Alice finally gives into J.D. in this chapter. A twelve year old girl gets introduced to feelings she never knew were possible. I realize you're not an idiot reading this, Ms. Tholen, and yes, they did have sex. At first, Alice i still very oblivious and scared about everything that is going on. She really has no idea what to do.
"Alice looked up at J.D. The expression on his face was ugly. His eyes were slits. She half expected that he was going to push her head underneath the water until she drowned. He spoke of love, but he hated her. He'd gotten love and hate confused. Alice could see that plainly now, in his eyes, his face, his lips. She began to churn in the water, kicking her legs and paddling with her arms, swimming away from him, deeper into the water" (245).
She felt like he was doing terrible, unnatural things to her. At first she would do anything to simply get away. As time goes on, however, Alice becomes a tad bit different...
"She'd turned into something feral, a wild girl, hungry for this food, this drink, this feast that belonged on the grown-ups' banquet table. He led her out past the rocks, into the woods. Lying between the brambles and the scrub grass, they traded places. It was Alice who became predatory, a hunter wanting to feed. She threw herself upon him, wriggling against him- the demon Alice- nibbling on his grown man's mouth, desperate to get more of the terrible miracle feeling" (251).
As I said before, she just gives in, simples as that. She sees how much J.D. can pleasure her, and she goes with it.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Post A
Depravity- corruption: moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles.
Altruistic- showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
In some of her wonderful examples of imagery, she compares things to adjectives and adverbs. She also uses very descriptive words:
"They had to walk through long slithering reeds that tickled her skin. Underfoot, the mud was warm and slimy. To Alice, it didn't feel like mud. It felt unspeakable. It felt obscene. She imagined that it was whispering to her to lie down in it. Come to me, the mud said, come to me Alice, like J.D. She kept going, through the mud, past it, and into the cool water. It grew colder as they walked out further, first up to Alice's knees, then to her hips, then to her waist. Her naked skin beneath the water had turned a yellowish green" (241).
I found another good example of similes in this chapter:
"He lifted his arms, stretching them far out on either side of his body, keeping his legs together, toes pointed, like Christ being crucified on His cross" (243).
"It would seem for many years afterward as if she'd raped herself" (251).
I think this may be foreshadowing. Maybe her and J.D.'s relationship will turn into something not good, something violent.
A theme I saw in this chapter was freedom. Alice basically said screw it to any rules she had known, and did what made her feel good.
Altruistic- showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
In some of her wonderful examples of imagery, she compares things to adjectives and adverbs. She also uses very descriptive words:
"They had to walk through long slithering reeds that tickled her skin. Underfoot, the mud was warm and slimy. To Alice, it didn't feel like mud. It felt unspeakable. It felt obscene. She imagined that it was whispering to her to lie down in it. Come to me, the mud said, come to me Alice, like J.D. She kept going, through the mud, past it, and into the cool water. It grew colder as they walked out further, first up to Alice's knees, then to her hips, then to her waist. Her naked skin beneath the water had turned a yellowish green" (241).
I found another good example of similes in this chapter:
"He lifted his arms, stretching them far out on either side of his body, keeping his legs together, toes pointed, like Christ being crucified on His cross" (243).
"It would seem for many years afterward as if she'd raped herself" (251).
I think this may be foreshadowing. Maybe her and J.D.'s relationship will turn into something not good, something violent.
A theme I saw in this chapter was freedom. Alice basically said screw it to any rules she had known, and did what made her feel good.
Post B
"On the Rocks" is a chapter all about sexuality. Alice shows up at the lake and J.D. is naked laying on a rock. They eat lunch together, and J.D. persistently tries to coax Alice to take her clothes off. Alice refuses at first, infuriated by this question.
" 'Skinny-dipping prevents tan lines,' said J.D. 'I like a dark, smooth, even tan, hon.' He wiggled his rear end at her. 'How about you?' 'No,' Alice said. It was a cosmic no- loud and large. No, Alice thought, to your dark, smooth, even tan. To hell with you. To hell with everything" (228).
