GREGOR THE OVERLANDER
Rylee Waterworth
20 October 2016
Mr. Zsolt Girba
Dear Mr. Zsolt Girba:
In this letter, I will be discussing different points in the book, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, pages 1-308. This thrilling novel began with siblings Gregor and two year old Boots falling into a hole and landing in a strange world called the Underland. The two encountered abnormal creatures, including giant insects, evil rats, and peculiar-looking humans. Befriending the humans and insects, Boots and Gregor were chosen to go on a quest in hopes of bringing back victory for the Underlanders waged in war with the cruel rats, and Gregor and Boots’ father, who has been missing for two years. This novel had a satisfying ending, with Gregor finally bringing his father home, and the Underlanders with hope for a better life. I will analyze the unique style of writing Collins presents and identify the main theme of the book.
this text, the tone is based off of Gregor’s mood, so the reader tends to feel the same emotions that Gregor feels when certain events occur. Gregor was at one of his highest points of the story when he first discovered that his father may still be alive in the Underland after two years of being missing, for he felt “waves of happiness wash over him” (Collins 101). Collins helped the reader feel a connection to Gregor and his father by reflecting on affectionate experiences Gregor and his father had in his past, like
“his dad on a picnic blanket in Central Park” (Collins 102) with his family, laughing and being happy together. These flashbacks created more of a hopeful and longing tone since both the reader and Gregor wanted more than anything to have those joyous moments back with his father. Another event where Collins evoked emotional responses from the reader was when the quest group had lost one of their friends, Tick the cockroach, who had selflessly sacrificed herself for the life of Gregor’s little sister. This had impacted Gregor significantly, for “Tick’s sacrifice had crushed whatever thin shell remained between him and sorrow” (Collins 249). This resulted in Gregor breaking down and “waves of sobs” (Collins 250) sweeping over him. A phrase that stuck with me the most personally was “Tick-- just a roach who had given all the time she had left so that Boots could have more” (Collins 249). It showed how much Tick had truly cared for Boots and how she had given up everything for her, even without having the assurance that Boots would make it out of the rest of the quest. Even though Tick was just one in a million roaches, her sacrifice would forever be remembered with Gregor, Boots, and the reader.
After finishing this book, I have come to conclude that the main theme is the importance of family and how they always find a way to be together. In this novel, there are two important and very distinct families; Gregor’s family and Luxa’s family. In Gregor’s family, they have been feeling lonely and devastated in his father’s absence. However, when Gregor learned his father may be alive in the Underland, his “heart started up again, it beat so hard, he thought it might break through his chest” (Collins 101) and “waves of happiness washed over him” (Collins 101). This shows Gregor’s hope for his family and how he still has not given up. After the quest while Gregor, his little sister, and newly found father made their way home, Gregor said, “His family would be together again” (Collins 284), showing how even after everything they have been through, they still found a way to finally be together and feel complete again. However, in Luxa’s Royal Family, her situation was much more complicated. Both her cousin, Henry, and Luxa’s parents were killed when they were young, leaving them with only each other and Luxa’s grandfather, Vikus. As the quest came to an end, Henry betrayed Luxa by going against her people, which resulted in his defeat and death. This left Luxa in a severe state of shock, for “Henry was Luxa’s family, and he had given her over to the rats. What was there left for Luxa to feel now?” (Collins 284). Although Henry had left Luxa heartbroken and anguished, it led to Luxa and Vikus being able to grow a closer and more emotional bond, a vital connection that they had not had before. Vikus welcomed Luxa home with a warm and empathetic heart, and despite Luxa being hesitant at first, “the feelings won, and to Gregor’s relief, she ran into Vikus’s arms” (Collins 285). Overall, this novel greatly demonstrated how in the end, family will always be there.
All in all, this novel was quite an exciting read. I personally enjoyed the interactions between characters and the overall adventurous plot. Collins did an incredible job invoking emotion into her story with her theme and use of dialect and imagination in a creative world with interesting characters. It was an anticipating and thrilling story from page 1 to 308 and I aspire to read the other four books in the Underland Chronicles.
Sincerely,
Rylee Waterworth
PHS Student
20 October 2016
Mr. Zsolt Girba
Dear Mr. Zsolt Girba:
In this letter, I will be discussing different points in the book, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, pages 1-308. This thrilling novel began with siblings Gregor and two year old Boots falling into a hole and landing in a strange world called the Underland. The two encountered abnormal creatures, including giant insects, evil rats, and peculiar-looking humans. Befriending the humans and insects, Boots and Gregor were chosen to go on a quest in hopes of bringing back victory for the Underlanders waged in war with the cruel rats, and Gregor and Boots’ father, who has been missing for two years. This novel had a satisfying ending, with Gregor finally bringing his father home, and the Underlanders with hope for a better life. I will analyze the unique style of writing Collins presents and identify the main theme of the book.
