Illuminator Blog Post #5

"I said we were. He was in the living room with me, painting some chairs, but I probably would have given the same answer if I'd been alone"
Page 105

In this passage Jack is speaking to his mother Rosemary. She asks Jack if he is getting along with her new husband Dwight. Jack lies and tells his mother that he is. I ask my self why is it that Jack has to lie to his mom and not just say the truth? Is there a reason behind it? Is he protecting something from his mom? Well i think that he just doesn't want to ruin his moms relationship with Dwight. i think that since he knows that his mom really likes Dwight, he doesn't want his mom to have to worry about what is going on between them two.
-Christian Segura

Illuminator Blog Post #4

"But our failure was ordained, because the real family we set out to imitate does not exist in nature; a real family as troubled as ours would never dream of spending time together. Dwight thought that most of these troubles were my Fault."
Page 112

I chose this passage because i felt that this passage shows Jacks feelings. He feels that his family is troubled. His mother is running around from city to city because she is running away from a crazy ex boyfriend that is violent. She is also divorced and is trying to get the family together. And now has a new husband which is Jacks stepfather. Her new husband Dwight is blaming Jack for the troubles that the family has. I ask myself what Jack might be thinking, and i think that he probably dislikes his stepfather and wishes that his life was normal.
-Christian Segura

Illustrator/Connector Blog Post #1

"I used to smoke cigarettes. I started smoking in college because of peer preasure, and before i knew it I was up to a couple of packs a day. Those were real cigarettes, too, not with the filters like you have now."

For this passage I would draw a couple of boys, around the age of 15 or 16 standing in the back of a building leaning against it, with a window behind them. I would have it kinda of cloudy out and the sun coming through the clouds just a little. The boys would be wearing leather jackets, jeans and black shoes. I can see a younger boy around 12 or 13 standing there looking up at the boys and all of the older boys are saying "common! just try it!" and the younger boy tries the cigerette and thats how he becomes addicted.

-Leni Matava

Summerizer

Chapt 1-2

It is the summer of 1955, and ten-year-old Toby and his mother, Rosemary are driving from Florida to Utah in their car. They are on their way to Utah to make their fortune by mining uranium ore, and to escape Roy, an abusive ex-husband of Rosemary's who she has taken up with again. The car overheats and they stop to let it cool. While Rosemary and Toby are waiting, they see a big truck careen over the road's guardrails and fall hundreds of feet into the river gorge below. For the remainder of the day, Rosemary dotes on Toby and he takes advantage of her sentimentality to buy Indian souvenirs. Toby and Rosemary have faith that their luck will change for the better once they arrive in Utah. Toby and his mother find out that they are too months late. Toby wishes to change himself, and promises not to be the same boy he was in Florida. Toby wants to change his name to Jack, after the author Jack London. Toby's father, who is now married to a rich woman in Connecticut, does not want Toby to change his name or become a Catholic, and claims that Toby will be breaking with family tradition. This tradition, Toby later learns, is a lie. Toby feels that by shedding the name his father gave him he will shed any attachment to his father, who has never provided for Toby or his mother.

Illuminator Blog Post #3

"I racked up enough points for an ID bracelet. Rusty was getting it down for me when Smoke happened to mention that if we wanted another chance he'd let us keep the points we'd already earned and aply them toward a bigger prize. The Ballard boys had no money so they took their ashtrays, but i shelled out a quarter and told Smoke to deal. This time i came close to what i neded for the clock radio. "Can i keep the points again?" i asked. Smoke and Rusty looked at each other. "No way," Rusty said. "The boss'll kill us." "Fuck the boss," Smoke said. "The Boss aint here."
Page 165

This passage seems important because Smoke is going against the Boss's authority. Some how Smoke and Jack just met, and it seems like Smoke likes Jack, well thats what it looks like. I ask myself maybe somethings going to happen because an employee would not just disobey his work orders. I think that maybe something is going to happen after. Something like Smoke telling the jack to do something good back because he did something for him.
-Christian Segura

