First, what do you think the significance is for David Mitchell starting the first chapter of the novel January Man and ending it with the same title?

After reading the novel, I understand that it takes us through the life journey of a 13-year-old boy for one year, but his ordeal is not that of a typical teenage boy. Rather, it is atypical and suggests that Jason in my opinion is not living a normal teenage life. Besides his parents divorce ,being bullied by the popular kids in school, and other things, his adventures through the woods, imaginary inner twin, and confusion of reality leaves me to determine that he is undoubtedly weird as I suggested in my first blog.

Knife Grinder

What is the purpose of this chapter like every chapter? Mitchell, start a new chapter, with a new theme, and sometimes-new characters to confuse the reader. He builds suspense up until you turn to the next chapter and you are hit with sadness because he does not continue his climax. How will students feel about this? I think they would be upset. They are reading a “juicy” text and then it crashes and pitfall to absolutely nothing. Students may be completely confused about reading this book from beginning to end. I think that if students do not know that this book is about a typical teenage boy’s life journey and particular events, then they will be lost in the text mainly because it does not continuously read like a regular novel that they are used to. However, it is the teacher’s responsibility to give students an overview of the book so that they are not disengaged. Implementing useful activities in the classroom pertaining to the novel will keep students engaged.

Gypsies? I have still yet to figure out what is the purpose of adding them in the novel. Apparently, this is where Jason begins to accept who he is and identify with others. Jason parents continue to decline with their relationship. At this point, there is no hope for either the mother or father. Will they end in divorce or rekindle their relationship?

Goose Fair

Goose Fair is by far the most interesting chapter thus far. Jason continues to develop, but his maturity level (coming of age) is explicitly delivered here. He returns a wallet to probably the biggest bully in his hometown. Although he hesitates and wants to purchase another Omega Seamaster, he relents and returns the wallet back to Ross Wilcox

Disco

As with any coming of age novel, Jason experiences a first. His first is kissing a girl. Wow! Who would have ever known it would be something simple like this. Nevertheless, to Jason, it is the start of a new beginning. The beginning of no longer being a Maggot.

In my last posting, I suggested that Jason head is getting bloated. I believe that we will no longer think of himself as a maggot and go after Dawn Madden since a bus driver suggested he needs a pretty girl so that others will be jealous. Rather, he does not seek after Ross Wilcox’s girlfriend, but finds a girl of his own. I think he wants Holly to be Dawn. What is confusing about the book is that the back cover suggests the Jason will go after Dawn, but as you read the book, he never really tried to seek her. The only real conversation they ever had was in the farm.

I doubt students will be interested in a book like this, but it is my duty to keep them engaged as much as possible. I would have students write their own narrative about a time frame in their lives from 13-years-old to 14-years-old. I would use the same situations, obstacle, and events that Jason describe and have students create their own. This way, students will continue to predict about what will happen in the text.

January Man

Hannah posted some interesting questions that I also thought about. What does Julia mean by “it’s not the end?” Is she suggesting that something will happen? Is there a part two to the novel? We finally find out about Jason’s father strange behavior. His affair has torn the family apart, which probably sends Jason on this tangent of visiting different aspects of his life. Therefore, Black Swan Green does have swans...Mmmmmm. Interesting to know this because now I feel as if this last chapter could have been the first chapter. The entire novel is summed up without the long drawn out details that surrounds Jason’s life. He takes us on a quick road down memory lane that jogs all the experiences Jason has had throughout the novel.

As Julia said, “it’s not the end.”

My blogging experience:

I have had the pleasure of reading, writing, and commenting on the different blogs that we have posted in the past month. It is interesting to know that we are all reading the same novel, but have different takes on what we comprehend. We have all been an excellent insight to each other’s knowledge of the text and I enjoyed reading the novel and sharing my metacognitive experience about the book.

