1. Warming up with tightly packed emotional baggage from the grandmother's and grandfather's narratives
Left side of the room:
- Find a chapter written in the grandfather's voice.
- Identify one short sentence or phrase that alludes to his history/background/emotional baggage.
- Write it on the whiteboard on the side or in the back of the room.
Right side of the room:
- Turn to the chapter written in the grandmother's voice.
- Identify one short sentence or phrase that alludes to her history/background/emotional baggage.
- Write it on one of the whiteboards in the front of the room.
Everybody
- What are noticing about the grandparents?
- What are you wondering?
2. Discovering background on Dresden: What does it help you understand about their narratives?
- Click HERE to read about the bombing of Dresden.
- Click HERE for before and after pictures of Dresden (before the bombing and after).
- Click HERE to read a survivor's story (he was a POW in Dresden at the time).
- Click HERE to read another survivor's story (this one was a child at the time).
- Click HERE to watch an interview with a Dresden survivor (contains war footage).
3. Enjoying our first Fishbowl discussion: Pages 85-141
Outer circle reminders:
Outer circle reminders:
- Hit F5 to refresh the screen.
- When you're replying directly to someone, hit "reply."
- Bring a quotation into at least one of your comments/questions.
- Stay consistent from the beginning of the conversation to the end.
4. Wrapping up
HW:
1. For Thursday: Read pages 142-173 in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; complete your 4th journal entry. You can continue journalling in the same way, or you can try out some of the creative options below! Whatever you do, make sure you post it on your blog:
If you miss a Fishbowl or Socratic, you must make it up. Fishbowl: Read over the syllabus and blog comments, then add an extended comment to the class blog. Socratic: Read over the syllabus and the class notes, then add an extended comment to the class blog.
- Write about your day in Oskar’s voice, or Thomas’ voice, or any of the character’s voices.
- If you had a book like Thomas’ in which you wrote out the phrases you needed most, what would they be this week? What does that suggest about you as a character?
- Turn a chapter you just read into a poem. Give it a title.
- Take pictures. Use them to seek connection/understanding in the same way Oskar does. Or draw. Make sure you explain the connections.
- Find clues to your own life (it’s up to you to decide what you’re trying to figure out). You could use headlines from newspapers, from social media, or any other “artifacts” from your daily life. Describe your journey compares to Oskar’s (or the grandparents’).
If you miss a Fishbowl or Socratic, you must make it up. Fishbowl: Read over the syllabus and blog comments, then add an extended comment to the class blog. Socratic: Read over the syllabus and the class notes, then add an extended comment to the class blog.
2. For tomorrow: We will begin our READING JOURNAL CONFERENCES in class tomorrow (Wednesday). Click HERE for the rubric.
3. THIS FRIDAY IS THE END OF 6 WEEKS. All make-up work from the first 6 weeks must be submitted by this date. After Friday, any grade in IC will remain as is.
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ReplyDeleteNow I understand that the grandfather left the grandmother after realizing that she was pregnant. But if this incident was partially his fault, why did he leave her to deal with it by herself as if she was the one responsible for it?
ReplyDeleteI feel as if the grandfather was scared, he felt as if he did not have much to offer a child. This could of been a result of how his father treated him of some sort. emotionally he was not ready for a child.
DeleteWas Anna killed in the bombing of Dresden?
ReplyDeleteWhat I am inferring is that Anna was killed in the bombing of Dresden because Thomas (the grandfather) did not want kids, which what I am thinking has something to do with her. If she was killed, it must have changed Thomas's viewpoint of having kids because he must have been picturing a beautiful life with her until she was killed. This puts Thomas into a place where he is afraid to find happiness again.
DeleteIs the grandfather the renter?
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I understand more than I did before is that why the grandparents didn't want to talk about their past is because it was such a hard time to be living in Germany during World War II. It makes sense in regards to how the grandma also tries not to show her emotion in parts of the book as well.
ReplyDeleteWhy did the grandfather not want any kids?
ReplyDeleteSince the grandma begins to turn blind and the grandpa can not speak anymore, does that have something to do with what happened in Dresden?
ReplyDeleteI understand why the grandparents left Germany.
ReplyDeleteWhy has he chosen to be so close to his Grandma rather than his mom?
ReplyDelete"Every time I left our apartment to go searching for the lock, I became a little lighter, because I was getting closer to Dad. But I also became a little heavier because I was getting farther away from Mom" (Foer 52). Oskar, throughout the book seems as if he is trying to find closure among his father. It seems as if he cannot handle the idea of his mom finding happiness, and laughter with other people such as Ron. Also, throughout the book it seems as if the mom does not encourage or dis-encourage anything Oskar does, which helps push the distance in relationships. He is closer to his Grandma, because it seemed as if the grandma took the figure of the mom role by supporting him and doing things like playing in the park.
