dear+john

Round 4 Book Club book: <3 DEAR JOHN <3 A. Lexi B. Maura On your group's wiki page, describe the main characters in your text. What makes them interesting? What is their story or background? Why are you drawn to them? Conversely, are there any characters that you just cannot stand? Why not? One interesting character in Dear John is the title character's father who is obsessed with collecting coins. Coins are literally all he talks about. Otherwise, he is extraordinarily quiet, to the point where John, the main character, is troubled by his and his father's lack of communication. John's father gives hugs reluctantly, never shows his emotions, and spends almost all of his time with his coins. However, the father shows his affection for John in other ways-- he makes John breakfast every morning, regardless of John's frequent rebellions. The members of our group don't really like this character because he is simply odd. Also, his emotional detachment has created psychological problems. Savannah is another complicated character. She is a college senior who is in North Carolina for the summer working for Habitat for Humanity. Her dream is to start a ranch to help autistic children learn to ride horses. She was the valedictorian of her high school, comes from a supportive family, and is very religious. She is interested in John because she says she likes the feeling of being protected. It seems as though the two of them are more mature than their peers, and don't enjoy drinking or meaningless hookups. While she and John are opposites, one is a preppy do-gooder and the other is a tattooed former rebel, they seem to share a lot of the same values and emotional depth. It will be interesting to see how Savannah's personality develops and how shedeals with any conflicts that arise. C. Deandra As usual, our group joins together on Friday morning for our book club. We decided to read Dear John by Nicholas Sparks as we thought it would be an exciting book. Also, since none of us has seen the movie yet, the whole book is a thriller. We begin our session with Maura reading her random Morone question, which gives us insight on her opinions. Starting from page one, we all agree that the storyline flows and while eating the food Lexi has brought, we discussed the characters. We disliked how the two main characters met and how the son treats his father. We feel that the father, being the only guardian of John, should be more involved in his son’s life, however, John should try to bond with his father and make the relationship work. Sequentially, Danarenae and Sammy asked their detailed questions in which we discussed for the rest of the period. Lastly, our book club was fun and we are looking forward to read the next set of pages. We are hoping to see a weak relationship become strong and we are waiting for another to blossom. D. Danarenae 1. Do you think that Savannah will end up sbringing John and his father closer? Yes, we believe that Savannah will end up bringing John and his father closer because it seems that she can make a connection with his dad. She also helps John see that his Dad has a passion for something in life, which she finds to be fascinating, and that he is really sweet, loves him, and is proud of John. 2. What are your opinions on John’s personality so far? Do you think his actions and true beliefs and thoughts are contrasting? It seems that John is very introspective and that he realizes that his actions are sometimes anti-social or similar to his father’s actions, yet he does them because that is just the way he is. He also dose not believe that love will be able to survive when his leave ends, yet continues the relationship with Savannah, desperately wants to be with her at all times, and seems to hope that is wrong. Moreover, while he says that he has no regrets about his childhood he does talk about being angry at his father for not being like other fathers and for not having the money and other luxuries as his friends. 3. Do you feel that John went into the army only because he had nothing else he could do with his life, or do you think he is patriotic, had a sense of duty and wanted to be a soldier? Why? We believe that at the time John realized he was going nowhere in life and wanted something to change, and that is when he was inspired to join the military as he saw two marines jogging past him on the beach. As he joined the army he stated that it wasn’t about being patriotic and protecting your country, for many men it was about saving and protecting each other. 4. Do you believe that John is similar to his father in his actions or personality? Explain. John is similar to his father as he is a little bit socially awkward and independent and they each live separate lives. They differ in that John analyzes and is aware when he is acting socially inept or that he feels that he was missing out on relationships, but his Dad rarely exhibits that he knows that he should be talking more and doing more with John. 5. List and explain what actions John has done that show that his view on relationships has changed and that is he falling for Savannah. John jumped into the ocean to retrieve Savannah’s bag for her. He stated that he did not know why he did it, he had not even really spoken to her yet, but it seems that there is a connection between them and that her personality makes him happy. John is taking her out on dates that are not the usual places that he takes girls, such as Leyroy’s, as he seems to care about her and their relationship more seriously. John wants to be around Savannah and is more agitated when he is not with her. He is beginning to realize what he has been missing out on in love. D. Sammy 1. What do you think changed John's views about never considering joining the military, to joining the military. After he was dumped by a girl and he saw marines running by, they motivated him to do something with his life. 2. What difference do you think separated John and his father the most? I think John's masculinity separated them the most. He played football and baseball, while his father collected coins. He also seemed very high tempered as a young boy, unlike his father who was always calm and peaceful. And whenever John wanted to talk about sports, it was like his father didn't even know that they existed. There was a lack of emotional connection. 3. What do you think the fathers' collecting of coins can represent? It can represent many things. One representation could be of the father's insecurity. He held on to the collections of his parents, and from generations ago. It shows that he is unwilling to leave the past. 4. Explain your thoughts of as to why the only picture of John and his dad are at a coin collection? It represents how the dad is unwilling to accept his son for the 'bad boy' that he is. It also shows how distraught their relationship is. 5. From the Prologue alone, what have we learned about Savannah? We learned that she ran off after loving John, to marry another man.