this text, the tone is based off of Gregor’s mood, so the reader tends to feel the same emotions that Gregor feels when certain events occur. Gregor was at one of his highest points of the story when he first discovered that his father may still be alive in the Underland after two years of being missing, for he felt “waves of happiness wash over him” (Collins 101). Collins helped the reader feel a connection to Gregor and his father by reflecting on affectionate experiences Gregor and his father had in his past, like
“his dad on a picnic blanket in Central Park” (Collins 102) with his family, laughing and being happy together. These flashbacks created more of a hopeful and longing tone since both the reader and Gregor wanted more than anything to have those joyous moments back with his father. Another event where Collins evoked emotional responses from the reader was when the quest group had lost one of their friends, Tick the cockroach, who had selflessly sacrificed herself for the life of Gregor’s little sister. This had impacted Gregor significantly, for “Tick’s sacrifice had crushed whatever thin shell remained between him and sorrow” (Collins 249). This resulted in Gregor breaking down and “waves of sobs” (Collins 250) sweeping over him. A phrase that stuck with me the most personally was “Tick-- just a roach who had given all the time she had left so that Boots could have more” (Collins 249). It showed how much Tick had truly cared for Boots and how she had given up everything for her, even without having the assurance that Boots would make it out of the rest of the quest. Even though Tick was just one in a million roaches, her sacrifice would forever be remembered with Gregor, Boots, and the reader.
After finishing this book, I have come to conclude that the main theme is the importance of family and how they always find a way to be together. In this novel, there are two important and very distinct families; Gregor’s family and Luxa’s family. In Gregor’s family, they have been feeling lonely and devastated in his father’s absence. However, when Gregor learned his father may be alive in the Underland, his “heart started up again, it beat so hard, he thought it might break through his chest” (Collins 101) and “waves of happiness washed over him” (Collins 101). This shows Gregor’s hope for his family and how he still has not given up. After the quest while Gregor, his little sister, and newly found father made their way home, Gregor said, “His family would be together again” (Collins 284), showing how even after everything they have been through, they still found a way to finally be together and feel complete again. However, in Luxa’s Royal Family, her situation was much more complicated. Both her cousin, Henry, and Luxa’s parents were killed when they were young, leaving them with only each other and Luxa’s grandfather, Vikus. As the quest came to an end, Henry betrayed Luxa by going against her people, which resulted in his defeat and death. This left Luxa in a severe state of shock, for “Henry was Luxa’s family, and he had given her over to the rats. What was there left for Luxa to feel now?” (Collins 284). Although Henry had left Luxa heartbroken and anguished, it led to Luxa and Vikus being able to grow a closer and more emotional bond, a vital connection that they had not had before. Vikus welcomed Luxa home with a warm and empathetic heart, and despite Luxa being hesitant at first, “the feelings won, and to Gregor’s relief, she ran into Vikus’s arms” (Collins 285). Overall, this novel greatly demonstrated how in the end, family will always be there.
All in all, this novel was quite an exciting read. I personally enjoyed the interactions between characters and the overall adventurous plot. Collins did an incredible job invoking emotion into her story with her theme and use of dialect and imagination in a creative world with interesting characters. It was an anticipating and thrilling story from page 1 to 308 and I aspire to read the other four books in the Underland Chronicles.
Sincerely,
Rylee Waterworth
PHS Student
REFLECTION:
One book I read this year that made an impact on me was "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins. This book was part of the independent reading novels my English class was given. Getting assigned a book of choice to read was exciting enough and helped me get back into reading again. I truly enjoyed reading a book I would think I would like and was not disappointed with this one. "Gregor the Overlander" showed me the unbreakable bonds families have in all conditions. With this ideology, I learned to appreciate my family more despite the times I may feel we are not getting along, much like Luxa and her grandfather and Gregor with his little sister and father. No matter what, these characters were always there for one another and overcame seemingly impossible situations so they could be together.
One book I read this year that made an impact on me was "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins. This book was part of the independent reading novels my English class was given. Getting assigned a book of choice to read was exciting enough and helped me get back into reading again. I truly enjoyed reading a book I would think I would like and was not disappointed with this one. "Gregor the Overlander" showed me the unbreakable bonds families have in all conditions. With this ideology, I learned to appreciate my family more despite the times I may feel we are not getting along, much like Luxa and her grandfather and Gregor with his little sister and father. No matter what, these characters were always there for one another and overcame seemingly impossible situations so they could be together.
