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Quote: "When twins are separated, "their spirits steal away to find the other" (51).

Context: Jude tried to meet with a master sculptor but her plans fail as they shut the door on her and tell her to leave. After being turned away, she is informed that her twin brother, Jude is at Devil's Drop, a very high cliff where the ocean lays beneath it. She rushes to the scene as she does not take any chances after the incident where Noah tried to kill himself, jumping off that same cliff a few years years ago, after their mother's passing.

Commentary: The quote at the end of this passage would relate both to the past and present experiences Noah and Jude share. It describes that even when twins are not together, they're still connected by spirit. When one of them is in trouble, they're called to help the other. This refers to the incident where Noah tried to drown himself and Jude had to save him. Furthermore it connects to the present where Jude already experienced this once, so she isn't going to let it happen again.

Quote: "If we were drowning, who would Dad save first? (Jude.) For thirteen years, mom stumped us. We had absolutely no idea who she'd dredge out of the water first. Until now. And without sharing a glance, we both know it" (23).

Context: At the art museum, Noah and Jude had a drawing contest where their mother judged the art. After seeing how beautiful Noah's work was, their mom forgets about Jude in the process and doesn't even bother to look at hers. This leads the twins to find out their mother loved Noah more.

Commentary: This quote is a moment of realization for both Noah and Jude. Even though they knew their father's answer, it was not until now that they found out their Mother loved Noah "more." It's a pretty discouraging truth to discover for Jude, even though Noah doesn't really make a big deal about their father. This also sets up a conflict that happens later on in the text where Noah and Jude argue about their parents. Moreover, the text could also be foreshadowing an event later on in the book where Noah tries to drown himself after their mother died. Even though they think their parents had favorites and valued one of them more than the other, this shows a tight connection and deep bond between them since they still have each other to depend on.

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#1 Quote: In every set of twins, there is one angel, one devil [40]
Context: Noah feels like he is the twin that is always getting into trouble and doing bad things. While he thinks that Jude is the twin that is never getting into trouble and is always doing the right thing

Commentary: normally when someone thinks of twins they will think of two people that look the same or have the same birthday. But from that time everyone will see how twins are on the outside just two people with the same birthday and looks, but no one thinks about how twins are really on the inside. Twins can be really opposite in some kind of way even. One twin could be really nice and super fun to be around while the other twin will be not the best person to be around and not nice at all.

#2 Quote: "Every picture of you reduces your spirit and shortens your life [42]
Context: Jude is afraid to take a picture because she doesn't look nice at the current moment. So she felt as if they took the picture and feels like her life is over if anyone else sees the picture.

Commentary: People feel like when they take photos it will take the life span away from a person. They think that you can have a limited amount of memories of a person and once you hit the maximum a person life can be over.

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Summary: In the beginning, Noah is being bullied by two people named Fry and Zephyr. They stop after deciding it would ruin their chances of getting with Noah's twin sister, Jude. Eventually, Noah gets home and has dinner with his family. Their dead grandmother was the topic of the conversation. The clashing difference between wild imagination and logical reasoning really showed with Noah's parents. The children are told that their grandmother told them to strive to get into a prestigious art school called CSA for their high school years. Their mother has them compete against each other to create portfolios worthy enough of being accepted by CSA. In the process, their mother had begun to neglect Jude. Then, there is a time skip and now we are in the perspective of a 16-year-old Jude. Turns out that Jude had gotten into CSA, and Noah did not. Although she should be ecstatic to be there, she isn't due to her mother's death and severed bond with her brother. It is shown in her sculpture assignments at school. So she is pulled aside, talked to, and she managed to find motivation to make a masterpiece. We eventually switch back to the brother Noah, when he was still 13 years old. He found out that a new neighbor was moving in, and found interest in staring at the newcomers. He is then caught by a mysterious boy, so to avoid any confrontation, he goes into the woods to find a place at CSA where he can secretly take a class through the window. After the class is over, Noah encounters the mysterious boy. The boy introduces himself as Brian, and they end up hitting it off. When Noah went home that day, he tries to draw Brian and the model used in the class that day. That is, until Jude went into his room, made some uncalled for comments, and started some tension.

Quote #1: "Rain in December brings with it an unforeseen funeral."

Context: Jude is reminded about how mother had died unfortunately by having her car slip and drive off a cliff. The only thing she had to remember her of her mother was the watch she wore as she died. Jude mentions that it rained most of the December before she passed.

Commentary: This quote brings in the idea of death and tragedy. It entails such sadness as it describes death and dreary imagery, such as rain during funerals. Rain during funerals usually sets the mood for the idea of death. It's a dark concept that Jude is clearly affected by, since each time she looks at the watch associated with that traumatizing event, she is reminded of it.

Quote #2: "At least I'm still me."

