Hello new sophomores!
Welcome to our class blog. We (Ms. Bridgette and Mrs. West) hope you're enjoying the summer reading. Please join he conversation and add your own questions as we post along!
For starters....
1) In Chapter 1, Anna explains specifically how and why she was conceived to help her sister. Do you think her parents were right to tell her all of these details? Would it have been better if they had kept that quiet and allowed Anna the chance to choose to help her sister at an older age?
2) How can you describe Anna's character? What can you infer about her "between the lines"?
3) If Anna's parents had given her the choice all along, do you think she would have helped Kate willingly for so long?
Hello! I am really enjoying this story so far!
ReplyDelete1) I believe that it was wise to tell Anna why she had been conceived, but if she were my child, I would've have waited slightly longer than they did. Even if you decide to conceive a child to help save your other daughter, that child should still feel loved and special. I believe that by telling Anna why she had been conceived made her feel somewhat unloved. I still think they should have encouraged her to help her sister, but maybe not make Anna's whole existence revolve around that.
2) As I read through the first chapter, I immediately noticed Anna's mannerisms and they way that she spoke about herself, her family, and the world around her. From reading I can assume she is quite a deep thinker, very detail oriented, very cynical for her age, selfless, and unconfident.
3) Knowing how young children can be very selfish, I can't imagine Anna would have been willing to help Kate for as long as she did. Anna seems to be a very selfless character in the first part of her childhood, but I cannot say for sure what the extent is.
One question that popped into my mind was, "Is Anna really as selfless and serving as she comes across, or is she that way because of her situation?". Would she have the same personality had she not been born to save her sister?
Hey Elizabeth, thanks for joining the conversation! I LOVE your question here at the end about Anna's personality. I also am reading the Anna chapters with a slight curiosity about Anna's true self. If she is like most teenagers, or people for that matter, she probably has complex thoughts and desires that may not agree all the time. There is always a possibility that the narrator is not completely truthful. I'm sure this will be a fun question to keep in mind as we continue reading.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Elizabeth, there are more students posting in the honors class blog. I would love for you to join our conversation there so that you can get in on a bigger conversation. Just go to www.theoldthatisstrong.blogspot.com.
1) I think it was the right thing to do because if i was in her position i would want to know everything. i can go both was if the parents should have told her now or later because if they tell her now then all the events in the book would happen but if you tell her later then the outcome could be worse, the same, or better.
ReplyDelete2) Anna's character is like a regular 13 year old girl who is questioning why she is brought to earth. she cares about her sister but at the same time doesn't want to be the donor anymore.
3) I am not sure how I would answer this question because when it all started Anna didn't even know what was going on, it is a moot point.
1) I think it was the right thing to do because if i was in her position i would want to know everything. i can go both was if the parents should have told her now or later because if they tell her now then all the events in the book would happen but if you tell her later then the outcome could be worse, the same, or better.
ReplyDelete2) Anna's character is like a regular 13 year old girl who is questioning why she is brought to earth. she cares about her sister but at the same time doesn't want to be the donor anymore.
3) I am not sure how I would answer this question because when it all started Anna didn't even know what was going on, it is a moot point.
Hey Leo,
DeleteFirst, are you Mark's brother? Either way, so happy to meet you here. :)
Well handled with your point that Anna's probably full of conflicting emotions. This book is all about the fact that things simply aren't black and white when you are in the situation.
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ReplyDeleteHello Ms. Bridgette,
DeleteI love the book so far. This is a very different kind of storyline from what I would usually read, but I can sympathize with these characters very much even though they sometimes act out of their emotions.
1) To the first question, I believe that it was right to tell Anna that she had been conceived to help her sister, but I also think that they should have waited to tell her until she was old enough to understand why. If you tell a person of her age that she was brought into the world for the sole purpose of saving her sister, then she will feel as though she is nothing more than a tool.
