Which character in your novel do you identify with the closest, or which character do you have the hardest time identifying with? How does this influence your reading? What characterization led you to this conclusion?
As the story develops, I am able to identify more and more with Oskar. Although he seems like a kid that is one of a kind, he possesses traits that I think are easy to relate to. I’m the kind of person that has questions about everything, and once you answer my question I’ll follow up with another, much like Oskar. Sometimes I even have to bite my tongue from asking questions that might be to invasive or inappropriate to ask, which is where is have a hard time identifying if Oskar. He never seems to know where the line needs to be drawn. For example, when he goes to Abby Black’s home she tells him “Now is not really the best time.” (91) and, of course, Oskars reply is “Why not?” (91). To most, after being told that it’s not the best time, you stop asking questions, but that doesn’t stop Oskar. This can make me slightly annoyed with Oskar when I am reading, but I also feel sympathetic at the same time because he lost the only person who would answer every question he had. Does anybody else think that Oskar can get to invasive with the questions and needs to learn where to draw the line?
Yes, I was thinking the same thing that he can get a little to invasive with his questions. I think that it might become a bad thing in the future that could get him in some trouble if he doesn't catch on and realize that not all questions are appropriate to ask. Do you agree?
I would agree with that. Especially because he is travelling all over New York to find the lock, he's going to be meeting a lot of people and they might not all be too keen on his personality.
I can defiantly agree with you because in the beginning you can tell Oskar is nine years old by how he is always asking question after question. But the farther you get into the book you notice he is growing up and becoming more and more mature.
The character that I have the hardest time identifying is Oskar’s grandmother. She is very close with Oskar and they talk over the walkie talkie but is seems like she’s also very far away from Oskar too. This influences my reading because … The characterization that led me to this conclusion is that she’s mysterious. When she talks to Oskar she talks to him on a walkie talkie and never talks to him face to face.”She took a step back so that she disappeared into her apartment.”(Foer 73). This seems really weird to me because if they are said to be “so close” why doesn’t she want to confront Oskar. It makes me think that she’s hiding something from him.
I think that they are actually very close because Oskar says that he goes over to her apartment almost everyday. So the walkie talkie I believe is more of a way For her to be there for Oskar 24/7.
I agree with Libby and how she said they are very close,but what are you referring to when you ask why she doesn't want to confront Oscar? Confront him abut what exactly?
I feel that Oskar and his grandmother have a special bond, and I believe that they are close to each other even though she is across the street, they talk a lot and are very positive towards each other. I agree that they don't talk face to face, but they do talk a lot over walkie talkie and usually have a lot to say.
I feel that Grandma is the only person other then his father that supported the Mystery and the adventures she has the walkie talkie to help him because Oskar suffers severe anxiety and grandma can be there in a flash.
Oskar gets very scared at little things like arabs or airplanes due to his dad's death. Oskar repeats things a lot because his anxiety is trying to take over his life. Oskar is all over the place with his thoughts like me I also have occasional anxiety but his thought process is different than his we both think more cynically but he is very intelligent for his age
I understand what you are saying, the loss of his dad has made a significant impact on his life, and he can be scared of things which is understandable, and he does have a lot of thoughts that he likes to show, he speaks very freely.
The main character Oskar Schell, from the book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, is not your average nine year old boy. After he lost his father everything suddenly became much harder for him, I have noticed I have the hardest time identifying myself with Oskar at some times, but other times I can see myself relating to similar events. I would imagine it must be very hard to lose someone who is that close to you like Oskar did. When Oskar says, “She asked what was wrong. I told her, ‘The same thing that’s always wrong.’ (42) From what I have read about Oskar it seems that he really cares about his dad and was devastated when he found out he had died. I felt a connection to Oskar when he talks about how much he misses his dad because I know I would feel exactly the same way if I lost my dad. When Oscar said “Dad’s handwriting was weird. It looked sloppy, like he was writing in a hurry, or writing down the word while he was on the phone, or just thinking about something else.” (41) When Oskar said this I felt it was hard to identify myself connecting with him because he definitely had a very strong connection with his dad that I do not have developed with my dad. I can also relate to Oscar because now that I have my own car I am always talking to my dad about different ways to fix it and helping him fix anything that may be broken. This is like when Oskar’s dad tells him to grab different items from different decades with the help of clues. Theses are just different examples of bonding with our fathers. I predict that after a couple of days that Oskar will start to become annoyed because he can not find where the key belongs to.