Context: Jude had recently been hanging out with the popular girls and surfer boys at the beach, changing herself and spending less time with Noah. Then once day, Jude had gone into Noah's room to be nosy and see what he was up to. They begin talking about the kid who recently moved in next door, Brian. In the words of Jude, he is "such a freak," then sparks a conversation about how Noah is strange as well. She says that Noah, behaving as himself, is embarrassing. To which, Noah responded, "At least I'm still me."

Commentary: The ideas that are present within this quote is the idea of "coming of age," and "growing up." They are both growing up, experiencing new things, meeting new people, like how Jude met the girls and Noah met Brian. Though, they are both growing up differently. One of them is staying true to themselves, and the other trying to change just to appease others. The quote really put into perspective the differences in how they are growing up.

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dialectical journal review  4/3/22                                

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dialectical journal review  4/3/22                                

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Quote: "to reverse destiny, stand in a field with a knife pointed in the direction of the wind"

Context: Noah is gonna jump off a cliff (devils drop) because his mom died, Jude feels that she needs to save him before he drowns. when she gets there with her "ghost" of a grandma that she imagines she sees of her. Jude sees Noah jump but hes slowly falling in the moment and that's getting her worried, hes tries to commit suicide he also did this another time.

commentary:  When Noah is falling from the cliff he is pointed in the direction of a knife and what the knife means to me is that a knife cuts things in half, he was pointed in a certain direction of him falling. To reserve destiny is to have faith and i think Noah should've at least talk to Jude his twin that hes close with about his feelings and thoughts before jumping.

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Big Idea: Realization and Maturity

Quote: "It's a sink-or-swim world, Noah" (133)

Context: At the party, Noah is encouraged by the others to participate in a game where 2 people of the opposite sex are put in a closet for seven minutes. At first, Noah wants to leave and take Brian with him until the words of his father appeared in his head, "It's a sink-or-swim world."

Commentary: Noah at first does not want to participate until he hears these words in his head that his father had told him and Jude a long time ago at the beach. Back then Noah literally sank down under the ocean but now Noah understands that he has to now swim. He chooses to stay at the party and play the game because it was the last time he would see Brian and he didn't want to just leave him without one last try to grasp his heart.

Theme: Conflict and Family

Quote: "Here I go. Three, two, one: I detonate with the only thing I have. "You're just jealous, Jude," I say. "All the time now, you're so jealous" (76).

Context: The twins were just having a moment of bonding until it suddenly turns into an argument. Jude says to Noah, "Do you have to be so, buzz, buzz, buzz, so you, all the time." This leads to an argument between the two where Jude calls out Noah, saying he has no real friends and that he's hogging their mother all to himself. As a response, Noah tells Jude that she's just jealous.

Commentary: Noah and Jude share a tight bond and love each other but sometimes conflicts erupt between the two. In this instance, Jude starts the argument, fueled by her overwhelming emotions. This takes place after the museum trip with their mom so knowing the harsh truth that Noah is loved more by their mom led her to attack him with words. This fight between the two is really impactful because it sets up the twins to break apart from one another. Even though they're family, this exchange of words will stay in their minds and cause them to drift apart, into different worlds, that would still somehow collide.

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Great Job, Marchall.

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You had to write 2 DJs, but you only wrote 1. Also, the commentary needs work. Perhaps what you meant to analyze was the symbolic significance of the knife.

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Good! Expand your commentary next time, J!

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Good Job, Karina! Nicely structured and analyzed.

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#3 Quote: Noah has an overactive imagination[114]

Context: People think that when Noah is imagining something he is doing too much and going over the limit. That way people tend to say that he has an overactive imagination due to the way he thinks and imagines things too much.

Commentary: When people start to think they are mainly doing it to keep their brain at work. Most time people think about what they want or what they are going to do in the future. Sometimes people can think of good things but others can think about bad things. When people start having bad thoughts that will cause them to think a lot and that's what causes overthinking. Overthinking is not really good because bad thoughts can become even useful and people can start to have even worse thoughts.

Quote #4: If bad luck knows who you are, become someone else.

Context: Jude is worried that she has bad luck and she hopes that her luck is not bad so she could live life with good luck and not worry about anything bad happening to her.

Commentary: People believe that good having good luck or bad luck is a real thing due to the events that are happening to them. Other people believe that good or bad luck isn't real and if something bad or good does happen is just things that happend.

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Quote #1: "I don't recognize you." (pg. 117)

Context: Jude's mother is chewing her daughter out about how she's wearing lipstick and putting on very short skirts to wear in public. Jude's mother says, "Do you really want to be that girl?" Then Jude points out that the girl in the mirror is in fact, her. To this, Jude's mother says that it's scary how much her daughter is changing, she's changing so much to point that she can't recognize her anymore.

Commentary: This quote falls in with the idea of "growing up." Jude is progressing through a stage of her life where she is branching out to different styles, some of which can be dictated by the people around her. To her mother's disappointment, she is changing. It's to be expected, after all, nobody is going to be the same person they were a year ago. People change constantly, and as they change, they grow as people. Jude's mother just happens to be unprepared to truly grasp the idea that her little girl won't always be a little girl. It's a stage in life that both Jude's mother and Jude will struggle to go through, especially if they are constantly bickering like this.

