Wish You Well Chapters 14-17 Tasks by Beth

Task 1: Compose a letter from Amanda to Louisa. Choose a moment from Amanda's life to write about, and use inferences from the story.

rbrooney — 2013-05-21 17:22:10 UTC

Dear Louisa,

I have a wonderful and surprising gift to share with you; I'm pregnant! Jack and I don't know the gender, but the baby is expected to come in the fall. If the baby is a girl, we want would like to name her Louisa Mae after you. Jack cares for you so much that it's a given you would be our babies namesake. I know what a beautiful place it is on the mountains, from the stories Jack has shared with me. He's starting to write another novel, and I hope this one is as successful as the first. Now I have to leave to go shopping for the baby, how exciting! Wish me luck.

Love,

Amanda

P.S. hope the farm looks well!

Elizabeth

Task 2: Who is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow? Provide a biographical note about Longfellow. Why do you think Baldacci chose to include him in the story?

rbrooney — 2013-05-21 17:22:20 UTC

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a poet and educator in the 1800's who wrote "Paul Revere's Ride," the Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He chose to include him in the story because he was a famous poet before the time of the book and would connect with the readers who have read his works. People also critized his writing too after a while, so it would be comparable to Jack Cardinal in the book.

Beth

Task 3: Re-read Jack's letter to Louisa in chapter 16. Write a well-developed paragraph explaining how his childhood in Virginia helped him become a famous writer.

rbrooney — 2013-05-21 17:22:26 UTC

Throughout Jack's letter, he uses strong imagery of a place he was very fond of. The fact that he liked the mountains so much probably made it easier for him to use such a vivid vocabulary. It probably came naturally for him to write stories in a place he knew so well and could picture without even trying. Also, as mentioned in his letter, Jack thinks of his childhood home almost everyday and probably longs to be back with his family. At first, Jack might have even used his novels as ways to cope with his home-sickness.

Elizabeth

Task 4: Research Amanda's medical condition and come up with your own diagnosis for her state. Use evidence and provide citations.

rbrooney — 2013-05-21 17:22:32 UTC

My diagnosis for her state would be that she has an anoxic brain injury. This is because when she was crushed and tossed by the car and covered her kids, she probably had a lack of oxygen to the brain which caused cell death to brain tissues. This resulted from a head trauma from the car crash.

Since Amanda is in a coma, it would be best if she was in a hospital and hooked up to an intensive care unit. Also, it would be good for her to be on lots of medication to reduce swelling and maybe even have brain surgery.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/coma-types-causes-treatments-prognosis?page=2

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coma/DS00724/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

Beth