4/19/2021 0 Comments Me and Where the Crawdads SingWhat I enjoyed the most about Where the Crawdads Sing was watching Kya grow up. I always love novels where I can watch the main character learn something, but I think that this concept is a bit different in this novel. In this novel, we watch Kya grow over the span of over twenty years: we see her family lifestyles change, we see her become more responsible for herself, and we watch her in more than one romantic relationship. During all of these events in the novel, I found myself comparing the parallels of Kya’s life to mine. As a young adult myself, Kya’s character was like a friend to me: I was getting to know who she was and not just read about what she was doing in her life. One of my favorite reflective moments of Kya’s was from Chapter 29: Seaweed. In this chapter, Kya finds out that her love interest is engaged to be married to another woman in the town that she found out only through the newspaper. On page 209, Delia Owens writes "A strong ocean breeze pushed up the path, so that when she emerged, at least she had the wind lean on." From this, not only is Kya maturing and reflecting on a difficult relationship, but she is coping with the help of nature: her friend since her parents left. I think that this is an incredibly moving relationship that she has because when something happens in my life, I, too, like to go for a drive and feel the wind and nature carrying me; it's a nice sense of comfort.
What has been most meaningful to me about the book group experience is that I was able to reflect on the story myself and hear the perspectives of three other people. In many cases, I was able to build onto my understanding of Where the Crawdads Sing during each book group because I found myself wanting to dig deeper and feel the book more. In giving suggestions, I would tell someone starting a book group that it is key to go into each discussion with an open mind. Although it is great to plan ahead and think about what you talk about, if the conversation is raw and you’re vulnerable to other’s ideas, you’ll get way more out of the experience as a whole. A novel that I would like to read that other students might enjoy is Educated by Tara Westover. Although I participated in a book group with this book, there was pressure through the Honors LLC to perform well and I was sometimes scared to speak. I would want to read this book with my peers that I know well now because I think that I would be able to get more out of the book than I did the first time. I would think about starting a book group in the future. I genuinely think that I grew during this book group as leader, as a participant, and as an active reader. I continued to develop my skill sets in working as a team as well as discussing my thoughts open mindedly. Because of this, I think I would continue to grow even further if I were to start a book group in the future as well! - Allie Benish
0 Comments
4/19/2021 0 Comments Me and Where the Crawdads SingOver the course of the semester, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Where the Crawdads Sing and getting to know the characters and watch their relationship dynamics fluctuate throughout the novel, especially the relationship of Tate and Kya. Kya and Tate had known each other since they were young, with Tate being a friend of Kya’s brother Jodie. Tate “was always showing” Kya “insects and stuff” whenever Tate and Jodie went fishing together (236). Even when Tate was just seven or eight years old, he stood up to Kya and Jodie’s father when he tried to hurt Kya, shouting at their father before he picked Kya up and brought her to their mother, making sure that Kya was unharmed before leaving their home (237). From a young age, Tate had a protective instinct, wanting to shield and protect Kya. Even when Kya and Tate are reunited, when Tate was but eleven or twelve “he guided her – even after she waved that she knew her way – across the lagoon, up to the shore where the shack squatted in the woods” (45). As Tate continues to help Kya and they grow older together, their relationship blossoms from friends helping each other with supplies and offering companionship to a first love, where Kya’s “heart was full” (125). Even through the hardships of Tate’s abandoning Kya for college and Kya’s rocky relationship with Chase, Kya and Tate keep finding their way back to each other, whether as companions, friends, or something more. I have really enjoyed the progression of Kya and Tate’s relationship throughout the novel, both through the good and bad times, and I look forward to their future in the remainder of the novel.
