The climax of the story is when all the animals break free from the menagerie. This causes a stampede chimps, llamas, zebras, lions, giraffes and many others rush through the tents and into the city. August is in the centre of the action trying to round up the animals. Jacob sees Rosie picks up a stake from the ground and splits August in half from his skull. August dies on the spot and is trampled by animals stampeding by.
In the passage, it is graphically described " She lifts the stake as though it weighs nothing and splits his head in a single clean movement-ponk- like cracking a hardboiled egg. She continues to hold the stake until he topples forward, and then she slides it almost lazily back into the Earth" (309). I felt as though this part was the part in the story I was waiting for. August finally got what he deserved. I think it's only fair considering how he treated Rosie. He was so cruel to her and he beat her nearly to death. Though, he was kind to her at one point, but it quite brief and he changed back into his usual self and injured her once again. It goes to show that the saying " An elephant never forgets" is true in this case. Rosie remembered what August did to her and got revenge on him.
The falling action of the story would be after the stampede. Uncle Al had mysteriously disappeared and another circus rolled in beside them. Jacob and the other workers began to round up the animals. The other show was ready to take all the Benzini Brothers animals for themselves but Jacob and Marlena persuaded them to let them keep Rosie, the chimp, and the horses. In the end, Jacob and Marlena happily spend their lives together with the animals and their 5 children.
The story flashes back to the present where Jacob is in the retirement home waiting for his son to come and take him the the circus. His son has already made other plans and cannot come for him. Jacob wobbles across the street the circus and meets the director Charlie. He tells his whole life story of working for the Benzini Brothers to him and convinced Charlie to let him work with them.
My thoughts on the whole book : Overall the book was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I especially like the idea of running away to the circus since that's what every child dreams of doing. I liked how everything turned out in a good way and that Jacob even got a job in the end. I felt happy for him getting to relive his past for the last few years of his life instead of spending it in a shabby retirement home.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Journal Entry #5
Jacob and Marlena plans a surprise party to celebrate August becoming a better person. August walks in too early and assumes that Jacob and Marlena must be on a secret date. August is outraged. Jacob and Marlena try to explain what's going on but he does not listen. August accuses Jacob of sleeping with Marlena, screaming at both of them. He pushes Marlena to the ground and almost chokes her to death. Jacob saves her and gets into a fist fight with him. The circus workers break them up.August tries to apologize to Marlena but she doesn't accept it and in turn, is leaving him. Marlena stays in a hotel for the time being and she and Jacob declare their love for each other. They plan to run away together. One night, Jacob takes a knife and goes to August's room with the intention of killing him. However, Jacob couldn't do it so he returns to his train car. When he gets back he sees that his room mates have been red-lighted and he realizes that the same fate was suppose to happen to him as well. Marlena tells Jacob that she is pregnant with his baby and it occurs to them that they have to run away before something happens to them too.
August is definitely an unstable person as said before in the previous entries. Marlena states"When he's happy, he's the most charming creature on the earth. But when something sets him off...He beat one of the menagerie workers so badly he lost an eye. Three weeks later, another menagerie man lost his arm while helping August feed the cats. He died of blood lost before anyone could find out the details"(271). This further explains is outrageously bipolar behavior. Marlena had also said that he is a paranoid schizophrenic. I feel pity for August because it's not his fault that he acts this way, it's just the way he is. I think he should get help from a
psychiatrist or any other professional help since he clearly cannot control himself.
He killed many people already and he almost killed his wife. Clearly, he needs to be kept in a mental ward.
The story is climaxing at this point of the story. While reading this part I felt a lot of suspense and I wondered what might happen to Jacob and Marlena. They are in such a hard position especially since they have a baby on the way. I also wondered why they didn't use protection, but then I realized there probably wasn't any at that time. Though it hints in the book that the story takes place during the Great Depression, protection was invented before that time period.
August is definitely an unstable person as said before in the previous entries. Marlena states"When he's happy, he's the most charming creature on the earth. But when something sets him off...He beat one of the menagerie workers so badly he lost an eye. Three weeks later, another menagerie man lost his arm while helping August feed the cats. He died of blood lost before anyone could find out the details"(271). This further explains is outrageously bipolar behavior. Marlena had also said that he is a paranoid schizophrenic. I feel pity for August because it's not his fault that he acts this way, it's just the way he is. I think he should get help from a
psychiatrist or any other professional help since he clearly cannot control himself.
