Literature Analysis of The Road by Cormac McCarthy

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses.
The story begins with the author introducing the reader to a man and his son who are struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. They continuously travel in search of food and survival. Their travels lead them to stumble upon marauding ragtag armies, cannibalistic trappers, and other people just fighting to stay alive. Eventually staring death right in the eye the pair decides to make a few desperate decisions that result in them running for their lives and his boy falling ill. The story climaxes when his child is on the brink of death but miraculously pulls through due to some medicine that is salvaged by his father at the expense of a few treacherous trips to the city. The rest of the story all falls together when they reach there seemingly never ending journey to some southern coast and stumble upon their biggest treasure trove so far, a beached ship. After stocking up they are once again on the road. The pair travels with only the clothes on their back some food in a shopping cart and each other, but even that relationship is at jeopardy in the hopeless world they stumble through.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. 

Although each new challenges that the pair faces usually brought up a new theme pertaining to perseverance and the unbreakable human spirit I believe the primary theme of the story was that whoever carries the fire will survive, the “fire” being the drive to survive and innocence that the man sees within the boy.


3. Why did you choose this book?
I chose this book because after seeing the list Mr. Ostini put up and hearing him make a few comments about the book I decided to check it out. I found it in his bookshelf by where I sit and opened to a random page in the middle. Upon opening it I noticed how the author didn’t use any punctuation during conversations and I also noticed how eloquent he wrote. Next I noticed the bleak and harsh tone the author used but still somehow managed to make me begin to feel for this nameless man and child. Once I began to read the same things kept me reading. I didn’t even know who this pair could have been before the apocalypse but I felt every emotion they felt and hoped for them just as much as they hoped for themselves.

4. Did you find the book realistic?
I found the book quite realistic. I noticed the way the man talked to his child and how it correlated to the way that social workers used to talk to me. Although I hated it I eventually realized a lot of what people did for me was to protect me from the harshness of what was happening just like the man did to his son. Plenty of times the man treated the child like an adult but also did his best to protect his innocence. Also from my past reading experiences the world they live in is quite the same to many other post-apocalyptic worlds that I have read about.

5. Describe the author's tone.
The author’s tone was quite somber and serene despite the world’s actual state of chaos. “Can’t we help him Papa?’ ‘No. we can’t help him. There’s nothing to be done for him.” “You took everything.’ ‘Come on, man. I’ll die.’ ‘I’m going to leave you the way you left us.” Countless situations like this arise where the boy and his father must push their emotions aside and leave others to die so they themselves can survive. The author treats these situations as almost nothing as they occur often and give readers the sense of inhumanity that goes on every second of the day in their world.

6. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques
Throughout the novel Cormac McCarthy used different literary elements and techniques. Prose is often used to emphasize the utter bareness of the world they live in. No form of mannerism is used throughout the story. “You’ll freeze your tokus off.” (pg. 217)

Common every day hyperboles are often used but without the nonchalant tone we use them today. Each one literally means what it means no matter how exaggerated we use it today. “I’m not hungry.’ ‘No youre starving.” (pg. 203)

Almost every sentence is written so eloquently that the words jump off the page and paint a picture for you. “What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit.” (pg. 198)

The novel is full of metaphors that enhance our understanding and provides a better image. “Scrawny, sullen, bearded, filthy, a deer caught in headlights.” (pg. 255)

To provide the reader with a better sense of what is happening or how something appears to the boy and his father the author used personification. “The earth itself contracting with the cold.” (pg. 261)

The novel often has similes used in the same way as metaphors are used. “Raw, naked, filthy, starving, the same mental state as animals.” (pg. 257)

Among all these other different elements the novel is also filled with basic sensory details. “They stood in the wind from the sea with the grass hissing all about them.” (pg.233)

Symbolism is a key part of the story that comes up often in the form of fire. Fire is there key to survival in the wild and also their key to mental survival. The boy’s father refers to their inner drive to live as their fire that they carry. “Is it real? The Fire?’ ‘Yes it is.” (pg.278)

The dialogue in the story is also unpunctuated and I think that the author did this to provide emphasis on just how bare the world is and how primal in nature things have become. For example the lack of punctuation on the following quotes. “They wouldnt be able to see far.’ ‘No they wouldnt.’ ‘whats on the other side’ ‘Nothing.’ (pg.216)

The author also uses indirect characterization to prompt us to feel for the characters. When we see the little boy grow and mature we also feel for him as the father does. Each new responsibility and naivety pulls us closer to him. “We could take him and we could take the dog, I’ll give him half of my food and the dog can catch his own.” (pg. 86)


CHARACTERIZATION

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. 

