but she will forgive my forgetting, just as I forgive her for forgetting me and the Colonel and everyone but herself and her mom in those last moments she spent as a person.

By Steffi

Gap Summary

Homework from the 21st of June:

 By Steffi

The end of the book

On Monday on my way to sport I finished reading “Looking for Alaska”. I had been so lost in the story that I almost missed my stop. The pages 191 until the end are very exciting and I enjoyed reading them. I have already assumed that the death of Alaska has to be concerned with her mother and in the end I was right.

I really had to laugh when I detected what kind of prank Miles, the Colonel, Takumi and Lara wanted to play on Speaker Day. But I think Alaska would have had a ball in succession to the show of Maxx and that the Eagle had to laugh too. I was pleased that the reader doesn’t get to know if Alaska’s death was an accident or a suicide. Because of that the reader has got the chance to think about her life and to form an opinion about her death.

However what I haven’t expected is the letter of Takumi. I am able to understand his situation and why he hasn’t said that he met Alaska the night before she died earlier but what I can’t understand is his anxiety. He should have talked to Miles and the Colonel personally and not like he did it write a letter and disappear for a few months. I can’t grasp his behaviour.

All in all I really liked reading “Looking for Alaska” although the second part of the book had been a little bit to long on a few passages.

Three phrases which I really liked:

p. 195 l. 16 – p. 196 l.12: “Everything that comes together falls apart,” the Old Man said. “Everything. The chair I’m sitting on. It was built, and so it will fall apart. I’m gonna fall apart, probably before this chair. And you’re gonna fall apart. The cells and organs and systems that make you you – they came together, grew together and so must fall apart. The Buddha knew one thing science didn’t prove for millennia after his death: Entropy increases. Things fall apart.”

[…]

And maybe that was the only answer we’d ever have. She fell apart because that’s what happens.

p. 217 ll. 19 – 21: But the not-knowing would not keep me from caring, and I would always love Alaska Young, my crooked neighbour, with all my crooked heart.

p. 219 ll. 25 – 28: So I know she forgives me, just as I forgive her. Thomas Edison’s last words were:” It’s very beautiful over there.” I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful. 

By Steffi

List of feelings the characters have

 
positive feelings are blue
negative feelings are red

Feelings

Situation in the book

feeling

noun

verb

adjective

p. 8 Miles sits on the sofa

humiliated

humiliation

to humiliate so.

humiliated

with his parents and nobody

depressed

depressiveness

to depress

depressed

is coming for his going-away-

party apart from Marie, Will

p. 29 Miles has his terrible

faint

enervation

to faint

faint

encounter with Kevin and

his friends

p. 43 Mr. Hyde catches Miles

qualmish

indisposition

to feel queasy

qualmish

because he is not listening

p. 52 The Colonel sabotages

strong

strongness

to strenghten

strong

the basketball

p. 58 Miles has to pay for

unresistant

unresistantness

to do not resist

unresistant

the Colonel cigarettes

p. 61 A., t.C., T. and M. get

guilty

guilt

to be at fault

guilty

punishment for smoking

p. 66 Alaska is very happy

amorous

amorousness

to fall in love

amorous

that Jake is there

p. 79 Alaska lies in Miles

excited

excitation

to excite so./sth.

excited

bed

p. 83 Miles feels lonely, sad

alone

loneliness

lonely

because his parents booked

sad

sadness

sad

a trip to England right after

Miles told them that he didn't

come home over thanksgiving

p. 96 thanksgiving meal at

glad

gladness

glad

the Colonels house

p. 99 Alaska tells Miles that

confused

confusion

to be disarranged

confused

he is loving only one part

of her

p. 104 Takumi and Miles are

panic

panic

to be freaked out

panic

afraid that the Eagle could

get their lie

p. 106 discussion about

nervous

flurry

nervous

the prank

p. 112 the prank worked

successful

luckiness

lucky

p. 122 all of them don't know

helpless

helplessness

helpless

what to say to Alaska's worst

day

p. 125 Miles is kissing with

happy

contentedness

content

Lara/ the best day of his life

p. 126 Alaska is deeply

distressed

distress

distressed

unhappy

p. 134 Alaska needs the help

loyal

loyalty

to trust so.

loyal

of Miles and the Colonel

By Steffi

Letter to family Halter

Family Halter

16th Way

Pinellas, Palm Harbor

34683 Florida

USA

(fictitious)

December 3^rd 2005

 

Dear Mum & Dad

How are you both? I’m quite relaxed because I had some days off. Thanksgiving was different but really interesting. We had been only a few students hear and Alaska (Mum you know I told you about her) and I had a lot of fun.

How was your trip to England to this little castle? Did you have good weather and good food on thanksgiving?

My roommate Chip dumbfounded Alaska and me. He invited us to meet her mother and him over thanksgiving, to have a thanksgiving meal with them. We had moist white meat, corn, green beans, biscuits with gravy, pumpkin pie for dessert and a glass of red wine for each of us. It had been a really good thanksgiving meal and I loved the pumpkin pie.