Week 2 A. Deandra B Lexi On your group's wiki page, discuss the type of language that your book contains. Is it easy to read? Conversational? "Classic"? Does it use a lot of words you don't understand? What grade level do you think the book is written at, and why? (B) Our book is written in two ways. First, it is written from the point of what John is thinking, meaning i is written in 1st person. Then as we advance in the book, we read conversations had mostly between John and Savannah and John and his father. This book uses very simple words, I think this is done for a purpose because the author tries to portray John as an uneducated mind, so he says everything straight as it is, isn't very descriptive, and doesn't use very many big words, because it is not in Johns character to do so. I would put the reading level at 9th grade and above for the main maturity reason. While yes a younger student could understand it, are parts in the book in which would not be appropriate for a child in middle school. C. Danarenae We sat down in excitement to discuss the second set of pages of our book. Deandra passed out the bagels while we rushed into the topic question Lexi provided. We agreed that the book should be written for 9th graders; even though it is an-easy read, there is inappropriate sections of the book. Sequentially, Maura and Sammy asked their descriptive questions in which we provided answers. Our book club went smooth as we mostly agreed on thoughts about the characters and what was transpiring. This book keeps us interested on what will happen to John and Savanna's relationship and how John's father will play a role in the plot. D. Maura 1. Why do you think John got so angry after Savannah gave him the book about autism? John thought she was insulting her father. He also didn’t want to believe that his father was autistic. Hearing that his father was autistic was such a shock, and his shock came out in anger towards Savannah. 2. Do you think Savannah was right in giving John the book? Why or why not? We think Savannah was correct that his father has autism, but it was not her place to give John the information. She is not a professional, and she does not have the experience to give recommendations or diagnoses. This subject was obviously very difficult to deal with for John, so she should have been more delicate about the matter. 3. Does this realization about John’s father change your opinion of him? How? This realization does not change our opinion. It is easier to understand his actions, but he still is not the best father to John. 4. Savannah describes herself as being naïve. Do you think she is naïve? Why or why not? She is naïve in many ways, including her belief in other people and her trust in them. For example, she is always surprised at the behavior of college kids. However, she is not naïve in the way that she understands the feelings of others and is able to judge their reactions. In that way, she is very wise and intuitive. 5. Do you think that Savannah only wanted to meet John’s father to evaluate him? Or do you think she was genuinely interested in John’s life? Why/why not? It was a little of both. In the beginning, she was probably genuinely interested in meeting John’s family. However, once she noticed that there was something wrong with him, her curiosity was peaked even more. D. Sammy 1. How do you think the mood of the book changed from the end of chapter to 3, to the beginning of chapter 4? John became more 'flirty' with Savannah, and I think the tone of the book became more romantic. I becomes more positive. 2. Why do you think that John is more hesitant on 'making moves' on Savannah, than he has with other girls in his past? I feel that he used to be a 'player', when he was considered a bad boy. He feels insecure around Savannah because he had feelings for her, and doesn't want to mess up their relationship. 3. What role do you think Tim plays in Savannah's life? Are they friends, or more than friends? I think that Tim is like Savannah's older brother who has always been, and will always be there for her. It is too soon to tell if there is any type of relationship between them, but Sparks foreshadows that there might be in the future. Lexi's analogy to Twilight Tim: Savannah=Mike Newton: Bella Swan 4. What does the shooting star on page 76 say about Sparks as a writer? Opinions? This question is open to opinion, but I think that it shows that he is a bit of a corny writer. He used this shooting star as an omen for John, which is think is uncreative. 5. Do you see anything in John, that resembles his father? Why or why not? I think that John's insecurity is being revealed as the book continues. He resembles his father's humble manner, and his shy and sensitive mind towards other people that he cares about. This is evident when looking at John's relationship with Savannah, and even at that with his father. John doesn't know how to be a social butterfly.