In addition to seeing the progression of Tate and Kya’s relationship, I very thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire novel as a group. Being able to discuss our thoughts, emotions, predictions, or observations about the novel made it much more engaging to read than if I had read the novel on my own. Conversations with Allie, Lindsay, and Marly about the book were never forced which only added to my excitement towards and engagement with the text, so much so that I had to stop myself from reading ahead on many different occasions. I would recommend reading in a book group to my peers, because I felt that the book group gave me the ability to have more genuine conversations about the novel, however unorthodox our conversations might be. Whether we were making a connection to another class or a show or movie we watched in the past, I feel that being in a smaller group made it easier to connect not only to the characters in the book, but also to my classmates as we expressed our raw thoughts and emotions about the previous few chapters we had read. My suggestion to other students looking to start a book group is to let the conversation flow. Avoid forcing conversation or restricting it to a certain page or quote, but rather to talk about how you felt, talk about why you enjoyed or disliked a certain event, look at significant events and clues in the text and try to decipher what is to come in the next few readings. I would definitely recommend this novel to other students, especially those who want to start their own book group. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel, especially in a book group which brought new perspectives to the discussion that could have been lost in a larger classroom setting or independent reading. -Hannah Hunter 4/19/2021 0 Comments Me and Where the Crawdads SingThis novel has covered all of Kya’s life, from practically birth to her early twenties. It showed coming-of-age aspects that make her the woman that she is to this day. She faced circumstances that no one else had to, she navigated her way through surviving at a young age, learning on her own, connecting with her land more than her peers. It was heartbreaking to read the saddening parts of Kya’s life because Owens makes the reader feel compassion and empathy for Kya. It is challenging to read through the mysterious death of Chase and watch her receive all of the blame for it, without finding the real truth. Kya is even more lost than before, confused, and loses her appetite to eat and see people. Owens writes about Kya in her jail cell, “Sleep avoided her, slinking around the edges, then darting away. Her mind would plunge along deep walls of sudden slumber-- an instant of bliss-- then her body would shudder her awake” (277). This illuminates the loneliness she is feeling, left with only herself and her thoughts. Her thoughts are more powering than ever, as she has no gulls to confide in or waters to roam. She is stuck, without knowledge of what will happen next. She has no one to call besides Jodie, and she decides not to because it would be embarrassing. She is too scared to even talk to her brother as they just recently reconnected and caught up. Even when Tate comes to visit, he feels so distant from her, her only care in the world is the gulls and who is feeding them. She is unable to function properly in a setting like this, but bail was not presented to her due to the saddening fact that they are biased towards her and that she tried to run from the police before they caught her. In her head, she has no one, which in turn creates her to feel that she has no one, when she has Jodie, Jumpin’, Tate, and her lawyer.
My group book experience has been a rollercoaster in the best way. We all were able to read the passages concurrently and discuss the set of chapters that were assigned. We all got to discuss the ups, the downs, and left and rights that Owens took us through in Where the Crawdads Sing. I was able to grasp an understanding of other perspectives on the novel and form my own opinions. Voicing my questions and analysis helped deepen my understanding of the novel. If you want to start a book group, do it! It is so fun and light-hearted, you do not feel the pressure of reading and the critical analysis behind it, instead, you find the fun in reading. I was able to connect with the book and deepen an understanding of the novel by discussing it with friends. In the future, I want to read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, it is a novel that takes place after the Vietnam War. Hannah incorporates family crisis and the ultimate test of survival. The novel’s main characters have to make stressful decisions to determine their future fate that will cause them to live off-grid. I believe other students would want to read this book because it is similar to Where the Crawdads Sing in the nature aspect and survival of the fittest. - Marley Ackley 4/19/2021 0 Comments Me and Where the Crawdads SingThe thing I enjoyed most about the novel is the main character Kya, more formally known as Catharine Danielle Clark. I specifically enjoyed her perseverance throughout the novel. From the very beginning, Kya was abandoned over and over again by her family and any love interest that may have presented itself. She not only was forced to navigate basic survival, but she was also able to adapt and function almost fully as a member of society. She was able to create a source of income and contribute to civilization through her books. Furthermore, I liked how Kya’s character brought about the theme of relationships and human connection. Her journey through life was based on the connections, or their lack of, Kya was able to make with others. This is represented by the quote, “Lot of times love doesn’t work out. Yet even when it fails, it connects you to others and, in the end, that is all you have, the connections.” And can be seen through her lack of a relationship with her family members and the ones she was able to make with supporting characters, such as Jumpin and Tate.
