Caitlyn Gardner 1st hour First Blog- Setting and Main Characters: The setting of My Sister's keeper is in a suburbial town in the state Rhode Island. I dont believe the setting will have a major impact on the plot. The setting of the book hasn't posed any complications or problems to the characters' courses of action, and I havent noticed any foreshadowing to where issues might arise in the future readings of this novel. Within this story, there are many main characters. However, there is one character who is the most prevelant and this is Anna. This novel is told from many different points of view so you are able to read descriptions of the characters that come from the viewpoints of different characters at different times.
Entry #2 I definitely agree with you, I don't think that the setting will have a huge impact on the story, I mean, it really hasn't done much to alter or impact it this far, so why would it later? It's nothing out of the ordinary which is why I think Picoult chose it for the small family of ordinary people, aside from the fact that one kid has cancer and another is suing the parents. Isabelle Morrison
Entry 2 Response I agree to your ending statement. I completely forgot how each chapter is from a different view. This makes it a lot easier to understand because we get to hear it from the viewpoints of every character. The reading is not only easier to understand, but it also makes it more interesting since we hear what each character has to say
Erin Rhomberg Setting and Main Characters: The main character in My Sister's Keeper is Anna. We learn through stories of when she was born that she is thirteen years old. She describes herself as blond haired and very skinny. We learn from other characters that she is usually very optimistic and cheerful. Her father says, "Anna is our family constant. Anna comes in with a smile. Anna tells us about the robin she found with a broken wing and a blush on its cheek." (pg. 39) The rest of Anna's family are important but they are used more for telling the story of Kate's illness. This novel takes place in two time periods. The chapters flip back and forth between 2004 and 1990-1991. The significance of the setting shows that this situation could happen to anyone. This seemingly ordinary suburban family, has to struggle daily with Kate's leukemia.
Entry #2 I agree that Anna is the biggest, most important character, but I think the others are more than just background characters. They all do play a huge part in the story, except maybe Jesse, he's really just there to prove how their mother centers her life around pretty much just Kate rather than all her children. Isabelle Morrison
Blog Entry #2 Caitlyn Gardner Anna is most definitely the most prevelant character in this novel, and other characters are there in support of Anna's thoughts an opinions. However, I disagree when you say that she describes herself as a cheey person. throught the novel Anna is fighting with herself and feels lost and used.I noticed this when i read "She lifts her head and looks at me with haunted eyes. "no, Anna. YOU stop." It takes me a while but I break away. "Anna" I murmur. My mother turns. "What?" "A four letter word for vessel" pg.251
Setting #1 The setting in My Sister's Keeper is in Upper Darby, Rhode Island. In the novel it says, "It's strapless, what a star might wear sashaying down a red carpet--totally not the dress code for a suburban house in Upper Darby, RI" (Picoult 10). The setting might be important because it helps the reader's see the family as an average, typical family. It shows how normal families have to deal with problems just like everyone else. Since they live in a suburban house it makes it even more average and relatable to everyday people. The main character's in My Sister's Keeper are Anna Fitzpatrick and Kate Fitzpatrick. These two are sister's and Kate has leukemia. Anna is described as low-key, invisible kind of child. She's described as hurt because her family never really pays attention to her. From the things she plans out, and what she says, we would think she is intelligent and capable of taking care of herself. She is also known as the constant of the family. Ami Patel
Entry 2 I agree, but I also think that Anna and Kate's parents are really important too. For instance, when chapters are told from their Mom and Dad's perspectives, the reader can understand why Kate is the main concern of their family. Their mom says, "this is happening because I did not realize how good I have it." (pg. 36) We can better empathize with her if we understand her guilt and anger. Erin Rhomberg
Blog Entry#2 Caitlyn Gardner I agree when you say that the setting of this novel i used to portry the normality of this family, however, I believe that is also used to bring out the irony og this novel as well.With this family in such a run-of-the-mill kind of place, you expect them to face everyday isses, and not the issues of cancer or a lawsuit. This became evident when i read "APL is a very rare subgroup of myeloid leukemia. Only about 12 hundred people a year are diagnosed with it.: pg33 even the disease Karte is suffereing with is abnormal and rare.
