Friday

HOMEWORK: Finish chapter 5 of Ricochet River for Tuesday

Ricochet River is a somewhat autobiographical novel. At the very least, Robin Cody got many of the ideas for the book from his experiences in Estacada, OR during the 1960's.
Most writers get the ideas for their novels from their own life experiences.

April 24 JOURNAL prompt (1/2 page)
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Sometimes novels deal with:
Divorce. Week on/week off. I felt caught in the middle. Parents wouldn't talk to each other, etc.  Felt like I had to be the parent to my immature parents. When: July 1, 2010. Just had 9th birthday when parents sat me down on the couch. I felt . . .
Adolescents trying to work through the challenges they face.
      Fear of not fitting in
      What they're going to do in the future
      Relationships--family, friends, enemies,
      Power; hatred; racism
Death in the family
Love. Relationships. What is love? Am I loveable?
Friendships.
Peer pressure.
Loss. Loss of friends. The anguish of knowing that this is you last adventure together . . .
Transitions. Into highschool, puberty, moving to a new city,
Juggling too many things: sports, friends, job, school
Identity. What do I believe in? Who am I? Do I really want to be like my parents? Do I really want to follow societal roles? Gender identification.
Religion. As Susan faced the depths of loneliness, a new girl at school introduced her to the Bible . . .
          Horrible thing happens and Susan can no longer believe that there could be a God in such an unjust world.
Suicide. 1. Friend takes life and there doesn't seem to be any reason why he would have chosen to do so. 2. The loneliness is unbearable.
Police shootings. Pick a specific example--either real life of fictional, but exactly like real life.




Each day you will answer one or more questions about the novel and keep them in your journal. You will receive 40 points for all of them on the last day we study the book (probably Thursday, May 14).


Robin Cody's study guide to his own novel:
Ricochet River