1) Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to elements of plot that you've learned in the past courses. Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose.
a) Introduction/Exposition: The novel begins with Ronnie sitting in a room looking around and gathering the memories. She is then joined by her mother and it is revealed about the pain that Ronnie has been going through for the pas couple months. Ronnie then begins to tell her mom the story of her life changing summer at her dad's house.
b) Rising Action: The relationship between Ronnie and Steve (her father) is not the most traditional and expected one. They have their differences, mostly Ronnie - who likes to stay isolated in her own world. Ronnie meets this handsome boy at the beach, Will. Then her journey begins about truly discovering the meaning of relationships.
c) Conflict: There could be two conflicts possible: one could be Ronnie being unable to forgive her father and taking decisions solely based on her naive opinions; second could be Ronnie and her brother, Jonah, discovering their father's cancer.
d) Climax: First: After her father forgives and believes her that she did not shoplift, Ronnie began to realize that she might be wrong about who her father truly is. Second: the moment when Steve dies.
e) Falling Action: Ronnie decides to stay with her father until the end, until his death.
f) Resolution: Ronnie finally plays "The Last Song" by her dad on the piano and decides to take her career forward in music.
The author's third person omniscient point of view allows him to develop the characters and transform them along the way. He shows the gradual transformation of a typical high-school-graduate-teenager to a determined-career-seeker, something that all the readers have gone through sometime during their lives are are going through currently. His narration opened his characters and story up for the readers to analyze.
2) Succinctly describe the theme of the novel.
The theme of the novel, to me, is complexity of life and relationships. The necessity of love, faith, forgiveness, mistakes, are all too important to miss. Life is all about taking chances, staying true to yourself while doing so, letting go in life (forgiving), and most importantly - appreciate and love all that you have before it's too late. It is also about the transformation from a rebellious daughter to a mature and patient and positive one.
3) Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrates your points.
The author's tone was straightforward and completely non-biased. He was the kind of author who would present his facts to the audience with minute detail and then let them interpret it openly.
4) Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers.
1) Foreshadowing: "Thankfully, the pain in his stomach had lessened since the morning, but he'd been nervous for days, and he knew it would come back. He'd always had a weak stomach." (Pg: 13)
2) Allusion: "'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.'" "Was that before or after you claimed to have read Tolstoy?" (Pg: 128)
3) Imagery: " The paint was peeling, the roof was missing numerous shingles, and the porch was rotting." (Pg: 15)
4) Irony: "Inside, the walls were painted cheery colors, and a vase of fresh flowers stood on the dining room table." (Pg: 89) [Describing Blaze's house, who's a goth herself.]
5) Flashback: "Ronnie hesitated; then, with a sigh, she began to tell a story that still felt utterly senseless to her, even with the benefit of hindsight." (Pg: 4)
6) Onomatopoeia: "Behind him, he could hear the steady beep of the heart monitor." (Pg: 80)
7) Metaphor: "Just off the bridge, summer traffic had slowed the line of cars to a crawl." (Pg: 7)
8) Simile:"He bent and kissed Ronnie gently on the cheek, feeling again the undertow of his love for her, a joy as intense as pain." (Pg: 168)
9) Characterization: "He was forty-eight years old. His marriage had ended, his daughter avoided him, and his son was growing up without him." (Pg: 14)
10) Point of View: "Ronnie slouched in the front seat of her car, wondering why on earth her mom and dad hated her so much." (Pg: 5) [Ronnie is the main protagonist of the novel]
CHARACTERIZATION:
1) Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end?
"But right now, Ronnie had no choice in the matter. Because she was still seventeen. Because of a trick of the calendar." - Direct Characterization. "They were both thin and pretty, with blindingly white teeth, and obviously used to being the center of attention and having boys drool all over them." - Direct Characterization.
"I don't want a Nemo shirt, okay?"
"Nemo's cool."
"Maybe if you're six," Ronnie retorted.
"Suit yourself." - Indirect Characterization.
