Quarter 2: Week 1, Post A

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

VOCAB:

caliper (17): a measurement of thickness

prescience (22): knowledge of things or actions before they exist or happen; foresight

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:

1. "She held her mother's admission as if it were a butterfly lighting on her hand by accident" (8). This is an example of figurative language because the author is comparing the mother's confession to a butterfly in flight.

2. "...the motions that would have fallen like shadows across her desk between Friday afternoon and this morning" (8). This is an example of figurative language--or, more specifically, a simlie--because the author compares the motions that Judge Alex must deal with that have gathered over the weekend to dark shadows. This shows that Alex is very busy and having to handle so many motions is a negative part of her job.

3. "...he made her head swim with seasons-his hair was all the colors of autumn; his eyes the bright blue of a winter sky; his smile as wide as any summer sun" (10). There are several examples of figurative language in this sentence as the author makes comparisons involving Josie's boyfriend Matt Royston. She compares him to the seasons--his hair is compared to fall, his eyes to winter, and his smile to summer.

QUOTE:

"When Patrick was lying in his bed alone and letting his mind sew a seam across the hem of his life, he did not remember the proven successes--only the potential failures. When he walked around the perimeter of a vandalized barn or found the stolen car stripped down and dumped in the woods or handed the tissue to the sobbing girl who'd been date-raped, Patrick couldn't help but feel that he was too late. He was a detective, but he didn't detect anything. It fell into his lap, already broken, every time" (12). Patrick's reflection on his job reveals a lot about his character. It shows a trait that is common in most people: the inability to appreciate one's successes, and only focusing on one's short-comings. Patrick changes lives everyday in his job as a detective. He protects people by solving crimes and catching the "bad guys". However, even with all of the good he has done, he only remembers the times when he was too late. In fact, he feels as if he is too late everytime because he never saves anyone before the event happens. He only fixes what has already been broken. He doesn't realize that it is just as important to be the person who picks up the pieces when everything falls apart.

THEME:

I think the emerging theme of this book focuses on the struggles people, especially high-schoolers face to "fit in" in our society.