One example of direct characterization in the novel is when the author describes the man’s past and says that he was once a light-hearted man but now after the world betrayed him no longer trusts anyone. Also in the same scene the author details the boys boisterous and curious personality. The author indirectly characterizes the man every time he puts him in a situation where he would normally be seen as cruel to us but is actually just doing his best to protect his son. Indirectly characterizing the man like this gives us a sense of mystery and reinforces the mystery of the past since he is the only representation of what the world was like before the apocalypse. The author also indirectly characterizes the boy when he is reprimanded by the father for being so naïve and curious by wanting to keep a pet dog. Although he has already directly characterized this part of the boy’s personality by doing it this way we once again can’t help but notice the boy’s innocence and how he represents the good that is still left in the world. 

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?
The author’s syntax changes between the boy’s and father’s unique dictation. It also changes for other minor characters that are briefly a part of the story but instead of having their own unique diction they all possess the same diction. The father uses an advanced vocabulary but never tries to explain to the boy what he actually means only reassures him with and repeats what he says when is questioned by the boy. The father often makes joke about religion, god, and praying that the boy does not understand yet makes no effort to enlighten him. The boy uses the same words as his father but it is quite obvious that he doesn’t know what he is talking about.

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
The protagonist is the boy in this novel and he is dynamic and a round character. Throughout the story the boy will become more responsible with his decisions. At first he pouted and cried when his father made a decision that he did not agree with but later on although he doesn’t agree with it he understands why his father does it and doesn’t intervene to make a change, which is a blatant representation of a boy maturing and changing personality.

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?
After reading the book not only did I feel like I had met a person or read a character I felt like I had walked through all their trials and tribulations right alongside them. When the father dies the boy spends a few days on his own until he meets someone who ends up being a part of “the good guys.” To know that the boy had found a new family after losing his mother and father it was quite relieving and resolved the entire story for me.


ENDURING MEMORY

Write a paragraph in which you describe the one or two ideas from this book that you expect to remember for a long time.
After reading the book this book I know I will remember one idea for a very long time. It is that we all carry a fire within us. It is our own personal drive to be the best we can and in some cases, like the father and his son, their strive to survive. For each of us carrying the fire is a choice. Evidently, some people cannot take it and lose hope, like the boy’s mother. Some may burn brighter than others but even when the world is doing everything it can to shut us out and put us down we will always have the choice to carry the fire. You aren’t just a good guy or bad guy, it’s a choice that we all have to make in our lives and what we stand up for determines just that.

Latin Roots #3

Roots and Derivatives

Aud(it): Hear

Avi: Bird

Bell(i): War

Ben(e): Good

Word List

Antebellum: Before or existing a war, particularly the civil war.

A lot of people today would argue that the US wasn't a nice place to be antebellum. 

Audit: An official examination and verification of accounts and records, especially financial accounts.

Businesses must go through an audit to ensure that there is nothing illegal going on. 

Auditory: Perceived through or resulting from the sense of hearing.
Our ears are an example of our bodies own auditory system. 

Avian: Of or pertaining to birds.

the avian species contains many different animals from all around the world. 

Aviary: A large enclosure in which birds are kept. 

My friend Ian keeps his pigeons safe from stray cats by locking them in an aviary. 

Avionics: The science and technology of the development and use of electrical and electronic devices in aviation.

Avionics is a crucial part of engineering new and improved airplanes. 

Bellicose: Inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile.

A lot of teenage boys are quite bellicose due to an onslaught of different hormones. 

Belligerency: State of being actually engaged in war. 

For quite a while the US was in a state of belligerency in many countries. 

Benefactor: A person who confers a benefit; kindly helper. 

Thanks to Erik being such a benefactor, Christian and I came to a compromise in our argument.

Beneficiary: A person or group that receives benefits, profits, or advantages. 

Our water polo team holds annual barbecues with ourselves as beneficiaries to the fundraiser.

Benign: Having a kindly disposition. 

Some people are often so benign it is quite uncanny. 

Inaudible: Incapable of being heard.

Through the window all we could see were Andrew's inaudible attempt to communicate with us. 

