A Walk to Remember, Nicholas Sparks. Cycle 18 Reading Response #2, 23-38

Brief Summary:
In chapter 2, Landon's father deeply encourages Landon to run for class president, and when he resists, it is revealed that "father's word is law." While he tries to think of things that would even qualify him to be President, he just realizes how much he wasn't able to do. When he signs up the next day and sees his competition, he feels like there's no way he could lose because he was pretty much going against "losers." However, just to ensure his victory, he has his best friend, Eric Hunter, the most popular boy in his high school, to get the jocks of school to vote for him. and though he may have done all the "Why you should vote for me" signs and fliers, there was no doubt that he won the popularity vote.
His first even on the student council was homecoming dance. At his school, a date for the council was mandatory, so he needed to find one. Unfortunately, everyone he asks seems to already have a date. He ends up having to flip through the yearbook to find a date. The only person he paused on was Jamie Sullivan, but for the rest of the night, he punishes himself for even thinking of asking her. But as the night goes on, he realizes that she's the only somewhat decent person left. After realizing what a kind person Jamie is, he lets himself believe that Carey, treasurer and also dateless, has plans to ask Jamie also. He works himself up so much that after school the next day, he sprints to her house. When he reaches her door, he is dripping and dripping in sweat.
She ends up saying yes, but on one condition: Landon has to promise not to fall in love with her. He takes it as her own sense of humor, and he, himself, finds some amusement in it too, but somehow it appears she meant it.

New Vocabulary:
• (up to) snuff- meeting the required standard
• despondent- [adj.] in low spirits from loss of hope or courage
• ludicrous- [adj.] so foolish, unreasonable, out of place as to be funny; ridiculous

Reflection:
Dear Diary,
I can't believe I really did it; I can't believe I ran for class president. Why is my father's word always law? I swear my mom almost looked smug during dinner as my dad forced me to run. Well, the only upside was that Eric, Eric Hunter-- my best friend, is the most popular guy in school, and he got all the jocks to vote for me. I pretty much had it in the bag, to be honest. I mean, I'm going up against John Foreman, the "goodie-goodie" who we, Eric and I, used to spit spitballs at, and Maggie Brown, who will pretty much lose because she's not very attractive; just this summer, she put on 20 pounds. I put up all those "Vote for me because..." signs and fliers, but in reality, I won the popularity vote.
Now my real dilemma: homecoming dance; I don't have a date. I mean, I could go with Angela Clark, my ex-girlfriend, but she's probably going to go with Lew, who was 20 by the way, and a real winner, if you know what I mean. So, she's probably out of the question, keeping in mind that she broke up with me in the first place. I tried calling a few other girls, but they all had dates already. What was worst was that the only person I know who was dateless was Carey Dennison, the most annoying kid in school, maybe even in the world. In this time of desperation, I turned to the yearbook. The only person I could really consider was Jamie Sullivan. But that, that was really pushing it. In the end, though, she's my best bet. god, I can't believe I'm actually considering Jamie, the minister's daughter! What is happening to me?
Seriously, this cannot be happening to me.

-- Landon

A Walk to Remember, Nicholas Sparks. Cycle 17 Reading Response #1, (xi, xii, xiii) 1-22

Brief Summary:

The book, A Walk to Remember, began with a short prologue in the eyes of Landon Carter vaguely "warning" the reader of the touching and heartbreaking story that he was about to tell. This story took place forty years ago, when he was 17 years old, and the event that took place changed his life forever. With the help of a very smooth and clever transition, he takes you back to the year 1958 in Beaufort, North Carolina. Beaufort is a small town, hardly recognized on the map, and had eighteen churches within the town's limits. He introduces Hegbert Sullivan, minister of the Southern Baptist Church. Hegbert Sullivan had his first child, Jamie Sullivan, at the age of 55. His wife died during childbirth, after having six prior miscarriages. Hegbert turns his traumatic story into a heart-wrenching play, put on by the church, called The Christmas Angel. The play was a huge success and had to be moved to the Beaufort Playhouse. Hegbert decided that he wanted seniors of the town's high school to act out the roles in the play because he believes it will "save the young ones from temptation." That year, Jamie Sullivan played the angel. Landon signs up for a part in the play because he thinks it will be an easy class and a time for him to catch up on his sleep. Landon's grandfather is the man who made the family fortune by swindling many in around the time of the depression. Hegbert gets into ministry after working for his grandfather and witnessing his power-abuse. Jamie was a bit of an outcast; she did not care of her outer appearance, but rather inner-beauty. She carried her Bible everywhere and spent her breaks reading passages. The adults of Beaufort would always verbally hope that the world would have more people like her, but for the teens, one Jamie Sullivan was enough. On that first day of drama class, as Landon takes a look across, he notices that Jamie has grown up into a fairly attractive girl, and she stopped and smiled at him, happy to see him in her class. The first chapter closes with, "it wasn't until later that I would learn the reason why."

New Vocabulary:

• sinewy-- [adj.] sturdy, strong

• denomination-- [noun] group or branch of any religion

• heathen-- [noun] atheist, non-believer

• bigwig-- [noun] important person

• infiltrate-- [verb] surreptitiously and gradually enter to gain access to

• prohibition-- [noun] prevention by law of the manufacture and sale of alcohol (in U.S. between 1920 and 1933)

• retribution-- [noun] morally right and fully deserved punishment

• shrewd-- [adj.] astute

• bootlegger-- [noun] person who makes, distributes, or sells illegally

• digress-- [verb] leave main subject temporarily

• bona fide-- [adj.] genuine, real

Reflection:

Question: How has the author framed or structured this particular section of the book?

Nicholas Sparks is writing this novel in, so far, the eyes of Landon Carter. He begins with Landon at the age of 57 years old. With a very smooth transition, a flashback takes him to where the whole life-changing experience happened, just about forty years ago.

"I close my eyes and the years begin to move in reverse, slowly ticking backward, like the hands of a clock rotating in the wrong direction. As if through someone else's eyes, I watch myself grow younger; I see my hair changing from gray to brown, I feel the wrinkles around my eyes begin to smooth, my arms and legs grow sinewy. Lessons I've learned with age grow dimmer, and my innocence returns as that eventful year approaches. Then, like me, the world begins to change: roads narrow and some become gravel, suburban sprawl has been replaced with farmland, downtown streets teem with people, looking in windows as the pass Sweeney's bakery and Palka's meat shop. Men wear hats, women wear dresses. At the courthouse up the street, the bell tower rings.... I open my eyes and pause. I am standing outside the Baptist church, and when I stare at the gable, I know exactly who I am. My name is Landon Carter, and I' m seventeen years old. This is my story; I promise to leave nothing out. First you will smile, and then you will cry--don't say you haven't been warned" (page xiii).

In this short passage from the book, this author makes use of semi-colons, colons, lists, dashes, and creates wonderful images with his detail. The last sentence intrigues me, as the reader, and makes me want to continue reading; I would like to know just how well he executes this story in such a manner that would make me physically smile or tear-up.

I really like the way he chose to organize his story--beginning with Landon looking back at his life and then shifting into the actual time when the moment took place where he can show the story versus telling the story.

He also introduces characters necessary in his story and their background by going off onto tangents. But he recovers well onto the story-path by using transition lines like "but, anyways," or "but, back to the story." In the first chapter, Nicholas Sparks is really just setting the tone and putting forth enough information so that the rest will flow in the story, but also flow in the minds of the readers (in understanding everything given). For example, in a really teary spot, he won't have to pause or break to explain who Hegbert is, or how Landon's family is so well-off.