Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Emotional Reflector- Holly Fischer

The emotions at the end of the book are directed towards the future and how Ellen and Anna will cope with the accident. Ellen seems over it, however, Anna isn't, although it probably has something to do with her brother. On page 229, "You're just scared of everything." This quote is what Ellen says to Anna when Anna confronts her about her drinking problem. The girls are the best of friends, however, they handle their feelings very differently. On page 231, Anna and Jack attend a New Years Party. "His arms are crossed over his gut, and his head is slumped over his arms, and he's bawling." Anna says this about her older brother because he gets really drunk at the party. This shows just how much Jack has been hiding his emotions because they all come rushing out when he gets drunk. In therapy the next day, Anna is upset with the fact that she can be happy with Seth and Jack can never be happy with Cameron again. I can somehow understand what Anna is feeling, it must be hard to go through something like that, but I'm sure that Jack would want her to be happy. In the end, Anna explains how the ending isn't exactly a happy one, but she's coping with the loss as best as she can, and hopefully one day she'll be able to confidently say that Cameron's death wasn't her fault. All in all, Jack is the one I feel for the most. Anna explains how she hears him crying at night sometimes, and that honestly breaks my heart to think about. It's sad how Anna took Cameron away from him, but hopefull that won't effect their relationship in the future.

Quote Illuminator - Devon Blog #6

1. "No boys in your room. Period." "You let Cameron in Jack's room," Pg. 210


This quote is important because it shows how differently Anna's dad treats Anna compared to Jack. It shows how Jack is allowed to do things Anna can't just because Jack is a boy.  


2. "I'm getting a dozen roses on the first of each month for the next year," Pg. 226


This quote is important because it shows how the relationship between Seth and Anna is progressing. Seth is a very important part in Anna's life because he helps her focus on something else other than the accident. Also, he is there to support Anna when she needs it the most.


3. "At first when she got the short cast off, she walked sort of funny. Tippy-toed. She couldn't get her heel flat on the ground. But now she's moving pretty smoothly." Pg. 241


This quote is important to the book because it shows the healing of Ellen's leg, as a metaphor to the healing of the accident. This quote shows how healing takes a lot of time, but in the end it will get better.


4. "But you do handle it. Because the thing you learn is that you can." Pg. 247


This quote is important because it shows Anna's overall growth after the accident. It shows how she learned that she must handle the situation to be able to recover from it. This shows how she is now accepting the accident in a positive way.  

Friday, October 8, 2010

Characterization reflector- Rebecca

As we already know a few main characters in the novel are Anna, Jack and Ellen. To start with Anna is the main character because she had gotten into an accident and killed her brother's girlfriend Cameron. After the accident she was extremely sad, who wouldn't be though after an accident? She is always blaming herself for the horrific events that night. Anna knows and feels the negative engery between her and her brother although he's told her not to blame herself for the accident, she can't help but do just that. Jack is another main character because he recently lost his girlfriend in a car accident, which happened to be drove by his sister Anna. Knowing that Anna is constantly blaming everything on herself he trys to comfort her and tell her on page 139, "You didn't kill Cameron." In hopes to possibly relieve Annas worries about the sitution. Although not succeeding in having her stop blaming herself. The next character that is important to the book, Ellen. Shes Anna's best friend who was there the night of the accident as well. Ellen is a person that will tell you how it is, she is very honest and will come to you when something is wrong. She was the one who told Anna that something is actually wrong with her when the rest of her family said she was completely fine.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Emotional Reflector - Devon Blog #5

The emotions present in last nights reading were love, strength, and fear. Strength is shown when Anna is at her therapist's house. Anna is no longer feeling as stressed out about the accident. On page 207, she tells her therapist "But it's not as bad as when we started.". This shows how much she is moving on from the accident because she's able to understand whats going on now. You also see fear on page 223 when Anna says "She's drunk a lot when we talk." This shows how Anna is fearing for Ellen because she's drinking a lot since she's been upset. She's afraid something might happen to her friend. You also see love through out the reading between Anna and Seth, and how she's actually falling for him but she's scared of him dying. Anna doesn't believe she should be happy when Jack can't be happy.

