Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Article of Nancy Farmer
An Article of Nancy Farmer by Amanda H. Reid, posted on barnesandnoble.com.
Born Phoenix, Arizona and raised in a quirky hotel on the outskirts of Mexico, Farmer's unconventional upbringing around such types as rodeo wranglers and circus travelers all but guaranteed the unique and colorful life that was to follow.
After receiving her B.A. degree from Oregon's Reed College 1963, Farmer enlisted in the Peace Corps in India where she served from 1963 to 1965. From 1969 to 1971, she found herself immersed in the study of chemistry at Merritt College in Oakland, California and later at the University of California at Berkeley from 1969 to 1971. However, her wanderlust eventually took her to Africa, where she labored as a lab technician in Zimbabwe from 1975 to 1978. There, she met Harold, her husband-to-be, who was an English teacher at the University; after a weeklong courtship, they were engaged. Happily married ever since, they have a son, Daniel. On how she decided to become a writer, Farmer explained in an interview with the Educational Paperback Association, "When Daniel was four, while I was reading a novel, the feeling came over me that I could create the same kind of thing. I sat down almost in a trance and produced a short story. It wasn't good, but it was fun. I was forty years old." She continues, "Since that time I have been absolutely possessed with the desire to write. I can't explain it, only that everything up to then was a preparation for my real vocation." Her first book, Do You Know Me?, an adventure for young people set in Zimbabwe, was soon to follow this epiphany. The book was well-received by kids and critics alike, and Publishers Weekly praised Farmer for providing "a most interesting window on a culture seldom seen in children's books." Her follow-up, The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, was named an Newbery Award Honor Book in 1995, and also honored as a Notable Book and a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and an Honor Book by the Golden Kite Awards, awarded by the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators. Most recently, The House of the Scorpion won the 2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
Review of The House of the Scorpion
A review of the book The House of the Scorpion by John DeNardo. Posted on www.sfsignal.com on Sunday, August 14th, 2005.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 140-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Interesting setting; thought-provoking issues; claustrophobic feel.
CONS: The story was longer than it needed to be.
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining read.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer came to my attention because it’s a Newberry Award finalist. I wasn’t sure what to expect but, in the end, found that this is a good book.
The House of the Scorpion is set in a future where cloning is possible yet clones are despised by humans. In fact, clones have their brains destroyed shortly after their creation. Young Matt, however, is the unaltered clone of a drug lord known as El Patrón, the evil but aging ruler of Opium, the strip of land that separates Mexico and the United States. Matt’s existence switches between different varieties of captivity – from a peaceful but secluded childhood raised by the kind Cecilia, to living like a caged animal at the hands of the malevolent Rosa, to a life as the subject of contempt by El Patrón’s family. Even when Matt leaves the estate he is held in another kind of captivity as a member of the “lost children” who work the salt mines.
Throughout the story, Matt is trying to understand what his place is in society. On the one hand, just about everyone he comes in contact with treats him worse than an animal. The only exceptions are Cecilia the cook, and Tam Lin, one of El Patrón’s bodyguards. If clones are so despised by everyone, why is it done? The chilling answer to that question is one of the mysteries that Matt must solve.
For more than half the book, the story takes place on the estate of El Patrón. This gave the text a wonderfully claustrophobic feel. Along the way we meet members of the family, most of who tolerate Matt out of fear that El Patrón will punish them or, worse, turn them into one of the “eejits” that work the opium fields. (Eejits are people who have a brain implant that makes them subservient and ably to perform only menial tasks, hence the play on the word “idiot”.) The motives of the characters are not always clear to Matt whose understanding of people is severely limited due to his secluded upbringing. Even Matt himself is not a clear cut sympathetic victim as he experiments with people’s fears and becomes like a mini-Patrón. For the most part, though, Matt is trying to unravel just why he exists and where he fits in.
The story successfully integrates some heavy themes associated with cloning such as what it means to human, civil rights, etc., enough so as to make this more thought-provoking than your average read. Wisely, instead of focusing on the drug dealing business, the book’s focus instead is on the family of El Patrón and Matt’s plight. Additionally, there are a few surprises along the way to keep the story interesting. The relationship between Matt and Tam Lin was well done.
One major gripe with the book would be that the later sequences in the salt mines seemed liked extra padding. Although a well-written side story, those sequences did not really lend much to the Matt’s overall story. Also, the character of Maria, daughter of the U.S. politician in the drug lord’s pocket, was erratic in her behavior.
