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Welcome to AP Language and Composition! We will be using this blog as a tool, a resource, and hopefully as a source of profound discussions about life. A blog is an excellent medium to explore each other's and our own brilliance and creativity. Class discussions that get cut short by the bell will be continued here, and we will often expand upon ideas we come across in our readings throughout the year. Everything you say here will have value--make it matter!
22 comments:
Wow, no one wrote anything yet and the other people have at least 2 comments each! We've got to do something too!!!
Ahem, so yeah, I haven't "finished" finished the book yet, but I've got some things we could talk about. This is geared moreso towards the opinion of the crowd and more interactive I think.
INTERACTIVE:
~The calendar sisters have their months and Lily has chosen October to be her month. If you had a special month, which one would you choose and what would you do with your extra hour?
~For August, if it weren't for a toothpaste, she wouldn't be here! Does anyone have something happen like that to their parents?
~August is against the way marriages are set up. She said “There were enough restrictions in my life without someone expecting me to wait on him hand and foot.” As an African American woman back then, it must’ve been hard to have any real freedoms and rights at all. Shying away from the past and sticking to the present day, do you think that mentality of female submissiveness is still around in the US? If so, for the ladies, would you love your freedom more than marrying the boy you loved?
~June and Lily were not exactly friends at all throughout the first few chapters. They started to show a relationship when they shot eachother with the water hose. Have you ever gotten out of a bad relationship by doing something crazy like that?
~Lily, after visiting Zach in prison, says “it’s something everybody wants—for someone to see the hurt done to them and set it down like it matters.” Do you think that is the reason why people flock to the media to tell them their stories or complain to their friends? Do you think that is the reason we talk about our problems? Or do you disagree and believe that it is to show the injustice in the world, not to just one person, but to many? (This question needs rewording… HELP!!)
MORESO BOOK-ISH
~Do you think it's ironic that August and Lily are so alike? (i.e. reading, favorite color, liking peanuts in their Coke)
~After learning from May that her mother had stayed there at the honey house before, Lily had a dream where her mother came to her with the body of a roach. She described a roach as “a creature no one can love, but you cannot kill it. It will go on and on and on. Just try to get rid of it.” Why do you think her mother came to her in such a form? Do you think the roaches symbolize something greater, or is just as she said, “a creature no one can love”?
This is as far as I got. Sorry, I had a hard time reading after… May died. But please, add on anything!!!
What, no one else commented?!?! >/////< Where is everyone!!?!?
Erm... I finished the book and I don't know... it was kind of unfulfilling for me... Does anyone else feel that way? I guess I was kind of hoping that her father would accept her and actually show that he cares about her. What a letdown...I really don't like T. Ray.
Ahem, onward with what else I've got... Hm...
~When August, June, Rosaleen and Lily went to look for May, they couldn't find her. However, Lily heard a nightbird singing its hear out, "urgent and feverish." Later, when they found May, the night bird stopped singing. Do you think that night bird symbolized May in a way but this time, voiced the worries of the search party? The night bird's song being their "Oh Susanna!"?
~At the vigil, Lily speculated as June played the cello, that "death was nothing but a doorway." Do you agree, that death leads to something more, to something greater?
~After May's funeral, it struck Lily that "she [August] loved Rosaleen. That she would like to change Rosaleen's name to July." Lily and Rosaleen are now fully integrated into the Tiburon life. Do you think that it was possibly May who helped instigate it, or something beforehand?
~What do you think happened to Zach's friend that threw the bottle? Do you think that could be the reason for the apparent change in Zach?
~What do you think the bees symbolize for August?
(I don't know... it just seems like everything she believes in can be explained with the bees. Maybe the bees symbolize her world?)
~After learning about the truth of her mother, she reacts violently in her grief and throws the honey jars at the wall. Do you believe that was a big step? Throughtout the story, she has shielded her emotions and now she openly expressed it. Could it have been her stay at the pink house that has changed her or is she becoming like T. Ray who is always openly aggressive to her?
~When she was looking through August's books, she found a book about Mary and saw pictures of Mary being presented with a white lily by Gabriel in each one. Do you think that she could be symbolic of a gift to her mother, or the calendar sisters? Though not directly given by T. Ray (which I guess plays Gabriel here?).
I don't know... I think this one needs some thought... or something...
~The mouse bones she finds under her cot, she keeps with her as she walks about, sad and angry still at the thought of her mother leaving her. When she finally starts to begin to forgive her mother, she places it near the fan along with her mother's things. What do you think the mouse bones signify?