The main characters in My Sister's Keeper are Anna Fitzgerald, Kate Fitzgerald, Sara Fitzgerald, Brian Fitzgerald and Jesse Fitzgerald. They all play an important role in the family which helps set up the entire story. Anna is the youngest of the # children and the family constant. She is very smart, determined, and is always making great observations about everything around her. Kate is the middle child who also happens to be the center of the whole family's attention, because of her, Anna pretty much goes unnoticed by their mother and pitied by their father, "Sara blinks, and then a laugh bubbles out of her. Kate giggles. Even Jesse cracks a smile. This is when I realize that Anna has already left the table, and more importantly, that nobody noticed"(Picoult 40). Kate constantly has everyone's eyes on her because of her aggressive leukemia. Jesse is the oldest and a very rebellious "trouble-child", he does anything and everything to try and get some attention from his parents since they hardly ever give him a second glance. Sara would be the mother of the three, she is beyond determined and stubborn which causes her to miss the fact that her single-mindedness is pushing her other two children off the edge, all they want is some attention from their mother and they can never seem to get any. Brain on the other hand sees whats happening with Anna and Jesse, but works too much, to support all the financial needs of the family, to be able to do anything to help Anna and Jesse. Brian is very caring, loving and understanding which surprisingly is why he isn't the strongest one emotionally wise. The setting takes place in Upper Darby, Rhode Island between 1990 and 2004. This helps the story because unlike a lot of books, it shows that they are just normal people, nothing special about the family and it helps the reader to be able to relate to them in more ways than they would have if they were rich and famous. Isabelle Morrison
Entry 2 I really liked how you described the characters, and I do agree that the setting helps readers better relate. I also think the tie period shows people that this kind of thing could happen to them too at any given time. Sara says that, "This is a mistake. This is someone else's unfortunate vial that the doctor has analyzed," (pg. 34) It seems more tragic that they were all completely blindsided. Erin Rhomberg
Entry 2 Response I agree with your characters and what you stated about them. I agree with them except for Jesse. You said how he seems to be begging for attention. In a way I can see how that happens but a majority of the time I feel like he accepts the fact that he is ignored and even if it bothers him, he seems content with it. He'll talk about how he's ignored by his family all the time but then he will go and say how he is perfectly fine with that and how he enjoys being left alone. Ami Patel
Blog #3 There are many, many conflicts in My Sister's Keeper. One of the most important conflicts is with Anna. She can't seem to decide whether getting the medical emancipation is worth is or not. She doesn't want her sister to die, but at the same time, she just wants a normal life without all the surgery's she has to go through to help a lost cause. Everyone knows that Kate will die. It is inevitable, especially in the state that she is in where its not even safe for her to have the kidney transplant that her mother is pushing for that causes the whole dispute in the first place. Anna knows that the whole reason she was even born was so she could save her sister at all costs but she's been doing it so long that she now realizes that no matter what they do, it won't help for long and she doesn't want to do it anymore. "The fact that the only reason I was born was as a harvest crop for Kate. The fact that even now, a major decision about me is being made, and no one's bothered to ask the one person who most deserves it...'I want to sue them for the rights to my own body" (Picoult 19). As far as resolving the conflict goes, I think Anna will get the medical emancipation that she asks for, but later she will guilty about the fact that her sister's life was in her hands and she chose to take it. The mood created by Picoult in the novel is very pitiful, while the tone changes with each narrator. When Anna is the narrator, the most important one anyway, the tone is confused, but also kind of bitter or agitated. This is made apparent by the way Anna talks about her decision to contact Campbell Alexander and sue her parents. She is always confused when her mother is around, but when she's not, Anna talks about nothing other than how many times her parents have made her go through transplants just for Kate, even though it made her feel sick and she didn't want to do it."'You want to know what I want? I'm sick of being a guinea pig. I'm sick of nobody asking me how I feel about all this. I'm sick, but I'm never fucking sick enough for this family'" (Picoult 218). Isabelle Morrison
Blog 3 Response Erin Rhomberg I somewhat predicted the same thing, as far as Anna getting the emancipation. I also believe that she will realize how her mother really felt during the whole time once it's all over. While her mom seems like a bad guy to Anna at times, I think it is just because her personal disposition and her duty as a mom that she will do whatever necessary to save her daughter. You can kid of see the same feeling in Anna in a flashback. After being told she can't go to a camp she really wants to she gets really upset. However, after she is forced to say good bye to Kate she says, "'I won't go to Minnesota'... 'I won't ever go anywhere.'" (pg. 270) Anna realizes she too would sacrifice something to be there for Kate.