I agree that Oskar probably won't find where the key belongs and that it would have evidence that connects him to his dad. Even though he tries his hardest to make it a reality, like the book stated that there are millions of places where the key could belong to in such a big city.
Due to the fact that Oskar is a very curious little boy, I do not think he will ever give up. This will eat him alive until he figures out what his dad has left him. Oskar also is keeping busy with this exploration, which is keeping his mind off of his fathers death more than sitting at home would. He has no friends and cannot watch TV, so this exploration is and will be great for him.
As the story progresses, we see that Oskar has more and more character traits, and he continues to develop as a character. Oskar is a very unique character, and there is not many people like him, but I feel that I have some connections to him. When something happens, I always ask questions, and want to know more and more information. Oskar is the type of kid that always has something to say, and always has things on his mind. A quote, “Are you sure you didn’t know a Thomas Schell?..... Maybe you know someone else with the first name Thomas? Or someone else with the last name Schell?” (Foer 97) shows that Oskar is very persistent and always wants to know as much as he can get from people. Even though Abby Black said she didn’t know anyone, he still kept persisting on asking her because he thought she was hiding something. If I were in this situation where Oskar was talking to me, I would get very annoyed and to a point become very agitated. Do any of you agree that Oskar is very persistent and can meddle into others’ lives?
Yes, I think Oskar is very persistent this is shown throughout the text he really never gives up till he gets an answer, such as with the limousine driver in the first chapter. I also recall to the discussion yesterday we talked about him possibly having a mental health issue like autism. This mental issue could be possible for him being so persistent and meddling in peoples' life.
Within the story Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the main character is a nine year old boy named Oskar. I can relate very well to Oskar in his mindset. Unlike Oskar I have never experienced the death of a parent or what it is like to live in a city as big as New York. I do relate to Oskar in his Independence and facing fears in the chapter “The Only Animal” Oskar travels all around New York and faces his fears head on. Oskar talks about how he did not like public transportation so he walked the entire way to Aaron Black’s house, “It took me three hours and forty one minutes to walk to Aaron Black, because public transportation makes me panicky” (Foer,87)Since I have always had lots of freedom with my parents I know what it is like to be on your own in a strange place in a city, I also can relate to the way Oskar faces his fears, by avoiding them completely, such as I used to walk or get driven everywhere, because I was too afraid to ride my bike. Much like Oskar I did things that took longer and were out of the way so I did not have to deal with my fears. Foer shows Oskar’s fears and oddities to give me as the reader a better chance to understand Oskars thought process and possibly relate to it as I did. I think as the story develops Oskar will have to continue to face his fears if he want to stay as independent and uninvolving of his mom and grandma. How do you guys think Oskar will deal with his fears will he continue to work around them, or will he face them in determination to find the key?
I think Oskar will continue to look for the key because it is the last thing his father has set up for him to do. I think that if his father was still around he may have given up after a bit, but this is keeping him distracted and he has an extreme passion for exploring because of how curious he is about everything.
I agree that the author's way of writing is meant to show the reader Oskar’s personality. Foer uses first person narrative so Oskar can directly tell us what he thinks and feels.
The search can never end. Even after the key is found and the mystery solved he will fins something else he will try every thing to extend his "8 Minutes" with his dad.
The character I relate to the most is Oskar. He is easiest to relate to because for one, he is the narrator, and two he has experienced a traumatic death of a loved one, as well as I have. I believe that Oskar knows what happened but it has not exactly sunk in yet. “Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I gave myself a bruise” (Foer 37). This shows that since his father's death, Oskar tends to get over frustrated and inside his head. By him giving himself bruises, I can indirectly infer that Oskar does not know how to handle his dad's death because it has not fully sunk in. Although, I never hurt myself after my aunt and grandpa's death racing thoughts and confusion still sit with me and get extremely overwhelming in certain moments. Another trait of Oskar’s that I have indirectly picked up, was that he is a very curious kid and enjoys figuring things out that most people do not even think about. “”Why are matches so short?”...”but I think the matches are short so they fit in your pocket”...”yeah...I think that too, So what if pockets were a lot bigger?” (Foer 70/71). Nobody really ever wonders why matches are so short and why little things we use everyday are the way they are. Oskar shows that he really does wonder of these things and has great interest in them. This proves that he is very curious considering he is stressing over such a thing that does not need to be stressed over. I relate to this because I oftentimes find myself wondering about things I do everyday and why I do them. I even get stressed out sometimes over small tasks just because I cannot help it. My question is do you think these traits of his will be an advantage or disadvantage on his journey to figure out his last assigned exploration? Why?