Myth Final Study Session: Homer The Blind Poet

Main Characters
In the story of Homer the Blind Poet there are only two major characters. Homer the blind storyteller who traveled around and composed epic poems, which would eventually become two of the most well-known myths around the world, and his young unnamed helper that assisted him in various aspects.

Setting
The story of Homer the Blind Poet didn't have a specific setting because he was a traveling storyteller. However, we do know that when Homer was in town the next few nights would consist of a feast where Homer was pampered and then prompted to tell a story. All that came out to listen would gather around a fire and wait eagerly while his helper tuned his harp. Then he would begin to weave a complex poem while playing the harp and never breaking meter. Homer told stories so enticing that most would forget the time and stay out listening in a trance until the fire had died down to mere embers.

Plot
All we truly know about Homer is that he traveled from town to town searching for a place to stay and eat in payment for his storytelling. He traveled with a helper who assisted him in every day actions that a blind man would need help with. Throughout his years of storytelling he has been accredited with composing classic myths that live on today; such as Odysseus and Iliad.

Conflict
We decided that there was no conflict in the story.

What Does the Myth Attempt to Explain?The myth attempts to explain how the human voice is the first instrument to be played and will always be heard from generation to generation. Homer entrapped the minds of people from city to city, no matter what their origin or social status, while he recited countless stories that he had created and memorized to the sound of a harp and fire crackling.
Now we can also use the myth as an insight to the Greek social structure because traveling storytellers were the very first celebrities. They were welcomed in any city and lavished with food and gifts for their stories of adventure. Also the myth gives us a first-hand experience of what entertainment was like for this ancient culture.

Journal Post

I'm more of a person that usually keeps to myself and I actually really love to be alone. However, I would prefer to live in a big city rather than a small town. If I could pick a specific place I'd prefer to live in one of these really larger apartment buildings because I love the sense of camaraderie like you would experience in a small town. Also heavy traffic would mean walking/skating to school or work wouldn't be an inconvenience. The US would be my first choice of countries to live in, but I wouldn't mind living in another country. I'd like a big city in the US because you are exposed to a lot of different culture just as you would in another country. Whether or not I live near or far from my family is a hard decision because there are many pros and cons to both lifestyles. Living far from my family would mean I would truly be on my own, without any other insight on how to live my life. I'd enjoy this because I have always been a very independent person and like being completely on my own. On the flip side, living far from family means I have absolutely no one to have with me. For the first few months I would be pretty lonely until I built strong relationships with other people in my area. Living near my family would mean I could constantly visit and always have a place to go. However, it would also mean having my parents breathing down my neck and trying to micromanage my life, which is what I absolutely hate. Where I live will most likely depend on where I'm working or going to school, but one can always dream, and these places are where I dream to live.

Latin Roots #2

Roots and Derivatives

1. Anni, Annu, Enni: year, yearly

2. Aqua, Aque: water, marine

3. Arm: weapon, weaponry

4. Art: art

Word List

1. Aqua - A water, liquid, or solution.

Many fish that are used for our food supply are grown in aqua farms.

2. Aquaculture - The cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, especially fish, shellfish, and seaweed, in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments.
There are many possibilities and discoveries waiting to be made in the world of aquaculture.

3. Aqueous - Of, like, or containing water.
The goo we made in science class was very aqueous.

4. Armada - A large group or force of vehicles.

The United States has one of the best navy armadas out of the entire world.

5. Armature - Armor.
Our soldiers use vehicles layered in armature to prevent from hostile attacks.

6. Armistice - A temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties; truce.
In the better interest of both countries and their citizens the two leaders declared an armistice to save innocent lives.

7. Artifact - An object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.
The highest priced item from the estate sale was an artifact that was hundreds of years old.

8. Artifice - A clever trick or stratagem; a cunning, crafty device or expedient; wile.
In mythology there is often a character who attempts some type of artifice to betray the hero.

9. Artisan - A person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson.
After years of practice and lessons the once apprentice could now be considered an artisan.

10. Millennium - A period of 1,000 years.
My goal is to impact the world so much that after a millennium my name will be remembered

11. Perennial - Lasting for an indefinitely long time; enduring.
With new discoveries daily we will be able to build safe perennial structures all over the world.

12. Superannuated - Retired because of age or infirmity.
After years and years of great work our first forklift was superannuated by decision of the department.