3. Select what you consider to be the most important quotation in the novel and prove your opinion by relating it to the novel as a whole.
"The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive." This is true because ultimately Pudge and the Colonel must realize that they forgive Alaska for leaving them, and that she forgives them for letting her go. Throughout the entire book, the question being asked is how do you escape the labyrinth, and what is the labyrinth? The labyrinth is suffering, and the only way to escape the labyrinth is to forgive. People are going to duffer for as long as they live, it is part of living. The only way to end this suffering is to forgive. Forgive those that have wronged you, and forgive yourself. If you can do that, then you can life the burden off of your chest, and be at peace with yourself.
5. Select whom you consider to be the most important character in the novel and prove your opinion by relating him/her to the novel as a whole.
The most important character in the novel, Looking For Alaska, is Alaska Young. The lives of the other characters revolves around her. Primarily in the last half of the book, the after section, Pudge and the Colonel both become consumed with discovering the reason behind her tragic demise. The entire story focuses on Alaska at every point in the story, Pudge acts like he is a love sick puppy dog because he falls in love with the poor girl, and he doesn't really even know her. The overall meaning of the book is what is the point of life, and how do you get out of the labyrinth. Alaska asks herself this as well as other characters. She seeks to know the way to escape life, and she develops the meaning of the work as a whole.
8. Relate some aspect, character, event, chapter, quotation, in the novel to something of importance in your own life.
Pudge's final paper that he turns into Mr. Hyde relate,s in multiple aspects, to my own life. I find that at many times in my life, I have asked myself how to escape the labyrinth. In reality I learned that you cannot escape it, but you can embrace it. In his final paper, Pudge talks about how we as people are greater than the sum of our parts. It has taken me a long time to learn this lesson, however simple it may seem. My life has not always been easy, and you would think after multiple suicide attempts, I would understand that there is a reason that I am to be on this Earth, yet I still wanted to escape. It was not long after the death of my dad that I realized that I was tired of being angry and bitter. It is exhausting, and I learned that you have to forgive. So, just as Pudge forgives Alaska, and she forgives him, I forgive my dad. I forgive him for all the wrongs he committed towards me, and I know that he forgives me for not being there when I should have. I knew that he was dying, but I had been bitter for all those years, and I let my pride get in the way of seeing my dad before he died. It would have been the first and only time I would have saw him, yet I refused to go. Looking back now I wish that I would have went, and so I relate to Alaska in the aspect of blaming myself for my dads death, just as she blamed herself for the death of her mother. I know now that it is not my fault, but I still struggle with the fact daily. Ultimately, I came to forgive him, and I can only hope that he forgave me. It was through his death, that I learned that I am amazing. I realized that just as Pudge says teenagers are indestructible. We have to be. Look at all the bullshit we go through. Adults can't do it. They did not have to go through half of the crap that we go through. It is these experiences, that make us great. This is how I relate this final paper to my life.
13. Relate some aspect, character, event, chapter, or quotation in the novel to another discipline-psychology, sociology, philosophy, art, etc.
Alaska is a young adolescent girl, who has straight up been to hell and back. Ever since the loss of her mother she has struggled. She done exactly what Pudge said, she collapsed within herself. She did not psychologically develop like psychologists would say a normal child would. Also, Alaska is struggling with herself, and needs psychological help. She could be viewed as depressed in a since, although she does not show signs of depression at all times.
14. Relate some aspect, character, event, chapter, or quotation, in the novel to another novel you have read.
Pudge relates in many aspects to Charlie from, The Perks of Being A Wallflower. Charlie, just like Pudge was seeking for A Great Perhaps. Sam and Charlie lead him to his great perhaps, just as Alaska leads Pudge to his. Both characters behave alike, until they meet influential people. They are both shy,yet incredibly smart. Neither of them had a girlfriend before, yet in the book they get their first girlfriend. Ultimately that just want to fit in, and be loved. Both of the characters behave similarly, and they behave alike too.
15. Relate some aspect, character, event, chapter, or quotation in the novel to a movie you have seen.
This book relates to the movie A Walk To Remember. Suffering and forgiveness plays a key role in both of these. Pudge, the Colonel, and Alaska must all learn to forgive just as Landon must learn to forgive. Both Landon and Alaska are both angry and have been through a great deal of suffering. Just as Landon must learn to forgive the people that he been angry at, Pudge and the Colonel must also forgive Alaska. The aspects of suffering and forgiveness are both noticeable in both stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment