LITERATURE ANALYSIS #3 (AP English)

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).
The protagonist of this book is Antonio Marez. The setting is Guadalupe, New Mexico. His father, Gabriel Marez, a "vaquero" (cowboy), would like to see his son grow up and follow in the same path that he did, but Antonio's mother, Maria Luna (a devout catholic and daughter of farmers), would like Antonio to become a priest. When Ultima, comes to stay with the family, she teaches Antonio about the earth around him and the basics of her craft.  After watching Tenorio shoot Ultima's owl, her spiritual guardian, Ultima herself begins to die. She asks Antonio to bury her owl, and he does so in honor of Ultima. In the end we see how Antonio looses his innocence and becomes a grown up.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
A theme can be to be yourself and not let other people decide for you. (self-discovery?)

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The tone is one of comprehension.
 "I had been afraid of the awful presence of the river, which was the soul of the river, but through her (Ultima) I learned that my spirit shared in the spirit of all things"

"I could not lie. I knew he would find the lie in my eyes if I did. But maybe there were other gods? Why had the power God failed to cure my uncle?"

"The sun was good. The men of the llano were men of the sun. The men of the farms along the river were men of the moon. But we were all children of the white sun."

"There are so many dreams to be fulfilled, but Ultima says a mans destiny must unfold itself like a flower, with only the sun and the earth and water making it blossom, and no one else meddling in it."

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.)
Symbolism: Golden carp, Ultimas owl, Virgen de Guadalupe, the last name "Luna"
Diction: Anaya uses phrases and sayings that have spanaish words on it.
Direct Characterization: the way that Ultima is described
Indirect Characterization: the actions that Ultima does and the way people react to her.
Metaphor: the way Anaya says that the Lunas are people of the land and the Marez come from the sun.
Synesthesia: They way Antonio described the way the soil felt.
Aphorism: The way that Antonio's brothers acted when they come back from the earth.
motif: loss of innocence

Literature Analysis #3 (Expository)

A CHILD CALLED IT 

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.  

This book is about a boy who's mother abused him. In this book all the horrific things his mom did to David are exposed. 

[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.

This book is about the live of David Pelzer. In this book (the first of the trilogy), he relates the torment he lived up until he was 7/8 years of age.

2.     Why did your author choose to write about this topic, person or event?

To help people see the horrible things an abused kid went through. 

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 second book and I wanted to have all the details from the first book present while I read the second part. I decided to read this book because my friend recommended it to me. This book made me keep reading because I could imagine the suffering David was going through and it made me feel  sympathy.

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 found this book to be realistic because the sad truth is that many kids are abused. Fortunately, I could not relate any of the events and people in this book because that I know of, no one I know suffers from abuse. 

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?

David presents the characters in this book the way he saw them when he was a child. If I were to meet the "Mother", I hope I could see her for what she truly is. An abuser. Since the story is told from a kid's point of view, it's understandable that David put some characters personalities different from what a grown up would see them. 

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?

-Father: alcoholic and submissive to mother

-Mother: alcoholic, abusive, emotionally unstable, controlling 

I would make Father resemble a guy who has a nice face but looks like a homeless person. I would make Mother resemble an old women who has bushy hair. kind of like a witch.

3.     What about these people makes them interesting enough to write about?

Their ability to hurt an innocent child and not be tormented by it. 

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:

-when the author gives a physical description of how he looks like

-when the author tells the reader how his mom looked before she began to drink.

indirect:

-the way the author describes the "games" Mother played with him reveal that she was psychologically sick.

-the description of Father just looking away from David reveals that looking at David is something his dad can't deal with because he is not able to do anything to help David but he doesn't even try. 

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?

The author's diction goes from saying his dad is his hero to calling his mom "The Bitch" and calling his mother "momie" when she didn't abusive him to "Mother" whenever he talked about the "games" she played.

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.

dynamic and round. Throughout the book David is forced to grow up and anticipate his mom's next move so that he can be prepared.

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 direct & 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?

He uses the descriptions of places to make an association of the way he felt. It's used to make a connection.

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

4.     What do you think the author’s attitude was toward the subject, or the characters, or the audience (i.e., you)?  Why?
I think he wants to create awareness of a problem through his memoir.

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..

Something I think I will remember for a long time is all the suffering that David went through and now he is a well-known author.

In your book, what do the key people learn?  How do they do it?  How do you know?

David learns how to cope with his pain and he does it by withdrawing within himself. I know this because he says that he didn't have friends and since he couldn't talk to anyone, one can assume he withdrew within himself.