AGENDA:
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Questions to consider after reading The Age of Miracles.
1. As readers, why do you think we’re drawn to stories about the end of the world? What special pleasures do these kinds of narratives offer? And how do you think this element works in The Age of Miracles?
2. Julia is an only child. How does this fact affect who she is and how she sees the world? How would her experience of the slowing be different if she had a sibling? How would her experience of middle school be different?
3. How much do you think the slowing alters Julia’s experience of adolescence? If the slowing had never happened, in what ways would her childhood have been different? In what ways would it have been the same?
4. Julia’s parents’ marriage becomes increasingly strained over the course of the book. Why do you think they stay together? Do you think it’s the right choice? How much do you think Julia’s mother does or does not know about Sylvia?
5. Julia’s father tells several crucial lies. Discuss these lies and consider which ones, if any, are justified and which ones are not. Is lying ever the right thing to do? If so, when?
6. How would the book change if it were narrated by Julia’s mother? What if it were narrated by Julia’s father? Or her grandfather?
7. Why do you think Julia is so drawn to Seth? Why do you think he is drawn to her?
8. Did you identify more with the clock-timers or with the real-timers? Which would you be and why?
9. The slowing affects the whole planet, but the book is set in southern California. How does the setting affect the book? How important is it that the story takes place in California?
10. How do you feel about the way the book ends? What do you think lies ahead for Julia, for her parents and for the world?
11. The slowing throws the natural world into disarray. Plants and animals die and there are changes in the weather. Did this book make you think about the threats that face our own natural world? Do you think the book has something to say about climate change?
12. If you woke up tomorrow to the news that the rotation of the earth had significantly slowed, how do you think you would respond? What is the first thing you would do?
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Answers: Part 1
ReplyDelete1. As readers, I think that we’re drawn to stories about the end of the world simply because it is such an intriguing notion in its own way. Something so unknown to us; how could we resist wanting to know more about it, even if what we read about are mere speculations? These kinds of narratives offer the pleasures of looking more into questions that no human alive knows the answer to. This element works in The Age of Miracles because the novel proposes a ‘what if’ question. Nobody knows what would really happen if the slowing became a real ordeal in today’s world, but it is sort of fun to think about, no?
2.The fact that Julia is an only child does affect her personality as well as her outlook on the world. This is because she does not have to be a reliable figure to anyone in particular, which causes her to be, well… Not as mature as she would be, had she a younger sibling to take care of. If she had an older sibling, however, that might benefit her because she herself would have more people to rely on and confide in, but then again, she doesn’t. Her experience of the slowing would be different if she had a sibling because she wouldn’t be as ‘alone,’ considering that her mother and father grow more and more unreliable as the book progresses. The same goes for how her experience of middle school would be.
3. The slowing alters Julia’s experience of adolescence because of how long she had lived through it. She had lived life ‘normally’ for just as many years as she had dealt with the slowing, and the slowing and all the events that happened to her personally would most certainly affect her negatively. If the slowing had never happened, then Julia’s mother would be just as healthy as she were before, and her grandfather never would’ve passed away. However, things such as her school life most likely would have remained the same.
4. I believe that Julia’s parents stay together just because they have nobody else to go to, for the most part (including Julia’s father, since going off to be with Sylvia wouldn’t really have been a good choice overall). I suppose it would be the best choice, since the two of them can rely on each other. I think that Julia’s mother does not know completely about Sylvia, but I believe that she does have a suspicion. I mean, why else would she be so strict about Julia never going to see Sylvia?
5. In certain cases, lying may not be the right thing to do, but instead, the least harmful thing to do. For example, when Julia’s father lied to his wife about the man that she hit with her car had ended up surviving, it was for the better. If Julia’s mother had known the truth, it would’ve taken a toll on her emotionally, which most likely would’ve affected her physical state too. However, the fact that Julia’s father kept his affair a secret is not a justified lie, because it’s just stupid overall that someone would even cheat on their significant other. It’s a pretty low move to be honest, and that type of disloyalty really makes me mad, so uh, I guess you could say that my answer to this question is really biased.
6. The events told would be different, and of course, the perception of the world and the slowing would be immensely different as well.
Answers: Part 2
ReplyDelete7. I believe that Julia and Seth are drawn to each other because of how different they are from the other kids their age. Neither of them are the typical superficial kid that a lot of their peers are.
8. I would most likely be a real-timer. I say this because if one were to go by clock-time, that would affect their health immensely (and I mean this in a bad way). Too many hours of sleep and too many hours of being awake can really take a toll on your health, and I’m someone that cares a lot about that sort of thing. Thus, I believe that I would be a real-timer during an event such as the slowing.
9. I think that the most important thing about the story taking place in California is how drastically the world really was affected by the slowing. For example, for a period of time it was snowing. In California. Southern California, nonetheless. This clearly isn’t something you see every day, and it can be inferred that maybe similar things are happening in different places of the world. Maybe Greenland had suddenly gotten really hot. Nobody know except for the author of course, as it’s just an inference, but I do believe that that shows the importance of the story taking place in Southern California.
10. In all honesty, I didn’t really like how the book ended. I had expected something completely different. The thought of there being such a huge timeskip hadn’t even crossed my mind. I don’t really believe that much lies ahead for all of the characters though, since there’s really no way that anyone would be able to develop a sort of technology to help people deal with the slowing.
11. I didn’t really think much about today’s world while reading the book, other than the recurring thought of “how would I react in this situation?” It’s a question I ask myself a lot while reading, especially when the characters are going through really tough times. I don’t really think that the book is saying anything about climate change, though.
12. Oh heck, um… I would probably think of the Age of Miracles first and foremost, and ask myself “okay, now how did Julia get her happy storybook ending?” because, you know, it’s a book. I’d probably ponder this for a bit before remembering that there was no happy storybook ending, haha-- I’m someone who tends to worry a lot though, so I would probably freak out a whole hecking lot. Knowing me, I’d probably try and study some NASA level thing, going “maybe I can develop some sort of technology because I’m an intelligent human being!” I’d give up on it a day or two later though, since that’s just how I am. Oh Victoria, you slacker you, what the heck. Learn how to be more committed, geez.
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