Blog #4 I think that Anna already knows how her mother feels about the whole thing. She doesn't want to lose her sister, but her mom is asking her to chose between her life or her sisters. Although, yes, her mom is doing her duty to protect her daughter, Kate, Anna is still her daughter too and she seems to be willing to give up Anna's life before she gives up Kate's. To her, it's like Anna is barely her daughter, it's just all about Kate. "Brian sticks his head into Kate's room. 'Sara,' he says, exhausted, ' Anna's asking for you.' But I cannot be in two places at one time... Donna helps lower Kate back onto her pillow. 'I'm a little busy tight now,' I say. 'Anna's asking for you,' Brian repeats, that's all...'Kat's sick. I'm going to have to go back." Anna pulls away. 'But I'm in the hospital,' she says. 'I'm in the hospital!'" (Picoult 232-233). This shows how Sara is more focused on Kate rather than Anna, even though Anna is in pain too, Kate is still more important. Anna is just a second thought in Sara's mind. Isabelle Morrison
Entry #3 Conflicts My Sister' Keeper is a novel based on conflicts. Every character in the book is struggling with both internal and external conflicts. The main character, Anna, is the one who's conflicts we most understand. An external conflict that Anna deals with is between her mom and herself. Anna wants the rights to her own body but her mother isn't okay with that. Sara wants to save Kate but Anna wants to save herself. " 'I understand what you're trying to do here,' my mother continues. 'And I agree that maybe your father and I need to listen to you a little bit more. But Anna, we don't need a judge to help us do this" (Picoult 179). This quote shows how Anna sued her own mother for the rights to her body. Her mom isn't okay with this and they're both fighting about it. This is an external conflict because it's happening to two people: Anna and her mother. An internal conflict of Anna's is how she wants to save her sister but she also wants to save Kate. She is feeling guilty about leaving Kate but she wants her own body. "I could push down, over that nose and mouth, hold her when she fights. How would that really be any different than what I am already doing?" (Picoult 57). This quote shows how Anna realizes what she is doing is wrong. She seems to realize its bad and not want to do it. On the other hand, she is conflicted with the idea of saving herself. I think Anna's external conflict will be solved because she will win the court case and her mother will no longer have the right to her body. I think Anna's internal conflict will be solved because someone will guide her into the right thing and convince her that what she is doing is okay and that she doesn't have to be scared. The author has created a gloomy tone. The novel is sad and depressing. It has it's happy moments but a majority of the novel is focused around death and sickness making it gloomy. Ami Patel
Blog 3 Response Erin Rhomberg I liked both of the conflicts that you picked, and I think that they kind of go hand in hand in this novel. Without the conflict of trying saving Kate, Anna would not be suing her mother. The reader is given a glimpse into a life that could have been if Kate had recovered from the leukemia. Anna hugs her mom and says, "I get up from the floor and fly into her arms, which are a little like that spot in life I was talking about before, so familiar that you slide right back to the place where you fit." (pg. 274) It is disheartening to know that both of Anna's conflicts would be settled if Kate was healthy.