DeleteI know understand that the firebombing of Dresden might be how Anna died.
ReplyDeleteNow that i have read up to page 141 in the book i understand that the grandfather was never really in love with the grandmother, he was in love with Anna.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is why his grandmother does not show much emotion throughout the book. It must hurt when you pour out your all into someone and deep down inside you know that your love, loved someone else.I question if the grandmother knew this when she involved herself with the grandfather.
DeleteI now understand that the grandfather left because he found out they were having a child. Are these letters to the unborn child to his child? And if so do you think its because he feels bad for leaving?
ReplyDeleteeven though they knew each other previously, why does the grandmother immediately want to get married to someone that was in love with her sister?
ReplyDeleteGood question, maybe because he was the only thing that she could cling on to of what was left of her sister? Because he was the only person who possibly understood everything going on with her without any words being said? Because they felt like they had lost everything together, and she believes that they would be able to repair things together? I don't really know, but it i'm sure had something to do with being able to relate to each other.
DeleteDoes the grandpa ever come back?
ReplyDeleteWhile I already knew about the fire bombing in Dresden, it had never crossed my mind that, that was what separated Thomas and Anna along with the Grandmother from her father. I had suspected that they may have left because of the war and possibly American war crimes committed on the ground. I thought that maybe they were executed or something.
ReplyDeleteNow I understand that keeping Anna's mysterious death in the dark was necessary in order to better characterize the grandfather
ReplyDeleteWhy is Oskar so much closer to his grandma than he is with his mom?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I feel as if Oskar is closer to his grandma because it seems as if his mom was never there for him in the first place when his dad was alive. In the book, it never explains their relationship before the dad died, which inferring that it was insignificant and/or had very little impact on Oskar. However, the way she acts now to Oskar changes his views because it feels to him as if she's already moving on from the dad by having 'laughter' with other friends such as Ron. This is a difficult issue because of different viewpoints and religion that one must believe.
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ReplyDeleteI understand why the Grandma is so cautious.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think the grandma is cautious? Do you think it's a good thing or a bad thing that she's so cautious?
DeleteI now know why the letter from her dad was the only thing she had left of him because of the dresden bombing. did her dad died that day too?
ReplyDeleteBy learning about the events in Dresden, I have a better idea of why the grandparents had the tone they did and why they left Germany.
ReplyDeleteI now understand why the grandparents left Germany, and why the grandfather left the grandmother
ReplyDeleteWhy does it not bother the grandma that the grandpa only likes her cause of her sister?
ReplyDelete"After only a few sessions it became clear that he was sculpting Anna (pg 83)."
DeleteDoes Oskar's character symbolize an angel since he wears white all the time?
ReplyDeleteIt could symbolize that, but I think it could also symbolize his youth and innocence
Deleteit could also be about the grandmother, since she makes stuff for him. she could be making them white because she thinks of him as innocent or pure
DeleteI never thought about Oskar being angel, I kind of like that. I feel like the fact that he wears white can come into play in the fact that he is a little boy. White can represent innocence, so it could be that the white shows that he is young, and maybe hasn't seen a lot in the world. The white may also show some maturity. Most of the time parents won't let their kids wear white because kids are always good a ruining white colors. Sense Oskar seems to be more mature for his age, it could reflect some in his clothing.
DeleteWhat does everyone think about how the author weaves in these letters from Oscars' grandparents? What significance do the letters have in the story at that point?
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ReplyDeletedo you think thomas' father would've stayed with the grandmother if she had an abortion or given the baby up for adoption?
ReplyDeleteI feel like its a possibility. I feel like Thomas wanted to die with Anna so maybe he was already gone.
DeleteMost likely he would have unless he was still disappointed in her for allowing them to have a kid in the first place.
DeleteMaybe he was just scared of being a father
DeleteI think that there is something deeper into why they didn't want to have kids. Maybe something happened emotionally to Thomas to up and leave.
Delete"When I came home my father told me her father had paid for another visit" pg 116
ReplyDeleteWhat were they wanting to visit? Is this for an arranged relationship or to buy something?
Why did the grandma have a baby in the first place if it is such a big rule in the relationship between the grandma and grandpa? "He took his pen and wrote on the next and last page, No children. That was our first rule." Foer pg 85
ReplyDeleteI mean it's not really the grandma's choice to have the child, it would be more the grandpa's. It was probably an accident.
DeleteIt must have been by accident, she felt love for him but he seemed as if he was trying to fight off the idea by replacing her with Anna.
Delete"It took me three hours and forty-one minutes to walk to Aaron Black, because public transportation makes me panicky, even though walking over bridges also makes me panicky" (Foer 87).
ReplyDelete-What were big memories in your life that affected your view on simple things?