Solarium, Souvenirs and Maggot

All throughout reading Black Swan Green I've pondered about the titles of each chapter because they just seem to appropriately summarize the chapter in a word or two, and they seem to represent a greater, abstract idea. I want to further discus this thought using these 3 chapters:

Solarium---
"I looked 'solarium' up. It just means 'an airy room,'" (Mitchell, 151). Yes, a solarium is an airy room, but it's also defined as a glass-cased room that is exposed to the sun. Some dictionaries even add that it is a room used for healing. I thought this was really interesting that the author and/or Jason uses a really basic definition when the solarium in this chapter seems to signify a bigger concept. Of all the rooms to meet in, why does Madame Crommelynck and Jason meet in the solarium? I have to believe there's some significance to this setting.

In this chapter Jason's pseudonym, Eliot Bolivar, and his poems are discovered by Madame Crommelynck. They meet because Jason thinks she can help him with his poetry. She ends up doing more for him. She introduces authors to him, makes him reconsider using his real name when he publishes and enlightens him on the idea of beauty and poetry. However, in the end of this chapter Jason finds out she and her husband are potentially criminals.

The solarium is the room Jason and Madame Crommelynck went to in order to restore something about themselves which they didn't like. They found a connection with another and in the solarium they were able to forget their troubles and heal their pride.

Souvenirs---
Jason received some interesting gifts or "souvenirs" in this chapter. A kite from his dad's co-worker, Danny. A fossil from his dad. And ultimately the movie, Chariots of Fire, from his mom. But the one gift Jason really wanted was to replace his grandfather's watch that he broke. And he finds out it's virtually impossible to replace it because the watch is extremely rare and very expensive.

The souvenirs, the gifts, the title and the concept they signify, is really fascinating to me. Jason received these items as sort of consolation prizes. Danny felt bad for him because his dad was caught up in a meeting. Jason's dad felt guilty for standing him up. And his mom rewarded him for helping her catch the girls who were stealing from the museum. However, the gifts became meaningful to Jason because they reminded him of the concept of friendship, of having a decent relationship with your parents. So, in a way the gifts were souvenirs, remembrances of how cool it is to have lunch with a interesting stranger, or sharing a connection with your dad, or being able to please your mom.

Maggot---
Jason is ridiculed by bullies in the school because someone saw him in the theaters with his mom. This chapter gives a closer look into Maggot, one of Jason's alter egos? Jason, the loser. This chapter scared me. The vivid remarks made by Wilcox and friends, and, of course, the beating they do to Jason transported me into Jason's character and I felt just as scared and ashamed as he did. And the ending was really alarming, too, when the bus driver advises Jason to carry around a knife. I hope this isn't a foreshadow. I thought it was really interesting, too, that this is the first chapter that transitioned well from the previous chapter, and how the story lines are directly related.

Solarium, Souvenirs, and Maggot

This will only be a short blurb because we have to answer questions pertaining to the second half of the novel. Once I post the final blog, it will be an in-depth version of what I have already started. Capeesh!

Solarium

Black Swan Green continues to be a novel that adds something new to its already weird demeanor. Nothing is adding up so far and Jason seizes to amaze me every time. In this chapter, we meet another character. Madame Crommelynck seems to be an inspiration for Jason and his writing. He begins to discover who he really is and he truly wants his writing to flourish. She breaks down what beauty is and whether beauty defines something or something defines beauty.

What does maggot mean?

"Little naked ants” (151). Mitchell is marvelous at describing even the smallest things. I just love the imagery that comes to mind when I read this line.

I find myself re-reading lines and sometimes passages to understand exactly what is going on. Jason sometimes confuses me because I am unable to realize if he is speaking from a dream or reality.

Souvenirs

Jason goes into explicit details to describe his father’s dangling penis. The vivid images have stuck in my head since and I have hard time trying to figure out why he went into such details. This led me to predict that he and Dawn Madden might have sex by the end of the novel. I am cheating my prediction because I read the back flap of the book to get a gist of what the novel is about. I wish I had not, but this is one way to find out if the book is interesting. Some other strategies would be to read a few pages of the book, ask a friend if they have read it before, or read an online review.

