Mr_Shank

First of all I will be following the character of the time traveler.  He seems to be an interesting character.  He is quite obviously incredibly smart or a genious, but it seems at this point he may be verging on insanity.  This is atleast the view of the host’s guests.  They think this because of his absurd stories of time travel.  We do not know much personal information about the character, however.  For instance, the author does not tell the reader his name, or anyone’s name in that matter.  We do know that he is a very bold man.  While in a room filled with people he does not seem to have any problem voicing his opinion, even when he is being judged by them.  This is made even more evident by the contrast of the timid people in the room.  Other people seem to have a problem believing him because of his ingeniousness.  As the narrator says if someone else would have told his tales he would have been more likely to believe them.  The description of the character after he returns from “time traveling” is quite absurd.

“His coat was dusty and dirty, and smeared with green down the sleeves; his hair disordered, and as it seemed to me grayer- either with dust and dirt or because its color had actually faded.  His face was ghastly pale; his chin had a brown cut on it- a cut half-healed; his expression was haggard and drawn, as by intense suffering.”

So my questions to you are:

1.  Is the time traveler insane or did he actually discover the way to travel through time?

2.  What is the reason for the author not using anyone’s names?

3.  What do think the reason for his appearance is?

~Erin C.

Ok, first post.

Words to Watch -

aberration – the act of departing or deviating from the normal, ordinary, or usual (David describes his family as being an aberration)

ossification – the natural process of bone formation (“I’m just an orthopedic surgeon,” he reminded her. “I could tell you the ossification pattern for fetal bones, but that’s about it.”

March 1964 -

Dr. David Henry and his very pregnant wife, Norah, live in Lexington, Kentucky. There is a sudden, unexpected blizzard about three weeks before Norah is due, but the baby decides to be born right then. Since the roads are dangerous, David can’t continue driving to the hospital, and pulls off into his clinic. He delivers the fraternal twins himself, and right away can tell that Paul is perfectly healthy, but Phoebe has Down Syndrome. He doesn’t want to ruin his wife’s life, so he gives Phoebe to the nurse to take to an institution. The nurse, Caroline, just happens to secretly love David. Whoo-hoo. David tells Norah that Phoebe died at birth, and she is depressed.

1965 -

David and Norah drift apart from each other. Now, Norah wants another kid, but he doesn’t. David has a difficult past, with poverty, and the death of his sister to a heart defect. Norah has a drinking problem, but stopped after she crashed the car. She buys David a video camera, which soon becomes a new obsession for him.

Caroline couldn’t bear to leave Phoebe at the institution, and now claims that she is her baby. She frequently sends letters and pictures to update David on Phoebe. David sends them money to help support them, and sort of tries to find where they live. Caroline meets Sandra, a woman who has a four-year old son, Tim, with DS also, and they become friends.

What was your first reaction when David gave up Phoebe because she is mentally disabled? Do you think he made the right choice? If no, what should he have done or told Norah?

Pete Hautman created some pretty great characters in this book so far and I can’t wait to start discussing them with you guys.

Character Overviews

Jimbo:  Seems to be the narrator of the story, meets Denn while playing poker, and hasn’t really played a huge role yet.

Denn- 17 year old high school dropout, who moved to Vegas to play poker, great observation skills, in love with a card dealer named Cattie, was played by Cattie, Morty and Frisk but we don’t know why.

Cattie- a 19 girl from Minnesota who worked her way up and now is a great card dealer, keeps things to herself, I think she has some tricks up her sleeve, has multiple “jobs”, and was with Denn.

Morty- helped to set up Denn in poker and play him, gave $10,000 to Cattie (reason unknown).

Frisky- Helped to set up Denn in poker and play him with Morty.

Be prepared to read a very long post!  I know that we only read two chapters so far, but I’ve found a lot of things to discuss.  Plus, if you’ve read any of my other posts/comments you know that I write long, rambling, and confusing things.

To start I’d like to talk about a few things on the first page.  One thing in particular is the very first quotation in the novel.  The quote is, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”  I think this is quite obvious to figure out – hold your tongue.  But that’s not why I’m bringing it up.  Instead I’d like to talk about how this relates to Fitzgerald’s introduction to the narrator, Nick Carraway.  There are significant parts to this quote.  The first issue it brings up is Nick’s moral values.  He has always been taught not to judge which makes him very different from the rest of the characters in the book.  For example, Tom blatantly states that he is a racist in the first chapter when he says, “It’s up to us who are the dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things.”  (He’s speaking about the book The Rise of the Colored Empire which I find particularly funny.)  These moral values of Nick leads the reader to trust what he says and therefore makes him a reliable narrator.  This one quote gave us all that insight into Nick.  Can you find any other deep and/or revealing quotes in the text?  Explain how they give us insight to Nick’s world.

