Vocabulary:
(206) Dolefully: sorrowful; mournful; melancholy

(215)Lilting: A cheerful or lively manner of speaking, in which the pitch of the voice varies pleasantly

Literary Terms:
His voice was strangely harsh and resonent, like metal being crushed (212). This is an example of a similie used effectively to show the apparent coldness in this soldiers personality.

"At that very moment, a very large clock struck midday. Bonnet laughed, almost with pleasure. It was such a deep low, slightly cracked sound he imagined coming from the antique clock with the painted casing in some Dutch Old Master, along with the smell of fresh herring prepared by the housewife and the sounds from the street beyond the window with its tarnished panes of glass; in such paintings there was always a clock like this one hanging on the wall (215)." This quote is an example of symbolism to me, as the soldier Bonnet is imagining this specific scene vividly in his head, a scene that may have taken place in Germany. This clock symbolizes home and security to the German. This insight into the Germans thoughts allows the reader to think of the Germans as people, not just occupiers.

"The peaceful sky was tinged with pink and silver. Its innocent light played on the happy faces of the men as they marched past (218)." This is an example of personification, because peacefullness and innocence are human qualities.
Quote:
"Madeline opened the door without making a sound and slipped out into the deserted wet garden where tears seemed to drip from the trees. an hour later Lucile let Benoit in through the little green door that opened on to the Maie woods. The storm was over but an angry wind continued to rage (304)." This is after Benoit has killed a German Officer and must be hidden in Lucilles house. I think the final sentence is not only about the physical storm brewing outside, but also the conflict with the Germans intensifying greatly.

Theme:
The theme of Suite Francaise is fear, but with the fear comes fiercely strong hope for the future and loyalty to those one loves.

Post B Week 8 Suite Francaise

So I have just finished Suite Francaise, and I would have to say that I loved the second part of this book! The first half was interesting, but it was depressing, the characters were condesending and full of resentments torward everyone and everything. They were forced to leave Paris, France, because of the defeat of France by the Germans in World War II. Why exactly there was a mass exodus, I do not quite understand, as the civillians are in just as much peril in the suburbs of France as they are in Paris, as they are still France. The second half of teh book was about the occupation of the French towns by German soldiers. The towns people were all in the comfort of thier homes, and the Germans were civil and in most cases, genuinely nice. Love blossoms betweem several civilian women and the soldiers. Though it was still about the war, the tension between the sides was subdued, and instead of being about the war as a whole, it showed the intrests of the people and how they were torn between loyalty to thier country and loyalty to themselves.

Post B Week 7 Suite Francaise

This novel is really quite depressing. I can only read a few pages at a time with out feeling disgusted, and when I start reading the book again I feel as though I have already read this passage before, as all of the pages are similar. Also there are too many subjects or characters in this book to be able to truly understand what is going on. You finish a chapter and need to go back to several chapters to find out what the next set of people have to do with anything. It’s a frustrating read at times, but I still suppose I like it.

Post a Week 7 Suite Francaise

Vocabulary:
Ochre(148):
any of various earths containing silica and alumina and ferric oxide; used as a pigment
or
a moderate yellow-orange to orange color

Despondent(149):
feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom

Literary terms:
“Meanwhile, he was absently following the service, his heart so heavy and hard it caused him physical pain.(143)” This quote is an example of imagry because you can imagine him being so sad his heart hurts.

“Evil is visible, it burns, it smugly displays itself for all to see(144).” This is an example of personification because it makes the evil a tangible thing.

“Her face, normally so soft, so well made up, so rested, was covered in a shiny coat of sweat; it no longer absorbed the powder and foundation, but turned them to thick lumps, like curdled mayonnaise (147)” This is an example of simlie because her face is compared to curdled mayonnaise.

Quote:
“… To see what I’ve seen! Closed doors where you knock in vain to get a glass of water and refugees who pillaged houses; everywhere, everywhere you look, chaos, cowardice, vanity and ignorance! What a wonderful race we are! (143) This quote sums up the way many of the French feel about what the war has done to the people of France.

Theme: The theme of this novel has consistently been despair and death.

post a Week 6 Suite Francaise

Vocab:
Indignantly(114):
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base

bequeath(116):
to hand down; pass on, especially by will.

Literary terms:
"He was like a fire. His throat, the inside of his mouth semmed to crack from the heat, dried out by the intensity of the flames. This bright, soft skin quenched his thirst(123)." This is a simile because she compares him to a fire.

"... a ripple of urgency which, once he had opened someones' heart to God, propelled him torwards other conquests, leaving him forever frustrated.(127)" This is personificatoin because urgency cannot truly ripple.

"When they left the villege, they saw a large, overgrown private park, a beautifully deep, clear lake and a house up on a hill. (129)" This is an example of imagry because you can clearly see the area in your head.

Quote:

Theme;
The theme of this now is people relish in the aid of others, but are not truly thankful.

Post B Week 6 Suite Francaise

There is a saying about helping others; that no act of kindness, no matter how small, will be unnoticed. Or Somthing to that affect. When I finished chapter 25, this saying popped into my head and I immeadiatly began to laugh. Father Pericand had been trying to lead a group of orphaned boys out of France, so thay would be away from all of the destruction of the German invaders. He walked miles and miles with these boys, when he should have been with his family, as they desprately needed his help. But he was a priest, so he felt it was his responsibility to the lord to held these ungrateful boys. The boys despised him, as he controlled every aspect of their lives from sun down to sun up. But nontheless, Father Pericand was trying to help them, to get them out of teh danger of the germans into the welcoming hands of his god. So one night, the troop was sleeping in a field along side a large deserted mansion. A few of the older boys snuck away from the group to steal the objects that had once belonged to the family that had lived there. Father pericand caught them, and to make a long story short, the killed him and put his body in a lake. This was a very cruel thing for the boys to do, as he was only trying to help them survive.

Post B Week 5 Suite Francaise

I have noticed that in the beginning or end of almost every chapter, there is a cat mentioned. The cat is meoing, begging for help, or diggng through the trash, frantically searching for food. I think the author may be comparing the desprate people to animals. They are moving in a herd, stampedeing out of Paris in a mad rush. They have lost their civilized manner, and now have only the animalistic way of survival left in thier heads. They have been stripped all convienience, thrust into a world clearly outside thier comfort zones, and most cannot handle it well.