tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post7700257328783286547..comments2023-05-05T05:11:42.908-04:00Comments on World Classics: Question of the Week (10/2/09)Ms. Pirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02358454503215270620noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-34952310589723627422009-10-09T20:00:11.031-04:002009-10-09T20:00:11.031-04:00I agree with Alex that writing is a very important...I agree with Alex that writing is a very important part of the book. LuLing communicates with Precious Auntie through writing( p 149), and LuLing is sooo proud of her script. Ruth is also good with writing, as she is a ghost writer; both literally and spiritually. I feel that Ruth acts like a link, connecting old times with new.lyndahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07756669766936528186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-10594683492146865382009-10-05T17:24:44.619-04:002009-10-05T17:24:44.619-04:00I would say that one symbol that is prevalent in p...I would say that one symbol that is prevalent in part one is the maturing aspect of a teenager. While Ruth is an adult now, she has many flashbacks that occur and bring us back to her childhood. There is one thing that happened to her while they were neighbors to Lance. This should never happen to a child, but if it does happen it is a big factor in the maturing of a child. Also, Ruth's "stepchildren" are also in their teenage years. In the car, while traveling to the skating rink we are able to see this. Ruth is feeling as any normal mom does in during their children's adolescent years. Explaining what he usual start to the week was, she responds by saying that "chaos is the penance for leisure" (pg. 18). Also, while arguing with her daughters about breakfast, she says the word "dead", and Dory says that she "[hates] it when [you] say the word dead!" (Pg. 18). This is typical arguing between a mother and her daughters. It is going to play a bigger part in the realtionship between Ruth and LuLing.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15852710760437118131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-91678685562918302882009-10-05T09:39:30.660-04:002009-10-05T09:39:30.660-04:00In both part 1 and part 2 secrets, food, and silen...In both part 1 and part 2 secrets, food, and silence are used as symbols. In part 2 precious Auntie and Lu Ling both have secrets. Precious Auntie doesn't tell Lu Ling that she is her mother, and Ruth keeps Precious Auntie in the dark about her future marriage. In part 1 Ruth doesn't tell Lui Ling about her conflict with Lance, or really anything about her life. Instead she writes in her journal and Lui Ling reads it. Lui Ling in return hasn't told Ruth about her past. In both part 1 and part 2 food and its importance in chinese culture is exemplified. In part 1 Ruth celebrates the new moon festival with a feast of Chinese delicacies. In Part 2 when Ruth's Family looses its store they feast before their money is taken away for damages. Silence is a symbol in both parts as well. Ruth is silent once a year, just like precious Auntie was always silent after her tar-eating incident.Nathaniel brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00877120507388779131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-77384796673478450672009-10-05T09:37:25.164-04:002009-10-05T09:37:25.164-04:00I agree with what almost everyone has said about s...I agree with what almost everyone has said about silence and secrets. Silence is the main symbol in pretty much all aspects of part one. Obviously, it is apparent when Ruth is silent for a stretch of time each year. The strange thing is that no one really questions this, and that feeds into how all of the characters are a part of the silence, because they allow it and and let Ruth say nothing even when it may be important for her to speak up. It is also apparent in many other ways, some little and unimportant and others more important. On page 148, Ruth tells her mother through the sand tray that they should move, but never actually tells her what Lance did to her. Also, in the same chapter on page 135, Ruth tried to drown herself in the sink, and her mother didn't know what she was doing. No one ever found out that she tried to kill herself, and she never even told her mother about the fact that she had thought she was pregnant.<br /><br />Part two starts right back up revealing some of the deeper secrets. There were many small secrets in part one, and a few bigger ones, but even just in the first chapter of part two some huge secrets are revealed, some of which LuLing didn't even know for a while, and Ruth most definitely didn't know. The biggest secret is that LuLing is the daughter of Precious Auntie. This had been mentioned earlier but now the whole story came out and Ruth knows for sure. So much more is going to be revealed in these letters to Ruth that LuLing never told her.Daniel Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799254200308217855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-55506572519805338492009-10-05T09:34:33.382-04:002009-10-05T09:34:33.382-04:00Obviously, as just about everyone has said, silenc...Obviously, as just about everyone has said, silence is the key symbol. A good example would be on page 77 she injures herself, and from that point on she stays silent because she doesn't want to lose the good fortune. In part two, it continues, as precious auntie "talked with her hands inky hands." 