Q3 Outside Reading Week 3 Post A

Vocab:
clairvoyance(155)- the supernatural power of seeing objects or actions removed in space or time from natural viewing
arabesque(161)- a pose in ballet in which the dancer stands on one leg with one arm extended in front and the other leg and arm extended behind

Figurative Language:
"Kate Fitzgerald is a ghost just waiting to happen. Her skin is nearly translucent, her hair so fair it bleeds into the pillowcase"(158). This quote has multiple uses of figurative language. The first portion is a comparison. It says that Kate "is" a ghost making it a metaphor not a simile. The second is a combination of imagery and personification. Imagery is used when describing how her skin is "nearly translucent." This pertains to the vision portion of the five senses. The personification comes from describing Kate's hair. Picoult gives it the human characteristic of being able to bleed, which hair cannot actually do.

"I wondered what happened when you offered yourself to someone, and they opened you, only to discover you were not the gift they expected and they had to smile and nod and say thank you all the same"(157). Here is an example of a comparison between a person and a gift that is a metaphor. It isn't a simile because this comparison uses "were" and states that the person is a gift, not like one.

"The man beside me had sky-eyes, a black ponytail, and a Cary Grant grin"(151). This is an example of imagery. In order to help the reader picture this man, Picoult uses descriptions like "sky-eyes" and "Cary Grant grin". It pertains to sight which is one of the five senses.

Quote:
"I laugh. 'Oh...there were definitely times I could imagine life without her.' Kate doesn't crack a smile. 'See,' she says, 'my sister's the one who's always had to imagine life without me.'"(162). There are a lot of powerful quotes in this book and this one just happened to strike a chord with me. Although I don't have any siblings, I do understand the relationship that most go through. Sometimes they are best friends, other times, bitter enemies. But while some people may be able to joke about being an only child, for Kate and Anna, it's different. Without Anna, Kate wouldn't be alive. Without Kate, Anna could've led a completely normal life. The fact that Kate knows this shows that she isn't as much of a damsel as her mother puts her out to be. Kate understands reality and how much harder Anna's life is because of her. This makes her a great sister and Anna's decision that much harder.

Theme:
This week's theme is also a quote taken from the book. I thought it was a different way of putting a commonly quoted theme. "A jewel's just a rock put under enormous heat and pressure. Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look"(152).