LITERATURE ANALYSIS #1

 The Basics 

1. The novel "Blink Once" by Cylin Busby is about a boy named West who is a senior in high school that loves biking. Until one day he wakes up paralyzed in a hospital bed. He meets this girl named Olivia who is also a patient at the hospital. Olivia seems to be the only one who understands West. They become really good friends. West begins to rely more on Olivia, even more than his own friends. West gets the opportunity to consider having surgery. This surgery can possibly get him back to normal but Olivia doesn't want him to get it because she thinks West will forget about her. West ends up getting the surgery and getting better. He can now walk and talk. The first thing he wants to go do is see Olivia. Then he finds out Olivia has been in a coma for almost a year. He refuses to believe it because she has been talking to him for months. Then he finds out he has also been in a coma for months. Everything that he and Olivia had been through was not real. 

2. I believe the theme of the novel "Blink Once" is hope. Everyone is this novel had hope. West had hope that he was going to get better. Olivia had hope that West was going to come back for her. West's family and friends had hope he was going to get better. 

3. I believe the author, Cylin Busby, likes to get up early on the week days but sleep in on the weekends. The author definitely likes coffee in the morning and sometimes tea. She probably does yoga in the morning after eating breakfast. 

4. One literary technique is allusion. West often alludes his past and how things used to be. He used to reference what his life was like before he was in a coma. Imagery is used throughout the whole book when describing what characters are feeling, where they are, or what they want. Foreshadowing is used when the author would hint that West would get better and that he would come back for Olivia. The point of view was from West and it never changed. We would see what he was seeing and feeling. The tone of the book was very sincere. You can tell that the characters we serious about everything that was happening around them. The tone was rarely happy or joyful. 

Next Level

1. I believe that the theme drew me to the book. The theme was very interesting and I've never read a book like that. I hoped to experience what the characters were going through and what they were feeling. 

2. What kept me reading more was the imagery. The imagery was great because you could really imagine what the author was describe. 

3. My reading habits are that visualizing what the author is describing. For example when the author was describing where West was when he first woke up, I knew it was a hospital before the author got a chance to say it. Another reading habit is re-reading paragraphs again to catch up or to have a better understanding of the story. 

1. This book is about West and Olivia getting each other through hard times together. They each go through a lot in their lives even though they are so young. I think the author's purpose was to teach us that you need to keep fighting because there is always something to fight for. 

2. I believe the theme for this novel was hope. I believe it was hope because everyone in the book had hope. Then in the end that's what ended up saving West. 

3. The authors tone is sad at first because everything in the book seemed to be going wrong but in the end I believe the authors tone changed to positive. For example in the beginning West was paralyzed and felt alone. Then Olivia showed up and he felt much better. 

4. Imagery is used in page 139 when West is dreaming and the author is describing what he is seeing. This helps us imagine what he's feeling and seeing. Flashbacks are used very often in this book. For example in page 225, West gets a flashback to the time he spent with Olivia. Mood is used on page 167 when West is about to leave the hospital. The mood is changed to anxiousness. Foreshadowing is used in page 95 when West has a dream about something that happened to Olivia. West doesn't know what the dreams mean yet but they are revealed later on in the story. Narration is used throughout the book because because the protagonist, West, is narrating the whole story. Tone is used 253 because it changed to more serious and it seems like the author wants us to be anxious about the situation. Repetition is used a lot in this story. For example in page 160 West keeps having these dreams that he can't explain almost everyday. Irony is used on page 160 when West is having the same dream again. This is irony because West thinks it means something when in reality it mean something totally different. Setting is used on page 129 because it is when West finally gets home and he sees his room for the first time in a long time. Symbolism is used on page 7 when Olivia tells West to blink once for yes and twice for no. This symbolizes their way of communicating with each other. 

1. One example of direct characterization is when the author said West was happy after getting out of the hospital. The author could have given us clues or described to use how he felt but instead she told us. Another direct characterization was when the author said West was leaving the hospital. She never described it she just said it. One example of indirect characterization was when she was describing how Olivia and West were falling in love. Another example of indirect characterization was when she was describing how West's friends felt about his accident. I believe the author uses both approaches so that the readers can image what she is talking about. 

2. Yes, the authors syntax changes when she focuses on a character. For example, when she is talking about Olivia she describes her better and in more detail. The authors tone is more gentle and caring as opposed to when she is talking about another character. For example, when the author is describing Allie her tone is very different. The authors tone is a less gentle. 

3. The protagonist, West, is a dynamic character because in the beginning of the story he cared what people thought about him. Then throughout the story he started changing because he met Olivia. West is also a round character because he is very complicated and he changes so much. From the way he thinks to the way he acts.

4. I believe that I met a character because the way the author described their thoughts and action felt so real. It feels like you're going through the same things they are.