I think it be an advantage for him. It will be an advantage because he will ask questions and search until every clue is found because that is the character traits he posesses
I have the hardest time identifying with Oskar. I find that many of his personality traits are unlikable. Oskar is extremely book smart, but it appears that he was never taught manners or morals. Oskar is selfish when he talks about his mother, and claims, “she should have been adding to the Reservoir of Tears” (Foer 52). Instead of trying to make his own life happier, Oskar resents his mother for finding joy. In addition, I do not agree with Oskar’s choice to lie to his family. He narrates, “Another thing I decided was that I would be as secretive about my mission as I could at home, and as honest about it as I could outside home” (Foer 86). Oskar is selfish when he lies to his mom and grandma about what he is doing. It is understandable that Oskar wants to be alone because this mission is about his father and he loved him more than anyone. However, his dad was also a husband and a son. The rest of the family deserves to know about Thomas’s life too. I believe that Oskar’s lies will come back to hurt him. He may end up needing help from his mom or grandma. When they discover that Oskar was lying, they may trust him less. Oskar is also very rude to the people who care about him. In chapter three, when Oskar’s mom is talking about his Grandma having friends, Oskar accuses her of indirectly talking about her friend, Ron. Later in their conversation, he argues that he was not using a tone with her. Personally, I was taught to respect my parents and never talk to them, or other adults, with a snarky attitude. I find it absurd that Oskar chooses to disrespectfully insult his mother like this. Because Oskar is selfish, rude, and a liar, I respect him less. I am not as excited to see him succeed as I was when I first began reading.
Your last sentence spoke to me particularly. I think that's a bold desire to have for a 9 year old, but based on your analysis of Oskar, not an inappropriate one. If he does succeed, will you still be happy for him? Why do you think he is the way he is toward his mom and his mission?
I seem to find myself identifying with Oskar the most, It influences my reading by making me more aware of details and small things said like how he is the character who always seems to be saying either “Extremely” or “Incredibly” so it helps be pick up on things in Oskars head that others might not pick up. Things like how Oskar talks to himself and he is afraid of everything and how he does notz relate to his mom much make him the character the most like me
As the story develops, I am able to identify more and more with Oskar. Although he seems like a kid that is one of a kind, he possesses traits that I think are easy to relate to. I’m the kind of person that has questions about everything, and once you answer my question I’ll follow up with another, much like Oskar. Sometimes I even have to bite my tongue from asking questions that might be to invasive or inappropriate to ask, which is where is have a hard time identifying if Oskar. He never seems to know where the line needs to be drawn. For example, when he goes to Abby Black’s home she tells him “Now is not really the best time.” (91) and, of course, Oskars reply is “Why not?” (91). To most, after being told that it’s not the best time, you stop asking questions, but that doesn’t stop Oskar. This can make me slightly annoyed with Oskar when I am reading, but I also feel sympathetic at the same time because he lost the only person who would answer every question he had. Does anybody else think that Oskar can get to invasive with the questions and needs to learn where to draw the line?
ReplyDeleteYes, I was thinking the same thing that he can get a little to invasive with his questions. I think that it might become a bad thing in the future that could get him in some trouble if he doesn't catch on and realize that not all questions are appropriate to ask. Do you agree?
DeleteI would agree with that. Especially because he is travelling all over New York to find the lock, he's going to be meeting a lot of people and they might not all be too keen on his personality.
DeleteI can defiantly agree with you because in the beginning you can tell Oskar is nine years old by how he is always asking question after question. But the farther you get into the book you notice he is growing up and becoming more and more mature.
DeleteThe character that I have the hardest time identifying is Oskar’s grandmother. She is very close with Oskar and they talk over the walkie talkie but is seems like she’s also very far away from Oskar too. This influences my reading because … The characterization that led me to this conclusion is that she’s mysterious. When she talks to Oskar she talks to him on a walkie talkie and never talks to him face to face.”She took a step back so that she disappeared into her apartment.”(Foer 73). This seems really weird to me because if they are said to be “so close” why doesn’t she want to confront Oskar. It makes me think that she’s hiding something from him.
ReplyDeleteI think that they are actually very close because Oskar says that he goes over to her apartment almost everyday. So the walkie talkie I believe is more of a way For her to be there for Oskar 24/7.
DeleteI agree with Libby and how she said they are very close,but what are you referring to when you ask why she doesn't want to confront Oscar? Confront him abut what exactly?
