A+Complicated+Kindness


 * DIRECTIONS: Each student in the group is responsible for inventing one discussion question. This discussion question must be posted on the Monday of each week, ensuring time for discussion of each question. Each member of the group, including the person who invented the question, MUST respond to the discussion AT LEAST twice EACH week. Your participation in these online discussions, along with the amount of effort and reflection put into your responses, will account for a portion of your Literature Circle final grade. Each time you post a discussion question or a response,you MUST skip a space from what was written above, and you MUST begin your writing with your last name and first initial so I can mark your participation. It would also be helpful if you choose a specific colour and stick to that colour each week to identify yourself with also.

Week 4 Discussion Question: HarnM: Raymond, Nomi's dad, seems to be getting rid of a lot of their furniture and things. What do you think this means?

BishopB: In the book he says "I like empty spaces" but, I think he really means "I want to move" or something like that. It could be that he really means what he says though, the people in this book do seem a little "off their rockers" and crazy. The way he's acting seems to annoy or bother Nomi; she sounds like it is odd, even for Raymond.

PondD: I agree, I think this means that he wants to move. but I am not really sure why he would want to move. You guys thought he was waiting for Trudie to come back when he was sitting in his lawn chair, so maybe he waited, and waited for her to come back, and has now realized that she isn't comming back, and just wants to move out and start fresh now. I'm not sure if that makes any sence to you guys, but its just a possiblility.

McDonaldC: I think he might just still be getting over his wife and daughter. I almost don't think that he even liked his daughter. It said once tash left that his singing got louder. Either he was prayer for her or just happy she was gone. I meen how many start singing louder once something bad has happend to them. So maybe he is waiting for his wife but there is no way is waiting for a daughter. She just sounds like trouble to me.

HarnM: I think that Raymond thinks moving is what would be best for his daughter. He's realizing that now that Nomi's skipping class, and her grades are going down and that she's rebeling a lot. Maybe he thinks that their leaving would be best. She seems like she'd do well being independant. I can see her moving to New York and just being free for a while. I think she'd be better on her own anyway.

PondD: I agree with you. It doesn't really seem like either Nomi or Raymond really like eachother, and i think Nomi would be alot happier on her own. She seems like the kind of person who would do really well on her own, and she would be able to get out of the town she is living in and see different places, which is what she has been wanting to do for a long time.

McDonaldC: I can't believe he left her. Even if he didn't love her she is his daughter. What kind of paremts does that. No Parents does that, i think he was never fit to be a father because look at what happend to both his kids, and his family. I realy don't know how Nomi will do on her own cause she seems very unstable. I meen she shaved her head, she smokes all kinds of things, I think she is not properly been showed how to take care of her self.

Week 3 Discussion Question: BishopB: Nomi's dad, Raymond, has some very odd behaviors. Why do you think that he watches the highway in his lawn chair everyday? And on top of that, why does Nomi hate Raymond's lawn chair?

PondD: I don't know why Raymond sits in a lawn chair everyday and watches the highway. Maybe its just something he enjoys going. Just like we like to go on the computer almost everyday, maybe he likes to sit in his lawn chair. It might just relaxe him or something. I really don't know why Nomi hates him sitting in his lawn chair, because its not doing any harm to her, and if its something he enjoys, than she should just let him do what he wants and not get worked up about it. Well actually, i suppose she could want him to do something a little more productive, because he does spend alot of time in that chair. McDonaldC: I think Nomi hates the lawn chair because she knows he is waiting for his wife and she knows there never coming back. But i think maybe he just likes the outdoors. I think it makes him feel free. Not that he might feel trapped but that maybe he realy never knew what it felt like to be controled in the biggest house ever. 

BishopB: That makes so much more sense then what I thought. I think he is still waiting for Trudie(Nomi's mom) to return, so he waits for a miracle to happen or something rather. As for Nomi's hatred of his yellow lawn chair, maybe its totally phycalogical. She could despise the fact that Ray(Nomi's father) is still waiting for he mom who might never come back.

HarnM: I agree with Brittany. I think he's doing more than just sitting in a lawnchair. Like waiting for Trudie to return. I don't think he knows he's doing it. I think he just likes to sit in that chair and watch traffic go by. But inside he's actually hoping for Trudie to show up. Or maybe the man just likes to sit outside. I do, sometimes i sit outside for hours just watching nature and listening to music. It's pretty relaxing. I think that Nomi hates the lawnchair because she sees him sitting outside and watching traffic go by, she know's he's waiting for something. And that bothers her because she knows her mom's not coming back.

BishopB: It makes a lot of sense and this is very predictable, Raymond seemed very attached to Trudie. It was almost like he found his soulmate or something. She could understand him and he could pretty much understand her.

PondD: its possible that Raymond is waiting for Trudie to come back or something, but I don't think thats what he is doing. I just think that sitting in that lwan chair and watching traffic goes by relaxes him. It may seem weird to us that that would relax someone, but everyone is different, so you never know.

McDonaldC: I believe this means he is feeling empty. Sometime is missing and lacking. I think he is missing something in his life and he is throwing away all this stuff so his house is empty to. Everything to him is over. I don't he is waiting for his wife to come back, i think he knows she is never coming back and it hurts him.