I personally enjoyed experiencing this novel in terms of a book group. I believe that it provided me the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the story and its plot. Hearing other people’s perspectives on characters and events helped me piece together things I missed and didn’t quite understand on my own. If you were to start a book group, I would suggest making sure a majority of the participants are highly interested in the book and its story. This will allow for a much deeper and involved conversation. I would also like to propose you designate one person to lead the conversation each week. This ensures that everyone’s point of view is being expressed at least once in the discussions. Lastly and most importantly, do not be afraid to ask questions. There is a good chance someone has the answer or may be able to guide the conversation to discovering the answer. Do not be afraid to speak up and just enjoy the experience as a whole. - Lindsay 3/22/2021 0 Comments What I Think So Far So far, I am really enjoying discussing Where the Crawdads Sing in a book group. I am not a very avid reader, but I am enjoying watching Kya’s personal development unfold from the shy, uneducated, young girl on the marsh to the innovative, intelligent, independent young woman who finds ways to provide for herself by bartering with Jumpin’. Seeing Kya’s growth in her ability to take care of herself as well as her relationships with Tate, Jumpin’, and Mabel has been interesting to watch, from seeing her relationship with Tate blossom from acquaintances to a lost love to seeing the parental roles Mabel and Jumpin’ take in Kya’s life once all of her biological family members have left her being. In addition to seeing this development in Kya throughout the novel, being able to discuss a book that I thoroughly enjoy with a small group of peers has also made for a great experience. Our conversations about the novel are genuine, natural talks about our initial emotions towards a particular character or reaction towards a particular scene. I really enjoy that our book group meetings are not forced, because in the past, I have taken part in some classes where asking a simple yes or no question has been met with silence and the discussion that ensued felt very manufactured and unnatural. Instead of forcing a conversation about a specific line or chapter, our conversations evolve from surface level reactions about an event or object into a deep conversation about the book and our own lives or thoughts, like perhaps how we would react in the situation or what we anticipate will happen in the next few chapters. Overall, I really enjoy the authenticity and easy-going nature of the book groups. Being able to talk with my book group about Kya’s latest adventure or the investigation into the death of Chase Andrews has made reading the book all the more enjoyable.
- Hannah Hunter 3/22/2021 0 Comments What I Think So FarAs we read up to part II in this book, we learn more about Kyas personal growth and her current struggles from her past life. She is growing into a young woman, experiencing all of her “firsts'' all by herself, with no family insight. She has her first physical experience into womanhood, has a first boyfriend, and a first birthday celebration. Ever since she has been exploring more books, she has been able to relate the information and new knowledge to things she observes and experiences in her own life. All of the good that has entered Kya’s life quickly comes to a halt. She is faced with abandonment again, with her first boyfriend, Tate. Owens writes vividly about the loneliness in Kya, “Before the feather game, loneliness had become a natural appendage to Kya, Like an arm” (100). Her abandonment is following her throughout her life, it is all she knows, desperately craving for love and comfort. It is important to note that Kya is able to establish a few needed friends along the way, such as Mabel, who sews her clothes and gives the items that she needs that she cannot acquire on her own. She knows she can trust Mabel with any issue, as she fills in for the mother-like figure. As Kya learns more about life and grows with age, she finds more disappointments within herself and within Tate, as he abandons her for college, where she knows it will be impossible to retain the strong relationship that they once held before. As we read and watch Kya moving forward, I am very curious to see how she will form into adulthood and more about the mysterious murder that she is suspected of.
- Marly Ackley 3/22/2021 0 Comments What I Think So FarAs the first part of the story comes to a close, I think there is a much heavier focus on the timeline that follows Kya’s development. The discussion continued with chapters 12-21 in mind and I have to say, within this section, the chapters about Kya were both longer and denser. At this point in the story Kya has developed into a young woman. Regardless of this growth, Kya is reverting back to her internal conflict. Which is a state of worrying about why her mom and her family left her. I think it is upsetting that after all this time and change she is still stuck on this one thing, but it is understandable due to the lack of closure. I think this is important because it almost explains Kya’s actions. Her loud thoughts and connection to her family are pushed aside as she develops connections with other characters, the most prominent being Mabel and Tate. Mabel’s actions allow her to adopt the mother figure that Kya is lacking. While most of her work is done in the background, I think that she is crucial to the plot and Kya’s journey. Similarly, I believe that Kya’s connection to Tate was the most important because it impacted both Kya’s academic and social life. Tate influenced Kya’s growth as he taught her how to read and write. As her relationship with Tate became more romantic Kya began to gain better interpersonal skills as well. Unfortunately, Kya was able to predict the outcome of this relationship, as Tate had let her down just as her family had before. I believe there was a hint of foreshow as Kya had expressed her concern of Tate leaving her, all while he denied this. The worst part about this is that Kya was right from the beginning and the only thing she could do at this point is move on, even without closure.
