Notes

=__**NOTES**__=

__**Day 1: Sections One and Two**__

 * Opening Activity**
 * Loneliness vs. Curiosity**
 * Ma would relate more to the poem "Loneliness" because she was removed from her prior life and misses home**
 * supporting ideas from book:**
 * when she is "gone" for several days**
 * Jack would relate more to the poem "Child's Curiosity" because he is young and wants to know all of the answers to the world**
 * supporting ideas from book:**
 * - He becomes very excited when he sees the mouse and spider for "real" because he always knew that it wasn't real**
 * -Page 65 Jack continues to question his mother**


 * Notes on Discussion Questions:**
 * **the narrative style makes the book tolerable**
 * **If it were told from ma's perspective it would be much harder to read, also it is unique to hear it from the boys perspective because you never know quite what he is going to say next**
 * **Jack better understands death than many other kids**
 * **We don't think that he understands human death completely because he hasn't be exposed to the world although he does seem to grasp the idea better than most kids**
 * **His mother tries to tone death down as if it is not a bad thing so that if something would happen to her Jack would know that she was still ok**
 * Why does MA keep Jack form old Nick**
 * **He is the only thing that Ma has that is her own, he is the only thing that keeps here going**
 * **Sam and Emily thought that MA might keep Jack away from Nick because she is afraid that one day Nick will let Jack into the real world and still hold her hostage**
 * Why does Ma regulate TV?**
 * **It is an escape for some people but for Ma it reminds her too much of the memories in her past**
 * **Maybe she doesn't want to let Jack always watch TV because she wants to give him a good childhood not just filled with TV**
 * Is she stronger around Nick or Jack**
 * **When she is with Nick she is very closed off to the world**
 * **When she is just around her son Jack she seem much more open and want to answer his questions**
 * **Chloe thought that she was both weak and strong around both characters**
 * **She is weak around Jack when she doesn't reveal the whole truth to him but at the same time that can be looked at as being strong because she is trying to make her son as happy as he can be**
 * If you were in this situation would you struggle with the same things as Ma:**
 * **Sam said yes, she thought it might be even harder for her. She also said that you never know exactly how you will react to a situation of this level until you are in one.**
 * **Chloe related the idea of the different worlds in Brave New World to this book. From Jack's perspective it would be like the people living in the brave new world. He doesn't know the difference so he doesn't go through the soma struggles as Ma. He has lived in the room his whole life so to him he doesn't see any problems with the way he is living currently in the book.**
 * To close out the discussion we talked about the objects in the actual room**
 * **Emily commented on how it seem crazy how everything fit in a room that is only 11 by 11**
 * **It is hard to picture how they fit a table, wardrobe, bed, bathtub, sink, toilet, stove, fridge, TV and all of their other belongings in such cramped corners**
 * **We then discussed the things that we would miss most about not living in the "real" world and how** **hard it would be to only have such a small space to live in for the rest of your life**