I wonder why his dad decided to fly the kite with him. Do you think he feels guilty of not spending time with him?

Maggot

As the novel advances, Jason stammering gets worst. Could this suggest that he may be getting into trouble? Is he nervous about something? Jason is becoming a dweeb.

As I predicted in my last post, Debbie Crombie is pregnant. Like a typical military man that leaves to fight for his country, Tom Yew wanted to leave behind a history of him. I knew she was pregnant because of prior experiences of my friend’s boyfriends and girlfriends whose boyfriends go across sees and nine months later, they have a baby.

Jason head is getting bloated. I believe that we will no longer think of himself as a maggot and go after Dawn Madden since a bus driver suggested he needs a pretty girl so that others will be jealous.

Hangman, Relatives, Bridle Path, Rocks & Spooks

Having now read a good portion of Black Swan Green, I've noticed something peculiar, but interesting, about David Mitchell's writing and the set up of the novel. Perhaps this may be a bit reaching, but to me the novel reads more like a compilation of short stories rather than a book with a cohesive & progressive plot. Sure, it can be read this way. It is, after all, considered a novel and not a book of short stories, but somehow Mitchell writes each chapter in such an intricate and conclusive way, even though they end with cliff hangers, that makes me study each chapter with a microscopic lens. I find myself writing notes & summaries at the end of every episode because they each explicitly explore a theme and/or plot that is not necessarily followed up in the next chapter. At first I found this to be very obnoxious, but now, more and more, I see it as a brilliant craft move by the author. This maneuver really makes me question not only the validity of the novel, but also of the main character, Jason. Why did Mitchell choose to tell the story in this way, in a way that makes his protagonist less and less reliable?

It may be too early to say, but I feel as if this novel will end in a very anti-climactic way. Right now I'm expecting a surprising twist in the end, but I get the sense I won't be happy with the ending. It's the experience I go through while reading each chapter, I get really immersed in them, only to be left wanting in the end. Maybe this is Mitchell's way of saying, it's not about the whole, it's about the pieces that make the whole.

I would definitely consider teaching this book to my future high school students, or even 8th graders, if they are as proficient as the ones I am working with now for my student teaching placement. However, I don't think I'd have them read the whole book. I would pull out certain chapters and teach them individually. For instance, I could see myself devoting a lesson to each of these five chapters.

By focusing on "Hangman," the students can examine the difficulties of having a speech impediment through Jason's perspective and how he copes with his stammer, as well as how the people treat him because of this problem. In "Relatives," there is an emphasis on family relationships, this fake, pretentious interaction between the Taylor and Lamb family. There is also this idea of idolization, how Jason idolizes his cousin, Hugo, which turns out to be more of a problematic, destructive situation for Jason rather than a positive one. "Bridle Path" is an adventure chapter. While on this path, Jason is exploring nature --- the woods that envelope his town, but also his sexual nature as a young boy. He meets Dawn Madden in the woods and they have this sort of cat and mouse interaction that demonstrates Jason's feelings for Dawn and Dawn's neurotic personality. There is also the instance where Jason witnesses Tom Yew and Debbie Crombie having sex in the woods. The students can explore how it feels to be privy to a secret moment, the uncomfortable nature of it and possible emotional consequences.

"Rocks" is a very clever chapter. The title is completely fitting because this chapter delves into all of the things in Jason's life that are on the rocks, his parent's marriage, the war, even Tom Yew's death spilla pain and negativity throughout Black Swan Green. All but his sister, Julia's relationship with her boyfriend, Ewan, has a looming sad and/or dangerous quality to it. And the symbolic nature of the rocks/landscape/pond that Jason's mom insists on having, how it screws her in the end really amazed me. "Spooks" is a chapter about fitting in. Jason and his friend, Moran, are invited to become part of a secret gang called Spooks. When they try out and Jason succeeds, but Moran doesn't, he's left to choose between being part of the "in crowd" or standing up for his friend. Then there's also this thematic debate between being a local vs. a townie. Jason and his family are not and are never going to be considered locals because they settled in Black Swan Green after the war started. No matter how hard they try they'll always be considered townies. So, there's a great lesson here on what it means to be categorized. How far would one go to fit in?