Quote Illuminator- Holly Fischer

1. "The driving was fine. I can't wait to tell Frances." p. 196

This quote shows that Anna is slowly recovering from the accident, and she's finally started driving again. I feel that a lot of her strength has come from going to therapy, and it's great that she's accepting that fact that she didn't kill Cameron, and that it wasn't her fault. The more I read this book, the more confidence I have that Anna will recover fully from the accident over time.

2. "And I'm thinking about how it's over, only it's not over. The screaming is over, and Cameron's life is over, and the beginning of my life is over, along with Jack's and Ellen's and Cameron's little brother's.." p. 206

This quote is during one of the Anna's flashbacks she has from the accident. I feel that this is important beacuse even though Anna is recovering from the accident and getting better everyday, she's still guilty about what happened and the accident will forever effect her life. This quote is also important beacuse I wonder how Jack and Cameron's little brother ar dealing with the death of someone very important to them.

3. "If I'd done what my dad told me to do, we'd have gotten to the party later and probably left later or earlier, and we wouldn't have been passing by Cameron on the road right at that second, and she could have swerved and been fine." p. 203

This is a piece of dialog from the book that Anna said and I think it holds great importance because he therapist didn't have an answer for her. By this quote, I can some what understand how this whole is probably eating Anna up inside. I also think this is a good quote because it represents the theme of the book because this is how Anna is dealing with this tragedy.

4. "We've ended like this before. I like it. The smell of coconut. The warmth of dazzling blue." p. 207

This quote was said by Anna at the end of a session with her therapist, and it's important beacuse it shows how peaceful she has become. Before she saw a therapist, she was a wreck and always having panic attacks and getting detailed flashbacks from the accident that weren't very pleasent. This quote shows Anna's recovering and it shows that maybe she'll be able to put this all behind her one day.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Characterization Reflector - Holly Fischer

Anna- Anna is the main character of the book, who recently got into a car accident that killed her brothers girlfriend and injured her best friend Ellen. Anna feels very guilty for her brothers girlfriend's death, however, the accident was not her fault at all. Anna feels a tension between her brother and her and she doesn't know exactly how to talk to him or how to handle the situation at all. For example, on page 139, Jack says to Anna: "You didn't kill Cameron." This shows that Anna shouldn't beat herself up about her death because there was nothing she could do about it. Overall, Anna is doing the best she can to cope with the hardships that have come her way, but it's a long road of recovery for her.

Jack- Jack is Anna's brother and he is a very important part of this book. He just recently lost his girlfriend in a car accident, and it just so happens that his sister was in the other car, and survived. Jack is doing the best he can to be calm about this situation for his sister because he knows how hard it must be for her to handle all this. For example, on page 162, Cameron is brought up in a conversation between Anna and Jack. The conversation consists of what Cameron planned to do with her future. Anna doesn't like talking about Cameron to Jack but she tries her best to be strong for her brother. Jack ends up getting choked up and telling Anna to leave the room, so she can't see him cry for the girlfriend that she took away from him. Overall, the accident has effected Jack the most and I think it will take him the longest to fully recover from it.

Theme Reflector - Devon Blog #4

The theme of the novel is reflected in a negative and a positive way throughout chapters 19-23. On page 162, Jack and Anna are talking about Cameron, and Jack says "She thought it would be cool to just... you know...live for a year." After Jack notices what he says, his mood completely changes and he doesn't want to be around Anna anymore. This showed how even though it's been a while, when he tries to talk about Cameron with Anna he can't help getting mad at her and blame her for the accident. Jack knows it wasn't Anna's fault, but Cameron was his first girlfriend, and her death messes with his emotions so much he can't help but blame Anna because she's alive, but Cameron isn't. The theme however, is shown positively on page 183, when Anna says "Maybe it's more like 'I can be okay driving.'". This shows how Anna is slowly moving on from the accident. At first, Anna wasn't able to drive because she felt guilty and out of control, but ever since talking with her therapist, she has been gradually getting better. Anna finally being able to drive again shows great improvement with her understanding that the accident wasn't her fault, because she wasn't able to control the fact that there was a tree branch in the road. The theme is also being expressed through Ellen on page 185, when Anna describes "She's holding a plastic razor in one hand and shaving cream in the other, and the tub is running, and she's crying." This quote shows the theme because it shows how the accident effected Ellen, even though she seemed okay at first. It shows how she's been holding her feelings inside, but once one little thing upsets her, she lets it all out. She's upset because of how her leg looks out of the cast, because she sees the real damage that happened to her after the accident. However, the theme is shown negatively on page 199 when Anna says "If you haven't killed anybody, you might think there's nothing worse than shaking and vomiting uncontrollably on the floor of the hall of the SAT building..." Anna had a panic attack, because some girl kept screaming, and then finally stops. This shows how, although Anna got over not being able to drive, the screaming then stop reminds her of the accident again, and makes her upset all over again. 

