Sara -Blog Entry #4

I find the setting in The House of the Scorpion very interesting so far. Nancy Farmer described the setting very well by including specific details. From around the beginning of the book I always imagined the plot took place in Mexico, specifically because the characters spoke some Spanish. First off, the plot takes place in a little house in a poppy field. This makes me think of a rural area, which we learn later on in the book that the setting is on a farm. I wonder why Matt and Celia lived in a separate house instead of in the Big House. If El Patron really loved him, wouldn’t he want Matt to have the best? I can answer no to this because he probably didn’t want Matt to find out that he was a clone. The book is set in Opium, a country in between the United States and Aztlán, which is currently Mexico. This is an evident piece of information because we can assume the book is set in the future, as there currently isn’t a country called Aztlán.

Further along into the book, Matt lives at the Big House, a whole different setting in itself. Farmer did an excellent job of illustrating certain aspects of the mansion, such as the lotus pond. “The lotus pond was one of a dozen pools of water in the vast gardens of the house. It was deserted in the summer because it had little shade. Ibises, with wings clipped to keep them from flying away, stalked through papyrus grass and hunted frogs under the lily pads. It was El Patrón’s idea of an ancient Egyptian garden.” (Farmer 128) I’m excited to read more about the setting of Aztlán and the similarities and differences between Aztlán and Opium. So far we already know that Matt discovers Aztlán is very developed and is full of factories. “But beyond them lay a seething mass of factories and skyscrapers. He saw roadways not only on the ground buy going up in wide spirals among the buildings. A sea of hovercrafts restlessly prowled the air. The buildings stretched on as far as Matt could see, which wasn’t far because a smudgy brown haze covered everything.” (Farmer 254)

Aidan - Individual Blog Post 4

Nancy Farmer never ceases to amaze me with her ability to create deep, complex stories. As the storyline progresses, various hints are dropped about Matt’s future. These subtle occurrences can be easily overlooked, but are integral to the storyline.

“A heavy odor filled the walled-in space from Celia’s new and somewhat creepy plants. She had ordered them from a curandera in Aztlán.” (Farmer 188)

At this point in the novel, the reader does not know the significance of this section. Like me, anyone who is reading the novel for the first time will ignore this passage, thinking that it is not important. This passage, however, gives Matt an epiphany shortly before the climax of the story.

“Tam Lin had t1alked about them in the garden, the night of Matt’s coming-of-age celebration. The air had been heavy with perfumes, some pleasant, some not, from the flowers Celia had become interested in. She’d pointed out the black-eyed Susans, larkspur, foxgloves and milkweed, and Tam Lin had stirred when she’d mentioned mildewed. It’s fed upon by monarch butterflies, he’d said. They’re clever little buggers. Fill themselves up with poison so nothing else will eat them.” (Farmer 235)

“Matt had paid no attention to this remark at the time.” (Farmer 236)

In the first quotation, Matt and the reader both realize how important Matt’s coming-of-age party actually was. Farmer introduces us to Celia’s foxglove and milkweed, which both gave her the inspiration to poison Matt. Hints like these allow the story to become deeper, and give the reader a feeling of satisfaction when they begin to connect the dots. In this way, The House of the Scorpion reminds me of a mystery novel. I have read several Sherlock Holmes books in the past and their stories have all been structured like this. The ability to create stories like this is a sign of an incredibly strong writer.

Jennifer's Individual Post #4

So far in house of the Scorpion there has been a lot of character development. When Tam Lin first appeared in the book there wasn’t much background for him. As the story went on though you slowly got bits and pieces of his history. The same thing happened with Maria, though her story came all at once. I really liked how the author did this so you stay interested. Also, if she had given all the information to you right away it might have set a negative tone for the book, and you may not have like the characters. For instance if you heard right away that Tam Lin was a terrorist you would have a predisposition to not like the character, and that’s not what the author wanted. Also if Matt had found out he probably would have been focusing on whether on not Tam Lin might hurt him, and he probably wouldn’t have trusted him, which was very important to the plot.

