Monday, October 6, 2008

Water for Elephants--1 (T/TH D)

15 comments:

Valerie Yax said...

Entry #1
Jacob Jankowski, the main character of this book, is an elderly man living in an assisted living facility. The story goes back in time when Jacob was in his early twenties, almost graduating from college. His life is suddenly turned upside down when his parents are killed in an automobile accident. This leaves Jacob in shock and in deep mourning of his parents. Jacob says, "Fiftly-two exam books flip over. Some people riffle through it. Others start writing immediately. I do neither"(21.) This quote describes how Jacob did not complete his final exam in becoming a vet.
After this occured, he aboarded a train, he did not know where he was going or what he was going to do. Jacob meets a man named Camel and Camel is like a friend to him. Camel describes to Jacob that they are working for the circus. The name of the circus is Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show On Earth. Jacobs initial job is very dirty and overall not a very good job. Camel tries to get Jacob a better job and eventually Jacob becomes the vet of the circus.
Jacob observes many new and different things at the circus. He sees the preformers and is starting to get used to how the circus is ran. He soon finds out that it is a very long and tedious job that is always traveling. I am eager to find out what happens next in this story and other stories that Jacob has to tell because I think his life is very interesting and I want to find out some answers to questions that i have on the story and what the mystery will be. Water For Elephants is a very engaging book, and it keeps me interested!

Rachel Burger said...

The book Water for Elephants is written by Sara Gruen. It is written in two perspectives of a single man about his present and his past. His name is Jacob Jankowski and in present he is a 90 year old man struggling to walk and eat the poor food in the nursing home, until his memories are sparked by a circus that has come into town and is setting up a block down the street. His memories vividly recollect his life from when he was in college studying to become a vet. Near the end of the year he got a call that his parents were in a car crash and both died. The bank took everything they had had and left him with nothing but his last year of education. He tried to finish but was to upset and literally ran away following the train tracks with nothing but the clothes on his back. He jumped on a passing train, which happened to be a circus. He met some interesting people and worked for the baggage stock shoveling manure off the train. Uncle Al the ringleader, and owner of the circus then hired him to be their vet.

My expectations for this book are fairly high and so far they are meeting them. The book engages my interest because it is not often that you get to read about a circus. The information you get out of this book is very interesting on how a circus actually worked back then, not just big tents, candy and a show. How everything was set up, and who worked for whom.

So far the theme of this book has been both work and class the way I see it. Jacob must work and based on what kind of work he does distinguishes what class he is in within the circus community. Being the only vet however I wonder exactly what class he actually fits into?

So far I really like this book, although I prefer to read the Jacobs memories to his present experiences. The book is not just "this happened then this happened then this happened." It is more like "this happened and now I am in this position, this is my life and now I can't even get decent food." I can't wait to read the rest although I think that nothing to extremely bad will happen to him because he is now a normal guy, with normal problems living in a nursing home. Because of this the books shows social value between that of younger people and that of older people. It gives a good example of how different people interact with each other. Mainly considering Jacobs relationship with his kids that always visit on Sunday and how he treats and is treated by the nurses. I like this book a lot because it is well written and easily understandable. Even reading only the first eight chapters I would recommend this book to just about anyone

Alisa Lee said...

Entry #1
Water for elepahnts written by Sara Gruen, This is about a guy named Jacob Jankowski living in an assisted living facility. The story starts from the time that Jacob reminensing the past.
his past starts from the time that his parents get killed from the accident. After the death of his parents, he starts to stop everything in his life, and after that he gives up his life at college and he goes to train station, and he gets on it. He meets a guy named Camel and becomes friend. After that Camel tells him that he is working for the circus, and the name of the circus is Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show On Earth. Jacob gets dirty job at first and he starts to learn everysingle thing about the circus job.

This book is meeting my expectation. i really like this book, and I like the fact that this story is just freshier than other stories. The reason that i chose this book was that everyone said this book was the BEST and the title water for elephants just grabbed my attention. i thought that something interesing would be in the book so I chose this and it is really intersting plot, and I really like it.

