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What aspects of Dystopian control is being presented in your novel?  How are the characters handling them?  Do any of these aspects of Dystopian Control resemble conditions happening in our world today?
Right now, the village has been showing signs of shared control but the Sisters generally make the rules and traditions. They base their whole existence on God. Mary is training to be a Sister because she has no family or spouse to live with. While being there, she has dealt with a lot of secrecy that she isn't in on. She located a tunnel undergroud that leads into the Forest. She is very curious about what they are hiding and why. My book is pretty different from the world today and that's why I like it a lot. It's cool how writers create how entirely new worlds. Mary will most likely continue to explore or bring a group of people to help her. They deserve to know too. For this quote, Mary is down under the cathedral and she shares how's she's feeling when she's looking around. "My entire body shakes now, whether from fear or the sweat soaking my thin gown I don't know. I wish Travis were by my side, someone to hold my hand, to keep at bay the terror at the edges of my imagination. I have thought of this tunnel and these rooms for so long and yet now that I am here I don't want to press forward. I'm not sure that I want to know the truth anymore. To know what's kept hidden down here." This is from pages 102 and 103. Travis is a childhood friend that she fell in love with when he was ill and living at the cathedral.

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What theme topics are you seeing in your novel?  Explain a bit how your protagonist is reacting to these topics.
Where I'm at right now in my book, the theme is most likely survival. Mary's village is constantly at risk of a breach because the fences are hundreds of years old. Later on, there actually is a breach and the village is destroyed. The Unconsecrated were too strong for the people left on the ground. Only a few made it to the platforms in time and the rest Turned. Mary, Cass, Harry, Travis, Jed, and Beth, and a young boy named Jacob find a hidden path that leads away from the village with fences on both sides. It's safe from the Unconsecrated, but they are unsure of where it will lead them. They only have a few days worth of food and water so they must hurry. Will it lead them to the outside world? Is there more to the planet than just the village? Here is a quote from a part of the book I just ended at. "I feel the breath leave my body; my stomach burns with the knowledge that this is truly it. That our village is no more. It's as if everyone has had large weights dropped onto them. Their shoulders sag. Their legs buckle." That is what Mary was thinking to herself on page 149 when the group realizes there's no going back.

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What are the common ideas taking place in your novel? In what ways do the common ideas effect your characters choices or actions?
Mary is very questionable about nearly everything. She questions love, God, the Sisters, the Unconsecrated, the path they are taking, the ocean, her late mother, the other villages they found, and more. She doesn't know why life has to be survival. Why she can't just be with Travis. She wants to find a place the Unconsecrated haven't touched, like the ocean. When Mary wants answers to these things, they can affect the decisions she makes. She keeps wanting to know things and when she tries to figure them out, they put her in danger. "There seems to be no end. In the mornings we lick dew from the leaves. We try to find shade in the heat of the day, sleep to conserve energy. But still we are slowly dying. Our steps have become shallow and lethargic. Travis's limp is more pronounced, as if he doesn't have energy except to simply drag his leg behind him. Argos trails along after us, no longer bounding ahead to explore but panting with the effort of existence. We are barely living. With each step we mirror the Unconsecrated that pace along beside us on the other side of the fence. Some days I wonder what the difference between us really is. As the days wear on I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. Travis's question echoes my mind: are we the only survivors? And if so, have I killed us by insisting we continue through the Forest? If we had returned to the village could we have made a difference in the fight against the Unconsecrated? Should we have turned back? Taken a different branch on the path? Am I resposible for the fall of mankind?" Below is a picture of the ocean similar to the one that Mary saw when she was a child. She keeps dreaming of finding it.

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Thinking back to the aspects of the Hero's Journey that we studied during the Odyssey,  What are some of the elements that are also utilized in your novel and with your protagonist?
I've noticed that Mary's journey pretty much follows these guidlines. She "calls for adventure" when the village is breached. She chose to take the path rather than getting to safety on the platforms. Her "aid" was Harry. Then came Travis and Cass who rescued a boy named Jacob. With more people, they had more of a chance at survival. After "trials" on the path, they found Mary's brother, Jed and his wife, Beth. But their "worst fear" occurred when they had to kill Beth because she was Infected and about to Return. But they kept on. Together they found a village and made it to the platforms where huge houses were built. The group stayed there for quite some time living off of things that the people had kept their before. Later on, Mary and Travis's "worst fear" happened. The small house up in the trees they were staying in, was intruded by a bunch of Unconsecrated. Travis was bitten but didn't tell anyone. Later on when they wanted to escape and try and find another village, he told Mary and she had to kill him. Her only love was now gone forever and depression settled in. But her "transformation" wasn't far away. The group was walking down the path and came to a dead end. But this was no ordinary dead end, it was a gate. It opened up to the forest. The "result" of this was Mary's dream. She knew this was the place to get to. It had to be the ocean just down the stretch. Her and her brother Jed went for it. They stumbled down a canyon and fought off the Unconsecrated with a scythe, but it wasn't enough. She lost her brother Jed but her "new life" was now on a beach. She was at the ocean! This was the ultimate gift, the "resolution." She dreamed Jed would make it and that Cass, Harry, and Jacob would find a different village and live their life there in safety. She met a man on the beach and he showed her around their part of the world. The end. Here is a quote that shows that Mary survived but it was a hard journey. She says, "I try to think about Jed, shame holding me back from remembering how he came after me. How he died saving me. But a part of me also thinks he could be proud that I made it, that I survived. That he knew what he was doing when he stormed into the Forest after me. I feel the burden of carrying his hope with me."

