Brief Summary:
In chapters 7 and 8, Jamie asks Landon to walk her home one day, even though she really doesn't need someone to. Landon agrees because, "Jamie's house was on the way to [his], and it wasn't that [he] liked her or anything," 94. Landon also proves to be quite shallow at times. When Ms. Garber announces the addition of seats in the auditorium to accommodate the particularly large crowd, the class "oohs and aahs." To that, Landon writes, "Remember, we have guys like Eddie in this class," 95. When he thinks about how he is walking Jamie home, he thinks, "I could practically imagine the angels in heaven, standing around and staring wistfully down at me with little tears filling the corners of their eyes, talking about how wonderful I was for all my sacrifices," 95. Then, Jamie asks him of the graveyard.
Jamie also reveals that she has no intentions of going to college, which Landon finds strange because she always spoke of Mount Sermon. He shows a bit of a lightness in heart when he says, "Despite the oddness of some of her answers, she seemed practically normal," 99. He feels even closer when he finds a link between himself and Jamie; they are both missing parents. At this time, Landon expresses true sincerity when he talks to her. When Jamie brings up the topic of her father, Hegbert, and how she thinks Landon would get along so well with him, she seems to be hiding some sort of secret. It was as if, "she knew some secret that she was keeping from me," 101.
When they near Jamie's home, Landon asks why she always carries around that Bible of hers. The Bible belonged to her mother, and it makes her feel closer to her. Just as Landon begins to feel better about it, Eric and Margaret drive by. Landon is completely embarrassed and ashamed to be caught walking Jamie home. "See what happens when you're a nice guy?" 104. When Landon goes to school the next day, he feels resentment towards her, especially with the rumors spreading around school, like that they are engaged.
Landon loses his cool after rehearsal one day, with the build up of mixed emotions towards Jamie. He yells at Jamie, spewing at her hurtful words. "I don't want to walk you home, I don't want my friends to keep talking about me, and I don't want to spend time with you. You keep acting like we're friends, but we're not. We're not anything. I just want the whole thing to be over so I can go back to my normal life," 107. Then, coldly, he states, "To tell the truth, it felt kind of good." But, being Jamie, she still shows her appreciation, saying, "Thank you for walking me home, Landon," 108. This is when Landon has a slight turnaround. "Even when I was mean to her face, she could find some reason to thank me. I actually hated her for it. Or rather, I think, I hated myself," 108.
Landon feels very guilty, and apologizes to her in public, even grabbing hold of her hand when she fails to smile in his presence. Eric talks to Landon before the play and when Landon shares that he has no intentions of ruining it, Eric says, "I guess you're finally growing up, Landon," 115. Then, when Jamie sets foot on stage, hair down (out of her usual bun), in a flowing white dress, with just a touch of make-up, looking like an angel, Landon couldn't help but mean it when he said, "You're beautiful," 115.
Vocabulary:
• welsh--[verb] fail to honor
• Lindbergh baby--[noun] Chas A. Lindbergh, kidnapped (later murdered) in 1932, son of aviator Charles Lindbergh
• suffice to say it--[verb] used to indicate that one is saying enough to make one's meaning clear while holding some reasons of discretion
• lethargic--[adj.] sluggish, apathetic
• trepidation--[noun] a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen
• hightail--[verb] move or travel fast
• stoically--[adverb] enduring pain and hardship without showing one's feelings or complaining
• exempt--[adj.] free from an obligation or liability imposed on others
Response:
Provide a brief context for the quote and analyze it, detail by detail. What can you infer and why?
page 98:
"I'll bet you're excited about going off to college next year," I said, changing the subject.
It took her a moment to answer.
"I don't think I'm going to go," she said matter-of-factly. Her answer caught me off guard. Jamie had some of the highest grades in out senior class, and depending on how the last semester went, she might even end up valedictorian...
"What about Mount Sermon? I though that's where you were planning to go. You'd love a place like that," I offered.
She looked at me with a twinkle in her eye.
