#4 Significance of...

Two significant elements:

1.  Cassie's death
2.  The Scale

Cassie's death (in Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson) is significant because it reveals the entire story line.  When she dies it leaves Lia very upset and forces her to think about her past, giving the reader more information that is needed to understand the plot line.  It creates suspense in the story because it doesn't state how Cassie died and it allows the reader to believe that Lia truly knows how Cassie died.  Because of Cassie's death, Lia is making herself "stronger", she forces herself to get Cassie out of her head, but is still using her advice.  She is trying desperately to reach she and Cassie's goal by herself.  "...she called. thirty-three times. you didn't answer. body found in a motel room, alone. you left her alone. should should should have done anythingeverything. you killed her." (Anderson, Wintergirls, pg 97).  These are things going through Lia's mind about Cassie, she can't get her out of her head.

The scale is significant because it is a very large impact to Lia's life.  Using the scale, Lia fools her doctors and family.  She is secretly losing weight and is trying to reach a goal that she and Cassie made.  Cassie's death has slowed down her process and has made it very difficult for Lia, but allows her to move on and pushes harder.  The scale is both Lia's friend and enemy.  She needs it to work for her to she both her actually weight and the weight she lies about.  She needs it to be the friend that she lost.  "because I don't need a muffin (410), I don't want an orange (75) or toast (87), and waffles (180) make me gag." (Anderson, Wintergirls, pg 5)  Lia is thinking about how many calories she will have to try and get rid of if she eats each item.

#3 Define and Describe

Halse Anderson, Laurie. Wintergirls. Penguin Group: New York.2009.print

Three words that best describe "Lia" in my novel are:

Strong:  to be powerful.                      Conscious:  having knowledge of something
Synonyms:  forceful, firm                      Synonyms:  deliberate, mannered
Antonyms:  weak, insecure                   Antonyms:  indifferent, unintentional

                           Fearful: feeling afraid; showing fear or anxiety
                           Synonyms:  uneasy, intimidated
                           Antonyms:  bold, courageous


The author has revealed these characteristics in this character.  Direct proof that Lia is strong:  "Are you sure you're okay?" (Anderson, 1), " 'I'm fine,' I lie." (Anderson, 2).  She is showing that she is strong by both hiding her emotions and by standing against her fears.  In this part of the book Lia just found out that one of her old best friends just died in a motel room.

Direct proof that Lia is conscious:  "....body found in a motel room, alone..." (Anderson,1).  "Here stands a girl clutching a knife.  There is grease on the stove, blood in the air, and angry words piled in the corners." (Anderson, 1).  This is what Lia is thinking.  Going through her mind is how her best friend has died.  As her step mom tries to talk to her about it, she already knows and is aware of more that she understands.

Lia is fearful:  "The glass around me crackles.  Cassie called me before she died. She called and waited for me to pick up. 1.2.3......33." (Anderson, 35).  This is when Lia is thinking about how her friend had called her before she died.  She was fearful that if she had of answered the phone maybe she could have saved her.

#2 Identify and Sort

Picoult, Jodi. Nineteen Minutes. Atria Books:Washington Square Press.2007.print

1. Five main elements of my novel Nineteen Minutes are few characters, conflict and suspense, foreshadowing, crisis, and setting. Theses can all be found throughout the entire novel and are used consistently.

2. The most important element for my engagement in reading is the conflict and suspense, then the foreshadowing, crisis, few characters and finally setting.  The setting just helps set the mood of the story and does not need to be there to make the book interesting.  The conflict and suspense help to make the story really interesting because they give the story some strong points.

3.  Conflict and suspense are used in my novel when the shooting occurs at the school, when Josie (a character in my book) is at the hospital and finds out that her boyfriend has died, and when Patrick, an officer in this novel, is looking for the shooter, only to find him with two guns, sitting beside a boy who had been shot and an unconscious girl. " Patrick heard another staccato of gun shots, and had to restrain himself from running toward them blindly." This is a part of the book when you are getting the feeling of suspense and tension.  They are looking for a shooter and they don't know where he would be.

Post #1

Three qualities I would expect out of a good book are a catching beginning, a good stroy line and an ending that finishes the book.  In order to get interested in a book I must like the beginning first, if a book has a dull beginning then I would probably drop it.  Next if the book doesn't have a good story line, it won't be very interesting.  Finally, if a book doesn't have an ending that finishes the book you get a feeling that the book should go on, that it isn't complete.  Without the three qualities that I have stated, a book won't be a "good book".  I don't believe I would like a book without these qualities.

The book I am reading so far has had a great beginning that caught my attention and has a good story line, I am not finshed the book, so I cannot say whether the ending is complete.  In other books I have read such as "My Sister's Keeper" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", they have had great beginnings, amazing story lines and endings that fit them perfectly.

Picoult, Jodi. My Sister's Keeper. Atria Books:Washington Square Press.2003.print

Picoult, Jodi. Nineteen Minutes. Atria Books:Washington Square Press.2007.print

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Bloomsbury Publishing.2007.print

"Justice from love is a surrender, justice from law is a punishment!"