185. So some of the silence is to keep secrets or to maintain good fortune, but some of it is restriction, oppression, and fear like Ruth's diary entries....Chris Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17226148034480680295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-88835383321795323412009-10-05T07:31:23.186-04:002009-10-05T07:31:23.186-04:00Silence is the number one symbol seen in part one....Silence is the number one symbol seen in part one. The main silence which Ruth utilizes every year as a monent of control is an obvious demonstration. Every year, Ruth looses her voice so that she can have power of the other people in her house. All of her friends and relatives to her biding while she is silent. <br />Silence is seen in part 2 because precious auntie is unable to talk at all times due to her past accident. This allows for a connection between precious auntie and Ruth.<br />an example form the text ."You must move, Ruth wrote. Now. " (p 149), this is an example of how Ruth can get her way while she is being silent. Power which she would not have if she was able to talk.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04767047915829625412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-68216949800612647612009-10-05T06:51:33.725-04:002009-10-05T06:51:33.725-04:00It says that I posted at 3:49 am. Don't know w...It says that I posted at 3:49 am. Don't know why it says that because I definetly didn't write this at 3:49 am also I agree with Katie that silece is a maajor theme.Daniel Albertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07032118920676854219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-9329018827425676152009-10-05T06:49:44.918-04:002009-10-05T06:49:44.918-04:00Silence if definrtly a theme in Book one. Ruth has...Silence if definrtly a theme in Book one. Ruth has to go through a week of silence where she doesn't talk to anyone. She does this to to make her life easier. So she doesn't have to bother woth Lu-Ling. Also writing is another theme. In book one, Lu LIng really trys to teach Ruth how to write and Lu Ling has beutiful writing. In book two, The family are inkmakers, Ink is used to write, so the theme of writing is shown again.Daniel Albertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07032118920676854219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-7715831251628443202009-10-04T23:50:41.534-04:002009-10-04T23:50:41.534-04:00As many people above have said before, silence is ...As many people above have said before, silence is a big symbol for secrets and as we have talked about in class secrets will be a big part of the story. Also many times in the book there are things that are not as they seem, and anything thats just a bit normal in Ruths life is hiding something. so in a sense anything normal is also a symbol for secrets because anything normal in Ruth's life is used to hide a secret. Lu Lings apartment has plenty of hiding spots all covered up by normal objects, and inside is everything from money for emergencies, to her past letters also holding secrets. "Ruth went to the vinyl chair, removed the cushion and the cutting board. Everything was still there: the small black Bible, the silk pouch, the apple-green-jade ring." (p 166). There is a perfect example of how a normal chair is actually hiding an expensive ring meant for Ruth. Finally the sand board used to talk to Lu Ling aunts is a symbol of hope for both Lu Ling and Ruth because for Lu Ling its a chance for forgiveness, and for Ruth its a chance to get what she wants from her mothr, and her mothers attention."You must move, Ruth wrote. Now. " (p 149). This is an example of Ruth getting what she wanted by writing in sand, and at that time it gave her hope of getting away from Lance.<br /><br /><br />I agree with katie that silence is a symbol for secrets especially when she proposed that Ruth's week of silence was there to hide secrets. Its obvious that in that week she tells the reader how she really feels about her mother, and how she wishes her mom would do this all the time. But she uses the silence to hide her thoughts, keeping them as secrets.Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01728229832863198980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-83901601848691814582009-10-04T23:48:56.115-04:002009-10-04T23:48:56.115-04:00I agree with Katie, in that silence is a symbol us...I agree with Katie, in that silence is a symbol used in part 1 and part 2. I think Ruth uses the silence as power so she won't have to do certain things in her life. The silence allows her to not call her mother and to get out of paying for a new water heater. In part 2 silence is still a symbol because precious auntie is unable to speak at all times. Instead of giving precious auntie power though, it prevents her from speaking up. She has to communicate through her hands, in some ways this gives he rpower because no one truly knows what she is saying, only Lui Luing. I think silence is also represented through Ruth's career because she has to stay behind the scenes of a book but she contributes a lot to the book itself. In this sense though she is more like precious auntie because she is not allowed to be heard.mallory pattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03156133762864255342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-71834732978186582512009-10-04T22:54:31.970-04:002009-10-04T22:54:31.970-04:00I agree with Katie that silence was a theme in boo...I agree with Katie that silence was a theme in book one, and continues to be in what we have read of part two. Throughout book one, LuLing Talks about how Precious Auntie would speak with her hands because her mouth was burned shut. I think this goes along with the symbol of silence. Precious Auntie still is able to teach LuLing all sorts of things, and also is able to communicate with LuLing. They're communication, I think, is on a deeper level, and this is how LuLing truly knows Precious Auntie is her mother. Even though she doesn't remember certain details, I think that the bond between a mother and a daughter ins't easily forgotten and certainly recognizable.<br />Another theme throughout book one was love. Love comes in many different forms, as we see in the relationships of our characters. Ruth and LuLing are mother and daughter, but they have a very different relationship than the mother-daughter relationship that is portrayed in LuLings memories of Precious Auntie. "'I hate her! She's the worst mother a person could have. She doesn't love me" (159). I think that as a child, love means hugs and kisses, and anything deeper doesn't count. Children don't necessarily pick up on love that is more emotional , not physical. I think LuLing does love Ruth, very much, but it does not come in ways that Ruth can put her finger on and remember later. They are more of what is "between the lines."<br />Another example of love in book one is the love between Art and Ruth. Clearly Art fell in love with Ruth; we know this by the way Ruth described their story. I think this love still remains but has faded. The flame is slowly burning out and neither Ruth nor Art is doing anything to rekindle it.Megan Pattisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04252950472665313890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-86246302204157263712009-10-04T22:50:45.870-04:002009-10-04T22:50:45.870-04:00Silence is a big symbol throughout book one, from ...Silence is a big symbol throughout book one, from the beginning when it talks about Ruth's week of silence (9), and how Precious Auntie cannot talk (2), silence plays a big part in the story. To me silence represents secrets, and in the story so far there are a lot of unanswered questions that I think we will learn more about later on. <br /><br />Writing is also a big theme throughout the book, and I agree with Tor that preserving oneself in a manuscript or diary has importance. Both of the characters have preserved themselves in writing in someway in the story, and both of these documents have been very important. Ruth's diary almost caused Luling to commit suicide, and Lulings manuscript will probably teach Ruth things that she never knew about her mother before. Writing is one of the few things that Ruth and Luling have in common with each other. Ruth has her ghostwriting, and Luling has her calligraphy.Robin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01911451122887044378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-78384440262266107922009-10-04T22:44:55.083-04:002009-10-04T22:44:55.083-04:00I agree with Tor in that a theme that is passed fr...I agree with Tor in that a theme that is passed from part one too the second part is the idea of diaries, and recording whatever cant be said out loud onto paper. On page 156 Ruth "gave vent to these feelings[anger towards her mother] by writing them dow in a diary that Auntie Gal had given her for christmas." She could not tell her mother about anger and frustration towards her, as well as secrets about her own life, so she spilled into a diary. I think this passion for writing originated from her mother who is a highly respected calligraphist, and loves the chinese language. LuLing also writes her unspoken feelings in a piece she calls "Heart" in which she writes about things that Ruth had never heard, or didn't believe was true, such as Preciuos Auntie was LuLing's Mother. Writing for both Ruth and Luling constantly occurs in the book as a way to