Monday September 11, 2017- Reading Log #1, Topic Choice #1- Characters
The main characters in the story, “Ashes” by Laurie Halse Anderson are Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth. Isabel is a runaway slave during the American Revolution and she trying to get her little sister Ruth. Curzon is another runaway slave who has fought in the revolution and is accompanying Isabel to save her sister. Ruth is Isabel’s little sister and she was taken away in the first book. Ruth is very tough and determined to find her little sister, Ruth. Curzon is runaway slave who is running away from his past and he is helping Isabel find her sister. Ruth suffers from a condition where she has random tantrums and that got here taken away from Isabel. An example of Isabel’s determination is in chapter one page three it states, “After sleepless nights haunted by ghosts and endless days of empty bellies … After all that, I was close to finding my baby sister, Ruth.” An example of Ruth with the condition is in chapter five page twenty five it states, “ Ruth had been born with the falling sickness. ‘Twas my job to watch over, to catch her before she hit the ground when overtaken by a fit…” Isabel is a dynamic character because she is always facing new challenges throughout the story and is adapting to the situations. Curzon is a static character because his mindset is fixed on trying not to be captured by the British. Ruth is static because she does not want to leave the farm.
Monday September 25, 2017- Reading Log #2, Topic Choice #2- Conflict
The main problem in the story is that Isabel and Curzon are looking for Ruth, Isabel’s sister, and are trying to flee from the British Rule and go into America. This problem was all started in the first book, when Isabel and Ruth were sold to the Locktons who mistreated both of them. Later on the Locktons sent Ruth away because of one of her fits. This led to a five year search which then leads into the third book, “Ashes”. This is a conflict because it is a family that was broken apart because of slavery. This is a problem because during this time many families were broken apart. When they are looking for Ruth they have to go through battlefield and dense swamp and forests. This is a external and internal conflict book; Ruth who wants to find her sister which is a internal conflict and then when she is going in the forest and swamps. According to the story, it states,” After sleepless nights haunted by ghosts and endless nights haunted by ghosts and endless days of empty bellies… After all that I was close to finding my baby sister, Ruth.” This quote shows is internal conflict because, It shows Ruth going through hardship just to find her sister, Isabel. An example of an external conflict is, “He rolled onto his back and lifted his head so he could better study the heavily wooded forest behind us. Our recent time lost in the swampy wilderness had revealed curzon to be mortally afraid of alligators.” This quote shows that the Carolina wilderness was very dangerous.
Thursday October 20, 2017- Reading Log #3, Topic Choice #1- Characters
The main characters in the story, “The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict” by Trenton Lee Stewart are Nicholas Benedict, Mrs. Ferrier, Mr. Collum, Mr. Pileus, and John Cole. Nicholas Benedict is an extremely gifted 9 year old boy who is an orphan with a condition of narcolepsy. Mrs. Ferrier is an elderly woman in charge of Nicholas and escorting him from orphanage to orphanage. Mr. Collum is the director of the Rothschild orphanage, where Nicholas Benedict stays for the rest of the story. Mr. Pileus is the driver for Mr. Collum and also the Manor’s handyman, carpenter, and mechanic. John Cole is a 12 year old boy who becomes friends with Nicholas at the orphanage. Nicholas Benedict is a dynamic character because he is always learning and doing new things, he is also very observant. According to the text (page 7) it states, “The man appeared to be of late middle age, perhaps a decade older than Mr. Collum. His tanned rough hands suggested a different sort of labor from that which occupied the orphanage director… A faint impression in the man's hair suggested he had been wearing a hat.” What this means that Nicholas is very observant to everything he sees. Mrs. Ferrier is a static character because according to the text it states, “ She was not much attached to Nicholas, perhaps because of his habitual impertinence- she thought him too saucy by far- but Mrs. Ferrier believed there was a way of doing things…” This is an example of being a static character because she does not want to do things differently.
The main characters in the story, “The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict” by Trenton Lee Stewart are Nicholas Benedict, Mrs. Ferrier, Mr. Collum, Mr. Pileus, and John Cole. Nicholas Benedict is an extremely gifted 9 year old boy who is an orphan with a condition of narcolepsy. Mrs. Ferrier is an elderly woman in charge of Nicholas and escorting him from orphanage to orphanage. Mr. Collum is the director of the Rothschild orphanage, where Nicholas Benedict stays for the rest of the story. Mr. Pileus is the driver for Mr. Collum and also the Manor’s handyman, carpenter, and mechanic. John Cole is a 12 year old boy who becomes friends with Nicholas at the orphanage. Nicholas Benedict is a dynamic character because he is always learning and doing new things, he is also very observant. According to the text (page 7) it states, “The man appeared to be of late middle age, perhaps a decade older than Mr. Collum. His tanned rough hands suggested a different sort of labor from that which occupied the orphanage director… A faint impression in the man's hair suggested he had been wearing a hat.” What this means that Nicholas is very observant to everything he sees. Mrs. Ferrier is a static character because according to the text it states, “ She was not much attached to Nicholas, perhaps because of his habitual impertinence- she thought him too saucy by far- but Mrs. Ferrier believed there was a way of doing things…” This is an example of being a static character because she does not want to do things differently.
