fixated on what goes on
in Christopher’s mind while other things happen around him. It gives the reader a good understanding of
what he is going through, and how exactly he thinks about things. All of the characters from page 1-21 are:
(Christopher, Mrs. Shears, Policeman, Kate, Wellington, Christopher’s father,
and Siobhan).
2.) My favorite part
of the novel so far is when he thinks about how he would escape from his jail
cell. I never expected what he thought of, and realized it was really clever. The
narrator’s tone of voice is very nervous, cautious, shy, honest, and straight forward.
If he wants to say something, he will forget the main issue in the book and
talk about what’s on his mind. He is very free in a sense.
3.) The opening of CI
reminds of when, in The Book Thief,
Liesel’s father gets taken away because he didn’t join the Nazi Party. Why?
Because he didn’t feel comfortable doing so. He would be joining an
organization that murdered Jews, like himself. The main point is that it was
something he didn’t feel comfortable with. In CI, it is very similar when Christopher hits the cop because he
touches Christopher. The narrator didn’t feel comfortable being touched, and
was punished for it because he hit the cop. In The Book Thief, Liesel’s father is punished for not joining the
Nazi Party by being taken away from his family. To me, these two scenes from CI and The Book Thief really relate.
4.) He sees the world in
the same way that I do in that everybody is equal. A dog, to a pedestrian, to a
cop, to a father. Along with that, everybody should be treated equally, no
matter who seems to matter more. In the book, Christopher describes how if a
human and a dog died, their lives are equally important, and a person should
not feel most/all of the sympathy to the human. A human’s life is equal to an animal’s
life.
5.) This novel would not make a good film because most of the
book is based/told on what Christopher thinks/says in his mind. A movie can’t reenact
what someone is thinking in their head.
6.) Questions:
1. Is there something secretly wrong with the narrator?
1. Is there something secretly wrong with the narrator?
2. Why is the narrator so attached to dogs?
3. Is the narrator any bit cocky because of the knowledge he
has about various things?
1. Summarize the first 21 pages of CI. Include characters, plot, setting, and what the novel seems to be interested in.
ReplyDeleteChristopher finds a dead dog, around midnight, in his neighbor, Mrs. Shear’s, yard, and he gets accused of killing it. He punches the police officer that comes to figure out what happened and is taken into custody. He begins to investigate Wellington’s, the dog, death.
Christopher’s mother died, and he is left with his father.
2. What is your favorite part of the novel so far? How would you describe the voice of the narrator?
The narrator is very particular, he cannot handle very much information, but he takes what he can and handles it well. He needs exact details and numbers. I don’t have one favorite part, but I like when he refers to his classmates and what he says and thinks about them.
3. Can you compare the opening of CI to any other work we have read this year? Anything you’ve read outside of class? How so? Be specific. Use examples.
Book theif. It starts out with a death, and then you learn more as the story unfolds. Leisel’s brother dies, and you don’t know how exactly and Mrs. Shears’ dog gets forked and you don’t know by whom.
4. A lot of the novel is about how Christopher thinks and the way he sees the world. Can you compare any specific ways he sees the world with the way you do? How so? Be specific. Use examples.
He needs to know what the time is exactly, and tries to analyze everything. I like to know the general hour, if even that, and I take in the big picture then focus on the little things.
5. Would this novel make a good film? Why or why not?
I do not think it would, just because you can take it in, in so many different ways and if you set a solid picture of how it is “supposed” to be taken in, you take away the expirence of putting all of the pieces together. I also do not think they would be able to capture everything just right.
6.
should Christopher investigate Wellingotn’s death?