Monday, October 4, 2010

Quote Illuminator- Rebecca Rogers

On page 139, "You didn't kill Cameron," Jack tells me suddenly, twisting all the way around from the front seat to see me.

I chose this quote because it shows how Anna keeps blaming herself for the death of Cameron. although it wasn't her fault she is still very upset about it and hasn't been able to let it go as just an accident. Which anyone would be upset about loosing a friend, her brothers girlfriend and would blame herself for it.

On page 134, "Ellen and my brother tell me I'm all messed up," I say. "I don't think I'm such great girlfriend material right now."

This quote shows how little confidence Anna has right now, she's listening to what everyone is telling her about how she isn't in the best condition to actually date someone. It just shows how much the accident has severely traumatized her.

On page 118, Ellen's been napping a lot. A whole lot. But now, for some reason, she's getting stir-crazy. When I walk out of our bedroom, she's sitting in her wheelchair in front of my queen bed, holding her dad's keys. Rental-car keys.

I chose this passage because it shows how much Ellen wants to get out of the house now, she doesnt want to be stuck there anymore. Napping isn't going to solve anything so now she wants to go out even if its her dad just taking her for a drive or going outside in her wheelchair. I believe that she's determined to get some kind of rush by stealing her father's keys to take the car out for a spin, to just get some air outside. Anna would rather not, she doesnt want to get in anymore trouble then she had already been in she says on page 120 "I feel really sick." I tell Ellen. Although she feels this way she doesn't want to let down Ellen, and hates the disappointment in her friends face.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Theme Reflector- Holly Fischer

The theme of the novel Wrecked is expressed in last nights reading because Ellen and Anna are starting to show just how effected they are from the accident. For example, on page 109 "I'm on Ocean Road.." and Anna explains a bad nightmare she was having about the accident. This wasnt the first time Anna had a nightmare about the accident, it happened to her once before. The theme is also shown in last nights reading because on page 71, Anna says about Cameron: "She wasn't my sister, or even my friend really. I don't think i miss her exactly. It's more like im horrified everytime i think of her, and I feel like dread and guilt that's a part of that ink in my blood all the time." This quote shows that even though her and Cameron didn't talk, and even though she doesnt exactly miss her, she feels guilty about what happened and it's starting to effect her life. Another example that shows the theme in this book is on page 90 when Anna and Jack went out to eat somewhere together. Anna tries to apologize to Jack about Cameron and everything since they haven't exactly talked about it yet, but Jack doesn't want to talk about Cameron to Anna. This shows how much Anna has hurt Jack, although he can't exactly blame her for killing Cameron beacuse it wasn't her fault and she couldn't do anything about it. The more I read this book, the more the theme is being shown.

Characterization Reflector - Devon Blog #3

Anna- Anna is the main character of the book. She's important to the book because she gets into an accident that kills her brothers girlfriend, which is what the whole book is about. So far through out the book, she blames herself for killing Cameron. On page 139, you see Anna blaming herself when her brother Jack says "You didn't kill Cameron" then Anna replies "Yes, I did". This shows how Anna is blaming herself even though everyone is telling her it wasn't her fault. Also, on page 141, you see how the accident really affects Anna when her therapist tells her "You have something called post-traumatic stress disorder." This shows you what kind of person Anna is because even though the accident wasn't her fault she is still taking the blame for it and is being affected badly by it. This shows you that she's a caring person because most people who get in an accident with a drunk driver when it's the other drivers fault don't believe it's their fault.