Still, this was an entertaining read. The strength of the book lies in its claustrophobic setting and the though-provoking issues raised by Matt’s circumstances.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 140-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Interesting setting; thought-provoking issues; claustrophobic feel.
CONS: The story was longer than it needed to be.
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining read.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer came to my attention because it’s a Newberry Award finalist. I wasn’t sure what to expect but, in the end, found that this is a good book.
The House of the Scorpion is set in a future where cloning is possible yet clones are despised by humans. In fact, clones have their brains destroyed shortly after their creation. Young Matt, however, is the unaltered clone of a drug lord known as El Patrón, the evil but aging ruler of Opium, the strip of land that separates Mexico and the United States. Matt’s existence switches between different varieties of captivity – from a peaceful but secluded childhood raised by the kind Cecilia, to living like a caged animal at the hands of the malevolent Rosa, to a life as the subject of contempt by El Patrón’s family. Even when Matt leaves the estate he is held in another kind of captivity as a member of the “lost children” who work the salt mines.
Throughout the story, Matt is trying to understand what his place is in society. On the one hand, just about everyone he comes in contact with treats him worse than an animal. The only exceptions are Cecilia the cook, and Tam Lin, one of El Patrón’s bodyguards. If clones are so despised by everyone, why is it done? The chilling answer to that question is one of the mysteries that Matt must solve.
For more than half the book, the story takes place on the estate of El Patrón. This gave the text a wonderfully claustrophobic feel. Along the way we meet members of the family, most of who tolerate Matt out of fear that El Patrón will punish them or, worse, turn them into one of the “eejits” that work the opium fields. (Eejits are people who have a brain implant that makes them subservient and ably to perform only menial tasks, hence the play on the word “idiot”.) The motives of the characters are not always clear to Matt whose understanding of people is severely limited due to his secluded upbringing. Even Matt himself is not a clear cut sympathetic victim as he experiments with people’s fears and becomes like a mini-Patrón. For the most part, though, Matt is trying to unravel just why he exists and where he fits in.
The story successfully integrates some heavy themes associated with cloning such as what it means to human, civil rights, etc., enough so as to make this more thought-provoking than your average read. Wisely, instead of focusing on the drug dealing business, the book’s focus instead is on the family of El Patrón and Matt’s plight. Additionally, there are a few surprises along the way to keep the story interesting. The relationship between Matt and Tam Lin was well done.
One major gripe with the book would be that the later sequences in the salt mines seemed liked extra padding. Although a well-written side story, those sequences did not really lend much to the Matt’s overall story. Also, the character of Maria, daughter of the U.S. politician in the drug lord’s pocket, was erratic in her behavior.
Still, this was an entertaining read. The strength of the book lies in its claustrophobic setting and the though-provoking issues raised by Matt’s circumstances.
Theme
The theme is an overall message of a story. In the story of The House of the Scorpion, the theme or the message that the author, Nancy Farmer, tried to convey is one of friendship and choice. Throughout the novel, one was able to see all of the struggles and difficulties that Matt had to endure on his quests to gain and maintain friendships. He had tried to protect his friends.
On this journey Matt had learned much about choice. He learned that not being human was a choice that someone else had picked for him. Matt realized that being human or not being human was a choice that he was able to choose himself. Not only this, but Matt had also made the choice not to follow in El Patron's footsteps, and to be a better person as a whole. Not only this, but we were able to see how the choices of others were able to affect the protagonist.
Another theme that could be found in The House of the Scorpion is one of judgement. Through the book, Nancy Farmer attempted to deliver the message of not to judge others based on what is on the outside. If one is to judge, they should judge based on what is on the inside of the person, not based on their exterior.
There are also many smaller themes that can be found throughout the book. Nancy Farmer had tried to teach many important lessons through Matt's difficult life journey. Readers will have learned many different aspects of life that they may not have known about before.
Questions:
1. Was Nancy Farmer able to deliver the message of judgement successfully? Why or why not?
2. What are some choices that Matt had to make throughout the novel? Give three examples.
3. Did Matt make the right choice to take over Opium? Why or why not?
4. How does Matt react to the loss of his friends, who were close to being his family?
5. Do you feel that El Patron had made the right choices to use clones to live a long life? Why do you think he chose to do this?
6. Why were the people of the Big House so quick to judge Matt when they discovered that he was a clone? Why were clones frowned upon?
7. Describe Matt's friendship with Tam Lin.
8. How was Matt able to be a good person and not turn into a man like El Patron?
9. If someone were to re-write the book The House of the Scorpion, what could they do to make the messages more obvious and/or meaningful?