DeleteI feel that Oskar and his grandmother have a special bond, and I believe that they are close to each other even though she is across the street, they talk a lot and are very positive towards each other. I agree that they don't talk face to face, but they do talk a lot over walkie talkie and usually have a lot to say.
DeleteI feel that Grandma is the only person other then his father that supported the Mystery and the adventures she has the walkie talkie to help him because Oskar suffers severe anxiety and grandma can be there in a flash.
DeleteOskar gets very scared at little things like arabs or airplanes due to his dad's death. Oskar repeats things a lot because his anxiety is trying to take over his life. Oskar is all over the place with his thoughts like me I also have occasional anxiety but his thought process is different than his we both think more cynically but he is very intelligent for his age
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying, the loss of his dad has made a significant impact on his life, and he can be scared of things which is understandable, and he does have a lot of thoughts that he likes to show, he speaks very freely.
DeleteThe main character Oskar Schell, from the book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, is not your average nine year old boy. After he lost his father everything suddenly became much harder for him, I have noticed I have the hardest time identifying myself with Oskar at some times, but other times I can see myself relating to similar events. I would imagine it must be very hard to lose someone who is that close to you like Oskar did. When Oskar says, “She asked what was wrong. I told her, ‘The same thing that’s always wrong.’ (42) From what I have read about Oskar it seems that he really cares about his dad and was devastated when he found out he had died. I felt a connection to Oskar when he talks about how much he misses his dad because I know I would feel exactly the same way if I lost my dad. When Oscar said “Dad’s handwriting was weird. It looked sloppy, like he was writing in a hurry, or writing down the word while he was on the phone, or just thinking about something else.” (41) When Oskar said this I felt it was hard to identify myself connecting with him because he definitely had a very strong connection with his dad that I do not have developed with my dad. I can also relate to Oscar because now that I have my own car I am always talking to my dad about different ways to fix it and helping him fix anything that may be broken. This is like when Oskar’s dad tells him to grab different items from different decades with the help of clues. Theses are just different examples of bonding with our fathers. I predict that after a couple of days that Oskar will start to become annoyed because he can not find where the key belongs to.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Oskar probably won't find where the key belongs and that it would have evidence that connects him to his dad. Even though he tries his hardest to make it a reality, like the book stated that there are millions of places where the key could belong to in such a big city.
DeleteDue to the fact that Oskar is a very curious little boy, I do not think he will ever give up. This will eat him alive until he figures out what his dad has left him. Oskar also is keeping busy with this exploration, which is keeping his mind off of his fathers death more than sitting at home would. He has no friends and cannot watch TV, so this exploration is and will be great for him.
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ReplyDeleteAs the story progresses, we see that Oskar has more and more character traits, and he continues to develop as a character. Oskar is a very unique character, and there is not many people like him, but I feel that I have some connections to him. When something happens, I always ask questions, and want to know more and more information. Oskar is the type of kid that always has something to say, and always has things on his mind. A quote, “Are you sure you didn’t know a Thomas Schell?..... Maybe you know someone else with the first name Thomas? Or someone else with the last name Schell?” (Foer 97) shows that Oskar is very persistent and always wants to know as much as he can get from people. Even though Abby Black said she didn’t know anyone, he still kept persisting on asking her because he thought she was hiding something. If I were in this situation where Oskar was talking to me, I would get very annoyed and to a point become very agitated. Do any of you agree that Oskar is very persistent and can meddle into others’ lives?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think Oskar is very persistent this is shown throughout the text he really never gives up till he gets an answer, such as with the limousine driver in the first chapter. I also recall to the discussion yesterday we talked about him possibly having a mental health issue like autism. This mental issue could be possible for him being so persistent and meddling in peoples' life.
DeleteWithin the story Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the main character is a nine year old boy named Oskar. I can relate very well to Oskar in his mindset. Unlike Oskar I have never experienced the death of a parent or what it is like to live in a city as big as New York. I do relate to Oskar in his Independence and facing fears in the chapter “The Only Animal” Oskar travels all around New York and faces his fears head on. Oskar talks about how he did not like public transportation so he walked the entire way to Aaron Black’s house, “It took me three hours and forty one minutes to walk to Aaron Black, because public transportation makes me panicky” (Foer,87)Since I have always had lots of freedom with my parents I know what it is like to be on your own in a strange place in a city, I also can relate to the way Oskar faces his fears, by avoiding them completely, such as I used to walk or get driven everywhere, because I was too afraid to ride my bike. Much like Oskar I did things that took longer and were out of the way so I did not have to deal with my fears. Foer shows Oskar’s fears and oddities to give me as the reader a better chance to understand Oskars thought process and possibly relate to it as I did. I think as the story develops Oskar will have to continue to face his fears if he want to stay as independent and uninvolving of his mom and grandma. How do you guys think Oskar will deal with his fears will he continue to work around them, or will he face them in determination to find the key?