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What social commentary do you think your author was making with this novel?  What is the author saying or warning about today's world?
The author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth was, Carrie Ryan. I believe she incoorporated pieces of social commentary into the book to tell the readers something more. What I pulled from the book was "survival." Either Carrie Ryan was trying to tell us that we need to change up our lifestyles and how we are treating our bodies and the earth, or it was about trying not to just survive, instead live your life on the edge! Both of these statements are important today. Carrie also is telling us to value what we have in our lives. The main character, Mary, lost everything and I believe she's trying to tell us not to take our friends and family for granted because they won't be with us forever. In today's world we've just consumed ourselves with social media and we honestly just need to put our phones down and celebrate life! Here is a quote that I chose that resembles what Mary has learned through her experiences with losing her family and wishing that she could have one. "A happy family. Like the family in the photographs." And here is another one. This quote is like a reflection of how hard Mary's life has been recently. She needs to find hope and push through and just forget about the hate and focus on the love. "And I close my eyes because a part of me still feels lonely and lost. A part of me doesn't know what happienss we can wring from these days. What future can any of us have if we are the last humans? The ones with the burden of carrying ourselves on, of re-creating the world? For the photo I picked out this family picture because that's what I think the author was trying to tell us- to spend more quality time with the ones that you love. I also thought it was fitting because the ocean was in the background and that was a big piece of the book.

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In the Dystopian Elements handout, there are six examples of conflicts the protagonist/main character might got through.  These are not the only conflicts the character might encounter, but just a start.  Identify at least one internal conflict your main character is experiencing.

At the very beginning of the story, Mary loses her mother. Her father was Infected a few years ago and lives among the Unconsecrated. Her mom must have recognized her late husband near the fence line and went into a daze. She got too close to the fence and became Infected after a bite. When this happens, the Guardians or Sisters have to put the person to death because the infection spreads like a snap of fingers. Mary can't even baffle that she will have lost both of her parents as a teenager. Mary is now feeling trapped and alone with no family to be with. She's also slightly questioning some things about the Sisters and the Guardians and just the political system in general. Down below is a picture of Sister Tabitha who is actually extremely creepy. A quote from Sister Tabitha supports this. "Open it, Mary," Sister Tabitha says. Her voice is terrifying with its low pitch and ominous tone and I realize that I have no other choice. The fact that she knows she has no choices in her life shows that she is feeling trapped and lonely.

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Describe the main character of your story. Include both physical traits and personality characteristics. Do you like/dislike this character? Why? Include one quote from the novel to describe your character.  Include the page number you find the quote on.

Mary is very independent because she's never really had people to love her. She is in her teen years and has long brown hair and green eyes. I really like her. She is strong but can show her emotions at times. Life is hard here, it's pretty much life or death. When she finds love, it hits hard. She's becoming an adult and her everything is just getting flipped up-side-down. Here is a quote of what Mary is thinking to herself as she is sneaking around a tunnel underneath a cathedral looking for answers to the secrets the Sisters are hiding. "And suddenly I wonder what right we have to believe our childhood dreams will come true. My body aches with this realization. With this truth. It is as if I have cut something important away from myself. The loss is almost overwhelming. Almost enough for me to give up. It is as if my bones can no longer support my body. As if I am no more than blood and tears and fear and regret, slipping into the world around me." -Page 105. This is an example of her sharing what she's feeling and the struggle she's going through.

