Post #4 Evaluate It!

Please comment on this post after you have finished reading the book.  What did you think about it?
Respond to one or all of these evaluation questions.  Please react to the comments of your classmates.  Agree or disagree with them.

1. What did you learn after reading this book?
2. Which character was most memorable and why?
3. Can you relate the story to your own life?
4. Would you recommend this book to a friend? why or why not?
5. How would you rate this book?

Post #3 Soldier Boys Point of View

As is described in our red Reader's Handbook, point of view is the vantage point from which a story is told. 

• First peron pint of view is where the story is told by one of the charcters.  We are limited to knowing only what that character knows, thinks and feels.  How do you know if it is first peron point of view?  The character uses pronouns such as I or we and usually participates in much of the action.
• Third person omniscient (all knowing) is where the story is told by a narrator who is not a charcter in the story.  The narrator will relate the thoughts and feelings of all the characters.  We know how everyone thinks and feels.  The narrator will use pronouns such as she, he, and they.
• Third person limited is the most common point of view.  This is where the story is told by a narrator.  However, the narrator will relate the thoughs and feelings of just one character, usually the main character.  We do not know how the other characters are feeling and thinking.  Again, she, he and they will be used as pronouns.

1. Who is telling the story in your novel?
2. What point of view is this?
3. Think about the story from a viewpoint of a different character.  How would the story be different? What details would be left out or added?

The story, The Kid Comes Back by John R. Unis, is told from Roy's point of view.  He is the main character, but he is not telling the story, a narrator is telling it.  So this is called third person limited.  We only know how Roy is feeling and what he is thinking.  He is angry because the mechanics don't seem to be aware of the danger of war.  The story would be different if it were told from the point of view of one of the mechanics because we wouldn't hear how afraid the gunners are up in the war planes.

Post #2 Conflict in the story Soldier Boys

The plot of a story is the action.  The plot revolves around a conflict or problem.  There are five main types of conflicts:

• Person vs. person (problem with another character)
• Person vs. society (problem with the laws or beliefs of a group)
• Person vs. nature (problem with force of nature such as a blizzard)
• Person vs. self (problem with deciding what to do or think)
• Person vs. fate (problem that seems to be uncontrollable)

That struggle builds until it reaches a crisis or a turning point.  That moment is the climax.

1. Describe one conflict in the novel. 
2. How would you have reacted if you were facing that same conflict?
3. Respond to a classmate's comment about the conflict.

Example: I think that the main conflict in The Summer of the Swans is that Charlie wanders off and Sara has to go find him.  This is a a person vs. person conflict because she is having a problem with another person.  I also think it might be a person vs. self because she had to decide what to do about it.  I think I would have done the same thing.  I would have felt too guilty if something had happened to him and I didn't do anything about it.

Post #1 Characters in Soldier Boys

According to our red Reader's Handbook, a character is a person, animal, or an imaginary creature that takes part in the action of a story.  An author can develop a character by describing several aspects of the character: 

• how the character looks
• how the character acts, feels, and talks
• how others feel about the character
• how the character interacts with others

1. After reading the first quarter of the novel, choose one word to describe the main character of the story. 
2. Next, explain why you chose that word.  Use an aspect from the list above to help support your word choice.  See the example below. 
3. Finally, respond to a classmate's comment.  Agree or disagree with their word choice and explain why. 

I chose the word 'caring' to describe Timothy from the novel, The Cay. I chose this word because of what he said to Phillip on the raft.  He said, "Put your 'ead back downg, young bahss, an' rest awhile longer.  Do not look direct at d'sun.  'Tis too powerful."
I agree with Sam's comment about Timothy being 'accepting.'  He shows this when he said"..but I true tink beneath d'skin is all d'same."