Thursday, December 5, 2019

ELIC Fishbowl #6: December 5, 2019

Focus: What do Foer's characters lack control over? What do they do to feel like they're in control of their own fates?

1. Warming up with a quick recap of yesterday's "false finish line"; acknowledging your own "false finish line" and erasing it
  • What can I do to feel happy today? (If it helps, think about your Zorro Circle.)
2. Rereading the end of Oskar's chapter with a focus on the two keys
  • What was Oskar's false finish line?
  • What does he really need to feel happy?
  • Craft move question: How do the two keys symbolize this?

3. Enjoying our penultimate fishbowl discussion: ELIC, pages 260-306

HW:
1. For Tuesday: Finish the book and your final journal entry (you should have 7 in total).

2. For Wednesday: Please complete any make-up work / revised work that you wish to receive credit for. This includes any missed fishbowl discussions.

62 comments:

  1. Oskar needs to find out what the truth about his dad is.

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  2. Oskar needs to talk to his mom and the renter to be happy. The keys kind of contradict themselves because one is what he thinks will make him happy, while the other is a kew to his home, where he isn't happy.

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  3. I think the key that he found in the vase is like his fake finish line. It's where he wants to find happiness but won't. The key to his house is where he'll actually find happiness.

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    1. I agree I think he need to understand that his true happiness is with his family, and in his own home. Maybe its because he lost a part of his family he has to go out and look for something to tie to the par of his family he lost but he also needs to find how to fill that hole his father left on his own.

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  4. I think that Oskar needs to mourn his father's death, find the positivity within his life now, open up to his mom and become close to her. He also needs to stop letting fear control his life.

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    1. I agree. It's not just one thing that is going to help him become happier. He's ignored a lot in his life that needs more attention because he's put all his energy into the hope that his dad had left him one last clue with the key. This has left him a lot more problems than just finding the lock to the key.

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  5. What does Oskar have to do to be happy?
    - Letting go/moving on from the event
    - Opening up to his Mom about the voicemails

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  6. Oskar needs to talk to his mom and go to his dad's grave or even ground zero to say his goodbyes
    One key symbolizes home and normalcy and the other represents adventure.

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  7. I think Oskar needs to find out how his dad died to be happy.

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  8. I think the key symbolizes journey he went on a journey to find the lock box jey and now he's going to go on a journey to find home.

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  9. is oskar really over his dad's death or is he still coping with his loss?

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  10. Oskar is determined to figure out how and why his dad died in order to be happy.

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  11. I think the keys symbolize a beginning and an end. William Black's deposit box is like an end to his journey or his fear. Oskar's Apartment key is like a new beginning of his life. He is able to start a new life and not to worry about his dad's death anymore.

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  12. To make Oskar happier I think he needs to try and move on. He shouldn't let go or forget about his dad, but he needs to accept what happened and focus on his life and the relationships he currently has.

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  13. I think the Apartment key symbolizes that he doesn't have to search for anything to get happy, I feel like what really would make him happy is to move on from his dads death and getting a better relationship with his mom, finding out the whole truth about his family. The deposit key symbolizes for me the fake finish line, Oskar thinks he needs to find out what it for and then everything will make sense then

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  14. I think Oskar needs to find out that the renter is his grandfather Thomas and maybe since the grandfather came back he will think of him as a father figure.

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  15. What do pages 281-284 symbolize?

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    1. I think it symbolizes how Oskar feels inside. So cramped and so many thoughts going on

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  16. On pages 262-265 Thomas says “I don’t speak, I’m sorry. My name is Thomas. I’m sorry. I'm still sorry.” Do you think this is what he's trying to communicate on the phone with the numbers on pages 269-271?

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    1. Either that or it's what he said during his conversation with Oskar.

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    2. I think it is the conversation of him and Oskar in his perspective.

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    3. I think it was an explanation to the grandmother of where he was and what he was doing after he left her.

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  17. Is there an ulterior meaning behind Stephen Hawkings letter to Oskar?

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  18. On page 268 whats to significance of the word mourn being crossed out?

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  19. On page 298 Oskar asks William Black if he remembers his Dad and if he could describes him. Why do you think that is so important for him?

