Literature Analysis (Fiction)

 

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel. The plot of the novel is humanity first contact with an alien empire called the Covenant becoming a war zone. The Covenant weren't interested in making peace with humanity instead they were here to find lost technology from an extinct powerful alien race called the Forerunners.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel.  Avoid cliches.  The theme of the novel is the beginning of the Human and Covenant war. 
3. Based on the author's tone, describe how you imagine the author's morning routine.  Does s/he get up early or sleep late?  Coffee, tea, or no caffeine?  Yoga/meditation/exercise?  Groggily stumble to the toilet and wish s/he wasn't so hungover?  Breakfast?  If so, what kind of food?  No, I am not kidding.  There is no shortcut for this, only your own imaginative thinking based on how you read his/her work and interpret his/her tone.  Include no fewer than three (3) excerpts from the text that illustrate your points.               Based on the authors tone I fell like his morning routine is waking up 6 in the morning feeling tied from last night work, getting up from bed thinking of what he should write next. Going to his kitchen making himself a cup of dark coffee to wake himself up while cooking two eggs and three bacons. Once done preparing his breakfast, the author sits down eats his eggs first and then his bacon while still thinking what he should write to grabs the readers attention. After finishing his breakfast the author leaves his unclean dishes in his sink, grabs the keys that are hanging next to the door. The author locks the door to his 2 million home getting into his car and dives away. Driving  though the streets the author still thinks about his next writing. Once arriving to work the author inters the building and goes to his office. Before sitting down the author finally thought up a good plot, sitting down and quickly writes down his work. What I'm saying from this is the author thinks deeply  of his work to let readers understand details they haven heard of. Three examples are in the begging the books describes how a space ship can travel though space quickly, second deeply describing how the Covenant govern its empire and last how AIs work.    
4. Describe five (5) literary techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone.  These techniques may include characterization, figurative language, or anything else you've ever studied.  If you can't come up with five, do your best to remember and then look up "literary techniques" online and see if something rings a bell.  Include three (3) excerpts for each technique that will help your reader understand the technique and how it helped you gain insight.  Five literary Techniques i observed that strengthened my understanding of the theme are hyperbole, Irony, Point of view, Flashback and Anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism was use to describe the characteristics of the aliens that have similar traits as animals giving the reader a understanding of how the aliens looks like. Point of View gives a better experience for the reader to know what's happening or what's the character experiencing, this books as a lot of action going on and telling it in first person allows the reader to not get confuse. Irony helps the reader understand what's doing on in the story, sometimes the character's point of view gets a bit confusing because the books uses words that I see from a math book.         

NEXT LEVEL
These questions include some reflection on your own reading habits.  Now that you've begun analyzing someone else's story, continue with more detail and share your own story of how you read.

Reading is a relationship.  Sometimes we get to the last page and feel wistful saying goodbye.  Other times we find ourselves telling a book, "It's not you-- it's me.  I just need some time apart, see other novels, get some space... "

1. What drew you to this book?  What did you expect and/or hope to experience through reading it? What drew me this books was from a video game called halo 1 that is connected to the books timeline. I expected to learn how the Human and Covenant War started,   
2. What kept you reading past the first ten pages? What keep me reading past the first ten pages was it mentioned one of my favorite characters from halo named Avery Johnson. I wanted to if Johnson was apart of the beginning of the war.
3. Describe your reading habits. I don't read book every day I often read a book when I'm in a mood. If I find a really interesting then I will spend hours reading. 

There are elements of literature that any well-read citizen is expected to know.  If we can't identify and articulate an author's main idea (a.k.a. theme), for example, we are functionally illiterate.  Sounding out words isn't reading.

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

After rethinking about the plot of  novel I notice that there are a lot of plots in the novel. One was Tartarus killing his uncle, two was the leaders of the covenant finding out that humans are the descendants of a Powerful alien race they worship as gods. Instead of telling the truth to their followers the leaders made up a lie about humans doing a sinful acted of destroying relics of their gods. The last one was The AI had already predicted the Covenant was going to attack Harvest. I fell like the second plot was the one that fulfills the purpose, This novel was about the beginning of the Human Covenant war and this plot explains how it stared the war started.  

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches. The theme of the novel is how the war began by three leaders of an alien empire who were jealous that humans are the descendants of forerunners. Their beliefs of being the chosen's was wrong and are afraid that their followers will leave the empire.      
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s). The authors tone is serious  when telling a tough situations like from page 18 were Johnson had to a difficult decision of shooting a hostage in order to stop the explosions or letting his comrades get kill in the explosion. Second tone is anger, some where in page 300 Tartarus was furious that his uncle is doing a great job on commanding the attack so he commanded his uncle in a angry expression to fight for the position of commander. Third tone is concerned, In page 37 Johnson wakes up in a hospital thinking if he had failed the mission and was worried about comrades surviving the explosions.        
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
Ten literary Elements I observed that strengthened my understanding of the author's sense of tone are Point of View , Mood, Conflict, plot, Irony, Setting, Foreshadowing, Metaphor, Dramatic structure, and simile. Point of View page 11, buts its five-millimeter , full-metal rounds ripped ugly holes in his targets powder blue clean-suits. Mood page 9 Avery's were creamed with cold. Squeezing his hand into fist to keep his blood flowing. Conflict page 25 Avery failing to take down the bomber cost the lives of his men. Plot, page 24 the bomber as taken a child hostage leaving Avery a hard decision. Irony page 15, Avery taking orders to neutralize the prisoners felt it was wrong but did it anyways. Setting page 9 For close to an hour the hornets had matched the manic undulations of a volcanic plain, and now jerked back and fourth to avoid the petrified trunks of a forest burned long ago. Foreshadowing page 24, when the father tried to tackle the bomber who took his child hostage I had a feeling the bomber would set of the explosion and it did happen. Metaphor, page unknown, the book explain the alien ship looked liked a fishing hook. Simile page unknown, Describes an alien being big as a bear.   

Characters aren't people, but they often provide the most compelling connection with a text.

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?  Two examples of direct characterization are cold and no feelings. Two indirect characterization is having a human heart and now is positive. I think the author uses both approaches to let the reader see the character change. In the end my last impression of the characters results are impressed.
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?  I think the author uses diction when focusing on the character because its gives details about the character. Like for example Avery looks like cold soldier who can take any order but hesitates when told to execute the prisoners.  
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain. I think the protagonist dynamic because in the beginning he didn't to much about human life but in the he does care.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction. Yes I have seen this character from a video game called halo and reading about him gave me more info about him then the video game.