Blogging Final Assessment Answers to Questions

*Answers refer to "Insurgent" Post

1.   What specific words/phrases demonstrate your writer’s voice? How / why do these words/phrases showcase your personality as a writer?

I demonstrated my writer’s voice when I said, “I’ve finally started reading Insurgent, it took me a while to get the book and find time to read because I’ve been so busy with schoolwork and volunteering at the animal shelter.” This quote shows my writer’s voice because I am giving a personal experience, which makes my post more interesting to read and helps show who I am. I also demonstrated my writer’s voice when I said, “Even though this setting may only be temporary, I like the change of scenery.” This is an example of how I demonstrated my writer’s voice in this post because I am sharing my own personal thoughts about the book, which makes the post more conversational and less like an assignment.

2.     What purposeful diction AND syntax choices did you make to enhance your writer’s voice? You must choose to discuss at least one diction AND one syntax technique from the list below. Make sure to include textual evidence from your post where you included the diction and syntax choices you discuss.

One of the purposeful diction choices that I made to enhance my writer’s voice was to use denotation. I used this technique when I said, “…I've been so busy with school work and volunteering at the animal shelter.“ The inclusion of denotation enhances my writer’s voice because it gave the reader of the blog explicit details about my life and would make them feel like they knew me. Another purposeful diction choice that I made to enhance my writer’s voice was using low/informal diction, which made my post easier to read and more relatable. I used low/informal diction throughout the post, but a sentence that best shows this is, “So far I like the book, though I’m not very far yet.” A purposeful syntax choice that I made to enhance my writer’s voice was the inclusion of an exclamation point when I said, “People have told me that they really like this book and some have even said that it is better than Divergent!” When I included this exclamation point it enhanced my writer’s voice by reflecting my enthusiasm about Divergent and how good it is.

Midway Thoughts on Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I started reading Insurgent about a week ago. I am really getting into it. When I finished Divergent I could not wait to start the next book to find out what would happen next. Two hundred and fifty pages into the book and a lot has happened. After narrowly escaping the Erudite at the Amity headquarters, Tris and her comrades found the factionless and took refuge there. Tobias's mother asked him to help the factionless usurp Erudite and take over the government. Then Tris and her comrades left the factionless and went to the Candor headquarters where they were attacked by the traitor Dauntless, who sided with Erudite.

**Spoiler Alert** The author has introduced a few new characters, but the one that I think will play a major role is Tobias's mother, Evelyn.  I am not sure at this point if Evelyn is a good or a bad person.  However, Tris does not like her so far. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book because so far it is really good and interesting. I can't wait to finish this book so that I can move on to Allegiant see what happens at the end of the series.

If any of you have read this book, what did you think of it?

Insurgent

I've finally started reading Insurgent, it took me a while to get the book and find time to start reading because I've been so busy with schoolwork and volunteering at the animal shelter. So far I like the book, though I'm not very far yet. People have told me that they really like this book and some have even said that it is better than Divergent! I'm curious as to how the story will develop. I am also curious if the author will introduce any new characters. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book and moving on to the next and final book in the series, Allegiant.


The setting for this book so far is at the Amity farms on the outskirts of the city. Tris describes their surroundings when they arrived at the Amity headquarters, "My feet sink into the ground, and above me, the branches grow into one another, forming a kind of tunnel. Dark fruit hangs among the leaves, ready to drop. The sharp, sweet smell of rotting apples mixes with the scent of wet earth in my nose" (Roth 4). Tris was describing the Amity orchards when they first arrived after the final events of Divergent. Even though this setting may only be temporary, I like the change of scenery. I wonder how long they will stay here.

My Thoughts on Divergent

I finally finished the book, Divergent. I really enjoyed reading it. The book really picked up in chapter 19, so much so that I read the rest of it (250 pages) in one day.  I thought the book was very good and I really want to read the next book, Insurgent.  There was an excerpt of the next book in the back of this book and the excerpt made me very intrigued to read it.

I think that anyone who enjoys fast-paced, action packed, sci-fi style stories would enjoy reading Divergent.  Personally, I thought the book was really good because it kept my interest through out the book and did not slow down too much.  The plot was good and the characters were relatable and likable. I would give this book four out of five stars. I gave it four stars because I thought it was a really good book, but it wasn't the best book I've ever read. Overall, I thought it was a really good book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes these kind of books.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Chapter seventeen, Tris goes on an initiation ritual with the Dauntless born initiates. The group goes zip lining and Tris enjoys the activity and the company of her comrades. This bonding experience makes her feel like a part of the group and she begins to feel more at home at Dauntless.  I thought that this chapter was interesting, but it wasn't really important to the plot. Although nothing really important to the plot happened, this chapter did show how Tris was developing as a character by showing her start to become more at home and secure at Dauntless and less uneasy.