~At the end, do you think her father sees that Lily has matured and been provided with what she needs in Tiburon? Do you think they are able to let eachother go as they both move on from Deborah?
(I don't know... this question also needs help... ehehe?)
I couldn't think of much to ask... I just kinda ended up reading it all the way through... ehehe?
Please, just reply, anyone!!! >////< It's lonely to be on the blog by yourself!!!
I just realized! We finally reached two comments!!! YES!!!!!!!!! (This makes three! Yes!!)
o.o;;;
Where is everyone??? I thought we agreed to use the blog to communicate our thoughts and whatnot?
>////<
I'm all alone!!!
I'm still reading! Ha ha ha. Give me like one day. :)
yeah, come on alice! we're getting there, chillll :)
but what you've commented already seems very good for our discussion.
we still have to meet this weekend sometime.
okay i dont want this to sound like i need you guys to work around me... but i have a game 3 hours away in NY on saturday and wont be home from like 10am til around 9...
soooo how does friday night or sometime sunday sound for our meeting?
sorry =/
Actually, I have stuff to do too... Friday night is good after 6 if that does anything. I could see if I could free up one of the days in the weekend.
Worst comes to worse, we could just put together a list of what we want to talk about ourselves and on Monday and Tuesday combine it into a big list? Our discussion starts Wednesday so if the weekend ends up being really bad for a lot of people, that's an alternative we could use. ^_^
friday! :)
friday i have to babysit my sister cause my parents are going out of town.. but i'm willing to work around what you guys want. i'll do whatever i need to :) but friday is deffinitely a no go for me..
Friday sounds good. I'll bring the soda :D
Sunday since we didn't really have the chance to discuss a time or place today?
Blah, I'm really really sorry!! >////< I'm going to be busy all weekend... I kinda wrote down the ideas I had here, so maybe you could think about using maybe one or two if you'd like? o.o;;; I'm really really sorry!! I'll definitely try to get in touch with someone and work on whatever I need to for the outline!
Once again, I'm sorry!!!
no its quite alright, im very busy too. let's ask Bunje for a few minutes to collaborate and put our notes together.
Sorry that it took me so long to get here.
Some points: May's dramatic death. Spring's ending is always the most noticeable of the season-changes. Summer and fall just fade away, but when spring ends, every flower dies and falls. Was this deliberate, or am I reading too much into it?
When T-ray throws Lily to the ground, the wooden Mary breaks her fall. Is this another symbol of the mother as a guardian-figure?
Honey acts as a preservative for food, but the insects it attracts would eat wood, and ultimately destroy wooden objects like the Madonna. Was this a deliberate contradiction on the author’s part? An oversight on the part of the calendar sisters?
May’s drowning and the fish-necklace: In one case, being submerged in water meant death, in the other, life. Any significance?
We need to organize all of the thoughts and questions that we have into like three main structures, so we can focus on one central idea for each day.
Lol we are so unorganized, and cutting this extremely close :/ what are we doing?
i agree with britt.
everyone put their notes on here.
does someone want to volunteer to type the outline?
i will if no one else is up for it.
and i finally read allll of the insightful things alice posted, and theyre very similar to my notes lol. we just need 3 main points to work all the little things off of. ideas?!!!/??
"When she was looking through August's books, she found a book about Mary and saw pictures of Mary being presented with a white lily by Gabriel in each one. Do you think that she could be symbolic of a gift to her mother, or the calendar sisters? Though not directly given by T. Ray (which I guess plays Gabriel here?)."
- branching off of your question, Alice, I think we should discuss whether everyone thinks Lily's name has any connection with Gabriel handing a lily to Mary. Both unexpected pregnancies?
"At the end, do you think her father sees that Lily has matured and been provided with what she needs in Tiburon? Do you think they are able to let eachother go as they both move on from Deborah?"
- I think we should start by discussing why T. Ray came back for Lily in the first place. Why was he so determined to bring her home? Pride, like Lily had said? Did he not want to be left once again, like Deborah had left him? And maybe discuss what everyone thinks will become of T. Ray and the relationship between them. Do you think they'll ever come in contact again?
So the order is:
Day 1- May & Zach.
Day 2- Mary's Day & Black Madonna
Day 3- T.Ray, Over All Effect/Opinion
have questions ready because we're all talking! woo! :)
i put everything together guys. calm down haha. the ouline is pretty much done. good job everyone :)
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