Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Top Ten

Top Ten Things in My Book 

During the course of my book, ten things stood out to me that changed the events in the book either for the good or the bad. Whether it is characters or a quote, these ten things are important to the outcome and understanding of the book. They are in no particular order. 
 
1. Character - Dr. Self. In this book, Dr. Self played a very important part in the book. During the beginning of the book, the reader got the impression that she was a good person. But, as the book went on, the reader realized that she was only using her show to manipulate her guests and get them to say what she wanted them to say. She also was the reason that Scarpetta was so determined and focused on her work. She motivated Scarpetta to be the character she is and solve the cases. 
2. Author - The author (Patricia Cornwell) was an important part of the book, but unfortunately, not in a good way. Personally I did not like her writing style. It was very hard to follow and was very confusing. There was way too many small details that were stretched out over a long period of time. I also looked online for other opinions on the book. They were all negative and had pretty much the same opinions as me. They author, in my opinion, was an important part of the book because she made it less interesting. 
3. Plot - The plot of the story was also an important part of the book. To me, I love reading about mysteries. They seem to catch my attention when I am reading them. Since this book has multiple murders are happening at the same time. For some, this may seem hard to follow but for me it makes it even more interesting. The murders that occur shape the plot of the story and push the reader to keep reading. The fact that with every murder there is a murderer, is something that I hold on to. This means that there will be a plot and a story line that will unfold soon. 
4. Setting - The setting of the book takes place in many different places. It goes from Italy to the U.S. many times. This can be beneficial to the book and can also take away from the interest of the reader. As a reader, I would personally prefer that it stays in one place for a majority of the time. Sometimes you will be reading and not realize that it has just jumped to the setting in Italy. It can also be a positive thing because the setting can add to your understanding to the story line. 
5. Language - The use of the language in the book is very distracting. To me, the words that she uses are unnecessary and only confuse the reader more. Although some of the language that she uses help enhance the visuals for the reader, most of the unnecessarily long words are a distraction to me. I would always have to stop and go back to understand the words. By the time I fully understood the meaning of that word, I lost focus on what was happening in the story.  
6. Character - Drew, the famous tennis player, makes the story that much more interesting. If the murdered person had been just a normal citizen, with no importance to anyone, the book would be extremely boring. The fact that she is famous and is very famous in the public eye, makes this murder so much more important. Drew, pulls the readers attention, even though she doesn't ever speak in the book. 
7. Quote - "'I've seen victims whose eyes were gouged out. But I've never seen or heard of a killer filling eye sockets with sand and then sealing they eye lids shut with - in this instance - and adhesive that according to your report is a cyanoacrylate.'" (21) The quote is very important because this is the killers signature. He is called the Sandman because of this. He fills all of hi s victims eye's with sand. When they found Drew, and later, the little boy, they both had sand filled eyes. This may give the killer away but this is how he is known.
8. Vocab Word - Cyanoacrylate, which was used in the quote above, describes a quick sealing adhesive. This word is important because this is one of the ways that the killer was found. They found this material in his apartment and it instantly gave him away. Along with the sand that they found, this was also a sure give away. His signature was his downfall and this vocabulary word is why he was revealed to millions.
9. Title - The title of the book, The Book of the Dead plays a big role in the events in the book. Tis book is a book that Scarpetta records all of the "patients" that pass through her morgue. She hand writes anyone that has been put on her table, so anyone else's handwriting would be a sure give away that something is wrong. The whole foreshadowing event is when she says that she doesn't want to be in her own book. Although quick and short, this means that she doesn't want to be killed and sent through her own morgue. The title can be misleading but gives readers a tiny hint as to what is going to happen. 
10. Character - Scarpetta is the main character in the book. She is a very determined individual that shows her stubbornness many times. When the murder of Drew the tennis player arises, everyone is convinced that the time of her death was hours earlier than Scarpetta thinks. But, she shows the extent of her knowledge and proves them wrong when she says that the fear and the fact that the killer was making her drink and eat caused the food and blood alcohol level to remain. She makes the book interesting and makes the reader "root" for her. She is considered the "good guy" in the story and is very crucial to the story. 

Section 7: Post B

Post B

During this section a suspect is found. They pin the murder on him based on the fact that he knew Drew, the famous tennis player. The problem with them accusing him, was that Scarpetta knew him personally. She knows that the real killer is still out there and could kill again. They go as far as sending him to jail. When the truth is revealed by Scarpetta, things begin to collapse in on themselves. Drew's mother was actually in on it whether she knew it or not. Drew's mom was trying to find out some personal information about her own daughter and was emailing the killer the whole time acting as Drew. When the Killer, known as the Sandman, found Drew and kidnapped her, the mother panicked. There were many theories at the end of the book, including this one. They also theorized that she knew that killer and didn't want to tell her friends about him, thinking that they would steal this good looking guy from them. Another theory is that she ended a previous relationship with a coach of hers. The theory goes that just before the tournament that she was suppose to play in, she fired and broke up with her coach, who she had been "dating." The coach took it personally and took matters into his own hands. The thing that I don't like about the book is that they never actually solved any of the cases. There were theories but nothing ever gave the reader any satisfaction. If i had a choice, I would not read any more of her books. 