Week 3: A. Danarenae B. Deandra The tone of the book has varied according to the appearances of the characters. As John comes and goes, I feel as though a depressing mood is present as Savanna does not want John to leave. As for, John, I believe he is uncertain of the choices he has made about the military and therefore feels regret. However, as we read on, a fight unveils and their is tension between John and Savanna. Throughout the story, I believe there will be more tension as John will make more decisions about going to war and the father will play a major role.

C.Sammy This weeks meeting was kicked off by Deandra's answer to the random morone question. She described the tone of the book as depressing and upsetting, because this was the point in the book when John was forced to leave Savannah. She also talked about how John was feeling regret and uncertainty. Lexi and Maura both asked some thoughtful questions about the book, and we predicted what would happen to the relationships between Savannah, John, and John's father. We finished by eating some delicious bagels from Deandra.

D. Lexi Would you be able to last if your signifigant other went away to war? We believe that it depends if you truly love that person or not. However, it would difficult to deal with the emotion of knowing your loved one could never come back.

How do you think your love would change, would it be the same as john and savannah? Unlike Savanna, we wouldn't ignore our loved one and we would try to make the relationship work. Do you think there love will last through the war even though they only met for 2 weeks? We do not think they will last as Savanna does not seem to want to make the relationship last. Do you think johns love for savannah will help him push through the tough war times? Yes, we believe the picture keeps him focused on his goal to return home. How do you think it impacts johns dad that he leaves for war so frequently or do you think knowing the dads condition now, it makes it harder for john to leave him? We believe the father is fine with John leaving as they are not close and he is less stress when John is not home.

D. Maura 1. How has Savannah and John's relationship changed over the course of the book? Their relationship has definitely become more stressed. At the beginning, they were "head over heels" for each other, but now the relationship has become somewhat grounded. Savannah seems more absorbed in her social life, while John has become slightly detached. The two live in such different worlds that it is impossible for their relationship to go unchanged. 2. Why do you think their relationship has become more stressed? Savannah seems less willing to spend all her time with John, and is more interested in showing him off to her friends. John, on the other hand, seems very emotionally spent and quick to anger because of his time in war. Over the course of the book, you can see the two gain very different perspectives as they grow further apart. 3. Do you think that Savannah and John's relationship is realistic for that of a soldier and his/her significant other? Savannah and John's relationship definitely represents the norm for soldiers and their families. Nicholas Sparks does a great job of accurately portraying the sacrifice made by everyone in the family of a soldier, including the soldier himself. John's love for his country causes him to sacrifice relationships with the people he loves. 4. What do you predict for Savannah and John's relationship as the book progresses? I doubt that their relationship will be strong enough to survive. It is the cliché of the long distance relationship that they never work out. Also, I believe that Savannah and John have simply not had enough time to get to know each other, which may explain some of the awkwardness in their relationship. 5. How has John and his father's relationship changed? Do you think that it is because of Savannah? John has become much more understanding with his father. The two are now able to connect because John has stopped expecting more of his father than he is capable of giving. I think it definitely is because of Savannah. John would never have realized that his father had Autism if it wasn't for her, and he probably wouldn't have believed it if it had come from another source.