The whole rest of my post is going to talk about Fitzgerald’s unique writing style.  This is probably what makes the book the most interesting for me.  One of the techniques Fitzgerald used is foreshadowing in the first chapter.  He writes, “…it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”  This leads me to believe that Gatsby is in danger by someone or something.  What are your opinions about this? Does anyone have specific predictions?

Another intriguing item found in the novel was that the book itself is supposedly being written by Nick. Here’s the quote: “Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book…”  Usually books are being told as if they are actually happening or being remembered, not the narrator writing a story about it.  Now why would Fitzgerald chose to have Nick writing down his experiences with Gatsby?  And Nick’s not even a writer – he’s in the “bond business”.  What do you think about this odd choice of perspective?

One thing that was very prominent in Fitzgerald’s writing is his use of oxymorons.  There are so many of them, both obviously placed and hidden subtly.  Here are some examples:

Pg. 1: He didn’t say any more but we’ve always been unusually communicative in a reserved way and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that.

Pg. 10 – 11: And so it happened that on a warm windy evening I drove over to East Egg to see two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all. 

Pg. 20: Among the broken fragments of the last five minutes at table I remember the candles being lit again, pointlessly, and I was conscious of wanting to look squarely at everyone and yet to avoid all eyes.

Pg. 23: I knew now why her face was familiar – its pleasing contemptuous expression had looked out at me from many rotogravure pictures of the sporting life at Asheville and Hot Springs and Palm Beach.

Pg. 40: I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

And those are just a few examples!  Why do you think that Fitzgerald uses so many oxymorons in his writing?  How does he use this technique via the characters?

And yes, there is still more.  As well as using oxymorons, Fitzgerald also likes to use ironic phrases/descriptions.  Here’s one for you: “So Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York – or not quite together, for Mrs. Wilson sat discreetly in another car.  Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers who might be on our train.”  How is this section ironic?  How does Fitzgerald use irony when describing the characters?

This is the last part, I promise.  The thing I’d like to discuss is how Fitzgerald introduces each character. When Nick is telling the reader about a new person he has met he tends to lean towards describing the physical traits rather than their personality.  But in a way, the properties being described give the reader an insight into what the character is really like.  I know how the two correlate. Do you?  Choose one character and explain how the physical attributes describe their personality as well.

Recap:

1. Can you find any deep and/or revealing quotes in the text?  Explain how they give us insight to Nick’s world.  
2. What are your opinions about Fitzgerald’s foreshadowing on pages 6 and 7? Do you have any ideas about what will happen to Gatsby?
3. Why would Fitzgerald chose to have Nick writing down his experiences with Gatsby?  What do you think about this odd choice of perspective?
4. Why do you think that Fitzgerald uses so many oxymorons in his writing?
5. How does Fitzgerald use opposites via the characters? (How are the characters opposites?)  Name a set of characters and explain how they are completely contradictory.
6. How is the quote about Nick, Tom, and Mrs. Wilson on the train ironic?
7. How does Fitzgerald use irony when describing the characters?
8. How do the physical characteristics of the characters seem to correlate to their personality?  Choose one character and explain how the physical attributes describe their personality as well.

Wow, that was long!  You guys just love having me in your group, don’t you?

Have fun!

Erin B.

P.S. – I think this blog deserves a little extra credit.  Don’t you?

This book is truly mind blowing.  What I mean by this is that it has so much excitement, and is almost portrayed as a mystery.  I would like to discuss a couple of concepts from the story; such as Denn and his problem, Cattie and her problem, and how Jimbo is portrayed.  Also, we have to discuss the game and how it is played as well as how old  Jimbo really is.

