I read 17 pages.
There wasn't much dialogue throughout these two chapters, but I really liked one part in chapter 9. "Matt discovered he could re-create the songs Celia sang to him, using one finger. Felicia used all ten, but he hadn't figured out how to do that yet. Even so, the ability to create music filled him with a joy too large to contain. He forgot where he was. He forgot he was a clone. The music made up for everything--the silent contempt of the servants, Steven's and Emilia's snubs, Tom's hatred." (page 90) It is great that Matt has found something that he loves to do, and it makes him truly happy. The best thing is that while he's playing piano and being entranced by the music, he doesn't worry about being different from the others, and he completely forgets about anything mean they have to say about him. Music is his way to escape from the world for a little while.
Chapter 8 Summary: Tam Lin takes Matt to a secret oasis only he knows about, and they have a picnic. Matt finds out how he was created, and Tam Lin explains to him what an "eejit" actually is.
Chapter 9 Summary: Learning at home, Matt ends up progressing farther than the other kids his age. While wondering around the house one day, Matt discovers Felicia playing the piano. Entranced by it, he ends up hiding behind the potted plants everyday to listen to her music. She didn't get up until the afternoon the next day, but she was only up for an hour, so Matt decided to play the piano. He learns he can re-create some of the songs Celia would sing to him, and soon enough, he has a love and talent for music.
Chapter 10 Summary: El Patrón's 143th birthday is celebrated, but other than that, nothing else really happens. It was a rather short chapter.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Chapter 7
I read 10 pages.
"You're right," Tom said suddenly. I did tease Matt. I'm really sorry about it." (page 66) This kid is such a fake! He is always so mean, but the minute there's an adult, he acts like the sweetest child ever. Tom is like that one kid that everyone knows but actually can't stand them.
Chapter 7 Summary: Matt begins "school", but something ends up making Matt snap on day six for some reason, causing him to finally talk! "Who can tell many apples I have here?" warbled Teacher on day six. "I'll bet it's my good boy!" Matt suddenly snapped. "I'm not a good boy!" he screamed. "I'm a bad clone! And I hate counting and I hate you!" (page 73) Matt goes on a bit of a raging fit here, and ends up making the teacher cry. After calming the teacher down and getting her to leave, Tam Lin, the bodyguard, decides to take Matt on a picnic.
"You're right," Tom said suddenly. I did tease Matt. I'm really sorry about it." (page 66) This kid is such a fake! He is always so mean, but the minute there's an adult, he acts like the sweetest child ever. Tom is like that one kid that everyone knows but actually can't stand them.
Chapter 7 Summary: Matt begins "school", but something ends up making Matt snap on day six for some reason, causing him to finally talk! "Who can tell many apples I have here?" warbled Teacher on day six. "I'll bet it's my good boy!" Matt suddenly snapped. "I'm not a good boy!" he screamed. "I'm a bad clone! And I hate counting and I hate you!" (page 73) Matt goes on a bit of a raging fit here, and ends up making the teacher cry. After calming the teacher down and getting her to leave, Tam Lin, the bodyguard, decides to take Matt on a picnic.
Chapters 5-6
I read 27 pages.
"No I'm not!" she cried. "Please take me with you, Willum. Please! I love you. I'll do anything for you!" (page 39) The little scene between the doctor and Rosa amused me quite a bit. I found it funny how Rosa suddenly started acting desperate to go with him. On page 38, she is acting like she doesn't even want to be in the same room as him, but then she instantly goes hysterical when she finds out he's leaving. Then she blames Matt for the doctor leaving and becomes really angry at him. I couldn't tell if she was being crazy because Willum was leaving, or if she just acts like that in certain situations.
Chapter 5 Summary: In chapter 5, Matt definitely has to get used to being alone in a small space without anyone or anything with him. The only people he has seen are the doctor, Willum, and Rosa. Rosa stills acts rude towards him and sometimes makes rude remarks, like on page 39, "Bleating won't save you, you good-for-nothing animal. No one can hear you. This whole wing of the house is empty because you are in it! They don't even put pigs down here!" After a little while, Matt befriends bugs and keeps food from his meals to attract them. When Maria and Celia come to visit him, he just sits there, barely even acknowledging their presence.
Chapter 6 Summary: Matt is sent to meet himself, El Patrón. The older man instantly liked Matt, and was shocked when he found out Matt had been staying in a room full of sawdust and chicken litter. The doctor acts surprised, as if he had no idea what Matt's recent living conditions had been like. Rosa, of course, goes crazy at this, and begins yelling and trying to go after him. "You're lying! Tell them, Willum! You thought if was funny. You said the beast---the boy---was in good condition!" (page 55) Willum then continues to tell El Patrón that Rosa had been suffering from delusions. It seems like Matt may still be in shock about everything that has recently happened, because he is still refusing to speak to anyone. El Patrón makes sure to tell everyone that Matt is to be treated with respect, just as if he was still there.
