Returning to Earth-Week 1, Post B

The protagonist in this novel is a middle-aged man named Donald who is dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. My first impression of him was that he possessed a rather cynical nature. As I have read on it seems that he is probably just quite realistic and his comments may come off as cynical when he is, in fact, simply relaying a harsh truth. The novel is about Donald's mission to inform his family of their past starting with the endeavors of his great-grandfather, Clarence. He feels that this is necessary because Donald doesn't want to die without his family knowing their history. I think this is wise of him. So far, his family has an interesting history and I believe it will be beneficial to his children to learn about it. Donald is too weak to write this history himself so he is dictating it to his wife Cynthia who often chimes in with her own thoughts which can be identified with brackets. Cynthia offers insight to the reader about the state of Donald at certain moments during his storytelling. This is where the effects of the disease reveal themselves. Reading about his state has been powerful and has filled me with deep empathy for people suffering from this horrible disease. I'm excited to continue this novel and anticipate an interesting storyline.

Returning to Earth-Week 1, Post A

Vocab:
-Venison (28)- The flesh of a deer or similar animal as used for food.
-Portaged (28)-The act of carrying; carriage.

Figurative Language:
"Donald seems asleep with his eyes open." (31) This statement is an example of imagery because it allows the reader to picture the state Donald appears to be in.

"Though he was a professor the man was as regular as a keg of nails." (34) This statement is an example of a similie describing an author Donald met once.

"Despite meeting the author I was lower than a duck's butt for a couple of months." (34) This statement is an example of a metaphor describing the melancholy state Donald found himself in for a substantial period of time.

Quote:
"He [Clarence, Donald's great-grandfather] Lost his heart for a while. I was thinking just now that I understand his feelings because I have lost my body, which has been mine for forty-five years." (26) I found this quote significant because the reader gains insight to Donald's feelings about his body and the changes it's going through. This disease truly does take over your body, forcing you to give up control. I loved his comparison between losing someone you love and losing control of your own body. I agree that they are similar losses.

Theme:
A theme that seems present in the novel so far is the theme of not letting a negative experience completely run every aspect of your life.