Q3 Week 7 Posts A/B

Vocab
Arduous (449) - characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion

Delirium (360) - craze: state of violent mental agitation

Figurative Language
1) "It was Tick who'd made the request to hire that hopeless, bedraggled boy, but it was his mother, no doubt, who'd whispered in his ear when his instincts had argued against doing so" (200). This is a form of description and i's showing what type of character Tick has through her actions.

2) "His father wasn't too bad a driver when he was sober, but of course he wouldn't be sober until their money ran out" (341). This also describes Max who is Mile's father and the things he constantly does with the figurative language.

3) "Janine was still shaking when she got back in behind the wheel. What she needed to do was to catch up with her daughter and make this right, by force if necessary, set it all right, somehow, some way, she didn't yet know how, but by the time she pulled out onto Empire Avenue again her daughter had disappeared[...]" (421). This shows foreshadowing and also it's a type of description. This was one of the more important events in the book and this quote really exemplified that.

Quote
"Maybe, like children, we assume ourselves to be of central importance, and we're not. Maybe the inequities that consume us here on earth aren't really the issue" (200). I don't really know how to word it but I thought this quote was interesting. It kind of explains how some people act and that maybe it's all for nothing. But nonetheless I thought it was interesting.

Theme
The theme really seemed to be to stick to something even if it's really hard. There were many themes in this book but this one really stood out. Whether it was working at the Empire Grill or Mile's being polite to his dad. This theme seemed to emerge throughout.

Post B
For this last post I thought I would just talk about what I thought overall of the book. The book was really eloquently written with the description and the interactions between the characters. The characters always interacted just like you would with a friend or with somebody you didn't particularly like. With this type of writing it made the book a lot more "real". Also the prologue talked about C.B Whiting which was really straight forward and so I thought the book would be about him. But in actuality it went into the story of Miles Roby and his events happen 20 + years after Whitings. So this kind of caught me off guard at first but it was interesting. Then in the actual story there were a ton of different events and actions that happened and it was kind of hard to keep track of. The ending too wasn't really an ending to me. But the epilogue was really straight forward and seemed to tie up all the loose ends and it even went back to C.B Whiting and what happened concerning his problem.

Q3 Week 6 Posts A/B

Vocab
Nuptial (111) - bridal: of or relating to a wedding

Fibroid (124) - A non-cancerous (benign) tumor

Figurative Language
1)"What Miles was imagining right now was their daughter watching them, their heads bent forward toward the center of the table so they could lower their voices and still yell at each other" (110). This is an example of imagery because you can just picture them in this diner sitting and talking to each other.
2) "She wiped the corner of one eye with the strap of her leotard and fathered her defiance again" (112). This is an example of imagery as well. Because connecting to the last point they are sitting in this diner talking and you can just picture her with a leotard on.
3) "Sure, he said, leaning over to snatch the pack, then deftly peeling off its slender ribbon, thumbing up its flip top, discarding the foil and removing two cigarettes" (124).This is just another quick example of imagery because you can picture Max in the diner with this mini thing going on.

Quote
"You mean how we managed to make such a mess of everything? Janine made a face at him. Hell, no, Miles. That part's easy[...]" (113). I thought this quote was interesting because compared to her ex-husband Miles who is this calm collected guy, Janine is always full of energy and she is always straight forward whenever she has a conversation with somebody. So I thought this comparison was interesting.

Theme
The emerging theme just like last week seems to be letting things go and moving on with your life. Miles in this section has a very important conversation with his ex-wife and I think this is really the braking away point for him.

Post B
For this week's post B I thought I would comment on a quote I found interesting. The quote is, "If Mrs. Whiting lives that long, you'll be sixty-five when you inherit the grill. That's if she gives it to you. And that's not even the worst part, Miles. You claim you're sticking it out for Tick, but do you know what that kid's going to be if you aren't careful? She'll be the next manager of the Empire Grill" (119). I thought this quote was really interesting because a little before this David who is Mile's brother tells them that their mom's wish for Miles to get out of Empire Falls and she died trying to fulfill that goal. He goes on to say that Miles left but now he's back for no reason. Miles then says he came back for Tick's sake and to help her out. But the interesting thing is he came back for Tick but he's gotten himself and possibly Tick stuck in this cycle of working for Mrs. Whiting and never really gain anything. So even though he doesn't really like Janine he is making his life more miserable to make Tick's life better.