Quote #2: "It was you, I tell him. I kissed you."

Context: Noah had gone to a party with Jude without notifying his parents about it. During the party, he took note of two men kissing in a separate room, wishing that it was him with Brian. He had been letting his imagination run with that idea until a girl named Heather, had snapped him out of it and dragged him to a different room. There, the popular girls that he had now associated with, had set up a game for everybody to play. A game called, "7 Minutes in Heaven." It's a game that is said to be played by having two people spend time in a closet together for seven minutes, where they typically kiss. They pulled names randomly to situate the pairs. Noah ends up being paired with Heather for this game, so they head on into the closet. Noah felt guilty for the fact Heather seemed to be interested in him, yet he felt nothing for her. To get in the mood of kissing, he began to think about Brian. They get carried away and don't notice that the timer had gone off. In the end, Noah feels guilty that he kissed a girl and gave her the wrong idea, and that he knew that Brian witnessed them both afterwards.

Commentary: The implications of this quote really direct itself to "love and sacrifice." Noah evidently has feelings for Brian. He imagines himself doing intimate actions with him and cares about his opinion towards the game, "7 Minutes in Heaven." Normally, people don't imagine those sorts of things with others they'd consider their friends. Despite the quote saying, "I tell him," in actuality, he is only thinking it. There are no quotation marks to indicate that he said it out loud. The words are italicized, because if he were to actually say it, there would be a set of boundaries crossed, as well as a possibility for unwanted hate by the rest of the people there. During that time in the closet, it's clear that Noah feels guilty for his actions. He made moves on somebody he is not romantically interested in, and hurt the unsaid relationship between him and Brian. Noah made it seem as though he is trying to ignore his feelings for Brian as he kisses Heather, the same feelings that Brian reciprocates. Noah practically sacrificed their romantic bond with each other, his overwhelming love caused him to do something that made him feel closer to Brian, even if it wasn't Brian himself. After all of that, tension replaced the comfortable nature of their bond.

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Theme: Regret and Guilt and Internal Conflict

Quote: "That's right, I don't deserve a love story. Not anymore. Love stories aren't written for girls who could do what I just did to my brother, for girls with black hearts" (164).

Context: Jude is talking about his twin brother to Guillermo Garcia and brings up the time when they divided the world up between them. She tells him that in exchange for a portrait that she felt instantly drawn to, she would give him the trees in the sun. This same portrait would be later ripped up by Noah after Jude had willingly gone for his crush, Brian.

Commentary: This quote presents another conflict between the twins. At the party, Jude had been chosen to partner up with Brian for a seven-minutes in heaven game, knowing her brother had a crush on Brian. This breaks the tight bond between the twins, causing a long-lasting major conflict in the story. This was Noah's final chance to tell Brian how he felt and it was all ruined by his sister so Noah went home and ripped the portrait he gave his sister to shreds. This marked the final tear, transitioning to the drifting apart of the twins.  Furthermore this quote also shows Jude's feeling of regret and guilt. She describes herself as having a black heart so she has realized what she has done. She knows it was a terrible thing to do, especially to your brother, and forever feels guilty as she states she is not deserving of a love story.

Quote: "To reconcile with a family member, hold a bowl out in the rain until full, then drink the rainwater the first moment the sun shines again" (169).

Context: The quote talks about one of Jude's beliefs which in order to reconcile with her mother she would follow these steps. Jude and her mom had a broken relationship after she had found out her mother loved Noah more. This lead to them arguing and not being as close to each other as before. When her mother died, they had just been fighting and had not yet made up.

Commentary: This phrase reflects another instance where Jude feels deep regret and guilt. Her mother had passed away while they were in the middle of an argument so this created an internal conflict for Jude. She felt horrible which is understandable as the last thing she said to her mother, wasn't something you'd want to say to a loved one as a goodbye. She questions herself, asking "How can people die when you're in a fight with them?" This demonstrates how Jude still cannot get over this aspect of her mother's death, feeling that at least part of it is her fault.

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Quote: "I lost the stars and the oceans too," I tell him. (pg. 165)

Context: During Jude and Noah's middle school years, they would pretend to divide up the world. Noah had the sun, and Jude had lost the trees, stars, and oceans to Noah. Jude had requested a painting of an English man that Noah had drawn on the day he was caught drawing at CSA. To which, Noah agreed to with conditions. The condition had been to give him ownership of the trees in the world. Jude agreed and was gifted the painting as they traded. After some time, when Jude was already accepted into CSA, she went out to find an experienced stone sculptor that could help her make a very important statue. She had a talk with him, which led into the discussion of her middle school game with Noah. Guillermo, her mentor, had commented that Jude being without the trees is probably why she feels sad. She then comments that she lost the stars and the ocean as well.