Week 2 Discussion Question: McDonaldC: Nomi and her boyfriend Travis seem to be a very cute couple. Although lately they have been fighting alot over things that just bother them. Do you think they will stay together thoughout the whole book, and is there anything in your relation with others that relates to what the two are going through. ** 
 * PondD: Nomi and Travis have known eachother for a long time. I think that they will probably stay together throughout the whole book because I find that when you spend alot of time with someone you tend to fight, but after your done fighting you realize, wow that was really stupid. For example: my cousin and I are pretty good friends but if we spend to much time with eachother we tend to fight, and the next day I always feel stupid because we don't even fight over things that matter. I think that even if Nomi and Travis do break up, they will end up getting back together before the end of the book, because they do really seem to like eachother and they don't really fight over anything big.**


 * McDonaldC: Yes, but they might end up being tierd of each other. I don't a personal example but say two people like each other and then after time they start picking out the little things they don't like in each other. After a whike thoughs little things become big annoying things that won't go away. Then they migh tbe tierd of each or seomthing. Eventhough I have my doughts about the two I do believe they will stay together thoughout the book and maybe forever. **
 * Bishop B: No, I don't think they will. There seems to be too much fighting in there relationship and they don't seem to really like each other when it gets down to it.

PondD: Yes, now that I have been thinking about it, it kind of seems like Travis is just using her. I think that Nomi thinks Travis really likes her but he doesn't. But i still think Nomi likes Travis. I am curious as to what is going to happen between them by the end of the book.

McDonaldC: I think that maybe Nomi might be pretending to like him. Or she thinks that she likes him but deep down she doesn't. They do figth alot. It would bebest if they tryed to date other people for a while. Travis, in my opinion, is realy just using her so he can say he has girlfriend. But maybe he does like her and just trys not to show it for some reason.

HarnM: I don't know. They seem really great together. Although she seems more rebellious with Travis. Maybe it's just an act. With Travis she is always wanting to get high, and she wanted to go on the pill, and she ended up naked in a field with him... I can't tell if she's putting on this act because she likes him so much or because she wants to seem cool to him. I'd like to see them stay together, but i'm not sure that'll happen..

<span style="color: rgb(0,0,255);">BishopB: Well, it does seem like Travis is more or less just useing Nomi, like there is no relationship there... It's could happen but it couldn't, you could never tell when they act like that.

<span style="color: rgb(227,52,28);">HarnM: It seems like they have a pretty good time together, but i think Travis is hiding something from her. He doesn't seem to be fully there when they're together. I don't think they'll stay together very long.

Week 1 Discussion** **<span style="color: rgb(0,0,255);">Question: <span style="color: rgb(255,0,255);">PondD: From what we have read so far Nomi talks alot about her mother, and I think she misses her mother alot. Do you think it would be hard to lose your mother? How all do you think it would affect your life?

<span style="color: rgb(0,0,255);">Bishop B: Personally, I think it would be hard not to have someone to take care of you. <span style="color: rgb(0,0,255);"> My mom is the one that works to put food on the table, if I was working it would be hard to make much money. I think parents really affect the way children think. <span style="color: rgb(101,230,76);"> <span style="color: rgb(255,0,255);"><span style="color: rgb(68,228,120);">McDonladC: I don't think my parents have much affect on my way of thinking at all. My parents and I are very different people and we don't think much alike at all. I also work and once I have enough hours to make enough money I offer to help with buying things. But even after all this i still find that it would be hard to live without my mom. What if I forget my makeup someday, I can always use my moms in case of an emergency. I'm am also sure that if anyone was to loose a mom it would be tough, and there lives would for sure change. I think Nomi will be deply effected without her mom around. Who will she talk when she has not many friends. I also think she is not happy because she has not had a meal in a while. Sence her dad isn't realy a cook and she can't cook meat, I think thats were her mom use to come in the most.

PondD: My mom and I arn't a whole lot alike, but I still think I would have a very difficult time managing without her. My mother does almost everything. She goes to work almost every day, cleans the house, makes supper every night, and she takes care of all our pets, and of course I help some, but there is no way i could do all this myself. I deffinitly think Nomi is affected by not having a mother around because i know how much not having a mother would affect me.

<span style="color: rgb(227,52,28);">HarnM: My parents and I don't think alike at all. We are very different. So I don't think parents affect the way their kids think all the time. Of course I think it would be very difficult to lose someone as close to you as a mom. However; I would enjoy the freedom and the fact that I can do things without thinking about the consequences. That could also turn into a con though. ** <span style="color: rgb(255,0,255);">
 * PondD: Yes, I would also enjoy the freedom of being able to do things without consequences, but after a while i think it would get more boring. Also, someone would still need to do house work sometime. At the beggining I might enjoy living with no parents, but I know it wouldn't last long because I know that I couldn't handle doing everything my mom does by myself.

<span style="color: rgb(0,0,255);">Bishop B: Yes, freedom is good sometimes. But some people take that for granted, they do what ever they want and end up sometimes screwing up their whole life. Decisions are a good thing, but bad things do happen and everything has two sides no matter how good it seems.

<span style="color: rgb(6,239,108);">McDonaldC: Speaking of freedom I think Nomi would be a hippy. I always wanted to be a hippy. I think a hippy is the perfect example of freedom. No rules just pure open roads. Back to the main question mixed with hippy's, I think Nomi mom's was a hippy wannabe. Everything they discribe in the book about the mom makes her sound like she wants something different out of life and being hippy would be perfect for her.

<span style="color: rgb(227,52,28);">HarnM: I concur with what you said, Courtney, I've always wanted to be a hippy. The freedom would be sweet. Nomi is a hippy in my head, same with her mom and her sister--in a way. They just seem so carefree and they're not really conforming to the whole crazy religion thing in their town. Tash knows she want's to leave, she knows there's something bigger outside the town for her. **