He killed many people already and he almost killed his wife. Clearly, he needs to be kept in a mental ward.
The story is climaxing at this point of the story. While reading this part I felt a lot of suspense and I wondered what might happen to Jacob and Marlena. They are in such a hard position especially since they have a baby on the way. I also wondered why they didn't use protection, but then I realized there probably wasn't any at that time. Though it hints in the book that the story takes place during the Great Depression, protection was invented before that time period.
Journal Entry #4
August tries to apologize to Jacob by taking him and Marlena out. August takes them to a club. Marlena drags Jacob onto the dance floor and he begins to fall deeper in love with her. After dancing, Jacob kisses her when he and Marlena were alone together. Shocked and confused, Marlena runs away. The following day, August suspects that something may be going on between his wife and Jacob so he discreetly threatens Jacob. Later, Rosie is caught for causing damages to the circus and Uncle Al tells August that he is paying for these damages through August's pay. This infuriates August and causes him to beat up Rosie again. Jacob discovers why Rosie wouldn't listen to any of the,. It was because she only understood Polish since her original owner was Polish. Jacob then teaches August Polish and they successfully create an elephant act for the show. August's personality does a 360 turn. After getting past the language barrier, August is extremely kind to Rosie and no longer beats her. His mood towards people completely changed as well.
I think that August is finally changing as a character. He is no longer the ruthless person he was before. He is far more kinder than before, especially towards Rosie. Jacob states " He smile broadly; he pats me on the back. He notices that my clothes are shabby and that very afternoon the Monday man arrives with more. He declares the show's vet should not have to bathe with buckets of cold water and invites me to shower in the stateroom. Ans when he finds out that Rosie likes gin and ginger ale better than anything in the world except perhaps watermelon, he ensures that she gets both, every single day "(229). August has become generous and kind unlike his cruel and mean old self. But I realize that he is very unpredictable. One moment he's beating the living hell out of Rosie, the next he's treating her like a queen. All because of money. The reason why August beat up Rosie was because she was docking his pay. But now since he can communicate with her and has created an act for the show, the show is raking in the cash. Therefore, he is kind to her now. I think that his kindness will not last long. The growing suspicion that he has of Jacob and Marlena could trigger him to go back to his old ways and wreak havoc in everyone's lives once again.
I think that August is finally changing as a character. He is no longer the ruthless person he was before. He is far more kinder than before, especially towards Rosie. Jacob states " He smile broadly; he pats me on the back. He notices that my clothes are shabby and that very afternoon the Monday man arrives with more. He declares the show's vet should not have to bathe with buckets of cold water and invites me to shower in the stateroom. Ans when he finds out that Rosie likes gin and ginger ale better than anything in the world except perhaps watermelon, he ensures that she gets both, every single day "(229). August has become generous and kind unlike his cruel and mean old self. But I realize that he is very unpredictable. One moment he's beating the living hell out of Rosie, the next he's treating her like a queen. All because of money. The reason why August beat up Rosie was because she was docking his pay. But now since he can communicate with her and has created an act for the show, the show is raking in the cash. Therefore, he is kind to her now. I think that his kindness will not last long. The growing suspicion that he has of Jacob and Marlena could trigger him to go back to his old ways and wreak havoc in everyone's lives once again.
Journal Entry #3
Uncle Al brings in an elephant to add to the menagerie. Her name is Rosie and Uncle Al spent over two thousand grand for her. An animal with this much worth is thought to be a real show stopper, however, all it knows how to do is eat. The task of of training Rosie was put onto August who is the show's animal trainer. No matter what August said to her, she would just stand there and stare back blankly. Finally, August loses his temper and thrashes Rosie with a bull hook. Beating her so hard that all the circus workers outside the menagerie hear the sounds of thwacking and squeals coming from the elephant. " August smacks her from behind, and Rosie hurries a few steps forward. When August catches up, he whacks her again, this time hard enough that she raises her trunk, bellows, and scampers sideways"(140). The type of character August is isn't warm or gentle. In fact, he's the opposite considering what he was doing to Rosie. My earlier prediction was correct. August had harmed someone, namely Rosie. I think he would continue to hit Rosie or anyone else for that matter until he gets his way. August beating up Rosie with the metal bull hook further defines him as a ruthless and cruel person. It's apparent that he does not care about anyone but himself. August is definitely someone I would not want to be friends with. In fact, I would not want to go anywhere near him, knowing how he treats people and animals so heartlessly and violently.
