Chapter 26:
Jared, Kyle, and some others have been out on another raid for supplies for some time. After they had left, Jeb took Wanda on the tour of the caves, kept her around the rest of the humans as an attempt to get everyone used to her. It worked. But now, Jared and the others are back. And they came back while Wanda was teaching. Now the energy has changed. Jared was all for killing Wanda then, but now Jamie has laid his claim on Wanda. He convinced Jared to leave her alone, but Kyle made no such promise.
Chapter 27:
Melanie and Wanda are having a discussion. They agreed that trying to escape is out of the question. Now they can either try to prolong their stay by having Jeb and Ian protect them, or just have Jared kill them now. It's all about what would hurt Jamie less. They go for the quick option, but try to fight too. The only thing is, Wanda can't fight back, it is not her nature. Melanie can't understand it, even though Wanda has pretty much given up on her species, and is in love with Jamie and Jared. "I am who I am, Mel. I can't change that, though everything else may change. You hold on to yourself; allow me to do the same." I like Wanda's response. She always had a peaceful nature, so even though she has became more human, this part of her hasn't changed.
Chapter 28:
"A body that didn't function right was quickly and painlessly disposed of because it was as useless as a car that could not run. What was the point of keeping it around." Wanda is explaining to Ian that full-grown humans aren't kept on a hosts anymore, because there have been too many risks. They would use the body to see if they can get information, then discard the body. The Soul would then go to a different host. This image almost sickens me. Any body that doesn't function well, whether physically or mentally, is of no use, so they just chuck it out.
---Amelia
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
The Host: Day 11--Chapters 24 and 25
Chapter 24:
"The soap burned more strongly against my bare skin, but the sting was bearable because it meant I could be clean again." Jeb decided it was time Wanda had a bath. She had been wearing the same clothes everyday, and had her doing chores for the first time. They found some clean clothes for her, and he gave Wanda a bar of homemade cactus soap, which is rough and burns a little. It helped get rid of all the dirt and salt on her clothes and skin. I can only imagine how refreshing it felt to Wanda after her bath.
"I've been getting them all used to seeing you around, getting them to accept the situation without realizing it." Jeb gave Wanda a tour of the caves, had her do chores, eat in the mess hall with everyone else. His plan worked. At first, everyone froze whenever she walked into a room. But now, they ignore her. "I've always thought that if a person wants to, he can get along with just about everybody." Wanda still may not have been trusted by everyone, but they were beginning to to accept her being there.
"Self-examination is good for the soul." I agree. It is important to find out who you are.
"I've been thinking about it a lot, and I can't see how killing you would make anything right. It would be like executing a private for a general's war crimes...Anyway, as long as you don't put us in danger, it seems...cruel to kill you. What's one more misfit in this place?" Ian, on why he hasn't killed Wanda.
"Where have I ever fit in?" I ask myself this a lot.
Chapter 25:
"I could not earn a place, I knew that, but I tried to make my presence as light a burden as possible." She has been working harder than anyone else on chores. While Jeb, Ian, and Jamie may welcome her, none of the others do. She doesn't want to take advantage of everyone. I like this about her.
"Because what did it mean if the greatest love I'd ever felt in my nine lives, the first true sense of family, of maternal instinct, was for an alien life-form?"
---Amelia
"The soap burned more strongly against my bare skin, but the sting was bearable because it meant I could be clean again." Jeb decided it was time Wanda had a bath. She had been wearing the same clothes everyday, and had her doing chores for the first time. They found some clean clothes for her, and he gave Wanda a bar of homemade cactus soap, which is rough and burns a little. It helped get rid of all the dirt and salt on her clothes and skin. I can only imagine how refreshing it felt to Wanda after her bath.
"I've been getting them all used to seeing you around, getting them to accept the situation without realizing it." Jeb gave Wanda a tour of the caves, had her do chores, eat in the mess hall with everyone else. His plan worked. At first, everyone froze whenever she walked into a room. But now, they ignore her. "I've always thought that if a person wants to, he can get along with just about everybody." Wanda still may not have been trusted by everyone, but they were beginning to to accept her being there.
