Reading responses What they are Your thoughts about a part of the book Focuses on author’s craft What they are NOT Summary

Reading response or summary? The book Delirium is a Dystopian book about a society that believes love is a sickness. The character Lena Haloway is anxiously awaiting her 18th birthday so she can undergo the procedure which will cure her of this sickness. All goes well until she meets Alex, a boy from the Wilds. Summary The electric fence surrounding the city symbolizes government control. From a young age, Lena has always been taught to fear the fence, but once she meets Alex, she learns that there are areas of the fence that aren’t actually on. This shows the reader that as much as the government attempts to control everything, there are area with which they have no control. Response

Characterization The way an author reveals the special qualities and personalities of a character in a story, making the character believable.

Ways to identify a Character’s Traits in a Story What the character says and thinks What the character does How the character feels Through the relationships with other characters

Analyzing Character Traits We try to figure out what a character in a book is like by paying attention to the clues the author gives us. This is called “making inferences.” Example: What can you infer? “No, Honey, I don’t want you to spend a lot of money on my birthday present. Just having you for a husband is the only gift I need. In fact, I’ll just drive my old rusty bucket of bolts down to the mall and buy myself a little present. And if the poor old car doesn't break down, I’ll be back soon.”

Let’s Try Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat

Based on the text, I can infer that this is a simple girl who finds comfort in things others wouldn’t. She enjoys the quiet of the morning and the crystal ashtray. She is also a curious girl who seems to get into trouble over her curiosity. Getting into trouble is something she probably does often even though she tries hard not to. Due to this, she finds herself needing the protection of her grandmother, a woman willing to lie to help.

Character Development How a character changes over time What traits describe character at the beginning What traits describe character at the end What caused the changes to occur

In the beginning, the boy was annoyed and frustrated at having to have a fish as his pet. He complained a lot and threatened to take the fish back to the pet store. By the end of the story, he was content and happy to have the fish as his pet. He got him a nicer fish tank as well. The reason he changed was because at different points in the story, he saw that the fish was there for him, listening to him and helping him at a scary time.

Character perspective How the characters view and process what’s happening within the story. Point of View focuses on the type of narrator used to tell the story (1st person, 3rd person). Perspective focuses on how this narrator perceives what is happening within the story.

Reading Response The narrator views the table in a negative light saying that it’s not a table associated with a rich person. Her parents view the table in a positive light saying it’s a great table probably because they made it themselves. The reason they view the table differently is because the narrator sees the word rich as having money whereas her parents see the word rich as being full of things not dealing with money. Their different interpretation of the meaning of “rich” is causing the differing perspective of the table.

Your Turn 1 Reading Response with a focus on Character Traits 1 Reading Response with a focus on Character Development 1 Reading Response with a focus on Character Perspective 7D due September 1, 7A-C due September 4