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    1. Oskar always talks about wanting to stay close to his dad and being reminded of him and what he was like helps him feel like he is still close to him. I think it is important that Oskar knows his dad impacted another person's life, even though it was just a purchase of a vase.

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    2. I think it's important to him because he gets to hear about his dad. We have to remember at this point in the book it's been 2 years since his dad's death so I'm guessing no one's talking about him anymore.

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  20. If The grandmother finds out that the grandfather has broken the rule by communicationg with oskar, what do yall think she will do?

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  21. What kind of relationship do the Grandfather and Grandmother have at this moment?

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    1. They have a weird relationship because it seems like they both missed each other and now are somewhat happy to be in each other's company, but the Grandfather still constantly thinks about Anna, and the Grandmother isn't being very friendly towards him.

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  22. When will oskar continue with the fake happiness line and how long will it take for him to get over his dad's death

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    1. I think he has to find out the whole truth about everything, and he has to accept that his father is dead and that he won't come back, so he can start to live happy again.

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  23. “The message was cut off, you sounded so calm, you didn’t sound like someone who was about to die..” (281) Do you think the voicemails have impacted Oskar psychologically?

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    1. I think it just makes him wonder what happened and how his dad died. I think the fact that he has kept the messages to himself until he told his grandfather affected him because it is hard to keep a secret like that without feeling guilt and sadness.

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  24. What does the dad's coffin symbolize?

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    1. I think the coffin symbolizes a hole in the family that Oskar's father left, and how he has to learn to fill that hole with memories instead of new people.

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    2. I think Oskar knows that his dad won't be in there and maybe that means to him that some part of his dad is still out there, like that he really has a clue for him

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  25. Do you think there will be anything in the dad's coffin?

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    1. No I don't think there's going to be anything in the dad's coffin. Oskar just really hopes it will give him some kind of clarity.

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    2. I don't think something will be in there.

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  26. Do you think when Stephen Hawking ended his letter on page 305 with “Your friend” impacted Oskar in some way?

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    2. I think so, because so far all he's gotten was automated letters, so to get a personalized letter he must have been happy.

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  27. In the end will he talk to his mom about everything even the messages or does she already know

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    1. I think the mom secretly knows but she is keeping it from Oskar and Oskar is keeping it from her, Oskar will probably tell her first and they will most likely connect more, this situation might be the one to bring them together after what had happened.

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  28. How does Mr.Black's death effect Oskar?

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  29. What do you think about the grandfather's question on pg 269: "when the suffering is subtracted from the joy, what remains?"

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    1. I think he was trying to get someone else's thoughts so that he could maybe find an answer that he couldn't find by himself.

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    2. I think you need to acknowledge sadness to realize when happiness comes.

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    3. I think with something happy or when something happy happens there will always be a bad part to the situation, I think hes trying to say to not focus on just the joy but what will come out of the situation that isn't happy or isn't sad as well, what you could take away from the situation.

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  30. What's the significance of Oskar opening up about the voicemails? “He needed me, and I couldn’t pick up. I just couldn’t pick up. I just couldn’t. Are you there? He asked eleven times. I know, because I’ve counted. It’s one more than I could count on my fingers. Why did he keep asking? Was he waiting for someone to come home? And why didn’t he say ‘anyone’? Is anyone there? ‘You’ just one person. Sometimes I think he knew I was there.” (301)

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    1. I think that is something that Oskar feels really guilty about, he could talk with his Dad for his last minute but he didn't do it. I think having that in his mind and never letting it out was hard for Oskar

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  31. What does Grandmother mean when she says, "It's a shame that life is so precious" (pg 281).

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    1. I think she's referring to the fact that we only have one life and that that one life isn't forever.

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  32. Why did the Grandfather always write the letters but just sent one?

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    1. I think he was afraid of what would happen.

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  33. If oskar finds out the renter is his grandpa will he want to spend time with him or will leave again and disappear

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    1. I think the Grandpa wants to spend time with Oskar because he feels guilty about leaving his son and never seeing him. So I feel like the Grandpa would stay but Oskar might don't react that good and will ask him why he did that to his father

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Finishing Strong: May 18-20, 2020

Focus: How do we finish strong in American Lit? 1. Warming up with three good things! 2. Gathering all books that you've borrowed...