It is surprising to Landon that Jamie would have no intentions of attending college because of her high grades and her strong beliefs, morals, having the "being the child everyone wants" perfection. So, being that this is so out of the ordinary, there must be a significant reason behind it. Her peculiar interest in the graveyard also ties into this hidden mystery. From this, I can infer that somehow Jamie's life will be cut short, which would account for her graveyard concern, and not thinking she will go to college, or not thinking she will live to go to college. Being that she knows of her time left, it must be something that could be foreseen, such as a disease or cancer. Her "matter-of-fact" response shows that she has known for some time of her illness.
This passage also shows the growing interest Landon has in Jamie. If it were true that Landon had zero interest in Jamie whatsoever, he would not voluntarily walk Jamie home everyday after rehearsal, and he wouldn't have known for sure where it was that Jamie aspired to go, or that she would have liked that place. But, he said it in a manner that expressed care and attention for her. This would explain her reaction to his comment: a twinkle in her eye. Jamie also recognized this. From this short passage, I can also infer that Landon really does have (hidden) feelings for Jamie.
page 107-108:
"Don't you get it?" I said, exasperated. "I'm not nervous about the play, I just don't want to be here. I don't want to walk you home, I don't want my friends to keep talking about me, and I don't want to spend time with you. You keep acting like we're friends, but we're not. We're not anything. I just want the whole thing to be over so I can go back to my normal life."
It was the first time I'd raised my voice to her. To tell the truth, it felt kind of good.
She looked hurt by my outburst, and to be honest, I couldn't blame her.
"Thank you for walking me home, Landon," she called out.
I winced as soon as she said it. Even when I was mean to her face and said the most spiteful things, she could find some reason to thank me. She was just that kind of girl, and I think I actually hated her for it.
If you just glance at this excerpt, you would get the impression that Landon does not like, possibly even hates, Jamie. He's saying things that he knows will hurt her, but I can infer that he doesn't really mean it. What I believe he is trying to do is convince himself that he doesn't like her. He is trying to intentionally hurt her to push and give her reason to stay away. The reason he states that it felt good to hurt Jamie so badly was that he felt like he had persuaded himself, and proved, that he really didn't like Jamie. He couldn't blame Jamie for looking hurt because he knew how hurtful he had been. He recognized the hurt because deep down he felt bad.
He winced at Jamie's thanks because she was giving him another reason to like her. Landon didn't really hate Jamie because she would find a reason to give thanks even when a person was cruel, he hated her because she just kept becoming more admirable.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
A Walk to Remember, Nicholas Sparks. Cycle 19 Reading Response #3, 39-92.
Brief Summary:
In chapters 3 to 6, Landon must meet with Hegbert half an hour before the Homecoming Dance begins to have a small talk. Landon assumed it would be about resisting temptation and fornicators, but what Hegbert really wanted to know was if Landon was pulling some kind of joke or prank by asking Jamie to the dance. Jamie wore a blue skirt and white blouse--upscale for her, but a bit undressed for the dance--and wore her hair in a bun, as usual. Jamie surprised Landon by being a fairly good dancer, and they danced for a few songs before Lew and Angela showed up, both of which have been drinking. Landon admits to still have feelings for Angela and is caught staring at her by Lew. Lew approaches Landon, about to make a scene, but then Jamie, oblivious to what's about to happen, asks sweetly, "Don't I know you?" Because Jamie helps Lew's grandmother with her groveries, Lew decides to walk away from a fight, leaving Landon to feel obliged to actually listen to Jamie as they sat at the table. On a trip to the restroom, Jamie finds Angela vomiting everywhere and Lew nowhere in sight. Not wanting Angela to be suspended, or even expelled, for drinking, Jamie decides to get on all fous and clean the bathroom; Landon does the same. When Landon drops Jamie off, she replies, "I had a good time tonight. Thank you for taking me to the dance," regardless of teh fact that she was covered in puke. The next night, at the graveyard, Landon is accused of likeing Jamie, and he denies.
The next day, Jamie calls Landon asking if he could come over to talk. Despite of everything Jamie had done for Landon the night of the dance, Landon gives cold and minimal responses. Eventually, after some persistence, Landon agrees to come over. Jamie asks that Landon play the elad rold in the play, Tom Thorton. After Jamie sheds a few tears and when Landon realizes how much it means to her that the play is the best possible that year, he agrees. One night, while Landon and his friends are out at Cecil's Diner, Jamie stops over for a chat. She reveals to all of Landon's friends that it was Landon who volunteered to play the lead rold and that Landon could stop by again if he wanted to rehearse lines. To "stick it to Landon," Eric suggests that they rehearse for hte orphanage. Ms. Garber and Jamie thinks it's a marvelous idea.
In a small conversation that Landon and Jamie have on the way to the orphanage, Jamie reveals that the one things she would like is to get married, and that's all. Mr. Jenkins doesn't think the play would be a good idea, and Jamie is saddened because she wanted to do something special this Christmas that the children would remember forever. Landon is shocked by the playroom for the children--the lack of toys and the state of the area. "The sparseness of the room made the whole thing depressing," 92.
Vocabulary:
• trepidation--[noun] a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen
• frenzy--[noun] a state or period of uncontrolled excitement or wild behavior
• passive--[adj.] accepting or allowing what happens or what others do
• highbrow--[adj.] scholarly or rarefied in taste
• penance--[noun] voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong
• pandemonium--[noun] wild and noisy disorder of confusion; uproar
• conspiracy--[noun] a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful
• julep--[noun] a sweet flavored drink made from a sugar syrup, sometimes containing alcohol or medication
• inquisitive--[adj.] curious or inquiring
Response: 2 Questions
Does Landon truly oppose Jamie, or is he just trying to hide his feelings--ashamed?
I think that deep, deep down, Landon likes Jamie.
Eric asked me about my "date" with Jamie Sullivan.
"It was okay," I said, shrugging, doing my best to play it cool.
Landon tries his best to "play it cool" when he responds to Eric's question. For me, this signals that he is trying to hide the fact that he likes her. I think that Landon likes Jamie--really likes her--but I don't know that he realizes how much the time he spends with her is impacting him. I think that he is unsure of if he likes her and why he would ever like someone like her. Jamie is so different than Angela: Jamie is genuine, Jamie is kind, Jamie is conservative, Jamie is has subtle beauty--natural beauty, and Jamie is intellectual; she seems to have her whole life ahead of her. I think that Landon is also ashamed of liking Jamie and afraid of how his friends would react to his unexpected interest. I think that sometimes when you don't want to like a person, you try your hardest to prove to yourself that you don't that person, and it's easy to find every little thing about that person that is unattractive and repulsive. I think that this is what Landon is doing.
"If I liked her at all, I told myself, I would have wanted to talk to her. If I liked her, I would have offered to walk her home. If I liked her, I would have wanted to bring her to Cecil's Diner for a basket of hushpuppies and some RC cola. But I didn't want to do any of those things. I really didn't. In my mind, I'd already served my penance," 57.
Though he may not realize it yet, Landon is doing things he probably would have not done before he met her. He is playing the lead role in the biggest play of the year in Beaufort. He is cleaning puke off of a bathroom floor. And, he is visiting the neighborhood orphanage. I don't think that Jamie is changing Landon, I think Jamie is helping Landon find himself, let his true self shine through his layers of anger--anger for not having a real father. Jamie sees beneath his rebellious facade.
"I think you should become a minister. I think you're good with people, and they'd respect what you have to say," 85, Jamie said to Landon.
What is so important about this year's Christmas for the orphanage and this year's play for Jamie?
There have been many references to the importance of this year, but there really is no reason as to why it is so important.