"Self-examination is good for the soul." I agree. It is important to find out who you are.
"I've been thinking about it a lot, and I can't see how killing you would make anything right. It would be like executing a private for a general's war crimes...Anyway, as long as you don't put us in danger, it seems...cruel to kill you. What's one more misfit in this place?" Ian, on why he hasn't killed Wanda.
"Where have I ever fit in?" I ask myself this a lot.
Chapter 25:
"I could not earn a place, I knew that, but I tried to make my presence as light a burden as possible." She has been working harder than anyone else on chores. While Jeb, Ian, and Jamie may welcome her, none of the others do. She doesn't want to take advantage of everyone. I like this about her.
"Because what did it mean if the greatest love I'd ever felt in my nine lives, the first true sense of family, of maternal instinct, was for an alien life-form?"
---Amelia
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Host: Day 10--Chapters 21-23
Chapter 21:
"We come to experience, not to change." People always seem to assume that aliens want to take over, make Earth be the planet they want. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. The Souls don't want to change anything on Earth. When they were inserted, they kept the same behaviors that the host human had. If the human had a partner, they stayed with that partner. Interesting.
"What stopped me wasn't the knowledge that a move like that would get me killed. What stopped me was the fact that I was weaker than the human in this way; even to save the boy, I could not make myself touch the weapon." Jeb put Jamie on guard duty. He gave Jamie his gun. That freaked Wanderer out. She still saw Jamie as a child, and didn't think a child should have a weapon like that. She almost grabbed it out of his hand, but she couldn't. She was scared of it. Another way of showing her innocence.
"These were not the tears of a child, and that made them more profound--made it more sacred and painful that he would cry them in front of me. This was the grief of a man at the funeral for his entire family." Wanderer told Jamie how the Souls invaded Earth. It hurt him to hear, because he "lost" his dad and his sister. His family. Imagine the pain of losing your whole family. Now I am reminded of the Doctor. Not only is his family gone, so is his planet. He is the last Timelord. Add Rose, Donna, and all the other companions that he has lost, all the lives he failed to save. So much pain.
"The mysterious bond of mother and child--so strong on this planet--was not a mystery to me any longer. There was no bond greater than one that required your life for another's. I'd understood this truth before; what I had not understood was why. Now I knew why a mother would give her life for her child, and this knowledge would forever shape the way I saw the universe." Lily sacrificing herself for Harry. Harry sacrificing himself for everyone. Katniss volunteering in place of Prim. Mulan fighting so her aged father would not have to.
Wanderer has been renamed Wanda.
Chapter 22:
"I've been wondering if you all aren't turning sort of human. If we don't have some real influence, in the end." Was Wandar turning human? Or did it somehow already fit her nature. I know a lot of Melanie's feelings were new for Wanda, but you could already tell that Wanderer had a soft nature.
Chapter 23:
Wanda confessed to Jamie that Melanie was still there.
"Was he really no longer intent on my death? Or just looking for an opportunity." Wanda still doesn't know what to think of Ian. He first tried to kill her, now he is being nice to her. Why?
---Amelia
"We come to experience, not to change." People always seem to assume that aliens want to take over, make Earth be the planet they want. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. The Souls don't want to change anything on Earth. When they were inserted, they kept the same behaviors that the host human had. If the human had a partner, they stayed with that partner. Interesting.
"What stopped me wasn't the knowledge that a move like that would get me killed. What stopped me was the fact that I was weaker than the human in this way; even to save the boy, I could not make myself touch the weapon." Jeb put Jamie on guard duty. He gave Jamie his gun. That freaked Wanderer out. She still saw Jamie as a child, and didn't think a child should have a weapon like that. She almost grabbed it out of his hand, but she couldn't. She was scared of it. Another way of showing her innocence.
