Vocabulary

Abase: To lower or reduce.
            They abased the lieutenant after he was accused of treason.
Abdicate: To renounce or relinquish a throne, power, right, claim, responsibility, etc.
                 The kind abdicated his throne after the pressure got to him.
Abomination: Anything disliked or loathed.
                       Hamlet thought King Claudius was an abomination.
Brusque: Abrupt in manner, blunt, rough.
               The critic was very brusque, many people misunderstood him because of it.
Saboteur: A person who practices sabotage.
                King Claudius was a saboteur to King Hamlet.
Debauchery: Excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.
                      The young man had debauchery, now he has a son.
Proliferate: To spread rapidly.
                   The gossip proliferated through the school.
Anachronism: Something or someone who is not in their appropriate time.
                        You can spot many anachronisms in popular movies about the past.
Nomenclature: The names and titles in a set or system.
                         The nomenclature of the novel made it difficult to decipher.
Expurgate: To purge or cleanse of moral offensiveness.
                   She was told to expurgate before continuing as a kindergarten teacher.
Bellicose: Inclined or eager to fight.
                 He was bellicose after his brother insulted his girlfriend.
Gauche: Lacking social grace.
              The man was too gauche to have many friends.
Rapacious: In ordinarily greedy.
                   The rapacious pirate wanted all of the treasure.
Paradox: A statement that seems self-contradictory but n reality expresses a possible truth.
               The paradox created a melancholy tone to the couples relationship.
Conundrum: Anything that puzzles.
                     The schedule conflicts put the two sisters in quite a conundrum.
Anomaly: An off, strange, abnormal condition or situation.
                 The anomaly the mom gave her son was different for a parental figure.
Ephemeral: Short-lived.
                    The fly's life was an ephemeral one.
Rancorous: Full of or showing rancor.
                   This questions created a rancorous debate.
Churlish: Boorish, rude, peasantlike.
                The churlish young man got nowhere with the object of his lust.
Precipitous: Presumably or impassibly steep.
                    The precipitous canyon would become a great challenge for the explorers.

PHONAR- Unphotographable Moment

 A miniature, mahogany casket adorned with Baby's Breath and teensy ballerina shoes is displayed in front of a sad audience of two. A melancholy Priest reading scripture in the background while one attendee whispers his last good-byes, salty tears wilting the delicate petals. The sweet notes of "Amazing Grace" can be heard playing on the bagpipe at another lost one's funeral. The most heart-breaking scene of a single father burying his unborn child, alone.

Literature Analysis: Broken For You- Stephanie Kallos

      

 

1.       The exposition of the story revealed the glory of Margaret's household,  her demeanor, and her newfound illness. The story takes place in Seattle, Washington during present times in a very large house filled with ornate antiques. I would say the rising action was when Margaret took in her first boarder, Wanda, because that's when she began making changes to her life. The climax took place when Wanda was hit by the car and had to suffer through a long recovery which in the beginning meant contemplating suicide. Margaret gave her the task of breaking all of the things in the house and creating mosaics from them. The falling action is defined by Margaret's death. The resolution described Wanda and her father finally reuniting. Also, Wanda and Troy became a couple.  Susan and the chef had a baby.

2.       My understanding of the theme of Broken For You is that sometimes we don't know what we want. Sometimes what we want is right in front of us but we're too blinded to see this by what we think we want. Wanda spent years chasing after Peter while Troy desperately tried to please her. In the end Wanda finally found Peter and discovered that she didn't want him, she loved Troy. Wanda and Troy ended up getting married. Another example may be that MJ left his daughter, Wanda, to chase after his wife for twenty-seven years before he accidentally found Wanda and realized he's been  chasing her the whole time.

3.        Stephanie Kallos conveys a tone of awkward normality. For example, on page 136 after Margaret and Wanda broke their first object, the narrator simply puts, "They stood quiet for a moment. Their goggles were foggy. They looked like two explorers adrift on an exotic arctic sea.", she illustrates how after this moment of bonding and outbreak of emotions that neither character knows how to express that; many readers can relate.  On page 262 it reads, "Not for the first time, she wished she hadn't come.",  this was describing the feeling Wanda had sitting at the art gallery. Wanda clearly feels awkward and ridiculous, even regretful. On page 335, "Margaret closed her eyes and listened. Her mother held her hand. Daniel snuggled up next to her and drove his race car, quietly.", This piece is reflecting upon Margaret's hallucinations of her mother and son. It creates a calm, melancholy scene. I think the tone is all about reality and how melancholy it can be some times.

4.        1st Edition

Stephanie Kallos uses foreshadowing to keep the reader involved. On page 170, when Wanda was hit by the car and the reader figured out that her father was there and not Peter, The inference came that Wanda and her father were going to be together in the end once again. Kallos also used Appeal to Pathos a lot to make a connection between the reader and the characters. On page 71, Margaret's dreams are described and this gives the reader a sense of what a tortured soul she is. She also uses Appeal to Logos so that the reader knows how tough their situation is. On page 160, when Margaret takes in a boarder who is a nurse it is pretty much the only logical thing a character has done which creates the realization of what chaos the characters live in. Flashback is also used quite often. Throughout the novel, all characters reflect back to their broken past which tells the reader how they became whom they are. Also, Appeal to ethos is used on page 242 when Margaret explains to Wanda her project. Once Margaret found out what her father had done and that there was no way she could reconnect all the objects with their Owner's descendants; they figured out a way to create a legacy.

5.        Kallos uses direct characterization when describing Wanda as "small" and "petite". She uses indirect characterization when Wanda showed up at Margaret's door and told her a major event that had happened in her life frantically; it shows what a mess Wanda was. She also uses direct characterization when she narrated that Margaret felt "stupid" and "embarrassed" when speaking to Wanda about her play. She uses indirect characterization when she wrote about the event in which Margaret offered Wanda, a stranger at the time, her car. This shows how Margaret desperately wants to please but has simply forgotten. Kallos using both these techniques shows the reader how other characters see this one, and how this one sees him or herself. It also shows the surface of their meaning compared to their deeper meanings.

6.        The author's diction changes when he focuses on different characters. When he focuses on Wanda the diction is very melancholy and tragic, whereas if he focuses on Margaret the diction is more awkward and free.

7.       I've determined that the protagonist is Wanda. Wanda is a very dynamic and round character. She is dynamic because in the beginning she is quite an odd girl who shows up at Margaret's door and proceeds to cry in her bathroom. One may think she's insane because she dresses in disguise to hunt her ex-boyfriend. Throughout the plot she begins to care more deeply about Margaret and the other boarders and less about Peter, her ex-boyfriend, and her work as a Stage Manager. By the end, she has completely forgotten of Peter, quit her job, and found her passion and her mind.

8.       After reading the book I felt like I had met the person. I knew Wanda and Margaret and through their obstacles I felt so involved with the story. At one point in the book, it narrated speaking to the reader. Telling the reader to imagine themselves in this situation that was described as later recognized as a scene in which one of the characters went through. You were drawn into the thoughts and soul of each character.