Welcome to my new "What is the What" blog! Anyone, whether you have read the book or not, is encouraged to respond. Thanks!
Analysis of Chapters 1 and 2
The first two chapters of Dave Eggers' "What is the What" give an introduction to what is to come in the novel. The action starts out immediately with the main character, Valentino, being robbed. It was somewhat of an unexpected start to the novel, but as the chapter goes on, the author ties in more and more information that gives the reader a taste of the subject matter that may be included in the biography.
Eggers' diction is not particularly unique, but is powerful. He uses very to-the-point sentences, and this increases the reality of Valentino's harsh past in Sudan. The vocabulary is somewhat simple, and this makes it feel as though you are hearing the story from Valentino himself rather than the author.
Discussion Topic
What do you know about Sudan? Could you locate it on a map if asked?
Image found at http://ec.europa.eu/echo/images/photos/sudan/sudan_01.jpg
5 comments:
I have no idea where Sudan is. And I know nothing about Sudan. Sorry!
I could probably locate Sudan on a map if asked. For Alicia, and anybody else who doesn't really know, Sudan is where, right now, there is a lot of genocide happening and the people are very poor and poverty stricken. Katherine - I'm joining you in reading What is the What by the way!
All I know is that Sudan is a country tha is economically challenged. I could not point out Sudan on a map, but I know it's in the Western hemisphere.
I also know nothing about Sudan except I think it is like a desert and that it is located far away from us.
Alyssa Ruta
I actually know a lot about Sudan. It's located in north-eastern Africa, and it borders Uganda, Ethiopia, and Egypt. It's capital is Khartoum, and the country is experiencing mass genocide, as it has for the past several years. One of the reasons that many people are trying to boycott the Olympics in China is because China supports the Sudanese government by buying oil from them, thus funding the government-sponsored genocide. Many refugees from the genoicde have fled to neighboring countries, such as Uganda and Chad, but the genocide is just following those displaced people. To find out what you can do to help, you can visit www.savedarfur.org. :)
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