For my SSR project I read Remembering Mog. The main character in my book is Annie who has a very loving heart. In the book, she goes threw many things but she never loses the love for her family. Her age changes through out the book, in the beginning she’s about 15 or 16 and at the end she is in college. The book show’s her grow into a stronger person. In the beginning of the book she didn’t know what to do with her feelings but towards the end she took charge and got help. One thing that really stuck out about Annie is how she see’s the good in people like Mog’s boyfriend, Bobby Ritter who loved Mog but Mog didn’t love back.
The other main character is Mog who passed away in the book. The author doesn’t explain her physical characteristics although she still is an important role. Mog died the day before she was supposed to graduate and she was about 18. She wasn’t alive throughout the book but without her there would be no plot because her death resulted in a sad change. Mog had a fun, exciting personality and she was in a stage of change because she was becoming a responsible adult. A minor character is Annie’s mother; she had a hard time with Mog dying.
She acted like nothing happened and Mog was still alive in the beginning of the book but her feelings became healthier towards the end of the book just like the Annie. Someone else who had a minor role is Mrs. McNabb who helped Annie out tremendously. Just by suggesting a counselor she may have saved her entire future! Another minor character is Mog’s boyfriend Bobby. Bobby was with Mog the night everything happened and he changed the storyline more towards the end. He is very nice and respectful and loves Mog’s family very much. Somebody else who changed the plot is Reilly, who lives with Annie and is a very close relative.
She is like a grandmother-aunt to Mog and she was very upset when something happened to her. Remembering Mog has a very interesting plot. Annie is a teenage girl living with a happy family. The night before her sister Mog was supposed to graduate, she was shot and killed. Annie’s world is completely crushed. Annie’s mother acts like Mog never died and the rest of the family tries to move on in their own ways, but never forget Mog. Each family member has their own way of dealing with their feelings but this book mainly focuses on Annie and how she learns to move on with her life. The main conflict is Annie being unable to get past Mog’s death.
The climax in the book is when Annie realizes that she needs professional help. Finally, the resolution is when Mog seeks help and fix’s her problem. One literary device shown in Remembering Mog is the flashbacks. One example is the first 10 pages which shows how things were the day Mog died. Another example is on pages 24-31 which explains the night everything happened and how it was when the police showed up to the door with the awful news. These flashbacks affected the plot and characters because it shapes the whole story and shows the reader the events in the story and it also shows why Annie and her family are so sad.
My second example of a literary device is the theme of how you can’t erase the past and grief is long term. This affects the characters in the book because the book is based on moving forward and learning to get past bad memories. My third literary device is internal conflict on page 94-95 when Annie talks about the incident and wonders about how Mog died and if it hurt, or if she heard the gunshot. It affects the story line because Annie finally let her feelings out. 10 vocabulary words in Remembering Mog Chamomile- pg 3. The same way, when Mog and I were little, she’d always known when we needed a band-aid or a cup of chamomile tea. For dinner I’ll have soup and a cup of chamomile tea. Streamlining- pg 7. “As of this minute,” she went on, “I’m streamlining my life-starting with my room” -I’m going to streamline my day by making a hourly schedule! Suburbia- pg. 7. “We always said thank heavens we weren’t stuck in some neat little house in suburbia -Good thing I don’t live in a suburb, no privacy! Cliche- pg 9. Its part of the family lore that Dad half-seriously thinks he could’ve been a famous writer except that his high-school English teacher permanently damaged his psyche by dubbing him the Cliche king of 4B. The macho cop of Hollywood movies has become a cliche. Headmistress- pg 21. About eleven o’clock Sister Leonard, the headmistress of St. Kit’s arrived with Frank Rigby and Ellen Margolis, the homeroom teachers. -The headmistress of my school controls our staff. Dragon Kimono- pg 24. With Moma standing in back of him and clasping her dragon kimono across her chest. -A dragon kimono doll is a very cool Halloween costume. Fluty- pg 27. “That really isn’t very sturdy,” she said, laughing a thin, fluty laugh. -The violin is a very fluty instrument! Sputtering- pg 31.
For s few minutes he tried to keep it all together and then, sort of choking and sputtering, he doubled over. -It’s annoying when you try to have a nice conversation and someone accidently sputters on you. Wallop- pg 33. But just seeing them together like that gave me such a wallop of loneliness that I backed away from the window and sat down. -I had to go to the ER today because I got walloped with a baseball! Allotment- pg 42. Haven’t really since that other time, as if maybe we used up our allotment. -I have so much allotment that my dog can roam free!