Q3 Week 5 Posts A/B

Vocab
Exodus (100) - A journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment

Altruistic (103) - Showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Figurative Language
1) "No. Shut up and listen, Jimmy," Miles Said, feeling his fury rise in his throat-the taste was anger, after all, not fear-and the blood pounding in his cheeks. "You... didn't... know... her. Say it for me, so I know you understand" (98). This is an example of the descriptive type of language that's used. It really shows what he's feeling physically and emotionally.

2) "At least not tonight, in this restaurant that would one day be his, sharing a booth with his daughter, whose destiny would not be tied to Empire Falls-not if he had anything to say about it" (103). This also relates to the last one and can even be considered foreshadowing. It possibly relates to an event that's going to happen.

3) "His daughter's grasp of adult situations often staggered him. In this instance, she understood completely what the endorsement of a fool was worth" (103). This is an example of imagery. It shows what kind of person Tick is and also how through this example her actions are affected.

Quote
"Walt Comeau, the lawyer had correctly predicted, would rent his own house and move in with Janine. Is hat what you want? For the man who stole your wife to live with her in your house, sleeping in your bed, all of it rent-free" (111). I just thought this quote was interesting, It would be an interesting thing to actually think about and ponder.

Theme
There really wasn't an evident theme in this part. But a theme could be to not hold things for too long whether their grudges or whatever.

Post B
For this post I thought I would talk about an interesting quote that really personifies Miles. The actual quote is, "In truth, there was embarrassingly little to quibble over, and even if he'd felt like it, he couldn't be small with Janine without being small with Tick. Not an option" (111). I thought this really showed what kind of person Miles is. Even though he's divorced Janine he still really cares about Tick. This is really evident because he pretty much is giving up everything for her. Janine gets the house and the good car while Miles still has to pay the rent and his car is old and run day with rust all over it. The important thing though is that even though he's getting the short end of the stick he really doesn't mind because he knows his daughter is getting all those good things. Specifically in this quote he even gives up everything he has to his ex-wife for Tick's sake. Even before this he says to his lawyer to "give her whatever she wants' and that truly shows what kind of person and father he is.

Q3 Wee 4 Posts A/B

Vocab
Emulation (79) - ambition to equal or excel

Fastidious (88) - giving careful attention to detail; hard to please; excessively concerned with cleanliness

Figurative Language
1) "Until Martha's Vineyard she'd seriously considered doing so, but now she was pretty sure she couldn't. After being with a boy who actually liked her, she was willing to be friendless, at least for now. What saddened her the most was the cost of this new knowledge. Could it be that getting the taste of affection, so sweet and new, from somebody who wasn't your father or mother, meant that she'd have to forgo other companionship entirely" (80). This is an example of foreshadowing because it hints to an event that happened in the past. But the reason this is important is because that past event might spark something happening in the future.

2)"Miles was in no hurry to have him give in, either, since the old man was a careless, resentful worker. In his opinion any dish that came out of the Hobbart was clean by definition, no matter if it was stained yellow with egg yokes" (88). This is an example of imagery/description. It shows the character of the character being defined here.

3) "The old man was nimble, Miles had to admit, both of foot and conversation. Miles had given up trying to corner him long ago" (88). This also connects to the previous example. This also gives the reader a sense of how the character is and how he acts.

Quote
"I don't think helping me paint is a good idea, Dad," Miles Said.
"Last month you fell off a barstool. I don't want you falling off any ladders."
"That's different," his father explained. "I was drunk."
"Right," Miles said. "As I'm sure you'll be when you fall off the ladder" (86). I just thought this quote was a good example of the author's writing style. Also I thought it was funny so I decided to choose it.

Theme
An emerging theme seems to be just being a regular human being and having flaws. There are a lot of characters in the book and they all have their experiences and things going on in their lives. So the theme just seems to be that even though we're all different, we all have flaws and we should just live life and enjoy it.

Post B
For this post I thought I would talk about an interesting quote I came across. The quote is, "In any other man his age a desire to paint the church might have represented nothing more than longing to spend some time with his neglected son, but Miles doubted this was the case with Max, who'd never given much evidence of enjoying the company of either of his sons, though he did appreciate anyone who'd spring for a donut so he could put the price of the donut toward a pack of cigarettes. No, the only conclusion that Miles could come to was that old age generally played havoc with personality. I thought this was a really interesting quote because it's an interesting example of the way the author writes and even a theme possibly. It kind of shows what type of father Miles has. He says that he wants to do the job for the money compared to somebody who would want to do it to spend time with their son. Also the last sentence in that quote is interesting because I could agree and disagree with it at the same time. On one hand I agree some people change with age in a negative way but that isn't a blanket statement in my mind.