vent feelings.mason vogthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095455151482150941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-3031298051736138442009-10-04T22:33:14.256-04:002009-10-04T22:33:14.256-04:00I agree with many of my classmates, who have writt...I agree with many of my classmates, who have written about the symbolism of non-verbal communication in this story. I think Sam's idea about "ghostwriting" is spot on. As he says, Ruth is literally a "ghostwriter" (31); she works behind the scene, translating the authors's concepts into coherent books. (Art calls her a "book doctor"). Also, Sam points out how LuLing was a translater for Precious Auntie, taking the words that she could not speak and turning then into audible words that others could understand. I have another point to make on this subject; just as LuLing "translated" for Precious Auntie as a child, Ruth translates for LuLing. LuLing doesn't speak English very well, and needs Ruth to "tell her what people meant, to give her what they said from another angle" (70). Yet another example of "ghostwriting" is when Ruth writes in the sand, and her mother believes she is literally channeling the ghost of Precious Auntie.<br /><br />I think ghosts themselves are a powerful symbol in this story. They are mentioned again and again. I think ghosts symbolize the secrets and the past of the characters in the story.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01751916019947270911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-25509583464459852892009-10-04T22:29:10.206-04:002009-10-04T22:29:10.206-04:00Although I think Alice brings up another similarit...Although I think Alice brings up another similarity between Part I and Part II, I don't think cats symbolize memory. I think memory and confusion are present in both parts but not symblized with cats. Both Great-Granny and LuLing had trouble with their memory. LuLing forgets Ruth's cat FuFu died and Great-Granny forgets her grandson Hu Sen had died.Kianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08287545522899687251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-7053687869196743792009-10-04T22:16:46.415-04:002009-10-04T22:16:46.415-04:00As many have said, I think silence and writing are...As many have said, I think silence and writing are both huge symbols in the text. In Part I, we find out Ruth doesn’t speak for a week each year and it started when she broke her arm as a child. Being silent allowed Ruth to feel loved and freedom from her mother’s scolding. Ruth was scared if she made a sound “all the good things that were happening might disappear” (80). Earlier in the book Ruth uses her silence as a way to feel free from having to help Art. They come home from the trip to Tahoe and they don’t have hot water. Ruth knew that “Art didn’t want to be gouged with emergency plumbing rates” but “without a voice, Ruth couldn’t argue, and she was glad” (11). In Part II, Precious Auntie can’t speak and is always silent but she and LuLing still are able to communicate. <br />LuLing gives Ruth stories of her life that although Ruth does not read them right away she does say she is going to make an effort to read them at the end of Part I. She finds the others LuLing has hidden in her house and Ruth says “tomorrow she would call Art in Hawaii and see if he could recommend someone who could translate” (168). “She [Ruth] wanted to be here, as her mother told her about her life, taking her through all the detours of the past, explaining the multiple meanings of Chinese words, how to translate her heart” (168-9). LuLing tells us in Part II that Precious Auntie wrote her life story for her and LuLing read it after she died. In both parts the stories are passed on through writing and both the mothers find writing Chinese important. In Part I, LuLing tries to get Ruth to learn to write Chinese and tries to enforce the importance of the strokes but Ruth can’t do it and gets frustrated with it. In Part II, Precious Auntie is teaching LuLing what the parts are for the symbol “heart”. Precious Auntie explains that each part represents something and it seems very logical. LuLing tried to present this same logic when teaching Ruth.Kianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08287545522899687251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-42304352322993743622009-10-04T21:53:01.557-04:002009-10-04T21:53:01.557-04:00As previously mentioned the two most important sym...As previously mentioned the two most important symbols in the book are silence and writing. Silence is used as a symbol for the secrets kept in this book. Although they aren't really secrets since most of what is secret is written down on paper. Ruth has a week of silence starting on August twelfth where she always loses her voice (9). She uses this silent week as a way of escape from everything that's going on around her. Ruth also kept a diary during her teenage years which her mother would read. Ruth never actually