Blog #3 Erin Rhomberg Anna struggles internally with knowing which family members will really be there for her. She begins to lose trust in her mom, but also finds out that her dad is still supporting her. Externally, Anna as well as the rest of her family face Kate's life-threatening illness everyday. Anna describes the treatments that she would no longer have to help Kate through saying, "No more blood draws. No granulocytes or lymphocytes or stem cells or kidney." (pg. 179) I think in the end Kate will succumb to the leukemia, but in the long run Anna will grow closer to her family because of this. Over all, the tone is very frustrating because Anna keeps getting her hopes up about not being a donor anymore, but then she gets knocked back down by her mom's wishes.
Blog #4 I completely agree with pretty much everything you said. After Kate dies, their mom will no longer have that to cling to and i think that she will realize how horrible she was for trying to make Anna give up her normal life for someone who's a lost cause anyway. If Anna has to give up a kidney, that would mean that she would have to be so much more careful the rest of her life and would never be able to be fully "normal". "The four-hour surgery isn't a walk in the park, either- you have a 1 in 3,000 chance of dying on the operating table... And that doesn't even include that long-term effects: an increased chance of high blood pressure, a risk of complications with pregnancy, a recommendation to refrain from activities where your lone remaining kidney might be damaged" (Picoult 50). Isabelle Morrison
Blog post #5 Caitlyn Gardner The novel "My Sister's Keeper" is utterly moving.It disscusses the many trials and tribulations of a family dealing with cancer. This story gives readers a better understanding and a more sympathetic view of what loved ones of someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness think and feel. When the character Anna says "Ten years from now, i'd like to be Kate's sister." (Picoult412) It holds great meaning. It gives explanations as why she did the things she did for Kate, and discretly forshadows events that are to happen in the ending of the novel. Despite the shock the ending brings to readers, I very much enjoyed it. It gives Kate's insight on their family's life after the main event of the ending occurred.This in turn, gives readers a deeper insight into the novel as a whole. I liked that readers think they know what will happen, but then those perdictions are completely turned on their heads. I believe this book was chosen as a Gateway Reader's Award beacuse it discusses a scandalous topic that isnt often brought up in other novels.This topic intruiged readers, and the skillful writting styles of Picoult touched these readers.
Blog 5 Erin Rhomberg My Sister's Keeper was a very moving novel. Jodi Picoult does a great job of making her novel seem realistic. The shock of an ending serves to remind people everywhere that life is never predictable. I personally was bothered by the ending, but only because as a reader I think I was too sure of what the outcome was going to be. I was so sure their was going to be a satisfying ending because towards the end it seemed somewhat optimistic. This was not what happened though. Throughout the novel the reader sees that Anna is somewhat put to the side as her parents try their best to find a cure for their other daughter Kate who has leukemia. During the trial Anna tells her mom, "'I've always been the one who can give her what she wants.'" (pg. 389) Readers later learn that Anna struggles to understand her own self apart from being Kate's donor. I believe this novel is a Gateway Award winner because it speaks to anyone and everyone. People of all ages can try to imagine how they would react when told a loved one was dying, and how far they would go to save them.
Entry 5 Review My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult was a great book. It had a wonderful message and twist and turns on every page. The character view points made the novel that much more interesting. I thought the ending was shocking considering what the book was leading up to. The ending was different that typical novels making it worth the read. When we look at the novel as a whole, we see how Anna really isn't treated like their child and we feel sympathy for her. We're rooting for her the whole way while also feeling for Kate. I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. I think this book was a Gateway book because it has a true message behind it that anyone can learn from. It has so many everyday issues in it that almost everyone who reads it can find something to relate on. The book was well written and the language was vivid and different making it interesting. My favorite quote to represent the novel would be when Anna says, "Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it" (Picoult 307). Throughout the book we realize how the characters change and begin to let go and sacrifice for the others. They do things to help benefit the others willingly. We get to watch them struggle and grow from their experience. Ami P.