I'm really enjoying taking apart each chapter, but I'm still hoping for a more cohesive conclusion...

Hangman and Relatives

Like Hannah, I am posting my responses separately (though not as I read the chapters, I would just rather have them broken up a little). I plan on posting the next three chapters shortly, but I'm a bit behind and I want to finish reading Spooks before I do.

Hangman

I really enjoy that in this chapter, we are given a new understanding of Jason. The first chapter seemed to be shrouded in a sort of mystery and there were several things which were unexplained. In this second chapter, I find quite the opposite. I feel as though the mood has changed quite a bit. We are now privy to Jason’s hangman problem and exposed to the ways in which he handles his shortcoming.

There is a line in this chapter that makes me question everything that Jason says. I spoke last week about Jason as a narrator and questioned whether or not he was reliable. He calls a metronome a Metro Gnome and tries to explain away why it’s referred to as a gnome. This tidbit brought questions of his reliability to mind because of his ignorance of the device’s correct name. Suppose Jason was ignorant to other goings-on about which we, the reader, are misguided. In other words, could it be that Jason is reporting to us his perceptions through (dare I use the cliché) rose-tinted glasses?

This point in particular could be a nice starting point for a class conversation about narration. I remember having philosophical debates in many of my college classes regarding a narrator’s reliability (or lack thereof). Showing a simple mistake to an English class regarding the Metro Gnome/metronome idea could possibly help them to bring other parts of the text in question. We know now that Jason had dreamed the occurrence at the House in the Woods. As readers, how do we trust that Jason won’t recount other situations that he has daydreamed? How will our students know whether or not to trust Jason?

Relatives

This chapter opens up discussion about the class system. The class system is still largely intact in British society (even more so during the 1980s when the story takes place). There is some semblance of a class system in the US as well. I particularly like the discussion of how Jason’s family got ready for their visitors. It showed the family getting ready and using their nicest things for company. I felt that those scenes are easy to relate to. How many times have our own families had company when we were children and we were told to be on our best behaviors?

I enjoy that we get to see a bit more of Julia in this chapter. In some of the previous chapters, she seemed more of a bully. In her exchange with Brian, however, we can see that she is strong-willed, quick-witted, and intelligent.

I could find this chapter useful in a discussion of inequality. When I was reading this, I became disgusted with Uncle Brian because of how he looked down on the universities that Julia had chosen. The bullying that he displayed perhaps parallel the bullying seen later between Hugo and Nigel. I’m sure students in an ELA classroom wouldn’t be hard-pressed to find their own examples of bullying in their lives.

I find that there are several points to which students in an ELA classroom might relate. I feel this is important when trying to keep students engaged in a novel. For me, each chapter has seemed relatable, yet it doesn’t rest on a particular topic for too long.

Also, speaking of inequalities, there are again strong notes of homophobia in this chapter. I am speaking to the scene with the darts where Hugo belittles Nigel and sends him away in tears. There have been moments like these sprinkled throughout the story thus far. It makes me think that perhaps Jason will have some sort of encounter of his own.

[3] rocks, spooks

What kind of community, what kind of society, is Jason operating within?  What traits are valued?  How does one advance?  At the beginning of the novel, our narrator seems content to be an average kid-- he’s not called by his first name but he hasn’t acquired any unpleasant nicknames; he hangs out with people who won’t get him mocked, he scrupulously avoids any of the myriad things arbitrarily labeled “gay,” even if he doesn’t understand why they’re so bad or exactly what all the innuendo signifies.  