__**DAY 2: Section 3**__
 * Opening Discussion:**
 * **Chloe says that now that he's reunited with his mom, it will be better with Ma than if he was on his own. But she thinks that the TV gave him more knowledge than he would have ever had and that is why there is no description about the world. And Chloe thinks that he won't be able to go to school for at least a couple of years because of how he does't think anyone else is 'human' except Nick and Ma.**
 * **Emily thinks that since he doesn't know anything else it will be very overwhelming, even though he is very mature for his age and that he doesn't know all the dangers about the real world so he will fear everything.**
 * **Marybeth thinks that even though he is five years old, he will have separation issues**
 * **Analiese thinks that he will adapt to it and that it was weird that there was no description about the real world.**
 * Discussion:**
 * Jack's reaction to death-**
 * **Emily says that is was normal for a five year old because Plant was the only living thing that he has ever know that died and that it was very normal for a five year old. He seems like a normal five year old, everything he does seems like a five year old.**
 * **Chloe thinks it is because every five year old grows attachments to things, and he still knew about death and that it would eventually happen.**
 * **MaryBeth says even though he was upset he never brought it up again but if something ever happened to Ma. And if Old Nick kiddnapped Ma when she was little, Jack wouldn't be as normal as he is.**
 * When Ma comes up with Plan A did you think it was going to work-**
 * **Analiese says that they got it out of the story and she thought it was going to happen**
 * **Emily didn't know**
 * **Chloe thought that Old Nick would take him out because she thought that Nick wanted to have a relationship with Jack and he wanted to do something with Jack, but he isn't ever allowed to. But he feels that attachment and wanted Jack to trust him.**
 * Getting away from Old Nick**
 * **Emily: I didn't think that Jack was going to get away because he had him and he could have just left, but it makes sense because he looks out for himself and he has to take care of himself first because he is a coward.**
 * **MaryBeth: I didn't think that Jack would get away, but he also just dropped him and she that is because that he didn't have an attachment to him.**
 * Old Nicks role in the next section:**
 * **Chloe says that it is an interesting comparison that he sees Jack, a living thing, as nothing and Jack sees intimate objects as living things.**
 * **Emily thinks that he is gone, that he won't have a role**
 * **Chloe thought that Old Nick would come back for either Jack or Ma, because they are kind of his family, and now that she will see Old Nick in Jack and that Old Nick will be coming through Jack.**
 * **MaryBeth thinks he will be more emotional, not actually physically there but in emotion especially for Ma, because he has been in her life for so long and she depended on him for so long**
 * Old Nick about Jack dying**
 * **Chloe says that he didn't seem more human it made him seem more messed up. Even though he is sympathetic he isn't sympathetic towards Jacks death**
 * **Emily says that he felt a little bad, and that is why he agrees with Ma. And he chose Ma for a reason so he has feelings for her.**
 * **MaryBeth agrees with the statement that Old Nick has feelings for Ma, but that he didn't take him far away for Ma but for himself.**

__**DAY 3: Up to page 200**__
 * Opening: Innocence - being sheltered from the bad things in life purposely so that they don't happen to you (more positive b/c bad things won't happen to you)**
 * Ignorance - is not experiencing something because you don't want to know or accept it. (negative - b/c you are choosing to avoid the truth)**
 * Jack - innocent b/c he hasn't had the opportunity to experience any of these things.**
 * - example - Jack can't understand the meaning of waste.**


 * Discussion:**
 * Jack's Friends**
 * **Sam- he is overwhelmed by people**
 * **Mary- he was forced to get rid of everything. So he lost all his friends, he misses them so he doesn't want to make new friends**
 * **Chloe - compare to a new school - it takes time to figure out who your friends are going to be. didn't get to say goodbye**
 * **he is not used to new things, he hasn't ever had to adjust to new things**
 * **new things were introduced very slowly**
 * **he it overwhelmed by the number of things (now there are a million tables so he can't choose one to be Table)**
 * "Everything is wrong" Jack's perspective**
 * **If it was from Ma's perspective you would never know how Jack feels**
 * **It is different from everything we would think of therefore it forces us to think in a different way**
 * **"Normal" is relative**
 * **We are forced to take a step back and realize that not everything is fixed just because they are out.**
 * **Donoghue writes from Jacks point of view in order to show that everyone's normal is however they were raised.**
 * **Just because this is the "real world" doesn't mean it is real to Jack.**
 * **Further into the book it makes sense to see it from his perspective. Because if it was from Ma's point of view the story would be over because she has reached her goal, but for Jack it is still a great Journey.**
 * **It feels more honest because Jack says exactly what he is thinking**
 * Ma's struggles**
 * **The world that she was taken from has changed because her parents are no longer together**
 * **Went from a strict schedule to absolute freedom**
 * **Frustrated with Jack and everyone because they can't understand how she is feeling.**
 * **Feels torn between Jack and the real world**
 * **She doesn't feel like she is actually part of their family**
 * **Upset that her family had given up on her and didn't even realize that she was actually kidnapped.**
 * **Her parents - they were trying to cope with her being gone so they just told themselves that she had run away**
 * Ma's not Ma**
 * **The shower door shows the separation that is coming between Jack and Ma. Because Ma has a past and that Jack doesn't have.**
 * **Shows that how Ma is changing becoming someone else**
 * **Jack doesn't want to let go of the past but Ma wants to forget it.**
 * **Jack is a reminder of Ma's captivity and therefore in a way a burden.**
 * **Jack was a blessing in Room but now he is a burden because she can't move on from the room so she is losing patience with him**
 * **Jack's ignorance is him thinking that the room is still better.**

