The Enchanted
Go to library for The Enchanted
Read Ch. 1 and post a response to Q. 1
HMWK: Read The enchanted to pg. 37
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/the-enchanted/excerpt
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18090147-the-enchanted
http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/9694-enchanted-denfeld
1. The novel opens with the line, "This is an enchanted place. Others don't see it but I do." The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word "enchant" as, "to attract and hold the attention of (someone) by being interesting, pretty, etc.; to put a magic spell on (someone or something)." Why does the narrator call this place enchanted? What beauty does he find in his surroundings that others do not? What does this tell us about the narrator?
2. Talk about the main characters: the narrator, the lady, the priest, and York, the prisoner on death row at the center of the story. How are these characters' lives and their fates intrinsically connected? What do we learn about the lady and the priest from the narrator?
3. Why does York want to die and why does the lady want to save him? Is he worth saving? How does she go about gathering evidence to understand his case, knowledge that might prevent his execution? What propels her choice at the novel's end?
4. Think about York. What were your first impressions about him when he's introduced? As you discovered more about his story, did your outlook towards him change? How does the experience of investigating York's past affect the lady and her outlook towards York? How does it shape how she sees her own life?
5. What draws the lady and the priest to one another? Why do you think each chose the career they pursued? How do their callings sustain them emotionally? Are they good at what they do—even if the priest is himself fallen from grace?
6. What has being locked inside done to the narrator—and for him? What about some of the other prisoners he watches? Do you believe in rehabilitation? Do you think our prison system today encourages rehabilitation? Is there something else we can do besides imprison those who commit crimes?
7. One of the Ten Commandments is "thou shalt not kill." Isn't executing someone—even someone who committed a heinous crime such as taking another's life—going against morality? Why is the death penalty still used in the United States compared to most other modern democracies?
8. Do you believe that we are products of our circumstances? How much can free will mitigate terrible damage that inflicted in a person's youth, when he or she is most vulnerable and impressionable? Why do people do such terrible things to each other and to innocent children? "There is too much pain in the world, that's the problem," the lady tells the priest. What causes so much of the world's pain and can we, both individually and as a society, do to help alleviate this suffering? How much responsibility do we carry for our fellow men and women?
9. What do you think is the worst punishment that the prisoners in the novel face being locked away? "It is meaning that drives most people forward into time and it is meaning that reminds them of the past, so they know where they are in the universe. But what about men like me? For us time doesn't exist." Think about time in your life and in the narrator's. How do you respond to him? What can give a life that is not measured by the events of time real meaning? How is such a life measured? Think about not being able to touch someone or see the sky. How would that affect you for a day? A week? A year? A lifetime?
10. What happens to people when they are incarcerated? How can we make the prison system more humane? Should it be humane or do convicts, regardless of the level of their crimes, "deserve what they get"? As a society, do we see prison more as punishment or as retribution? How can we save people from having failed lives? Is it possible to save someone?
11. Do you think that death offers release for men like York and the narrator? Did they find peace?
12. Like the lady, Rene Denfeld is a fact investigator in death penalty cases. How do you think her work shaped the story? Did reading The Enchanted alter your view of prison?
13. Rene Denfeld touches on many issues and themes: Mental illness, justice, time, kindness, remorse, forgiveness, the need for love and connection, life and death itself. Choose one or two and trace them through the novel, using examples from the novel to enrich your analysis.
14. Why did you choose to read this novel? Did the novel surprise you in any way? Explain why or why not. What did you take away from reading The Enchanted?
(Questions published by the publisher.)
ReplyDeleteThe narrator calls this place a magical place because despite the melancholy feeling that the jail conveys to most prisoners, he still looks for the good within the bad and the beauty within his inevitable fate that come off as enchanting to him, especially in this dismal prison house. The beauty he finds is in the characteristics of the lady, the mystery within the cells that they hold prisoners in, and the windows and doorways of the prison. It tells us that the prisoner is an optimist and that aside from the circumstance he's in he still looks for the light within the darkness and dismal.
To the narrator, this is an enchanted place because it holds his attention. He see's stories and the beauty of every piece of the place that can touch the outside world. He also see's magical and fictional creatures that we assume are from his imagination. This tells us that the narrator is creative and optimistic. He/She can find beauty in the worst places and that heightens his reality.
ReplyDeleteThe author calls the place enchanted because that's how he views it to be even if others around him don't see it in that way. He sees the beauty of the surroundings are him. This tells us the author is optimistic he looks for the good in bad things.
ReplyDelete1. The narrator calls the place enchanted because he sees things that are beautiful and interesting. He sees beauty in the ashes being flooded by a river and being carried under to the grass, where they fuel the life there. He also sees things that might not be there, like little men in the walls and golden horses underneath them. This shows us that the narrator isn’t pessimistic, but not optimistic either. He sees things that are beautiful but realistic at the same time. For example, his description of the medical snakes with the warden ready to press the button shows how he knows the truth and that makes it beautiful. Another thing that he shares with the other inmates is the fascination with the sky. He describes the sliver of sky as if it is a ticket to freedom. This shows how he is a noticer.