"No I'm not!" she cried. "Please take me with you, Willum. Please! I love you. I'll do anything for you!" (page 39) The little scene between the doctor and Rosa amused me quite a bit. I found it funny how Rosa suddenly started acting desperate to go with him. On page 38, she is acting like she doesn't even want to be in the same room as him, but then she instantly goes hysterical when she finds out he's leaving. Then she blames Matt for the doctor leaving and becomes really angry at him. I couldn't tell if she was being crazy because Willum was leaving, or if she just acts like that in certain situations.
Chapter 5 Summary: In chapter 5, Matt definitely has to get used to being alone in a small space without anyone or anything with him. The only people he has seen are the doctor, Willum, and Rosa. Rosa stills acts rude towards him and sometimes makes rude remarks, like on page 39, "Bleating won't save you, you good-for-nothing animal. No one can hear you. This whole wing of the house is empty because you are in it! They don't even put pigs down here!" After a little while, Matt befriends bugs and keeps food from his meals to attract them. When Maria and Celia come to visit him, he just sits there, barely even acknowledging their presence.
Chapter 6 Summary: Matt is sent to meet himself, El Patrón. The older man instantly liked Matt, and was shocked when he found out Matt had been staying in a room full of sawdust and chicken litter. The doctor acts surprised, as if he had no idea what Matt's recent living conditions had been like. Rosa, of course, goes crazy at this, and begins yelling and trying to go after him. "You're lying! Tell them, Willum! You thought if was funny. You said the beast---the boy---was in good condition!" (page 55) Willum then continues to tell El Patrón that Rosa had been suffering from delusions. It seems like Matt may still be in shock about everything that has recently happened, because he is still refusing to speak to anyone. El Patrón makes sure to tell everyone that Matt is to be treated with respect, just as if he was still there.
Chapter 4
I read chapter 4, which was 11 pages long.
As I was reading, two quotes stuck out to me. On page 26, "That's disgusting. Clones aren't people," cried Emilia. On page 28, "Can I send it back to the poppy fields?" inquired the fierce man. In both of these quotes, they are talking about Matt, but they are just being incredibly rude towards him. Emilia and Steven were basically judging Matt because they found out he was different from them. Before they knew anything about Matt, they weren't being hateful to him. I think if they were never told that Matt was a clone, they would have kept being friendly and treating him like a person. Also, the man was completely hateful to Matt by calling him "it", getting furious when he sees Matt inside the house, and making Rosa throw him out onto the lawn.
Chapter 4 Summary: Maria snuck into the room that Rosa locked Matt in to give him food and something to drink, but ended up sticking around to talk to him. Matt starts telling her scary stories, and she decides to spend the night with him, because she's afraid she will get eaten by monsters if she leaves. Rosa and some other people come into Matt's room the next morning, and they are completely angry and disgusted that she was with Matt. Maria gets told she will be sent home right away. Then Rosa calls Matt a "little brute" because the bucket he has to use the restroom with gets knocked over, but she claims he's not housebroken.
As I was reading, two quotes stuck out to me. On page 26, "That's disgusting. Clones aren't people," cried Emilia. On page 28, "Can I send it back to the poppy fields?" inquired the fierce man. In both of these quotes, they are talking about Matt, but they are just being incredibly rude towards him. Emilia and Steven were basically judging Matt because they found out he was different from them. Before they knew anything about Matt, they weren't being hateful to him. I think if they were never told that Matt was a clone, they would have kept being friendly and treating him like a person. Also, the man was completely hateful to Matt by calling him "it", getting furious when he sees Matt inside the house, and making Rosa throw him out onto the lawn.
Chapter 4 Summary: Maria snuck into the room that Rosa locked Matt in to give him food and something to drink, but ended up sticking around to talk to him. Matt starts telling her scary stories, and she decides to spend the night with him, because she's afraid she will get eaten by monsters if she leaves. Rosa and some other people come into Matt's room the next morning, and they are completely angry and disgusted that she was with Matt. Maria gets told she will be sent home right away. Then Rosa calls Matt a "little brute" because the bucket he has to use the restroom with gets knocked over, but she claims he's not housebroken.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Chapters 1-3
I read 23 pages, chapters 1-3, of The House of the Scorpion.
The beginning of this story was quite interesting, as I felt the need to keep reading and find out what happens next. While I was reading, one situation caught my attention. Towards the bottom of page 21, Rosa says, "We'll have to wait. He's treating your grandfather. At least we can clean the kid up." When she says this, it means she cares enough to try to help Matt. She is treating him like any other person, until on page 23 when the 'Property of the Alacran Estate.' Upon learning that Matt is a clone, she begins to treat him like he's an animal.