From what I read so far, the book is about work and also class because Jecaob have to work in to fit in his class and he works hard to get into higher class in circus.

This book is easy read. Being an international student, it is really not easy to read book that is in a second langugae. But when I read this book, I got along really fast and I read until chapter 6 really quickly.
This book is really a page turner. Who would write something about the circus and it is really sad story because he lost his parents in one day and the quote that is on pg 19, "This morning, I had parents. This morning, they ate breakfast" I almost cried in this part because it is really sad that his parents died without him knowing.
This is a noteworthy book because it also gives me an idea about circus, and one of my friend works in a circus as a balloon maker. So i should tell him about this story.
This is a great book that no wonder that is number one new york times bestseller book. I really like this book and this would be my definitely favorite book of this year.

Valerie Yax said...

goup entry#1

After a week of reading the novel, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen we all agree that we really like this book so far. It is very interesting and very well written. It is also a great book for people our age because we do not have that much time on our hands. We want to read, but we feel that there is not enough time to read a book. With the book Water for Elephants, we agree that the book is a fast read and definately a page turner! We also liked the fact that the book is something different, something that we have not read before. All three of us both believe that the story is compelling because it grabs the reader and pulls them into the story. We all are very glad we chose this book.

In our group we discussed characters of the story. In the story we think that Jacobs personality is very humerous and he seems like someone you would like to be friends with. Jacob is aloof to the whole circus ordeal. He is still unaware of many things that go on in a circus. We also feel bad for Jacob and feel that he should not be living at the circus and working with the circus. We agree that he has been going through a rough time and should not have to go through this. The cicus people are all very different kinds of people. Some are nice, and some are very rude and disrespectful of other people. All of the performers seem weird and very grumpy. We think that Uncle Al is a good businessman, but he is very greedy and unaware of the cause and effect of his actions. He does not seem like a very nice person. One thing that our group does not agree on is the man August. I personally think that he is a good guy, he just is not used to Jacob being around. The other group members believe that August is questionable and that something may happen in the future with him. We will have to keep reading to find out!

The setting of this novel is really surprising to all of us. We never imagined the circus to be as dirty as Jacob had depicted. Also, we agree that the assisted living facility is a good place for Jacob, even though he does not think so. Seeing as though Jacob is in his 90's, he needs help if something would ever go wrong. One last thing that I will mention is how we are all shocked at how these circus people treat the animals. They do not treat them very good at all. When the horse got sick, they shot him and fed him to the cats. I do not believe that this is right.

These are our perceptions of the book so far. We are all eager to keep reading and find out more that happens.

Valerie Yax said...

Entry #2
So far in this book,Water for Elephants, the book has lived up to my expectations...but not quite fully. I am still interested in the book and I still keep reading it, but at some points I will get bored with the book. I am still waiting for the mystery to happen and for the story to become really interesting, but that usually doesn't happen until near the end of the story.

One point in the story really kept me interested and made me want to read more. It was when Jacob kissed Marlena when she already had a husband. It says, "She stares at me with a hand pressed at her mouth. Her eyes are dark hallows...Her speed increases and she brings a hand up alongside her face, sheilding it from my view"(154). The reason why I choose this qupte was because it caught my interest and made me want to read more. I am scared that August is going to find out and Jacob will no longer be working for the cicus. The next day, August says a comment to Jacob that I really liked. August said, "Because if I thought she was in any danger at all, there's no knowing what I might do" (159). This was an amazing quote and it makes me really eager to know if he knows about Jacob and Marlena. I would also like to know where August stands, whether he is a good person or a person you should watch out for. Overall this story has lived up to my expectations, but I am still eager to know what happens next!

Rachel Burger said...

So far this book has been very interesting. I have yet to find it in boring part for too long. It has definitely lived up to my expectations.