Commentary: The meaning behind this quote falls in line with the idea that Jude is experiencing a sense of lost hope. She adds worth to the different parts of the world that she and her brother had split between themselves. Those different aspects, the sun, the stars, and the ocean seem to be a part of herself. She lost all three of those parts, so now she feels as though those parts of herself are lost as well. The light from the sun and the stars is gone, the flowing sense of calm from the ocean has ceased, and the cool breeze from the trees are no longer there to keep her grounded. There is a remaining feeling of lost hope, Jude has displayed quite the amount of sad behavior, so it's not too much of a surprise that all the negativity in her life is affecting her mental state and her as a person overall.

Quote: "It's suddenly so quiet inside me." (pg. 172)

Context: Her soon-to-be mentor, Guillermo, sat Jude down to talk about why she wanted to be taught by him over a cup of tea. As they talked, Guillermo explained that she had witnessed him in a bad shape since the last time they met. He described how he felt as him encompassing the stone sculptures he creates. Jude claims that she relates and also feels like stone, but Guillermo disagrees. He looks at her with gentle eyes and tells her that she is not stone. Because of this, Jude's head becomes quiet.

Commentary: This quote entails the idea of companionship as a salvation for Jude. Guillermo himself seems to feel empty and cold like stone. He wishes to blend in with the sculptures he creates, but he disagrees that Jude should join him. Jude thinks she is practically the same as stone at this point, especially after her mother's death and the broken bonds in her family. With all of these people gone, it's evident that she doesn't have anybody to truly confide it and talk about what ails her. Guillermo, by giving her gentle eyes, he allows Jude to feel safe in what she is saying. He's making her feel acknowledged and heard as they speak to one another. He reinforces this by telling her directly that she is not stone. She is not totally empty and cold like stone. Because of this, her previous thoughts of her own self worth were washed away by Guillermo's comfort and companionship. That is why she says, "It's suddenly so quiet inside me," since it shows that her mind is now cleared from those thoughts.

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#5 Quote: "What someone says to you right before they die will come true"
Context: Those were Jude's mother's last words before she passed away. It has I real big meaning to Jude considering that it was her mother's past and those words could have a big impact on her life in the future.

Commentary: A person's mother is most likely the most important person in their life so to know the information that they have passed away could really break their hearts. One thing that a person thinks about the most when they think of a loved one that passed away is the good memories that they had with that person. The memories could be anything like just a conversation or an event that happened in their life.

To Jude, her mother's last words could have the biggest meaning in her life. That can be so because a person's last words are probably the saddest things a person can think about when they think about a loved one passing.

#6 Quote: If one twin is cut, the other will bleed

Context: Jude and Noah are twins who both have to deal with problems together. So if one of the twins is in a problem they will both have to deal with it and fix it together.

Commentary: Most actions happen in a pair for example when you eat you chew and swallow your food. So the quote has the meaning if something happens something else with come along with it. So the quote is trying to state that an action is in a set of twins meaning two which means that one action happens then the next action come along with it.

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Theme: Love and Loss

Quote: "Meeting your soulmate is like walking into a house you've been in before-you will recognize the furniture, the pictures on the wall, the books on the shelves, the contents of drawers: You could find you way around in the dark if you had to" (221)

Context: Jude had been talking to the "ghost" of her grandma about Oscar. She felt a deep attraction to Oscar but she tried to get rid of it, thinking he was dating Sophia. Oscar had heard the whole conversation which led to a confrontation where the two argued. It turns out that Oscar and Sophia were not dating which leads the two to calm down and have a heartfelt conversation where Jude finds out that Oscar is her soulmate.

Commentary: This quote describes the feeling of meeting your soulmate. Jude knew in her heart that Oscar was meant for her which has been foreshadowed many times in the text. The two have always been flirty, with Oscar's flattery towards Jude and Jude hinting her feelings but Sophia became an obstacle for her. Even though she assumed Sophia was his girlfriend, she still could not get him out of her head and could not put her feelings aside. Furthermore, meeting your soulmate is like meeting someone familiar. It's like you already know everything about them and this is how Jude felt. Oscar has made her happier than she's ever been in a long time.

Theme: Family

Quote: "There are times when surfing where you'll take on a wave only to realize the bottom's dropped out of it and so suddenly without warning you're free-falling down the entire face. It feels like this" (209).

Context: After Jude had found Noah in their room flipping through her sketchbook without asking, they engage in a sibling conversation. Noah asks Jude how she's doing at CSA and it seems as though the two are finally having a good conversation with each other after a while. Then Noah gets a phone call and steps outside, speaking on the phone. When Jude goes out to check on him she finds that he abruptly stops talking and had faked the phone call to get away from her.

Commentary: Jude is excited, thinking that finally her and her brother were getting to be close to each other again. She was so hopeful that she disregarded the fact her brother was looking through her stuff with no permission. They were engaging in a non-awkward conversation and she thought Noah actually cared about her life. This was proven to be wrong when she finds out he faked a phone call to get away from her. This compares her emotions to surfing waves as like a surfer would ride any good wave they see, she takes the opportunity to bond with her brother, thinking he was open to it, until that wave turned out to be a deception. She was deceived by her brother and believed in him, because she longed to have a connection with him once again. This connection may be forever broken, as Jude realizes in this moment, feeling like she's falling.

