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6. What do the novels teach us about how authors develop and use conflict?

In the beginning of a novel the character usually has an emptiness or a flaw that was caused by a bad experience. As the novel progresses the characters face obstacles that impact their experience and as the novel continues the conflict become harder and harder to overcome. By the end of the novel the small conflicts are resolved which then leads up to the solving of the larger conflict.

On page 3, Melinda says “As they walk down the aisle, people who were in my middle school lab partners glare at me. I close my eyes. This is what I've been dreading.” This was one small conflict that lead up to the conflict (flashback) on page 136 which was “I called 911 because I needed help… Blue and cherry lights flashing in the kitchen-sink window.”

On page 39 in the Secret Life of Bees, T.Ray says to Lily,“” The truth is, you're sorry mother ran of and left you.”” T. Ray telling Lily that the day her mother died she came back from leaving them and was getting her stuff, was the small conflict that led to Lily running away(large conflict.)

In the Hunger Games, obviously the conflict is surviving the Hunger Games, but there are smaller conflicts in it that lead to the last conflict. Even though Katniss and Peeta didn't know this will happen, it was still the biggest conflict at the end. on page 342 Caesar announces something that could change the whole plot. “ … the earlier revision has been revoked Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed,” he says.

In Murder on the Orient Express, the major conflict would be the murder that had occurred on the train by one of the passengers. Agatha Christie uses different ways to express how the conflict is getting resolved and how with more characters or a change in setting, things can get worse. On page 43 it says: “To begin with, a murder - that by itself is a calamity of the first water.”

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4. What do the novels teach us about how authors use setting?

- Novels show us different styles of how authors use setting. For example, authors can use setting to develop the plot, they can use setting to help us understand the characters, and they can use setting to help us understand the ways of life/traditions/views of the characters in the area.

In the Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd uses the setting to develop the plot. Sue Monk Kidd makes the setting in the south during the civil rights movement, because during that time period in the south the civil rights movement was very strong, and integration was a very controversial topic. For example on page 38, T. Ray says, “” He’s the meanest nigger-hater in Sylvan. He'd as soon kill her as look at her.””

Murder on the Orient Express included a wide variety of settings that make the story more lively and interesting. Agatha Christie makes the main setting the train itself, so all of the important conflicts and plots can occur there. For example on page 62 it says: “The train moved slightly and the Wagon Lit Conductor had buried his face into his hands. This is serious!” said Poirot, “A man has been murdered on this train!”

In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins uses setting to mainly develop the plot/conflicts. In this quote on 148, we can tell that conflict will arise soon in this setting. “Sixty seconds to take in the ring of tributes all equidistant from the Cornucopia….spilling over with the things that will give us life here in the arena.”

In the book Speak the author uses the setting to create the plots/conflicts. On page 105 you can tell that conflict is about to rise “This is really awkward. I mean how do you say something like this? No matter what… no I don't want to say that…”

This picture shows that dialect is based on the setting, or where you are from. Authors can use setting to help us understand the area, so dialect helps us verbally understand how people talk in a specific area.

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9. What effect does point of view have on the novels?

The point of view can change the whole novel because if another character is narrating, then we see the actions and thoughts of that person.

First person point of view always gives us the thoughts and a deep understanding of that person.

If your novel is third person, we  wouldn't have a deep understanding of what exactly is going on in the character's mind.

If the narrator changes, then the mood, plot, or settings in the novel will change.

For example, In the Hunger Games, Katniss is the narrator, so we see all her thoughts. This quote shows her feelings on page 261, “Haymitch couldn’t be sending a clearer message. One kiss equals one pot of broth… And he’s right. If I want to keep Peeta alive, I’ve got to give the audience something more to care about. Star-crossed lovers desperate to get home together…”   If Gale was the narrator of the novel, then we would know what is happening at home, what his thoughts are, but we wouldn’t know what is going on with Katniss and how she feels.

The book Speak is written in first person point of view. First person point of view helps you understand the characters emotions and helps you step into their shoes. On page 45 it says “The salt in my tears feels good when it stings my lips. I wash my face in the sink until there is nothing left of it, no eyes, no nose, no mouth. A slick nothing.” This quote helps the reader to understand how the main character is feeling and helps them understand their emotions.

The Secret Life of Bees is written in first person point of view. In my book you know everything that is in Lily’s head, causing the readers to really understand what Lily is going through. On page 115, Lily thinks, “I jumped every time I heard a siren. It might have been an ambulance off in the distance or a police chase on television… part of me was always braced for T.Ray… drive up and end my charmed life.” If this wasn't in first person, I wouldn't know how Lily feels about living in Tiburon.

