How did Jack's childhood affect his goal of wanting to go to college?
As a child, Jack's father always told him about all the bad people that were around. He would point to people on the street and tell Jack what crime they committed. This most likely contributed to him being afraid of being on his own. He also is very scared of commitment becuase he was always moving to different towns as a child and never stayed in a place for a long time.
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?
I believe his school and home life made him more likely to become a criminal becuase he was always surrounded by criminal activity. His father always made it very clear to him who was a criminal and what they did. His father was very blunt with him. Sometimes being surrounded by something you know is a bad thing can inevitibly control you to be the same thing you feared.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
I do not think that Jack's prison sentence was fair. I think he was in way over his head and he didn't know the full consequences of his actions. I'm not saying he shouldn't have been punished, but his sentence should have been shorter. The idea of the money brainwashed him so he couldn't think about how big of a crime he was committing.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
I think that if he didn't love to read and he didn't take any books to read, he might have gone insane. His reading habit was very good for him becuase it occupied him and gave him something to do. If he had nothing to do in prison but sleep and eat he would've gone insane. His love of reading out of prison also helped him in the same way. It drove him and gave him inspiration to be better than average. He was working to achieve something and that is what really matters.
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 i don't think he would've been as successful. If he was around other inmates he would get distracted and he could occupy himself with doing other things. When he was by himself there was nothing else to do but read and write.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
Yes they were becuase it gave the story more suspense and it kept me and many other readers interested. It also gave the story more emotion and it sent a stronger message. Because of the horrible descriptions of prison life, many teens and young adults might think twice before committing a crime.
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?
Jack uses foreshadowing with his chapter titles. The titles let us know what might be coming. For instance, the chapter title, "I Love New York" foreshadows that the boat reaches its destination in New York City in that chapter.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
I think that each part tells a seperate story of this memoir. They each lead to the ultimate climax and end of the novel. The first part deals with his childhood and growing up, the second deals with him bouncing around schools and jobs and trying to find money, and the third part is his time in jail. They each play their parts in this memoir.
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?
No i do not think mistake is the right work for the situation. I think a better word would be excitement (for the money) or greed. By him using the work mistake it makes me feel more confident that he is sorry becuase by him using the word "mistake," it shows that he realizes that he was wrong and that if he could do it again, he wouldn't.
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.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Hole In My Life Questions
How did Jack's childhood affect his goal of wanting to go to college?
Jack’s childhood greatly affected his goal of wanting to go to college. He moved around all the time and didn’t have a chance to settle down in one place or have a place to call home. He also couldn’t get comfortable at school or amongst peers because he knew he was eventually going to move again. Jack came from a family with no money so he had to work and wasn’t able to just focus on school.
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 criminal. Jack’s school lacked the creative writing classes that would have helped Jack organize his writings and make him a better writer. Also, his home life wasn’t the greatest. He knew that his parents loved him but they were never there. He lived on his own a lot and they didn’t care if he was experimenting with alcohol and later drugs. He also never had parents there to set rules for him. He did what he wanted when he wanted and nobody could tell him what to do.
If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
If Jack wasn’t desperate to go to college I don’t think that he would have became a part of the hashish smuggling operation because he was finally home with his parents where he belonged and where he wanted to be. He would have been happy working with his father and trying to help his family get financially stable. Instead he saw an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. He never hesitated to saying no to something illegal because he had the desire to go to college no matter the consequences.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
I think that Jack’s prison sentence was more than fair. If he was older and he wouldn’t have been let off the hook that easily. He is very lucky that his age was on his side and that he wasn’t punished that badly for the huge crime he committed.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
Books are a huge part of Jack’s life and without them he wouldn’t be able to survive. In prison he would have gone crazy. He would have been bored and lonely if he didn’t have books. The books give him ideas about his own writing and they help him expand his vocabulary. Out of prison he relies on books so much. They are like a companion and a friend that is always there for him when no one else is.
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 do not think that Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his sentence in the general population. By Jack being in his private hospital cell it gave him the time to be alone with his thoughts and his books and to just relax. It gave him the opportunity to plan and organize his thoughts.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
Yes they are very necessary. They show what some people can only imagine and he shows what life is like for those people behind the bars. He shows the reader what happens in prison almost to warn them to stay out of prison and not make similar mistakes to his. The descriptions show what the result of committing a crime is.
