Deadline: December 13
We go on reading the novel Big Mouth&Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates and this week we take a closer look at chapters 15-30.
Please answer the following questions when you have finished the above chapters:
1) Describe the personality change which takes place in Matt. He used to be described as the perfect American boy, always smiling and full of wit. In what way has he changed, why and would you think he will become his old self again, is this possible?
2)We have discussed Ursula previously, however, the more we read the more we get to know her. Characterise Ugly Girl- warrior woman please.
3) Express something about the text message correspondence between Matt and Ursula.
4) Is suing the school the correct thing to do? What is your opinion? Will this act put a final end to Matt's situation?
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[SPOILER ALERT!!]
SvaraRadera(Still don't have the book..)
1. All his so called friends are avoiding him. He gets depressed, of course, and his heart turns to stone. He's no longer a kid, he doesn't smile very often.. his freckles seem to have faded, he resigns from the vice presidency and leaves the Rocky River Run.
2. Hmm.. Her mood can be fiery red, like when she's playing basket ball, but also uhm.. inky black? That's when she usually draws.
3. I don't know how far along this is in the book.. I guess they feel more safe, can be honest and speak about stuff they usually wouldn't.
4. Uhm.. I'm not sure, I would want some kind of justice for all the things they've been put trough if I were in their shoes. But suing them for money? I don't know.. They got even more unpopular because of it.. Matt got beat up, scary letters were sent, Pumpkin getting kidnapped. :/
1)
SvaraRaderaHe really turned his heart into stone. He has become hollow and depressive. He changed from a boy with a smile always on his cheeks into a lonely, sad boy that is sitting alone in the school cafeteria.
I'd say it's entirely possible to return him to his old self again. What he needs though is a pillar that he can build his fortress around. Ursula is really ideal for acting as a pillar. She supports him and gives him the time he needs, which is perfect. He needs attention and encouragement at the moment, and I believe that if it takes to long, he'll stay stone hearted forever.
2)
Ugly Girl - Warrior Woman is like a improved Ursula Riggs. It's almost like it's the tough and harsh Ugly Girl mixed with the sensitive and caring Ursula Riggs. This far in the book, she has begun to show sympathy and love aswell. That is feelings I didn't really believe Ugly Girl possessed. The change is wonderful to see.
3)
Both Matt and Ursula is starting to get really comfortable with each other. And my belief is that they care a lot about each other aswell, which might seem quite obvious. The fact that they start e-mailing stuff to each other as much as they do prove that they like each other. The mails also show how much Matt have inside of him that he needs to get out.
4)
I think as the most other in the book thinks. For Matt, it isn't a good thing at all. People really get pissed, and I can understand both them and Matt. Suing the twins wouldn't really be such a big deal, but suing the school really put him on the front cover of not just the newspaper, but everything. And no, it will certaintly not put any end to anything. That, I can assure you.
1:He’s not a child anymore who jokes about everything. He doesn’t speak to anyone because everybody is so mean to him. He’s not that popular at school anymore and there are students who belly him.
SvaraRadera2: She’s weird. She’s not afraid of anyone but still she is. I don’t really understand her. But I think she really like Matt. She likes art. Hmm. I don’t know what to say more about her…
she´s the hard one when it became of the two faces of the person.
3: they are friend now and I think they like eachother more than friends.
4: Yes, it was the right thing to do if he wasn’t going to do the massacre, but now when he did it all the students are against him and bellying him and so on. So was it worth it…
1)Matt personality disappeared quickly when he was interrogated. Entire he became ice. He froze to ice, and wanted to disappear and not come back. Now when his friends turned back from him so it was not better. He did not know that this, in his opinion was a little thing would be such a BIG thing. Nobody is perfect. Nothing will be the same again but it will be better if evreyone knew that it was JUST a joke.
SvaraRadera2)She is afraid of the others but but still not. She does not like people talking about her. She is afraid of being hurt I guess. She tried to be like evreyone else but she dont want that. I dont know she is a hard girl to understand. I think she is a brave girl.
3)Ursula is the only one who really know Matt and she is the only who believe him. Matt like her because nobody did do that. All turned their back from him and his friends. Matt has only Ursula in this point.
4)That Matt know that he did a bad thing but. I think that was so shady what his friend did. Matt must look really whose his real friends are. His friends will later realize what they had done and they will lose Matt as a friend. Evreyone needs to take all the fact in this situation and see whats is right or wrong.
number 1:
SvaraRaderaMatt now feels alone and betrayed by his friends and fellow students at Rocky River.
None wants to talk to him about the acccident with the bombthreat.
number 2:
Ursula Rigg´s alter ego, Ugly Girl, is a strong and fine girl with a lot of attitude.
She tends to become aggresive when there is injustice ahead.
number 3:
The mail trafic between Ursula and Matt acts as a comfort for them both, as they get to show how they feel for someone.
number 4:
Na, suing the school seems like an incorrect idea, since no justice will come out of it, only money.