Up until the point where I have stopped reading. Jacob has been having a fairly rough time cooping with the circus life. He has now meet August the Equestrian Director who could be described as a two faced. At most parts he seems to a nice guy, but then he likes to play cruel tricks on people who upset him. An example is when he had Jacob feed Rex, a lion. Jacob opened the door to throw the rotting meat inside and the lion bit down on his arm, scaring Jacob. Rex however had no teeth making it a cruel joke. Another example is when he gave Jacob two buckets of water for washing that belonged to his bunk mate who was already less than kind to him. These are just some examples of how Jacob is treated by his fellows. He is still considered a "First of May" meaning he is new to this life, and he has already fallen in love with a married woman, Marlena; August's wife. I am very intrigued by this relationship because I love drama and this book is definitely giving me what I like to read. Already Jacob has had to put down a horse which was then feed to the large cats to the disgust and sorrow of Marlena.

Uncle Al has also bought an "bull" an elephant bull named Rose. Rose has been nothing but trouble so far and cost Uncle Al so much money that he has had to put off paying most if not all of his workers, as well as laying a few off. Now every one who is not a performer or boss sleeps in fear of being "red lighted." The fear of being thrown off the train while it is moving. To even think that people would consider doing this is almost horrifying but I also understand the fact that trains did not move all that fast back then.

Jacob during the parts of the story where he is in the nursing home have been the only real boring parts of the book. not a lot happens during this portion. he mainly complains about the fod and the people living and working there except for one nurse named Rose. This is the only person he really tries to talk to, they joke around about the food and Rose always tries to Jacob to talk to the others instead of just sleeping in his room. However I think it is during these parts that we can find the triggers that set off the next memory part of the story. Like the Name of the nurse is the same as the elephant. I think this is the trigger for that memory.
Although these parts are boring I do like this style of writing between the same character at different times in their life. It keeps you interested and on your toes and makes you want to find out what is going to happen next.
And I really want to know what is going to happen next!

Taking into consideration that the time period of this book was during the Great Depression I can think about which took priority in peoples lives work or class? I think that most people were worried about their work or the jobs that they held. Because there was little money going around everyone had to work regardless of what class you are in. So no one would really care whether or not you were a low class poor man or a higher class rich man that used to have a lot of money. If you had a job and and were making money it was then that people would envy you. not if you used to have some big company at that time it only made for a sorrowful story.

After assessing the events in this book and comparing them to the topic we are discussing 'work and class.' i Can't wait to finish the book and see what happens at the end and how it all ties together.

Alisa Lee said...

Entry #2

The book Water for Elephants is getting more interesting everyday. The summury so far is him getting adjusted to the circus life. He gets to meet Equestrian Director August who is the two faced director. He gets mean to people who upsets him. But, Jacob, he falls in love with his wife Marlena.""Marlenda please." I hold my hands out helplessly. She adjusts her second shoe and rushes off. She strumbles and wobbles forward." (154) This quote shows that Marlena is worried about the relationship between herself and Jacob. This made the book more interesting.

The book is still the top book that I read but, it got boring a little bit in a way that it is just normal life about Jacob but, as it got to the part that Jacob falls in love with Marlena, it got interesting. I like the little drama in the story.

Work class, it sort of reflects on this story because still, circus is one part of their job and they basically live on by working in a circus. Also there are like the director and also the people who works for him so those who is the workers have to suck up to him in a way so they won't lose their job.

This is a still good read. It is definately the page turner. Whenever I have so much homework and do not want to start, I start off with reading. Than, it feels like I need to work and I do other homeworks too. This book interest me these days because,there's some drama about Jacob,Marlena and also her husband. It is like Love triangle. So it is definetly, the page turner. This is important book i guess because it deals with a people in circus and put some romance in it and i mean, who would write something like this? It think everyone should read this book and I cannot wait until I finish this book and see what happens. It is the most interesting book i have ever read.

