1. Warming up with a triple Venn diagram for our three narrators
As we diagram...
- What are you learning about our three narrators?
- What are you wondering?
- What's unique about each narrator?
- How do the narratives overlap / relate to each other? What similarities can you find?
2. Enjoying our first ELIC fishbowl discussion (pages 1-85)
3. Wrapping up with kudos, lingering questions, and epiphanies
HW:
1. For TONIGHT: Read 10 pages of ELIC.
2. For TUESDAY: Read through page 141 and complete your third journal entry; leaders should prepare and post their syllabus.
Why are Thomas's and the Grandma's stories different on how they met?
ReplyDeleteThomas didn't speak so he had to use letters and paper so that probably made Grandma's story look so much different compared to Thomas's.
DeleteI think Thomas tries not to remember Anna because he loves her so much that it hurts him to think of her.
DeleteIs Thomas somehow related to Oskar in any way?
ReplyDeleteThomas, the narrator, is Oskars grandfather and Thomas's son happens to be a jr. so that Oskars father was also Thomas Schell, the one who died in 9/11.
Deletewhat makes Thomas lose words when he talks?
ReplyDeleteI'd say the traumatizing moment of the Dresden bombing just took all the words out of him and he just doesn't know how to let it all go. There are many reasons that could of brought him to not speak, none of them are wrong.
DeleteThe most reasonable thing that I could imaging would be extreme PTSD from the dresden attacks.
DeleteHe might lose words because of the bombing. It could be some form of PTSD.
DeleteWhere did the grandmas sister go?
ReplyDeleteWe don't know yet but I think that she died in the Bombing of Dresden.
DeleteAnna is dead as made apparent by Thomas the narrator as he states, "I'd lost the only person I could have spent my only life with, I'd left behind a thousands tons of marble" (Foer 33).
DeleteWhat does the key that Oskar found belong to and what is its significance throughout the book?
ReplyDeleteHow are oskar and thomas related?
ReplyDeleteThomas is Oskar's grandfather.
DeleteWhy is Oskar fascinated with finding clues?
ReplyDeleteI think that subconsciously Oskar knows that this is a way to keep his mind off of losing his dad and can keep him preoccupied.
DeleteHe might be compelled to find clues because he wants to finish the search because his father died before he could finish.
DeleteDid Thomas marry Grandma because he was in love with Grandma or because he was in love with Anna.
ReplyDeleteAre Thomas and Oskar related?
ReplyDeleteThomas, the narrator is Oskar's grandpa. Oskar's dad is his son and a jr. (they both share Thomas Schell Jr.)
DeleteWhile the book doesn't directly state that Thomas the narrator is related the grandmother's chapter gives insight that the 2 are related. On page 85 it states, "The next day, your grandfather and I were married". This quote directly relates Oskar's grandmother and Thomas the narrator. Also looking back at Oskar's father Thomas he would rarely talk himself, and would instead circle words in the newspaper to represent his word. (Foer, 10). Thomas the narrator also does a similar thing by writing words in a book instead of talking. Also final thing to mention is the older generation of people tend to name their children after the parents.
DeleteWhy is Oskar Schell so intent in finding his dad even though his dad has left him many clues or things to remember him by?
ReplyDeleteAt oskars age, loosing someone is weird so its hard to completely comprehend what is really going on. And because of that it seems that Oskar needs to find his dad and have visual proof of what actually happened.
DeleteHe may not have full closure from the loss of his father.
DeleteIs Oskar's father Thomas Schell a junior to the same name of the other Thomas Schell in the narrator?
ReplyDeleteWhy is the grandmother a narrator in the book?
ReplyDeleteWhy was Oskar's grandmother so drawn towards Thomas?
ReplyDeleteWhich Tomas is which???
ReplyDeleteThe Thomas that is a narrator is Oscars grandpa who is married to Oscars grandma. The Thomas that died in the attacks of 9/11 was Oscars father.
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ReplyDeleteIs the curiosity of Oskar and the game a way for him to have closure with his dad's death?
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a real coping mechanism for people who have lost a loved one. People who lose someone never want to ever think that they can actually be gone so they try to look for them.
DeleteHas Thomas ever meet Oskar? What do you think would happen if they did meet? If they have meet why don't they ever get together and do things together?
ReplyDeleteHow does the key that Oskar found relate to the plot?
ReplyDeleteThe key probably opens a box that he is searching for
DeleteThe key relates to the plot because it is a clue to all the other clues in the book. When he goes to the art store to talk about writing, it was because of the key he found to find the lock. the whole idea oskar has is to find the lock that goes with the key
DeleteI'd say the key is important because it brings the connection between him and his dad back. In a way it could be him searching for a missing part of himself and/or a piece of his dad.
DeleteIs the Oskars Grandmother sister the same Anna as Thomas's Anna, the first word he lost?
ReplyDeleteThe grandmas sister was named Anna. Thomas used to date her while they lived in Dresden. Oscars grandma used to watch them kiss.
Delete
ReplyDeleteWe learned Anna was the sister of the Oskar's Grandmother. Also she was loved by Thomas and is not around anymore. What happened to Anna and why did Thomas lose the ability to speak her name?