confronted her mother for reading the diary, instead she used writing as a way to confront her. Only she wrote, "I hate her! She's the worst mother a person could have. She doesn't love me. She doesn't listen to me. She doesn't understand anything about me" (159). Ruth writes that message with the intention of her mother reading it. That passage in the book connects silence and writing because Ruth doesn't speak up about her anger at her mother and she writes about it instead as a way of communication.Emily Lohrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00065225653466036196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-21757078924488157462009-10-04T21:51:49.166-04:002009-10-04T21:51:49.166-04:00In the Bonesetter's Daughter cats symbolize me...In the Bonesetter's Daughter cats symbolize memory. In part one we see evidence of LuLing loosing her memory when she forgets about Fufu the cat's death, "Hadn't she told her mother Fu-Fu had died? She must have" (67). In part two cats are further linked with memory when they talk about fleas causing people to loose there mind, "Precious Aunty suspected that a tiny flea had crawled into her ear and was feasting on her brain.Confusion Itch was the name of the malady, Precious Aunty said. It is the reason people often scratch their heads when they cannot remember" (178). Where do fleas live? On cats. I rest my case.<br /><br />I agree with...everyone else who left a comment...about the whole silence and manuscripts thing. <br /><br />P.S. I really like the new blog design...Alice.Rottersmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16506460218839594994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-9312389629534844402009-10-04T21:45:30.653-04:002009-10-04T21:45:30.653-04:00The concept of ghostwriting seems to be very preve...The concept of ghostwriting seems to be very prevelant in the book. As Tor said, the characters like to record their thoughts into documents, but also they seem to be relaying messages from others through their own words. Ruth's job involves writing other people's ideas in her own words. Ruth even states that "most people [call] her a ghostwriter" (31). Also, LuLing explains how she was a translater for Precious Auntie taking her words that she could not speak and turning then into audible words that others could understand. Another example of this phenominon in part two is how LuLing believes that Ruth can relay messages from Precious Auntie's ghost through the sand board. Even though this is very superstitious it is an example mentioned more than once in the book.<br /><br />Like Lauren said I also agree that silence is another important symbol in the story. It is clear that each of the mother daughter characters uses silence in her own special way from control to keeping secrets. There are many other important symbols in the book, but I think that ghostwriting and silence are the key ones.Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11065352932673025194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-12271987262920150352009-10-04T21:30:24.357-04:002009-10-04T21:30:24.357-04:00I agree that silence is a symbol, but i think it s...I agree that silence is a symbol, but i think it symbolizes more then power. Yes, Ruth gets power when she is silent, but she also gets positive attention. Her mother, Luling, isn't constantly criticizing her. And though that can be seen as Ruth trying to gain power, it is also her enjoying the ability to relax. She is always being judged openly by her mother, and her mom says nothing when she is injured. That is not just about her trying to get power, that is only part of it. The reader knows she likes the power, thinks she can use it to get things, like getting a dog. But you also know that she is surprised when she doesn't get reprimanded, she is surprised by her mothers concern. So it is about more then just power.Meghan Licciardihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14143468000140690048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-87967174997147677252009-10-04T20:45:37.788-04:002009-10-04T20:45:37.788-04:00I find that another theme throughout the book is t...I find that another theme throughout the book is the act of perserving ones self in a manuscript or diary like both Ruth and LuiLing do. The first documentation of life comes from LuiLing and is passed down to Ruth The second is a diary in which Ruth uses it to manipulate her mother and almost accidently kill her by writing the words "You talk about killing yourself, so why don't you ever do it?" (159) the last example of manuscripture depicting a youths upbringing is the second document that Ruth finds in LuiLings house. This one is entitled "Change" I think that for so many different "diary" typed pieces of literature to be present in the book it is safe to say that it could be considered a themeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-84663754542688281272009-10-04T20:45:22.018-04:002009-10-04T20:45:22.018-04:00Silence