10. There are also smaller themes in the book such as lies and deceit, power and slavery. Give examples for each of these themes and explain how they affected Matt.
-M
On this journey Matt had learned much about choice. He learned that not being human was a choice that someone else had picked for him. Matt realized that being human or not being human was a choice that he was able to choose himself. Not only this, but Matt had also made the choice not to follow in El Patron's footsteps, and to be a better person as a whole. Not only this, but we were able to see how the choices of others were able to affect the protagonist.
Another theme that could be found in The House of the Scorpion is one of judgement. Through the book, Nancy Farmer attempted to deliver the message of not to judge others based on what is on the outside. If one is to judge, they should judge based on what is on the inside of the person, not based on their exterior.
There are also many smaller themes that can be found throughout the book. Nancy Farmer had tried to teach many important lessons through Matt's difficult life journey. Readers will have learned many different aspects of life that they may not have known about before.
Questions:
1. Was Nancy Farmer able to deliver the message of judgement successfully? Why or why not?
2. What are some choices that Matt had to make throughout the novel? Give three examples.
3. Did Matt make the right choice to take over Opium? Why or why not?
4. How does Matt react to the loss of his friends, who were close to being his family?
5. Do you feel that El Patron had made the right choices to use clones to live a long life? Why do you think he chose to do this?
6. Why were the people of the Big House so quick to judge Matt when they discovered that he was a clone? Why were clones frowned upon?
7. Describe Matt's friendship with Tam Lin.
8. How was Matt able to be a good person and not turn into a man like El Patron?
9. If someone were to re-write the book The House of the Scorpion, what could they do to make the messages more obvious and/or meaningful?
10. There are also smaller themes in the book such as lies and deceit, power and slavery. Give examples for each of these themes and explain how they affected Matt.
-M
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Plot
Matt is a clone growing up on the Alacran estate, struggling with his realization that he is clone, whose only purpose in life is to serve as a source of fresh organs for the family patriarch and leader of the country of Opium: El Patron. As he grows up, he is treated with disgust by most of the family, because they believe he does not have a soul. The only people who care for him are his caretaker Celia, his bodyguard Tam Lin, and his only friend his age, Maria.
When Matt is 14, El Patron suffers a heart attack and Matt is taken to the hospital to have his heart transplanted to El Patron. Before the operation starts, however, Celia reveals that she had steadily been feeding him food laced with arsenic, making his organs unusable. She believes that after seven clones, El Patron has had enough lives. The family is furious, and El Patron dies. Tam Lin is instructed to kill Matt, but he instead manages to smuggle him out of the estate.
Armed with the knowledge that Tam Lin had been giving him for years, Matt escapes to Aztlan (formerly known as Mexico). He discovers it to be an extremist communist state, and he is taken to an orphanage run by hypocritical authoritarian leaders. He eventually manages to escape the orphanage and make it to the Catholic convent where Maria and her political activist mother are, his only hope. Esperanza (the mother) reveals to him that because he is an exact clone of the dead El Patron, he should be the heir to the empire of Opium, and he is instructed to go to Opium to take control.
Matt goes to Opium, where Celia and some of the servants are waiting. He is informed that El Patron had left several cases of wine to be drunk after his death. The wine was in fact poisoned, and the entire Alacran family had died after drinking it. Matt is left to take control of the empire and begin his life anew.
When Matt is 14, El Patron suffers a heart attack and Matt is taken to the hospital to have his heart transplanted to El Patron. Before the operation starts, however, Celia reveals that she had steadily been feeding him food laced with arsenic, making his organs unusable. She believes that after seven clones, El Patron has had enough lives. The family is furious, and El Patron dies. Tam Lin is instructed to kill Matt, but he instead manages to smuggle him out of the estate.
Armed with the knowledge that Tam Lin had been giving him for years, Matt escapes to Aztlan (formerly known as Mexico). He discovers it to be an extremist communist state, and he is taken to an orphanage run by hypocritical authoritarian leaders. He eventually manages to escape the orphanage and make it to the Catholic convent where Maria and her political activist mother are, his only hope. Esperanza (the mother) reveals to him that because he is an exact clone of the dead El Patron, he should be the heir to the empire of Opium, and he is instructed to go to Opium to take control.
Matt goes to Opium, where Celia and some of the servants are waiting. He is informed that El Patron had left several cases of wine to be drunk after his death. The wine was in fact poisoned, and the entire Alacran family had died after drinking it. Matt is left to take control of the empire and begin his life anew.