2) What I can see so far of Anna is that she is in a lot of inner conflict about her job to do in saving her sister Kate's life. She both wants to help her sister this way, but she also wants to see herself as just Kate's sister - not a tool for her to live. Another aspect of Anna's behavior is that she goes into detail about everything - the secretary for example. She describes every minute detail about her looks, how she does her job, and what she's wearing. Another thing I've noticed is that she does truly love her sister, because
3) Children are usually selfish during their early years, and I believe that most kids would not want to help a sister or brother in the way that Anna is helping Kate. There is probably a lot of painful testing and procedures that younger kids wouldn't want to go through. However, Anna is more selfless than many other kids, and the story's real conflict comes when she is told the truth. That knowledge makes her feel unloved and not truly wanted the way her brother and sister were.
Hey Andrew, there's a good chance Mrs. Bridgette won't get to respond while she is away. So I wanted to complement you on your thoughts about the timing of Anna's understanding. I agree with you. Also, your mention of the extreme detail via Anna's perspective. It is my favorite part about her and perhaps the best source of comic relief. It definitely makes the novel worth reading.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDelete1) I think it was right for Anna's parents to tell her that she was conceived to save her sister. But I think if I was in her place I wouldn't want to know all the details. At her age I wouldn't know or get half the things her parents were saying, so that told me she was smart and mature. I think it would be better not to tell her right away so she could have a chance to decide.
2) While I have been reading this book it seems that Anna has conflicting feelings about whole situation, she doesn't feel good giving her body to her sister but she feels obligated to.
3) That's hard to say but if she had the chance I think that she would for some parts of her body. But at the same time I don't know how she would be if her sister was never sick and she didn't have to give anything.
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ReplyDeleteHello Ms. Bridgette! My Sisters Keeper is definitely one of the best summer reading books I have had the privilege to read.
ReplyDelete1) I think it was right for Anna's parents to tell her why she was conceived, but I think that they should have given her the choice to help Kate if she wanted to from that point on instead of violating her into helping her sister. If I was in Anna's shoes, I would want to know the truth, even if it was hard to swallow. I think it would have been better in some ways if her parents to,d her at a later age because then she would be more confident in making her own decisions independently and when they would tell her, she would feel more loved than not because they kept if from her out of love.
2) Anna's character is very controversial. Throughout the book, she wants to save her sister because she loves her, but she also doesn't want to be tied to Kate for the rest of her life. She doesn't really know what she wants until towards the end of the story during the trial. I can relate to Anna's position in a different way in my life so that helped me understand more about what she was feeling and what type of person she is.
3) It is difficult to say whether she would contribute to helping her sister, but if this was the case, I think she would help with most of the procedures but then she would stop helping her once it got to either the bone marrow transplant or the kidney transplant. I think she would be a totally different person if he'd sister was only sick for a little while and Kate healed quickly. I go not believe that Anna would have been born if Kate was not sick.
I think it is a correct choice to tell Anna all the thing,because Anna need to decide by herself if she is going to save hers sister or not. It is to inhuman to Anna if hers parents did not tell her that she is just born for hers sister.
ReplyDeleteAnna think her mom did not love her at all and she think she is just a machine or a puppet that to just live to save hers sister.
If Anna parents give her love and choice I think she will help her sister in some point.
(1) I think Anna's parents are right that telling her all of these details. Because I think that Anna should know why she is donating her blood to her sister. But I don't think that gives her a chance to choose to help her sister of not when she becomes older will be good. Because I think maybe she can't understand how important it is to save her sister's life, so if she decided to stop saving her sister, her family would change a lot.
ReplyDelete(2) I remember in the book, Jesse said Anna was the peace keeper of this family, and I agree with that. I think Anna's character make this family have hope, but that make she feel bad. I think she is between the line of saving her sister's life and to fight her parents for herself.
(3) I think if Anna's parents give her the choice, Anna will help Kate willingly for only so long. Because she knows that Kate wants to be a normal person, but she can't and she is Kate's only friend. Anna loves Kate, and she wants Kate to be healthy. I think that she just doesn't like her parents make all these choice for her and don't talk about the choice.