One thing I am exited to read is how life will be in Aztlan. If El Patron kept his estate way in the past, technology should be pretty advanced. 100 years ago there weren’t computers or cell phones or planes for commercial use, and no color T.V’s. Now we take these things for granted. If Matt hasn’t been exposed to these things he might be overwhelmed and he will stand out a lot. People might also be able to take advantage of him. It’s like how Celia was tricked by a coyote, then left to fend for herself. If the same thing happens to Matt he might never get to the convent, which is currently his main goal. The book would also become much darker and more negative, because it would portray the world as a very dark and dangerous place. Normally young adult books don’t have that sort of theme because there is already enough teenage angst going around without people seeing the world in such a way.

Lib's Individual 3

This article caught my eye because it represents the consequences of the country's reluctance to let immigrants in. The reason Celia and the others decided to try and cross the border was because they hoped for a better life. The family of the boy in this article made the risky decision to illegally immigrate in hopes that they would have a better life. Instead, they found themselves at a disadvantage to the point where Joaquin decided to kill himself because he'd rather be dead than a failure.

The situation brings up questions not only about immigration or House of the Scorpion, but about humanity itself. Say you were in Joaquin's situation. What would you do? If you were one of the people travelling with Celia and you were intercepted by Farm Patrol and you had to choose between eejithood and death, what would you do? Joaquin was in a very similar situation; either die or become what he considers a failure (hence, life as an eejit). He chose death.

Jennifer - Individual post #3

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/us/21refugees.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.wgal.com/r/30678992/detail.html

There are many similarities between House of the Scorpion and real life illegal immigration. In the book Celia tried to immigrate to the U.S. from Aztlan, and was nearly turned into an eejit for being caught while crossing through Aztlan. Though the punishments aren’t as harsh in real life, there are still penalties for being an illegal immigrant. In most places if you are caught you are deported back to your country of origin, without much time for preparation for living arrangements. If you are an illegal immigrant you can’t really go to most colleges because they will need a social security number, which you won't have. Also, if you’re an illegal immigrant there can be trouble with finding a job that pays high enough to support your family. So why don’t people just wait to be accepted by the government? Mainly because the process takes so long, and there is the hope that while living in a certain country they can gain citizenship. Through some immigration systems there is little hope for potential immigrants with a lower level of education than others. Some are trying to escape poverty, and one way to do that is to immigrate to another country.

 "It was poor then and its even worse now. Nothing grew there except weeds, and they were so bitter that they made even the donkeys throw up. Even the roaches hitchhiked to the next town. That’s how bad it was." (Farmer 140)

This is what Celia said about the town she grew up in, and that was one of the reasons why she tried to immigrate. Another similarity between the book and real life is how illegal immigrants are treated badly, in comparison to other people. When Celia was caught by the farm patrol they treated her like dirt.

"I was taken to a room and my backpack was dumped out. ‘Be careful,’ I cried. ‘Don’t hurt the Virgin!’ That’s how she got the chip on Her robe – when the Patrol dumped Her on the floor.

They laughed, and one of them was going to crush Her with his foot when someone shouted ‘Stop!’ from the doorway.”  (Farmer 142)

This quote shows that the Patrol didn’t really care about her, and they proabbly wouldn’t have done that to someone else. There is also the fact that the people they catch trying to cross Opium are turned into eejits, which is considered a punishment. In the real world if it is found out that someone is an illegal immigrant, or if they are suspected of being one, they are normally paid less than other people doing the same job. 

Right now there are people called “Coyotes” who will take you across the border for a fee, like in House of the Scorpion. The only problem is sometimes it turns out that they aren’t trustworthy, and they might just lead you to the authorities. Some people take this risk though because the idea of a better life is too tempting, especially to some people in poverty stricken areas.