In chapter eighteen, Tris is exposed to the simulation serum.  She is injected with the serum which is supposed to stimulate the "amygdala, which is the part of the brain that is involved in processing negative emotions–like fear–" (Roth 230).  Once the serum starts working, Tris begins to hallucinate about being attacked by crows and not being able to move.  I haven't finished this chapter yet, but I am eager to learn more about this serum as it's been talked about quite a bit now in the book and would also like to see what else happens in Tris's hallucination.

Would you take the serum if you have the chance?

Divergent Important Lines

One of the most important lines in chapter fifteen is, "'There is something I want you to do,' she says.  'I can't go visit your brother, but you can, when initiation is over. So, I want you to go find him and research the simulation serum. Okay? Can you do that for me?'" (Roth 187).  I think that this quote is important because it sparked my curiosity about why her mother wants her to research it. I imagine that it will help the plot develop, because it could be important later on in the book.  I was intrigued by the idea of a simulation serum.  I wonder what it would simulate.

Another important line from chapter fifteen is, "She has been to the compound before. She remembered this hallway. She knows about the initiation process. My mother was Dauntless."  (Roth 188).  I think that this line is important because Tris has just come to the realization that her mother was once in Dauntless before she was in Abnegation. This changes Tris' whole worldview and the especially the way she looks at her mom. Now two people, her brother and her mother, whom she thought were perfect Abnegation members were not. This could be important later in the book because it could make Tris more sure of her decision and less in conflict about it. 

Divergent by Veronica Roth: Defining Beatrice

Beatrice is about to choose her faction.  She is supposed to cut her hand and let the blood drip in the bowl of the faction she chooses.  In the beginning she had made up her mind to choose Abnegation to please her parents.  She does not want to break her parents heart and leave like her brother did when he joined Erudite which is the faction that is in conflict with Abnegation.  However, when she is handed the knife and the moment has come, she lets her blood drip over the coals, which is the symbol for Dauntless.  At that moment she thinks to herself, "I am selfish, I am brave." ( Roth 47)

Those words and the way she changed her mind almost without any thought is rather characteristic of her character.  She is driven by her instincts and intuition.  She is often guided by her instinct and not a deep analysis of a situation.  During the test to determine her faction she saved a little girl that was about to be attacked by a dog by jumping on top of the dog without giving it any thought.  When she chooses Dauntless it also shows her bravery because she is willing to be seen as a trader to Abnegation for the sake of doing what she felt was the right choice for her.

If you where Beatrice, would you try to please the ones you love by choosing their faction or would you choose the one that feels right to you?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

The best thing about my book, Divergent, is that it is fast paced.  Because the book is fast paced, I am not bored reading the book and I want to keep reading to find out what happens next.  Sometimes, though, things happen very quickly and I have to slow down while reading to digest the significance of the events.  I like fast paced books because they seem to develop quickly and I don't have to wait too long to get to the eventful parts of the book.

It is really important for me that a book be fast paced, otherwise I am likely to get bored.  In fact the only time I did not finish reading a book was when I found the book to be very slow paced and boring.  I just could not keep reading it, because it was not moving along.  The other reason I like fast paced books is that the author dedicates more time to the climax and the resolution of the story instead of the buildup.  Of course, I expected Divergent to be fast paced because it is an action filled story!

If you have read Divergent, what do you think the best or worst thing about it is?

Veronica Roth: Author of Divergent

Veronica Roth is unbelievably young for someone who has already sold more than five million books!  She is 25 years old.  She states that she started writing when she was twelve years old.  Her first book was turned down, but that did not discourage her.  It in fact, motivated her to write another book, Divergent, the book I am reading now.  Ms. Roth met her agent at a writers' workshop at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Veronica Roth is very tall, she is 6 feet tall.  She seems funny and unpretentious from her blog posts.  I would like to meet her someday.  I may look up her next book tour and see if it's close enough to me to go to.  If I saw her, I would like to ask her which faction she would choose if she lived in the Divergent world.  

Do you think that Veronica Roth will have as much success with her next book that is not in the Divergent series? 

Divergent by Veronica Roth: Vocabulary

While reading Divergent, I observed that the author used uncommon words for the names of the factions.  At first I wondered the reason behind the author's choice, then I found a section in the back of the book discussing this very thing.  In this section, Ms. Roth stated that one of the reasons that she chose these unfamiliar words was her desire to slow down the reader's comprehension of what each faction stood for.  She wanted the reader to learn as much by observing as by the name of the faction alone.  Another reason was that the definition of the more obscure words are more interesting.  A third reason she stated was that these words sounded "cooler"!

As a reader, I think that the author's approach worked.  I learned more about the factions as I read more of the book, instead of immediately forming an idea about the faction from the name alone.  I also enjoyed learning these new words.  I agree with her that these words are more interesting and cooler than more ordinary words.  In general I personally think that reading should always expand your vocabulary and scope of the language, and I think this book does.