1) I don't think Anna's mom has the right to tell Anna what she should do, even though she is not an adult right now. Other than that, they also should not give birth to Anna just because Kate needs her healthy cells. It's not fair for Anna and Kate since Kate needs Anna's body part but they were that kind of close sister. The reasons why Kate can't live without Anna is not only because she needs Anna's cells, but also means that she loves Anna very much. But, the situation will be worse if her parents keep that quiet since I understand the feelings that Anna could have if she discovered a secret which everyone was hiding for a long time. I also don't think they should force Anna to donate her own organs and blood to save her sister. Since her parents already did a lot of wrong things (like they give birth to Anna for Kate).
ReplyDelete2) I don't think her family actually is a family. They were not unified at all. If you only look at the outside, they may look like a normal and happy family. But if you pay attention to everything that's under the surface, basically, they do not have any family love. Everyone who is in the family is just trying their best to act out their roles in a right way. No matter if it's Anna, Kate, Brian, or Jesse.
3) I think she will still help Kate, but not for this long period of time. Since they are family, helping is necessary. If my sister is sick, I will give up everything in order to save her. But, the cruel fact is, if Kate was not sick, I don't think Sarah would even give birth to Anna. The relationships between their family are important, but at the same time, I kind of hope Anna just stops donating since she was forced by her mom.
I think her parent is right to tell her all the details. It's unfair to Anna because she need to suffer these things at such a young age, but it will be the same situation even her parent tell her when she is getting older. She still need to help her parent to take care of her sister, or at least she can choose. But it's so hard to say "no" because that's her sister and if she chooses not, her parent will be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Anna loves her sister but also she will kinda blame at her and her disease. She pays so lots on her sister, she is selfless but also ironic. Anna acquiesces to take care of her sister, but that's not her real choice. She has to do that, so she does. In a sense, she is nose of wax.
I don't really think so. As a teenager, we all want to hand out with friends, chill and party. Who will want to face a goner everyday? Selfish is a personality that hides in our body all the time. Anna might take care of her sister sometimes, maybe for a while, because of the worm of conscience. But I am sure she won't take care of her sister as long as she can.
I think her parent is right to tell her all the details. It's unfair to Anna because she need to suffer these things at such a young age, but it will be the same situation even her parent tell her when she is getting older. She still need to help her parent to take care of her sister, or at least she can choose. But it's so hard to say "no" because that's her sister and if she chooses not, her parent will be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Anna loves her sister but also she will kinda blame at her and her disease. She pays so lots on her sister, she is selfless but also ironic. Anna acquiesces to take care of her sister, but that's not her real choice. She has to do that, so she does. In a sense, she is nose of wax.
I don't really think so. As a teenager, we all want to hand out with friends, chill and party. Who will want to face a goner everyday? Selfish is a personality that hides in our body all the time. Anna might take care of her sister sometimes, maybe for a while, because of the worm of conscience. But I am sure she won't take care of her sister as long as she can.
1. I think Anna has the right to know everything about her family. Even though the fact is a bit cruel to a little girl, she is a member of the family! She is supposed to understand the situation in the house. Anna's parents should give her a chance to offer her own opinions about her feelings. And let her make her own decision as to whether she wants to help Kate or not.
ReplyDelete2. Anna is a donor. She's been donating her blood or bone marrow since she was born, and she doesn't have a chance to say no. She definitely loves her sister, but she also wants to be as normal as other people who don't need to go to hospital frequently. I believe that Anna hired a lawyer because she wanted to take the control of her body away from her parents.
3. If Anna's parents gave her a chance to choose, I think Anna would still help her sister to stay alive. Just like Julia said, if her twin sister has some problems about her health, she will do anything to save her life, but it has to be "HER" decision. If Anna can choose whether she wants to donate, I think she will keep donating her blood or organs because of love, and it's "HER" own decision!