Close Reading Eleanor and Park

Eleanor & Park 

Close Reading Inquiry

The book Eleanor and Park by: Rainbow Rowell is an inspiring book about two teenagers Park and Eleanor that know that first love never last, but despite knowing this; they fall in love. This book shows how hard it can be to be in love at seventeen knowing that it will most likely not last and how especially hard it is for Eleanor and Park in their Romeo and Juliet like love. The excerpt I choose from Eleanor and Park was from one of the first chapters of the book and I close read the word choice from this section where Eleanor first appears on the school bus and Park grudgingly shares his seat with her. The close reading inquiry I did made me see many things I hadn't before like; different emotions and motives of the characters and ways Eleanor and Park where resisting the kids in their school. 

Close reading Eleanor and Park helped me notice different motives and emotions the characters had that I didn't see before. For example when first reading this text the reader can see Park as rude for cursing at Eleanor or being resistant to sharing his seat with her but really the reader mistakes rude for sympathetic. Park kept "trying to look away" where the other kids were "licking their chops,” Doing a close reading inquiry helps the reader notice how Park is way more sympathetic towards Eleanor then the other kids who "are not about to give up their seats, especially not to someone like this." or are preparing to bully Eleanor. 

Doing the close reading inquiry also helps the reader notice Eleanor's resistance. Reading the story with no lens makes it just seem like Eleanor is just someone who wouldn't stand up for herself. The reader sees that she immediately gets up from a bus seat because Tina tells her to. And that "she looks like she is crying." but with a lens the reader sees how Eleanor is resisting bullies. The way she dresses shows how she doesn't care what people think. Park says: "It was like she wanted people to notice her." The close reading inquiry makes the reader see Eleanor as more than just a bullying target, but someone who can stand up for themselves/rebel through her clothing. 

Doing the close reading inquiry also helps the reader notice Park's resistance. Park at first seems like someone who just wants to blend in and survive high school but doing a close reading inquiry shows a different side to Park. He shows a way to resist to their classmates by thinking and acting a different way than everyone else. For example; Park instead of looking at Eleanor as a meal like the other kids he feels bad for her and wants to save her he uses words like "walking right into the belly of the beast" to describe her trying to find a seat in the back of the bus where all the popular kids are. He acts a different way than all the other kids who either bully her or refuse to give up their seats by moving their bags to take up the seat next to them. Instead of acting like the other kids he gives up his seat. All these things show how Park resists everyone by thinking and acting another way then the other kids and feeling sympathetic towards Eleanor and sharing a seat with her. Doing a close reading inquiry helps the reader see these aspects of Park.

In conclusion, doing a close reading inquiry helps the reader see different parts of characters actions then before. Doing a close reading inquiry shows the reader more positive aspects to the characters in Eleanor and Park and also shows them connecting to social justice issues such as bullying and standing up for what you believe in.

   

The Stolen Party

Similar or Different?

     The Stolen Party by: Liliana Heker was a book about a young girl named Rosaura who was the maids daughter.In this book Rosaura is invited to her mom's bosses daughter(Luciana) birthday party. She is overjoyed despite her mother who thinks that it is a terrible idea. Rosaura goes to the party but as the party comes to a end she realizes that she was really hired to be helping at the party not be one of the guest. Despite Rosaura and her mothers very different opinions about Rosaura going to the party I saw Rosaura and her mother where actually very similar. As the book went on I saw Rosaura start to transform into her mother as Rosaura saw more of what it was like to not be in the same social class as other kids. Rosaura became very angry and guarded just like her mother did and while reading this I saw the naive Rosaura at the beginning of the story disappear. 

    The first sign that the reader sees that shows that Rosaura and her mother are becoming more alike is when the girl in the bow questions Rosaura about her mother job and if she is really a friend of Luciana's "and when no one was looking she kicked her in the shin." This action proves that Rosaura is becoming guarded about being the maids daughter just like her mother is. Why Rosaura kicks the girl with the bow in the shins is because Rosaura doesn't want to be the maids daughter and the white dress she is wearing and attending the Luciana's party made her feel like like she was rich and that is why she is so angered at the girl with the bow because she made Rosaura think that maybe she didn't belong there. This relates back to Rosaura and her mothers similarities because Rosauras mother is also very guarded about the situation and tries to guard and protect Rosuara from peoples judgement just like when Rosaura tries to guard herself from the girl with the bows judgement. For example: Her mother had said very clearly: "If someone asks, you say you're the daughter of the employee; that's all." This shows that both Rosaura and her mother are very guarded about their social class. 

     Another example of Rosaura becoming guarded and angry about the situation just like her mother is;"Except her eyes. Rosaura's eyes had a cold, clear look that fixed itself on Senora Ines's face." This quote is from the end of the story when Rosaura learns that the only reason she was at the party was so that she could serve the other kids. This quote really shows the transformation from Rosaura's naive self in the beginning to her guarded and angry self in the end. She really see's the whole picture when this happens and what the rest of her life will be like being the maids daughter and how unfair social classes are. This part of the story makes me think that once Rosaura's mother was very similar to Rosaura's naive self. Rosaura's mom probably had a realization like Rosaura had that made her see the whole picture like Rosaura did. This shows how similar Rosaura and her mother really are. 

     In conclusion, even though Rosaura and her mother both had very different opinions on Luciana's party. Rosaura now see the way it is and that made them more similar because now the big difference between them (Rousara's naivety)is gone and they are now both very guarded and angry about social classes and their situations making them very similar.   

Divergent- Favorite Book of 2013

      Divergent by Veronica Ross was an intriguing and action pact book about a futuristic Chicago were everyone at the age of 16 is given the choice to be placed in one of the five factions; Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). The main character Beatrice Prior is coming to the time when she must  choose between staying in the safety of her original faction with her family or leaving them to join the faction she truly feels she belongs in. Throughout the rest of the book, after choosing a faction and changing her name to Tris Prior, she follows through a tough serious of test she must pass to remain in her faction of choice or become  faction less. She struggles with seeing who her real friends are and also she deals with a heavy secret which if found out would result in her death. Why this book was one of my favorite from 2013 is because it shows the tough decision everyone has to make in their life, whether of not they are to stay with their family or venture off to start a life of their own. It also shows the meaning of true friendship and this book is an amazing read because it always keeps you on your toes and makes you want to keep reading. 

      Divergent shows a tough decision that many must face, whether or not to stay with your family or venture off to start a life of your own. Divergent shows a very good example of that because Tris/Beatrice deals with this issue in a very serious, up-close way because her choice also means that she will most likely only see her family once or twice for the rest of her life. This book really shows the positives and negative of the choice whether to stay or go because if Tris stays with her family she will spend the rest of her life regretting her choice because she will have made the safe decision and not have gone for what she wanted but if she goes that means taking a huge risk and splitting up with her family. Even though Tris lives in a futuristic Chicago not like today Veronica Ross still manages to make her connect with the reader and teach lessons that the reader can use today. Divergent also clearly shows the definition of true friendship because the characters are put in such a high risk situation that true friendship really shows in the end because friends backstabbing each other is very common in this book. 

      In conclusion Divergent was an amazing book to read and always keeps the reader entertained and very intrigued while I was reading it I saw the meaning of true friendship and this book showed and taught important lessons that a lot of people could relate to.