FAHRENHEIT 451
Rylee Waterworth
6191 Trinette Avenue,
Garden Grove, CA 92845
20 October 2016
Mr. Zsolt Girba
6851 Lampson Avenue,
Garden Grove, CA 92845
Dear Mr. Zsolt Girba:
In this letter, I will be discussing different points from the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, pages 1-158. This riveting novel began with Guy Montag experiencing conflicting feelings about his occupation as a firefighter. Although, in this book’s universe, possession of any book is illegal and it is a firefighter’s duty to eliminate the source by setting the criminal’s home and books to fire. Montag continues to fight his internal feelings of choosing to go against society and what he believes is right throughout the story until he finally snaps. The story ended with Montag escaping his village and old life to find a new one with the luxury of books and free knowledge. Furthermore, I will analyze some symbols the story portrays and identify the main theme of the book
One symbol found in this book was the event of Montag’s first encounter with the Hound. The Hound is a mechanical dog designed to swiftly kill a targeted victim, typically a runaway book-holder. However, in this scene, the Hound attacked Montag. Terrified and “his heart pounding” (Bradbury 23), Montag was able to get away, but only with more questions and confusion, for Montag was not a criminal at the time. This event symbolizes Montag’s upcoming future of illegal activity with books, as he once again gets attacked by the Hound later on, except this time as a fugitive in possession of books. More foreshadowing evidence is found when Montag explains to his captain that the Hound has been misinterpreting him as a threat, with his captain’s response being, “Why? You got a guilty conscience about something?” (Bradbury 25). After Montag just nervously looks away, it shows that although he has not committed any crimes yet, he may be a part of the movement he is currently going against that causes conflicting feelings of guilt in his future. Another symbol is the war that occurs throughout the story. Although it is only a background event that is mentioned a few times in the book, the war is significant to the ending, as a bomb wipes out Montag’s village as he escapes it in attempt to get away from law enforcements and find a better life. This war symbolizes cleanliness and a new life for society. Granger, a traveler seeking the same ambition as Montag, referred the explosion to a Phoenix’s rebirth in its own ashes. He explained that, “We know all of the damn silly things we’ve done for a thousand years and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, someday we’ll stop making the goddamn funeral pyres and jumping in the middle of them” (Bradbury 156). What Granger is saying is that once humanity is aware of the mistakes we have made and changes for the better, that is when we will have a better world. As he said that after we begin this different mindset, “We pick up a few more people that remember, every generation” (Bradbury 156).
The main theme of this book is showing the negative effects of destroying individual thinking. Throughout the story, the characters portray a similar and unintellectual kind of thinking that the reader can infer is from the lack of reading interesting and riveting stories that influence the part of the brain that develops curiosity and imagination. For example, when family friends of Montag came over to visit, they began talking about politics but delivered their opinions about events that a typical person would not find relevant. They said about the presidential election, “You don’t just go running a little short man like that against a tall man. Besides, half the time, I couldn’t hear a word he said. And the words I did hear, I didn’t understand!” (Bradbury 93). This dialogue shows the reader how people in this universe do not attempt to go into depth about topics because they either don’t care or physically can’t function that way. Another example of society attempting to eliminate independent thinking is found when Captain Beatty is explaining to Montag why Clarisse McClellan was killed. He described her as a “time bomb” (Bradbury 57) and “embarrassing” (Bradbury 57) since she “didn’t want to know how a thing was done but why” (Bradbury 57). He went on further about the reasoning behind why she was a rare case in humanity, since nowadays their thinking is set on, “If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him… Better yet, give him none” (Bradbury 58). This statement shows the overall thinking that is engraved into people these days and indicates that the way to have a better society is to get rid of people’s individual thoughts to avoid conflict between different ideas. A major contributor to this type of thinking is storytelling or books, which is the reason to why they were outlawed. Overall, the message that Bradbury is trying to give the reader is that even though some issues are derived from different opinions, it is what allows humanity to grow, develop and be as complex and interesting as it is.
All in all, this novel was a spectacular read and is definitely one of my new favorites. Although it was complex and difficult to understand at times, I really enjoyed the message it delivered about the positives of being different and its unique portrayal of symbolism. On a side note, Bradbury did a fantastic job of using figurative language to invoke feeling and emotion into the story, especially during the climax and the ending. I appreciate this opportunity I was given to be able to read this classic and hope to read more of Bradbury’s books in the future.
