Friday, January 24, 2014
Snow Falling, Chapter 1
Due January 27, 2014: After reading Chapter 1, what questions are arising for you? What are you wondering? Note at least two questions. In addition, quote one line that seems important to the text, and write a paragraph explaining why (noting the quote's page number). Lastly, reply to comments and questions made by your classmates.
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1. Pg. 4 - "...courtroom suggested nothing of the carnival atmosphere sometimes found at county murder trials." Why would court trials at this courthouse sometimes be like a carnival atmosphere?
ReplyDelete2. If Kabuo Miyamoto is actually the murderer, what was his motive for murdering another human?
3. What is going on in the mind of Ishmal Chambers now that he knows that the person he knew in high school is now being charged with murder?
I think that the line on Pg. 3-4 is important. "In the public gallery every seat had been taken, yet the courtroom suggested nothing of the carnival atmosphere sometimes found at county murder trials."
This quote is fascinating. So many people from San Piedro Island showed up to a trial. Yes, it is a small island with a small population, but it is very interesting to see how many people showed up to the trial despite it snowing. When I think of court trials, I don't usually think of many people going to them unless it is a big one. (Granted, there are not many people on the island to start with, so murder is a big issue not only there, but also everywhere.) Also, in the quote it said: "...the courtroom suggested nothing of the carnival atmosphere sometimes found at county murder trials. This last part of the sentence really surprised me. When I think of court cases, I think of them always as being very serious and staying on task, not sometimes being like a carnival atmosphere where it is fun and happy. I am also wondering why the author would have put this line in the book. This line "In the public gallery every seat had been taken, yet the courtroom suggested nothing of the carnival atmosphere sometimes found at county murder trials," is such a thought provoking line to add into a book.
This first chapter also raised one big connection for me.
1. I read a book in 8th Grade, To Kill A Mockingbird, where a man is being accused of something and he has to go to court. (I don't want to ruin it for people who haven't read the book.)
2.
Nicholas I think there are many different reasons for why Kabuo would murder someone, but I think it is too early on in the story to tell what those motives may be.
DeleteI think that Ismal Chambers is most likely surprised and confused, but it depends on how well he knew this person, and who he knew him as. If he knew him as a kind-hearted caring soul his reaction would be different than if he knew him as a bully, or someone who had already been in trouble with the law.
Nicholas, I also felt the similarity between this book and To Kill A Mockingbird! I like the quote that you chose as well.
DeleteWhen I read the first chapter I also recognized the similarities between TKAM and Snow falling on cedars. I found it interesting we both picked, partially, the same quote as well. Your question 3 was an interesting thought.
DeleteWhat were the events that led to Kabuo being in this courtroom?
ReplyDeleteIf Kabuo is guilty is he the only one involved in this crime?
Pg. 1: "Whichever it was, Kabuo showed nothing--not even a flicker of the eyes." This line is important because it makes Kabuo look guilty. The reason I say this is because if I was being accused of a crime I didn't commit, I would be very agitated. To me his composure tells me 1 of two things. One; that this is not his first time in a courtroom, and that he has been through this process multiple times, and two; that he has accepted responsibility for his actions and made peace with what the outcome will be.
Noah, I hadn't thought about whether or not Kabuo had accomplices in his crime - that's a very interesting question. Also, the inferences from the quote you chose are very perceptive. I wouldn't have noticed that quote in the same way you did.
DeleteI like your quote, and your interpretation, but I think that Kabuo's composure could also have other causes. About a decade earlier he would have been forced to live in an internment camp because he was Japanese-American. If he is innocent, he is reliving the experience of being accused of a crime he did not commit, and this could have shaped his reaction.
DeleteThe quote you picked was very interesting. I also thought about this too. Although your reasoning for it had crossed my mind and could just be the reason, I do agree with Rachel when she says it could have been other causes/reasons.
DeleteGood questions. I somehow never thought about whether there could have been more than one person that helped during the killing. The part of the quote, "...not even a flicker of the eyes" is very thought provoking. Maybe later in the book we'll find out why he was displaying no emotion.
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ReplyDeleteQuestions:
ReplyDelete1. What was Kabuo like in high school?
2. I'd like to know more about the man who was murdered, and his relationship with Kabuo.
Quote:
Pg 8: "He hoped it would snow recklessly and bring to the island the impossible winter purity, so rare and precious, he remembered fondly from his youth."
I think that this quote might set the tone for the book. There is a feeling of longing for innocence and peace. This quote also describes a loss of innocence/the process of growing up. I wonder if we will learn more about Ishmael's childhood, or if we will be able to see the changes that the island has gone through since the Ishmael and Kabuo were in high school. I imagine that Ishmael is very disturbed by the fact that his classmate might have committed such a horrible crime, and that this causes him to yearn for purity and innocence.