But since Matt´s family are americans the probably think different, and money might seem to be a fair payment fot the bad treatment of Matt
1. Matt changed drasticly. He became cold towards people, more sarcasticly, became more distant towards people and stopped joking. Well, I don't blame him. I would probably change to if all my friends left me, I got beaten up and picked on. I don't think he will ever become him self again because he was pretty shallow and I think he has become much more deeper now.
SvaraRadera2. She has two moods - Fiery Red and Inky Black. She has a sharp tongue and loads of confidense, maybe to much sometimes. I think Ugly Girl is sort of a wall for Ursula, a shield, to protect her from the others. If she doesn't let any one clouse she can't be hurt, or?
3. They open up two eachother. They write things that they haven't told any one else. They just sort of click...
4. Hm... I don't really know what to think about this. I do understand that they fell misstreated and all that but I don't think it will help. Money can't buy everything.
1. Everyone on the school is avoiding him which is hard for Matt. His old friends are not the same to him as they used to be and the only people who talks to him seems like they are doing it for charity. First Matt just jokes about everything, but when time is passing by he get’s more and more depressed. He doesn’t smile any longer, he never jokes and bairly speaks to people. It all gehts so far that Matt is standing on a hill and thinking of how it would be to just end his life there. The saviour is Ursula Riggs, she shows him a friendly side and helps him trought it all.
SvaraRaderaI think he need some time to repair himself for everything but that he would turn back to the ”funny/joking” Matt. The persone he was before, the happy boy who liked living, liked the school and his friends. It just takes a little while to forgive and forget.
2. She is a strong girl who gives a shit about everyone else. She goes her own way and don’t really care for other peoples opinions. But still she seems very afraid of people and to be little on her own. She is hard to understand i guess.
3. They understand eatch other and can talk about almost everything. They both need a friend at that moment and they are a lot like the same. You could tell that Matt likes UR a bit, and it seems like Ursula likes matt to. On the mail Matt is really writing what he feels and needs to talk to somebody about. And Ursula is a good listener.
4. Well, the school had change Matts life drastic and turn it to a nightmare for him. If I was Matt I would like to have my revenge or something. To punished the school for doing such a horrible thing. Maybe I wouldn’t sue them for money but he could go to the press and tell everyone about what have happend to him. He could sue the twins instead.
I am terrible sorry for the delay!
1. After this whole situation with the massacre thing his life has changed of course.. His friends are avoiding him and people are being mean and he can hear them talk about him around the corner. He doesn't joke anymore and this makes him depressed and he says that his heart is like a stone. It really makes sense that he's feeling like this because this is not the life he uses to have or want. And the fact that he sees his mother cry in the bathroom which she never uses to do is kind of scaring him I think.
SvaraRadera2. Well, like the others said I also think she is hard to understand she has shown so many different styles. But warrior woman is kind of like, she won't let anyone walk over her and she defends herself and is not scared of saying what she wants or think, like to the Brewer twins. And when she played basketball she was warrior woman too, she knew that she was the best in the team so she didn't care what the other fellow team members thought as long as she could score.
3. When you are shy and and afraid to say something to a person live it is sometimes much easier to write. Matt wouldn't dare to go and say what he wrote to Ursula the first times. So he could express himself by writing and Ursula could understand him and wrote back what she thought. They really click together. I think Matt really knew that it was something with Ursula that made her understand, otherwise I don't think he would dare to write all those things he did.
4. It's not right or wrong in my opinion. I understand the all the circumstanses it has made to Matt and maybe will in the future, it has also effected him very bady, so I can undertand the suing of the school, to show them what they've done and that it is nothing they are just going to forget. But then I also think that if he wants to forget it and wants everybody else to do, it was maybe not the right thing to do.. Because it is a long process they are getting into, which will not make them forget so easily. Even if they win or not people will think they did it just because of the money. If Matt wants a final end, the fastest way would be by not suing the school.
1. After this incident everybody starts avoiding him and doesn’t speak to him anymore. All his close friends just ignores him, and this is killing Matt. He gets depressed and gets into a very dark place in his life. As the time is passing by Matt gets more quite and doesn’t speak as much as he did before. He even wants to kill himself but Ursula stops him, and helps Matt through it all. And maybe with a little more help from Ursula he maybe will become his old self again, the old Matt who loved to joke, life, school and all of his friends.
SvaraRadera2. This new character of Ursula’s is a strong independent character who doesn’t care about what people think of her and about what she does. She got her own ways of doing things and dealing with problems. Others opinions doesn’t bother her, not even a little bit. She is likes to do everything on her own ad doesn’t like to let people in.
3. They get along very well and like each other too. They understand each other in a way no one understands, even though they are two different individuals they still get along very much. Ursula and Matt talks about everything, he gets very deep in his mails and she listens to him and tries to help him. He writes these long mails and she responds with short mails, he is more of a talker than she is. It actually seems like they like each other and not just like friends.
4. Its difficult to say what is right and what is wrong, because Matt went through very hard things and at that point you just want to revenge and think its right suing the school, but on the other hand you can think that everything is already done and the school apologized for this misunderstanding so its not necessary to bring it up again. But I don’t think this is the end for Matt it will definitely be more drama to this.