I will tell you more when I’m at home over Christmas. I’m looking forward to see you on the 21^st but maybe I have to stay until the 23^rd. I will call you soon to give you my travel data.

Love,

    Miles  XxX

By Steffi

Feelings (Homework for 31.05.11)

Task a: Look at the words below. Make sure you know what each word means (use a monolingual dictionary if necessary). Which event or situation in unit 5 might each word best describe? Give reasons.

Sensuality – p.85 – 86: Situation where Miles and Alaska reclined on the ground and drank wine. This moment is very sensual for Miles. Alaska caressed his leg and he sensed that he loves Alaska.

Distress – p.86: This is the situation when Alaska started to talk about the labyrinth again. She explained that the labyrinth consists of suffering and because of that I think that the word “distress” fits quite well to this passage.

Incredulity – p.90:  Miles couldn’t believe that Alaska found out everyone’s secret so fast. He thought she has to have secret that she knows so much about people but there is no secret and he had no explanation for her gift.

Longing – p.92: Alaska lay on the sofa and Miles would like to lie besides her but there is no chance for him to cuddle with her because she has got a boyfriend and he didn’t want her to be upset.

He loves Alaska wants to touch her and there is no way to carry out his wishes.

Embarrassment – p.95: Miles is at the Colonels home and he is ashamed because of its poorness. He didn’t know to handle it and felt embarrassed for himself and for the Colonel.

Gratitude – p.96: The situation where Alaska, Miles, the Colonel and his mother sat at the thanksgiving table and spoke their gratitudes.

Superiority – p.97: Alaska outplays other people at her age because she has got a fake ID and so she is able to buy cigarettes and alcohol.

Unpredictability – Moodiness – p.98-99: These two words fit to the situation where Alaska sat on the couch in Miles room and cried. Miles is very confused at this moment and didn’t know how to help her. And also to the situation where Alaska said that he didn’t love “the crazy, sullen bitch” (p.99 l. 24) but I can’t decide witch word fits best to which situation. Maybe moodiness fits to the whole event (p.98-99) and unpredictability especially to the situation where Alaska said to Miles that he loves her only half-hearted.

Task b: Add two more feelings to the list and ask your partner to find a situation in the unit that each word describes best.

Modesty

Transparency

Does anyone know to which situation in unit 5 these two feelings fit? 

By Steffi

Rewrite p. 29 l. 5-28

Task: Rewrite p. 29 l.5-28 in another point of view. Use the third person narrator with an unlimited point of view.

[…] Miles was scared because he didn’t know what they are going to do with him. He thought they would beat the shit out of him so that Miles looked great for his first school day and while they carried him to the fake beach he felt the fight-or flight reflex swell up him but he knew that it will never work for him. By the time when Miles realised where they were going he knew what would happen and he calmed down because he could handle that.

When the four of them reached the beach Kevin and the two other guys mummified Miles and they didn’t thought that Miles could die in succession to this prank. They were only angry because he hung out with the Colonel and they hated the Colonel. They believe that he was the one who ratted out Marya and Paul and nobody should back a rat like the Colonel. Miles was very afraid and begged for his manumission but Kevin and the two others didn’t thought about let him go because they had an adrenalin kick while they picked him up and hurled him into the water.

By Steffi

Pages 84 to 99

In summary this chapters are really exciting. We get to know much new information about Alaska’s and Miles’ personality but there is still a secret around Alaska. What is wrong with her family? Why does she says that she has got no home? What prank is she arranging? Why is she so moody? There are so many questions and no answers. But I hope that we will get to know the answers in a little while.

I think Alaska’s last words from page 99 are very good to sum up these chapters: “Don’t you know who you love, Pudge? You love the girl who makes you laugh and shows you porn and drinks wine with you. You don’t love the crazy, sullen bitch.”      (p. 99 ll. 22-24)

Some more quotations from these chapters which are quite nice:

“Poor Pudge. Oh poor poor Pudge. Do you want me to climb into bed with you and cuddle?”

“Well, if you’re offering –“

“NO! UP! NOW!”  (p. 87 ll. 1-4)

 

Source: http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/videos/love_animal_kingdom.htm

 

“[…] Here, read this line.”

I walked over and looked down at her index finger. “You shall love your crooked neighbour / With your crocked heart,” [A statement by W. H. Auden – a British author] I read aloud. “Yeah. That’s pretty good,” I said.