Sincerely,
Rylee Waterworth
PHS Student
6191 Trinette Avenue,
Garden Grove, CA 92845
20 October 2016
Mr. Zsolt Girba
6851 Lampson Avenue,
Garden Grove, CA 92845
Dear Mr. Zsolt Girba:
In this letter, I will be discussing different points from the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, pages 1-158. This riveting novel began with Guy Montag experiencing conflicting feelings about his occupation as a firefighter. Although, in this book’s universe, possession of any book is illegal and it is a firefighter’s duty to eliminate the source by setting the criminal’s home and books to fire. Montag continues to fight his internal feelings of choosing to go against society and what he believes is right throughout the story until he finally snaps. The story ended with Montag escaping his village and old life to find a new one with the luxury of books and free knowledge. Furthermore, I will analyze some symbols the story portrays and identify the main theme of the book
One symbol found in this book was the event of Montag’s first encounter with the Hound. The Hound is a mechanical dog designed to swiftly kill a targeted victim, typically a runaway book-holder. However, in this scene, the Hound attacked Montag. Terrified and “his heart pounding” (Bradbury 23), Montag was able to get away, but only with more questions and confusion, for Montag was not a criminal at the time. This event symbolizes Montag’s upcoming future of illegal activity with books, as he once again gets attacked by the Hound later on, except this time as a fugitive in possession of books. More foreshadowing evidence is found when Montag explains to his captain that the Hound has been misinterpreting him as a threat, with his captain’s response being, “Why? You got a guilty conscience about something?” (Bradbury 25). After Montag just nervously looks away, it shows that although he has not committed any crimes yet, he may be a part of the movement he is currently going against that causes conflicting feelings of guilt in his future. Another symbol is the war that occurs throughout the story. Although it is only a background event that is mentioned a few times in the book, the war is significant to the ending, as a bomb wipes out Montag’s village as he escapes it in attempt to get away from law enforcements and find a better life. This war symbolizes cleanliness and a new life for society. Granger, a traveler seeking the same ambition as Montag, referred the explosion to a Phoenix’s rebirth in its own ashes. He explained that, “We know all of the damn silly things we’ve done for a thousand years and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, someday we’ll stop making the goddamn funeral pyres and jumping in the middle of them” (Bradbury 156). What Granger is saying is that once humanity is aware of the mistakes we have made and changes for the better, that is when we will have a better world. As he said that after we begin this different mindset, “We pick up a few more people that remember, every generation” (Bradbury 156).
The main theme of this book is showing the negative effects of destroying individual thinking. Throughout the story, the characters portray a similar and unintellectual kind of thinking that the reader can infer is from the lack of reading interesting and riveting stories that influence the part of the brain that develops curiosity and imagination. For example, when family friends of Montag came over to visit, they began talking about politics but delivered their opinions about events that a typical person would not find relevant. They said about the presidential election, “You don’t just go running a little short man like that against a tall man. Besides, half the time, I couldn’t hear a word he said. And the words I did hear, I didn’t understand!” (Bradbury 93). This dialogue shows the reader how people in this universe do not attempt to go into depth about topics because they either don’t care or physically can’t function that way. Another example of society attempting to eliminate independent thinking is found when Captain Beatty is explaining to Montag why Clarisse McClellan was killed. He described her as a “time bomb” (Bradbury 57) and “embarrassing” (Bradbury 57) since she “didn’t want to know how a thing was done but why” (Bradbury 57). He went on further about the reasoning behind why she was a rare case in humanity, since nowadays their thinking is set on, “If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him… Better yet, give him none” (Bradbury 58). This statement shows the overall thinking that is engraved into people these days and indicates that the way to have a better society is to get rid of people’s individual thoughts to avoid conflict between different ideas. A major contributor to this type of thinking is storytelling or books, which is the reason to why they were outlawed. Overall, the message that Bradbury is trying to give the reader is that even though some issues are derived from different opinions, it is what allows humanity to grow, develop and be as complex and interesting as it is.
All in all, this novel was a spectacular read and is definitely one of my new favorites. Although it was complex and difficult to understand at times, I really enjoyed the message it delivered about the positives of being different and its unique portrayal of symbolism. On a side note, Bradbury did a fantastic job of using figurative language to invoke feeling and emotion into the story, especially during the climax and the ending. I appreciate this opportunity I was given to be able to read this classic and hope to read more of Bradbury’s books in the future.
Sincerely,
Rylee Waterworth
PHS Student
REFLECTION:
This book was also part of the independent reading novel assignment. I particularly enjoyed "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury because not only was it a thrilling read from start to finish, it also showed me a lot about society and the benefits of interacting with one another. Even though having different opinions can be viewed as negative, this book showed me that is what allows us to develop as a community. This book demonstrated a society where no books were allowed, thus creating bland and one minded conversations that had no significance. Bradbury did an excellent job portraying a world where this occurred, causing the reader to no longer take books for granted and enjoying the ability to discuss and learn.
This book was also part of the independent reading novel assignment. I particularly enjoyed "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury because not only was it a thrilling read from start to finish, it also showed me a lot about society and the benefits of interacting with one another. Even though having different opinions can be viewed as negative, this book showed me that is what allows us to develop as a community. This book demonstrated a society where no books were allowed, thus creating bland and one minded conversations that had no significance. Bradbury did an excellent job portraying a world where this occurred, causing the reader to no longer take books for granted and enjoying the ability to discuss and learn.