Aidan - Written Blog Post 3

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Being an immigrant is hard, but being an illegal immigrant is harder. Such is the life of Jose-Antonio Vargas, an illegal immigrant to the USA at the age of 12. His mother entrusted him to a coyote, in hopes that he would have a better life. This coyote, posing as Jose’s uncle, took him to America from the Philippines. In America, he lived with his grandparents, not once suspecting that he was an illegal immigrant. When he was 16, he biked to the local D.M.V office to get his drivers license. He was asked to produce his green card as proof of US residency, and discovered that it was fake. Ever since then, Jose has lived in fear of discovery. At the age of 30, he has no legal driver’s license, and is still hoping for a way to legally stay in the US without deportation.

In The House of the Scorpion, Celia turned to a coyote to help her get from Aztlán to the USA. Her and twenty others packer their bags and willingly followed the coyote in hopes of a better life. According to Celia, this experience was quite frightening.

For example…

“’We panicked like a bunch of scared rabbits’” (Farmer 142)

Celia’s group was afraid of being discovered; if they were, they would be captured and turned into eejits. This fear is similar to Jose-Antonio’s everyday life. He has hidden his citizenship status for 18 years, out of fear of discovery.

Celia also expressed that following the coyote was a horrible decision, calling herself an idiot. Clearly, Celia regrets trying to illegally cross the border, and would have preferred to stay in dirt-poor Aztlán.

For example…

“’What an idiot I was! Those people don’t help you go anywhere. They lead you straight to the Farm Patrol.’”

Similarly, Jose-Antonio expressed anger towards his mother for sending him to America. When he was aware of his status, he initially felt mad at his mother for putting him into his current situation.

Sara -Blog Entry #3

Celia’s story is very similar to the article I found on New York Times; both are personal stories about immigration from what is currently Mexico.  Specifically, “coyotes” brought Celia and Oscar (from the article) to Opium/United States when they were both young. I believe both of them turned to “coyotes” for help to escape the poverty they were living in.  Celia’s story was very heart touching and emotional, as was the article, but the article shows the harsh reality of illegal immigration. I’m sure there are many factors pushing people towards immigrating illegally, including escaping prosecution, poverty, or violence. There are many people living in dreadful situations, most without proper identification, therefore forcing them to immigrate illegally.

I believe Celia risked her life in hopes of finding a better one; this is probably true for most illegal immigrants.  She imagined a wonderful country, much better than her own and knew that’s where she wanted to be. This is described in following passage from The House of the Scorpion, “You couldn’t see much because the Farms are dark at night. But beyond, where the United States lay, was a great glow in the sky. We knew that under the glow was the most wonderful place.” Oscar and Jorge, both illegal immigrants, were only 15 when they left Mexico. Not only did they want a better life for themselves, but also to provide for their family back in Mexico. Soon after arriving in the United States, they were both arrested and homeless. Although Celia wasn’t arrested, she was taken by the Farm Patrol, “What an idiot I was! Those people don’t help you go anywhere. They lead you straight to the Farm Patrol.” (Farmer 142).

Moreover, if the Farm Patrol hadn’t taken Celia, I wonder what would have happened to Matt. Who would’ve taken care of him? Farmer portrayed Celia as a kind, considerate, caring mother figure towards Matt. I think Matt’s personality was partially shaped by his surroundings. If Rosa happened to take care of him, Matt could’ve turned out like Tom! All in all, I think Celia enjoys her current life and probably doesn’t regret immigrating as she now has Matt in her life.

Resources:

-Knight, Meribah. “Far From Family, Alone, Homeless, and Still Just 18.” Nytimes: New York Times (2012): n. pag. Web. 16 Mar. 2012.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/us/of-young-immigrants-who-arrive-alone-many-end-up-homeless-in-chicago.html?scp=16&sq=human%20trafficking&st=cse

Third Round Table Discussion

Click here to listen to our round table discussion.

Aidan - Written Blog Post 2

Overall, the first 9 chapters of The House of the Scorpion have left a very good impression on me. I am amazed at Farmer’s character development, as I was never able to do so like she has. In just the first few chapters, Farmer has made her characters very realistic. Her characters have real-life problems and real-life responses. For example, Matt is a clone and is treated very badly by the people around him. Matt’s circumstance can be linked to racism in real life, since he is discriminated against in the same way. When Matt, María, and Tom were young, their relationship with each other is very similar to real children. Each action the character takes gives the reader a very good idea of the character’s personality. Nancy Farmer demonstrates a very developed “show, don’t tell” skill in her characterization. For example, the dialogue between two characters tells a lot about each character’s respective personality and their relationship.