She makes it clear that she does not want to take her clothes off. But as time goes on, and as she "gazes at the image of perfection that is J.D's body", her mind changes.
"At it, at you, you're it. Alice felt her face get hot, ashamed that she knew what he wanted, everything he wanted, what he meant. She was filled with a sharper certainty that she was a freak of nature, a hideous monstrosity. Her knowledge seemed perverse. She did as he asked. She was horrible now, and so was he" (235).
It's really strange. She knows what she's doing is not right, but she can't seem to say no to him. She never seems able to say no.
" 'Skinny-dipping prevents tan lines,' said J.D. 'I like a dark, smooth, even tan, hon.' He wiggled his rear end at her. 'How about you?' 'No,' Alice said. It was a cosmic no- loud and large. No, Alice thought, to your dark, smooth, even tan. To hell with you. To hell with everything" (228).
She makes it clear that she does not want to take her clothes off. But as time goes on, and as she "gazes at the image of perfection that is J.D's body", her mind changes.
"At it, at you, you're it. Alice felt her face get hot, ashamed that she knew what he wanted, everything he wanted, what he meant. She was filled with a sharper certainty that she was a freak of nature, a hideous monstrosity. Her knowledge seemed perverse. She did as he asked. She was horrible now, and so was he" (235).
It's really strange. She knows what she's doing is not right, but she can't seem to say no to him. She never seems able to say no.
Post A
Sinews- is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone and is built to withstand tension.
Preemptive- designed or having the power to deter or prevent an anticipated situation or occurrence; "a preemptive business offer".
One thing Lisa Dierbeck does with her writing, it paints a picture for the readers, and keeps them engaged. One good example of imagery I found in this chapter was:
"J.D. rolled over onto his back and put his arms behind his head. His armpits were black and bushy. From between his legs, out of a nest of hair, his penis was a purplish red, and swollen. It looked unrelated to the rest of him, Alice thought, like on of the plastic attachments- nose, ear, hand -that belonged to Mr. Potato Head. It extended into the air improbably, like a ruler. It was many things at once, Alice thought, regarding it observantly. It was impressive yet clownish. It was a threat, a joke, an exclamation point, a question mark. There was nothing to do in its presence, finally, except to quietly take notice" (225).
Now this quote may be extremely awkward to read, but tell me it doesn't draw out exactly what J.D's penis looks like. It does.
"Once, a boy in Fieldwood School- named Allan Jamison- had drawn a cartoon of himself in which his own penis had done that, springing forth in endless coils that stretched out like a Slinky" (227).
Again, awkward passage, very good simile.
Another thing Lisa Dierbeck does well with her writing is making metaphors. One example of a good metaphor I found in this chapter was:
"J.D's dimple was edible, she could taste it" (230).
A theme I noticed in this chapter was weakness. Alice talked about how she wouldn't ever let another person do sexual things to her again but she ends up letting J.D. take off her clothes just to "look" at her. This shows how easily Alice gives into pressure.
Preemptive- designed or having the power to deter or prevent an anticipated situation or occurrence; "a preemptive business offer".
One thing Lisa Dierbeck does with her writing, it paints a picture for the readers, and keeps them engaged. One good example of imagery I found in this chapter was:
"J.D. rolled over onto his back and put his arms behind his head. His armpits were black and bushy. From between his legs, out of a nest of hair, his penis was a purplish red, and swollen. It looked unrelated to the rest of him, Alice thought, like on of the plastic attachments- nose, ear, hand -that belonged to Mr. Potato Head. It extended into the air improbably, like a ruler. It was many things at once, Alice thought, regarding it observantly. It was impressive yet clownish. It was a threat, a joke, an exclamation point, a question mark. There was nothing to do in its presence, finally, except to quietly take notice" (225).
Now this quote may be extremely awkward to read, but tell me it doesn't draw out exactly what J.D's penis looks like. It does.