"These were not the tears of a child, and that made them more profound--made it more sacred and painful that he would cry them in front of me. This was the grief of a man at the funeral for his entire family." Wanderer told Jamie how the Souls invaded Earth. It hurt him to hear, because he "lost" his dad and his sister. His family. Imagine the pain of losing your whole family. Now I am reminded of the Doctor. Not only is his family gone, so is his planet. He is the last Timelord. Add Rose, Donna, and all the other companions that he has lost, all the lives he failed to save. So much pain.
"The mysterious bond of mother and child--so strong on this planet--was not a mystery to me any longer. There was no bond greater than one that required your life for another's. I'd understood this truth before; what I had not understood was why. Now I knew why a mother would give her life for her child, and this knowledge would forever shape the way I saw the universe." Lily sacrificing herself for Harry. Harry sacrificing himself for everyone. Katniss volunteering in place of Prim. Mulan fighting so her aged father would not have to.
Wanderer has been renamed Wanda.
Chapter 22:
"I've been wondering if you all aren't turning sort of human. If we don't have some real influence, in the end." Was Wandar turning human? Or did it somehow already fit her nature. I know a lot of Melanie's feelings were new for Wanda, but you could already tell that Wanderer had a soft nature.
Chapter 23:
Wanda confessed to Jamie that Melanie was still there.
"Was he really no longer intent on my death? Or just looking for an opportunity." Wanda still doesn't know what to think of Ian. He first tried to kill her, now he is being nice to her. Why?
---Amelia
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Host: Day 9--Chapters 19 and 20
Chapter 19:
"Just because she isn't human, do you think that means she doesn't feel pain?" Animal cruelty. There are a lot of people who abuse animals just because they can. Did you know that pets will still love you, even if you are mean to them? Do you remember the episode of Doctor Who with the space whale? How the people on that ship were abusing it? I think about that as I read the quote. Everyone in the hiding place, except for Jeb and Doc, wants Wanderer dead, because she is not human. So far. This line was said by Ian. Ian was with the group that brought Wanderer in. He did not want her there, either. But even he notices that Wanderer is not like the other souls. He sees the bruises that Jared, Kyle, and even himself has left on her. He is beginning to have some compassion for her. He feels guilty for having strangled her.
Chapter 20:
"A person would be on her guard on a dark and ominous night, a person would be ready. But on a clear, sunny day? How would she know to flee when she couldn't see any place for danger to hide?" I mentioned Doc, how he doesn't want Wanderer dead. The only reason he doesn't want her dead, is because he wants to experiment on her to see if he can learn anything about the Souls. It would probably be torture for Wanderer. He has speaks softly and smiles a little, but she still doesn't trust him. She doesn't know what he would have planned for her. To her, he is more dangerous than Kyle.
---Amelia
"Just because she isn't human, do you think that means she doesn't feel pain?" Animal cruelty. There are a lot of people who abuse animals just because they can. Did you know that pets will still love you, even if you are mean to them? Do you remember the episode of Doctor Who with the space whale? How the people on that ship were abusing it? I think about that as I read the quote. Everyone in the hiding place, except for Jeb and Doc, wants Wanderer dead, because she is not human. So far. This line was said by Ian. Ian was with the group that brought Wanderer in. He did not want her there, either. But even he notices that Wanderer is not like the other souls. He sees the bruises that Jared, Kyle, and even himself has left on her. He is beginning to have some compassion for her. He feels guilty for having strangled her.
Chapter 20:
"A person would be on her guard on a dark and ominous night, a person would be ready. But on a clear, sunny day? How would she know to flee when she couldn't see any place for danger to hide?" I mentioned Doc, how he doesn't want Wanderer dead. The only reason he doesn't want her dead, is because he wants to experiment on her to see if he can learn anything about the Souls. It would probably be torture for Wanderer. He has speaks softly and smiles a little, but she still doesn't trust him. She doesn't know what he would have planned for her. To her, he is more dangerous than Kyle.