"I've been praying about it, Landon. I'd really like this play to be special this year, not for me, but because of my father. I want it to be the best production ever. If people made fun of his memory of my mother while I'm playing the part...well, that would break my heart...I know that challenges are always part of the Lord's plan, but I don't want to believe that the Lord is curl, especially to someone like my father. He devotes his life to God, he gives to the community. And he's already lost his wife and has had to raise me on is own. And I love him so much it...," 65.
"How about you? What do you want to do in the future?" Landon asked.
" I want to get married, and when I do, I want my father to walk me down the aisle and I want everyone I know to be there. I want the church bursting with people."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all I want," 86.
"I just wanted to do something different for them this year. Something special that they would remember forever. I thought for sure this was it..." She sighed. " The Lord seems to have a plan that I just don't know about yet," 89.
I think that this year could be important because it is Jamie's last year in high school, possibly the last year with her father before she's off to college somewhere. But, the way everything is said and the amount of urgency that Jamie hints at seems much more significant that just her Senior year. It's as if there is something bigger going on. One possibility is that Jamie's father, Hegbert, may be growing weak, and his life is in the process of being cut short. This could be why it's so important that this year's play is the best it has ever been, because Hegbert wrote it. But, it would not explain why the orphanage's children is so much more important to Jamie this year than the past years. So, another possibility is that it is Jamie who may be dying. This could be why Jamie is reaching out to Landon, why the orphanage is so important, and why the play means so much to her.
In chapters 3 to 6, Landon must meet with Hegbert half an hour before the Homecoming Dance begins to have a small talk. Landon assumed it would be about resisting temptation and fornicators, but what Hegbert really wanted to know was if Landon was pulling some kind of joke or prank by asking Jamie to the dance. Jamie wore a blue skirt and white blouse--upscale for her, but a bit undressed for the dance--and wore her hair in a bun, as usual. Jamie surprised Landon by being a fairly good dancer, and they danced for a few songs before Lew and Angela showed up, both of which have been drinking. Landon admits to still have feelings for Angela and is caught staring at her by Lew. Lew approaches Landon, about to make a scene, but then Jamie, oblivious to what's about to happen, asks sweetly, "Don't I know you?" Because Jamie helps Lew's grandmother with her groveries, Lew decides to walk away from a fight, leaving Landon to feel obliged to actually listen to Jamie as they sat at the table. On a trip to the restroom, Jamie finds Angela vomiting everywhere and Lew nowhere in sight. Not wanting Angela to be suspended, or even expelled, for drinking, Jamie decides to get on all fous and clean the bathroom; Landon does the same. When Landon drops Jamie off, she replies, "I had a good time tonight. Thank you for taking me to the dance," regardless of teh fact that she was covered in puke. The next night, at the graveyard, Landon is accused of likeing Jamie, and he denies.
The next day, Jamie calls Landon asking if he could come over to talk. Despite of everything Jamie had done for Landon the night of the dance, Landon gives cold and minimal responses. Eventually, after some persistence, Landon agrees to come over. Jamie asks that Landon play the elad rold in the play, Tom Thorton. After Jamie sheds a few tears and when Landon realizes how much it means to her that the play is the best possible that year, he agrees. One night, while Landon and his friends are out at Cecil's Diner, Jamie stops over for a chat. She reveals to all of Landon's friends that it was Landon who volunteered to play the lead rold and that Landon could stop by again if he wanted to rehearse lines. To "stick it to Landon," Eric suggests that they rehearse for hte orphanage. Ms. Garber and Jamie thinks it's a marvelous idea.
In a small conversation that Landon and Jamie have on the way to the orphanage, Jamie reveals that the one things she would like is to get married, and that's all. Mr. Jenkins doesn't think the play would be a good idea, and Jamie is saddened because she wanted to do something special this Christmas that the children would remember forever. Landon is shocked by the playroom for the children--the lack of toys and the state of the area. "The sparseness of the room made the whole thing depressing," 92.