"'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,'" he quoted, pointing to her book."It's the first line in your book. I always thought there was a lot of truth in that. Or maybe that's what my English teacher said. I can't really remember. I read it last semester." - Indirect Characterization.
The author approaches both direct and indirect characterization to appeal to the readers and have the characters seem more understandable and relatable. I believe that the author uses both in such a manner and to such an end that I knew about the characters like I would with my family or friends. Sparks took his time to deliver the past of the characters so well that the reactions of the characters seemed natural, expected, and able to analyze it.
2) Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
The syntax doesn't majorly change because of the point of view that Sparks uses. This point of view almost seems like an outsider, not playing part in the story whatsoever but still knows every detail of it, is narrating it. Since it's only one "narrator" of the story, there is no point (in fact, it wouldn't make sense) for the author to change syntax and diction when s/he focuses on one character.
3) Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
The protagonist(s) is/are dynamic and round. It might not be exaggeration if it were to be said that these are one of the most dynamic characters ever written by a writer. He achieves this because he portrays a third person omniscient point of view but provides different perspectives of the same incident through different characters' interpretation. This novel (kind of) becomes like a diary where readers have three-four main characters have their inner feelings and emotions revealed for readers to analyze. Even though a lot of dialogue does take place, the author takes his time to, extremely, gradually develop each character with a detailed description about their past, present, and hopes, goals, and wishes for the future. Sparks gives the words and pages a character and the readers truly need to grasp the reason behind a character's actions, thoughts, and feelings.
4) After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
After reading the book, I truly did feel that I had met a person but not just anyone - myself. I feel as though it would be extremely hard (and almost impossible) to find one textual evidence that summarizes my feelings. The kind of character that Ronnie is, caring but not able to show it or honest and expecting loyalty and honesty in return and many more, makes me feel like I am looking in a mirror. The character might not be a genetically identical copy of me in terms of dressing style or behavior or look, but the emotions that she felt throughout the book and the hardships and emotional obstacles that she went through, I knew who and what she was.
a) Introduction/Exposition: The novel begins with Ronnie sitting in a room looking around and gathering the memories. She is then joined by her mother and it is revealed about the pain that Ronnie has been going through for the pas couple months. Ronnie then begins to tell her mom the story of her life changing summer at her dad's house.
b) Rising Action: The relationship between Ronnie and Steve (her father) is not the most traditional and expected one. They have their differences, mostly Ronnie - who likes to stay isolated in her own world. Ronnie meets this handsome boy at the beach, Will. Then her journey begins about truly discovering the meaning of relationships.
c) Conflict: There could be two conflicts possible: one could be Ronnie being unable to forgive her father and taking decisions solely based on her naive opinions; second could be Ronnie and her brother, Jonah, discovering their father's cancer.
d) Climax: First: After her father forgives and believes her that she did not shoplift, Ronnie began to realize that she might be wrong about who her father truly is. Second: the moment when Steve dies.
e) Falling Action: Ronnie decides to stay with her father until the end, until his death.
f) Resolution: Ronnie finally plays "The Last Song" by her dad on the piano and decides to take her career forward in music.
The author's third person omniscient point of view allows him to develop the characters and transform them along the way. He shows the gradual transformation of a typical high-school-graduate-teenager to a determined-career-seeker, something that all the readers have gone through sometime during their lives are are going through currently. His narration opened his characters and story up for the readers to analyze.
2) Succinctly describe the theme of the novel.
The theme of the novel, to me, is complexity of life and relationships. The necessity of love, faith, forgiveness, mistakes, are all too important to miss. Life is all about taking chances, staying true to yourself while doing so, letting go in life (forgiving), and most importantly - appreciate and love all that you have before it's too late. It is also about the transformation from a rebellious daughter to a mature and patient and positive one.
3) Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrates your points.
The author's tone was straightforward and completely non-biased. He was the kind of author who would present his facts to the audience with minute detail and then let them interpret it openly.
4) Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers.