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 give you a sense of what is going to happen. The titles are just topics and you find out what they mean as you read on. It tells you what to expect but does not give any information away.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
They are the 3 separate sections of his life. The first section was the part of his life where he was trying to find his way and mature. The second section was him dealing with having no money and wanting to go to college and him deciding to smuggle drugs. The last part was the time he spent in jail. I think he decided to divide the book into 3 sections because he wanted to describe each part of his life and the struggles and mistakes he made.
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 don’t think that mistake is the right word to use. He made a choice/decision to smuggle drugs when he knew it was against the law. The word mistake makes me less confident that he is sorry for what he did. I think that he is just sorry because he got caught and if he didn't get caught he would have thought that it was a great decision and that it pays off to do illegal things.
Jack’s childhood greatly affected his goal of wanting to go to college. He moved around all the time and didn’t have a chance to settle down in one place or have a place to call home. He also couldn’t get comfortable at school or amongst peers because he knew he was eventually going to move again. Jack came from a family with no money so he had to work and wasn’t able to just focus on school.
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 criminal. Jack’s school lacked the creative writing classes that would have helped Jack organize his writings and make him a better writer. Also, his home life wasn’t the greatest. He knew that his parents loved him but they were never there. He lived on his own a lot and they didn’t care if he was experimenting with alcohol and later drugs. He also never had parents there to set rules for him. He did what he wanted when he wanted and nobody could tell him what to do.
If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
If Jack wasn’t desperate to go to college I don’t think that he would have became a part of the hashish smuggling operation because he was finally home with his parents where he belonged and where he wanted to be. He would have been happy working with his father and trying to help his family get financially stable. Instead he saw an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. He never hesitated to saying no to something illegal because he had the desire to go to college no matter the consequences.
Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
I think that Jack’s prison sentence was more than fair. If he was older and he wouldn’t have been let off the hook that easily. He is very lucky that his age was on his side and that he wasn’t punished that badly for the huge crime he committed.
How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out of prison?
Books are a huge part of Jack’s life and without them he wouldn’t be able to survive. In prison he would have gone crazy. He would have been bored and lonely if he didn’t have books. The books give him ideas about his own writing and they help him expand his vocabulary. Out of prison he relies on books so much. They are like a companion and a friend that is always there for him when no one else is.
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 do not think that Jack would have become a successful writer if he had served his sentence in the general population. By Jack being in his private hospital cell it gave him the time to be alone with his thoughts and his books and to just relax. It gave him the opportunity to plan and organize his thoughts.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
Yes they are very necessary. They show what some people can only imagine and he shows what life is like for those people behind the bars. He shows the reader what happens in prison almost to warn them to stay out of prison and not make similar mistakes to his. The descriptions show what the result of committing a crime is.
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 give you a sense of what is going to happen. The titles are just topics and you find out what they mean as you read on. It tells you what to expect but does not give any information away.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
They are the 3 separate sections of his life. The first section was the part of his life where he was trying to find his way and mature. The second section was him dealing with having no money and wanting to go to college and him deciding to smuggle drugs. The last part was the time he spent in jail. I think he decided to divide the book into 3 sections because he wanted to describe each part of his life and the struggles and mistakes he made.
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 don’t think that mistake is the right word to use. He made a choice/decision to smuggle drugs when he knew it was against the law. The word mistake makes me less confident that he is sorry for what he did. I think that he is just sorry because he got caught and if he didn't get caught he would have thought that it was a great decision and that it pays off to do illegal things.
Hole in My Life Questions
How did Jack's childhood affect his goal of wanting to go to college?
Jack’s childhood was affected greatly by constantly having to move due to his father’s job and was never able to get settled down and put priorities in order. Jack’s family also had a hard time raising enough money to support the entire family so Jack was forced to begin working at a relatively young age. All of this led to Jack not being able to focus on his studies and continue to a higher education.
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?
Unfortunately, no matter how much Jack wanted to or tried to become a writer his life just wasn’t on that pathway. He was never able to really concentrate on becoming a writer and following his dreams. Instead he had to work and try to support himself throughout the years and he was willing to do what ever it takes, even if it includes breaking the law and going against his morals and ethics. He was able to do this because he never truly had parental guidance and was able to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
Jack’s plan was never to get incorporated with the harmful and wrong business of smuggling. He became incorporated with this operation because of his drive to go to college and follow his dream of becoming a writer and this was a quick fix to his money issue. Jack had a decent life without this operation and was making ends meat. He did not need this, but because of him wanting to go to college so much he seized the opportunity.Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Jack’s sentence wasn’t as much fair, as it was lucky. Had Jack been older and not applied to a college he could have easily gotten an extremely long prison sentence. Especially considering the circumstances of how large the drug bust was and his part of it, his sentence was more than fair.How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out ofprison?
