Q3 Outside Reading Week 5 Post A

Vocab:
carrion(325)- dead or putrefying fish; rottenness; anything vile
sequelae(336)- an abnormal condition resulting from a previous disease

Figurative Language:
"I open like an orchid"(355). This is a simile comparing the motion Sara makes to an orchid opening. It is a simile because it uses the word "like" for the comparison.

"...gathering my thoughts and stuffing sentences with pregnant pauses"(333). This an example of imagery, and kind of an alliteration as well. Imagery is displayed through the words "pregnant" and "stuffing". The adjective and verb helps the reader visualize how Campbell is preparing for his return to the courtroom. It is sort of an alliteration because there are two phrases: stuffing sentences and pregnant pauses, that have two words in a row with the same consonant sound, and an alliteration needs three, but still. The sound that eminates from these phrases can help you imagine what these "stuffed sentences" and "pregnant pauses" sound like.

"She smiles at me, but it's like a cartoon drawing when I've seen the real thing hanging in the Louvre"(325). This is another simile. Jesse compares Kate's smile (or Kate in general), to a parody of a painting that's in the Louvre. He uses the word "like" to do this.

Quote:
There are actually two quotes that I want to talk about here. They're linked...in a way. "...and then I lift my fist and punch a hole in the thick white wall and still this isn't enough"(326). "'I couldn't save her'"(331). These are both quotes relating to Jesse and he, is talking about Kate. Earlier, we learned that when Kate had an extremely large amount of blood loss, it was Jesse who donated the blood to keep her alive. To him, it was the least he could do. His whole life, he's been unable to help, a burden to his parents, and what his parents don't realize (at least Brian doesn't realize this until now) is that all Jesse wanted to do was to help. And since he can't help, can't rescue, he destroys. It's ironic how this happens, but a lot of times, when you are exposed to or blocked from on extreme, you react with the other. These quotes show us another important idea: that the source to a problem, may not be what you think it is at all. It could be what you thought the solution was.

Theme:
For this week's theme, I have another pretty deep quote. "He is asking to be punished. So I do what I know will destroy him: I pull Jesse into my arms as he sobs. His back is broader than mine. He stands a half-head taller than me. I don't remember seeing him go from that five-year-old, who wasn't a genetic match, to the man he is now, and I guess this is the problem. [...] I cannot remember exactly when he stopped asking. But I do remember feeling as if something had gone missing, as if the loss of a kid's hero worship can ache like a phantom limb:(332). Brian has finally realized something that all parents need to know: when traumatic events occur that cause you to go on autopilot, make sure you stop once in a while and take a step back because otherwise, you might miss some of the most important things in your life.