In these chapters, though, we see him making an effort to become better liked by those around him... and the motivation, I think, is Dawn Madden.  Jason’s claim to fame is a stunt involving a roll of thread, a long-distance variation on ding-dong-ditching.  So, we’re starting to get a picture here: to be popular, he should be brave, he should be innovative, he should be a little on the cruel side.  Obedience to his social betters is a big deal, too-- and disobedience, however covert, towards their enemies is definitely rewarded.  
This doesn’t seem out of line with the militaristic theme in the early chapters, and I find it kind of an interesting parallel to the overtly military side of the plot: Tom Yew, who we’re given to understand was a bit of a rebel in his school days, is the pride of the town by the time he’s killed in action.  He was a bad student, but evidently a good sailor, and I suspect the qualities which made him so popular among the boys did help him succeed in the Navy.  He might not be questioning authority as much, but the way he refers in his letter to the locals where he’s stationed suggests, to me, that he’s still got a bullying streak.  
I’m curious to see how (or maybe even if) being a Spook changes Jason; he seemed relatively content in his unremarkable position earlier in the novel, and in some ways he doesn’t seem like the type to be one of the cool kids.  I feel like this could be an interesting discussion- how well do we know Jason, what is he really like, how aware is he of his motivations?  I’m definitely curious to read on and see how this pans out.  
Another discussion topic could be his more philosophical thoughts; his dialogue isn’t always interesting, but Jason’s inner monologue is peppered with strange, often morbid asides.  Sometimes they’re brilliantly observant: “War’s an auction where whoever can pay the most in damage and still be standing wins.” (105)  “War may be an auction for countries.  For soldiers it’s a lottery.” (109)  This could be a good segue into considering the historical context of the novel, if one wanted to do so.  I don’t know much about the Falklands Conflict, but the subplot is certainly comprehensible without that background knowledge.  Still, for those interested in doing interdisciplinary work, it seems like it could be useful.  
Structurally, I’m really enjoying the complexity.  Cliffhanger chapter endings abound, foreshadowing is heavy without being heavy-handed.  The unexplained sudden inclusion of a newspaper cutout reading GOTCHA! made me jump a bit, just because it was unexpected; but in context of his scrapbook it makes perfect sense, a trick I rather liked.  
And, one last note-- I’m enjoying the shifting relationship between Jason and his sister, the way their dynamic is changing long with their parents’.  I’m curious to see how much she knows-- or at least, what she’s guessed-- about the root causes of their parents’ “rough patch,” and how all of these relationships will evolve.

Hangman, Relatives, Bridle Path, Rocks, and Spooks (23-142)

So far, I am still very interested in reading this book. David Mitchell leaves the readers in suspense throughout the entire chapter. What I dislike so far is that Mitchell builds upon a suspenseful scene until it climaxes then you flip the page and it is an entirely new chapter that has nothing to do with the one before. For instance, in chapter one title “January Man,” we learn the Jason has sprained his ankle and is now in the old woman’s house in the woods and it is a possibility that she has died. When it is time to read for the next blog, we are introduced to a new scene and we later learn the Jason had a dream. If I were to teach this novel, I would have students identify imagery and symbols in the text. I would also have them do a quick stop-n-jot to make a prediction about that chapter and the entire novel. As we read each chapter, we will then create a new prediction and compare it to the one before. Most importantly, I will hold a class discussion so that the students understand why Mitchell leaves the audience in suspense after each chapter.

Hangman

In this chapter, we learn more of Jason’s stammering dilemma. Jason is more in tune of what others around him think about him. At this point, I believe that he is insecure about his stammering. His language changes in sense that he identities that he wants to say an “s” word, but changes it due to his inability not to stammer. He refers to his stammering as “hangman.” As a visual reader, I imagine a pole with a stick figure hanging from it and spaces, which is missing letters. This may also foreshadow that Jason my hang himself due to his stammering. Jason is a very funny character. I was amused to find out that he came up with Hangman’s Four Commandments on page 31. As I continue to read throughout this chapter, I learn more of Jason’s reality with death. There are numerous references to death, drowning, and how many minutes of life he has left. Jason also gives reference to not liking the fact of living in reality. While in bed, he says “One hundred and fifty minutes of life left” in reference to not wanting to get out the bed and go to school (36).