Denn, to me, seems as a very intelligent looking man.  However,in the story  we learn he is only seventeen, a drop-out, and addicted to gambling.  What is your first reaction of him?  Mine was that this guy is totally a a fake trying to be somebody he is not.  I mean no offense to anybody, but he wears baby sunglasses, a jump suit, and probably does not even have a full beard.  He is definitely seen as a kidthrough the narrator’s point of view, and the adult charcters can see this too.  So, all the other Poker players do is try to swindel his money throughout the game.  I also think Denn is a very good observe. I know all poker players have good observation skills, but he knows everything.  It is a shame because if he went to college, maybe he could manage his money better.  Also, I want to discuss how he is losing all his money.  Pete relates Denn’s situation to a fold, raise, or call as a major problem for him.  He does this because poker is like life, as anything can happen, so you choose the best option for yourself.  What do you guys think of the situation he is going through?  I truly think he won’t stop gambling.  He has a passion for the game, and I think he wants revenge on Frisk and Morty for their scheme to try to ruin him.  Do you guys think he will stay and get revenge?

Next let’s talk about Cattie.  She is a non-intelligent girl who is very mean since she was born.  She is almost like a “player”.  Whatever she can do to get money, she does.  What I don’t understand is what Denn did to her to make her want to set him up him.  What do you think he did to casue this?  I think that he either abandoned her, or she just needs money.  I am really leaning towards the money one because in the story she is said to be untrustworthy and greedy.  So, I think it is more of her trying to get money than getting revenge on  Denn.  Also, I want to ask  what  your thoughts are on them getting back together in the book?  It seems that he does love her, but in Poker does love exist?  I think that Cattie and Denn will team up and begin to fall in love again.  I say this because a lot of the book so far is taken up by him thinking of his past with her.

Then we have Jimbo.  He is a poker player who is pretty old, and was in the World Poker tour.  What age do you think he is around?  I feel he cannot be in his 40’s because that is too old to be gamblingdue to his techniques at the table not being a secret anymore.  I think he is in the late 30’s.  Also, I feel that he wants to mentor Denn, because he is so intrigued by his skills at such a young age.  Therefore, I think that they both will become a team and run the game of Poker into a new era.   Do you get the feeling that Jimbo is narrating the whole thing?  I do because the narrator, from the beginning, describes Denn with interest at a Poker table.  Then I get this because as you follow the thoughts of possibly Jimbo because they are the same as when the story started.  So, do you guys think that he would be a good role model to Denn?  I say no, because Denn needs to not blow his money, which is what Jimbo had done in his past.  Soon, he won’t have a single penny, and Jimbo says that he has lived his whole life like that.  This is not good, but I want to find out what will happen next in this financial crisis.

Some other key things I would like to point out is the game of Poker.  We have to realize that some people live life by this profession, and things can get out of hand.  What I mean by this is with money.  People will cheat, and do whatever it takes to win.  Also, we have to know that there is luck involved.  Denn may know all the tales about everybody, but some of the game is how the “cards fall”.  So, he is running his life on the flip of a card.  This is not right and I thinkit is very wrong that people gamble their life on chance.  What do you guys think?  In addition, I would like to add that the title is “All-in,” so when do you guys think it will happen?  I think that there will be a build up through the narrator, and it will happen, as he is playing Morty and Frisk either in a championship, or at a huge club.  It will be a no-limits game.

The last thing I would like to say is that we have to watch the development of Denn, and we have to find out how he could beat the odds after being set-up.  Also, I would like to add the language being presented here is unique.  This is shown by “how foxy a lady,” and “my crib,” are being used by Jimbo.  This story is written for a teen age audience, I feel. As it uses words that teenage kids can relate to.  It seems that the language used by the author brings humor to the story, because he uses two different eras with his choice of words, phrases, and also how he is so old saying them.

-Alex

P.S.  Keep blogging there is a lot to blog about so far!

As we can see after reading the first part of this book, it has a very similar feel to “War of the Worlds”. What I mean by this is that it should be pretty obvious how these two books are very similar in the way that they were written. Ok, I just wanted to fill everyone else in on that and now I will get to the actual topic my given posistion requires.

First off I would like to ask everyone what they think of the time traveller’s theory so far. Do you, much like Filby brush it off to the side as complete rubbish, or do you keep your mind open and accept him for his true genious. His whole proposal of the world that we know having four dimensions instead of three is very intriguing whether or not you truly believe him and that fact must be acknowledged. And even if you do not truly believe what the time traveller had said, you must take into consideration the amount of hard work and thinking time he had put into this. So the question arises; do you think that the time traveller is the real deal, or is he just a magician of time?

The second topic that I would like to touch upon would be the topic that the narrator had been talking about at the beginning of the second chapter. That topic was that the people at the time traveller’s meeting had not completely trusted what he had said due to the fact that he thought on a higher level than them. And since he was on a higher track of thinking it was impossible to tell whether or not the time traveller was serious or if he was just toying with people of smaller intelligence. So then my next question arises; do you think that the reason why they didn’t trust the time traveller is due to the fact that people who are more relatable to one’s self are more quickly to be trusted?