Journal Entry #2
When Uncle Al, the owner of the circus, discovers that Jacob is a vet in training, he hires him on the spot. As the new circus vet, Jacob takes care of the animals in the menagerie. He meets August, the animal trainer and Marlena his wife. Jacob is starting to have feelings for Marlena even though she is a married woman. August forces Jacob to feed the tigers and Jacob nearly gets killed. Jacob learns that August is someone he should not ever mess with.
Not even a week has passed since Jacob has started working for the Benzini Brothers and he has already had a near death experience. " Before I can tip the meat out, his jaws chomp down on my arm. I scream... A moment later, I realize August is laughing uproariously behind me"(85. This really irks me that August would do such a thing. Even though the tiger may have been toothless, he still could've mauled Jacob down with his claws. I don't understand why August would put Jacob in such a dangerous position. It might be possible that he wants him to be killed but they have just met so that shouldn't be the case. The only explanation I can think of to excuse his behavior is that he must have something psychologically wrong with him. Something must have happened to August in the past or he may have been like this since birth. I believe this incident is foreshadowing something even bigger may happen. I predict that August may even kill or at least seriously harm someone later on in the book.
Not even a week has passed since Jacob has started working for the Benzini Brothers and he has already had a near death experience. " Before I can tip the meat out, his jaws chomp down on my arm. I scream... A moment later, I realize August is laughing uproariously behind me"(85. This really irks me that August would do such a thing. Even though the tiger may have been toothless, he still could've mauled Jacob down with his claws. I don't understand why August would put Jacob in such a dangerous position. It might be possible that he wants him to be killed but they have just met so that shouldn't be the case. The only explanation I can think of to excuse his behavior is that he must have something psychologically wrong with him. Something must have happened to August in the past or he may have been like this since birth. I believe this incident is foreshadowing something even bigger may happen. I predict that August may even kill or at least seriously harm someone later on in the book.
Journal Entry #1
The story starts off with Jacob Jankowski, a ninety three year old man who lives in a retirement home. One day the circus rolls into town and he is reminded of his vibrant past of working at the circus. The story flashes back to when he is twenty- three. Jacob is an Ivy league university student studying to become a veterinarian. With the news of his parents' sudden death, Jacob is depressed . He jumps a moving train, thinking he no longer has a home since his parents had kept their bankruptcy a secret from him. Their house is now the possession of the bank's. The train Jacob had jumped on was the Benzini Brother's most spectacular show on Earth. He has unknowingly ran away to the circus.
Upon his parents' death, Jacob is going through an emotional meltdown " I can't eat. I can't sleep. And I certainly can't study. I stare at a sinle paragraph for a quarter of an hour but can't absorb it. How can I, when behind the words, on the white background of the paper, I'm watching an endless loop of my parent's deaths"( 21). Reading how distraught Jacob was, made me feel immense sympathy towards him. Losing your parents must be tough and would undoubtedly impact you both emotionally and physically. I felt really sorry for Jacob. If I were in his position I would be overwhelmed and would not know what to do. Since his parents left him with no money because the house now belonged to the bank, he has no where to go. I would feel extremely abandoned. I probably would not have done what Jacob did. Jumping on a passing train and running away to the circus is a bit too extreme for me. I would have tried to contact any relatives I may have and try to go from there. I wouldn't just make decisions on a whim but take some time to think it through. I understand how Jacob feels about losing someone close to him, or in his case, his parents. I have lost someone close to me so I can comprehend his feelings of depression because it is hard to get over a death of a loved one.
Upon his parents' death, Jacob is going through an emotional meltdown " I can't eat. I can't sleep. And I certainly can't study. I stare at a sinle paragraph for a quarter of an hour but can't absorb it. How can I, when behind the words, on the white background of the paper, I'm watching an endless loop of my parent's deaths"( 21). Reading how distraught Jacob was, made me feel immense sympathy towards him. Losing your parents must be tough and would undoubtedly impact you both emotionally and physically. I felt really sorry for Jacob. If I were in his position I would be overwhelmed and would not know what to do. Since his parents left him with no money because the house now belonged to the bank, he has no where to go. I would feel extremely abandoned. I probably would not have done what Jacob did. Jumping on a passing train and running away to the circus is a bit too extreme for me. I would have tried to contact any relatives I may have and try to go from there. I wouldn't just make decisions on a whim but take some time to think it through. I understand how Jacob feels about losing someone close to him, or in his case, his parents. I have lost someone close to me so I can comprehend his feelings of depression because it is hard to get over a death of a loved one.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Vocabulary Post
1.frenetic –adjective: frantic; frenzied.
the frenetic student rushed down the hall to his next class.