Chapter 5: Page 45

“‘You’re ugly,’ said the boy. ‘You look like a pig in a sty.’”

“‘Do something,’ said Tom. ‘Root around. Scratch your piggy behind on the wall. I have something to tell María.’”

This quote shows that Tom does not hold Matt in a very high regard. Tom came to his cell, for no apparent reason, and began to taunt him. To any person, being insulted like this is sufficient grounds to become angry. Matt and Tom do not have a very good relationship in the future.

Nancy Farmer also makes society’s opinion clear through the character’s dialogue. For example, many people in the story dislike clones. The reader figures this out from the popular “clones are disgusting” theme of many character’s words.

Chapter 3: Page 22

“‘That’s disgusting! Clones aren’t people!’ cried Emilia.”

Chapter 4: Page 27

“‘He is an animal.’ Steven said after a pause.”

If children are taught things like this, then it is easy to infer what society’s views on clones are.

Sara -Blog Entry #2

Characterization is the most interesting literary aspect to me so far in The House of the Scorpion. Farmer has done an excellent job of developing the characters while moving the plot along. Using other characters to tell more about one specific character is strong and effective. Specifically, Tom is a foil towards Matt, they may seem totally opposite but in some ways have similar aspects. Many events throughout the book include Tom instigating fights with Matt, which then shows the reader the other side of Matt’s personality. For instance, when Matt is locked in the prison, Tom comes along and starts insulting him, Matt decides to throw a rotten orange at his face. I believe many factors led Matt to reacting this way, including being locked up, Rosa treating him worse than an animal, and Tom insulting him. I feel that Matt is unsure of himself and how he should react, he deals with this by acting before thinking.

Caring, considerate, and thoughtful would be some words to describe Matt in the first few chapters of the book. Reading further along, I discovered Matt has somewhat of a malicious behaviour when he’s provoked (such as the rotten orange incident described above). Whenever Matt causes trouble oracts unkindly, he later regrets his actions and feels sad. I can conclude that Matt is raised to have certain beliefs about the Virgin. “Celia said the Virgin loved all kind and gentle things. She wouldn’t approve of throwing a rotten orange in Tom’s face, even if he deserved it. If She looked inside Matt, She would see the bad thoughts about Rosa and the doctor and would be sad.”Although the Virgin isn’t really a character, She is integral to the storybecause she affects Matt greatly.

Another feature of characterization is the physical aspect. So far, there has been no physical description of Matt, we know that he is a clone of El Patron, but there is not a very specific description of him either. I can make some inferences that since El Patron is very old, he most likely has white hair and wrinkles. Of course Matt wouldn’t look like this because of the age difference. I can also conclude that Tom has red hair and freckles because of this passage: “It was a boy somewhat older than himself, with bristly red hair and freckles.” I’d like to find out exactly what Matt looks like to visualize him easily, but I don’t believe it would add anything to the story at this point.

Jennifer's Second Blog Post

So far in the story (Chapters 1-9) I think the thing that interests me most is the setting of the novel, especially what is considered "right" or legal. For instance on page 82 Tam Lin tells Matt that eejits, people with implants in their brain, work long hours and can't do anything else until the foreman tells them to. Right now if something like that happened it would be considered highly illegal, but in this setting it seems like the norm. I think in some ways the setting has reverted to using rules from an older time period when the rights of other humans didn't matter if they were below you. For instance slavery in the 1700's and the time period of House of the Scorpion are very similar. If people dropped dead no one really cared.

One thing that made me want to keep reading was the idea of finding out what time period the book was set in, or where it was set. I like that the author didn't give a specific year, and let you formulate your own ideas on the time period. Like when I said before, the ethics seem old fashioned, but the items they have in everyday life indicates that it is in fact a later time period. When I slowly pieced together where exactly this was taking place, it really kept me interested.