Great questions. I would be interested in knowing the answers too. Your interpretation of your quote was very thought-provoking. I would have never thought about that quote in that way.
DeleteI really like your questions. Your question is good. If we learn more about Kabuo's childhood life, we might have a better idea on why he made that horrible decision to kill another human. From my own life, I have watched lots of Investigation Discovery episodes (about crimes people commit), and see lots of people's motives for the killing. It is always so sad when a killing is committed.
DeleteIn your quote, it says "...he remembered fondly from his youth." I wonder whether the author put that line in so people reading the book could maybe infer that Kabuo is so incredibly sorry and sad about killing another man that he wants to just go back in time to his youth when he wasn't going to have a criminal record.
Q1: How much of a role did prejudices against Japanese-Americans play in Kabuo’s accusation?
ReplyDeleteQ2: Had something happened between Ishmael and Hatsue before they spoke at the trial?
I think that a line on page 6 is important to the story. “It was an eccentric, rainy, wind-beaten sea village, downtrodden and mildewed, the boards of its buildings bleached and weathered, their drainpipes rusted a dull orange.”
This line helps to present a clear picture of the town and its culture. I believe that this will provide insight into the way people behave and the decisions that they make during the murder investigation and trial. The line describes the town as small and run-down. The size of the town means that many of the residents have ties to the murdered man and the suspected killer, so personal feelings may impact the trial. This description also seems to say that the town has remained relatively unchanged for a long time, making the murder even more of a shock to the townspeople, and influencing their reactions.
I was wondering about both your questions myself. I believe the quote you picked was important as well. I do get the feeling that the people have ties to both the murdered man and the accused.
DeleteI never thought about if there was prejudice against Japanese-Americans in this time period. It's definitely possible depending on the time period. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, there was definitely prejudice against an African American during a court case. I really don't know, though, whether there's prejudice against Kabuo. Maybe we'll figure out later in the book if there is some existing.
DeleteThe quote you picked is very interesting. I see what you're saying about how people will go about making decisions, but I truly hope that despite the courthouse being somewhat rundown, Judge Llewellyn Fielding will make his ruling according to what is allowed in the U.S. Constitution.
Q1: Why was Hatsue so adamant about not talking to Ishmael? Did something happen between the two of them before?
ReplyDeleteQ2: Why does Kabuo appear so calm at his own murder trial?
Pg 3-4 "In the public gallery every seat had been taken, yet the courtroom suggested nothing of the carnival atmosphere sometimes found at country murder trials. In fact, the eighty-five citizens gathered there seems strangely subdued and contemplative. Most of them had known Carl Heine, a salmon gill-netter with a wife and three children, who was buried now in the Lutheran cemetery up on Indian Knob Hill. Most had dressed with the same communal propriety they felt on Sundays before attending church services, and since the courtroom, however stark, mirrored in their hearts the dignity of their prayer houses, they conducted themselves with churchgoing solemnity"
This quote from the book was very interesting to me. The author mentions many people in the room had been well acquainted with the victim, Carl Heine but does not mention if many knew the accused, Kabuo Miyamoto. The way the Jury and public observers behaved (Subdued, thoughtful/contemplative, solemn), was unusual considering the crime that had happened. Usually if the accused was a stranger while the victim was known to the community, the public opinion would have been against the stranger (referring to the "carnival atmosphere"). But instead they were quiet and contemplative, which, to me, seems like they were surprised by this accusation against Kabuo, suggesting that they might have known him well before.
Emma to me it didn't seem that Kabuo was calm, although he could have been, it seemed more to me like he had a "poker face" on and was trying not to show how much this murder accusation bothered him. Maybe he was trying to not let people that it was getting to him.
DeleteQ1: Why was Ishmael's arm amputated?
ReplyDeleteQ2: Why is Ishmael embarrassed to be associated with the other reporters? Why doesn't he want to be like them?
P.5
"The accused man, with one segment of his consciousness, watched the falling snow outside the windows. He had been exiled int he county jail for seventy-seven days--the last part of September, all of October and all of november, the first week of December in Jail."
This quote shows how much an accusation, even one that hasn't been proven to be true, can effect someones life. It makes me wonder who, in what seems to be a small close knit community, could want something like this to happen to someone innocent (if Kabuo is innocent), and someone who I presume they would know well. Would someone let an innocent man take a fall this big? Does someone have a vendetta against Kabuo? Of course this is all presuming that Kabuo is innocent.