---Amelia
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Host: Day 8--Chapters 17 and 18
Chapter 17:
"Why this crazy human should be such a comfort to me, I couldn't understand. I supposed it was like Melanie had said, desperate times." As I mentioned before, Jeb is the only one who has been nice to Wanderer. Because of that, I guess, she is clinging on to him. He took her to the bath and latrine area. He waited outside the entrance while she relieved herself. While she was separated from him, she was full of panic. When she finished and found him still waiting on her, her nerves calmed. I think it makes sense that she latched on to him.
"I was strong again. The strength of my body gave strength to my control, to my determination." Jamie was waiting for them when they got back from the bathing area. When they first saw Jared, Wanderer was unable to stop Melanie from flinging herself at him. This time, Wanderer was able to hold her back.
"I'd already known that she was more to me than a resistant host who made life unnecessarily difficult. We'd become companions, even confidantes during our past weeks together--ever since the Seeker had united us against a common enemy." I like this, because it shows that even the biggest of rivals can work together if they have just one common bond between them.
Chapter 18:
"Melanie and I thought a lot about Jamie. Mostly we worried that we had damaged him by coming here, that we were injuring him now. What was a kept promise in comparison to that?" Melanie had made a promise to Jamie that she would come back to him. She fought so hard to keep that promise. Now Wanderer/Melanie were wondering if they made the right choice in going to find them. Were they hurting him now?
"I wondered what he thought me capable of. What plan did he think I was hatching to overthrow their little world? Did I really seem so powerful? Wasn't it clear how pathetically defenseless I was?" Person A can be so full of hatred for Person B, even when everything that B has done so far is show that they are not there do any harm. Wanderer hasn't tried to run away or harm anyone. She is scared of everyone. She is still even a little hesitant with Jeb, the guy who is very kind to her. She tries to make herself invisible when she is in her little tunnel. But yet, Jared still hates her, still is distrustful of her.
--Amelia
"Why this crazy human should be such a comfort to me, I couldn't understand. I supposed it was like Melanie had said, desperate times." As I mentioned before, Jeb is the only one who has been nice to Wanderer. Because of that, I guess, she is clinging on to him. He took her to the bath and latrine area. He waited outside the entrance while she relieved herself. While she was separated from him, she was full of panic. When she finished and found him still waiting on her, her nerves calmed. I think it makes sense that she latched on to him.
"I was strong again. The strength of my body gave strength to my control, to my determination." Jamie was waiting for them when they got back from the bathing area. When they first saw Jared, Wanderer was unable to stop Melanie from flinging herself at him. This time, Wanderer was able to hold her back.
"I'd already known that she was more to me than a resistant host who made life unnecessarily difficult. We'd become companions, even confidantes during our past weeks together--ever since the Seeker had united us against a common enemy." I like this, because it shows that even the biggest of rivals can work together if they have just one common bond between them.
Chapter 18:
"Melanie and I thought a lot about Jamie. Mostly we worried that we had damaged him by coming here, that we were injuring him now. What was a kept promise in comparison to that?" Melanie had made a promise to Jamie that she would come back to him. She fought so hard to keep that promise. Now Wanderer/Melanie were wondering if they made the right choice in going to find them. Were they hurting him now?
"I wondered what he thought me capable of. What plan did he think I was hatching to overthrow their little world? Did I really seem so powerful? Wasn't it clear how pathetically defenseless I was?" Person A can be so full of hatred for Person B, even when everything that B has done so far is show that they are not there do any harm. Wanderer hasn't tried to run away or harm anyone. She is scared of everyone. She is still even a little hesitant with Jeb, the guy who is very kind to her. She tries to make herself invisible when she is in her little tunnel. But yet, Jared still hates her, still is distrustful of her.