Caitlyn Gardner 1st hour
ReplyDeleteFirst Blog- Setting and Main Characters:
The setting of My Sister's keeper is in a suburbial town in the state Rhode Island. I dont believe the setting will have a major impact on the plot. The setting of the book hasn't posed any complications or problems to the characters' courses of action, and I havent noticed any foreshadowing to where issues might arise in the future readings of this novel. Within this story, there are many main characters. However, there is one character who is the most prevelant and this is Anna. This novel is told from many different points of view so you are able to read descriptions of the characters that come from the viewpoints of different characters at different times.
Entry #2
DeleteI definitely agree with you, I don't think that the setting will have a huge impact on the story, I mean, it really hasn't done much to alter or impact it this far, so why would it later? It's nothing out of the ordinary which is why I think Picoult chose it for the small family of ordinary people, aside from the fact that one kid has cancer and another is suing the parents.
Isabelle Morrison
Entry 2 Response
DeleteI agree to your ending statement. I completely forgot how each chapter is from a different view. This makes it a lot easier to understand because we get to hear it from the viewpoints of every character. The reading is not only easier to understand, but it also makes it more interesting since we hear what each character has to say
^Ami Patel
DeleteErin Rhomberg
ReplyDeleteSetting and Main Characters:
The main character in My Sister's Keeper is Anna. We learn through stories of when she was born that she is thirteen years old. She describes herself as blond haired and very skinny. We learn from other characters that she is usually very optimistic and cheerful. Her father says, "Anna is our family constant. Anna comes in with a smile. Anna tells us about the robin she found with a broken wing and a blush on its cheek." (pg. 39) The rest of Anna's family are important but they are used more for telling the story of Kate's illness. This novel takes place in two time periods. The chapters flip back and forth between 2004 and 1990-1991. The significance of the setting shows that this situation could happen to anyone. This seemingly ordinary suburban family, has to struggle daily with Kate's leukemia.
Entry #2
DeleteI agree that Anna is the biggest, most important character, but I think the others are more than just background characters. They all do play a huge part in the story, except maybe Jesse, he's really just there to prove how their mother centers her life around pretty much just Kate rather than all her children.
Isabelle Morrison
Blog Entry #2
DeleteCaitlyn Gardner
Anna is most definitely the most prevelant character in this novel, and other characters are there in support of Anna's thoughts an opinions. However, I disagree when you say that she describes herself as a cheey person. throught the novel Anna is fighting with herself and feels lost and used.I noticed this when i read "She lifts her head and looks at me with haunted eyes. "no, Anna. YOU stop."
It takes me a while but I break away. "Anna" I murmur. My mother turns.
"What?"
"A four letter word for vessel" pg.251
Setting #1
ReplyDeleteThe setting in My Sister's Keeper is in Upper Darby, Rhode Island. In the novel it says, "It's strapless, what a star might wear sashaying down a red carpet--totally not the dress code for a suburban house in Upper Darby, RI" (Picoult 10). The setting might be important because it helps the reader's see the family as an average, typical family. It shows how normal families have to deal with problems just like everyone else. Since they live in a suburban house it makes it even more average and relatable to everyday people. The main character's in My Sister's Keeper are Anna Fitzpatrick and Kate Fitzpatrick. These two are sister's and Kate has leukemia. Anna is described as low-key, invisible kind of child. She's described as hurt because her family never really pays attention to her. From the things she plans out, and what she says, we would think she is intelligent and capable of taking care of herself. She is also known as the constant of the family.
Ami Patel
Entry 2
DeleteI agree, but I also think that Anna and Kate's parents are really important too. For instance, when chapters are told from their Mom and Dad's perspectives, the reader can understand why Kate is the main concern of their family. Their mom says, "this is happening because I did not realize how good I have it." (pg. 36) We can better empathize with her if we understand her guilt and anger.
Erin Rhomberg
Blog Entry#2
DeleteCaitlyn Gardner
I agree when you say that the setting of this novel i used to portry the normality of this family, however, I believe that is also used to bring out the irony og this novel as well.With this family in such a run-of-the-mill kind of place, you expect them to face everyday isses, and not the issues of cancer or a lawsuit. This became evident when i read "APL is a very rare subgroup of myeloid leukemia. Only about 12 hundred people a year are diagnosed with it.: pg33 even the disease Karte is suffereing with is abnormal and rare.