Murder on the Orient Express is written by an unknown narrator, but in each chapter is told by a different point of view of the murder. With this effect, the reader gets a feel for all the different possibilities of what might have happened to the victim. On page 75 it says: “Excellent, said Poirot. “We can open our Court of Inquiry without more ado.” After this quote is said, for the next 15 chapters inspector Poirot interviews each passenger and with each interview comes a different side of the story you may not have heard the first time. So this shows that point of view affects the plot of the story.

Both of the men have a different perspective on the same situation, so their "stories" will be different.

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5. What do the novels teach us about how authors develop and use characters?

The novels bring in the characters with different personalities to help make the story more interesting. With the use of different characters, the book will then have all the main components of an exciting choice to read. (conflict, theme, plot, solutions, etc.)

In the Hunger Games, the author introduces many interesting characters and develops them through different actions and thoughts of Katniss. This is one way Suzanne Collins developed Rue’s character. On page 208, Katniss thinks… “ If she’d wanted me dead, all she would have to do  was disappear from that tree without pointing out the tracker jacker nest.”

In Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie brings in different characters to help make the murder mystery more exciting and intriguing. By having a variety of personalities, the story can have many points of view and can take on many opinions as well. On page 42 it says: “A passenger? Which passenger?” “An American. A man called - called Ratchett. Is that right?”

In the book Speak, my author develops many interesting characters through. One way my author developed a new character was on page 5 “Another wounded zebra turns and smiles at me…. “I'm Heather from Ohio.” She says. I'm new here.”“Are you?”

In the Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd gives you some background information on the characters, so you can base their actions off of that. For example, on page 11, Lily is thinking this about Rosaleen, “I was the only one who knew that despite her sharp ways, her heart was more tender than a flower skin and she loved me beyond reason.” Sue Monk Kidd writes this in the beginning of the novel, so when it seems like Rosaleen is being mean to Lily we know that she means well.

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I think that this book would be used to teach Setting/Imagery because this novel did an extraordinary job of describing all the settings and describing objects/events that occurred in the novel, like the Seam, the Tribute Train, Training Center, Capitol,food,dresses, how characters looked  and the different landscapes in the Games. The imagery in this novel was also really good because of the word choice and the way you can immediately visualize it. This is a really good example of imagery… “When I manage to pull my eyes away from the flickering fabric, I'm in for something of a shock. My hair's loose, held back by a simple hairband. The makeup rounds and fills out the sharp angles of my face. A clear polish coats my nails. The sleeveless dress is gathered at my ribs, not my waist, largely eliminating any help the padding would have given me figure. The hem falls just to my knees. Without heels, you can see my true stature. I look, very simply, like a girl. A young one. Fourteen at the most. Innocent. Harmless. Yes, it is shocking that Cinna has pulled this off when you remember I've just won the Games.” (page 355)

Katniss's Dress for the interview

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2.Questions about life/Real world problems- Spandana

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2.Questions about life/Real world problems- Spandana

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My book addresses questions in life like... Should you sacrifice for your loved ones? Should you work hard for your family to survive? Should you keep your moral ethics and Identity even when you are trying to survive? Can you survive even when you are in poverty or harsh places (like the hunger games)? The answers to all of these are yes. The author poses these questions  through the characters actions, thoughts, and dialogue. For example, Katniss sacrifices her safety for her sisters by volunteering for the hunger games. And it turned out good to since she and her sister are safe and alive now. Also, Katniss works very hard to keep her family alive after her dad died and her mother just couldn't do anything. By hunting for food with Gale even though it is illegal and signing up for the games multiple times for more tessera's of grain and oil, she was able to feed the family.  This quote shows what Katniss had to do at such young age… “ At, eleven years old… I took over as head of the family. There was no choice… because if it had become known that my mother could no longer care for us, the district would take us away from her and placed us the community home… I could never let that happen to Prim…”( Page 27) Katniss and Peeta both keep their identity in the Hunger Games and didn’t turn into a monster to survive. They both helped each other when in need, and worked together to survive. Both of them made different alliances at first to survive. Katniss made an alliance with Rue and Peeta made a pretend alliance with the career tributes in order to keep Katniss safe. Another big real world question addressed is about starvation? Starvation in Katniss’s life actually helped her during the hunger Games because she was already used to it and since she learned a lot about plants and to hunt, she is able to get food to survive. On page 28, Katniss tells us that starvation is a really big problem in their district “Starvation not an uncommon fate in District 12. Who hasn’t seen the victims? Older people who can’t work. Children from a family with too many to feed. Those injured in Mines…”

