Sophomores! Stop floating around in space and get that summer reading finished!
"It's more like we're astronauts, each wearing a separate helmet, each
sustained by our own source of air." This quote comes from Anna, as she
and her parents sit in silence in the hospital cafeteria. Besides being a
powerful use of imagery, this observation shows
Anna to be perhaps one of the wisest, most perceptive characters in the novel. What do you think she meant by her description of her family?
I think that this analogy means that every member of the family has its own role in the system. if could also mean that they are all separate family members who try to work together and help each other but they all end up pushing each other away even more.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Anna is probably the most perceptive person in the novel. One interpretation of her description was that each member of the family was absorbed in their own little world. Each with their own unique thoughts and opinions of a common problem. Each member doing all they can just to keep himself stable. Every Fitzgerald was too far gone in their own concerns to think about one another. Another interpretation might be that each member of the family had isolated themselves at that time. Each wanting to deal with the current situation in a different way. There being so many mixed feelings, there was a risk of causing friction between each other. Therefore, they all had receded back into a place of awkwardness.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sara and Elizabeth for your insight. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI think that each one of the family members have there own oxygen tank. For example Sara's oxygen tank is to keep Kate alive and that's what she runs off. The reason why Jesse is doing what he is doing cause his oxygen tank is low cause he doesn't get attention from his dad. The all have there own theory's of oxygen and some of them are running low or out.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the reasons why Anna said "It's more like we're astronauts, each wearing a separate helmet, each sustained by our own source of air" Are first she think her life is unfair because her mother and father conceived her for the goal to save Kate. When she was born she had to use her umbilical cord blood stem cells to save her sister. Even when she was a little child her mom asked her to contribute her blood to her sister. Finally, her mom asked Anna to give her kidney to her sister.She think her purpose on earth is to save Kate. There is no love between Anna and her family and non communication between them.Second, Anna thinks her parent's focus on Kate is too much. The mother doesn't treat children well. Also, the father only cares about Kate also. Jesse is always doing his own thing and tries to make his parents take care of him,I'm hate the idea of using one's body to save Kate.I think this is not a family ,the real family have to be take good care of each other,communicate with each other,In the real family you will never fee lonely!If I am Anna I will talk this to my parents too,because they only care of Kate,is not fair to others,or the parent must have responsibilities,but they don't.
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ReplyDelete"Each wearing a separate helmet" represents Anna's family which is not actually a true family. However, what a family should be like includes helping, loving and caring one another. Although these categories do show up in the book in some ways, I still could feel the perspective of Anna toward her family. The first reason Anna says her family member resemble astronauts is that each of them has different objectives. Kate wants to stop suffering from her illness, while Sarah tries her best to save her sick and dying daughter; Brain and Jesse are like two opponents against each other. Anna, the donor, could be recognized as a machine that was made for giving organs to Kate. Since the characteristics of each person are different, we could say that they have their own "air" to breathe. Seemingly, Anna's family is in such harmony. Every member of the family, however, doesn't have the same goal. Therefore, Anna persuasively indicates the description of her family as "astronauts who have their own are to breathe!"
ReplyDeleteI think Anna means that she thinks her family is all separated. Their thoughts and minds are not connected to each other. In her family, each of them does their own jobs. They all have different roles in which the center is Kate. Kate was the main root and reason that lead her family to the situation now. Anna here, also mentioned her family, wearing separate helmets, and are sustained by their own sources of air. I think all of her family members have very different opinions and perspectives, and that everyone is standing alone by themselves. Even though they try to work together to help Kate, their ideas are so different that they wanted to deal with the situation in different ways, which pushes them away from each other.
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ReplyDeleteI deem that Anna thinks though they are a family, they actually look like strangers with wearing different helmets. Sustained by their own source of air, each has different purposes to another.
In term of Anna is the wisest and most perspective person, I could totally agree with that. Sara has been too radical of saving Kate's life since the very beginning. She even forgets Anna is only a kid, too small to be harmed, and keeps advocating her own though. I think that Anna's parents are ignorant and silly. They have two daughters but always let the world revolve around one. Anna in fact has her own dream instead of being a donor. Her parents however can't think I a holistic way which gives her a though of less significant.