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Quote: "What slumbers in the heart, slumbers in the stone." (pg. 225)

Context: Jude had recently been catching feelings for Guillermo's student, Oscar. They talked to each other on the floor of Guillermo's studio and exposed a lot of their feelings, their past, and even their passions. They opened up to each other enough for Jude to get curious about what Oscar wanted to say to her revolving their moment at the church. At this point, Oscar got too embarrassed and left without hesitation. Before he left, Jude had slipped one of Guillermo's old love notes (he was in love with somebody named Melinda in the past) into Oscar's pocket, hoping that he would read it and understand why she did it. Then, Jude began to remember how her counselor told her that she was a house in the woods with no doors or windows. Something awakened in her, and she knew that comparison was wrong about her. She realized what she was going to actually make for her sculpture.

Commentary: This quote shares the theme of overcoming one's weakness or fear. Jude knows that the counselor compared her to a house without any openings. She is aware that her true self stays shut in and that she has no way of showing the amazing things she could be doing. It's a comparison that would make somebody feel as if there's no way out of a shell they trapped themselves in. Perhaps Jude had been feeling that for a time, especially since so many things happened (her mother's death, her father's neglect, her brother's shunning, etc.) in her life to the point she had nobody she could confide in. Without anybody to confide in, she was left being cold and unwelcoming to strangers. She couldn't open up to her counselor, let alone even try to make friends. Meeting Oscar seemed to have a good impact on her, she opened up to him, had laughs with him, and got inspired to keep doing art by him. She thought of what her counselor said once again, and noticed that it was wrong. If there isn't an opening in that house, make one. Walls can break down, which could be a sort of symbolism for how Jude is finally becoming her true self again. She isn't just an empty shell anymore. Now that she's realized this, her reason for making her sculpture changed: she's not going to make it for her mother anymore. She's going to make it for herself. She's overcoming her weakness and moving forward to use that sculpture as an outlet for her feelings. Whatever feelings she left dormant in her heart are going to also be within the stone of her sculpture.

Quote: "Everyone Lives Happily Ever After Except for the Yellow Dwarf." (pg. 242)

Context: We are in the perspective of Noah, Jude's twin. He seems to be having a hard time without having Brian by his side, he keeps snooping in on the messages between Brian and his sister. Noah begins to regret not kissing him when he was still physically there next to him, and then begins to regret not doing way more than that. He thinks that there is an electric fence that separates him and Brian. He assumes that Brian was the one who initially put up that fence, and kept it standing. Noah also assumes that Brian wanted nobody more than a popular girl named Courtney. Noah then compares himself to a yellow dwarf and Brian as the red giant.

Commentary: This quote embodies the theme of loss of hope. Noah is diehard in love with the boy from next door, Brian. With Brian's unfortunate leave, Noah is thinking back to their last interactions, including the ones at the party. He begins to think that Brian doesn't actually like him back. He begins to believe that Brian is just a popular jock who likes girls. As for the comparison between the yellow dwarf and the red giant, this could possibly mean that Noah sees himself as smaller in the light of popularity. Brian is extremely popular with people, especially girls, which could explain why he is a "giant." He was practically made to stand out. The colors reinforce that assumption, red is a color that catches the eye quickly, and it is used a lot in depictions of royalty in the media and in many paintings. Perhaps comparing Brian to the giant shows that he thinks Brian is unreachable, and that there's no hope for him doing anything intimate with him for as long as he lives. After all Noah has been through, it's evident that the theme of lost hope is present in the quote, Noah feels like Brian and the world has left him behind.

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Quote: "Tomorrow i'm going to throw him, every last bit of him, over devils drop".(pg 141)

context: Noah is at a party and they played 7 seconds in heaven and he already got picked and everything. But he seems very angry between Jude his sister and this guy named Brian. Jude has gone too far this is her type of revange, Noah has this all on his mind and wont stop thinking about what just happened and why she would do that to him. He decides to rip up all the drawings he had of Brian.

Commentary: Noah can't understand why Jude would do this to him is own sister would betray him and do this when she knows Brian and Noah had a little "thing" going on.  He feels very hurt of this like she knew what she was doing and this had to be a type of revange to Noah. He even threw up everything till he was shaking he was very disgusted and hurt like someone should feel after finding out his own sister would do that. Jude still hasn't apologized or anything when she got home she had to know this was gonna affect Noah the hard way.

quote: "The right handed twin tells the truth, the left-handed twins tell the lies (Noah and i are both left handed") (pg 147)

Context: Jude is talking about her faults and why she should'nt have ever gotten into that closet with Brian but she seems to not apologize in the moment when she sees Brian in the morning. She knew this whole time what was going on with Noah and Brian from the start even though Noah never told Jude. She just knew by the actions he would do and say about him. Jude regrets every decision she made in that closet and just in general she wants to take back things that have happened.