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The Hunger Games was written by Suzanne Collins. This book takes place in Panem which was once known as North America,which means this is in the future. Katniss, her little sister (Prim), and her mom live in District 12 aka the Seam. Her father died in a mine explosion and left them in with no money or food. Katniss had to take the role of her father and she went through a lot to keep her family alive. There are 12 different districts surrounding the Capitol. In Panem, there is an annual event called the hunger games. Each district has to send in one boy and one girl (ages 12-18) to fight to death on live TV for “entertainment”. Prim gets chosen to go, but Katniss volunteers to go in place of her sister. The boy that goes for their district is Peeta. Both of them go through lots of conflicts/struggles and build a interesting relationship in the Hunger Games. The main theme of this novel is survival, but not only that, also surviving with identity.Obviously, the competitors have to fight to survive, but also it is important to keep your dignity and identity. For example, “Peeta has been struggling with how to maintain his identity. His purity of self.”(page 142)He doesn't want to be one of those people who eat tribute’s hearts just to survive. He doesn’t want to turn into a monster. He says that “I don’t know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself.” (Page 141)  The strengths of this novel was that the author succeeded in making the story very suspenseful and added in many twists to make it more exciting. I honestly did not see many weaknesses in the book. One weakness would be the beginning. The opening lines didn’t  really hook the reader into reading more, but every other part of the book made me want to read on and on. Overall, I really loved this book because you never know when something surprising will happen. It was full of action and was so interesting. Remember, If you open this book, you won’t close it until the end.

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Agatha Christie poses a question about how people can use different ideas and knowledge to help piece together conflict in their own lives. On page 63 it says: “There are clues here in abundance...by the way, what have you done to the weapon?” Christie explains in detail about the struggles in this case as she uses the idea of a murder scene to represent the conflict in people's lives, and how they use perseverance to guide them.  On page 71 it says: “The question we have now to ask ourselves is this….is it the work of some rival gang? Or is it an act of vengeance?” This quote will show you that solving crimes and real world problems take time and lots of questions to help figure out a solution.  In conclusion, this book can reflect some problems as it connects to so many people struggling to find answers whether it be a murder case, or a personal life conflict.

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If my book was to be taught in school, the literary device of imagery would be used to explain it. This is because Murder on the Orient Express contains very detailed and lively phrases that help set the scene of the novel. Agatha Christie uses imagery to help create pictures in your mind by including descriptive sentences about the personalities and possessions of the passengers on the train. On page 164 in part 2 it says: “....the sight of a small dark man with a womanish voice dressed in a dirty Wagon Lit uniform…..” With this quote you can clearly see an image in your head that could accurately describe the person. In conclusion, my book would be the perfect example of imagery because the whole novel is surrounded by details and wondrous thoughts that make it seem like you are traveling the Orient Express yourself.

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Murder on the Orient Express is written by Agatha Christie. In the book, inspector Hercule Poirot is on the Orient Train heading back to London when a murder occurs. The train has to stop because of extreme snowy conditions, but it's up to Inspector Poirot to find out who murdered the Millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett. The theme of this book is definitely perseverance as Poirot and his friends have to crack the case before the murderer can strike again. The book was for sure one the best books I have ever read because it included really detailed descriptions of the characters, funny and creative remarks, and feels very realistic - like I am right there as well. Although the book is really good, some weaknesses of it may be that book was very lengthy and included some words that were difficult to understand. The book also include some French phrases that I had to look up to understand - which was annoying at some times. On page 184 it says: “Mademoiselle, we have a proverb - Que s’excuse s’accuse….” Overall, I think this book was very good and I highly recommend it. The story was mysterious and exciting - and if that is what you are looking for, then Murder on the Orient Express is the right book for you. On page 42 it says: “You may well ask that. First this snow - this stoppage. And now-...” “And now what?” “And now a passenger lies dead in his berth - stabbed.” This is the start of the mystery and creates an eerie vibe to the reader.

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My book speak would be a good example of conflict. I know this because my entire book is revolved around this huge conflict that is not being resolved. One example of how this huge conflict effects Melinda’s life is on page 41 it states, “This year Rachelle is going to a party thrown by one of the exchange students host families. I heard her talk about it in algebra. I knew I wouldn't get an invitation.” This is another problem that is cause by the conflict that impacts Melinda's life at the time. My final conflict is on page 45 “I hide in the bathroom until I know Heather’s bus has left. The salt in my tears feels good when it stings my lips. I was my face in the sink until there is nothing left of it…”. This is also a really good example of conflict because Melinda has lost one of her only friends causing her to feel very confused and like an outcast at this school because she now doesn't know anyone. My book would be a perfect example of conflict because Melinda faces thousands of issues and problems that she has to face and if she does not make the right decision then more issues could start piling onto the overall conflict.

