Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Literature analysis #1 : The Time Keeper

1. The inventor of the worlds first clock is punished for trying to put meaning to something given to us as a gift. He is banished to a cave and punished by having to listen to all those who worry about time and want more of it. Right when he is almost broken, he is released and granted his freedom as Father Time. There is a catch, he has a mission along with and hourglass and the chance to redeem himself by teaching two people of earth the meaning of time. He returns to earth and meets a teenage girl who is about to commit suicide and give up on life and a wealthy middle aged businessman who wants t live forever. To stay free he has to save these two and literally stops t the world to do so.
2. The theme of the novel is a quote from the book, "We do not realize the sound the world makes unless of course it comes to a stop. Then when it starts it sounds like an orchestra." This exemplifies the theme of the story to look beyond the lights and the world around you. To be a detective and look at life with a grain of salt and magnifying glass to uncover the sorrow you have and the happiness you have at the same time. We go through life just getting by and getting thing done and we become so accustomed and numb to the actions we take and the actions around we we don't think highly of what actually happend. No one stope everyday and thinks about their life because they are too busy to do so, this book tells readers and shows them that once in a while it is necessary to literally put everything down sit outside and stop.
3. the authors tone is passionate and sympathetic and hopeful. The Time Keeper has faith that he can change the world because he not only needs to save himself but he sees the struggle that others have because of his creation and he wants to help them. He sees the problem and even though he was put to the task of helping these people, he has a real genuine care to make a change and have everyone see the difference they can make and what they really mean.
"You have not died... you are in the middle of a moment"
"Magic came from the gods. And when the gods touched something, the normal became the supernatural and the simple became the wondrous."
"It does not satisfy. it only make him hungry to do more. Man wants to own his existence, But no one owns time. When you are measuring life you are not living. I know."
4. symbolism pg 179
"On the wall of his cave he drew the shape of a rolling pin." The rolling pin represented the beginning of life for him in his time. e would see the midwives soothing the babies with rolling pins on the mothers womb before the children were born to give them a sense of comfort. This image gave Dor comfort just as the babies and in a bigger symbolism Dor represents the beginning of a new life.
Foils
"One teenage girl who is about to give up on life and the other a wealthy business man who wants to love forever." This represents the challenge that Dor has to face. He has to make these two opposites realize the same thing, that time is something that should not be taken for granted.
Third person omniscient POV-
this gives the readers a sense of knowing everything that is going on, feelings and actions of the characters but not specifically narrowed to one POV of the narrator so the reader gets the full unbiased story.
"Dor remembered Victor's voice...Dor knew it was him the moment Victor spoke in the shop." pg 132
Simile pg 132
"Voices are to one destined to listen for eternity as distinct as a fingerprint." It helps the readers understand what voices are and how they add to the story and help with understanding by making something more relatable. Now we know each voice is unique in its own and tis is how Dor knew it was Victor because of his unique voice.
repetition pg 30 also pg 62
Nim was the reason they were living in exile. The reason he could not hold his children each morning." This emphasizes that it was Nim who was the culprit and and Dor was just a causality with the actions of Nim and it makes it seem like Dor is the victim and had nothing to do with how his got into his situation.
flashback pg 185-186
"...Now Dor looked at Sarah remembering that moment" This serves to make a connection between Dor and his life before he got punished and Sarah's life and how they intertwine. It helps Dor ask questions to decipher an answer and make him question his journey along with Sarah's
direct characterization pg 116
"Roger, tall and pale, with cheeks that sagged like a hound dog's was almost always by Victor's side." Roger is faithful and looks tired as if run ragged and worn out but he is always loyal to Victor no matter what victor puts him through
indirect characterization pg
"If you don;t come in on Saturday don't bother coming in on sunday." Victor said this and it states that he only cares about work and not actual people. He thinks success is how hard you work rather than the lives you touch.
rhetorical question pg 117
"Still, how would it look if he didn't leave more than enough for her every need?" This shows that Victor cares for someone else but only to make other people happy and show that he is a good person. he cares about his image more than his actual relationship and its ironic that this actually helps his relationship even though act for wrong reasons.
personification pg 81
"But a desperate heart will seduce the mind." Even though its wrong you can be swayed by your emotion state and how much you care for someone else which ties into how Sarah felt about Ethan and how she knew he was bad to her but she liked him and forgave his mistakes.

Characterization
1. "If you don;t come in on Saturday don't bother coming in on sunday." Victor said this and it states that he only cares about work and not actual people. He thinks success is how hard you work rather than the lives you touch.
"Roger, tall and pale, with cheeks that sagged like a hound dog's was almost always by Victor's side." Roger is faithful and looks tired as if run ragged and worn out but he is always loyal to Victor no matter what victor puts him through
"...to forever remind Dor of the moment Alli lat dying on the blanket." Dor has gone through heartache and knows what it is like to feel pain. This makes him a more compassionate and relatable character because he knows the horrible thing in life just as those he is trying to help.
"Sarah Lemon was really good at science." We know she is smart and probably knows right from wrong. She enjoys school and is not the typical popular girl.
2. No the diction and syntax is constant throughout the book because it is just a story being told. The only reason the tone changes is because of the characters and how they react to situations. It is told from third person omniscient and so there are generalities in the text intertwined with explaining the characters.
3. He is static but round because he has constant values and morals and those don't change even when he is punished. He is smart and believes in the gods and time and how he messed up and needs to fix his mistakes. He is round because he evolves from someone who lived in a cave and could only think about his mistakes to being allowed to help others and have a chance to redeem himself.
4. I came away feeling enlighten with the material of the book rathe than the characters. I was intrigued with the message and the whole concept of the book and plot itself and it make me think differently about my surroundings and how I use my time and what it actually means. I didn't feel like I met someone but I felt a little different mentally after reading it so I was personally transformed or enlightened like the characters in the book.

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