__**Day 4: Up to Page 280**__
 * Opening:**
 * **Sam says Jack doesn't know about relationships**
 * **Mary says they have something in common and that relationships can be strong in this situation because of the environment**
 * **Emily says that if it's the only person you have, the relationship has to be good**
 * **Chloe says Ma and Jack had so much in common but when they left they didn't have anything in common anymore**


 * Ma takes the Pills**
 * **The interview was the final straw because they kept asking her all of these questions**
 * **Ma was trying to take attention away from just her situation and they went right back to it**
 * **The world won't let the story go and Ma just wants to move on**
 * What they Need**
 * **Jack and Ma need time but in different ways**
 * **Jack needs to adjust to the whole world and Ma needs to adjust to going back to the world**
 * **They're going through it so differently and she needs to get away**


 * Ma and Jack's Relationship**
 * **It's good that they are spending time apart because Jack needed to be away from her**
 * **Chloe thinks it's saved them because the longer they would've stayed together, Ma would push him away**
 * **It was good because she didn't know what was going through Jack's mind so she could take care of her own problems**


 * The Interview**
 * **Jack takes care of her**
 * **He's always sad when she's Gone**
 * **He does understand his mother's emotions and wanted to help**
 * **The interview was the tipping point**
 * **He saw his Ma was sad**
 * **Talking about the baby was very emotional for her**
 * **They didn't think about how people would react to this story**
 * **How do you trust Old Nick to not kill Jack**


 * Jack Accepting the World**
 * **Jack doesn't understand that you have to buy things and has never had money. It's only been Old Nick giving it to him**
 * **He's only 5 so it's good because he's still learning**
 * **He's smaller so he's still adjusting**


 * Jack and Ma's Tooth**
 * **They think he's just trying to keep his mother with him**
 * **Room was stable for him**
 * **It's his way to cope**
 * **He took it with him when he escaped so it's like his blanket or teddy bear**
 * **They can't imagine Ma with bad teeth**


 * Ma's Decisions**
 * **Sam doesn't think she is.**
 * **Mary think she's upset because your family is the one that is supposed to be reliant and understanding but instead her dad is disowning her son**
 * **Emily thinks once she made the decision, she had to do it and Jack made her survive**
 * **Chloe said that no one thought of the ifs of Jack's childhood growing up in a different home**


 * Grandma and Jack**
 * **Emily thinks she's handling it really well**
 * **Sam thinks that she treats him like any other kid and he gets used to it**
 * **Mary says it's your typical grandparent/grandkid relationship and he's trying to understand the rules**
 * **Emily says they were pretty good parents because she taught jack the way they raised her so Grandma knows how to do it**


 * What Will Happen to Ma**
 * **They think she will get better it just is all about time**
 * **At this point it seems hard for the author for her to not get better**
 * The Media and Jack**