Thank you very much in advance for commenting on my rambling post.

         So far we have the narrator going to the time traveler’s house every Thursday talking about time travel. This Thursday the time traveler actually time travelled. What I thought of when I read about his future world was the story A Wrinkle in Time. The time traveler is talking about how perfect everything is and how it is so peaceful in the future. The same happens in A Wrinkle in Time. They go off and discover this wonderful world were everything is perfect.

         In the Time Machine the time traveler starts talking about how things might have fallen apart and how things probably are not perfect here. Things were not perfect in the world in A Wrinkle in Time. It was all a trick and The brain tried to kill the main characters.

         So my question is, is the world really peaceful and happy in the future or is it really a trick and will the “people” try to kill the time traveler? If so do you think the time traveler step up and be a hero and “fix” the future or will he coast along and just observe this world. Be creative

-Taran

In this first section i am going to look at the protaganist John Grady Cole.  The book starts out with John arriving at his grandfather’s funeral.  He is very shook up by this because he lives on his grandfather’s ranch and knows that his mother doesn’t want it.  he loves the ranch and wants to take it over but she won’t here of it.  Grady’s parents are divorced and they had stayed together for a while just because of John.  Now John Grady was only 16 years old when all of this happened and his mother was in a play.  he went to San Antonio from San Angelo to see her.  After the performance John sees how distant he is from her.

My question for you is why do you think that John Grady wanted to run the ranch so badly as a 16 year old teenager and not be able to live his life a little before sttling down?  And do you think that his idea to run away from home was a good idea why or why not?

-Kody

“He stood and touched the brim of his hat and turned and went on up the street.  He didn’t look back but he could see her in the windows of the Federal Building across the street standing there and she was still there when he reached the corner and stepped out of the glass forever.”

This is the last scene of John Grady Cole before he departs towards Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins.  I think that it gives a good view of the kind of person he is; we already know from the conversations he has had so far that he is quiet, unsociable, and almost emotionless.  This is a perfect example of his personality.  He is talking to his ex-girlfriend Mary Catherine Barnett before his departure.  Their conversation sounds awkward and a little forced, but so do most of them at this point.  As he turns around and leaves, he does not look back and shows no sadness or regret whatsoever as he leaves.  I think that this is an important scene because it reminds me of a cowboy walking away into the sunset and leaving everything behind, which seems to be a major theme in this story.

“This is how it was with the old waddies, aint it?”

“Yeah”

“How long do you think you’d like to stay here?”

“About a hundred years.  Go to sleep”

This short exerpt from a conversation between John Grady and Rawlins reveals more about the protagonist, as well.  First of all, it expands on his emotionless attitude and dislike for discussing things about himself.  It is also one of the many examples of his love for being a cowboy, or a “waddie”, as Rawlins puts it.  He enjoys the sound of cattle, the open country, and sleeping under the stars.  If you had to describe a cowboy, John Grady would fit the description perfectly.  However, the year in the novel is 1950 and cowboys are beginning to have a much less important role in western culture.  Grady does not want to accept this and so he decides to travel south where he can continue to experience this lifestyle.  So it seems that the plot of the novel is him trying to persue being a cowboy.  Considering this, what is your prediction of his success?  Do you think John Grady will find his dream and live the life of a cowboy, herding cattle and traveling the western land on horseback, or do you think that his real triumph will end up being something he gains along the way, such as a certain wisdom or perhaps love?  Finally, which do you think is more important; reaching your dreams, or what you gain along the way? What do you think John Grady’s opinion is?

P.S.

I would like to inform a certain english teacher of mine about the absolute and unreasonable due date set on these blogs.  I am a busy, dedicated person who has many many things to do on friday nights.  I am involved in the very prestigous and tiring sport of track and field here at Cedar Crest High School, and when i return home from a hard practice at 7 O’clock at night, i do not enjoy having the responsibility upon my shoulders of posting a blog by friday night instead of the convenient time of saturday morning.  Please be aware that this is not a complaint, but a simple recomendation.  Perhaps if you extended the due date of these posting to their standard time of saturday at noon, you would see a vast improvement in their quality.  This is a proposition that i would like you to seriously consider.

Sincerely, Shaun H. Ditzler