• Response #1 is an open ended question that asks you to log your thoughts and reactions on any aspect of the book (250 words).

My thoughts reading this chapter of Orange is not the only fruit came with surprise and understanding. I can imagine Jeannete surprised by the fact she needs to go to school, and the factual observation she pointed by her mom needing her to go to it otherwise she will be arrested made me wonder about percentage of care and common sense involved in Jeannete’s education for the goverment make the decision of summoning her mom this way. I feel sad for Jeannete, she describes her world in school, and is bullied because of it. But also, I can imagine this educational change was very meaningful for her because from this new environment she would be introduced to, she would have a richer view of the world. Jeannete would also be mentioning about her friend Elsie who introduced her a new way to see the world, a way that is not 100% fully righteous but it would work, also. She would be involved with numerology, what is not biblical. I appreciate the way decisions were led to her, and I can see the state taking care of a child even though her immediate family could make some mistakes in it. I perceive Jeannete very young still and very attached to her mom, and yet there is this sense of respect and safety she would attribute to her family, even though her dad would not be very present. Her whole world would be the church, and to her the way she was told, it made sense.

• Response #2 asks you to try to choose a specific literary element that you thought was prevalent in the section you’ve read, then you’ll focus on a specific scene (with quotes) and explain what significance you see in that scene. Remember to focus on things like character, an action, an image, a certain setting, a point of view issue, so on (250 words).

The literary element I chose was Elsie’s perspective of faith, that faith can be more personal and different from a very rigid perspective. Elsie tries to teach Jeanette that faith is also humanized, and in the scene, I want to focus Jeanette is suffering a lot with the internal conflict between being obedient to her mom and God, but what is also right to her as an individual with her personality. In the scene where Jeanette becomes will and is temporarily separated from her mother’s daily influence, Elsie builds a connection with her. In one moment, Elsie tells her: “There are times you have to take the world on faith, and sometimes that’s the only way through it.” This literary element is character development, where contrasting roles of Jeanette’s mom and Elsie, who starts bringing comfort and wisdom, contrast with the religious control from her mom. That brings value to Jeanette’s development as an individual. Also, in the scene she is ill and out of school and church activity, based on her ear infection, she mentions; ‘Elsie was the only one who talked me to as though I might be capable of understanding.’ We can see how the emotional bonds between the two characters were made, as Elsie would intelectually encourage Jeanette, while also nurturing her emotionally, what is a beautiful recipe of trust building between a child and an adult. In this chapter, Exodus is not only a physical chapter, but a deeply emotional and intellectual being one of the main descriptions of Jeanette’s character development.