The main characters in My Sister's Keeper are Anna Fitzgerald, Kate Fitzgerald, Sara Fitzgerald, Brian Fitzgerald and Jesse Fitzgerald. They all play an important role in the family which helps set up the entire story. Anna is the youngest of the # children and the family constant. She is very smart, determined, and is always making great observations about everything around her. Kate is the middle child who also happens to be the center of the whole family's attention, because of her, Anna pretty much goes unnoticed by their mother and pitied by their father, "Sara blinks, and then a laugh bubbles out of her. Kate giggles. Even Jesse cracks a smile. This is when I realize that Anna has already left the table, and more importantly, that nobody noticed"(Picoult 40). Kate constantly has everyone's eyes on her because of her aggressive leukemia. Jesse is the oldest and a very rebellious "trouble-child", he does anything and everything to try and get some attention from his parents since they hardly ever give him a second glance. Sara would be the mother of the three, she is beyond determined and stubborn which causes her to miss the fact that her single-mindedness is pushing her other two children off the edge, all they want is some attention from their mother and they can never seem to get any. Brain on the other hand sees whats happening with Anna and Jesse, but works too much, to support all the financial needs of the family, to be able to do anything to help Anna and Jesse. Brian is very caring, loving and understanding which surprisingly is why he isn't the strongest one emotionally wise. The setting takes place in Upper Darby, Rhode Island between 1990 and 2004. This helps the story because unlike a lot of books, it shows that they are just normal people, nothing special about the family and it helps the reader to be able to relate to them in more ways than they would have if they were rich and famous.
ReplyDeleteIsabelle Morrison
Entry 2
DeleteI really liked how you described the characters, and I do agree that the setting helps readers better relate. I also think the tie period shows people that this kind of thing could happen to them too at any given time. Sara says that, "This is a mistake. This is someone else's unfortunate vial that the doctor has analyzed," (pg. 34) It seems more tragic that they were all completely blindsided.
Erin Rhomberg
Entry 2 Response
DeleteI agree with your characters and what you stated about them. I agree with them except for Jesse. You said how he seems to be begging for attention. In a way I can see how that happens but a majority of the time I feel like he accepts the fact that he is ignored and even if it bothers him, he seems content with it. He'll talk about how he's ignored by his family all the time but then he will go and say how he is perfectly fine with that and how he enjoys being left alone.
Ami Patel
Blog #3
ReplyDeleteThere are many, many conflicts in My Sister's Keeper. One of the most important conflicts is with Anna. She can't seem to decide whether getting the medical emancipation is worth is or not. She doesn't want her sister to die, but at the same time, she just wants a normal life without all the surgery's she has to go through to help a lost cause. Everyone knows that Kate will die. It is inevitable, especially in the state that she is in where its not even safe for her to have the kidney transplant that her mother is pushing for that causes the whole dispute in the first place. Anna knows that the whole reason she was even born was so she could save her sister at all costs but she's been doing it so long that she now realizes that no matter what they do, it won't help for long and she doesn't want to do it anymore. "The fact that the only reason I was born was as a harvest crop for Kate. The fact that even now, a major decision about me is being made, and no one's bothered to ask the one person who most deserves it...'I want to sue them for the rights to my own body" (Picoult 19). As far as resolving the conflict goes, I think Anna will get the medical emancipation that she asks for, but later she will guilty about the fact that her sister's life was in her hands and she chose to take it.
The mood created by Picoult in the novel is very pitiful, while the tone changes with each narrator. When Anna is the narrator, the most important one anyway, the tone is confused, but also kind of bitter or agitated. This is made apparent by the way Anna talks about her decision to contact Campbell Alexander and sue her parents. She is always confused when her mother is around, but when she's not, Anna talks about nothing other than how many times her parents have made her go through transplants just for Kate, even though it made her feel sick and she didn't want to do it."'You want to know what I want? I'm sick of being a guinea pig. I'm sick of nobody asking me how I feel about all this. I'm sick, but I'm never fucking sick enough for this family'" (Picoult 218).