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ReplyDeleteThe prison has its own kind of beautiful magic. It enchants the reader through the narrator's view and detailed description of what is going on. It opens up our minds to think about what is going on. The world looks different to a person facing death.
ReplyDeleteTo the narrator, this place is enchanted because he is interested about what is around him. The place catches his attention so it is enchanting to him. This tells us that the author finds good things in the bad places
ReplyDeleteThe narrator has an optimistic outlook on life in this prison on death row. This person thinks there are golden horses under ground. And the narrator also thinks that there are tiny man with tiny hammers in the walls. So for this person they are just enjoying the prison. the narrator is either insane or optimistic
ReplyDeleteThe narrator character called the prison a enchanted place because he/or she see the beauty of all the bad and sad things prison brings with it. The narrator keeps their head held high as they know where they are is not a good place to be. This tells that the narrator is a very positive person and it must be very hard to upset this person. Or the narrator doesn't regret what he did to get there.
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ReplyDelete1)The narrator calls the prison enchanted because he finds beauty in every little aspect of it. This is where he will spend the rest of his life and he has to live it in the shadows of the dungeon so he makes it better for himself to find magic in this place.
ReplyDelete2) All of the characters are connected by the prison. They all are affected by it in some way. The lady is genuine and nice. The prisoner like her and she treats them like actual people and helps them. The priest is scared of her and soft spoken around her and doesn’t see the enchantment in the place.
1. The narrator describes the prison as enchanting to create allusion.
ReplyDelete2. The lady is a lawyer and all the prisoners adore her. Unlike the lady the priest does not have any hope in the prisoners.
3. York is ready to die because he feels worthless. He wants to die so that he'll finally be able to be out of the prison and feel sun on his face again.
4. York was very interesting and intriguing. He's also insane.
3) York wants to die because he find meaningless. He has anger towards himself because of the action he committed that he realizes has no purpose or meaning behind it. The lady wants to save him because knows that he wants to be better than what he was, but he just feels that its too late and he has no chance to change.
ReplyDelete4) York is introduced as being crazy because he doesn't understand why or how he does the things that he does.
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ReplyDeleteThe Narrator calls the prison an enchanted place because he/she is optimistic, and he/she can find good in something that is bad. He imagines beauty in the prison; the Golden Horses and Tiny men with tiny hammers hitting the wall.
ReplyDeletethe narrator calls the prison enchanted because from what I can guess they have been there for a while because when they describe it they use a lot of passion and details.
ReplyDeletewell the characters who are incarcerated lives are pretty dull except for the window they talk about in the visitors room and the lady we don't know much about other then she feels kind of uncomfortable inside
ReplyDeleteYork does want to die he isn't hopeful but the lady is hopeful for him
ReplyDeletemy opinion still hasn't changed on him I still think he is very shut out from everything in the prison
ReplyDeleteWithin the first chapter, the narrator talks about the main characters of the novel. The narrator tells us about how they all share something in common, besides the priests. He explains how they see the true sides of things. We learned that the priest is scared of the lady.
ReplyDeleteYork wants to die because he thinks no one cares about him having a death penalty. He thinks there’s no point in him living anymore. The lady thinks there’s a way it can be solved. She believes that getting death off of the table is possible and she wants to help him through it.
My first intentions on york were that he is a person who looks at the world differently. My outlook on York has not changed. Yorks experiences have caused the lady to look at things differently. She now is taking things to heart and making sure she thinks things through.
2)By the dungeon-prison. All of the three of them are in the prison. York wants to die but the Lady wants to save York and the fallen priest doesn't even care.
ReplyDelete4) At first I thought he was psychopath and a crazy killer but then I felt bad for him.
ReplyDelete4. Think about York. What were your first impressions about him when he's introduced? As you discovered more about his story, did your outlook towards him change? How does the experience of investigating York's past affect the lady and her outlook towards York? How does it shape how she sees her own life?
ReplyDeleteA: My first impressions about York were shocking because hes a little crazy and he gets kinda confused about what he does or why he does it. the outlook is still the same for me he did not really change in my eyes but he did influence the lady and made her think of things more and care about peoples feelings more
4. Think about York. What were your first impressions about him when he's introduced? As you discovered more about his story, did your outlook towards him change? How does the experience of investigating York's past affect the lady and her outlook towards York? How does it shape how she sees her own life?
ReplyDeleteA: My first reactions towards York was surprise because hes a little crazy. And he gets kinda confusing about what he does or why he does it. the outlook is still the same for me though, he din’t really change in my eyes but he did influence the lady and made her think of things more and be more careful about people's feelings.