I feel like Thomas might have some brain trauma, possibly due to the bombing he survived. Maybe he has PTSD and suffers a brain disease.
DeletePerhaps Anna was lost in the bombing of Dresden
DeleteWe know that Oscars grandma and her sister Anna lived in Dresden and so did Anna's boyfriend Thomas. We also know that there were many deaths after Dresden was bombed so I think that Anna died in that even but we are not totally sure. Thomas most likely lost the ability to speak Anna's name because he lost her also.
DeletePerhaps Anna and Thomas had a bad end to their relationship.
DeleteIs Thomas Oskar's grandfather?
ReplyDeleteYes. Thomas is Oskars grandfather
DeleteWhy does Oskar not feel like his mother truly loves him?
ReplyDeleteI think Oscars knows that his mom loves him but he fells like she lost the love for Oscars dad who died. Oscars feels like she just moved on and forgot about him."but they didn't even hear me, because they were playing music too loud and caking up to much."(pg 37)This why he really likes talking to his grandma because he feels like she actually understand and listens to him.
DeleteI feel like he thinks this because on page 52 Oskar says, " What was so weird, and what I should have tried harder to understand, was that she never asked anything else, not even 'Out where?' or 'Later when?'... Every time I left our apartment to go searching for the lock, I became a little lighter, because I was getting closer to Dad. But I also became a little heavier, because I was getting farther from mom." This all shows that he is scared of losing his mom but he also has a pulling force to go away form her to find his dad. I have a question to add to this. Would he run away from home just to find his dad but then come back to his mom after finding the truth?
DeleteAs Oskar said before, it appears his mother has moved on from Thomas very quickly. Oskar is still attached to his dad and this is strengthen through the scavenger hunt. As Oskar's mom moves on wth her new "friend", her relationship with Oscar dwindles away.
Deletewhy does the person at the art/marker store want to help out Oskar? he is a 9 year old coming in and asking these random questions. Why would she decide to help?
ReplyDeleteWas the letter that Oskar's Gramma recvived in the begining of her chapter written by Thomas?
ReplyDeleteWhat does the key belong to, will Oscar ever find it?
ReplyDeleteIt might have to do with Thomas or his Gramma based on their importantnce in the book.
DeleteOn page 39, the locksmith said it was for a lockbox.
DeleteWhat son do you think Thomas is talking about when he says "To my unborn son," is it the Thomas who died in 9/11?
ReplyDeleteI think Thomas is talking to his unborn children with Anna. We know that Thomas Schell jr. was the son of Thomas but also Thomas wrote this in 1963 which was before the 9/11 attacks so it couldn't have been to Oscars dad.
DeleteAre the words "yes" and "no" on thomas hand's meaningful?
ReplyDeletethey represent how he speaks. Since he can't say anything, he must say yes and no a lot because he has them on his hand ready to go where all the other things he says he has a book for it. It also said that when he claps, its like saying yes and no at the same time and getting peoples attention.
DeleteIn some way yes, He mainly just uses it so he doesn't have to write pages. The "yes" and "no" are just to answer questions. But there could always be a deeper meaning behind it
DeleteYeah cole that makes sense, but body language is used all the time to express how your feeling and even just nodding your head to answer a question so why out of all the words he could of put on his hand were those to so important compared to all the other words.
DeleteSince Thomas started losing his speech very fast, he wrote yes and no on his hands because he says them so much. On page 17, Thomas walks into a tattoo parlor, "Are you Thomas?" I would answer, "Not no," but then I lost "no," I went to a tattoo parlor and had YES written onto the palm of my left hand, and NO onto my right palm..."
DeleteIs there actually any lock that the key works with, or is it like the scavenger hunt in the beginning of the book, where Oskar is searching for something where nothing exists?
ReplyDeleteI feel like there might not be a lock associated with the key but I feel like it leads to something even bigger that Oskar has to find to be able to unlock the truth. It could also be related to his dad wanting Oskar to unlock the truth of him
DeleteObviously the key has to go to something, if it didn't go to anything. Why would there be a key, but its more about the bigger picture, he isn't looking for a look, he Is looking for a last connection with his dad.
DeleteYou never lose your imagination but it grows into imagining scenarios that can happen, or something more real because of what you have found is real and what isn't. Kids have different imagination then older kids or teenagers because they haven't experienced a reality yet. Everyones imagination is fueled by something you think about and Oskars is fueled by finding his last connection to his dad.
ReplyDeleteAre the pictures in the book taken by Oskar or do they just all speak out to his mind and curiosity?
ReplyDeleteI think the pictures give the reader(s) a look into Oskar's mind. I think it shows that Oskar is not an ordinary 9 year old and is more intelligent and curious.
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ReplyDeleteAre the pictures in the book taken by oskar or what is the purpose?
ReplyDeleteI feel like the pictures are to help the reader understand what he saw and what he went through.
DeleteFrom what I've read, it seems as if Oskars mom doesn't really care that much about her son or her late husband, like she ended up with them early in life and felt as if she was stuck with them.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletePages 47- 49 show pictures with words in different colors. Oscar soon realizes that his father has been at the art supply store on Ninety-third- Street many times before. "His name was everywhere. He'd tested out markers and oil sticks and color pencils and chalk and pens and pastels and watercolors." Him and his father used to do activities together and spend time together. Why didn't his father ever tell him about the art store or take him there?