ReplyDeleteI think Oskar will continue to look for the key because it is the last thing his father has set up for him to do. I think that if his father was still around he may have given up after a bit, but this is keeping him distracted and he has an extreme passion for exploring because of how curious he is about everything.
DeleteI agree that the author's way of writing is meant to show the reader Oskar’s personality. Foer uses first person narrative so Oskar can directly tell us what he thinks and feels.
DeleteThe search can never end. Even after the key is found and the mystery solved he will fins something else he will try every thing to extend his "8 Minutes" with his dad.
DeleteThe character I relate to the most is Oskar. He is easiest to relate to because for one, he is the narrator, and two he has experienced a traumatic death of a loved one, as well as I have. I believe that Oskar knows what happened but it has not exactly sunk in yet. “Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I gave myself a bruise” (Foer 37). This shows that since his father's death, Oskar tends to get over frustrated and inside his head. By him giving himself bruises, I can indirectly infer that Oskar does not know how to handle his dad's death because it has not fully sunk in. Although, I never hurt myself after my aunt and grandpa's death racing thoughts and confusion still sit with me and get extremely overwhelming in certain moments. Another trait of Oskar’s that I have indirectly picked up, was that he is a very curious kid and enjoys figuring things out that most people do not even think about. “”Why are matches so short?”...”but I think the matches are short so they fit in your pocket”...”yeah...I think that too, So what if pockets were a lot bigger?” (Foer 70/71). Nobody really ever wonders why matches are so short and why little things we use everyday are the way they are. Oskar shows that he really does wonder of these things and has great interest in them. This proves that he is very curious considering he is stressing over such a thing that does not need to be stressed over. I relate to this because I oftentimes find myself wondering about things I do everyday and why I do them. I even get stressed out sometimes over small tasks just because I cannot help it. My question is do you think these traits of his will be an advantage or disadvantage on his journey to figure out his last assigned exploration? Why?
ReplyDeleteI think it be an advantage for him. It will be an advantage because he will ask questions and search until every clue is found because that is the character traits he posesses
ReplyDeleteI have the hardest time identifying with Oskar. I find that many of his personality traits are unlikable. Oskar is extremely book smart, but it appears that he was never taught manners or morals. Oskar is selfish when he talks about his mother, and claims, “she should have been adding to the Reservoir of Tears” (Foer 52). Instead of trying to make his own life happier, Oskar resents his mother for finding joy. In addition, I do not agree with Oskar’s choice to lie to his family. He narrates, “Another thing I decided was that I would be as secretive about my mission as I could at home, and as honest about it as I could outside home” (Foer 86). Oskar is selfish when he lies to his mom and grandma about what he is doing. It is understandable that Oskar wants to be alone because this mission is about his father and he loved him more than anyone. However, his dad was also a husband and a son. The rest of the family deserves to know about Thomas’s life too. I believe that Oskar’s lies will come back to hurt him. He may end up needing help from his mom or grandma. When they discover that Oskar was lying, they may trust him less. Oskar is also very rude to the people who care about him. In chapter three, when Oskar’s mom is talking about his Grandma having friends, Oskar accuses her of indirectly talking about her friend, Ron. Later in their conversation, he argues that he was not using a tone with her. Personally, I was taught to respect my parents and never talk to them, or other adults, with a snarky attitude. I find it absurd that Oskar chooses to disrespectfully insult his mother like this. Because Oskar is selfish, rude, and a liar, I respect him less. I am not as excited to see him succeed as I was when I first began reading.
ReplyDeleteYour last sentence spoke to me particularly. I think that's a bold desire to have for a 9 year old, but based on your analysis of Oskar, not an inappropriate one. If he does succeed, will you still be happy for him? Why do you think he is the way he is toward his mom and his mission?
DeleteI seem to find myself identifying with Oskar the most, It influences my reading by making me more aware of details and small things said like how he is the character who always seems to be saying either “Extremely” or “Incredibly” so it helps be pick up on things in Oskars head that others might not pick up. Things like how Oskar talks to himself and he is afraid of everything and how he does notz relate to his mom much make him the character the most like me
ReplyDelete