Counting by 7's

Pages 220-250



Prompt:What surprises you in this story? Explain why. 2.)Think of a problem that a character had to face. Write the problem and how the character solved it or is working to solve it. If you were that character, what would you do differently?

            One of the most surprising thing so far in the book is the fact that Willow went to live with with her Vietnamese friend Quang-ha. The reason that this surprised me was the fact that usually in movies and other entertainment Willow would have gone with a dysfunctional relative. While instead Willow has to learn a new language just to communicate with the family that she needed to talk to. Willow also needs to able to adapt to her new surroundings as her new "family" are of different culture. Which ends up causing her to have to learn more of this family's culture. 

            Another part of the book that surprised me was the fact that killing Willow's parents was a true surprise. The reason that I was surprised was the fact that in most book many character's family parents are never touched. This surprised me as the family was killed off in the first chapter. Even in book were parent or characters are killed off it is foreshadowed or developed, but the characters are just killed. The final reason that this surprised me was the fact that you do not get to see what happens to her parents for over twenty chapters.


            The biggest problem that Willow had to deal with was not having to go to a foster home. For Willow not to go to a foster home she has to lie and say that a family friend will be taking care of her. Then she needs to clean and use her counselor's home to say that her family's is living their. While Willow is actually living wither her Vietnamese friend. I believe that if i was in the same situation I would just use my house instead of using my counselor's house as that would she to invasive of his property. 

           

Counting by 7's 3/4

pages 0-220

Prompt: What special way did the author write (for example, flashbacks, told in first person, multiple voice narrative, foreshadowing, lost descriptive words that create visual images in your mind, etc.)? Did that make reading it better or

worse? Explain.

The story in Counting By Sevens the story is not told in a linear formal way. In the beginning of the book we are introduced to our main character Willow Willow appears to be with a man named Dell and her friends as they are eating ice cream. When they arrive to Willow’s house the police are there and telling her about what happened to her parents. Then the story goes back a few weeks to establish the storyline of the book until the characters return to the point in time were we find out what happened to her parents.

I found this type of story telling to be quite interesting as instead of being told what happens you have to read. Which of course some people might not enjoy as they want to know what happens. This way of story telling also makes you think and try to find any foreshadowing as you try to find out what will happen. A downside to this type of storytelling is that wanting to know what is happening in the story can be distracting.

In Counting By Sevens the main character per chapter throughout out the is always changing. The main character throughout the book is Willow and most the chapter revolve around her, but in some of the chapters to learn characters backgrounds or what they are thinking the chapter will shift to their P.O.V. 

This type of writing is interesting and is less conventional, it is still an idea that is used, but it is still some what refreshing compared to other books. The obvious downfall of this would be the fact that sometimes it can be confusing on whether or not Willow is the main character of the chapter especially when the chapter is about her best friend, were they have similarities.

Night and Life is beautiful comparison

         The book Night and the movie Life is beautiful both talk about Jewish people having to deal with the Holocaust. Elie in Night on page 28 were Elie says "We had arrived. In Birkenau" Birkenau was a concentration camp were hundreds of thousands of people were systematically killed. In the movie Guido and his family arrive to a concentration camp were they are forced to do hard labor. In both the movie and the book the characters try to find a way to cope with the fact that they are being killed. 

         The book Night and the movie Life is Beautiful have s major difference that affects the tone of the book. The major difference is that the book is a very dark story with much death and the movie has humor while still having some serious moment. In the movie Guido is trying to open up a book story and he accidentally drops a flower pot on a man's head and he wobbles in comedic fashion. Since humor happens throughout the film the tone of the movie feels upbeat and fun even when they are in the concetration camp.  While in the book many people are killed in the book Elie talks about three Jewish prisoners being hanged. "But the third rope was still moving the child,too light, was still breathing... And so he remained for more than half an hour, lingering between life and death..." This is on page 65 which is a very descriptive way to show the death of a young child which was slow and painful. By describing the horrible death it shows a mood that is sad and unbearable as death is horrible, but it is even worse when it is of a young child. 

          Both the book and the movie have another similarity as both main character have a family member that they use as a reasons to keep going. In the movie Guido has his son and his wife which he does not know whether or not she is alive. Guido only tries to continue with the hard work so that his son will not be discovered and as he is even willing to give up his life to accomplish this. In the book Elie uses his father as the reason he continue to try to life. On page 73 Elie writes "So? Did you pass? Yes. And you? " "We were able to breathe again." Which shows that they need each other to the point were their existence revolves are each other. Since they knew that their other family would not life.

        A major difference between the two characters is that Elie from the book Night has not had time to develop his live and has not experienced the major points in ones life. While Guido has a wife and has a child were his life is mostly fulfilled. Throughout the first two acts Guido is getting and fulfilling the major life points such as marriage and having children. In the book Night Elie says that he is fifteen which is a young age and he has never gotten married or had children. Elie  assures this by saying on page 30 "I'm fifteen."  Which shows you how old he was and that he had not yet married or had a child.

            Throughout the movie Life Is Beauitful there are many moments that show that life is Beauitful. One of these moments is when Guido is able to create a family, as most people want to start a family which only a few species can do. Being able to know that you have a child can be beauitful part of 

Life.  Another moment in the movie that shows that life is beauitful is when Guido sacrifice himself to save his child as he wants more than anything for his child to survive. By doing this he knows that his life is more than just him thinking of himself. Which is one of the greatest things that someone can do knowing that their live has helped others is great.