Week 4

A. Sammy B. Danarenae On your group's wiki page, discuss the themes and images that your book contains. What are some of the images that are used? What do they seem to represent? Why do you think the author uses these images to convey his or her meaning?

The Dear John letter and the military symbolize John and Savannah’s relationship, as it is spiraling downwards. Although their love is strong, Savannah cannot deal with being an army wife and being away from John so long. I believe Sparks used these symbols, as they are central parts of the novel. The military began as John’s duty and has developed into a part of his life. This emotionally affects his relationship with Savannah because she cannot handle being alone. Overall, these themes affect both of the main characters’ lives and love for each other. Sparks needed a way to represent a broken relationship affected by a main conflict and in this case, he used the military to overpower any love they had for one another. The letters written back and forth played a major role as well because it showed how they wanted to be together, but one character could not handle the separation. Therefore, these themes were just factors that eventually broke a strong bond and led to a shattered connection.

C. Maura Our last week of book club was very productive. After enjoying Sammy's brownies and donuts, we began to discuss the book's ending. The general consensus about the ending was that it was somewhat depressing simply because the main characters did not end up together. We discussed the main characters' choices, and each one's role in causing the couple to break up. Many of us thought that Savannah was wrong in cheating on John, but agreed that it was not fair of John to expect her to wait after he re-enlisted. We thought it was honorable of John to re-enlist following 9/11, but it was inevitable that his relationship would suffer. Then, Dana read her answer to this week's question, and discussed the different types of symbolism present in Dear John. Some examples of symbolism are John's sacrifices, which symbolize the sacrifices that all soldiers make for their country. Next, we answered Lexi and Deandra's question and further examined the falling action of the book, as well as the ending. All in all, we agreed that //Dear John// was the best book we have read so far. While some of our other book club choices have been more exciting, this book contained really relate-able and like-able characters. Its plot line showcased character development and real emotion, and ended up being a very good read. D. Lexi 1.) What do you think of Johns decision in the end of the book? Would you hav done the same thing a. No, as much as we would like to say we would have, none of us are as generous as john so we wouldn’t have made the same decision. 2.) Were you surprised the Savannah married Tim? Did she truly love him? a. No, Tim is the sloppy seconds, it was kind of the “next best thing” to John. 3.) How do you imagine Johns future? a. Lonely for awhile, but maybe he will end up with savannah, because she will realize her love for him. 4.) Was it okay for John to re-enroll in the army after september 11th? a. Relationship wise because it wasn’t fair, and he should have known how much it would hurt savannah, but life-wise his life style was always about the army, so we could understand why it would be hard to change everything his life is always about 5.) Do you think Savannah shouldve waited for john to come home? a. No, because she should be able to live her own life

D. Deandra 1. How does the war affect John and his feelings for Savannah? The war has a huge impact on John as he has to choose basically between his love for Savannah and going to the army.

2. Do you agree with the fact that Savannah continued her life or do you believe that she made a wrong decision? We beleve that her decision was good for her at that point in time, but she will regret it later. Therefore, she made a wrong decision in our perspective.

3. What is your opinion about John and Savannah's relationship after john's father dies? Their relationship spirals downwards and they start to realize they cannot stay together.

4. What is your take on how John views Tim and do you believe Savannah has real feelings for Tim? We feel that Tim has feelings for Savannah and John accepts Tim as he cannot give her the life she really wants since he is dedicated to the war.

5. What do you believe the future holds for John and Savannah? Individually? Together? Will they remain in touch? John will go back to the army and we believe they will not remain in touch as they will move on with their life.