iRead2-#5

"What looks like death to a caterpillar is it's changing into a butterfly."---From Chase's dream

''Here's a case where the gift of life is in the struggle. The metamorphosis of the butterfly is a classic example of how parts of the animal kingdom have parallels applicable to human life. Next time, allow nature to take its course... You know, the same principles apply to your friendships and family matters too. (The Gift 54-56)"    

The theme that the passage develops is simply stated in the passage: "Allow nature to take its course." The passage clearly states that this doesn't only pertain to fauna, but the relationships we have with people throughout our lives. This passage also mentions the gift of struggle. The gift of struggle basically means that in order to succeed, there's always a struggle. We need that struggle to strengthen and prepare us for the obstacles that comes with our succession. However, why did the author use a butterfly as an example? Is Chases life compared to a butterfly's? Is Chase going to use this as advice to solve his problems? I think Chase's life is similar to a butterfly's, because of his struggle to change. I also think that Chase will use the metaphor from his dream to help solve his problems.

 

iRead2-#4

" Look not where you have fallen, but instead where you slipped. There you will find the answers."(Encounters 43)

 This passage also seems to be giving Chase advice and guide for his life. The theme developed from this passage basically says the mistakes one makes in life are not to be dwelled on, but to be learned from. This passage might be a solution to Chases problems. However, is Chase going to take the advice? If he takes the advice, is it going to solve his problem? Who is giving him the advice? Well, my interpretation is that Chase will take the advice and it will solve his problems, but he will never know who's giving him the advice. 

iRead2-#3

"Life is a journey, not a destination. The wisdom is in the CHASE not the capture. Dream, but don't makes dreams your master. May this quest reveal your best. See you tonight." (Encounters 36)

This passage develops much of the theme and seems to be giving Chase advice for his life. The theme developed from this passage states that dreams don't determine one's life, but they can interpret it. For proof, the line "Life is a journey, not a destination," means that life goes on, and we don't know how it's going to end nor if it's going to end. The line that proves this theme the most states "Dream, but don't make dreams your master," which means to not depend on dreams for one's determinism in life, but to use theme for inspiration and motivation. The last sentence in the passage, "See you tonight," left me asking: Who wrote this passage? Is the writer of this passage planning to meet the reader in their dreams? What types of dreams are the writer referring to?         

 

iRead2-#2

"Chase couldn't figure how this applied to him-he had a good home, two parents. But his eyes locked on the last fact. He was startled to see that so many black kids were taking their lives. He dropped the sheets of paper on the side of his bed and lay back and wondered why all this had happened to him." (Father's 13) 

This passage also helps describe the character of Chase by him being concerned about the problems of his life and of other black teens. The setting developed from this passage seems to be Chase lying on his bed thinking about the mistakes he made previously in his life. Will Chase be one of the statistics of these black teens? Is Chase already a statistic? Will he strive not to be a statistic? Well, I predict that Chase is somewhat a statistic by the mistakes he already made. In Addition, Chase will strive to resist the possibilities of becoming a complete statistic (i.e. being suicidal, or going to jail).  

iRead2-#1

"Whatever happened to those goals you had?"

"My life ain't over, you know."

"Yeah, right, but you're playing with fire!" answered his father. "What about those dreams of becoming a Morehouse man? those plans to play college basketball? the aspirations of going to law school and returning home to clean up these streets? You know you can't do all of those things with a criminal record..."

"I can still do all-"

...His father was beginning to get to him.(Father's 11)

This passage best describes the character of Chase because even though he's making many mistakes in his life, he still wants to pursue his dreams. The passage develops the theme by saying that dreams don't only determine a person's future, they also determine who the person is. Does Chase really realize the opportunities he's jeopardizing? Will he pursue these dreams, or advance his criminal record? I think Chase probably won't pursue every single one of these dreams, but he will make a difference;which seems to be the purpose of those dreams. However, at this point I think Chase is confuse about which road he should follow. (Criminal or Successful?)

Final iRead

What do you think is the defining moment or moments for the main character and/or other major characters in the book?

Well, for the main character David, I think the most defining moment for him was when his mother died, or was lost. David's mother was very important to him because she exposed him to the fairy tales, and the morals behind them. However, the mother's absence caused David to view fairy tales in a different perspective. Instead of them being fictional stories, they were codes to find the Book of Lost things, where his mother was trapped. These codes were also used to figure out the connection between reality and fantasy. Another defining moment for David was his journey through the enchanted forest to find the Book of Lost Things. What made his journey a defining moment was the people he met. These people didn't only guide him through the forest, but they told him what originally happened in the stories that aren't mentioned in the fairy tales. This gave David many of the codes he needed to find the Book of Lost Things.

iRead-#6

"This is your village," said Roland. "Your walls are built to repel an attack from outside... But what if you were to allow you enemy in, and then close the gates upon him?... Then your wall become a trap"(Village 200).

The passage helps set the theme because it's talking about how something can be used for two purposes. This also refers to how David thinks of fairy tales. The setting developed from this passage seems to be a village surrounded by walls, which are protecting them from intruders. The questions are: Who are the intruders? What do they come for? I infer that the intruders might try to destroy the village, and kill the villagers for some purpose. However, what are the purposes?