How did Jack's childhood affect his goal of wanting to go to college?
Jack was always constantly moving and never had a chance to adapt to his surroundings. He could never get used to one school because sooner or later he would move. Also with money being very tight for his family he was forced to have work come first, then school, therefore he was never able to concentrate on his studies.
On page 28, Jack says, "And if not a writer, I wasn't sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interest in becoming a criminal." Did Jack's school and home life make him more likely to become a criminal or a writer? Why?
As much as Jack wanted to become a writer his school and home life steered him towards a criminal life. He didn't grow up in the greatest of homes as money was always tight and they were constantly moving. He could never concentrate on his writing because he was too busy working. When the opportunity came up of earning ten thousand dollars, even if it did mean breaking the law Jack pounced on it.
If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
No, Jack was living a fine life at Davy's up in till then and was planning on going to St. Croix to work with his father. He only did the operation because he wanted to go to college so badly, otherwise he could have just worked with his dad and not worried about college.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Yes, Jack's sentence was extremely fair. If anything he got off lucky with his sentence. They said many times that his drug bust was one of the biggest in a long time. He was lucky to be young and get off easy.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
Jack's love of books helps him through prison because he reads them to help give him writing ideas. He would then jot down his experiences inside the books as if it were a journal. Outside of prison books have a similar effect as they help give him ideas to write about.
Do you think Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his prison term in the general population rather than in his private hospital cell?
No, because Jack would never be able to relax and just write like he was able to do in his hospital cell. He would have to always worry about a fellow prisoner bothering him or taking away his books. He was able to have peace and quiet in his hospital cell.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
Yes, they show what really happens behind those bars. That people are really out to get you if you are not careful. He is basically warning you, that if you make the same mistake he did, you will suffer in prison, that it is no walk in the park.
What kinds of clues do the chapter titles provide? How does Jack signal the reader ahead of time about what will occur in the chapter?
Each chapter title show the reader of what kind of challenge will be facing in the upcoming chapter. The titles give you enough clues so you can figure out what kind of challenge that may be.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
Each of the three sections were a different part of his life/struggle. The struggle of childhood, the struggle of the smuggling and the struggle of prison. He did this to show how each affected what he is today.
Jack claims that his becoming involved in the smuggling ring was "a mistake." Do you think "mistake" is the right word for the situation? By using the word "mistake," does Jack make you feel more or less confident that he is sorry for what he did?
A mistake is when you disobey a parents order, something small, but a mistake is not smuggling a ton of hash into New York. He makes it sound like it wasn't that big of a deal. If he were not to be caught, would it have even mattered? He probably would have thought of it has a great choice of his if he weren't caught. Phrasing it as a "mistake" just doesn't look like it matters enough to him as if could or should. It just makes me wonder whether he really regrets it or not.
Chris Formisano
Hole in my Life by Jack Gantos
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This is a student-friendly place to discuss your summer reading assignment with your peers. Use this Blog only for matters related to the book – this is not a social networking outlet.
As you respond to the questions and postings related to the book you are reading, keep in mind that all blog postings will be monitored. If you use inappropriate language you will be reported.
This is for English class; therefore, you must write in full sentences and use correct punctuation and grammar. Please avoid texting or IM language, abbreviations, slang, emoticons, etc. In order to receive credit, blogs must be well thought out and at least three sentences in length.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Questions
How did Jack's childhood affect his goal of wanting to go to college?
Because Jack was always moving and switching schools, he could never get a grip on his studies. He had to get used to new curriculums and never got situated. Besides moving, he was also working so he rarely had time to study and sometimes didn't attend school. With all this in the way, he had a bad education. This makes it very hard for him to get into college since his school record is bad. Once he realized that he liked writing, though, it built an interest into him which would be the driving force to go to college for writing.
On page 28, Jack says, "And if not a writer, I wasn't sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interest in becoming a criminal." Did Jack's school and home life make him more likely to become a criminal or a writer? Why?