ALISA LEE said...

Entry #3

The summary so far is not that far from the chapter that I have read and wrote about on my entry 2, but there are some changes in the story. August was asking around about Jacob and merlana but nothing has been said.Marlena was talking to jacob and discussing what happened between them (about the time they kissed) and Marlena does not really know what she feels. So far, August has not said anything to Marlena nor Jacob, but It seems lyk he knows and he is planning on something.

My expectation is still the same. The book is good but I want more drama in it. I am not saying that I want Jacob and Marlena to be caught and get punished for having a little fair, but still, I want some big drama in this book so it could keep me interested.

About the classes, I figured out that this book's behind story is that this book is during the great depression. So that has being said, I guess if anyone had job, than it was good for them. So if Jacob had a job in circus anyways, than it is good for him because at least, he has a job.

So far, this book is really good but since this entry has only given for two days, and I am not a really fast reader so I could not get that far from the chapter last time but still it is a easy read and I really enjoy reading this book.

Anonymous said...

Entry #3
Since the previous entry I have not gotten very far in the book. I read about two more chapters. In those chapters I found out how Camel is very sick and he know has to live with Walter and Jacob and has to be hidden from Blackie. I feel very sad for Camel and I do not think that he is going to live much longer, but I am glad that he gets to stay with Jacob and Walter because they seem like very nice friends that will take care of him instead of booting him out of the circus.

One thing that I am very happy about in this book is the growing relationships that Jacob has with the people on the circus. I am very glad that Jacob and Walter finally get along and I am happy to know that Walter actually is a nice person. Walter says, "Hey, I got a heart"(192). This quote was said when Jacob asked Walter if it would be okay if Camel stayed with them and hide Camel from Blackie. This shows me that they will have a good relationship and that Jacob will learn a lot from Walter. The other relationship that I would like to discuss is the relationship between Marlena and Jacob. From what I have read, Marlena seems to be debating on who she really cares for. She says, "I hardly know what to think anymore. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I know what I'm feeling is wrong, but i just..." (195). In this quote it really sends me mixed emotions about Jacob and Marlena. Will they become something more? What will happen to August? Does he know about Jacob and Marlena? I am very eager to find answers to my questions.

On the subject of work and class I believe that this book has many refrences to those two words. In this book, the majority of the book is about work:working at the circus. It gives some description as to what people's jobs are and how they can differentiate. It also shows how certain people have certain jobs and sometimes they only talk to those people who have the same jobs as they do. This can easily tie in with the term class. In the book, they discuss class and the difference between the workers and the performers. The workers normally do not associate themselves with the performers. They are both a different class. In the book they say, "There's them and there's us, and you're us. Never mind. You'll learn" (37). I believe this quote is a great representation of class in this book. I am still trying to figure out why they do not like eachother, but there is definately noticable classes in this book.

Overall I am still enjoying the book and I am still waiting for something really exciting to happen!

Rachel Burger said...

I have gotten much farther in this book since I last read I am almost done! Many interesting things happened in the next few chapters that I have read. It is basically same old same old with Jacob while he is at the nursing home except for the fact that he is becoming increasingly upset that the circus is in town and his children have not come to take him. He is mainly upset that they have not come because they know his history with the circus. Other than that nothing has really happened there.

However in his past many things have happened. Jacob has fallen in love with Marlena, and judging from the reactions she has towards him I think I can rightfully say the same for her. At one point August takes them out for dinner at a nice restaurant that has bootleg alcohol and a dance floor. Marlena dances with August. Then August leaves to go to the restroom and Marlena forces Jacob to dance with her. They get very close while on the dance floor and August sees them. Before Jacob can move away from her the cops arrive and a herd of people shove them out the door in retreat. Separating them from august. When they are alone on a street Jacob kisses Marlena! There is definitely a connection between them even though Marlena is married.

