The Enchanted
AGENDA:
Read to pg. 41. Over the break, finish the book.
Think, Pair, Share:
Discuss and respond to questions 1 -4 with a blog comment that refers to text evidence. Cite page numbers and quote from text.:
1. The novel opens with the line, “This is an enchanted place. Others don’t see it but I do.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “enchant” as ”to attract and hold the attention of (someone) by being interesting, pretty, etc.; to put a magic spell on (someone or something).” Why does the narrator call this place enchanted? What beauty does he find in his surroundings that others do not? What does this tell us about the narrator?
2. Talk about the main characters: the narrator, the lady, the priest, and York, the prisoner on death row at the center of the story. How are these characters’ lives and their fates intrinsically connected? What do we learn about the lady and the priest from the narrator?
3. Why does York want to die and why does the lady want to save him? Is he worth saving? How does she go about gathering evidence to understand his case, knowledge that might prevent his execution? What propels her choice at the novel’s end?
4. Think about York. What were your first impressions about him when he’s introduced? As you discovered more about his story, did your outlook towards him change? How does the experience of investigating York’s past affect the lady and her outlook towards York? How does it shape how she sees her own life?
The lady, an investigator who excels at uncovering information to save her clients from execution. . . The fallen priest, beaten down by his guilt over a terrible sin and its tragic consequences. . . The warden, a kind man within a cruel system. . . The mute prisoner, sensing what others cannot in what he calls "this enchanted place" . . .The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison. Two outsiders walk here: a woman known only as the lady, and a fallen priest. The lady comes to the prison when she has a job to do. She's skilled at finding the secrets that get men off death row. This gift threatens her career--and complicates her life--when she takes on the case of York, a killer whose date of execution looms. York is different from the lady's former clients: he wants to die. Going against the condemned man's wishes, the lady begins her work. What she uncovers about York's birth and upbringing rings chillingly familiar. In York's shocking and shameful childhood, the lady sees the shadows of her own.The lady is watched by a death row inmate who finds escape in the books he reads from the prison library and by reimagining the world he inhabits--a world of majestic golden horses that stampede underground and of tiny men who hammer away inside stone walls. He is not named, nor do we know his crime. But he listens. He listens to York's story. He sees the lady fall in love with the priest and wonders how such warmth is possible in these crumbling corridors. As tensions in "this enchanted place" build, he sees the corruption and the danger. And he waits as the hour of his own destiny approaches.The Enchanted is a magical novel about redemption, the poetry that can exist within the unfathomable, and the human capacity to transcend and survive even the most nightmarish reality. Beautiful and unexpected, this is a memorable story.
TOMORROW: Ensemble Theatre Periods 3/4 Master Class
Willa Carroll and Sejal Shah
1. The narrator opened his book calling the place enchanted in an effort to make the setting enticing by giving it mystery and magic. He finds beauty in the building's structure, in his old age and in the secrets that it holds. It gives the reader a sense of confusion on deciding whether or not they want to like the narrator. In his description the place seems desolate ominous and even creepy. The fact that he perceives it to be beautiful gives him an odd quality and makes it clear to the reader that he is different.
ReplyDelete2. The four characters are all involved with their enchanted institution. The lady seems to be a sort of therapist, someone beloved by the "inmates." The lady is beautiful, kind and caring. She sees hope in the inmates and they can feel it. The priest perhaps represents a loss or lack of hope. He symbolizes the imprisonment of the enchanted place, he is keeping the inmates bound.
3. York wants to die because he says "I'm tired of being meaningless." He killed someone and feels immense guilt from the confusion of it all, and is angry that it never had a purpose, meaning he never had a purpose. She believes he is worth saving because he wants to be better, but feels he has no chance.
4. When he was introduced, he seemed to me to be untrustworthy, that he is legitimately crazy.
1. The narrator describes the prison as an enchanting place to add some magic realism to the setting. This creates a more ominous or haunting feel to the prison.
ReplyDelete2. The lady is a lawyer who most of the prisoners seem to admire. They enjoy that she is warm, and honest, and completely pure within the walls of the prison. In the cold of the prison she is wholly human, and a piece of the outside world that they are shunned from. The priest is highly uncomfortable with the enchanted prison in and of itself.
3. York is ready to die because he is tired of feeling worthless and like an object within the confines of prison. He wants to die so that one day he can somehow feel the sun on his face again.
