Authors often use cause and effect scenarios in a text to build on an overall theme. Identify one moment of your text that has had a drastic impact on the characters or plot. How did this moment affect your reading? Why do you think that the author included this moment in the text?
As obvious as it is, I think the moment that has the most impact on others would be the death of Oskar’s father on 9/11. Oskar will never be the same now that his father is gone because he was the only person that Oskar could truly connect with. He was also the only person that made Oskar feel safe and comfortable with being himself and asking questions. It is made evident that Oskar’s mother doesn’t quite now how to handle Oskar, and that was okay when her husband was around because he could compensate for her. Now that he’s gone, Oskar’s and his mother’s relationship is worse off than it ever was. She tries to be there for Oskar, but it never seems to work. At one point she tells Oskar that sounds like his father and Oskar replies with, “It doesn’t make me feel good when you say that something I do reminds you of Dad.” (43) She thinks that telling Oskar that he's like his father will make him feel good and comfort him, but it just reminds him that his father isn’t with them anymore. This impacted my reading because it made me realize how important Thomas Schell was to his family, and how he acted as a glue that held everybody together. I think the author had him pass away because it makes the text more of a bildungsroman on Oskar, and it also makes the plot more interesting that Oskar is looking for something that could possibly be his last tie he has to his father.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree that the author made the passing of Oskar's father the main idea of the story and that Oskar finding the answer to the key would replace the piece of Oskar that's missing, which is his father.
DeleteDo you think that finding the lock will truly be enough for Oskar to come to terms with his father's death?
DeleteI agree with both of you with the authors purpose was to make the whole book about finding the key but I think the author also wanted the whole book to be about Oskar growing up and facing his fears. And how I see it also is does Oskar really want to know where this key unlocks, what if he's very disappointed with it?
DeleteI'm not sure if it will be enough to make Oskar come to grips with his father's death. I think that it depends what the key unlocks that will be the deciding factor of how Oskar feels. Because of Oskar being so close to his father I don't think anything will make up for his loss.
DeleteOne moment that had a drastic impact on the main character, Oskar, was when on his journey to find every person with the last name “Black” he met a woman named Ada Black. During the middle of their conversation this quote came up “Ada said, ‘Oskar, I think you made Gail feel quite uncomfortable.” (150). Later after this part of the conversation Oskar wondered if he ever told Ada that his name was Oskar. This impacted the plot because now Oskar is wondering what is going on and that something doesn’t seem right. This moment affects my reading because I am thinking that Oskar is starting to understand what is really going on. I think the author included this in the text to show a turning point in which Oskar realizes that something’s fishy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this was a turning point in the text for Oskar, but this moment also raises a lot of questions for me.
DeleteI agree and disagree with that this was a turning point. I see how this has greatly impacted the book but I can also see how later events would be more of the turning point as in finding what the key opens.
DeleteI agree it was odd that Ada knew Oskar’s name. I think the author is foreshadowing that Oskar may not be the only one who knows about the key.
DeleteThroughout the book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Oskar had just lost his dad and was trying to find different ways to become closer to him. One day Oskar found this key which was hidden inside a blue vase, on the top shelf in his dad’s closet. Ever since, he has been trying to find out what meaning this key had. Oskar must of felt some type of joy once he found some sort of connection to his father. From what we have seen so far Oskar has had problems with controlling his temper. Once he found this key the author now shows us how much his father really meant to Oskar because of how much time he is spending looking for the lock which this key will open. Oskar relizes “I couldn’t explain it: it was fat and short key, in a little envelope, in a blue vase, on the highest shelf in his closet” (37). After knowing that Oskar do not handle stress very well this was not going to help him. I can predict that Oskar will become very disappointed once he finds out what the key really opens. Do you really think Oskar is prepared to find out what this very special key opens?
ReplyDeleteI feel that Oskar just wants to have something to do with his father so that he doesn't drop the thought of his father, I don't fully agree that Oskar wants to get closer to his father. I just feel that Oskar has found something that his father has hidden from his family, and he wants to find this secret side of his father, and what he was hiding.
DeleteAll he wanted was to make his dad proud and this mystery gave him a way to do it.
DeleteA major event that has impacted Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is when Oskar’s father passes away and left behind a key. Oskar has found this key and is left with a lot of unanswered questions and a very undetermined path. The departure of Oskar’s dad leads me to believe that Oskar will not be like how he used to when his dad was around because he doesn’t have his dad physically there. Now that his dad is gone, Oskar is on his own to search for any answers and clues he can get and lead himself to find the lock. Oskar’s father was the only person it seemed that he felt comfortable and himself around. At one point in the story, Oskar states, “It was a weird looking key, obviously to something extremely” (Foer 37). I think that the author puts this quote in the book to show that Oskar is determined to find what is behind this lock, by him saying that it is extremely important, without actually knowing for sure. I believe that this sentence is a good representation that Oskar is an adventurous human being, and won’t stop looking for something until he has all the answers and runs out of clues. This quote made me finally understand how much Oskar’s father meant to him, and how much he made an impact on Oskar’s life. Oskar does what he does because of what he was taught by his dad. I know that the reason I am who I am is because of the way that my parents raised me, and I saw the things they did and learned from them. I feel that further on, we will finally understand what the key will open, and what the true meaning of it will be. Do you think that Oskar is going to like what he find behind the lock and do you think he is ready to see what it?