Since Jason is the younger sibling, I sense that he is jealous of his older sister Julia who is 18. Jason says, “She’s eighteen, she’s leaving Black Swan Green in a few months, she’s got a boyfriend with a sports car, she gets twice as much pocket money as me, and she can make other people do whatever she wants with words” (36). Jealousy is written all over Jason when he brags about what somebody else has. I sense that he wants to be like his sister or have what she wants. In order to understand this jealousy, I went back to my personal experiences and examined my sister and I privileges. Although she always had more than I did, I realized it was like that because she was older and I was not at the age where I was able to get the things she had.

Who is this Unborn Twin? I have concluded that this is Jason’s inner voice. If students ever have any questions as they are reading, I would tell them to quickly jot it down while reading and then ask the class during a whole group discussion. I pondered about this Unborn Twin, until I was able to examine that Jason always mentioned this twin when he talks to his sister. He resents her and probably wished she were never born. If I were to teach this novel, I will tell students to keep in mind all the details and questions they might have and make connections to personal references so that they may understand what it is that is going on in the text. There is also a sex allusion throughout the few chapters I have read. Either Jason is interested in having sex, or he gets a kick out of watching other people have sex. Once again, I will have students predict what might happen with Jason’s interest in sex. Jason might be homophobic. If something is too “girlie” and a guy does it, it is gay. He says, “Boys can’t use umbrellas ‘cause they’re gay” (38).

Relatives

Jason’s family members visit and the family seems to change. They become more of an uptight family that tries to impress the relatives. I learn in a later chapter, that the mom spends extra money on fine and gourmet food to please the outsides which makes the father upset. I am still confused whether Jason smashed the watch in the dream or in real life. Through the family dinner dialogue, Jason admits to himself that he is jealous of Hugo (his cousin). While in the mirror, he says, “I was scanning my face for signs of Hugo” (52).

Mitchell uses such details when describing an action. For example: Mitchell writes, “Alex raised his head ten degrees for a quarter second to say yes” (51). I vividly pictured someone doing this and while I read, I noticed myself raising my head ten degrees to act out the scene. I would ask my students what images come to mind when they read those few word that are very descriptive. In order to make sense of this action, I have to act it out. Tension begins to build again, when Alice (Helena’s sister) ask Jason’s mom about the strange phone calls that Michael receives. As I read further, nothing is mentioned about it again and it makes me believe that I will understand it before the end of the novel. Mitchell continues to build suspense throughout the novel. He describes the lake as “nervous with riplets and counterriplets” (63). This can mean that something is going to happened but he must continue to read in order to unravel what will happen.

Bridle Path

Jason gets personal time with Dawn Madden but I am starting to wonder whether he is dreaming or not. We only know of their relationships through earlier conversation and it appears to me that he has not spoken to her in person before. I can only assume that they will have sex because immediately after running into her on the farm, he catches up to Tom Yew (may he R.I.P) and watches him have sex with Debbie Crombie. I am assuming Jason will have sex with Dawn because I read the back of the book for a quick summary and it speaks of the “first.”

Rocks and Spooks

It is now summer time (little did I know the season were changing, but I had to figure this out based on context clues). The mother and father seem to have personal issues going on involving finance and who spends what. The mother always mentions her garden and now “the tulips are black plums, emulsion white, and yolky gold” (103). This symbolizes growth within the family. After the death of Tom Yew, I assume that Debbie Crombie will be pregnant. Typically, men that went off to war left their wives pregnant.

Jason and Dean Moran are invited to join a secret organization. Their task is to run across six backyard gardens. Jason decides to go first and he succeeds while Moran fails at crossing the finish line within 15 minutes. Presumably, one of the homeowners catches Moran. This chapter closes without us knowing, but rather Jason going to the homeowner against the permission of the Spooks.