This is probably a clue. He probably set this all up to show Oskar the world and get out and talk to people and its like the biggest scavenger hunt ever.
DeleteI think that Oscars mom is not a very good mom and does not care. For example Oscar was feeling down about his dad, she was with Ron in the living room playing board games listening to music and laughing. It docent seem like she was very affected by his death and didn't love him.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Oskar's mom is bad parent?
ReplyDeleteI think that what makes a good parent is being involved in the kids life as much as possible. Also for the parent to actually be the parent and be mature has a big impact on the kids life. So yes I think that oskars mom is somewhat of a bad parent.
DeleteI think that uncovering the mystery will somehow allow him closure, as it seems like he hasn't really processed the event fully.
ReplyDeleteWhen he finds out this big scavenger hunt, will it make Oskar satisfied completely or will he never give up on finding his dad even though its impossible?
ReplyDeleteOskar tried to protect his mom, so she wouldn't have to know what it feels like to hear a loved one feel like they are in pain, Oskar doesn't think she could've handled it and Oskar is different then other kids and Oskar likes feeling like he is protecting his mom, or helping her. on page 38 when he is like "she could've done her self, but she knew I loved to do it." Oskars mom knew Oskar like to feel like he was protecting her just like his dad so she let him
ReplyDeleteWhat does ‘heavy boots’ mean?
ReplyDeleteOscar is trying to uncover what happened to his dad, like wearing his boots
The sadder he got the heavier his boots got
See how many people are in “heavy boots” in New York, things are getting harder and worse
Who is Anna?
Grandmother’s sister
Dated Thomas when she was younger
Thomas told a very different story than how she remembered, his story was very abrupt
Pg. 84 - sculpting scene “after a few sessions it became clear he was sculpting Anna...” what is going on?
Thomas is in denial and wants her to still be alive, way of him seeing Anna that she is in his heart
Doesn’t want to ever give her up
Why does Thomas deny he is from Dresen? (pg. 81)
Pg 17. If someone asked if he was Thomas from Dresen he would answer no, he didn’t want to be known from his past
Wants to get away from his past, America is a new start, lost so much (speech and thoughts) so he doesn't want to think about the origin
Wants to forget and move on in the future
Pg. 85 We never used German again? Why?
Relates to past, spoke German when they were little and wanted to move forward
Oscar would always say “which I know about but I don’t want to” why does he day that? Why did Oscar convert his dad’s last message into morse code?
His dad always loved clues and hints for Oscar to solve, a way to symbolize or help Oscar find something out
Way to transfer the last message in a more physical way or a way he processes
Why doesn’t he share the messages with his mom?
Page 36. “Mom was with Ron....she wasn’t missing dad...” Oscar is realizing that his mom is trying to move on and wants her to miss him like he does
He also thinks that he is closer to his dad, mom didn’t care much for his dad and Oscar did
Maybe they were going through something in their marriage?
Dad just understands the way Oscar thinks with clues, mom doesn’t do as much interactive stuff with him
Grandmother is really obsessive about the letter, passed to grandmother
Why doesn’t Oscar’s mom know about the clues? Know or care about Oscar?
Are there actually any clues or did Oscar make the clues?
Vase has something to do with clues, not to often to find a key in a vase, that helps Oscar realize his clues
Cool how much Oscar’s dad thinks like Oscar, really awesome connection
Jacket on the chair that helped him get to the vase
What Thomas’s names on the art store planned? Did the register lady say the things to write on weren’t there?
Weird scenarios, complete mystery
Is Thomas Shell written in anything other than red ink?
Handwriting is thick
Connects to how Oscar’s dad wrote in the newspaper in red ink as well like in the art store
Page 47. Maybe German in red ink??
Interesting that the pictures all have a meaning and a way to tie together, pictures irrelevant now but has to say something down the road
Page 41 “...Black wasn’t the name of the company that made the lockboxes...and I put them in stuff that happened to me”
Prints out all this very strange photos, like kiddish
What's the connection in his brain to the pictures
Page 53 - pictures connections: Hamlet and he plays Hamlet (the Skull), guy falling could be him could be a metaphor to how his dad dies, wants to remember his father
Motif between falling and flying, birds chirping
Stephen Hawking, maybe a role model to him, looks up to him after the letter he got back from him, speaks in his voice, both have unique personalities
“Paper airplane number 14” sending grandmother the paper airplane, maybe represents 9/11
Page 60-61 supposed to be Central park, dad told story about there used to being a 6th Borough
Pictures are hard to make sense, creepy
Oscar gave himself bruises, hitting himself? Mental bruise? What does he mean?
Page 50, 69, 41 all mentioned
Does he punch himself? Mental?
He is giving himself actual physical bruises, instead of cutting is actually bruising himself
Can see that Oscar pretends he is okay, doesn’t spend time talking about his sadness, not letting himself realize, hurting a lot, dressing in all white, he is suffering