Chapter 1 Summary: This chapter explains how Matt was created. Matt's creator, Eduardo, was pressured to do everything right, because his life depended on it, as well as his wife, father, and children's lives. If he messed anything up while creating Matt, he was to be sent to "the Farms." While we do not know what the Farms is, it must be bad if Eduardo is frightened about being sent there. When a clone is created, the scientists basically "dumb down" the clones' brains, so they won't become too powerful. Just as Eduardo is about to do this to Matt, Lisa, another lab worker, stops him. Eduardo is left to wonder if he just did Matt a favor by keeping his brain the same instead of making him be less intelligent.
Chapter 2 Summary: Part of this chapter is focused on Matt and Celia's relationship. Celia is Matt's caregiver, but she refuses to let him call her "mama" even if he does on accident sometimes. At the beginning of chapter two, Celia is leaving to go to work at the Big House, but Matt doesn't want her to leave.We soon find out that Matt and Celia live in a little shack in the poppy fields a few miles away from the Big House. It is just the two of them living in the small house, so Matt gets lonely when Celia has to go to work. Matt is basically held prisoner in the shack all day long and is never allowed to go outside because Celia tells him it is too dangerous. Being so lonely, Matt gets really excited, almost overwhelmed, when he hears voices in the poppy fields. Part of the chapter is focused on Matt and Celia's relationship. Celia is Matt's caregiver, but she refuses to let him call her "mama" even if he does on accident sometimes.
Chapter 3 Summary: The children that visited Matt in chapter two, Steven and Emilia, come back to the shack and they brought Maria, a little girl about Matt's age. This time he attempts to make conversation with everyone but he's too nervous and anxious. Steven and Emilia start to leave when Matt won't talk, but Maria stays because she doesn't want to go back to the Big House. Trying to get Maria off the ground before dark so the chupacabras won't get to her, Matt breaks his glass window and jumps out without a second thought. He hurts his feet and hands badly along with many cuts, so Steven and Emilia carry him back to Alacran Estates, or the Big House. When they arrive with Matt, Rosa and the other servants are running around trying to help him. During the process of helping Matt get the glass out of his skin, a man, whom Matt describes as the "large fierce looking man," enters and tells everyone that Matt's a clone. After that, everyone's opinions chnage towards Matt. Rosa begins to treat him like dirt, and she throws him out onto the lawn, before relocating him to a small, confined room.
The beginning of this story was quite interesting, as I felt the need to keep reading and find out what happens next. While I was reading, one situation caught my attention. Towards the bottom of page 21, Rosa says, "We'll have to wait. He's treating your grandfather. At least we can clean the kid up." When she says this, it means she cares enough to try to help Matt. She is treating him like any other person, until on page 23 when the 'Property of the Alacran Estate.' Upon learning that Matt is a clone, she begins to treat him like he's an animal.
Chapter 1 Summary: This chapter explains how Matt was created. Matt's creator, Eduardo, was pressured to do everything right, because his life depended on it, as well as his wife, father, and children's lives. If he messed anything up while creating Matt, he was to be sent to "the Farms." While we do not know what the Farms is, it must be bad if Eduardo is frightened about being sent there. When a clone is created, the scientists basically "dumb down" the clones' brains, so they won't become too powerful. Just as Eduardo is about to do this to Matt, Lisa, another lab worker, stops him. Eduardo is left to wonder if he just did Matt a favor by keeping his brain the same instead of making him be less intelligent.
Chapter 2 Summary: Part of this chapter is focused on Matt and Celia's relationship. Celia is Matt's caregiver, but she refuses to let him call her "mama" even if he does on accident sometimes. At the beginning of chapter two, Celia is leaving to go to work at the Big House, but Matt doesn't want her to leave.We soon find out that Matt and Celia live in a little shack in the poppy fields a few miles away from the Big House. It is just the two of them living in the small house, so Matt gets lonely when Celia has to go to work. Matt is basically held prisoner in the shack all day long and is never allowed to go outside because Celia tells him it is too dangerous. Being so lonely, Matt gets really excited, almost overwhelmed, when he hears voices in the poppy fields. Part of the chapter is focused on Matt and Celia's relationship. Celia is Matt's caregiver, but she refuses to let him call her "mama" even if he does on accident sometimes.
Chapter 3 Summary: The children that visited Matt in chapter two, Steven and Emilia, come back to the shack and they brought Maria, a little girl about Matt's age. This time he attempts to make conversation with everyone but he's too nervous and anxious. Steven and Emilia start to leave when Matt won't talk, but Maria stays because she doesn't want to go back to the Big House. Trying to get Maria off the ground before dark so the chupacabras won't get to her, Matt breaks his glass window and jumps out without a second thought. He hurts his feet and hands badly along with many cuts, so Steven and Emilia carry him back to Alacran Estates, or the Big House. When they arrive with Matt, Rosa and the other servants are running around trying to help him. During the process of helping Matt get the glass out of his skin, a man, whom Matt describes as the "large fierce looking man," enters and tells everyone that Matt's a clone. After that, everyone's opinions chnage towards Matt. Rosa begins to treat him like dirt, and she throws him out onto the lawn, before relocating him to a small, confined room.
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