Isabelle Morrison
Blog 3 Response
DeleteErin Rhomberg
I somewhat predicted the same thing, as far as Anna getting the emancipation. I also believe that she will realize how her mother really felt during the whole time once it's all over. While her mom seems like a bad guy to Anna at times, I think it is just because her personal disposition and her duty as a mom that she will do whatever necessary to save her daughter. You can kid of see the same feeling in Anna in a flashback. After being told she can't go to a camp she really wants to she gets really upset. However, after she is forced to say good bye to Kate she says, "'I won't go to Minnesota'... 'I won't ever go anywhere.'" (pg. 270) Anna realizes she too would sacrifice something to be there for Kate.
Blog #4
DeleteI think that Anna already knows how her mother feels about the whole thing. She doesn't want to lose her sister, but her mom is asking her to chose between her life or her sisters. Although, yes, her mom is doing her duty to protect her daughter, Kate, Anna is still her daughter too and she seems to be willing to give up Anna's life before she gives up Kate's. To her, it's like Anna is barely her daughter, it's just all about Kate. "Brian sticks his head into Kate's room. 'Sara,' he says, exhausted, ' Anna's asking for you.' But I cannot be in two places at one time... Donna helps lower Kate back onto her pillow. 'I'm a little busy tight now,' I say. 'Anna's asking for you,' Brian repeats, that's all...'Kat's sick. I'm going to have to go back." Anna pulls away. 'But I'm in the hospital,' she says. 'I'm in the hospital!'" (Picoult 232-233). This shows how Sara is more focused on Kate rather than Anna, even though Anna is in pain too, Kate is still more important. Anna is just a second thought in Sara's mind.
Isabelle Morrison
Entry #3 Conflicts
ReplyDeleteMy Sister' Keeper is a novel based on conflicts. Every character in the book is struggling with both internal and external conflicts. The main character, Anna, is the one who's conflicts we most understand. An external conflict that Anna deals with is between her mom and herself. Anna wants the rights to her own body but her mother isn't okay with that. Sara wants to save Kate but Anna wants to save herself. " 'I understand what you're trying to do here,' my mother continues. 'And I agree that maybe your father and I need to listen to you a little bit more. But Anna, we don't need a judge to help us do this" (Picoult 179). This quote shows how Anna sued her own mother for the rights to her body. Her mom isn't okay with this and they're both fighting about it. This is an external conflict because it's happening to two people: Anna and her mother. An internal conflict of Anna's is how she wants to save her sister but she also wants to save Kate. She is feeling guilty about leaving Kate but she wants her own body. "I could push down, over that nose and mouth, hold her when she fights. How would that really be any different than what I am already doing?" (Picoult 57). This quote shows how Anna realizes what she is doing is wrong. She seems to realize its bad and not want to do it. On the other hand, she is conflicted with the idea of saving herself. I think Anna's external conflict will be solved because she will win the court case and her mother will no longer have the right to her body. I think Anna's internal conflict will be solved because someone will guide her into the right thing and convince her that what she is doing is okay and that she doesn't have to be scared. The author has created a gloomy tone. The novel is sad and depressing. It has it's happy moments but a majority of the novel is focused around death and sickness making it gloomy.
Ami Patel
Blog 3 Response
DeleteErin Rhomberg
I liked both of the conflicts that you picked, and I think that they kind of go hand in hand in this novel. Without the conflict of trying saving Kate, Anna would not be suing her mother. The reader is given a glimpse into a life that could have been if Kate had recovered from the leukemia. Anna hugs her mom and says, "I get up from the floor and fly into her arms, which are a little like that spot in life I was talking about before, so familiar that you slide right back to the place where you fit." (pg. 274) It is disheartening to know that both of Anna's conflicts would be settled if Kate was healthy.