Ellen- Ellen is another important character of the book. She was in the car with Anna when Anna got into the accident. Ellen is also Anna's best friend. Ellen is a very honest person. Ellen is important to the book because she's the one who comes foreword and tells Anna that somethings wrong with her, as everyone else denies it. On page 132 Ellen tells Anna "But also you're really messed up". This shows how Ellen is an honest person, because no one else really has the guts to tell Anna something is wrong with her.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Emotional Reflector- Holly Fischer

Ever since the accident that Ellen, Anna and Cameron got into there have been so many emotions in this book. For example, Ellen and Anna's families are overjoyed with the fact that both of them survived the accident, but also frightened at the fact that they were so close to losing them. On the other hand, Cameron's family and even Anna's family is shocked and hurting with the fact that they lost Cameron in the terrifying accident. Jack, Cameron's boyfriend, who happens to be Cameron's boyfriend, is taking it the hardest. He's happy that his sister made it through the accident, but also depressed with the fact that his girlfriend did not. Even though Anna walked away from the accident with only an eye injury, her best friend Ellen, who was very drunk when the accident happened, is not in good shape. On page 38, Ellen's mom says: "She's got a tube in her mouth to help her breathe, a tube in her chest to reinflate her lung, an IV for antibiotics, an IV for pain, a catherter to help her pass water, a cast on her leg, and nothing for her ribs. They'll heal on their own." Therefore, you can tell that Ellen was not lucky and as of now she's not exactly up and talking and she's in the Intensive Care Unit in the hosptial. An important part of this book on an emotional level to me, is the fact that Anna's parents were never very loving to her before the accident. For example, on page 35 Anna says: "It's strange but good [a hug from her mom], like when she held me in the hospital bed. It's not that we don't get along, so much as we're not that close, I guess. The truth is, before yesterday I don't remember the last time we touched." This effects the book a lot because now her parents realize that they could've been like Cameron's parents and lost their daughter in that accident. Now they realize how special she is to them, and that's important. Hopefully in the next few chapters Ellen will wake up and Anna will be able to talk to her because everyone's getting very worried about her.

Quote Illuminator - Devon Blog #2

1. "That memorial link to Rosebud Is a Sled is an amazing idea," Lisa tells me. Link? I don't know what she's talking about." Pg. 49


I picked this quote because it shows the affect the accident had on Anna and her brothers relationship. He isn't really talking to her after it happened, even though it was not her fault. Also, I picked this because it shows how her friend is talking about something that everyone knows about except Anna. This shows how her brother is barley talking to her because the whole school knows about the memorial link for Cameron except Anna. 


2. "I don't really see the point," my father says. "We go through difficult times. We live. We learn. We move on." Pg. 61


This quote signifies the dictatorship that Anna's father has. Anna's mom is suggesting getting counseling about the accident, however her dad is quick to shoo it away. Anna nor her mom are able to get a word in without her dad saying that he doesn't agree, and that is the way it should be. I believe this quote is foreshadowing something important that will happen later in the book involving the way Anna's father acts.


3. "I killed somebody." Pg. 69


This quote shows how the accident is affecting Anna. Even though it was not her fault, she keeps blaming herself for Cameron's death. Anna believes, even though Cameron was clearly drunk and swerved into Anna's lane, that she is responsible for Cameron's death. I think this is also going to foreshadow Anna and her personality changing throughout the book, and is only the beginning of finding out how the accident really affected her.


4. "And in that exact moment there was this flash of light and something hit me hard, and then I was on my back on the sandy ground at the edge of where the driveway began and of the house ended." Pg. 82


This quote is important because it describes when Anna got hit by lightening, and no one believed her but her brother. I think it shows deep down the good relationship between Anna and her brother, and how he always sticks by her side. I also think it has a negative effect, because her parents don't take seriously, so I predict that something major is going to happen in the book and no one will take her seriously but her brother. 



