Day+2

=Syllabus : Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close=

May 4, 2011

 * Focus Question**: How does the game of hide-and-go-seek relate to Oskars life? What experiences does he embrace, and what experiences does he hide from?

[|http://www.pbase.com/mikecaine/image/4593645]
 * Opening Focus Activity**: Follow the link below and observe a few missing persons posters from 9/11. As you examine the photos, think about the ways Oskar feels like a lost member of society, just like the 9/11 victims. Does Oskar want to be found, or is he hoping to dissapear in the rubble with the other lost souls?

He wants to be found but he hides so that some one will find him and look for him. He likes that someone cares enough about him to search for him. I think it has to deal with attention and he wants positive attention but he tries to get it in a negative way like when he hid from his grandmother and wouldn't come out to her when she called his name because he liked when she called his name out.

1.) On page 86, Oskar's father says to Oskar, "you're an atheist", to which he replies, "I don't exist!". What role does religion (or rather, non-religion) play in Oskar's though processes? How does it affect his formation of opinions? Makes him not believe in much. Everything has to have a logical thought process behind it. This could lead to why he invents things. 2.) On page 90, Aaron Black says, "If i could do it again, I would do it differently. But you can't do it again." How does this expression connect to Oskar's life? What would he do differently if he had the opportunity? Often times Oskar wishes he could take back the words that he said that is harsh to his mother. He always says that he wants to rephrase what he said or he wants to take back what he said because it was hurtful. He also wishes he could take back 9/11 so he could say my dad is still alive my dad is still okay. 3.) Oskar has mentioned his love for other people's actions or beauty several times throughout the book so far. Why is he afraid people won't like him naturally? Does this self-consciousness stem from his fear that his family would stop loving him if they knew about the last messages his father left for them? He has a huge insecurity of not being loved. He wants to feel wanted and he wants to feel like he is love. He often questions his mothers love. He doesn't want anything to interfere with his mom's love. Maybe he thinks if someone had gotten the messages he could have been saved and the death could have been prevented. 4.) On page 96, when Abby Black starts to cry, is it because she is crying tears of joy due to the feelings talking to a complete stranger gives her, or is it because she was reminded of the loss of a loved one (possibly in 9/11)? The tears could either be that she lost a loved one or there is a lost love between her and her husband. She didn't seem to care about her husband and seemed nonchalant and alone. She started to break down potentially because of the lost love and disconnect. Relating to Oskar's grandparents story. 5.) Who or what is Oskar "incredibly close" to in his life? What does he wish to be incredibly close to? He puts a great deal of stock into love and family relationships. Goes back to the fact that he wants to be found. "Incredibly close" could mean that his life is incredibly not close to anything, but he wants to be incredibly close. Maybe he wants to be incredibly close to his father and keep that connection alive. 6.) On page 99, when Oskar gives his business card to Abby Black, his contact information is missing. What is the significance of witholding his contact information? Does he want someone to "find" him instead, just as he tries to find them? He wants to be found. If the information to find him is readily available then it isn't much of a search for someone to find him. Not a lot of effort would be put in to find him. 7.) On page 106, Oskar says, "I was in the place that I couldn't come back from." It is followed by the letter from Stephen Hawking. Does this letter transport Oskar to his "happy place" in which he will find the answers to all of his questions in time? The place that he couldn't come back from is his hopes. Then the letter comes up because he wants Stephen Hawking to reply to him but he instead just gets a generic lette.r 8.) What significance does the name "Schell" have in relation to Oskar and his families lives? Do they hide behind a shell to avoid exposure to pain or rejection (like his grandfather leaving his grandmother)? It could relate back to the something and nothing in the apartment. I shell is a protection like the nothing space is a space that no one could reach you. Relates to how the grandfather said he was like an empty shell when he wasn't around Anna and his core being was with Anna. The shell he is left with is nothing, his soul and life died with Anna. 9.) After reading Oskar's imaginary rampage on page 146, how do you see Oskar embodying the emotions people felt after 9/11 (i.e. "nothing makes sense")? "Nothing" is the way that people felt after 9/11. they were scared and they didn't know what to do. Emotions were wild and scary. Nothing made sense to anyone. 10.) Which is worse: knowing who you are and accepting your bad qualities, or not knowing who you are while trying to change others? The second one is worse because its better to understand your faults then being a hypocrite.
 * Club Discussion Questions**:


 * Closing Activity/Extension**: Go to your happy place, a place that takes over your thoughts and emotions. What does it look like? How does it compare to Oskar's "happy" place mentioned above?