"Once, a boy in Fieldwood School- named Allan Jamison- had drawn a cartoon of himself in which his own penis had done that, springing forth in endless coils that stretched out like a Slinky" (227).
Again, awkward passage, very good simile.
Another thing Lisa Dierbeck does well with her writing is making metaphors. One example of a good metaphor I found in this chapter was:
"J.D's dimple was edible, she could taste it" (230).
A theme I noticed in this chapter was weakness. Alice talked about how she wouldn't ever let another person do sexual things to her again but she ends up letting J.D. take off her clothes just to "look" at her. This shows how easily Alice gives into pressure.
Post B
The chapter "four letter word" deals a lot with trust. J.D. had taken Alice into an area where no one was around to supposedly go swimming. While they were alone, the words "rape" and "sex" were brought up. This scared Alice.
"Alice sat on the grass eying J.D. warily and thinking about the meaning of the word "rape". She tried not to guess why he'd introduced this term in the first place, flashing it like a concealed knife, then studying her reaction to see what she would do. Does this scare you? he's asked. Are you afraid of me? Whatever trust she'd had in him had vanished. She felt he'd broken the rules- the delicate, fragile set of rules which had been established between them (216).
This paragraph talks about how just mentioning those unknown words to Alice, her whole perspective on how she viewed J.D. was changed. She is now terrified of him. She knows the word "rape" is something ugly and un-wanted. She also knows it happens to unsuspecting young girls who are in similar situations to herself. I think she realizes right then that it might not have been a good idea to get so close to J.D. Yet at the same time, she is still so trusting of him.
"Ahead of her was open space, no path at all, just a hope that if she put one foot in front of the other, it would lead her back to New York City. Alice planned it all out- her walk to the road, her discovery of the gas station, her contacting the police, her delivery to the bus station, her return home. And then she did the opposite. She let her feet take her wherever they led, and she went wherever they wanted her to go" (223).
Even though she gets frightened by J.D. saying these things, she still feels like there is something different about him. It may not say which way she is deciding to go, but it seems a bit obvious to me.
"Alice sat on the grass eying J.D. warily and thinking about the meaning of the word "rape". She tried not to guess why he'd introduced this term in the first place, flashing it like a concealed knife, then studying her reaction to see what she would do. Does this scare you? he's asked. Are you afraid of me? Whatever trust she'd had in him had vanished. She felt he'd broken the rules- the delicate, fragile set of rules which had been established between them (216).
This paragraph talks about how just mentioning those unknown words to Alice, her whole perspective on how she viewed J.D. was changed. She is now terrified of him. She knows the word "rape" is something ugly and un-wanted. She also knows it happens to unsuspecting young girls who are in similar situations to herself. I think she realizes right then that it might not have been a good idea to get so close to J.D. Yet at the same time, she is still so trusting of him.
"Ahead of her was open space, no path at all, just a hope that if she put one foot in front of the other, it would lead her back to New York City. Alice planned it all out- her walk to the road, her discovery of the gas station, her contacting the police, her delivery to the bus station, her return home. And then she did the opposite. She let her feet take her wherever they led, and she went wherever they wanted her to go" (223).
Even though she gets frightened by J.D. saying these things, she still feels like there is something different about him. It may not say which way she is deciding to go, but it seems a bit obvious to me.
Post A
Infinitesimal- a variable that has zero as its limit.
Rudimentary- being in the earliest stages of development; "rudimentary plans".
I found the following to be a good metaphor:
"She'd seen an illustration someplace of an egg- round, vast, unassailable, as big and weighty as the moon" (217).
Again, lots of good loaded words in this book. A lot of good imagery. Here is another good example of just that:
A breeze rustled through the grass. The cicadas were humming in the high trees around her. A woodpecker, someplace, made his distinctive rap against a tree trunk." (223).
The author also uses a lot of smilies. I found this to be a good example:
"The new word- a word she'd heard before, but whose subtleties escaped her- floated in the air, like the smoke from J.D's pipe, between them" (220).