Friday, September 24, 2010

Characterization Reflector-Rebecca Rogers

During the first chapter there were a few characters introduced, Anna, the mother and father Ellen (Anna's friend) and her brother Jack. Currently the most important character is Anna, a teenage girl that right now looking to have some fun but her father is very upset about the leaves being all over the front yard. On page ten, "I'll rake tomorrow" "Not rake!" my father exploded. He was frothing at the mouth. Seriously. Spit was gathering at the corners like he had rabies or something "Not tomorrow. Pick. Up. Now!" Although she was rebelling against her father and left to go to a party anyways. Within the first chapter, only one main character was introduced which was Anna. Anna seems like a nice girl just looking to enjoy her life and go to a house party with her friend. Anna's father is strict though however and wants her to stay home to clean up the yard.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Emotional Reflector - Devon Blog #1

Within the first chapter you see a lot of unhappiness. On page nine, Anna says "The black was getting worse, the way it does when he won't back off, which is all the time, and you can't do anything, you're just stuck, and everything turns into a massive knot of confusion." Anna is saying how her dad takes over her mind basically, because he always orders her around and he has the final word. Also, on page ten she says "Make me get on my knees under the spotlights out front, as if I were some kind of psych patient, when he was the insane one." In this quote, you see she doesn't have a good relationship with her father. It also shows Anna expressing her hatred towards her father because of the way he treats her. Between the second and third chapter, you see a bunch of new emotions, including pain and confusion. On page 20, it says "and then there's this deafening smacking sound and the smell of new plastic, and Ellen in my lap, dripping with blood, and theres pieces of something falling and all this dust everywhere and chips flying up from the floor, and Ellen bloody with her head pressed hard against my collarbone, and the sharp brush of her ponytail sticking my right eye." From reading this you can infer that Anna just got into a car accident, with her best friend Ellen. She doesn't really explain anything else, because she's so confused and doesn't know what just happened, all she knows is that Ellen is in her lap bleeding. You can also see that Anna is confused because on the same page she says "How could she be in my lap and how could we fall out with our seat belts on?" This shows that she doesn't really understand what happened and why they flew out of their seats, and overall she's just confused about the accident because it's all too overwhelming to take in. On page 23, when Anna is in the hospital her mom tells her that Ellen has a collapsed lung, and that's when pain starts taking place, because she's worried that her friend is going to die or is in a coma. Also, pain is shown on page 26, when Anna's mom tells her the other driver, who died, was Cameron Polk, which was her brothers girlfriend.

Quotes - Holly Fischer

1. "I remember that moment as clear as the accident. Sometimes clearer. Who knows why." - Anna pg. 3

This quote happens to be in preface of the book, however, I believe it hold a great importance to the book because it's foreshadowing. This quote shows that Anna is going to either be in an accident, cause an accident, see an accident that will probably change her life. This quote stuck out to me because it made me wonder what is going to happen to Anna or her family.

2. "He isn't used to me not doing what he asks. I'm not used to it either." - Anna pg. 8

I chose this quote in the reading beacuse it's showing her relationship with her parents, which I think is going to have a great effect on Anna through out the book. In the first chapter, you can already tell her parents are strict because they made her do ridculous chores such as, picking up the leaves on the lawn. However, I also chose this quote because it shows that Anna is sticking up for herself, therefore showing that she's a strong girl.

3. " "All right," I said to his back. "Fine you can have the car on Saturday." " - Anna pg. 14

I chose this little piece of dialoge because it shows the relationship Anna has with her brother, Jack. In chapter one, Anna describes Jack as the non popular kid who doesn't really go out with a lot of girls. However, when he goes get a date on a Saturday night with a pretty girl at their school, it happens to be a night that Anna has the car. This quote was important because it shows that she cares for him because she let him have the car, since she knew that the date meant a lot to him.

4. "..and I wonder if she actually knows me better than I know me.." - Anna pg. 8

I picked this quote to show the importance of last nights reading because it's about Anna's best friend Ellen. Even though Anna and Ellen seem to have some differences, they are still very good friends and they've been good friends since they were nine. Ellen is more of the party girl and Anna really isn't, and they accept each other for who they are and I admire that in friendship.