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What and how are your protagonist resisting? Is he/she experiencing success or roadblocks, and how is the success or roadblocks being handled? Mary has to resist giving up. She must keep going. Along the way she has even comtemplated living. She really just wanted to hand herself over to the Unconsecrated because their lives are much simpler. But right now she really wants to be with Travis, her love. After walking along the path for some time, the group managed to find another village. Unfortunately, there are no other people, just Unconsecrated. They have found success though because they now have shelter, food, and can finally sleep. I'm not sure what will occur later in the book, but I hope they can find the ocean and not be the only people left alive. After staying in the new village for a while, Mary starts to feel like this isn't the life she wants to live, which is now a new roadblock. "And I close my eyes because a part of me doesn't know what future we can hope for in all of this, what happiness we can wring from these days. What future can any of us have if we are the last humans? The ones with the burden of carrying ourselves on, of re-creating the world? Responsibility crushes around me. Responsibility for Travis, for Argos, to the promise I have already made to Harry that still bind us somehow, even though we never completed the final ceremony. My chest begins to collapse with the weight of it all, the pure panic of the possibility of failure. -217 I hope that Mary and the group overcome this weak point in their journey and succeed to find other living people and see the ocean! The picture below is just a collage that sums up the storyline vaguely.

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What aspects of the Dystopian society are found in your novel?  What statement is the author trying to make by utilizing that particular aspect?  What is the change that your character/s are attempting to bring about?  Do you think they will be successful and if so, will the change bring what they hope?
Philosophical and religious control is what I've noticed. The Sisters are the main rulers of the society. Mary's whole village is surrounded around God and Scripture. I think the author is trying to incoorporate some of the aspects of the world today into this furturistic world. The Sisters are strict, but not corrupt. Mary still doesn't like their control though, she wants to escape. I think her group will find hope in the end and live a happily ever after. Mary really wants to see the ocean because of her mother. That's what's pushed her this far. But there's also parts of me that believe the ocean isn't safe considering the entire world is infested with billions of Unconsecrated. I've really enjoyed reading this book and it always leaves me wanting more and more. Here is a quote that shares more about the Sisters' rule. "But these walls are bare and smooth. Nothing written on the wood, no reminder of God or His words. I think back to all the other doorways I've walked through here and realize that they too have all been bare. I wonder why the Sisterhood of this village didn't compel the people to inscribe the Scripture and then I realize that there is no kneeling bench in this house. No tapestries on the walls containing His prayers. This house contains nothing of God. The realization startles me - how could a structure in this village be allowed this blasphemy? Such freedom? And I wonder for the barest moment, if the Sisters of this village didn't control as tightly. Or perhaps didn't control at all.

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In what ways has your protagonist changed and evolved?
Mary has changed drastically throughout the story. She started off as a young girl who was looking for love. Then she had to overcome adversity and depression when her mother Returned. And when she nearly faced death, she really matured. She found out that there's more to life than the Sisters and survival. She learned how to actually live and love! She fought off several Unconsecrated and actually had to put Travis to death after he became Infected. That took a lot of guts and bravery. I'm definetly interested in reading the sequel to see where Mary goes next! At the very end of the book, Mary is thinking about the memories of those she's lost and she's thinking about the long journey to the ocean. She says, "And then I remember Travis pulling me against him and telling me about hope. His voice in my mind is soft, just out of reach like a spent echo. I wonder if these memories are worth holding on to. Are worth the burden I wonder what purpose they serve. Already the ocean is washing around the Unconsecrated on the beach, pulling them back into the water, reclaiming the. For a while I stand and watch, until the beach is clear and the man takes my hnad and leads me to the lighthouse." Below I inserted a heart because Mary found the love of her life, Travis, and that changed the whole way she viewed everything.

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Describe the setting of your Dystopian novel. Is it similar to anywhere you have visited, viewed, read about, heard about?
In my book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, the setting is on earth, in a secreted village surrounded by fences. The future world is infested with zombies, called the Unconsecrated. A small group of people who believe they are the only ones left that haven't been Infected, live here. I don't know too many details about this place yet, but I know it is definitely much different than the our society today. The main character's name is Mary and the last time anyone in her family saw the ocean was her great-great-great grandmother. Mary obviously never had the chance to meet her but did see several photographs of her. Apparently beyond the fences surrounding the town is only forest but Mary is suspicious about that. This book reminds me of the show The Walking Dead. I have never actually sat dow and watched the show, but I've seen bits and pieces here and there. The fence isn't super stable because if one gets too close they can get bitten. A quote to help describe the setting is, "But there are times when I stand at the edge of the Forest of Hands and Teeth and look out a the wilderness that stretches on forever and wonder what it would be like if it were all water." Another quote describes the fence and the Unconsecrated. "Now I sometimes fear coming to the edge of the Forest and looking past the fence. I am afraid I will see him there with the others: tattered clothes, sagging skin, the horrible pleading moan and the fingers scraped raw from pulling on the metal fences."
The picture down below originates from The Walking Dead and is pretty similar to how I pictured Mary's village and the Unconsecrated.