For the first portion of my whirligig project I chose to do a poem on Jenny and her grandmother. I call it “A lesson to be learned”.
For the second portion of my project I decided to do a BioBag.
For the third portion of my project I decided to do figurative devices.
“Getting any respect at Montfort was going to be like climbing a glass mountain” pg.8 is a simile that compares getting respect in Montfort’s ego chain to climbing a glass wall. Climbing a glass wall is obviously very difficult, and you will get cut along the way, so this simile is showing how hard it is to get respect in the new school. I think the author chose to use this simile to put you in Brent’s state of mind. He is the new kid in the school, trying to fit in and be cool, and as Brent is insecure and needs reassurance, it is almost impossible to climb up the ranks.
“My summer was like being sick in your stomach.” pg.77 is a simile that compares being sick to your stomach to Tony’s summer. Tony had a bad summer being forced to do music and he didn’t get any of the birthday gifts he wants. In this quote the author compares Tony’s summer to throwing up, saying that it is gross but afterward you feel better. I think the author chose this quote to portray how bad Tony’s summer was. Throwing up feels awful, and the feeling of throwing up is bad too, but after you feel better. It perfectly describes Tony’s summer with an experience that most people have had.
“I was the driver but hadn’t understood the journey” pg.112 is irony since Jenny had been the one driving the car yet not understanding the journey. Being the driver, she was the one making all the turns, but not understanding where they were taking her. I think the author chose this piece of irony to try and create the imagery of a driver following directions but not knowing where they would end up. It represents a dumbed-down version of the hero’s journey. The grandmother asking her to drive was the call to adventure. The stops were the trials. And then the grandmother was the mentor at the end that taught Jenny a valuable life lesson at the end of the chapter resulting in a transformation.
“He felt like a bee returning to a hive, greeted and accepted by all” pg.131 is a simile that compares feeling reaccepted by society in Brent’s mind to being a bee returning to a welcoming hive. Brent was obviously never left society or the “hive”, but he felt as if he was an outcast, and this simile explains that now in his heart he feels as if he belongs again. I think the author chose this quote for a literal visual that explains how brent felt. It is easier to picture a bee leaving its’ hive and returning than it is to imagine how Brent was feeling, so that’s why I think the author chose this simile.
