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One Lit log down, one more to go.

For my first literary logging concerning Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, I decided to draw the creature the man dreamed of on pages 2-3 of the book. I tried to stay as accurate to the description as possible, but many things were left open to interpretation and also there was a lot of room for creative freedom. Some of the most important aspects that I made sure to include were that the creature has translucent skin, and you can see its organs. Another important feature I included were the blind white eyes “like spider eggs.” I then colored the organs gray, because everything is gray and cold and sad. I didn’t color the bones because they were described as “alabaster.” I based the anatomy of the creature off of a stag, because that was the vibe I was getting from the description, the only exception being the head, as horns were never described and I feel like if it had horns, it would be said.

I think that the descriptive words used for the creature are very intentional, I think they indicate a weak or fragile creature, something exposed and blind, that lurches and lopes, and gives low moans. This dream and creature, in a way, despite being fragile, represent a part of the man’s sanity. The man claims that men of peril dream of peril, and this is the most perilous and disturbing dream he has had. This dream is not luring him to death. The child is leading the man to fragility, weakness, and blindness, represented by the creature, but he is also leading the man to life. The man feels that he cannot live without the child, but also is aware that he is stronger without him, he sometimes wishes “he had a heart of stone.” This dream perfectly represents that. While my art does not have the whole scene, I’m very happy with how it turned out, and it very much helped me interpret the dream. Also, funny animal.

Symbolism:

There is a lot of symbolism that occurs in, “The Road.” In the first passage in the book there is an initial attraction to the author’s writing style. It seems to be so descriptive yet so broad. What I mean by broad is that the author never tells us the characters names or their looks. He describes the atmosphere that paints a vivid picture in the reader’s head. Using the terms “the man” and “the boy” instead of names makes it hard for the reader to identify the characters. The symbols in the book “the road,” are pertinent to encapsulate the dark/cold setting of the novel.

One recurring description that is used throughout the book is the word gray. He uses the word gray quite repetitively throughout the passage. Like when the author describes the “shape of the city” as gray.”(7) This obviously gives the readers a vivid picture of the environment. The author does this intentionally to bring more depth and emotion to the characters point of view. It feels like we are in the characters’ position and seeing everything they’re seeing. The gray is a metaphor for the lack thereof. There is a lack of happiness, light and joy. Think about it, gray is not white but not yet black. Sometimes things are not black and white sometimes they are gray. The gray symbolizes the struggle of not knowing. The mixer of both is represented in the book because you are the boy who is somehow compassionate and hopeful while the dad is determined yet doubtful. Love is what they have at the end of the day. Though gray is not the most joyish of colors, gray represents struggle.

 Death shows up a lot throughout this book but it shows up vividly when he has a dream about his wife. She states “I’ve taken a new lover. He can give me what you cannot.”(57) This section is powerful but it shows the power of death. I cannot help but notice that she is talking about death as if it's a person. She feels like death was her only option due to the conditions. Death represents safety and reassurance, something that the man never gave her. It is odd that she says death is her lover, meaning that she fell in love with dying. Most people view death in different ways, some view it as peaceful, maybe terrifying, some maybe even view it as an escape. An escape from this life hoping that what on the other side is greater. In every other story death is the bad guy but it seems as though in this story death is a sense of relief. The way they talk about death in this novel seems so casual and they rather take their own lives then have someone else ruin their peace. I believe this is what she meant. She saw no hope looking at the outcomes of the world, she saw best to put all her hope in death. 

The scene I drew for my lit log is just when the dad and son and dad are watching everything burn and the ashes are falling on them. Maybe when they are talking about everything that is happening and the dad is coughing because he is really sick. I drew the dad and the son and then the black lines are the ashes there is the road at the bottom and I drew some burning trees. This scene can mean a lot because it really shows what the book is about.

(Click on the image to access the rest of the PDF)

SLA will follow the below schedules during the Q1 report card conference dates.

Monday, 11/21

08:15 - 08:55 A1 Band

09:00 - 09:40 B1 Band

09:45 - 10:25 C1 Band

10:30 - 11:10 D1 Band

11:15 - 11:55 X1/Y1 Band (class, not lunch)

12:00 - 12:30 Lunch/Dismissal

04:00 - 07:00 Evening conferences

Tuesday, 11/22

08:15 - 08:55 E1 Band

09:00 - 09:40 A2 Band

09:45 - 10:25 B2 Band

10:30 - 11:10 C2 Band

11:15 - 11:55 X2/Y2 Band

12:00 - 12:30 Lunch/Dismissal

01:00 - 04:00 Afternoon Conferences

Wednesday, 11/23

08:15 - 09:05 D2 Band

09:10 - 10:00 E2 Band

10:05 - 10:55 A1 Band

11:00 - 11:55 B1 Band

12:00 - 12:30 Lunch/Dismissal

My notebook gave me a space to put my ideas, It was also helpful when doing my annotations. I think paying better attention and actually learning what we’re doing in class will benefit me a lot in the future.

Flip through video https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JvbuKwhQsgmOCqbn2TRvVOEnmSbYHjfq/view?usp=sharing

Click here to view my Q1 notebook quiz

My Q1 notebook project

My notebook has helped me understand many new concepts and tools that I wasn’t used to using or hearing before starting school at SLA. I’m glad that I know way more about different strategies than I did before and I can use them more frequently. Something that I need to work on is my essay structure and making sure that I include everything that will make my essay easy to understand.

in this quarter, my notebook has helped me thorughout times where i needed information, so i stored the info in my notebook so that the info is secured. i plan to maximixe myt notebook by being more organizing and creative of creating my notes so i can better understand my notes

video: https://www.icloud.com/photos/#0f5lrgI8tYuGWJ40lw4qE0aNQ

At first with my notebook I put in things like dates for every time I wrote something. I would use certain things like page numbers and chapters to organize certain notes. Later on I ended up getting more sloppy and it has gotten less organized. In the notes I talked about certain methods of writing for notes and also the book far from the tree. Next time ill be less sloppy and ill make sure to add more dates and keep it better organized. https://drive.google.com/file/d/15EmZEABPMHUDbL0Wp4AU8vILHNX2Fgan/view