“Pretty good? Sure, and bufriedos are pretty good. Sex is pretty fun. The sun is pretty hot. Jesus, it says so much about love and brokenness – it’s perfect.” (p. 89 ll. 8-14)

Source: http://www.blogs.uni-osnabrueck.de/zuber_studyskills/tasks/task-for-session-4/w-h-auden/

But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endless fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane. (p. 92 ll. 14-18)

Source: http://www.worldproutassembly.org/

archives/2006/09/new_data_erases_1.html

     Alaska

Source: http://www.elbi.de/Stempel/Einzelstempel/

Einzelstempeln-modern/Lehrerstempel-Regenwolke.html

 Miles

“Night falls fast. Today is in the past,” [A statement by Edna St. Vincent Millay – American poet and playwright] she said without looking up. (p. 92  l. 31)

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Edna_St._Vincent_Millay_original.jpg&filetimestamp=20070113183753

 

By Steffi

Information about the book

J. M. Green

Titel  -  Looking for Alaska
Author  -  John Michael Green (* 24. August 1977)
Language  -  Englisch
Genre  -  Young adult novel
Publisher  -  Cornelsen
Publication date  -  2005
Media type  -  Print (Paperback)
Pages  -  221
ISBN  -  978-3-06-031125-5

Devided into two parts  -  Before and After

Important characters  -  Miles "Pudge" Halter

                                             Alaska Young

                                             Chip "The Colonel" Martin

                                             Takumi Hikohito

Cover of the book

 By Steffi

Homework for 19.05.2011

Definition of Friendship:

Friendship is a personal relationship shared between each friend for the welfare of other, in other words, it is the relationship of trust, faith and concern for each other feelings. It is a relationship of mutual caring and intimacy among one another. A friend is one who knows you as a person and regards you for what you are and not what he or she is looking in a good friend. Best friend is one who accepts the good as well bad qualities of his friend and also takes an initiative in correcting and mending them. Friendship is a distinctive kind of concern for your friend; it is a relationship of immense faith and love for each other.

Friendship is all about how much you care and understand each other. It is a pure relationship, which would make your friend smile, feel good as to how much you love him and care for him. It is all about talking, listening and building up a strong relationship loyalty among each other. […] Friendship is not about merry-making and fun it involves equal loyalty from both the partners.

[…] How one should recognize your best friend the one who will understand your strengths and shortcomings and would be with you in all your good and bad phases of life. […]

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1267049

http://jainricha.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/get-ready-for-friendship-day/

Types of friends 

Acquaintance: a friend, but sharing of emotional ties isn't present. An example would be a coworker with whom you enjoy eating lunch or having coffee, but would not look to for emotional support.

Casual relationship or "friends with benefits": A sexual or near-sexual and emotional relationship between two people who don't expect or demand to share a formal romantic relationship. This can also refer to a "hook-up".

Comrade: Means "ally", "friend", or "colleague" in a military or political connotation. This is the feeling of affinity that draws people together in time of war or when people have a mutual enemy or even a common goal.

Open relationship: a relationship, usually between two people, that agree each partner is free to have sexual intercourse with others outside the relationship. When this agreement is made between a married couple, it's called an "open marriage".

Best friend; blood brother or sister; Family friend; Imaginary friend; Internet friend; Pen pal

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship

made by myself

Miles: Changed the school because he had no friends and he hoped that he will get friends at CC. At CC he has some good friends and I think they are really special for him.

Alaska:  I’m sure that Alaska is very emotional and cares for the problems of her friends. But I also think that it is very heavy for her to show her feelings and build up a real relationship because of her problems with her family.

The Colonel:  He seems to be a little lukewarm but I think that Alaska and Miles are really important for him.

Takumi: There is not much said about Takumi and his friends or relationships to others in the book but I would say that he and Alaska are really good friends. But the scene where he tells Miles about Alaska and that she rats her friends let me think if he is a wrong friend or if he tries to protect Miles from Alaska.

  By Steffi

Picture which fits quite well to Alaska

Today I searched for a picture of Alaska and instead of a picture from Alaska I found this one:

source: http://underscorefive.deviantart.com/art/Looking-for-Alaska-106214556

I would say that this picture fits quite well to Alaska’s character. It is a little mystic because of the predominant black and the fume of the candle. Furthermore it is very confused which fits to her character, too. Her mood is changing nearly every chapter and because of that we have got no chance to see through her actions. In the picture we have got also phrases which are upside down or superposed and that reflect her current situation. She tries to bring the secret about the labyrinth (also in the picture in the lower right-hand corner) to light but it does not work because there is no clear line. And at least I would like to mention the heart in the upper right-hand corner. Alaska always performs like there is nothing which could unsettle her. But I think that she is an empathetic girl otherwise she would not like to teach autism pupils (compare p. 58 ll. 3-6).

By Steffi

First View Up To Page 48

At first I though it would be really boring to read this book. A nerd, Miles Halter, who has got no friends decides to go to a boarding school where he gets to know Alaska, a self confident sexy girl. They try to detect the sense of live. That didn’t seem interesting to me and when I read the first three pages I though I would have to compel myself to read the book. But step by step it got better.

At the beginning I was a little shocked concerning the scene where Miles is chucked in the see but this incident makes the book more exciting. Anyway I would say that this book is really mystic which is definitely connected with Alaska.

All in all I think that this book was a good choice and that it will be great to read it.

By Steffi