Vocabulary:
• trepidation--[noun] a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen
• frenzy--[noun] a state or period of uncontrolled excitement or wild behavior
• passive--[adj.] accepting or allowing what happens or what others do
• highbrow--[adj.] scholarly or rarefied in taste
• penance--[noun] voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong
• pandemonium--[noun] wild and noisy disorder of confusion; uproar
• conspiracy--[noun] a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful
• julep--[noun] a sweet flavored drink made from a sugar syrup, sometimes containing alcohol or medication
• inquisitive--[adj.] curious or inquiring
Response: 2 Questions
Does Landon truly oppose Jamie, or is he just trying to hide his feelings--ashamed?
I think that deep, deep down, Landon likes Jamie.
Eric asked me about my "date" with Jamie Sullivan.
"It was okay," I said, shrugging, doing my best to play it cool.
Landon tries his best to "play it cool" when he responds to Eric's question. For me, this signals that he is trying to hide the fact that he likes her. I think that Landon likes Jamie--really likes her--but I don't know that he realizes how much the time he spends with her is impacting him. I think that he is unsure of if he likes her and why he would ever like someone like her. Jamie is so different than Angela: Jamie is genuine, Jamie is kind, Jamie is conservative, Jamie is has subtle beauty--natural beauty, and Jamie is intellectual; she seems to have her whole life ahead of her. I think that Landon is also ashamed of liking Jamie and afraid of how his friends would react to his unexpected interest. I think that sometimes when you don't want to like a person, you try your hardest to prove to yourself that you don't that person, and it's easy to find every little thing about that person that is unattractive and repulsive. I think that this is what Landon is doing.
"If I liked her at all, I told myself, I would have wanted to talk to her. If I liked her, I would have offered to walk her home. If I liked her, I would have wanted to bring her to Cecil's Diner for a basket of hushpuppies and some RC cola. But I didn't want to do any of those things. I really didn't. In my mind, I'd already served my penance," 57.
Though he may not realize it yet, Landon is doing things he probably would have not done before he met her. He is playing the lead role in the biggest play of the year in Beaufort. He is cleaning puke off of a bathroom floor. And, he is visiting the neighborhood orphanage. I don't think that Jamie is changing Landon, I think Jamie is helping Landon find himself, let his true self shine through his layers of anger--anger for not having a real father. Jamie sees beneath his rebellious facade.
"I think you should become a minister. I think you're good with people, and they'd respect what you have to say," 85, Jamie said to Landon.
What is so important about this year's Christmas for the orphanage and this year's play for Jamie?
There have been many references to the importance of this year, but there really is no reason as to why it is so important.
"I've been praying about it, Landon. I'd really like this play to be special this year, not for me, but because of my father. I want it to be the best production ever. If people made fun of his memory of my mother while I'm playing the part...well, that would break my heart...I know that challenges are always part of the Lord's plan, but I don't want to believe that the Lord is curl, especially to someone like my father. He devotes his life to God, he gives to the community. And he's already lost his wife and has had to raise me on is own. And I love him so much it...," 65.
"How about you? What do you want to do in the future?" Landon asked.
" I want to get married, and when I do, I want my father to walk me down the aisle and I want everyone I know to be there. I want the church bursting with people."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all I want," 86.
"I just wanted to do something different for them this year. Something special that they would remember forever. I thought for sure this was it..." She sighed. " The Lord seems to have a plan that I just don't know about yet," 89.
I think that this year could be important because it is Jamie's last year in high school, possibly the last year with her father before she's off to college somewhere. But, the way everything is said and the amount of urgency that Jamie hints at seems much more significant that just her Senior year. It's as if there is something bigger going on. One possibility is that Jamie's father, Hegbert, may be growing weak, and his life is in the process of being cut short. This could be why it's so important that this year's play is the best it has ever been, because Hegbert wrote it. But, it would not explain why the orphanage's children is so much more important to Jamie this year than the past years. So, another possibility is that it is Jamie who may be dying. This could be why Jamie is reaching out to Landon, why the orphanage is so important, and why the play means so much to her.
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