If this had happened in another country things might be completely different. If this story took place in somewhere like the United States there might not be as many eejits, or if it took place in Canada El Patron might not be growing opium. If he wasn't growing opium he might not have been rich enough to go against the law and keep a clone with an intact mind. Then the story line wouldn't really work out well because Matt's mind would be destroyed, and he would barely be able to perform simple tasks. The area that Nancy Farmer chose for the setting (Northern Mexico) is worked deeply into the story, and it affects many elements of it.

Liberty Individual 2

As of right now, I believe the most impressive feat of Farmer's writing is her uncanny ability to create depth within her characters by using subtle hints in the text. As an author, one cannot simply state what a character's personality is supposed to be like, (So not, "Matteo was determined to succeed in his schoolwork to try and renounce his status as a 'filthy clone' and prove himself," but (and this quote is from page 91) something like this: "It wasn't long before Matt added musical ability to his growing list of accomplishments. He could read ten years beyond his level, do math that left even Tam Lin bewildered - and irritated - and speak both English and Spanish fluently. He threw himself into studying everything that came before him. Matt could name the planets, the brightest stars, and all the constellations. He memorized the names of countries, their capitals, and chief exports.") but instead hint at their personality through suggestive text. For example, nearly every character hates Matt, despite his intelligence and musical ability, because they're are unable to look beyond the fact that he is a clone. Unfortunately, this seems to be a habit reminiscent of events such as the Holocaust and black slavery (the underground railroad), just to name a few. In all these cases of genocide, prejudice, and unjust treatment, the victims were perceived differently due to characteristics that either they couldn't control or they shouldn't have had to give up; hence, clones. Anyway, people don't like clones, therefore they don't like Matt, which is sad because he's… awesome.

Jennifer's first individual blog post

When I started reading this book it became apparent to me very soon that this was either in the future or on another planet. This is because it starts off in a lab and talks about clones, and creating them. Right now on earth we do not have that level of technology. Adding on to that near the end of the first chapter when a clone as born and the technician was going to stunt its intelligence, another scientist said: "That's a Matteo Alacran. They're always left intact. "I think this means that there are more clones of him, though I'm not sure why. This scene sparked my interest though because I think if there were clones they wouldn't ever have their intelligence stunted. A human that was born wouldn't have that happen to them, so why would it happen to a clone? I wonder if there are any groups against doing that to clones? I'm sure that there would be because there are groups like PETA for animals, so there would probably be a group for protecting clones, which are basically humans.

When it says in the first chapter that the cells used had been frozen for 100 years before they were used. Later on in the book though it tells you that El Patron is still alive, though very old, so I am wondering how old he is exactly, and when he had the cells taken from him. Something that hasn't been mentioned so far is what Matt looks like. The author might have done this so the reader could use their own imagination, or so they could compare what they thought the character looked like, to what the author thought they looked like.

Later in the section when Matt cuts his foot he says he has didn't have anything to compare the pain to, which basically means he had never been hurt, though I doubt that that would be very likely. Accidents happen, especially to younger kids because they're not as careful as they should be. I know when I was four I managed to smash my head into a table and needed stitches. My brother cut his chin and needed stitches, and my friend broke her arm. Maybe the author was trying to get at the fact that Celia took very good care of him and that the hut was safe, but Celia was gone during the day, and all sorts of things can happen when you're alone.

Sara -Blog Entry #1

The first five chapters of The House of the Scorpion were really intriguing and attention grabbing. When I found out that Matt was a clone, I was curious to know what time period this book was set in because there currently isn’t cloning of humans. Although this book is fiction, realistically cloning humans would be a thing of the future, which means the setting could possibly be in the future. Throughout reading chapters one to five I was wondering where the plot was set. My first thoughts were that the story took place in Mexico on account of Matt and Celia speaking some Spanish, telling Mexican myths, and eating Mexican food.

