Tuesday, March 30, 2010

In Anthem, what are your feelings and thoughts on the novel based on the parts you've read?

Any time a question refers to thoughts/feelings based "what you've read" or a similar phrase, the asker is looking for, literally, YOUR thoughts and feelings. It can be stressful to write your thoughts and feelings, especially for a school assignment, because there can be a sense that there is a right or wrong answer. Rest assured, the only way to be "wrong" with a question like this is to not give an explanation to support your ideas. 

In looking to how to address the topic, give some thought to the following questions:


1. What has happened in the book so far? What parts of the plot/action stand out to me? 


2. Who are the characters? Who is the main character? Do I like him/her or dislike him/her? 


3. What questions do I have? What don't I understand?


4. The main character describes himself as feeling _______. Have I ever felt that way? Can I understand how that might feel?



For example, in Anthem, I might say, "I love reading about Equality 7-2521, because he is adventurous and so am I. I can't imagine how stressful it must have been for him to go to the World Council and face them. That part of the novel moved really fast, because I was really interested in seeing how he fared in his conversation with them."


You don't have to have all the answers. Sometimes, the overwhelming feeling you might have as you read something is confusion. Why don't the characters in Anthem just rise up against the authorities? What on earth is the Uncharted Forest? Is this supposed to be America? If so, when? You can ask these questions and then provide some speculation on what you think the answers might be. Don't worry about being right or wrong; as long as you support your ideas with logical reasoning, being confused and asking questions is a great way to interact with a text.


Asking yourself some basic questions about plot, character, setting, and theme can be a great way to access how you feel about what you're reading. Pay close attention to things that confuse or excite you, or to parts of the novel where you are particularly engaged in the reading or where you actually get bored and put the book down. This can help guide your response with specific examples from the book.

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