AGENDA:
Finish work on Mango Street books
The Enchanted Readers Guides
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.)
1. The narrator calls it enchanted because it is pretty much the only place they can see. They see the sky, rarely, and it is not the way we do. So in a way, they're trapped in one place. It isn't comforting, but it's all they have, so it's what attracts them. Mainly the sky, because when someone sees it, they will never lie, and the place is full of liars. The books that gets dropped off are enchanted too. He loves reading, it's one of the only things he can do nowadays. This tells us that the narrator is not that picky, and that he can find enjoyment in whatever he has.
ReplyDelete1. The narrator calls the place enchanted because it is a place where you can find nature and learning if you look for it. It gave him a second chance. He learned to read. He enjoyed the cool water of a flood. He saw light out of a window. The prison is enchanted, you just have to look for it.
ReplyDelete2. York wants to die because there is nothing else in the world for him. The lady sees the happiness and light of the world despite her job. The priest is solemn and boring. The narrator finds everything valuable about his situation.
The narrator believes that their cell is enchanted because it's the only thing they are use to. Over time, their mind has probably began frail and begins to imagine the world as something magical in order to stay somewhat sane. They enjoy reading simply because it is one of the very few things they are able to enjoy. This shows that our narrator is capable of finding enjoyment in the simple things and that they are probably more educated than the everyone else.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator believes that even while in prison everything is still beautiful and inspiring. After being locked away for so long they can physically hear the sound of freedom. It tells us that the narrator has a very poetic mind.
ReplyDeleteThis shows us that the narrator is hopeful and sees the beauty in even the dullest of places. The narrator has been in this prison for a very long time which results in him having to see the dark cell he lives in as magical or enchanted to stay sane.
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ReplyDelete1. The narrator calls the place enchanted because he can find beauty even in the not-so-pretty places. He's so used to the inside that he finds the small things beautiful.
ReplyDelete2. We learn that all of these main characters have been sexually abused as children. It is also said that they all feel broken inside.
3. York doesn't feel any worth in living anymore. The Lady sees herself in York, so she wants to save him, therefore saving herself. The Lady talks to York's aunt to get the information.
4. When I first read about York he just seemed like a normal person that had committed a crime. He seemed like he was in jail too long and it had got to him both physically and emotionally. As I learned his childhood of abuse I started to feel bad for him. But, when I learned the crimes he actually did, I didn't feel bad for him anymore. Because The Lady had been through the same thing as York, she really wanted him to be saved.