Later on Jacobs friend Camel gets sick and becomes paralyzed from a drink that was in a sense poisoned to prevent people from drinking. Camel is now in danger of being "red lighted" so Jacob has moved him into his car with him and Walter.

August at another point got mad at Marlena and hit her. Causing them to separate. Now her and Jacob have fallen even more in love to the point of having intimate relations with each other. Uncle Al however wants August and Marlena to be back together, though Jacob will not allow it.

Rosie the elephant's performance has been postponed due to an accident involving her running out of the bigtop with Marlena on her back cause in Marlena to bruise her feet.

During the entire time that Jacob has been working for the circus he has not been paid. Twice he has gone to get his paycheck and both times he has been turned away. This event has brought up both issues of class and work. Since the people who work in the circus are divided into classes of performers, workers, and job managers. Only the Job managers and performers get paid during the harder times of when Uncle Al doesn't have enough money to pay everyone. Jacob on the other hand is none of these; he is one of a kind at the circus. Class and work are both definite elements in this book, and one affects the other. The work you do defines what class you are in. As of today it is not dependent on the work you do it is based on how much money you make.

I can't wait until I finish the book it is very entertaining! It is defiantly worth the read and should stand the test of time. Right now I really want to know what happens to August, Marlena, Jacob, and the circus as whole at the rate that the employees are not being paid I think that it may collapse!

Alisa Lee said...

Group Entry #2

The summary so far is that uncle Al bought an elephant and because he does not have enough money to pay everyone so he on;y pays performers and job managers. The elephant that he bought turns out to be a dud which means that he rus out the big top during the performance and causing Marlina to bruise her feet. This is the summary that we talked about so far.

Our expectation is to be have some more drama into the story and we feel like the as the book is getting towards the end, the drama is getting more intense because it has a story of Jacob who loves Merlina who is already married.

This book is realted to working class because in this book, there's not enough money so uncle Al only pays few people with higher job that shows how high your job is how better you get paid.

We think it is a easy read and good book. Since, there's some drama with elephant and relationsip between Marlina and Jacob, it makes us want to know what goes on at the end. So this book always keeps us interested

Anonymous said...

Valerie Yax Entry #4

After finishing this book, I was very glad at how it ended. I was not very surpirsed about the ending, although I am glad he got to see the circus. I am equally happy that he and Marlena married and had five children. It showed me that Jacob could now be happy and move on with his life and focus on his family.
The part that fascinated me the most was the stampede. In the very bigninng of this book it starts out with this part, but I had no idea what really happened, just the knowledge that someone had died. I do admit that I thought that this book, from the passage, would be a bit more suspenseful and maybe a murder mystery novel. Even though it had murder, I was expecting something big to happen more towards the middle of the book.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. Unlike a lot of stories that I have read in the past, I believe that this novel will stay with me and I will not forget it. I do not think I will forget it because it has such a unique topic and a unique theme in the story, it is definately a one-of-a-kind book. This book really did interest me. I did not know that much about the circus before I read this book and now I have a much better understanding of the workers, performers and the way some of the animals were treated. I do believe that this book is a page turner. I usually do not read school books unless I absolutely have to, and with this book I actually ended up finishing the book before it was due. It was not that hard to read! It definately kept me interested throughout the book.
I also believe that this book is a great book is of social or cultural value because you really get an understanding of the circus and all of the people that are involved in the circus (ex Camel, Walter, Jacob and August). I think that this book can stand the test of time because everyone has either heard of has been to a circus and I think many people will still be interested to read this novel. Overall I really liked this book and I am glad I chose it!

ALISA LEE said...

Entry #4

I was really busy finishing off the book because today was the last day to finish the book. I sat down on my bed and strated to read the book. It was not that long read and I enjoyed reading it. I especially liked the ending of the book. I love the books that are happy ending, and Water for elephant definently had the happy ending by Jacob and Merlina has the wedding and have the children. The beginning of the book when the Jacob's parents suddenly die, I felt so bad for him and today I heard the terrible story about my fellow gilmour student's mom died today. So i felt really bad for my friend and this story Water for Elephant's beginning reminded me of him and I am kind of worried that he might feel the same way as the Jacob would feel like. However, the ending turned out to be happy ending and I really enjoyed reading this book.