I was awed at the fact that Rosa treated Matt so poorly, with such disgust. It occurred to me that clones aren’t considered equals to humans. This ideology of clones is similar to the movie The Island, where clones are used in organ transplants for humans in the real world. Within both plots, clones are thought of as animals or beasts. Furthermore, it struck me that there are more than one clone of Él Patron on account of the quote in chapter 1: “It’s a Matteo Alacran. They’re always left intact.” Celia isn’t Matt’s mother,but acts like a mother figure and feels very attached towards Matt. I think that Celia believes the relationship between herself and Matt is growing stronger, one day he might be taken away and she won’t be able to cope.

So far Nancy Farmer has done an excellent job of developing the characters. I was able to analyze certain character’s personalities through descriptions, actions, and events. Farmer chose to develop the characters early on in the novel so the reader could get astrong sense of which each character was and what role they had. Specifically, the passage, “Matt was appalled. If the big kids went away, María would be all alone. It was going to be dark soon, and Celia wouldn’t return for hours.” showed that Matt is caring and concerned for others safety. Interactions between characters were very clear; this gave me a better feel for how characters felt about one another. Farmer also intended to write the first five chapters to provoke and intrigue the reader. Moreover, this hooks the reader in and makes them want to keep reading in order to find out what happens next.

Liberty's first post

After reading chapters one through five, I am mostly wondering about El Patrón. Who is he? What does he do? What is his role in the story? I am most anticipating his introduction to the story. What are his view on cloning? Why did he clone himself? So many questions, so little time. Then, there's the matter of Celia. How will her character become significant to the story at time goes by? What about Tom, and the Mendozas? Technically Tom and Matteo are related, as they are both members of the Alacrán clan. Is it common to be distantly related to everyone in this universe? What is the significance of them being related? Will their relation ever resurface and become significant to the story? I'm going to guess that it is, just because of the family tree at the beginning. How did Matteo end up in Celia's care?

In other news, I am completely appalled by the way clones are treating in this particular universe. Today, we accept every race of people as equals; prejudice has been almost completely eradicated in our modern society. This has come over time - giving women the right to vote, choosing employees based on intelligence and work ethic rather than gender or race - yet, assuming the book takes place in the future, the way clones like Matteo are treated reminds me vaguely of the way African-American people were treated during the slavery days of the underground railroad.

Looking at each literary aspect of the book, I think Farmer's greatest strength is her ability to hint at a character's personality throughout the text. You have Matt, this compassionate young boy who is scared to sit on a couch, despite the fact that he is bleeding out through his feet, for fear of getting it dirty. Then you have Tom, who has snuck away just to gloat in Matt's face. María, who risked the wrath of her parents to visit Matt. Rosa, who treated Matteo worse than a stray rat. act character's personality was hinted at through the text.

Aidan - Written Blog Post 1

What you wondering about?

I am very curious as to Matt’s origin. How did the scientists manage to clone El Patron? We do not have the technology today, so this book could take place in the future. I would also like to know whether or not clones are considered human by law. If this story takes place in the future, wouldn’t the human rights be more improved? A quote from the book says, “Technicians are supposed to destroy their minds at birth–it’s the law. But El Patrón wanted his to grow up like a real boy. He’s so rich, he can break any law he wants.” This shows that clones like Matt are illegal, but doesn’t show that they are considered human by the law.

Has anything struck you about this section?

When I read the first 5 chapters, I was shocked at how Rosa treated Matt. How could anybody act so cruel to someone, or something, that shares the same anatomy, the same emotions, and the very essence that makes us human? I’m not sure how clones are regarded in the book’s society, but I think that Matt’s treatment is unreasonable. As a boy under 7 years old, it’s hard enough to be separated from Celia. I am sure that no one would want to have their pride crushed by such horrible treatment.

Why is Farmer making the choices that she is in this first section?

Nancy Farmer has done a good job of building each character in the first 5 chapters. For the number of characters that there are, the character development has been amazing. Any reader would be able to pick up that Tom is a mean person, whereas María is a very nice girl. She has made several decisions in order to ensure the development of the characters. First of all, she makes the interactions between each character clear, so the role of each individual will be without question. Farmer also explains the personalities of character though another character’s dialogue. For example, Celia speaks to Matt about how horrible Tom is during the second chapter.