Shirley’s Comments (group member since Oct 27, 2016)

Shirley’s comments from the 833 Reading Responses group.

Question:what motivates your character?
area of improvement: Claim
In Neal Shusterman’s fiction novel, Unwind, the main character Conner, is encouraged by his love for Risa. In 16 year old, Conner’s world, people can get unwinded, meaning that you get cut into pieces and is given to people who need these pieces to be able to properly function again. People who get unwinded are either, you committed a crime, if your parents doesn’t want you anymore and decides to sign you up for unwinding or that you were determined to be unwinded before you were born because you are seen as holy, or a tithe. Conner was decided to be unwinded by his parent, who couldn’t handle him acting up, Risa, a girl who was signed to be unwinded because she wasn’t talented enough and Lev was a tithe. Conner and Risa met and decided to run away and on the way, they had kidnapped Lev. They run away to be prevented from being unwinded and on the way, Lev gets separated from them. Conner, picking up a baby and telling everyone it’s his and Risa’s develops a connection with Risa. ‘”Every time he forces himself to think before acting, it's her voice in his head telling him to slow down. He wants to tell her, but she's always so busy in the medical jet—and you don't just go to somebody and say, "I'm a better person because you're in my head.” (p232) This demonstrates that Risa is the one helping turn him into a better person. Some of Conners actions are based on Risa. Without Risa, Conner would be different and wouldn’t really have much motivation. This shows how Shusterman depicts Conner’s love for Risa and how it motivates him.

Question: What is an important choice or action your character made?
In Scott Westerfield’s fiction novel “Uglies”, this story is about Tally Youngblood, a girl who has waited for so long just to be pretty. In Tally’s world, everyone is “ugly” until they turn 16. Then they get surgery to make them look pretty. Tally’s best friend Peris, turns into a pretty before her and tells Tally to turn pretty and then join him in Prettyland. The summer before she turns 16, she meets this girl named Shay who thinks everything is not about being pretty and doesn’t want to be pretty unlike Tally. Shay shows her more about the outside world and makes Tally promise she doesn’t tell anyone. On her 16 birthday, she walks in to get her check up for her pretty surgery, the Specials, almost like the government, talks with her. They want Tally to lead them to the Smoke and Tally refuses but they said they won’t turn her pretty unless she helps. Tally finally agrees and sets of to the Smokes. After arriving to the Smokes, she finds out that the city is the one that’s unjustified and breaks a necklace that was suppose to track her and activate when she gets to the Smoke. This is a very important choice because this leads to a conflict.
“You activated the necklace, that’s how we found you and the Smokes. It automatically activates when it’s damaged.”
This shows that throwing the necklace was important because this caused the Specials to come to the Smokes and capture everyone. They also killed some uglies who refused like the Boss. This led to Tally having to rescue everyone because they people who have turned pretty, is brain damaged. The government put things in their minds to make them forget or grow up. Two ex-doctors for the city comes up with a cure but they don’t know if its 100% accurate. They need a willing subject so Tally decides to turn pretty and tests it out.