Dear Mrs. Zrihen,
The book I have chosen to read is called Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It is a historical fiction book because it has fictional characters and a fictional plot that takes place more than fifty years ago. I usually don't enjoy reading historical fiction however, this book was very interesting and enjoyable.
A passage from the book that really stood out to me was:
"And then I laugh, because it’s so ridiculous and so gorgeous and it’s all I can do to not melt into a fit of giggles. So what if I’m ninety-three? So what if I’m ancient and cranky and my body’s a wreck? If they’re willing to accept me and my guilty conscience, why shouldn't I run away with the circus?That passage is very significant to the story because it shows how much Jacob Jankowski, even at age ninety three, still loved the circus and always considered it his home.
"It’s like Charlie told the cop. For this old man, this is home."
I used different strategies throughout reading to better understand the book. Before I started reading I set a purpose for reading. My purpose for reading this book was for my summer reading and for my own entertainment. I also activated background knowledge I had on this subject. Since I saw the movie before reading the book, I knew a lot about the topic; however, I was excited to see how similar the movie and the book were. While reading, I visualized many scenes from the book. For example, I visualized Jacob and August jumping from one train car to another, while the train was moving. Also, I asked questions and then read and thought about my prior knowledge to find answers. For example, I asked why Marlena decided to join the Benzini Brothers. I later found out that Marlena feel in love with August, who was working with that circus, and when her family found out he was Jewish they abandoned her and she joined the circus to be with him. After I was done with the book, I reread many of the parts from the book that I enjoyed. For example, when Jacob leaves his nursing home by himself, and walks to the circus. I also thought about all the literary elements in this book.
The genre of this story is historical fiction. The protagonists of this story would have to be Marlena and Jacob Jankowski. The antagonists are Uncle Al and August. Some foil characters were Rosemary, Jacobs Nurse, and Blackie, a worker at the circus. The story starts off taking place in a nursing home in modern times. However, the pattern of organization of this story is flashback so it mainly takes place during the beginning of the Great Depression. Since the characters travel throughout the book, there is no specific setting. It mainly takes place on the train of the Benzini Brother's Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The weather conditions vary throughout the book. One of the main social conditions is that Jacob was studying to be a veterinarian at Cornell University but before he could take his final exam, both his parents died leaving him homeless. He tried to continue but because all that happened he was forced to jump a train and even though he didn't technically have a degree, he was known as a well educated veterinarian at the circus. Some conflicts were man vs. man and man vs. nature. One tone of the book is heart-warming and the mood is entertained. The theme is self worth and love. I believe the moral of the story is to treat every living thing, including animals, with respect and if you love something go after it. The present part of the story and the flashback part are both told in first person, Jacob being the narrator. The pattern of organization, like I already mentioned, is flashback and the author's purpose is to entertain. The author's perspective is subjective because since it is in Jacob's point of view, you see who he favors and who he dislikes. I was able to identify some figurative language throughout the text. "It made contact with a llama and knocked it flat—BOOM" is an onomatopoeia because it uses a sound in writing. "They’re spidery and frail, their hair as fine as mist." is a simile, comparing elderly women's hair to mist. "Its blue and orange flag is already flying and the boiler beside it belches steam, bearing cheerful witness to the breakfast within." is personification, giving human-like qualities to a flag and boiler. "The Monday Man?" is an alliteration because the first letters of the words are the same. And "I don’t answer, as I’m still undecided as to whether I smell a rat." is an idiom saying he doesn't know whether Rosemary is lying or not.
The exposition of the story was when Jacob Jankowski is introduced in his nursing home and when he has a flashback of when he was in Cornell and his parents died before he could finish his final exams to be veterinarian. He jumps the Benzini Brother's train, without noticing it was a circus train, and gets a job on it. This is where he meets August, Uncle Al, Kinko, Marlena, and the elephant, Rosie. The rising action is when elderly Jacob realizes there is a circus in town. It is also when young Jacob starts getting closer to Kinko, August, and especially Marlena. He also realizes that since Rosie understands Polish, he could train her to be an act in the circus. Also during the rising action, Marlena and Jacob both fall in love with each other. The climax of the story is when eight men were redlighted - thrown off the moving train - and August was looking for Jacob to kill him. Jacob and Marlena realize that they must escape from the circus and from August when there is a stampede of all the animals and August is killed. Marlena tells Jacob she is pregnant. It is also when elderly Jacob decides to walk to the circus alone, since none of his family showed up to his nursing home to take him. The falling action is when elderly Jacob gets to see the circus and young Jacob marries Marlena. The resolution is when Jacob and Marlena have five children and, after both working for Ringling, have a house in a rural area for them, their children, and eleven horses which is near a zoo where Rosie is kept. The resolution for elderly Jacob is when he finally tells someone about his life working on the circus and get a job at another circus. It is clear that Jacob Jankowski's heart will always be in the circus.
I really enjoyed reading the book. Even though it started off a little slow, It definitely got a lot better towards the middle. It was much better than the movie, but I believe if I hadn't seen the movie before reading this, some things would've been very difficult for me to understand; therefore, I recommend this anyone who has seen the movie. I give this book a nine out of ten stars!
Sincerely,
Bailey Levy
Dear Bailey,
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! I'm glad you liked it as well.
You did an excellent job analysing what you've read.
How was the pattern on organization helpful in better understanding the plot?
There were a few more important foil characters that I think more important to the plot, please discuss them and their roles.
What did you think about the differences and similarities between the book and the movie? How were they similar, how were they different? Which one did you like better? why?
If you could've traded places with anyone of the characters who would it be and why?
Water for Elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. How do the chapters about the older Jacob enrich the story about Jacob’s adventure with the circus? How would the novel be different if Gruen had only written about the younger Jacob, keeping the story linear and never describing Jacob’s life as an old man?
Did the chapters about the nursing home change how you think about older people? In what ways are the doctors and nurses condescending? How is Rosemary different? How do you treat older people?
I look forward to reading your response.
Happy Reading,
Mrs. Zrihen