Questions:
1. What event forces Matt in to a brand new environment at the beginning of the novel?
2. What caused Matt to become mute, and how does he start talking again?
3. What happens to Matt to further antagonize him among the family?
4. What are Tam Lin's expeditions with Matt leading up to?
5. As the story progresses, how does the relationship between Matt and Maria evolve?
6. After what event does Matt begin to understand his actual intended purpose in life.
7. What events foreshadowed this revelation?
8. What drastic plot twist happens to completely change the setting?
9. How do Matt, Chacho, Fidelito and Ton-Ton escape the plankton factory?
10. What is revealed at the end the story that makes Matt the only logical leader of Opium?
-W
Questions - Character
Questions:
1. How does Matt change throughout the book? Give examples of how his personality changes.
2. What kind of person is Tom? Give examples and proof of your opinion.
3. Which character surprised you the most? Give reasons of why and how.
4. Choose 3 characters and describe their opionion on Matt.
5. Who is Matt's true enemy? Why? How?
6. Why do Chacho, Fidelito and Matt become such good friends? How do you know?
7. Why does Ton-Ton decide to help Matt? How is this surprising?
8. How is El Patron evil? How is he good? Give supporting examples for each.
9. How is the Farm patrol and Keepers alike? How are they different? Give examples of each.
10. Is Matt's love of El Patron resonable? Why? Why not? Give supporting facts.
- A
1. How does Matt change throughout the book? Give examples of how his personality changes.
2. What kind of person is Tom? Give examples and proof of your opinion.
3. Which character surprised you the most? Give reasons of why and how.
4. Choose 3 characters and describe their opionion on Matt.
5. Who is Matt's true enemy? Why? How?
6. Why do Chacho, Fidelito and Matt become such good friends? How do you know?
7. Why does Ton-Ton decide to help Matt? How is this surprising?
8. How is El Patron evil? How is he good? Give supporting examples for each.
9. How is the Farm patrol and Keepers alike? How are they different? Give examples of each.
10. Is Matt's love of El Patron resonable? Why? Why not? Give supporting facts.
- A
Character
There are only a few characters that need introductions.
There is of course the main character Matt, also known as Matteo Alacran. He is a clone that we follow throughout his childhood.
El Patron is the reason for his existance. He is the one who gave Matt life.
Celia is a servant at the Alacran's house and is the caretaker of Matt. She is like his mother even though she tells him not to call her mom.
Tam Lin is a bodyguard of El Patron and of Matt. He accidentaly blew up about 20 kids while trying to blow up the Prime Minister of England.
Maria is from the Mendoza family. She is Matt's "girlfriend" and they love each other dearly.
Tom Alacran is actually the son of Senator McGregor. He is a sadistic, torturous, decieving, sniveling, cowardly, pampered, spoiled little brat. And Matt's arch enemy.
Chacho is an orphan, he meets Matt at the other side of the border. They are practically best friends and they help each other out.
Fidelito is a little boy who is frail and fragile. He meets Matt at the orphanage and the two friends stand up for each other and look out for each other too.
- A
There is of course the main character Matt, also known as Matteo Alacran. He is a clone that we follow throughout his childhood.
El Patron is the reason for his existance. He is the one who gave Matt life.
Celia is a servant at the Alacran's house and is the caretaker of Matt. She is like his mother even though she tells him not to call her mom.
Tam Lin is a bodyguard of El Patron and of Matt. He accidentaly blew up about 20 kids while trying to blow up the Prime Minister of England.
Maria is from the Mendoza family. She is Matt's "girlfriend" and they love each other dearly.
Tom Alacran is actually the son of Senator McGregor. He is a sadistic, torturous, decieving, sniveling, cowardly, pampered, spoiled little brat. And Matt's arch enemy.
Chacho is an orphan, he meets Matt at the other side of the border. They are practically best friends and they help each other out.
Fidelito is a little boy who is frail and fragile. He meets Matt at the orphanage and the two friends stand up for each other and look out for each other too.
- A
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Questions:
1. Where did Matt hide during the days that he spent scared at Celia house?
2. Where was Rosa keeping Matt during his injured stay at the house?
3. How was the section where Matt stayed, different then where El Patron stayed?
4. Describe the oasis.
5. Describe how the setting affects the characters' moods.
6. What was Opium in our time?
7. What was so amazing about Aztlan?
8. Why isn't this statement true?
9. Name the three distinct settings that appear throughout the novel. Describe them.
10. How does it change in the third part of the novel?
-V
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