 * __Day 5: End of the Novel:__**
 * Opening Activity:**
 * **Mary not gon back to the room if she had been Ma. If she had never known the outside world she would've never gone back. If it had just been her and she had never had Jack she probably would've never gone back.**
 * **Emily she though she would've been to afraid to go back**
 * **Sam would be afraid as well. She said she would let Jack go, but she wouldn't be able to go back into room.**
 * **Everyone said they can't even fathom what it would be like to have been kidnapped or left in a room for so many years.**
 * Is Jack deprived of knowledge**
 * **It a loss of social interaction**
 * **he has never experienced the social norms so he has no idea what is wrong and what is right in this society**
 * **Emily: picked a quote out that said "I never know whats going to hurt and what won't.**
 * Random Talk**
 * **Emily thought it was interesting he didn't react differently**
 * **Sam pointed out that he is still so young and its weird to think of him going to school**
 * How would you feel raising a child you barely know?**
 * **Mary: it would be awkward, but it more helpful to have him be younger versus if he was older around 10 or so it would've been much worse for her to handle.**
 * **Emily: Jack is so much like Ma so it is almost like Grandma already knows Jack.**
 * **Sam: Ma raised Jack just the way Grandma raised Ma**
 * **Analise: was worried Grandma wasn't going to have enough patients with Jack.**
 * What do you remember about pancakes?**
 * **Most everyone doesn't remember the first time they had syrup and pancakes**
 * **When most people don't think of putting two things together they don't really ever think that the two would ever taste good together**
 * **For Jack he has never experienced it and so it was a bigger shock to him then it would've been for anyone in our group.**
 * The world repeats:**
 * **Analise: He is starting to understand. Lollipops example**
 * **Mary: Jack is starting to compare the two things together, but mainly when he has the physically products right in front of him.**
 * **Emily: Jack doesn't understand why people need more then just one thing. Just one book, one playground, one lollipop. Jacks perspective is very interesting.**
 * Grandma's Words:**
 * **Sam: Grandma was frightened and didn't really know what to say**
 * **Emily: Grandma didn't handle the situation well. There are two ways to respond to someone and she chose to respond with her emotions then with what would help Jack out.**
 * **Analise: She definitely didn't handle the situation well**
 * Jacks Thoughts:**
 * **Analise: When little kids get home sick or sad they normally say how they want their mom or they want to go home.**
 * **Emily: Jack thinks the word "stranger" is offensive. When Jack uses the word stranger he is using it as though he is telling her that he hates her. He doesn't have an in-between, he has Ma and then all of the strangers of the world. Thinks of Grandma as a stranger.**
 * **Sam: Jack understands the concept of a stranger, but he really only thinks of it as a word for adults.**
 * Random Talk:**
 * **Emily: agrees that he fears his memories of Room. Thought he was afraid to be locked in. this whole books takes place within in one month. Thought the part with the friend from college was interesting and was thinking how she would've reacted when she was meeting with her friend from 7 years ago.**
 * **Analise: liked that Jack said that Room was no longer his home its not Room anymore.**
 * **Mary: She wanted some closer. if she can go back and then answer questions she will have complete closer. Thought that Ma was going to die**
 * **Sam: Liked the way it ended. She fear Ma was going to die and very pleased that she didn't.**
 * Affected/Things that stuck out:** This concluded our discussion for the day.
 * **Mary: the last line really stuck out. thought it was interesting because it ended where it started except for the different meaning of the Room now.** **Once Jack got out she didn't know what was going to happen to Ma. The strict schedule in Room was a way for Ma to make it through her days.**
 * **Emily: Agrees with the last line. The Crater will always impact you but it won't stay with you forever. Found a quote on pg. 286 "In the world I notice..." found it very interesting. This book is able to be so long, but takes place in a short period of time because of Jacks lack to understand time.**
 * **Sam: Still loves the part when he is leaving the room in the rug. It was so suspenseful because you didn't know the plan before and it just kept you reading. This was the breaking part of the novel. with his schedule he never had to worry about the time so he didn't know what to do with any free time.**
 * **Analise: pointed out something Mary or Emily said a few days back about how Jack doesn't have a true sense of time. He always had a schedule.**