Jack's school and home life made him more likely to become a writer. Although his education was not very good, he had an interest in writing. His home life was very good. His parents took great care of him and had hopes for him. They also showed him criminals to make sure that he would not become one. This quote proves that that technique worked. Although he may not have gotten a good education, most of the places he went to school were not bad, they were clean and offered decent education.
If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
Jack would still have taken part in the operation. He needed the money and wanted to get off of St. Croix. He even wanted to visit the U.S. This was the perfect chance for him to do so and the money would have been extremely beneficial to his life.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Jack's sentence was very fair. The huge crime he commited would have been a life sentence but because he was young his sentence was shorter. The sentence was also beneficial to him. It gave him time to set himself straight. If the sentence was short, he might have taken the risk again for that money.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
In prison, Jack would be miserable and bored. With his books, he was able to read and forget his troubles. He would really get into them and enter a whole new world. After reading a lot, it set him on his path to becoming a writer. Once out of prison, all the writing inspired him and also taught him valuable life lessons.
Do you think Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his prison term in the general population rather than in his private hospital cell?
Jack would probably not have become a successful writer because in the general population, he would have been influenced by the other prisoners. It could have changed him or he could have been abused by the prisoners and lost care for his life. The hospital gave him privacy and time to think and it was easy to concentrate there.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
The descriptions were very necessary to the story. He provides the reader with this horrendous image of prison. The reader can understand how unbearable the jail was and gives him or her no interest in being there. The book is about Jack's mistakes and the purpose of it is certainly so you never repeat his actions. These descriptions tell you the consequences.
What kinds of clues do the chapter titles provide? How does Jack signal the reader ahead of time about what will occur in the chapter?
The chapter titles are very brief phrases but long enough for one to understand the upcoming events. They either name an important object or place such as "St. Croix", or an action such as "marking time".
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
The author divided the book into three important parts of his life: Childhood, smuggling, and prison life. He did this to show how each part impacted his life.
Jack claims that his becoming involved in the smuggling ring was "a mistake." Do you think "mistake" is the right word for the situation? By using the word "mistake," does Jack make you feel more or less confident that he is sorry for what he did?
I do not think that "mistake" is the right word. People make mistakes and he is just saying that it's not a big deal using that word. It does not make me feel confident that he regrets it much. He is showing that he does not regret it because if didn't get caught, one can tell that he would have thought that that was a great choice for himself.
Because Jack was always moving and switching schools, he could never get a grip on his studies. He had to get used to new curriculums and never got situated. Besides moving, he was also working so he rarely had time to study and sometimes didn't attend school. With all this in the way, he had a bad education. This makes it very hard for him to get into college since his school record is bad. Once he realized that he liked writing, though, it built an interest into him which would be the driving force to go to college for writing.
On page 28, Jack says, "And if not a writer, I wasn't sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interest in becoming a criminal." Did Jack's school and home life make him more likely to become a criminal or a writer? Why?
Jack's school and home life made him more likely to become a writer. Although his education was not very good, he had an interest in writing. His home life was very good. His parents took great care of him and had hopes for him. They also showed him criminals to make sure that he would not become one. This quote proves that that technique worked. Although he may not have gotten a good education, most of the places he went to school were not bad, they were clean and offered decent education.
If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
Jack would still have taken part in the operation. He needed the money and wanted to get off of St. Croix. He even wanted to visit the U.S. This was the perfect chance for him to do so and the money would have been extremely beneficial to his life.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Jack's sentence was very fair. The huge crime he commited would have been a life sentence but because he was young his sentence was shorter. The sentence was also beneficial to him. It gave him time to set himself straight. If the sentence was short, he might have taken the risk again for that money.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
In prison, Jack would be miserable and bored. With his books, he was able to read and forget his troubles. He would really get into them and enter a whole new world. After reading a lot, it set him on his path to becoming a writer. Once out of prison, all the writing inspired him and also taught him valuable life lessons.
