Accept Finite Disappointment, but Never Lose Infinite Hope

Literature Circles

Literature Circles is one of the consistent things we do in Humanities class. The novel I am currently reading for Literature Circle is The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. In Literature Circles we talk about important passages, questions, answers, connections, and new vocabulary.

How did your discussion help your understanding of the novel?
The discussion helped me to understand the novel because when your group shares ideas, then you start to think about other thoughts. Maybe the ideas your friends have are different than yours but when you think about them, they usually make sense. This could help you understand the book more because you see the story through someone else's eyes. For example, you might have thought a character was cruel and mean, but then someone else explains why they think the character isn't really that mean. You might start to think of the character the same way and the story could possibly be clearer to you that before! Sharing ideas gives you more to think about and a wider outlook on the story.

Connections that I made during my discussions

My connections were usually about myself, a movie I saw, or a book I read. Some of the connections I made were about how Charlotte (The main character from the book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle) was scared to be on the ship without any companions and since Charlotte came from such a high society, the rooms were not even close to being up to her usual standards. Charlotte was scared of multiple things and wanted to get off the ship immediately. I was once scared stay a night on the RMS Queen Mary after going on a ghost tour. The other connection had to do with Charlotte being the only woman on the ship. I connected this to a movie called Pirates of the Caribbean. Elizabeth, one of the main characters, was also the only woman on a ship. I tried to look at it in kind of the same way because Elizabeth actually wanted to be on the ship, while Charlotte didn't.

Predictions I have about the book
After reading the first few chapters, my prediction of what will happen next is that Charlotte will feel very lonely since there is no turning back to Liverpool. There are two months ahead of her and I have a feeling it's going to be a long two months for her. I think that Charlotte will soon be accused of murder and found guilty. My prediction is that this will all happen on board the ship and she will try to escape from the crew and run around the ship hiding. She would not be able to get off the ship without diving into the open sea, so she might have to hide somewhere in the ship and will try not to get caught while sneaking food. That's what I think will happen in the next couple of chapters!

Do I like Literature Circles?
I think Literature Circles are not my most favorite assignments, but they are definitely not the worst either! The good thing is that they help to develop your writing skills and open your mind to other people's thoughts and opinions. And that will probably be very useful in the future!