Blog #3
ReplyDeleteErin Rhomberg
Anna struggles internally with knowing which family members will really be there for her. She begins to lose trust in her mom, but also finds out that her dad is still supporting her. Externally, Anna as well as the rest of her family face Kate's life-threatening illness everyday. Anna describes the treatments that she would no longer have to help Kate through saying, "No more blood draws. No granulocytes or lymphocytes or stem cells or kidney." (pg. 179) I think in the end Kate will succumb to the leukemia, but in the long run Anna will grow closer to her family because of this. Over all, the tone is very frustrating because Anna keeps getting her hopes up about not being a donor anymore, but then she gets knocked back down by her mom's wishes.
Blog #4
DeleteI completely agree with pretty much everything you said. After Kate dies, their mom will no longer have that to cling to and i think that she will realize how horrible she was for trying to make Anna give up her normal life for someone who's a lost cause anyway. If Anna has to give up a kidney, that would mean that she would have to be so much more careful the rest of her life and would never be able to be fully "normal". "The four-hour surgery isn't a walk in the park, either- you have a 1 in 3,000 chance of dying on the operating table... And that doesn't even include that long-term effects: an increased chance of high blood pressure, a risk of complications with pregnancy, a recommendation to refrain from activities where your lone remaining kidney might be damaged" (Picoult 50).
Isabelle Morrison
Blog post #5
ReplyDeleteCaitlyn Gardner
The novel "My Sister's Keeper" is utterly moving.It disscusses the many trials and tribulations of a family dealing with cancer. This story gives readers a better understanding and a more sympathetic view of what loved ones of someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness think and feel. When the character Anna says "Ten years from now, i'd like to be Kate's sister." (Picoult412) It holds great meaning. It gives explanations as why she did the things she did for Kate, and discretly forshadows events that are to happen in the ending of the novel. Despite the shock the ending brings to readers, I very much enjoyed it. It gives Kate's insight on their family's life after the main event of the ending occurred.This in turn, gives readers a deeper insight into the novel as a whole. I liked that readers think they know what will happen, but then those perdictions are completely turned on their heads. I believe this book was chosen as a Gateway Reader's Award beacuse it discusses a scandalous topic that isnt often brought up in other novels.This topic intruiged readers, and the skillful writting styles of Picoult touched these readers.
Blog 5
ReplyDeleteErin Rhomberg
My Sister's Keeper was a very moving novel. Jodi Picoult does a great job of making her novel seem realistic. The shock of an ending serves to remind people everywhere that life is never predictable. I personally was bothered by the ending, but only because as a reader I think I was too sure of what the outcome was going to be. I was so sure their was going to be a satisfying ending because towards the end it seemed somewhat optimistic. This was not what happened though. Throughout the novel the reader sees that Anna is somewhat put to the side as her parents try their best to find a cure for their other daughter Kate who has leukemia. During the trial Anna tells her mom, "'I've always been the one who can give her what she wants.'" (pg. 389) Readers later learn that Anna struggles to understand her own self apart from being Kate's donor. I believe this novel is a Gateway Award winner because it speaks to anyone and everyone. People of all ages can try to imagine how they would react when told a loved one was dying, and how far they would go to save them.
Entry 5 Review
ReplyDeleteMy Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult was a great book. It had a wonderful message and twist and turns on every page. The character view points made the novel that much more interesting. I thought the ending was shocking considering what the book was leading up to. The ending was different that typical novels making it worth the read. When we look at the novel as a whole, we see how Anna really isn't treated like their child and we feel sympathy for her. We're rooting for her the whole way while also feeling for Kate. I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. I think this book was a Gateway book because it has a true message behind it that anyone can learn from. It has so many everyday issues in it that almost everyone who reads it can find something to relate on. The book was well written and the language was vivid and different making it interesting. My favorite quote to represent the novel would be when Anna says, "Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it" (Picoult 307). Throughout the book we realize how the characters change and begin to let go and sacrifice for the others. They do things to help benefit the others willingly. We get to watch them struggle and grow from their experience.
Ami P.