Do you think Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his prison term in the general population rather than in his private hospital cell?
Jack would probably not have become a successful writer because in the general population, he would have been influenced by the other prisoners. It could have changed him or he could have been abused by the prisoners and lost care for his life. The hospital gave him privacy and time to think and it was easy to concentrate there.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
The descriptions were very necessary to the story. He provides the reader with this horrendous image of prison. The reader can understand how unbearable the jail was and gives him or her no interest in being there. The book is about Jack's mistakes and the purpose of it is certainly so you never repeat his actions. These descriptions tell you the consequences.
What kinds of clues do the chapter titles provide? How does Jack signal the reader ahead of time about what will occur in the chapter?
The chapter titles are very brief phrases but long enough for one to understand the upcoming events. They either name an important object or place such as "St. Croix", or an action such as "marking time".
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
The author divided the book into three important parts of his life: Childhood, smuggling, and prison life. He did this to show how each part impacted his life.
Jack claims that his becoming involved in the smuggling ring was "a mistake." Do you think "mistake" is the right word for the situation? By using the word "mistake," does Jack make you feel more or less confident that he is sorry for what he did?
I do not think that "mistake" is the right word. People make mistakes and he is just saying that it's not a big deal using that word. It does not make me feel confident that he regrets it much. He is showing that he does not regret it because if didn't get caught, one can tell that he would have thought that that was a great choice for himself.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Questions
How did Jack's childhood affect his goal of wanting to go to college?
Jack's childhood affected his goal of wanting to go to college in a couple of ways. One was how he kept moving from school to school when his father was changing his jobs. Also as a child he started to learn that he had a liking for writing and he knew he needed to go to college to become a writer.
On page 28, Jack says, "And if not a writer, I wasn't sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interest in becoming a criminal." Did Jack's school and home life make him more likely to become a criminal or a writer? Why?
Jack's school and home life made him more likely a criminal. This is because how he would drink and do drugs and not really care about anything else and he wasn't working towards his goal of becoming a writer.
If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
I think he would have became a part of the hashish smuggling operation even if he wasn't desperate to go to college. I think this because he would have done the operation just for the money. He would not be able to say no to that kind of money.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Jack's prison sentence was fair. He was trying to smuggle in illegal narcotics into the country. The only problem I had with his sentence was that it did not give him an exact amount of time he was serving.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
Jack's love of books help save him in prison because it gave him a place to get away from the place he was living in and gave him a place to escape. Out of prison, books helped him become a writer and complete his goal.
Do you think Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his prison term in the general population rather than in his private hospital cell?
I think that Jack would not have become a successful writer if he had served his term in the general population. He wouldn't have had his privacy like he had in the hospital cell. He also would have not fared well with all of the other prison mates in the prison.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
I feel that Jack's descriptions of prison life were necessary to the story. They were necessary because it gives you a visual of what he was going through in the prison and how uneasy it is to be there.
What kinds of clues do the chapter titles provide? How does Jack signal the reader ahead of time about what will occur in the chapter?
The clues of the chapter titles provide what is going to happen in the chapter or where the chapter is taking place. He signals the reader ahead of time by telling clues about what will happen.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
I think the author decided to separate parts of the story because he wanted to show the different parts of his life. The first section was his life before the smuggling operation. The second section is his life during the smuggling operation. The third section is his life in prison and getting out of prison.
Jack claims that his becoming involved in the smuggling ring was "a mistake." Do you think "mistake" is the right word for the situation? By using the word "mistake," does Jack make you feel more or less confident that he is sorry for what he did?
Jack makes me feel less confident that he is sorry for what he did. If he was not caught for his crime he would have probably left this whole event behind him. Also before he agreed to the smuggling operation he should have known the consequences and knew it was wrong.