- Lindsay Hayes 3/22/2021 0 Comments What I Think So FarSince beginning this book group, not only has the text been actively changing but the environment in which I read and analyze it has developed, too. At the start, I was weary about reading Where the Crawdads Sing as a group, especially since the book groups would be meeting virtually, which I had never done before. However, as we’ve been reading and analyzing more of Kya’s life and story, the book group has opened up and allowed my group to have a comfortable, expressive place where we can talk about anything. We’ve shared our thoughts but with that, we’ve also shared our feelings and raw reactions to things that have happened. For example, this past week, we read chapters seventeen through twenty-one of the book. In these chapters, we watched the relationship between Tate and Kya unfold and blossom before our eyes. When we came into our book group, all of us immediately excitedly began to talk about what we loved from the story and we analyzed the actions between the two characters in an open, non-judgemental space. Where normally, talking about physical, romantic interactions between would be awkward, our book group allows for a sophisticated conversation about what that means to the characters and their development. And as we talked about the chapters, we were also able to connect our readings to our lives and, in many cases, we put ourselves into characters’ shoes to ask “What would I have done?” to some events that happen in the text. For example, when Tate left for college, many of us would have chosen to handle the situation and conversation differently than he did with Kya’s family history in mind. With all of this in mind, I’m excited to continue to read and discuss the story next week!!
- Allie Benish 3/8/2021 0 Comments SettingThroughout chapters six through eleven of Where the Crawdads Sing, author Delia Owens details the marsh, Kya’s safe place, her escape. As Kya’s family members come and go, the marsh is the one thing that remains constant, with the marsh becoming her mother, its inhabitants like her family. As Kya takes her father’s boat out on the water, Owens says, “she entered a place with dark lagoons in a throat of oaks and remembered a channel on the far side that flowed to an enormous estuary. Several times she came upon dead ends, had to backtrack to take another turn. Keeping all these landmarks straight in her mind so she could get back. Finally the estuary lay ahead stretching so far it captured the whole sky and all the clouds within it” (Owens 42). Kya’s willingness to explore the waters of the marsh show that she is comfortable, that she feels at peace and at ease in nature, even if she is in an area that she is unfamiliar with. The “dark lagoons” of the marsh that would probably be scary to another young child are welcoming to Kya. The beauty and adoration with which Kya views the marsh mirrors the love with which another child might look up at their parents or their siblings. The same marsh that is an enigma to the townspeople is the place where Kya finds refuge; it is where she runs when she is scared, it is where she rejoices when she is happy, it is the place she looks too when she needs food or when she needs healing. The setting of the marsh, because of Kya’s lack of familial interaction, takes on a meaning beyond the beauty of nature, with the marsh becoming Kya’s mother and the gulls and heron her companions.
- Hannah Hunter 3/8/2021 0 Comments SettingSetting is an interesting topic when it comes to “where the Crawdads Sing” because there are two story lines happening at the same time. I think that the setting is most prominent in the 1950’s where Kya explores the marsh in which she lives and the neighboring town. What stood out to me the most was the amount of detail that is used to describe each setting. When it comes to literally any place other than the marsh, there is minimal detail used. We know barely anything about the layout of the town or her physical house, but we know a lot about the layout and features of the marsh. All of the visual imagery is present in the descriptions of the marsh and I believe that it has to do with Kya’s connection to the marsh. This is demonstrated the most in a quote said by Kya, ‘“Maybe I oughta walk to town and turn myself in to the authorities. At least they’d give me food and send me to school.” But after thinking a minute she said, “No, I can’t leave the gulls, the heroin, the shack. The marsh is the only family I got.”’(Owens, 75) I believe that the descriptions are based on how that area affects her. This quote shows her connection to the marsh. Kya passed up opportunities that may have improved her quality of life because she was afraid to leave the marsh. That place offers a sense of familiarity for her. While everything else in her life is constantly changing the marsh is the one thing that has remained constant and supported her.
- Lindsay Hayes |
AuthorsMarley Ackley, Allie Benish, Lindsay Hayes, Hannah Hunter |