--Amelia
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Host: Days 6 and 7--Chapters 13-16
Chapter 13:
"I forced her to see it from my perspective: to see the threatening shapes inside the dirty jeans and light cotton shirts, brown with dust. They might have been human--as she thought of the word--once, but at this moment they were something else. They were barbarians, monsters. They hung over us, shivering for blood. There was a death sentence in every pair of eyes." You've heard the stories of people getting made fun/beat up for who they are. For some reason, a lot of people fear those that are different. Blacks, gays, Muslims. How many times has a gay student committed suicide because they were mocked so badly. I watched a movie where a kid was beaten to death because he was Muslim, and it was right after 9/11. How many times did Malfoy call Hermione a Mudblood. At this point in the story, Wanderer/Melanie has been found by Jeb and some others hiding with him. Only Jeb is kind to her. The others want nothing more than to kill her, because she is no longer human. Different.
"Last night Melanie and I had wished for death, but death had been only inches away at the time. It was different now that I was on my feet again." Christians look forward to the day when they die, because that means they are going to heaven. A place with no suffering or tears, where they can meet Jesus. It is easy to think about death from far away, but I imagine it is a different feeling when the day actually comes. You think you are ready, but when it comes to it, you are scared. A little different in Melanie's case, but same concept. She was on the verge of death, so she wanted an end to the suffering. But now that she has had some water, and is being led to the hideout, she doesn't want to die. She is scared. Can you blame her?
Chapter 15:
"You're in love with him, too, separately from me. It feels different from the way I feel. Other. I didn't see that until he was there with us, until you saw him for the first time. How did that happend? How does a three-inch-long worm fall in love with a human being?" Melanie realizes that Wanderer is in love with Jared. I can see how that would happen. Melanie was still very much present when Wanderer was inserted in her body. Wanderer saw Melanie's memories of Jared, felt how much Melanie loved him. This went on long enough for Wanderer to have those same feelings herself. Like Melanie said, the feelings that Wanderer has are a little different than Melanie's feelings. Because Wanderer was only going off memories, the emotions are probably not going to be exactly the same as Melanie. She has her own feelings for him. No two people loves the same person in exactly the same way. I can see this causing problems between Melanie and Wanderer.
Chapter 16:
"If, unlikely as it may be, somehow this ever happens again, whoever the body belongs to makes the call." Jeb has now put the Wanderer/Melanie's fate in Jared's hand. Just imagine what all is going through Jared's head: the body of the girl he loves, with the eyes of the Souls. He waited and waited for Melanie to come back. Now she has, but not his Melanie. She is tainted. How would you handle the situation?
---Amelia
"I forced her to see it from my perspective: to see the threatening shapes inside the dirty jeans and light cotton shirts, brown with dust. They might have been human--as she thought of the word--once, but at this moment they were something else. They were barbarians, monsters. They hung over us, shivering for blood. There was a death sentence in every pair of eyes." You've heard the stories of people getting made fun/beat up for who they are. For some reason, a lot of people fear those that are different. Blacks, gays, Muslims. How many times has a gay student committed suicide because they were mocked so badly. I watched a movie where a kid was beaten to death because he was Muslim, and it was right after 9/11. How many times did Malfoy call Hermione a Mudblood. At this point in the story, Wanderer/Melanie has been found by Jeb and some others hiding with him. Only Jeb is kind to her. The others want nothing more than to kill her, because she is no longer human. Different.
"Last night Melanie and I had wished for death, but death had been only inches away at the time. It was different now that I was on my feet again." Christians look forward to the day when they die, because that means they are going to heaven. A place with no suffering or tears, where they can meet Jesus. It is easy to think about death from far away, but I imagine it is a different feeling when the day actually comes. You think you are ready, but when it comes to it, you are scared. A little different in Melanie's case, but same concept. She was on the verge of death, so she wanted an end to the suffering. But now that she has had some water, and is being led to the hideout, she doesn't want to die. She is scared. Can you blame her?