Commentary: Even though what Jude did was brutal and hurtful to her own brother she knew what she was doing and bad it would hurt him. She can't take back what she did but she wants to apologize and wants to explain the whole thing to Noah she would never wanna hurt him any kind of way she lied to protect him. Even when they do talk they don't talk about this subject they both lie to each other the most, they both are "the left handed twins".

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Quote #7

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Excellent commentary. LOVE IT!!

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Beautiful commentary. Great context nerd.

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Didn't do the Dj's this week

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Your commentary is on point!! YES NERD I LOVE IT. well structured and anylyzed.

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Theme: Love and Heartbreak

Quote: "They do make love stories for girls with black hearts after all. They go like this" (238).

Context: Jude wanders into Oscar's room and find the photos he took of her. Along with this, he wrote several notes about her, describing her in ways which seemed like he really liked her. Then she hears him coming up to his room so she hides in the closet. Jude finds that Oscar was with another girl and they were making out with each other. This leads Jude to show herself and a confrontation erupts between the two.

Commentary: This quote reflects back upon the quote that was earlier stated in the book. Jude describes how after stealing away her brother's "best friend", she is undeserving of love, being a bad person. She then later on realizes she has a chance with Oscar after finding out he was in love with her and grow a tight connection with one another, having a deep conversation. Now, in the present, she realizes that it was all a lie. Jude was just another girl that Oscar could find attention from, throw away and replace with a new one. She realizes that someone like her does get a love story, but it'll always end up a tragedy.

Theme: Family and Reconnecting

Quote: "It blows me up with pride. Dad and me. Buddies now. Chums. Bros. Oh, I'm feeling supernaturally good for once-it's been so long-so good I start blabbering like I haven't since Brian left" (256).

Context: Noah's dad invites him out to have dinner together with just the two of them. At first Noah is skeptical and reluctant to go but they go to a nice restaurant where they eat good food and have a great conversation. The two were able to catch up with one another and this made Noah feel great as he was able to bond with his dad.

Commentary: Noah had for a long time not been close with his dad. At a young age, the connection he had with his dad weakened as Jude shared a stronger bond with him. Going out to have dinner with his father allowed the two to reconnect again and improve their broken relationship. Noah thinks that his relationship with his dad has been healed and realizes that he could talk to him when he needed to. Noah also feels very happy as this really cheered him up from the pain of Brian leaving him on a bad note.

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Quote: "In an instant, he's turned into a siren." (pg. 273)

Context: After a huge misunderstanding at the party last summer, Noah and Brian left off on the wrong foot. Eventually, the misunderstanding was cleared up between Jude and Brian's "messages," so Noah had been thinking upon his actions at the party and how much he missed Brian over the course of 5 months. They didn't talk to each other that entire time, but when winter time came around, Brian appeared before Noah during breakfast time in the kitchen. Noah was surprised Brian still wanted to see him after the party situation, and made the excuse that they were both going to go find meteorites during their winter morning. After they ran out of the house all the way to the woods, Brian whipped Noah around and kissed him. They shared quite an intimate moment, hinted that they were technically dating now, and relished in the great news. That was, until Brian told Noah that nobody else can know about what they have between each other.

Commentary: This quote relates a lot to the idea of love and sacrifice. Noah and Brian have finally told each other how they feel and established a relationship with each other, but there's a catch: nobody can know about it. Brian telling Noah this is significant to the comparison of a siren. A siren, in many folktales, are depicted as beings that lure sailors to their demise. Since Brian is compared to a siren, Noah must view him with such fascination, like something so beautiful that you could never take your eyes off of. When Brian told Noah to keep it secret, Noah must have thought of those words as a siren's song. It's eventually going to lead to the demise of their relationship, so to keep this love going, Noah has to hide what he desperately wants to be proud of. He must be sad that he has to hide a big part of his happiness just so others wouldn't judge, it's a sacrifice that Noah's willing to take just to have that loving relationship with Brian.

Quote: "It takes a lot of courage to be true to yourself, true to your heart." (pg. 281)

Context: Noah and Brian were hanging out with each other, when they suddenly had the thought of engaging in some intimate actions. As they were about to have a sexual experience with each other, Noah's mother barges into the room, wanting to share a magazine about Picasso to her son. Noah's mother walks out after creating quite the embarrassing atmosphere, then tried to talk about it with Noah the next day. Noah begins to lash out at her, talking about how Brian decided to break up with him and that it was her fault Brian and her own husband left. He begins to speak about how unnatural her behavior has been, how she's been going back and forth between being so distant and being a caring mother. That's when Noah's mother stops him and tells him to always be true to himself.

