So, I don't know if any of you were aware of this, but just before the school year starts, teachers have these anxiety-fueled nightmares. Let me describe the one I had last night. I showed up on the first day. All of you were there and I felt like Fouch. You were all about three feet taller than me. Strange. I know. I had no lesson plan, no AP Lang Summer Reading Test and I just stood in front of the chaotic classroom as you all just kind of wandered in and out at will. Sometimes, when I have these dreams, I can't speak above a whisper. I'll be screaming for control at the top of my lungs and no one will be able to hear me. It's really quite awful. I used to have the same kinds of dreams when I was a waitress only they involved overcrowded tables, demanding customers and my own inability to move faster than a turtle. So, it was basically the same dream :) By the way, Fouch is sitting next to me at a teacher meeting and suggested that I include him in the above comparison. He is a great guy. If any of you have him this year, be sure to be extra cooperative.
So, I think the anxiety is coming from the fact that I abandoned all of you in favor of completing coursework that would allow me to remain your teacher this fall. I wasn't just kayaking.
So, now we are back at it and I'm wondering where everyone is in the book. If just one person could post a comment and tell me where you are in the book, I will pick up these posts there and we can continue in our somewhat lop-sided participation in this "book study." It's okay. It's summer. I know.
So, what page are you on? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?
I am on page 405!
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ReplyDeleteHello Mrs. McAllister, I'm Andy and as of right now I'm currently just passed page 200 (I'm doing about 20 pages per day because I wanted to start a little later and I also find the need to google every chemical, medicine, person, or event that is referenced in the book) and I was curious whether or not I'm picking up on the right trend for Mukherjee's writing style within the novel. It seems that the medicines and people he references aren't simply just that. Instead of referring to MOPP or VAMP as mere chemical concoctions designed to kill cancer cells, to him they were "Chemical Swords wielded by doctors to slay the mighty cancer beast" again, I could be wrong, but it's a trend I'm picking up on. In addition, Mr. Fouch might appreciate that the "Cancer Hysteria" referenced on page 175 stemmed from the political stipulation of the Red Scare, just an interesting piece I read about
ReplyDeleteI'm also just passed 200. I do have a 15 page word document of notes though!
ReplyDeleteWow, Matt. I am tempted to put you in charge of this blog! As for the rest of us, I'm proud of us too. Page 200 ish and still three weeks before school starts? No sweat.w
ReplyDeleteAndy, the beast /monster theme is one of the main reasons I chose this book. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteI made it to page 235. (Which is half of 470, can anyone explain the significance of that number?) Perhaps Don Quixote was a bad book to start....
ReplyDeleteThere are 470 pages in the text :)
Delete320 as of 2:00 am
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm Maddy Gumbko, i've been following the blog all summer, but i'm just now writing a comment, because I am on page 320!(: hope everyones summer is going well!!! Please pardon my google account picture...ahahahaha
ReplyDeleteYour google account picture is adorable.
DeleteIt is a little late to respond, isn't it? Well I took a bit of a different approach I suppose- I read the book first once through without taking any notes. I did this because I wanted to give myself a chance to enjoy the book as a whole without micro-analyzing every paragraph as I tend to do. Now I'm going though again at a rate of 30 pages a day and taking as many notes as I can manage. I'm very surprised how much I remember the second time around! Today I'll read to page 276 or further if I can manage it.
ReplyDeleteAndy- your analysis is great, thanks! I have a few more things now that I can use as a springboard for my notes on the book's themes.