Section 7: Post A

2 Vocabulary Words

1) Exclusionary (309) - the process or state of being excluded 
2) Reminiscent (369) - tending to remind one of something


1 Significant Quote 

"He just got out of jail," Scarpetta calls out. "And if you send him back, I'll burn your house down."

This quote is at the very end of the book. It is one of the last lines of the book and leads the reader on. This lets the reader think that there will be another book to the series. When Scarpetta finds out he is out of jail, she immediately gets angry with Benton. The killer is known but the whereabouts are not. This is why the ending of this book calls for another book. The person that they are talking about that gets out of jail was accused for the murder when he has nothing to do with it. Scarpetta knew all along that he had nothing to do with it, but they needed a suspect and blamed him.  

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Section 6: Post B

Post B

In this section some "back stabbing" occurs. Scarpetta finds out that Dr. Self is manipulating every aspect of this case. Dr. Self is determined to take revenge on Scarpette because earlier she testified against her and Dr. Self lost. It has become very obvious that Dr. Self has something to do with the murders that are have taken place. She has her own television show so she is able to mess with her guest's heads while keeping her own dark secrets locked away where no one can get to them. She has people come on her show and tell stories that are sad so that she looks like a "healer" when she helps them with their problems. Dr. Self is so determined to get back at Scarpetta she is even willing to kill her. A man that goes by the Sandman has been emailing Dr. Self. Scarpetta's very intelligent niece has hacked into Dr. Self's computer and has been able to read her emails for some time now. The emails are very interesting and reveal very vital informations. They show that Dr. Self has known about and was involved in the murder of Drew, the famous tennis player. The Sandman has been sending her pictures of the murders and she has been responding. The Sandman has received this name because of the sand that he fills the victims eyes with after he kills them. The name alone on the email address gave him away instantly.  

Section 6: Post A

Post A
 
3 Examples of Figurative Language

1. Simile - "Drew's eyes were removed, like holes in the ground..." (pg. 254)
2. Metaphor - "She has a heart of stone..." (pg. 264)
3. Onomatopoeia - "Crash, went the book against the desk." (pg. 270)

2 Vocabulary Words

1. Neuroses - a functional disorder in which feelings of anxiety, obsessional thoughts, complusive acts, and physical complaints without evidence of disease, in various degrees and patterns, dominate the personality.
2. Contrived - obviously planned or forced; artificial; strained.  


Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Section 5: Post B

During this section many small but important events happen. Some ground-breaking news surrounding the murdered tennis player emerges. They start to unravel the facts that have to deal with the events that led up to her murder. The investigators believe that she was unconcious the whole time, while Scarpetta believes that she was awake the whole time. The evidence again goes back to the fact that she still had a blood alcohol level which suggests that she was drinking just before her death. While this argument continues, something very dramatic occurs. Marino tries to commit suicide. He does this by attempting to overdose on oxycodone. Scarpetta catches him before the damage is done, but the affects of his decision are very evident. He is questioned and denies that his intent was to kill himself. His story says that he only took two more than normal and that he had pain in his knee is why he took it. Scarpetts doesn't buy it and sends him to the EMT. Because of this incident, he is taken of the case. Unfortunately for the others on the case, he holds very important knowledge that could possibly lead to solving the case. Since he is off the case, the team is dramatically set back and needs to somehow recover from this. It is going to be hard since they are short handed, but hopefully, another break-through will come soon. 

Section 5: Post A

2 Vocabulary Words

1) Deoxygenated - remove oxygen from (pg. 226)
2) Oxyhemoglobin - a bright red substance formed by the combination of hemoglobin with oxygen, present in oxygenated blood. 

1 Significant Quote

". . . She looks down at the source of the sound. Marino's bass boat is gone, and bright orange bumpers rock against the pilings in dull thuds. 


This quote explains the mysteriousness of some of the events that occur. Previously, a stocker has been looking out of her window. Now, she actually notices a sign of the stocker. He stole Marino's boat and vanished this time. During this section, the author jumped back and forth between the normal events of the book and this scene. This technique makes this scene much more dramatic. It stretches it out and makes the reader keep reading. This quotes may not seem significant, but it is the first time that she notices someone is watching her. Because she now knows this, the events in the book are going to dramatically change.