One theme I saw in this chapter was trust. Alice is having issues trusting J.D., and she learns to just go with her instincts. She learns that you must live for the day.
Rudimentary- being in the earliest stages of development; "rudimentary plans".
I found the following to be a good metaphor:
"She'd seen an illustration someplace of an egg- round, vast, unassailable, as big and weighty as the moon" (217).
Again, lots of good loaded words in this book. A lot of good imagery. Here is another good example of just that:
A breeze rustled through the grass. The cicadas were humming in the high trees around her. A woodpecker, someplace, made his distinctive rap against a tree trunk." (223).
The author also uses a lot of smilies. I found this to be a good example:
"The new word- a word she'd heard before, but whose subtleties escaped her- floated in the air, like the smoke from J.D's pipe, between them" (220).
One theme I saw in this chapter was trust. Alice is having issues trusting J.D., and she learns to just go with her instincts. She learns that you must live for the day.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Post B
In this chapter, Alice was asked to do another dare to be a part of the sisterhood. The dare was this - steal a marionette doll from the "voodoo house". The voodoo house was thought to be haunted in some way; hence the name. Alice decided to do it because she wants to be accepted by Hope and Faith. When in the house, she meets an old man. The old man comes out of no where in a wheelchair, and Alice thinks it may be God.
" ' You can't walk or talk anymore,' Alice said, the words slipping out before she could stop them. He blinked. 'God, you're broken,' she said. 'God, you're sick' His gaze fell to his plaid blanket. 'You tore your puppet apart, didn't you?' said Alice. 'And then you tried to fix it.' His eyes searched hers. 'You don't take good care of your toys, God,' Alice said. 'So I'm going to have to take the puppet away from you.' Standing at his side, Alice touched the old man's shoulder. His shoulder blades were sharp. (180).
The man seems to have caring in his eyes when Alice is talking to him. She mentions how she has never seen a person look at her like the way he looked at her. I know the man will have some significance in the book. Maybe he's connected to her in some way. I found it interesting how she basically told her life story to this man, seconds after meeting him. She told him how she was twelve and how everyone thinks she's older. Maybe she was just looking for someone who cared.
A theme I see emerging in this book is hope. Hope for some miracle to come; regarding how Alice is basically alone in life.
" ' You can't walk or talk anymore,' Alice said, the words slipping out before she could stop them. He blinked. 'God, you're broken,' she said. 'God, you're sick' His gaze fell to his plaid blanket. 'You tore your puppet apart, didn't you?' said Alice. 'And then you tried to fix it.' His eyes searched hers. 'You don't take good care of your toys, God,' Alice said. 'So I'm going to have to take the puppet away from you.' Standing at his side, Alice touched the old man's shoulder. His shoulder blades were sharp. (180).
The man seems to have caring in his eyes when Alice is talking to him. She mentions how she has never seen a person look at her like the way he looked at her. I know the man will have some significance in the book. Maybe he's connected to her in some way. I found it interesting how she basically told her life story to this man, seconds after meeting him. She told him how she was twelve and how everyone thinks she's older. Maybe she was just looking for someone who cared.
A theme I see emerging in this book is hope. Hope for some miracle to come; regarding how Alice is basically alone in life.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Arsenal- a place where arms are manufactured.
Wainscoting- Decorative paneling covering the lower 3-4 feet of an interior wall. Usually wood in a plain design; may be painted or only varnished.
This book uses a lot of good word choice; which I know I've stated several times before. It uses a lot of good metaphor es and similes. Two examples I found were:
"A single bulb splashed light on the soccer field. Alice couldn't see the stones underfoot, but she could feel them beneath the cork soles of Aunt Esme's sandals. A few paces ahead of her, Faith's pigtails bounced against her shoulders. The platinum stripe in Hope's hair glimmered in the moonlight. A chorus of crickets whistled" (172).
"Beside them was emptiness, nothing but the road moving beneath them and the trees' monstrous outline" (174).