1) Foreshadowing: "Thankfully, the pain in his stomach had lessened since the morning, but he'd been nervous for days, and he knew it would come back. He'd always had a weak stomach." (Pg: 13)
2) Allusion: "'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.'" "Was that before or after you claimed to have read Tolstoy?" (Pg: 128)
3) Imagery: " The paint was peeling, the roof was missing numerous shingles, and the porch was rotting." (Pg: 15)
4) Irony: "Inside, the walls were painted cheery colors, and a vase of fresh flowers stood on the dining room table." (Pg: 89) [Describing Blaze's house, who's a goth herself.]
5) Flashback: "Ronnie hesitated; then, with a sigh, she began to tell a story that still felt utterly senseless to her, even with the benefit of hindsight." (Pg: 4)
6) Onomatopoeia: "Behind him, he could hear the steady beep of the heart monitor." (Pg: 80)
7) Metaphor: "Just off the bridge, summer traffic had slowed the line of cars to a crawl." (Pg: 7)
8) Simile:"He bent and kissed Ronnie gently on the cheek, feeling again the undertow of his love for her, a joy as intense as pain." (Pg: 168)
9) Characterization: "He was forty-eight years old. His marriage had ended, his daughter avoided him, and his son was growing up without him." (Pg: 14)
10) Point of View: "Ronnie slouched in the front seat of her car, wondering why on earth her mom and dad hated her so much." (Pg: 5) [Ronnie is the main protagonist of the novel]
CHARACTERIZATION:
1) Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end?
"But right now, Ronnie had no choice in the matter. Because she was still seventeen. Because of a trick of the calendar." - Direct Characterization. "They were both thin and pretty, with blindingly white teeth, and obviously used to being the center of attention and having boys drool all over them." - Direct Characterization.
"I don't want a Nemo shirt, okay?"
"Nemo's cool."
"Maybe if you're six," Ronnie retorted.
"Suit yourself." - Indirect Characterization.
"'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,'" he quoted, pointing to her book."It's the first line in your book. I always thought there was a lot of truth in that. Or maybe that's what my English teacher said. I can't really remember. I read it last semester." - Indirect Characterization.
The author approaches both direct and indirect characterization to appeal to the readers and have the characters seem more understandable and relatable. I believe that the author uses both in such a manner and to such an end that I knew about the characters like I would with my family or friends. Sparks took his time to deliver the past of the characters so well that the reactions of the characters seemed natural, expected, and able to analyze it.
2) Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
The syntax doesn't majorly change because of the point of view that Sparks uses. This point of view almost seems like an outsider, not playing part in the story whatsoever but still knows every detail of it, is narrating it. Since it's only one "narrator" of the story, there is no point (in fact, it wouldn't make sense) for the author to change syntax and diction when s/he focuses on one character.
3) Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
The protagonist(s) is/are dynamic and round. It might not be exaggeration if it were to be said that these are one of the most dynamic characters ever written by a writer. He achieves this because he portrays a third person omniscient point of view but provides different perspectives of the same incident through different characters' interpretation. This novel (kind of) becomes like a diary where readers have three-four main characters have their inner feelings and emotions revealed for readers to analyze. Even though a lot of dialogue does take place, the author takes his time to, extremely, gradually develop each character with a detailed description about their past, present, and hopes, goals, and wishes for the future. Sparks gives the words and pages a character and the readers truly need to grasp the reason behind a character's actions, thoughts, and feelings.
4) After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
After reading the book, I truly did feel that I had met a person but not just anyone - myself. I feel as though it would be extremely hard (and almost impossible) to find one textual evidence that summarizes my feelings. The kind of character that Ronnie is, caring but not able to show it or honest and expecting loyalty and honesty in return and many more, makes me feel like I am looking in a mirror. The character might not be a genetically identical copy of me in terms of dressing style or behavior or look, but the emotions that she felt throughout the book and the hardships and emotional obstacles that she went through, I knew who and what she was.
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