As we finish this act, please post your best insights on this blog. Today, you should post 2-3 great ideas: label them with the appropriate reading strategy and link your thinking to text. Focus on great questions, inferences about characters, insights about big ideas/themes, responses to others' ideas, and answers to purpose questions. To receive full credit, you must adhere to blogging expectations and use textual support.
Do you think that Leanora will act as a witness for Merlin and defend him or do you think she will she choose not to speak out?
ReplyDeleteQuestion:Will Johnny's point of view of the KKK change after being branded by them, will he continue to support them or will he start to see them for who they truly are?
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron, I think this is an extremely important question. I think that you can see his changes throughout the few chapters, but I think being branded truly made him see how disgusting he used to be. In my opinion, the branding represents to cruel, and corrupt behavior behind radically racist groups.
DeleteIs it because people are standing up against the hate that the lynching rate has gone down? (pg. 137)
ReplyDeleteHow are the people in this story's prior opinion on Merlin change the way they see him now?
ReplyDeleteTowards the beginning of the book I think that most people didn't really understand some of the compassionate characteristics that Merlin has, where towards the end of the book people (like Mr. Hirsh) begin to see the good in Merlin and support some of his better decisions, like taking shoes to his girlfriend in the orphanage.
DeleteWhen you first meet Merlin, he is criticising Learnora when she is dancing. Not for her dancing but her race. It was not a good first impression so we judged him based on those few moments. Yet, later in the book we get to see deeper into his world. What he has done for people and actions (like poisoning) he didn't do. Merlin was kind to his girlfriend and grateful to people who helped him.
DeleteWhy do you all think that Esther has such a realistic understanding on problems like her father's death now, and not earlier during the novel?
ReplyDeleteI think that since the KKK had moved into Vermont, she was more exposed to reality. She is now more understanding of the concept of death. Also, when you mature, you tend to realise you're not invincible. Esther talks about how her mother, kittens, and Lewis are all on the train to heaven so death is not new to her.
DeleteWas it fear of the KKK or guilt that caused Johnny Reeves to kill himself? It would be a reasonable inference to make that Johnny killed Ira Hirsch, and that seems like it could drive Johnny to the tipping point of sanity.
ReplyDeleteDid Reynard "win by a landslide" because he didn't get involved and ignored it? Is this similar or different on how you should bare witness? (pg. 145)
ReplyDeleteMerlin appears to be acting from fear of Johnny. "I was supposed to poison the Sutter's well, but I couldn't even do that". It could be that the appeal of the KKK was strong at first, but he realized that he was in a hole after it was too late, and could've been fear motivating his actions.
ReplyDeleteIs Johnny reeves referred to the clan preacher on page 148, because he is a church preacher or he leads the KKK like it is a religion?
ReplyDeleteSteven, I think it is more of a metaphor. He is the most influential member, and is almost the mouthpiece of the KKK in Vermont, and he became the leader figure, and undertook the role of the preacher in the way he shares the message from a "higher" power, in this case being the KKK.
DeleteDo any of you think of any real world connections because of the part of this act that talks about how Merlin was accused of shooting someone because of the fact that he didn't poison the well? The quote that provoked this question for me was "...I'm accused of something worse. of trying to shoot mr. hirsh." pg 150 - One thought that came to mind for me is the two party system idea in America. At times, I know some people feel as if they are being accused of being, or thinking one thing because of a certain belief they have.
ReplyDeletedo you think Johnny Reeves survived the fall?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good question because it's not really proven that he did live, but as Fitzgerald Flitt said, "Folks say maybe he didn't die. But the way he hit, no one could survive." (Pg. 142) So my best guess is that he didn't survive because of what Fitzgerald witnessed.
DeleteLukas, there is no way humanly possible that he could've survived that fall, especially considering he jumped wanting to die.
DeleteQuestion: As Leanora described Merlin’s reaction after Johnny died, she said that it “looked like he’d seen a ghost.” (Pg. 161) What was Merlin and Johnny Reeves relationship like throughout the story?
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story Merlin was afraid of Johnny, he would do anything Johnny said just out of fear of what Johnny and the KKK would do.
DeleteHow was Johnny Reeves stalking Merlin? Did he actually survive the fall and find Merlin or is Merlin seeing Johnny's ghost? Does Johnny Reeves stalking Merlin symbolize anything?
ReplyDeleteI think Merlin saw Johnny because of the fact that he was so afraid and paranoid that every where he went he saw his face.
DeleteQuestion: Who was the girl that Johnny sees on page 155 ?
ReplyDeleteI think its just a random Girl and it's trying to imply that no one took him seriously which would drive him to jump off the cliff.
DeleteQuestion: Do you think another reason why Sara didn't oil the porch steps was because she wants to be able to hear people walk up so another shooting does not happen? This might be because she wants to be prepared if someone does hear anything.
ReplyDeleteIs the buck on page 158 act as sort of a metaphor for Merlin how he keeps falling in to the same bad habits until he finally realizes that hes been stuck all his life and finally finds away to escape.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What were Johnny Reeves motives in joining the KKK in the first place if it resulted in a failure?
ReplyDeleteWhat was Johnny's motivation to shoot Mr. Hirsh?
ReplyDeleteI think that he tried to kill Mr. Hirsh because he wanted to redeem himself to the KKK.
DeleteIf Johnny Reeves shot Mr. Hirsh to redeem himself to the klan, then why did the klan visit his house to torture him? Did Johnny think shooting and potentially killing Mr. Hirsh was the right way to redeem himself and the K.K.K. just didn,t approve of it?
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