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In what ways has your protagonist changed and evolved?

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In what ways has your protagonist changed and evolved?

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My protagonist Alyssa has become a different person. She is still the same in some ways, but after going through such trauma, she isn't quite the same. On page 386, she said, "As for me, I don't know. I feel different, but don't we all? Most of us are still struggling with it all- everything we've seen I mean. The school counselor says it's PTSD. Which makes sense. I guess I'm just happy to be alive. But yeah, I'm different. How couldn't you be?" After going through these horrible events, Alyssa is a little quieter than she used to be, but she says on the final page that she is very grateful to be alive and hopes she can adjust to this "new normal". Overall, she isn't the same as she was at the beginning of the book, but her kind heart and good morals managed to survive along with her and her family.

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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?

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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?

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The author is primarily spreading a message about water conservation. It is no secret that earth is running out of fresh water for its constantly growing population, however, people are very ignorant of that fact. The California drought is a perfect example of this ignorance. This book shows what could possibly happen if our society lets the drought escalate to catastrophic proportions. Some of the events and deaths that take place are graphic, and many are just heartbreaking. This speaks to the reader because it shows potential consequences of the way we are using our resources today. The author also portrays a theme about survival. In our world, we love to believe that if a terrible event such as what happened in this book happened in real life, we would come together and help each other. However, when it comes to individual survival, desperation will take over, it's simply human nature. The author demonstrates this theme through almost every negative thing that happens to the main characters. Like Alyssa says on page 380, "None of us are proud of what we did. Some of us left others behind. Some of us stole. Some of us murdered. But it was all a race to survive."

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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?

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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?

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One aspect of a hero's journey that has been displayed in my novel with my main character is "the call to adventure". In the case of this story, it's more of a "call to action". Her call to action happened when her parents didn't return home for two days. It happens on pages 121-122. Alyssa says to Kelton, "First of all, they're my parents. And more importantly to you, we can't wait around for them for much longer. We will die. We can take the bikes. Weave around traffic, go through the grove. We can do it. We have to." Realizing this wasn't just Alyssa's call to action, but Kelton and Garrett's as well. It is now dawning on the boys as it has on Alyssa that this situation could mean life or death.

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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?

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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?

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One characteristic of a dystopian society that can be found in my novel is a low standard of living. In this story, I think the authors are trying to warn us about what our world may become if we continue treating our environment the way we are and overusing resources. The authors are trying to spread awareness for water conservation by writing a story that could realistically happen in California in the next couple of decades if the drought continues. The main character, Alyssa, tried to find her parents after the riots, but the beach was deserted, and she was almost killed by a gang of severely dehydrated boys. She wants to bring her community together so they can help each other, but most people in her neighborhood have an "every family for themselves" attitude in this situation. As people become more desperate, they become more dangerous. Some are dehydrated to the point of insanity. Like Alyssa said on page 116, "The kid couldn't have been much older than me, tall and with dark hair. But he looked very ill. He was sickly pale, unusual for a Californian teen. His lips were cracked and bleeding. But that wasn't the scary part of him. It was his eyes. They were unnerving. He cracked a truly terrible grin. Deranged and dangerous." I think for now, Alyssa is not trying to make a change, she is simply trying to survive. She tried to change her situation, but she was almost killed, so she has retreated to safety. I hope she finds her parents, and she hopes they contact her soon.

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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? 

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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? 

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The main common idea that I'm seeing in my novel is self-responsibility. The self-responsibility comes into play for every decision Alyssa has to make. Her decisions could mean life or death, specially after leaving the safety of her home to search for her parents. She also needs to be careful about the people she allows to help her, because not all people are helping for the right reasons. They might want something in return that she can't afford to use. She has to carefully consider who she associates herself with. She even needs to beware of her friend Kelton's decisions, because even though he has street smarts, she isn't sure if her and her brother's safety is in his best interest. She can't go with everything he says blindly, so she contemplates carefully and considers all her options. An example of this would be on page 101 when Kelton wanted to carry the gun outside without concealing it. He thought it would ward people off, but Alyssa knew that Kelton's judgement was clouded and that it was not a good decision, saying, "I know it would ward people off, but if the police catch us, we aren't going to be sent anywhere nice. And being spotted with a gun might end with us getting shot. I'm not kidding, it happened before the Tap-Out, so it could happen now."

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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?

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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?