Commentary: This quote mentions the idea of motherhood. After the embarrassing sight of watching her son attempt a sexual action, Noah's mother feels it is her duty to fulfill her part as his mother and educate him about sex. She definitely has not been the most attentive mother, but with a serious situation like this, her maternal intuition must have taken over. She tries to reassure her son that it is okay to like other boys, that it's okay to have sexual desires, and that it's okay to act on both. Noah unfortunately cuts her off and begins talking about how Brian broke up with him, and left him because of her. After his continuous rant, Noah's mother finally stops him, and tells him sternly that it takes a lot of courage to stay true to oneself. It is her job, as a mother or parent, to guide her child in a positive and righteous way. It is a part of motherhood that will have to be given at the correct moments. Perhaps, her words to Noah weren't just for Noah himself. Noah's mother has had very irregular behavior over the past months that hint that she isn't being true to her children. She never tells them anything about herself anymore, so she probably told Noah that so he didn't end up like her, afraid to openly express themselves.

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Quote #7 Write your sins on apples still hanging on the tree: when they fall away so do your burdens(222)

Context: Jude is worried about her past sins and she wishes that they can wash away in the past. She is talking to Oscar when he says that he has done some pretty bad things in his life and Jude tells him she had done the same. She thinks about the bad things she has done and wishes that she could fix those things.

Commentary: People's sins can be fixed like an apple can fall off a tree. People treat their sins as if a tree is their root holding the sin together but once it falls off the sins would be washed away. People can also see their sins as a stain on a piece of clothing being there until the stain is washed and no longer bothering the person. So for Jude, she sees looks at her sins like an apple hanging on a tree, and once the sin is fixed and no longer bothering her the apple sin will fall.

Quote #8: What slumbers in the heart, slumbers in the stone

Context: Jude is nervous and scared because she gave Oscar a love note. She is worried that Oscar will not feel the same way. She walks around the room nervously waiting for a response. She starts to feel weird thinking about things as she worries.

Commentary: The quote's meaning could relate to the actions you do while you are alive and will also correlate with things that happen while you are no longer living. When the quote says "What slumbers in the heart, slumbers in the stone" could mean that when she sleeps and have dreams while she is alive, she will also have dreams when she is no longer alive.

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Quote: "No, I saved them." (pg. 309)

Context: Jude had been thinking back to all of the moments that made her feel strong emotions. She thinks of how her mother died, the words she couldn't tell her, and how Noah tried to take his own life as a result of grief. She thinks of how she got angry at Noah for trying to leave her behind in the world, how she ended up never mailing his application to CSA (the art school they both tried to get into in the beginning). She regrets it all, and demonstrates that as she continuously hacks the chisel in her hand into the stone sculpture. Guillermo, her stone sculpture instructor, suggests that Jude stops for the day. She declined the suggestion, and continued to work on the sculpture. Then she thinks about how she'd been trying to live up to her mother's expectations and how she hated having to follow whatever determined path or dream her mother created for her. Jude realizes that she doesn't need to get her mother's approval, and that the application incident affected Noah, yet was very likely influenced by her mother. So, she stops working on the sculpture and wants to make everything right by calling CSA to see a portfolio made by Noah. She wanted him to take his rightful place at such a prestigious school.

Commentary: This quote references the idea of facing reality. Jude, of the main characters, had been living her life trying so hard to ignore and move on from her actions in the past. She remembered the time her family was informed of her mother's passing, how she made the horrible mistake of showing her distaste for her mother's actions. Even the time when she practically ruined Noah's chances of getting into CSA, and continued to hide the fact she did it on purpose. She avoided all of it and lied to herself constantly about the possible consequences of her confessions. Hiding such important things can really deteriorate somebody's mental health, these strong negative feelings were being poured into the stone she was carving into (which was evident with the amount of aggression she performed with). She couldn't accept the fact that maybe she needed to stop running away from her mistakes. It was time for her to make things right. The stone sculpture itself is a physical representation of all the negative feelings she had stored away, and Jude cutting it in half can be seen as symbolism for her finally facing those feelings and trying to overcome them. This is her also showing she is her own person. All those times her mother tried to control her life, tried to influence her into being somebody she isn't, and lied to her is splitting away from Jude. Those moments don't make up Jude, she is not a product of what her mom wanted from her, she's turning into a person that she wants to be for herself. Separating herself from all of these negative aspects of her life that weighed her down has been cut away by an electric circular saw. Jude saved herself.

Quote: "I open my eyes, afraid of the unseeing stranger I'll find this time, but I don't find a stranger." (pg. 329)

Context: Jude tries to find her brother Noah. Apparently, he was seen at a place in the woods called "The Spot." It acts as a place where teenagers can hang out and party. She rushes over to the place because she was informed by Noah's friend, Heather, that he was playing a drinking game to deliberately jump off a dangerous cliff into the water below. On her way to the cliff, Jude ends up meeting with a guy nicknamed Zephyr, who took her virginity when she was just a 14-year-old while he was already in 11th grade. She ends up telling him about she truly felt about what they did, expressing her sadness and disgust. Jude noticed that she was wasting too much time talking with him, so she asked him for him in find her brother. She eventually did find Noah, tried to take him away from the ledge, but he broke free of her grasp and tried to jump. Luckily, the boy she met at church and through Guillermo, Oscar, had come in at the last second and prevented Noah from jumping. After an exhausting evening, Jude and Oscar walked Noah safely back home. Jude and Oscar exchange their feelings towards each other, and share a kiss.