2.roustabout –noun; a circus laborer who helps in setting up and taking down the tents and in caring for the animals, equipment, and grounds.
The roustabout fed and groomed the animals after taking down all the equipment.
3. languid –adjective; lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow.
the tired old man trudged to his chair in a languid manner.
4. masticate –verb; to chew
He masticated his food before he swallowed.
5. tchotchke -noun; an inexpensive souvenir, trinket, or ornament.
You can buy many tchotchkes such as maple leaf keychains at the dollar store.
6. stoical -adj; impassive; characterized by a calm, austere fortitude befitting the Stoics.
The stoic man sat alone, quiet and unmoving.
7. menagerie -noun; a collection of wild or unusual animals, especially for exhibition.
The menagerie of rainforest animals were exhibited in the zoo.
8. vehement -adj; strongly emotional; intense or passionate: vehement desire.
The vehement girl started weeping loudly.
9. calliope -noun;Also called steam organ. a musical instrument consisting of a set of harsh-sounding steam whistles that are activated by a keyboard.
The calliope played by the old man made a harsh sound.
10. vociferous -adj; crying out noisily; clamorous.
The children cried out vociferously causing a scene in the restaurant.
11. rheumy -adj; pertaining to, causing, full of, or affected with rheum.
My cold caused my nose and throat to become rheumy.
12. surcingle -noun; a belt or girth that passes around the belly of a horse and over the blanket, pack, saddle, etc., and is buckled on the horse's back.
The man fastened the surcingle before letting us ride the horse.
13. pachyderm -noun; an elephant.
The large pachyderm had big ears and a long trunk.
14. aberration -noun; the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course.
In a moment of aberration, we turned the car around and proceeded in the opposite direction.
15. querulous -adj; full of complaints; complaining.
The querulous brat would not stop whining about his sore toes.
the frenetic student rushed down the hall to his next class.
2.roustabout –noun; a circus laborer who helps in setting up and taking down the tents and in caring for the animals, equipment, and grounds.
The roustabout fed and groomed the animals after taking down all the equipment.
3. languid –adjective; lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow.
the tired old man trudged to his chair in a languid manner.
4. masticate –verb; to chew
He masticated his food before he swallowed.
5. tchotchke -noun; an inexpensive souvenir, trinket, or ornament.
You can buy many tchotchkes such as maple leaf keychains at the dollar store.
6. stoical -adj; impassive; characterized by a calm, austere fortitude befitting the Stoics.
The stoic man sat alone, quiet and unmoving.
7. menagerie -noun; a collection of wild or unusual animals, especially for exhibition.
The menagerie of rainforest animals were exhibited in the zoo.
8. vehement -adj; strongly emotional; intense or passionate: vehement desire.
The vehement girl started weeping loudly.
9. calliope -noun;Also called steam organ. a musical instrument consisting of a set of harsh-sounding steam whistles that are activated by a keyboard.
The calliope played by the old man made a harsh sound.
10. vociferous -adj; crying out noisily; clamorous.
The children cried out vociferously causing a scene in the restaurant.
11. rheumy -adj; pertaining to, causing, full of, or affected with rheum.
My cold caused my nose and throat to become rheumy.
12. surcingle -noun; a belt or girth that passes around the belly of a horse and over the blanket, pack, saddle, etc., and is buckled on the horse's back.
The man fastened the surcingle before letting us ride the horse.
13. pachyderm -noun; an elephant.
The large pachyderm had big ears and a long trunk.
14. aberration -noun; the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course.
In a moment of aberration, we turned the car around and proceeded in the opposite direction.
15. querulous -adj; full of complaints; complaining.
The querulous brat would not stop whining about his sore toes.
Introductory Post
Author: Sara Gruen
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Ltd.
Copyright Date: 2006
Number of Pages:331
Trailer
Synopsis: Jacob Jankowski is twenty three years old when his parents die from a tragic car accident. Distraught and depressed, Jacob skips his final exam for vet school. On the spur of the moment, Jacob jumps a train for the Benzini brothers the best show on Earth. He then gets a job as a veterinarian for the circus animals. He befriends an elephant and falls in love with the wife of the cruel animal trainer. Little did Jacob know that he will soon witness a murderous secret that will change his whole life around.
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