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Instead of resisting a government power, my main character Alyssa is resisting against the water crisis by surviving and protecting her little brother. The biggest roadblock she's encountered her parent's not returning from the beach. She doesn't know whether she should go look for them or stay inside. If she looks for them, she may not find them, or she may find them dead. Going outside is also dangerous because there are very desperate and dehydrated people out there. On the other hand, if she stays home they may never return and they will run out of water quickly. Alyssa decides to go to the beach to see if she can find them. She makes this decision after realizing how long their water will last.
pg. 121 "We could stay here and wait, but I fear if they don't come back in the next two days, we'll run out of water. And with the rising temperatures and the lack of air conditioning, we're gonna be sweating out half of what we take in."

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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.

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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.

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I don't know a lot about what Alyssa looks like. I know she's an athletic teenage girl, but there has not been much description beyond that. Personality wise, she's witty, but she's also very intelligent. She cares about her family members very much and she's very close to her brother. I like Alyssa for these reasons. I believe she is the a person that can get through this because she's smart and compassionate. One quote that I feel describes Alyssa is one on page 49 from her neighbor Kelton, who says, "Alyssa is not only beautiful, but she's kind and caring, not to mention crazy smart!". This quote tells a lot about Alyssa's personality because it is an observation from someone she doesn't know very well, rather than her own opinion or other biased opinions.

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What theme topics are you seeing in your novel?  Explain a bit how your protagonist is reacting to these topics.

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What theme topics are you seeing in your novel?  Explain a bit how your protagonist is reacting to these topics.

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Survival is the biggest theme topic in this story so far. At first, Alyssa and her family were having no problem surviving. They had a bathtub full of water, and they weren't panicking because they assumed water was coming soon. The stakes rose when Alyssa's little brother Garrett accidentally spilled bleach into their only water supply, contaminating it all. They needed to replenish their supply much sooner than they anticipated, so Alyssa's parents left for the desalination machines. They haven't returned for two days since the protests happened on the beach. Now, people are getting very desperate as they begin to feel the affects of severe dehydration. Alyssa is scared now not only for her parents, but for her and her brother. They only have one pitcher of water left, and people are becoming less and less inclined to share, as shown on page 69 when the neighbor is going from house to house asking for water, and Kelton's dad simply says, "Your lack of foresight isn't my fault," and shuts the door. Alyssa is still keeping a level head with all the madness in her neighborhood, however, because she knows she needs to stay calm if she wants to survive this.

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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?

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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?

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There is not a lot of dystopian control that has happened in my story so far, but the government has been playing a prominent role. The government has finally stepped up and they are trying to provide water to the citizens of California, but all their efforts have been unsuccessful because of the protests. One example of this is when the government brought desalination machines to the northern Californian beaches. The people were so desperate that they tore the machines apart, destroying any chance of getting any water. In this case, more government control is actually needed. I know that the military is getting involved with law enforcement because Alyssa and her neighbor Kelton saw military vehicles making their was through the streets and the TV news report on page 71 said, "FEMA has officially named Southland a disaster zone". Alyssa was relieved that the rest of the country was finally recognizing the problem, but she now realizes that the solution is coming too late. She's very scared because her parents went to the beach to get water, and they haven't returned. The detrimental affects of lack of government control during crisis can be seen in disaster-stricken third world countries. However, governments in these countries are often corrupt or poor, while the American Government in this story simply took to long to respond.

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Dystopian novel.  Is it similar to anywhere you have visited, viewed, read about, heard about?

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Dystopian novel.  Is it similar to anywhere you have visited, viewed, read about, heard about?

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The setting of my novel is Californian suburb outside of Los Angeles some time in the near future. I know this because of the TV news report of page 2, where the reporter says, "All county and municipal water districts in Southern California are temporarily rerouting all resources to critical services". Later, on page 37, we find out Alyssa lives near Los Angeles because they talk about how the Los Angeles Aqueduct a few miles away went dry.
I am not sure what year it is, but I know it is early June, as each chapter starts as a journal entry. The first day takes place on June 4th. I am not sure if the location of the setting will change considering what is happening in the story, but from where I am right now, all the events that have taken place have been in the same suburb. As of right now, I don't know how many years it it is into the future, but I don't think it's far from our own time because there has been no evidence to suggest any sort of new technology. Everything seems relatively normal, they have cars, their parents have jobs, and the kids go to school. The government, until the "Tap Out" happened, was running as normal.

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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.

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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.

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At the beginning of Dry, Alyssa is feeling scared, but she is also in denial about the "Tap Out". This is because of the way everyone is treating it. Her family, her community, and her government are all acting like it's not a big deal. However, she's beginning to realize the monsters people can turn into when they're desperate. The trip to the grocery store is a really big wake up call for her. One man tried to take her bags of ice, and she describes his demeanor on page 7, saying, "He was smiling, but his eyes were scary." Alyssa's conflicted because she wants to trust the government but she's also angry at the government for lying and withholding help.