November+3+-+K&C+DISCUSSION+and+COMPARISON+PRACTICE+&+ESSAY+-+Kianna+Gousby

In today's class we did a small comparison activity where we compared a book to 5 other random things:

 * 1) Shovel
 * 2) Burger
 * 3) Dog
 * 4) Necktie
 * 5) War

The exercise served as "practice" to prepare for our K&C Literary Essay. In our essays we are required to have a comparison of some sort within the essay (whether it be in the introduction to "pull in" the reader or as apart of the analysis).

Kavalier & Clay Discussion: League of The Golden Key
We started the discussion talking about //Chapter 8// which is an intercalary chapter. At this point in the book Joe is at the top of the Empire State Building about to "jump off". There is a mob of people watching including Tommy and a group of orphans. However, Chabon goes on a seemingly tangent story where Kornblum and Houdini come back as ** symbols. ** This is a pivotal and climatic moment in the novel.

**QUOTE FROM TEXT:** "When Joe saw the boy, his son, join the motley crows that had convened on the observation deck to observe as a rash and imaginary promise was fulfilled, he suddenly remembered a remark that his teacher Bernard Kornblum had once made". (Quote BELOW)

"Only Love.. could pick a nested pair of steel Bramah Locks"

** You may be wondering WHY Chabon does this..? Well... **
→ Chabon could be doing this because at the end when you're close to death you think about the begining where things began. Idea of the tendency to become nostalgic and wanting to go back to a certain moment or period.

→ Idea of "Life flashing before your eyes".

→ Chabon may be going back to only really caring about something that is going to get him back to reality

→ Every time Joe is about to "escape" Kornblum always comes back to his mind. All of these near death experiences have a connection to escapism and Kornblum taught him how to escape. Reminiscent of something he had before.

→ Joes sense of fear. Fear of death literally and fatherhood (the fact that he cant tell tommy the truth). Every time something bad is going to happen to Joe he always reverts to his "comfort zone" out of fear.

** We also discussed the painting that Rosa gave Joe as a house warming gift. Here's a picture: ** 

There is a description of the painting on page 388.

In class we said that the painting portrayed Joe's heart as being "locked" and how Rosa knows that his heart is locked but if still forcing her love onto him.


 * The next scribe is Natiah Camillo.**