Do you think that is solely 9/11 that causes this fear or does he have some other sort of anxiety issues?
Deletei think he probably has another sort of anxiety. but also it seemed like he was strangely calm during 9/11 when he got home and was talking to Stan
DeleteWhat was so heavy about the past that the grandfather felt he couldn't handle a child?
ReplyDelete"Your mother and I never talk about the past, that's a rule." Foer pg 108
DeleteI think that maybe something happened to him emotionally that made him not want a child.
Deletepossibly this is from his parents originally not wanting a child and they might have treated him bad. most of the time when your raised in that type of environment, children are not a priority because you don't know how to raise a child -- because you were not treated as one.
DeleteWhat if it wasn't that he didn't want a child, but that he just didn't want one with her?
DeleteOn page 100 when Oskar states that his Grandma "emptied herself of tears when Grandpa left," does he actually believe that to be true and also, do you think the Grandpa noticed the pain he inflicted on the Grandma when he left?
ReplyDeletei think he noticed but i feel like whatever his reason for leaving was way bigger to him than the grandmother's pain
DeleteWhy do you think that their relationship has so many rules?
ReplyDeleteMaybe because when they grew up, their parents were strict to them and created many rules which then changed their personality and carried over to their marriage.
DeleteMaybe because they never really loved each other, it seemed as if through the last chapter that the Grandpa talked about how everyone wants to find someone they love, but it then brings up the idea of finding someone as a 'void' in their life. It could have been that they got married because of the idea/connection that since Anna was Thomas's first love, the grandma was the next connection to getting closer to Anna.
DeleteThere's several possibilities for why they have so many rules. Based on what information is given in the book we can only guess but we can infer that all those rules was a factor for why he decided to leave her.
DeleteDo you think that the grandparents didn't want to have children because they were scared of loosing people. We know that the grandfather was close to Anna and lost her. Maybe they afraid of building relationships. Or at least the grandpa is and maybe that's why he left.
ReplyDeleteIn the book it says, "Every time I left our apartment to go searching for the lock, I became a little higher, because I was getting closer to Dad. But I also became a little heavier because I was getting farther from Mom" (Foer pg. 52). Even though Oskar is determined to find the lock and feel close to his dad, but why would he continue if he knew it was pulling him and his mom apart? Or why wouldn't he try and tell her about it?
ReplyDeleteI believe it's because he's upset at his mother for being happy and moving on. Oscar doesn't want to forget his dad so he goes searching for clues which I also think is his way of coping.
DeleteDoes the grandma still have the nothing places at her new house?
ReplyDeleteHer whole house probably became all one giant "nothing" space.
DeleteWhy does it say throughout the book, that Oskar bruises easily? What does this represent?
ReplyDeleteoskar gives himself these bruises and i think he tells people that he bruises easily so no one will worry that his parents hit him or get worried about him
DeleteDo you think the box that the key goes to contains all of these letters?
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Deletepossibly
DeleteIs the reason why the grandfather didn't want children because Anna might have been pregnant during Dresden?
ReplyDeleteGood question, I believe that could be a reason, also they both did mention that they never talked, didn't want anything that had anything to do with or remind them of the past. So like Jake asked above, why there were so many rules, it could be that those areas of a relationship, very well could've reminded them of their past if that makes sense. Specifically the grandfather.
DeleteWhy do you think they didn't break up sooner? What was still keeping them together?
Deleteon page 108 oskar's grandfather lists some of the rules that he and oskar's grandmother had. reading the rules it seems like they have a weird relationship almost like they aren't comfortable with each other yet they love eacher. I am wondering who had the idea in the relationship to make so many rules.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion They had less of an actual relationship and more of a relationship between room mates. They divided the house into places that they could be around each other and places where they couldn't be bothered. Everyone needs their alone time but when you'd rather be alone than with the person you love it's not a healthy relationship.
DeleteThe quotes '"If grandpa was so great, then why did he leave? Over."... "He didn't want to leave. He had to leave. Over."'(Foer 73) and "The renter had been living with grandma since dad died, and even though I was at her apartment basically everyday, I still hadn't met him." (Foer 69) leaves me wondering if the renter is really Oskar's grandfather. It's also quite a coincidence that he came around the time Oskar's dad died. Do you think he could've come back to comfort the grandmother and silently watch over the family? But feared getting attached to them, because of the distress of possibly losing another loved one? I mean the book did mention him more than once and I feel like Foer wouldn't have done that unless this character played some kind of significant role.
ReplyDeleteWhen Oskar says, “I shook my tambourine the whole time, because it helped me remember that even though I’m going through different neighborhoods, I am still me” (pg. 88). Is he really talking about losing his father? That even though his father is gone and he feels as if his world is destroyed and different, he is still Oskar?
ReplyDelete