Commentary: This quote shows the idea of everlasting love. Jude and Oscar had previously shown signs of pining. They flirted with each other constantly, gave love letters, and even showed each other their own vulnerability. Because of the time mentioned between Jude an a boy nicknamed Zephyr,
Jude has grown scared of love. Especially since the only instances of love she witnessed throughout her childhood have been traumatizing. Her mother cheated on her father, constantly fought with him, and never acted like a true mother should. And during her middle school years, an older boy, who was almost an adult had her go through intercourse without checking if she even wanted to in the first place. Not only was there no consent, Zephyr did something immoral and practically went to the edge of the line of legality. When Jude kissed Oscar for the first time, she was expecting to see a stranger. One that she would see through those horrible love experiences. Fortunately, that did not happen. Oscar was still the same boy she fell in love with those months ago in a church she hid in. Her fear of love dissipated with the presence of her true love: the one person Jude felt the most comfortable with.

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Quote #9 To awaken your spirit, throw a stone into your reflection in still water[307]

Context: Jude is worried that she crushed and ruined Noah's dreams when he wasn't accepted to CSA. She feels like it was her fault that Noah was not accepted and now she is feeling guilty about it

Commentary: The person can imagine their spirit as many things like a person sleeping and once they wake up the spirit is also awake. They imagine their spirit as a river or a pond for this quote. They will throw a rock at the river to make the water waves awake meaning that the spirit has awoken

Quote #10 To avoid serious illness, keep an onion in your pocket [24]

Context: It's the beginning of Jude's chapter at the start of the book and she starting school at the CSA. She keeps her grandmother's bible with her to keep her company and while do does she reads a couple of passages that were in the book.

Commentary: Some people

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Theme: Loss and Grief

Quote: " Then I enter the crawlspace deep inside me and shut the hatch. Because I'm not coming back out. Ever" (342).

Context: Noah and Jude's mother had just passed away and Noah is overwhelmed with his emotions. He goes to Guillermo's studio where he breaks down in tears and blames Guillermo for his mother's death.

Commentary: Noah has many thoughts and emotions racing through him. He feels guilty for his mom's death when the last words he had told her were, "I hate you," which feels extremely horrible, knowing that't the last thing a mother heard from her child. All of this pain and grief overcomes Noah as he sees Guillermo, the man his mother had an affair with so in tears he blames him for ruining everything. He then shuts out everyone and his true self, overcome with darkness, and hides behind a mask, "forever," he says.

Theme: Family, Love and Healing

Quote: "On my way out, I stop to visit with the angel and make my last wish. For Noah and Brian. 'Best to bet on all the horses dear' (370.

Context: Jude had finally found true love with Oscar and has also found herself through her art. Now it was Noah's turn as Jude wished the best for Noah and Brian, making a wish to an Angel.

Commentary: The last line of the quote is most likely an expression their grandmother used. It expresses how its better just to bet on all the horses instead of one. Even when the others lose, you'll still definitely have one winner. Even though Jude accepts that her mother is gone and ghosts and all of her beliefs may no be real, she lives on in spirit. Furthermore, Jude realizes that she did play a big part in the change of Noah's behavior and the cause of his pain, having ruined his chance to get into his dream school. Now she makes it up to him, securing a spot for Noah at CSA and also helping him find Brian.

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Quote: "When you talk to someone through a mirror your soul switches bodies".(295)

Context: Jude and her dad are putting away the mothers belongings in a box. Shes remembering how her mom was and how much different it would be if her mom was still alive and the life of what lifestyle her mom had. She had a dressing table which had a mirror attached to it  and they didn't wanna bear touching it because it meant too much to her mom and that was her altar.

commentary: Since they were putting her moms stuff away and looking through things Jude felt a rush of emotions, you can  tell she misses her mom a lot she keeps imagining would life be if her mom was still alive. in the quote it mentions that when you look through a mirror it switches bodies" what it means is that when ever you look through a mirror all you see is the truth so when the quote states "your soul switches bodies". So when you look through the mirror all you see is the truth so maybe this is trying to tell me as you "switch bodies" your just trying to be the person you best can be just trying to switch mindsets to forget how you were feeling before.

Quote:  "If you dream birds, a great change in your life is about to take place".(299)

context: Jude was on a website for lostconnections.com because her and her brother Noah have maybe lost the connection they're not as close anymore,

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Remember that the commentary is the most important part of your DJ, Chloe. See example if you need a mentor text for commentary.

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As always, amazing insight, Marchall.  Nice use of transitions.

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The commentary is a bit nebulous, J. Remember that the commentary is the most important part of this assignment. Review the sample I gave you at the start of the year so you can model your responses after it.

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Amazing insight, Karina. Your commentary is very clear and insightful which tells me you're thinking about the greater implications of the novel.