Books were very important in Jack’s life. In prison, Jack was able to escape his harsh reality and get lost in the authors thoughts. He was also able to use them as journals by jotting down his ideas and thoughts between lines and in the margins. Out side of prison, Jack was able to depict the script of the books and learn many life lessons that would be helpful to him.
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 do not believe that Jack would have achieved the great feat of becoming a successful writer in the general population. In his private cell he was able to really concentrate and focus upon his readings. This led him to teach himself how to become a better writer by comparing and studying different authors styles. In a public cell there would have been many distractions and his cellmate may not have taken kindly to Jack reading a lot.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
The descriptions Jack was able to give the reader were very necessary and an important part to the story. Without these descriptions the reader would not be able to really get into the story and get locked into it. I believe it is also his way of telling the readers not to be like him, and take the same path that he did because prison is no joke and horrible things do in fact happen behind those bars.
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 little clues that give a small hints on what may happen in the following chapter. Generally, these clues are where something maybe take place or an object that is in the chapter.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
The book is divided into three sections to symbolize three sections of his life. The first is his childhood and before the smuggling operation. The second is about his experience during the smuggling operation. The third is about his trial and his life during and after the prison sentence.
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 believe “mistake” is the right word to use for this situation. Jack’s entrance and involvement in the smuggling ring seems to have really changed his life and he does not seem like he is truly sorry and really regrets the decision he made. This does not make me have much confidence in his sorrow.
Jack’s childhood was affected greatly by constantly having to move due to his father’s job and was never able to get settled down and put priorities in order. Jack’s family also had a hard time raising enough money to support the entire family so Jack was forced to begin working at a relatively young age. All of this led to Jack not being able to focus on his studies and continue to a higher education.
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?
Unfortunately, no matter how much Jack wanted to or tried to become a writer his life just wasn’t on that pathway. He was never able to really concentrate on becoming a writer and following his dreams. Instead he had to work and try to support himself throughout the years and he was willing to do what ever it takes, even if it includes breaking the law and going against his morals and ethics. He was able to do this because he never truly had parental guidance and was able to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.If Jack wasn't desperate to go to college, do you think he would have become a part of the hashish smuggling operation?
Jack’s plan was never to get incorporated with the harmful and wrong business of smuggling. He became incorporated with this operation because of his drive to go to college and follow his dream of becoming a writer and this was a quick fix to his money issue. Jack had a decent life without this operation and was making ends meat. He did not need this, but because of him wanting to go to college so much he seized the opportunity.Was Jack's prison sentence fair?
Jack’s sentence wasn’t as much fair, as it was lucky. Had Jack been older and not applied to a college he could have easily gotten an extremely long prison sentence. Especially considering the circumstances of how large the drug bust was and his part of it, his sentence was more than fair.How does Jack's love of books help save him in prison? What about out ofprison?
Books were very important in Jack’s life. In prison, Jack was able to escape his harsh reality and get lost in the authors thoughts. He was also able to use them as journals by jotting down his ideas and thoughts between lines and in the margins. Out side of prison, Jack was able to depict the script of the books and learn many life lessons that would be helpful to him.
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 do not believe that Jack would have achieved the great feat of becoming a successful writer in the general population. In his private cell he was able to really concentrate and focus upon his readings. This led him to teach himself how to become a better writer by comparing and studying different authors styles. In a public cell there would have been many distractions and his cellmate may not have taken kindly to Jack reading a lot.
Were Jack's unflinching descriptions of prison life necessary to the story? Why or why not?
The descriptions Jack was able to give the reader were very necessary and an important part to the story. Without these descriptions the reader would not be able to really get into the story and get locked into it. I believe it is also his way of telling the readers not to be like him, and take the same path that he did because prison is no joke and horrible things do in fact happen behind those bars.
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 little clues that give a small hints on what may happen in the following chapter. Generally, these clues are where something maybe take place or an object that is in the chapter.
The book is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate parts of the story?
The book is divided into three sections to symbolize three sections of his life. The first is his childhood and before the smuggling operation. The second is about his experience during the smuggling operation. The third is about his trial and his life during and after the prison sentence.
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 believe “mistake” is the right word to use for this situation. Jack’s entrance and involvement in the smuggling ring seems to have really changed his life and he does not seem like he is truly sorry and really regrets the decision he made. This does not make me have much confidence in his sorrow.