Jack's childhood affected his goal of wanting to go to college in a couple of ways. One was how he kept moving from school to school when his father was changing his jobs. Also as a child he started to learn that he had a liking for writing and he knew he needed to go to college to become a writer.
On page 28, Jack says, "And if not a writer, I wasn't sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interest in becoming a criminal." Did Jack's school and home life make him more likely to become a criminal or a writer? Why?
Jack's school and home life made him more likely a criminal. This is because how he would drink and do drugs and not really care about anything else and he wasn't working towards his goal of becoming a writer.
If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
I think he would have became a part of the hashish smuggling operation even if he wasn't desperate to go to college. I think this because he would have done the operation just for the money. He would not be able to say no to that kind of money.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Jack's prison sentence was fair. He was trying to smuggle in illegal narcotics into the country. The only problem I had with his sentence was that it did not give him an exact amount of time he was serving.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
Jack's love of books help save him in prison because it gave him a place to get away from the place he was living in and gave him a place to escape. Out of prison, books helped him become a writer and complete his goal.
Do you think Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his prison term in the general population rather than in his private hospital cell?
I think that Jack would not have become a successful writer if he had served his term in the general population. He wouldn't have had his privacy like he had in the hospital cell. He also would have not fared well with all of the other prison mates in the prison.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
I feel that Jack's descriptions of prison life were necessary to the story. They were necessary because it gives you a visual of what he was going through in the prison and how uneasy it is to be there.
What kinds of clues do the chapter titles provide? How does Jack signal the reader ahead of time about what will occur in the chapter?
The clues of the chapter titles provide what is going to happen in the chapter or where the chapter is taking place. He signals the reader ahead of time by telling clues about what will happen.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
I think the author decided to separate parts of the story because he wanted to show the different parts of his life. The first section was his life before the smuggling operation. The second section is his life during the smuggling operation. The third section is his life in prison and getting out of prison.
Jack claims that his becoming involved in the smuggling ring was "a mistake." Do you think "mistake" is the right word for the situation? By using the word "mistake," does Jack make you feel more or less confident that he is sorry for what he did?
Jack makes me feel less confident that he is sorry for what he did. If he was not caught for his crime he would have probably left this whole event behind him. Also before he agreed to the smuggling operation he should have known the consequences and knew it was wrong.
Hole in My Life Questions
1. How did Jack's childhood affect his goal of wanting to go to college?
Jacks childhood affected his goal of wanting to go to college because he was always changing schools and moving. since he was switching schools it was tough for him to be able to get comfortable and do good in his new school. He also had to work on top of school so that made it even more difficult for him to get into college and obtain his goal.
2. On page 28, Jack says, "And if not a writer, I wasn't sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interest in becoming a criminal." Did Jack's school and home life make him more likely to become a criminal or a writer? Why?
Jacks school and home life made him more likely to become a writer because even though he moved constantly he still was reading and writing, he was just not getting a great education. His parents cared about him and gave him work. They would even show him the criminals so he wouldnt become one down the road.
3. If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
If he wasnt so desperate to go to college i think he would have avoided the whole opperation. He was to nervous about it to do it but he did do it because he wanted to go to college that bad. Yeah he wanted to get off St. Croix but he could of tried to get another way off with another ship.
4. Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Yeah Jacks sentence was very fair. He did something that could get you in jail for live but he was lucky enough to get nothing near a life sentence. He got a short sentence because he was young but if he was older it would have been a different story.
5. How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
Jacks love for books were what helped carry him though prision. He would read his books and forget about what was around him and just play the part of the character. From the books when he eventually got out of prision he leared alot of lessons from them.
6. Do you think Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his prison term in the general population rather than in his private hospital cell?
If Jack served his term in general population it could have went two ways. He could have seen alot more and become even a better writer. Or he could have been abused by the men in there and maybe not even make it out of prision wanting to become a writer. He probably would have become even better though because he would have seen way more then he saw in his hospital cell.
7. Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
Jacks descriptions of the story were necessary. It gave us a feel of what prision life is like and how terrible it is. He was trying to show us that we should have no desire to go to prision so we would not commit any crimes. If he left out all this description this book might not be half as good and people would just think prision is an easy place to be.
8. What kinds of clues do the chapter titles provide? How does Jack signal the reader ahead of time about what will occur in the chapter?
The chapter titles provide a clue to whats gonna be in the chapter. They would mostly hint as to somewhere he went or and object in the chapter. He would title them "getting out"which ment he got out of jail or "St. Croix" which was where he ended up.
9. The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
The book is divided in three because they represent diffent parts of his life. One is his youth. The second section is him living on St. Croix and his agreement to the drug smuggling. The third is him going to court and prison and his life in prison.
10. Jack claims that his becoming involved in the smuggling ring was "a mistake." Do you think "mistake" is the right word for the situation? By using the word "mistake," does Jack make you feel more or less confident that he is sorry for what he did?
"Mistake" is not the word that should have been used. He did it for a reason and he knows that. He did it to get money for college and get off the island. By him saying "mistake" you can tell he is not very sorry for what he did. He doesnt really regret it he just wishes they never got caught.
Jacks childhood affected his goal of wanting to go to college because he was always changing schools and moving. since he was switching schools it was tough for him to be able to get comfortable and do good in his new school. He also had to work on top of school so that made it even more difficult for him to get into college and obtain his goal.
2. On page 28, Jack says, "And if not a writer, I wasn't sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interest in becoming a criminal." Did Jack's school and home life make him more likely to become a criminal or a writer? Why?
Jacks school and home life made him more likely to become a writer because even though he moved constantly he still was reading and writing, he was just not getting a great education. His parents cared about him and gave him work. They would even show him the criminals so he wouldnt become one down the road.
3. If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
If he wasnt so desperate to go to college i think he would have avoided the whole opperation. He was to nervous about it to do it but he did do it because he wanted to go to college that bad. Yeah he wanted to get off St. Croix but he could of tried to get another way off with another ship.
4. Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Yeah Jacks sentence was very fair. He did something that could get you in jail for live but he was lucky enough to get nothing near a life sentence. He got a short sentence because he was young but if he was older it would have been a different story.
5. How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
Jacks love for books were what helped carry him though prision. He would read his books and forget about what was around him and just play the part of the character. From the books when he eventually got out of prision he leared alot of lessons from them.
6. Do you think Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his prison term in the general population rather than in his private hospital cell?
If Jack served his term in general population it could have went two ways. He could have seen alot more and become even a better writer. Or he could have been abused by the men in there and maybe not even make it out of prision wanting to become a writer. He probably would have become even better though because he would have seen way more then he saw in his hospital cell.
7. Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
Jacks descriptions of the story were necessary. It gave us a feel of what prision life is like and how terrible it is. He was trying to show us that we should have no desire to go to prision so we would not commit any crimes. If he left out all this description this book might not be half as good and people would just think prision is an easy place to be.
8. What kinds of clues do the chapter titles provide? How does Jack signal the reader ahead of time about what will occur in the chapter?
The chapter titles provide a clue to whats gonna be in the chapter. They would mostly hint as to somewhere he went or and object in the chapter. He would title them "getting out"which ment he got out of jail or "St. Croix" which was where he ended up.
9. The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
The book is divided in three because they represent diffent parts of his life. One is his youth. The second section is him living on St. Croix and his agreement to the drug smuggling. The third is him going to court and prison and his life in prison.
10. Jack claims that his becoming involved in the smuggling ring was "a mistake." Do you think "mistake" is the right word for the situation? By using the word "mistake," does Jack make you feel more or less confident that he is sorry for what he did?
"Mistake" is not the word that should have been used. He did it for a reason and he knows that. He did it to get money for college and get off the island. By him saying "mistake" you can tell he is not very sorry for what he did. He doesnt really regret it he just wishes they never got caught.