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Questions about life/real world- Bailey 

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Questions about life/real world- Bailey 

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My question is how do teenagers deal with depression? This relates to my book because the character in my book deals with depression but not in the best ways. For example on page 118 it says “I can't do anything, not even in art class .” This is showing how Melinda Is bringing herself down and making herself think that she is horrible person which is a huge sign of depression. This springs up the question of how do people in the real world deal with depression.

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The book “Speak” is written by Laurie Halse Anderson. Melinda seems like your average teenager living Syracuse New York during today's time period. Until an event happens that shakes up her world causing her to lose friends and causing her to go through harsh experiences. At the end of the book some conflicts start to resolve and she opens up about her emotions causing her to feel accepted again. The overall theme of the book is depression because Melinda feels very out of place and helpless. On page 51 it says “My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear me. “ This shows a sign of depression because Melinda is keeping all of her thoughts and feelings inside her head. Also on page 87 it states “ I open a paperclip and scratch it across the inside of my left wrist. Pitiful.” This shows a huge sign of depression because Melinda is trying to release all of her pain by doing self harm. I think some of the strengths of the book Speak are the suspense. I really enjoy mystery books and, I like it when they give you hints to what has happened but the author doesn't tell you till the end of the book. Another thing I enjoy about this book is the author is portraying it based on real life events that everyday teenagers go through making people relate to the main character. Some downsides to this book is while reading it I got really into a part of the book and then when I went to the next chapter  the topic would completely change. I find this difficult because most readers get into a part of the book and start to understand what's going on and then it switches and the reader often times gets confused. Overall this book was one of the best books i've read all year because of the fact that it was easy to understand and it was set in this time period. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes mystery and suspense filled books.

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The Secret Life of Bees would be used to teach characterization because development of the characters is very large in the book and you have to use textual evidence to truly understand the personalities of each character. For example, Lily is thinking this when T. Ray(her father) is coming, “I woke to the sound of someone thrashing through the trees. T. Ray! I sat up, panicked, buttoning my shirt. I heard his footsteps, the fast, heavy pant of his breathing.” This shows that T. Ray has an angry personality and is not loving. This also shows me that Lily and T. Ray have a very distant relationship and Lily is scared of T. Ray.

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Sue Monk Kidd poses a question about how white people viewed African Americans compared to them. In the beginning of the novel, Lily does not understand how to feel about Rosaleen getting to vote, because she is not quite sure why white people always want to be higher than African Americans, and how she should view African Americans. On page 20 and 21, Sue Monk Kidd poses the question, “I didn’t know whether to be excited for her or worried. All people ever talked about after church… who was winning-the white people’s team or the colored people’s team…”  Sue Monk Kidd answers the question by using the white policeman in Tiburon talking to Lily. On page 198, he says, “Take my advice and call your aunt and tell her to come on and get you… these are colored people here… you shouldn’t be… well, lowering herself.”

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The Secret Life of Bees is written by Sue Monk Kidd. This book takes place during the civil rights movement. Lily Owen’s is white and lives on a peach farm in Sylvan, South Carolina. She accidently killed her mother when she was young, and has been living with her abusive father since. She runs away with her housekeeper in search to find some information about her mother. She ends up living with a group of African American sisters that are also beekeepers in Tiburon, South Carolina. She discovers information about her mother, along with a new understanding of love and belonging. For example, on page 209, Lily thinks when she is with a group of african americans, “It was how Sugar-Girl said what she did, like I was truly one of them. They didn’t even think of me as being different.” The theme of this book is acceptance because Lily embraces the truth about her mother and she has to accept the way society treats African Americans and love them despite how they may be viewed. For example, on page 135, an african american boy named Zach says to Lily, “Lily, I like you better than any girl I’ve ever known, but you have to understand, there are people who would kill boys like me for even looking at girls like you.”  Sue Monk Kidd does a very good job developing the relationships between the characters and making you feel like you are inside Lily’s head. Also, I love how she connects how an african american would feel during this time period to white people and vice versa. The one thing I did not like about the book, was that Sue Monk Kidd drew out the part of the plot of Lily’s controversy over whether to tell the sisters the truth about her mother, too long. This is a form of suspense, and it did work, but I kept wishing that it would happen earlier. Overall, I think this book is very good because it is very eye opening on the stereotypes that african americans had before and during the civil rights movement, and it gives you a feeling of happiness at the end.