4. At first, York appears to be pitiful and apathetic and then we begin to learn more about the terrible things that he has done. He is a sociopath and he doesn't understand why he does/has done most of the things that he has.
Grace and Cameron
Jasmina and Janelys
ReplyDelete1. The narrator begins with this quote in order to set the mood for the chapter. It is kind of used ironically as well to describe the dark jail/dungeon. This helps the reader get inside the characters head and build characterization. It shows how the narrator sees beauty in everything " the most wonderful enchanted things happen here-the most enchanted things you can imagine" (1).
2. All of the characters are connected by this 'enchanted' jail and also by death. They are all brought together through the death row inmates. The narrator describes the lady and the priest through an uneven relationship; it seems as though he fears her, "he has sweat on his oxford shirt from talking to the lady"(4). The lady seems powerful and authoritative. York is very smart and believes he is a psychic. It seems he has gone mad since "he has spent 12 years waiting for death"(10).
3. York wants to die because he feels meaningless. The lady wants to save him because she feels connected to him in someway due to his intelligence.
4. York was intriguing and a really fascinating character. In addition, he seemed a little crazy and not fully there.
Jahde helped us too or whatever
Delete1. The narrator opens the story calling the place enchanted due to him seeing beauty in the aging building, he does this to make the place full of mystery and wonder. The narrator describes the place makes it clear that he is different from other prisoners.
ReplyDelete2.All four characters are. The lady could be a investigator or therapist. She is loved by the inmates and sees the hope for inmates. Unlike the lady, the priest symbolizes despair of the inmates and imprisonment.
3. York wants to die because his life is meaningless without "being allowed to touch anyone or go outside or breathe fresh air. i'd like to feel the sun again just once" ( pg.11)
4. When York was first introduced, he was untrustworthy and considered insane.
Amanda and Reyenne
1)The narrator calls the prison enchanted because he finds beauty in every little aspect of it. This is where he will spend the rest of his life and he has to live it in the shadows of the dungeon so he makes it better for himself to find magic in this place.
ReplyDelete2) All of the characters are connected by the prison. They all are affected by it in some way. The lady is genuine and nice. The prisoner like her and she treats them like actual people and helps them. The priest is scared of her and soft spoken around her and doesn’t see the enchantment in the place.
3)York wants to die because he feels like his life is meaningless. He craves for human touch and the feel of the son and all the advantages of being free but he knows he will never experience these things and so he feels it’s not worth living. The lady wants to save him because it’s what she does and she feels connected to him.
4)York is introduced like he is crazy because he can hear people’s thoughts but then as it goes deeper into describing him he sound smart. Like the narrator, he uses it as something to hold on to. He is actually smart and taught himself how to read. The lady has been in jail before so she knows how it is and wants to get him out of there.
1. In the opening line the narrator calls it enchanted because he still sees beauty and its filled with mystery and wonders. Things are shown that way, so you can get a feel for how the character is thinking.
ReplyDelete2. The characters in the book are all connected by this jail or enchanted. They all have a different outcome of how it effected them. The priest and lady might show a little fear and is uncomfortable.
3. York wants to die because he feels useless and meaningless. And Lady wants to save him because she feels connected to him.
4. York is introduced as being crazy because he doesn't understand why or how he does the things that he does.
1) With the novel opening with this lines creates a sense of mystery. It makes the reader wonder what makes this place so special or so "enchanted" and rise the question of why doesn't others really consider it such an enchanted place.
ReplyDelete2) The four main characters are connected through the enchanted place/ jail. The lady is loved ad admired by the inmates of the enchanted place. She gives the inmates hope and sees the hope in potential in them. The priest seems to be uncomfortable with the enchanted place itself.
3) York wants to die because he find meaningless. He has anger towards himself because of the action he committed that he realizes has no purpose or meaning behind it. The lady wants to save him because knows that he wants to be better than what he was, but he just feels that its too late and he has no chance to change.
4) York seemed to be a well defined character, but as I learned more about his story I began to see him as a little crazy.
1)The opening of the novel the narrator basically sees beauty. Also has some mystery and it gives you a better understanding of the what's going on.
ReplyDelete2)The main characters of the novel are being connected they all have different effects of them. She gives the inmates a way of hope for them. The priest was showing fear.
3)York basically wants to and he basically feels that he is meaningless. But the lady is trying to help him and tries to connect with him in a way.
4)York was made out to be this crazy person and also of the things that he had to do.