End of Quarter One

First quarter went pretty well for me. I had some struggles with figuring out how to write a good thesis, but I'm a lot more confident with that now. Another thing I learned was how to write an essay. My organization skills are very much improved. I believe the classroom environment was relaxed enough so it was easy for me to not be stressed and learn easier. Nobody likes lecture after lecture.

For quarter 2 I think that if I put more time into my writing and have fewer distractions, they'll turn out better. I hope to improve my writing and analyzing skills further, and even though I'm more confident with thesis statements since the beginning of the year I still need work with them. I'm also going to try to participate more in in class discussions.

Outside Reading #5

Well, in a nut shell the ending goes kind of like this…
Nina has feelings for Patrick, but feels an obligation to stay with Caleb for Nathanial and she really does love Caleb. Caleb continues to think about how he is a coward for not killing the priest who he though molested his son, and when he finds out that the real molester is still out there he feels he must kill him and does! Caleb finds Father Gwynne in New Orleans and poisons him. And the worst part about it is we don’t know the end result of Nina’s case. Will she go to jail or be innocent under reason of insanity?
I hate books that end like this to be frank. This is a double whammy. One, Caleb does something to complicate things by killing the other priest, and two, we don’t know how Nina is going to end up in terms of her sentence. Ahhhhhhhh!!! However, the theme that society makes rules for a reason is very present. When this couple finds out their son is molested they both have rash feelings at first, and they both eventually turn these feelings in to action, an action that is murder. And even though these two believed they were bettering society and protecting their son by getting a pedophile of the streets, actually more like out of the church, the fact is murder is very wrong and they didn’t accomplish squat.

Outside Reading #4

Nina has been released on bail until her hearing and one of her conditions was that she wasn't able to speak to any of her former colleagues. Nathanial, her son, not knowing this calls the name of Peter, her former colleague, in a grocery store and Peter eventually says a quick hello to Nina (Picoult 188). Of course Quentin Brown, the prosecutor trying to convict Nina, happens to be there and when they all go back to court Nina is still out on bail but confined to her house. While reading her newspaper one morning Nina takes out a manila envelope revealing that a DNA match has been confirmed proving that this priest's semen was found in Nathanial's boxers. Nina feels so relieved that she had indeed killed the right man, yet not so relieved because she did get a second opinion on the DNA results. Then, MAJOR TWIST!!!!!!!! This second opinion reveals through Father Glen's medical history that he got a bone marrow transplant, which means his marrow donor's DNA is the one matched with that found on the boxers. Nina recalls Nathanial revealing the man who hurt him as Father Glen, but what he was actually trying to say was Father Gwynne (211). As a four-year-old Nathanial has trouble with his L's, and it was assumed he said Glen, but he didn't have trouble this time. Nina feels extreme guilt for not only killing the wrong man, but killing a cancer survivor and a priest! However, she doesn't tell Caleb, her husband.
Nina, although in and out of jail, and in and out of guilt mostly is concerned for her son. Her true mother persona is coming out. After she finds out that she shot the wrong man she does feel extreme guilt but the thought of "He is still out there" (212). She's thinking about the man who really did it who is running free and possibly creating new victims. Even through he struggles she manages to think of her son. Caleb, who has helped his wife with her bail release, is extremely frustrated with her mindset. She keeps telling him that she had to do it, but he thinks that he would have got what's coming to him if she had waited. I can't blame Caleb for thinking this, I actually agree with him. The theme of going against society to what you think is right is really displaying itself in this novel. Nina shot a supposed child molester because she though she was protecting her son, even though it was murder.Nina shouldn't have taken such rash actions and now she and her family are suffering even more. Moving on to Patrick, his feelings for Nina haven't seemed to changed after the shooting, he might even think what she did was okay. When Nina tells Patrick that she got the wrong guy Patrick wants to help put Father Gwynne in jail. (Notice Nina told Patrick, not Caleb) However, Nina says, " 'I can't let you do something that stupid' " (218) Yet, Patrick thinks, "What makes you think I haven't already." Nina is keeping things from Caleb that she's open with with Patrick, and Patrick seems to be doing more to help Nina than Caleb is. My question is, what will happen between them? Caleb still loves Nina, and Patrick has always secretly loved Nina, but what does Nina think. We haven't really heard her take on this situation. I must find out what happens!