The working class part, this whole book was about the working class. how only the people in the higher class got to be paid and also how lower class people did not get treated right. Also, people in a circus had to survive and tried to get into the higher job position to recieve money. So this book mainly showed the society of America and how the people in the higher position gets paid more all the time.

This book was overall, page turner, and I really liked it. It was pleasure to read this book and I liked the theme circus in it because it was really a new topic for me. I borrowed this book from Olivia, but now, I should go get this book from the Borders and put this in my shelf and tell everyone else to read this book.

Rachel Burger said...

Entry #4
The ending was completely unexpected! I knew elephants were smart but I didn't think they were that smart. I did however know that somehow Jacob and Marlena were going to get together. If I had to say what the climax to this book is I would have to say "the stampede." I knew something big and exciting was bound to happen. It's a book about the circus it has to be exciting, it is what makes it a good book.

After August hits Marlena, Jacob becomes very protective of her as well as attached. He does not allow August to get near her if he can help it. Once he even got into a fistfight with August. Marlena became very afraid of August and even more attached to Jacob. At one point Jacob attempts to kill August in his sleep but can't bring himself to do it and when he gets back both Camel and Walter are gone. They were red lighted.

Marlena's feet are healed now and she and Rosie are performing again, with August leading the elephant. However there are a group of employees that are sick of not being paid for their work and they know the circus is not going to make a come back. In which case they set all the animals loose creating a stampede! They did this during the performance in the Big Top, and all hell brakes loose. Jacob runs to find Marlena in the Big Top. Where he witnesses the death of August, and later Uncle Al is found dead. It is after this tragedy that Jacob and Marlena get married, work for the Ringling Circus, and have five kids. Which brings us back to the present where Jacob is in the nursing home.

Jacob soon realizes that his family is not coming to take him to the circus. In which he gathers all the strength he can muster to walk the four blocks down to the circus. Now I could tell you what happens next, but that would give away the end of the book.

This book will defiantly stand the test of time. It is informational with a mix of adventure, mystery, drama, and excitement. The informational portion of this book goes back to the Great Depression when all people struggled with both work and class. Work was hard to find and when you found it you had to fight to keep it. As well as try to make more out of it by trying to climb up on class ladder. I almost wish most books were written like this. It keeps you interested and on your toes. I'm very happy that I read it

Rachel Burger said...

Final Group Entry

We have finally finished the book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
We have all agreed that it is a fantastic book and would recommend it to just about anyone. The ending it self we agreed was a total surprise and completely unexpected.

A basic summary of the would be: Jacob Jankowski a young man studying to be a vet joins the circus after his parents die and have nothing to leave him. He becomes a vet for the circus. It is during this time there is a Great Depression. Everyone in the circus is struggling to keep his or her jobs in order to be paid. Jacob meets many different people while working for the circus. Including a married woman with whom he falls in love. He goes through a lot of tough times with the other employees, but when the circus finally collapses he left without a job and no money. He and his lover join up with the Ringling Brothers Circus, where in a sense they live happily ever after. The story however does not end there. The ending is an ironic twist that relates to the beginning of the book. This is a book definitely worth reading just to find out what happens at the end.

The theme of this book is definitely a Work and Class theme. In the book everyone struggles with trying to keep their jobs to make money, and if they want more money they have to get into a higher class or status. This book focuses on the classes and jobs within the circus during the time of the Great Depression. Where people were especially struggling to keep a steady job.
We do however think that it is the other elements of this book that make it a good read. Those include the drama, and sense of excitement that is laid throughout the book. There is even a little bit of mystery involved. The book is very interesting and captivating. We would surely say this is a book that anyone can and should read.