LITERATURE ANALYSIS 2 (AP ENGLISH)

Title: LUNA Author: Julie Anne Peters

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

This book is about a transgender guy named Liam who calls him(her)self Luna. The exposition of the story
is portrayed as a series of flashbacks. The narrator of the story is Luna/Liam's sister. This book gives the reader an insight on the struggle that Liam and Regan go through in order for one another to discover who they really are.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

A theme of this novel is acceptance. This theme is present through out the whole novel because Luna wants to be accepted by society and specially his(her) father.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

A. Lucid (easily understood: "Her eyes found me and she smiled. An aura framed her, a glow."
B. wry: "Pretty. A word for girls. The way handsome described boys. Liam was right; people did use boy and language. They expected different behaviors. When kids acted out of role,' as Liam put it, they were labeled tomboys or Sissies. "

C. Didactic (inclined to teach): "This isn't a good-bye. It's hello. I think of it as a new beginning because that's what it is for me. A rebirth."

4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.) 

1. analogy: The butterfly in the cover is a metaphor between Liam and the "transition" he wants to experience.  "I want to be free. I want to transition."

2. Internal Conflict: "'no one will ever know the person I am inside. The true me. The girl, the women. All they see is this...this nothing.'....'Liam.' He let out a short laugh. 'Who's that? A caricature I've created. A puppet, a mime, a cartoon character. I'm this male macho version of a son that Dad has in his head.'"

3. External conflict: "Luna held her head high, waiting. Almost daring him to do it. seconds ticked away. Years. Then, slowly, Dad released his fist. My lungs collapsed. Luna reached for the door knob. 'Excuse me,' she said. Right in her ear, Dad said, 'If you walk out of that door, don't bother coming back.'"

4. Character vs self: "'Dad is my her. Doesn't he know that? I feel like I spend my whole life trying to prove it. "'

5. Foreshadowing: "'why did you dress at school?' I asked her. 'why did you have to do that?' She lowered her eyes. "You said it; I had to. I had to test myself. To see if I could go through with it. I needed to know that I had the self-confidence, the will to do it everyday."'

6. Flashback: "'Liam. Lia Marie. Please.' My eyes well with tears. Please."  His left hand reaches out and snags the football helmet beside him. He holds it up to me by the faceguard. Inside is a mound of pills. Blue, purple,orange, white. 'I can't do it," Liam says. 'I can't even do it. I can't do anything right. I'm wrong. All wrong."'

7. Point Of view: The point of view is by the sister of the main character. "You're such a freakshow.". ..'I Know,' she murmured in my ear. 'but you still love me, don't you?'. .. yeah, I loved her. I couldn't help it. She was my brother." (pg.3)

8. resolution: "I took a step back, then another. I turned around. I walked, walked faster. Ran. Toward the door. The Exit. The entrance. 'Good-bye, Liam'"

9. Dialogue: The whole book has dialogue..

10. symbolism: The butterfly in the cover symbolizes Luna's desire to be herself.

CHARACTERIZATION 

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?

DIRECT:
1. "you are kind and generous, compassionate and caring." (Luna to Regan.)

2. "you are a strong and beutiful person."

INDIRECT:
1. " What would I do without you?" (Liam, Aly, and Elise to Regan.)

2. "I deliberately avoided taking classes taught by the teachers Liam had, since he was like their wunderkid.'

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
Yes. When the author speaks about Liam, the tone is usually nostalgic because Liam in apathetic to the things that happened around him. When the author speaks about Luna, she uses words that portray confidence. 

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
If Regan is the protagonist, she would be a dynamic and round character. Through out the book Regan understands more the struggle that Liam goes through. 

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

After reading the book, I Feel like I know Luna as if I were here friend. I think it's because I have a friend who is a transgender and thinking of the struggles Luna went through, I can imagine what he went through. 

LITERATUE ANALYSIS 2 (Expository)

Title: THE LOST BOY Author: David Pelzer

TOPIC(S) and/or EVENT(S)
1.     As we have discussed in class, a book is said to be nonfiction if its content is based on facts or events.  What is your book about?  [a]. Try writing a paragraph first to capture your thoughts.  [b]. Then see if you can boil it down to one clear statement.  (Even if you feel like you can just skip to [b], please do both; remember that your reader doesn’t know what you know.

A. My thoughts on this book are that a mother should
ALWAYS love their kids. This book is about a a boy named David who is physically and psychologically abused by his mother.This is the second book, following"a child called it". In this book, the author talks about his struggles to find somewhere to call home.

B.
This book is mainly about a boy's journey through the foster care system.

2.     Why did your author choose to write about this topic, person or event?
I think that the author wrote this book because he wanted to rell his story.

3.     Why did you choose this book?  What about the book appealed to you the first time it came to your attention (and how did it come to your attention)?  What about the book made you want to keep reading once you began?
I choose this book because I read the first book and I wanted to read more about David's life.

4.     Did you find the book realistic?  Did you make any connections between people/events you read about and people/events in your own life?  Why or (if you didn’t) why not?
I do find this book realistic because child abuse is something that happends everyday. I am thankful that I can not relate to this book.

PEOPLE
1.     Since this book is nonfiction, the theory goes that the author didn’t create characters.  But that’s not entirely true, is it?  Doesn’t the author report his/her own interpretations based on personal observations?  If we met his/her subjects for ourselves we might see them completely differently.   What do the author’s choices say to you?  Why did s/he choose to write about this book?  What is the author’s tone, and what (if anything) does it say about the author and his/her subjects?
I think that I would feel the same way as I do about Davi's mother as I do now. The tone David uses is one of nostalgia.

2.     Describe two or three people from the book.  What do they look like?  How do they act?  How would you write them as fictional characters (would you use direct or indirect characterization?
If I were to write about Ms. Gold, Mother, and Father as fictional characters, I would use direct characterization.

3.     What about these people makes them interesting enough to write about?
Ms. Gold is interesting to write about because she was the one who let David out of his personal hell. I would write about Mother because I would like to know what was going through her head when he was hurting David. I would write about Father because I would like to know how he stayed with mother while he saw all the bad things she did to him.

 MORE ON CHARACTER/PEOPLE

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
When David describes his mon when he was smaller, he calls her Mother and when he remembers the "old" times, he calls her mommy.

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
When David describes his mon when he was smaller, he calls her Mother and when he remembers the "old" times, he calls her mommy.

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
The character is dynamic and round. He is dynamic because through the course of the book, he goes from 12 yrs to 18 years.

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
I feel like I know David and that I would like to follow up with his life at the present moment.

STYLE
1.     Did the author use any tools from fiction writing (such as foreshadowing or symbolism), or did the author use a journalistic style? Example(s)?
I think he uses both tools, fiction and nonfiction like interviews at the end of the book and indirect characterisation.

2.     Does the author use lengthy descriptions of places and people,or does s/he focus more on action or dialogue?  What overall effect do these choices have on the book?


3.     What tools does the author use to demonstrate tone and create a mood?

4.     What do you think the author’s attitude was toward the subject, or the characters, or the audience (i.e., you)?  Why?

5.     What resources (newspaper articles, interviews, historical documents, e.g.) does the author offer?  Did it matter in your thinking?  Why/why not?

He uses dates and places I sort of know. I think this affects me because it makes it feel like is more realistic.

ENDURING MEMORY
Write a paragraph in which you describe the one or two ideas from this book that you expect to remember for a long time.  Explain your choices and their importance.  Share a passage or two that give your reader a taste of the same effect.

I think that once I have my house and my career, I am going to offer myself to foster kids in needs. I feel like it would be the human thing to do for the kids who are being abused.