Illuminator Blog Post #2

"I used to smoke cigarettes. I started smoking in college because of peer preasure, and before i knew it I was up to a couple of packs a day. Those were real cigarettes, too, not with the filters like you have now."
Page 80

The reason why i chose this article was because i thought that it was a real funny thing to read, because i know many people who can relate to this. Throughout this scene in the book, the Principal of the school is talking to the protagonist about how he used to smoke, because he saw the nicotene marks on the protagonists fingers. The principal was saying that he used to smoke the real ones withouth the filters. This passage shows how things have changed and how this world is becoming more and more modern. I also ask myself what might happen next? I believe that the Principal and the protagonist are going to begin to have a close connection, and they are going to able to connect.

By: Christian Segura

Illuminator Blog Post #1

"We walked over to the church and down the side aisle to the confessional. Sister James opened the door for me. "In you go," she said. "Make a good one now." I knelt with my face to the screen as we had been told to do and said, 'Bless me Father for i have sinned."
Page 18

I think that this passage is important because it shows how we can relate to the character. Most of us know what the church is, and we know what going to the confessional is. Even though not all of us are of Christian or Catholic faith we still know what that is. I picked this because i feel that it is important to know that he goes to church, because this might be something that we mihgt be seeing later on in the book. As i read the text i asked myself what does this make me think of, and automatically i thought of Sundays when i go to church. Another question is what is an important change? Which would be that now according to his beliefs, his sins are forgivin and he is pure.

By: Christian Segura

Word Watcher- Blog Post #5

"I could have finished them off earlier but I slipped into daydreams and sat frozen like a kitchen boy in a spellbound castle, a nut in one hand, a tool in the other, until the sound of approaching footsteps woke me up and plunged me, blinking and confused, back into time." pg 96

The text explains that Jack was saying that he could have finished whatever he was doing but instead he went into a daydream. He uses a simile in this text, Jack compared himself slipping into a daydream and sitting there frozen like a kitchen boy in a spellbound castle. Once Jack started to hear the footsteps it woke him up and when he got up from his daydream he was confused and back into time.

By: Stephanie Lizzul

Word Watcher- Blog Post #4

" Some of the chores were reasonable, some unreasonable, some bizarre as the meanest whims of a gnome setting tasks to a treasure seeker." pg 96

The text above uses a literary element which is simile. Jack is saying how some of the chores that he got were bizarre as the meanest whims of a gnome setting tasks to a treasure seeker. He was saying that some of the chores that he had to do were reasonable but some were unreasonable.

By: Stephanie Lizzul

Word Watcher- Blog Post #3

" Her arms were as thick as a man's and when she pounded out hamburger patties the whole kitchen shook." pg 38

In this text Jack describes Marian, the housekeeper and he says that she has arms as thick as a man's and when she was making hamburgers the kitchen shook. This text uses two literary devices which is simile and irony. Simile is any sentence that uses like or as and when Jack is describing Marian's arms he uses the word like to say that her arms are as thick as a man's. The text also uses irony when Jack said that when Marian is making hamburger patties the whole kitchen shakes. Irony is when there is exaggeration.

By: Stephanie Lizzul

Word Watcher- Blog Post #2

furtive- presenting the appearance, or giving the impression, of somebody who has something to hide.

- I became furtive around her. pg 12

gaiety- a lighthearted and lively feeling or way of behaving

- Her color was high, her movements quick and sure, everything about her flushed with gaiety.

By: Stephanie Lizzul

Word Watcher- Blog Post #1

grubstake- supplies or funds advanced to a mining prospector or a person starting a business in return for a promised share of profits.

- My mother kept digging into her little grubstake but no mechanic could fix it. pg 4

catechism- a book giving a brief summary of the basic principles of Christianity in question-and-answer form.

- That fall, once a week after school, I went to catechism. pg 9

By: Stephanie Lizzul

Literature Reading Group Roles

Stephanie Lizzul- Word Watcher
Leni Matava- Illustrator/Connector
Adrian Chisholm- Discussion Director/Summarizer
Christian Segura- Iluminator

Schedule
Reading 22 pages a night
Start 10/9
Finish 11/6