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