October Country - Basics, Analysis and Connections 1.

The basics - Just the facts, please Where does this story take place? -New York How many generations do we hear about in the stories? -5 generations Where do these people work? - Daniel worked in a bar Is anyone in prison or has a criminal history? -Denises dad is in prison, Chris has a criminal record and Johnny for restitution. Where do they go to school? - Dessi went to school Did they go to college? -No Have they traveled to other places? -No What do they do for fun? -Plays video games and some dress as a witch and talk to ghosts. Do they seem physically healthy? -no Do they seem emotionally/mentally healthy? -no Where is Ruby at the end of the movie? -With her dad Tony 2. A little deeper - Here you will analyze and speculate Why does Don find it difficult to express his love? -Don finds it difficult to express his feelings because Chris needs tough love and since he went to war he became serious. Is Don troubled by his relationship with his sister Denise? How do you know? - There relationship is troubled because they dont approve of how each other lives there lives. Why do you think that Denise lives alone? Do you think that she is happy? - I think Denise lives alone because no one understands her way of being and ghosts are her only friends. Why does Daneal choose one abusive man after another? -Daneal chooses abusive men maybe because she is used to living a hard life and does not think she deserves better. Why does Chris steal?

- Chris steals clothes from Wal-Mart because he is used to getting things himself even if it was the wrong thing. Do you think that Chris is bothered by the problems in his current foster home? - I think Chris is bothered by problems in this foster home because he is a part of the family and does get affected by the drama. Do you think that Desi gets good grades? -No because she seems very interested in other things besides school. Do you think she has graduated from high school by now? How about college? - I dont think so because there family does not make school a priority. 3. Connections to our lives a. Is Daneal haunted by memories/stories from her past? What might those ghosts be? How might they affect her in the future? -Yes Daniel is very haunted by her memories because of the people in her past such as her dad and her ex- husband. Will Desi be haunted by memories/stories from her past? What might those ghosts be? How might they affect her in the future? - Yes because she has to grow up without a father. Will Ruby be haunted by memories/stories from her past? What might those ghosts be? How might they affect her in the future? - Yes because she will have to live knowing that her mom gave her up quickly and that her mom aborted her little sister/brother. b. Do you know anyone who lives in an abusive relationship? Are there kids in the house? Are the parents college-educated? Do you know whether they grew up in an abusive household? - I do know someone that is in a abusive relationship. Yes there is one teenager that lives with his parents. No the parents are not college-educated. No they did not grow up in an abusive house. c. Do you know anyone who has been or is being raised by someone other than their two original parents? Is that person haunted by memories of dad or mom or their original family? -I dont know anyone that has not been raised by their biological parents. .

4. You analyzed your poems to find themes about your life. Repetitive playing out of a theme can become a pattern. Desi and her grandmother talk about negative cycles and patterns in their family. Are there any of those in your family? Do you think that you will be able to break them?

- The theme and pattern in my poem is moving on as life goes on. No I dont have negative cycle going on like dating bad men. 5. In separate Google Doc (3 Leslie Lipton Oct Comparison), write a paragraph in which you compare and contrast the patterns in this family to patterns or themes in your own family. Be specific about similarities and differences. TIEA, approximately 125 words. (10 points) Use at least three of these words: pattern; theme; repetition; haunt; ghost