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the beginning of the book Oskar was not ready to see what was in the box ( whatever it being) Because he had not gone through enough to except what is in the box. What I mean by that is Oskar before his mission was shallow in his thinking and did only what is comfortable. After he finishes going through all the people I think Oskar will have a better understanding on the world and life making him more able to respond to what ever is in the box positively.
DeleteIn the book Extremely loud and Incredibly Close a cause that affects the rest of the story was a small moment in the beginning of Oskar's mission. Early on in Oskar’s mission it is obvious that he is going to travel around if he wants to find the key. When trying to find the first name on his list Oskar has to travel to Queens New York. Now even though Oskar avoids public transportation he still faces his fear of bridges. Even though he directly states how much he hates them, “ Though walking on bridges also makes me panicky” (Foer, 87) Oskar faces one of his many fears in order to go on the mission. I believe the author has Oskar face his fears right away in the mission so the reader can see how focused and how badly Oskar wanted to find what fit the key. The effect that Oskar faces his fears is that he is able to help other people face their fears such as the old man that never left his apartment. After Oskar faced his first fear on his mission he has faced more and more fears of his throughout the book. I believe Oskar will continue to face his fears and Phobias, and help others face their fears on his mission as he faces his. With Oskar getting deeper and deeper into his search how do you think he has changed as a person?
ReplyDeleteI feel that he is changing by him meeting different people that he can socialize with and get to know, and he is also finding a side to his father that he didn't know about when his father was alive.
DeleteI believe that Oskar’s experiences throughout the book so far have helped him mature. He can also use these new social skills to help him understand other people’s perspectives.
DeleteIn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer, a drastic turning point for Oskar, was when he found the key. “I hollered...I gave myself a bruise...there was a little glass envelope...I couldn't explain it: a fat short key, in a little envelope,in a blue vas, on the highest shelf of his closet...The next morning I told mom that I couldn't go to school...it was the first lie I had to tell” (Foer 37/38). This shows that Oskar’s look on all the frustrating confusion he was experiencing changed for the better once he found this physical piece of evidence his father left behind. He went from hurting himself and screaming to calm and collected. I think the author had the vase break before oskar found the key so that we could experience Oskar’s frustration and then feel how much better he felt after finding this possible clue. Also this key kick started Oskar’s motivation. “Do you think I could find the company of this key?...I ran home and did some research, and found 472 people with the last name black...it would take me about three years to go through all of them. But I couldn't survive three years without knowing” (Foer 51). Oskar’s search was on after this key appeared. This text shows that he was really in it too win it. He even canceled his french lessons to give himself more time to search. I feel that if Oskar did not care or if he really did not want to figure this out he would not be willing to go search for random people with the last name black. I can relate to Oskar this way because I know with school tasks I am much more motivated when I have a physical objective that I am interested in. This influences my reading because now I get to follow Oskar on his adventure with much more motivation and interest than before. The reading is also not boring which keeps me engaged at all times. Can anyone relate to the ways Oskar becomes motivated and intrigued. How?
ReplyDeleteYes, I can relate to Oskar in his motivation. I feel that Oskar's motivation is almost desperate like he will follow anything that will maybe give him one more memory of his father. I can relate to this desperate motivation like Oskar being afraid to fail causes me and I believe Oskar to not give up and not do it half way.
DeleteThomas leaving Oskar’s grandma, his wife, is an important part of the plot. We know this from a letter that Thomas writes to his child. He admits, “I turned around and walked away from her, I didn’t look back, I won’t” (Foer 135). We know his wife keeps their child, because the child is Oskar’s Dad. I believe the author included the letters from Thomas in the book to show the history of Oskar’s family. I think he also wants readers to understand more about Oksar’s grandma. In the story Oskar’s grandma tells him little about his grandfather. I predict the key will somehow be linked to Thomas.
ReplyDeleteOskar is incredibly smart and has many connections with his dad. His dad is the one that put oscar on a quest and it was purposely, but the actual quest held no meaning other than to help Oskar become less socially awkward. As cited on page 259, “What about digging up dad's empty coffin?” This is similar is that his mom buried an empty coffin in hopes to lighten up everyone a little. Yet the quest was also a decoy of thoughts but from his dad. Why would his dad have a quest ready if he didn't know about his death, How long was it ready and awaiting his father's death?
ReplyDeleteHis dad did not put him on this, Oskar found the key and decided for himself he would solve it.
DeleteThe biggest effect to Oskar is of course the worst day but I wanna talk about a over looked tragedy, The ending, He finds Black but its a let down its nothing for Oskar and this I think at first destroyed Oskar I was honestly scared that he was going to hurt himself because of the let down. I think Oskar needed this to be able to grow up and change this was Oskars goal to solve this mystery and he did and maybe it was enough to finsh the 8 minutes.
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