Chapter 15:
"You're in love with him, too, separately from me. It feels different from the way I feel. Other. I didn't see that until he was there with us, until you saw him for the first time. How did that happend? How does a three-inch-long worm fall in love with a human being?" Melanie realizes that Wanderer is in love with Jared. I can see how that would happen. Melanie was still very much present when Wanderer was inserted in her body. Wanderer saw Melanie's memories of Jared, felt how much Melanie loved him. This went on long enough for Wanderer to have those same feelings herself. Like Melanie said, the feelings that Wanderer has are a little different than Melanie's feelings. Because Wanderer was only going off memories, the emotions are probably not going to be exactly the same as Melanie. She has her own feelings for him. No two people loves the same person in exactly the same way. I can see this causing problems between Melanie and Wanderer.
Chapter 16:
"If, unlikely as it may be, somehow this ever happens again, whoever the body belongs to makes the call." Jeb has now put the Wanderer/Melanie's fate in Jared's hand. Just imagine what all is going through Jared's head: the body of the girl he loves, with the eyes of the Souls. He waited and waited for Melanie to come back. Now she has, but not his Melanie. She is tainted. How would you handle the situation?
---Amelia
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The Host: Day 5--Chapters 11 and 12
Chapter 11:
"Who would live out here? We souls live for society. Why did I no longer belong to the society of souls? Why did I feel like I didn't...like I didn't want to belong? Had I really been a part of the community that was meant to be my own, or was that the reason behind my long line of lives lived in transience?...Had this planet changed me, or revealed me for what I already was?...Who was I?" Because of Melanie's memories, Wanderer cares so much for Jared and Jamie. She now wants to do everything she can to protect them from people like the Seeker. At this point she is having a sort of identity crisis. She has spent time in so many hosts. Has she finally found her home? I just really love Wanderer right now. She is trying to figure out who she is, which is something everyone goes through. She is being human.
Chapter 12:
"Well, I think that maybe...you're dying to be human. After all the planets and all the hosts you've left behind, you've finally found the place and the body you'd die for. I think you've found your home, Wanderer." This fits in with what I was just talking about. Melanie thinks that Wanderer is trying to be human.
"There's a reason we call it the final death...We have so many lives. Anything more would be...too much to expect. We die a little death every time we leave a host. We live again in another. When I die here, that will be the end." Wanderer and Melanie are talking the "afterlife". Wanderer explains that the Souls don't believe in it. Wanderer knows that if she died now, this would be her last body, her last host. No one really knows what happens after you die. Heaven, Hell, Nirvana, Reincarnation. It's a mystery.
---Amelia
"Who would live out here? We souls live for society. Why did I no longer belong to the society of souls? Why did I feel like I didn't...like I didn't want to belong? Had I really been a part of the community that was meant to be my own, or was that the reason behind my long line of lives lived in transience?...Had this planet changed me, or revealed me for what I already was?...Who was I?" Because of Melanie's memories, Wanderer cares so much for Jared and Jamie. She now wants to do everything she can to protect them from people like the Seeker. At this point she is having a sort of identity crisis. She has spent time in so many hosts. Has she finally found her home? I just really love Wanderer right now. She is trying to figure out who she is, which is something everyone goes through. She is being human.
Chapter 12:
"Well, I think that maybe...you're dying to be human. After all the planets and all the hosts you've left behind, you've finally found the place and the body you'd die for. I think you've found your home, Wanderer." This fits in with what I was just talking about. Melanie thinks that Wanderer is trying to be human.
"There's a reason we call it the final death...We have so many lives. Anything more would be...too much to expect. We die a little death every time we leave a host. We live again in another. When I die here, that will be the end." Wanderer and Melanie are talking the "afterlife". Wanderer explains that the Souls don't believe in it. Wanderer knows that if she died now, this would be her last body, her last host. No one really knows what happens after you die. Heaven, Hell, Nirvana, Reincarnation. It's a mystery.
---Amelia
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