I think this is an example of repetition:
"Alice saw a polished wooden table, an armchair, and a couch. Two rocking chairs sat in front of the window. With their backs turned to Alice, they faced the glass. One chair was large. One chair was small. Beside each of the rocking chairs was a wooden easel, shaped like the letter A. One easel was large. One easel was small" (178).
The author uses repetition in this form to show boldness. The items she is describing sounds like they belonged to an adult and a child. This will obviously have some significance to it.
One theme I've noticed from the book is strength, or strength to be your own person. Alice doesn't seem to have much strength in this way. She basically does whatever others tell her to do.
Wainscoting- Decorative paneling covering the lower 3-4 feet of an interior wall. Usually wood in a plain design; may be painted or only varnished.
This book uses a lot of good word choice; which I know I've stated several times before. It uses a lot of good metaphor es and similes. Two examples I found were:
"A single bulb splashed light on the soccer field. Alice couldn't see the stones underfoot, but she could feel them beneath the cork soles of Aunt Esme's sandals. A few paces ahead of her, Faith's pigtails bounced against her shoulders. The platinum stripe in Hope's hair glimmered in the moonlight. A chorus of crickets whistled" (172).
"Beside them was emptiness, nothing but the road moving beneath them and the trees' monstrous outline" (174).
I think this is an example of repetition:
"Alice saw a polished wooden table, an armchair, and a couch. Two rocking chairs sat in front of the window. With their backs turned to Alice, they faced the glass. One chair was large. One chair was small. Beside each of the rocking chairs was a wooden easel, shaped like the letter A. One easel was large. One easel was small" (178).
The author uses repetition in this form to show boldness. The items she is describing sounds like they belonged to an adult and a child. This will obviously have some significance to it.
One theme I've noticed from the book is strength, or strength to be your own person. Alice doesn't seem to have much strength in this way. She basically does whatever others tell her to do.
Post B
Alice is just realizing how things seem to work in the real world. She realizes that she will always be suffering; weather that be unhappy at home, or doing things she might not be inclined to do. Hope and Faith are trying to make Alice a member of "the sisterhood". They are taking advantage of her looks in order for her to join their club. The sisters are trying to make Alice buy them alcohol from the liquor store, and its going to work because Alice looks so much older than she really is.
"Alice looked at the camera. A light flashed. The Polaroid ejected a black square of emultion-coated paper. The three of them buddled together, watching it become a photograph of a tall, curbaceous, glamorous lady. She has a painted face" (169).
This paragraph is in the chapter called A Good Shot. The chapter is but a meer half a page long. I think the author is trying to portray an awkwardness by making the chapter so short, only really describing the fake idea the sisters have made. It is trying to show significance, maybe that Alice gets taken advantage of.
I am also noticing alot of very good imagery in this book.
"Hope paraded in and plunged herseld into the chair by the sliding doors, throwing her two long legs over its arm. The skin on her calveswas the color of taffy. It contrasted dramatically with the hem of her bleached jeans. She wore white sneakers without socks. Instead of shoelaces, she'd threaded a satin ribbon through the grommets" (162).
I am very appreciative when authors write with words like this. It paints a picture. It makes the book interesting.
"Alice looked at the camera. A light flashed. The Polaroid ejected a black square of emultion-coated paper. The three of them buddled together, watching it become a photograph of a tall, curbaceous, glamorous lady. She has a painted face" (169).
This paragraph is in the chapter called A Good Shot. The chapter is but a meer half a page long. I think the author is trying to portray an awkwardness by making the chapter so short, only really describing the fake idea the sisters have made. It is trying to show significance, maybe that Alice gets taken advantage of.
I am also noticing alot of very good imagery in this book.
"Hope paraded in and plunged herseld into the chair by the sliding doors, throwing her two long legs over its arm. The skin on her calveswas the color of taffy. It contrasted dramatically with the hem of her bleached jeans. She wore white sneakers without socks. Instead of shoelaces, she'd threaded a satin ribbon through the grommets" (162).
I am very appreciative when authors write with words like this. It paints a picture. It makes the book interesting.
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