is one of the main symbols in the novel Th...Silence is one of the main symbols in the novel The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. For example is Ruth's week of silence, a ritual surrounding the week she somehow manages to lose her voice. p9. Also, Ruth is unable to speak up for herself during the pregnancy incident p134. And then she says that precious auntie wants them to move using no words. Yeah and then in book two Precious Auntie can't speak so that's silence as welllyndahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07756669766936528186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-8899145512272706902009-10-04T20:44:09.524-04:002009-10-04T20:44:09.524-04:00The main symbol in part 1 is secrets. During part ...The main symbol in part 1 is secrets. During part 1, the reader comes upon many different secrets and they ponder what the answers are. On page 167 there are a lot of secrets that Ruth wants to find out about her mother. "Precious Auntie, wearing the perculiar headdress and high-collared winter clothes. What did this mean? Was her mother demented thirty years before? Or was Precious Auntie really who her mother said she was ? And if she was, did that mean her mother was not demented?" Also later on the page, "What did the sentences say? The names of the dead, the secrets they took with them. What secrets?" This shows that there are so many secrets that Ruth does not know about her mother. She does not even know who her grandmother is. Part 1 really sets the reader up. It gets the reader wondering and then Part 2 starts to answer the questions the reader wants to know. Page 181 answers a few questions, "He was my real father, and he would have married Precious Auntie, if only he had not died on their wedding day." WE have only read one chapter in Part 2 and we already so many of the secrets have been answered. Before we did not know how Precious Auntie's face got so badly burned or who LuLing's mother was or why the Book is called the Bonesetter's Daughter. We now know all these answers. Therefore I don't think that secrets is a theme really maintained in part 2. I think that part 2 is answering the secrets from part 1. Sure, there are still secrets that we do not know, such as how Precious Auntie killed herself. But one can guess that that secrets will be answered as well. I think that you need both parts of the book to understand the book, but I don't think that secrets necessarily are maintained throughout the book. <br />Another theme in part one was superstition about ghosts and curses. For example, LuLing believes that Precious Aunties ghost is haunting her and she tries to communicate with her through Ruth. "You feel something else matter?... Another ghost here?" LuLing asks Ruth on page 123. LuLing is superstitious that Precious Auntie is haunting her. Also on page 11 and 12, "She scanned the sky, but it was too light and misty to see any 'ghost bodies' burning up." Ghosts and curses appear many times throughout part 1 as they do in part 2. "'This is a curse,' she murmured, as she stared down at the bodies of the men she loved. For three sleepless days after their deaths, Precious Auntie apologized to the corpses of her father and Baby Uncle. She talked to their still faces. She touched their mouths, though to fear this was forbidden and caused the women of the house to fear that the wronged ghosts might either possess her or decide to stay." This shows how curses and the belief of ghosts is maintained in part 2 as well as part 1. <br />I agree with a lot of other people about how silence is a theme throughout the book. Precious Auntie is silent in part 1 and we find out how in part 2. But I do not see how it is a major theme. I think that secrets is the main theme, well at least in apart one.Brycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057312404441842881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-12597108235262130212009-10-04T20:38:52.396-04:002009-10-04T20:38:52.396-04:00I agree with Katie in the fact that one of the mos...I agree with Katie in the fact that one of the most dominant and easily recognizable themes in book one is the use of silence. throughout book one silence is used in many different ways one example being when Ruth breaks her arms (77) I mean i found that this theme was the easiest to pick up on because in chapter one on pg (9) it begins "for the past eight years, always starting on august twelfth, Ruth Young lost her voice" I also agree with sonya in the fact that writing and language is another theme throughout the book with such examples as how Ruth draws symbols in a sand box for the voice of great Auntie (127)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107167822481968981.post-29521401924442089812009-10-04T20:26:00.391-04:002009-10-04T20:26:00.391-04:00I agree with kelsey and mike!I agree with kelsey and mike!Ella Kaplanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03741426200957988623noreply@blogger.com