The Last Snake Runner
Students' Voices
A small group of three 8th-grade students in Ms. Hunt's Pre-Advanced Placement Language Arts class at Emily Gray Junior High School in Tucson, Arizona conducted literature circles online. They used Wikispaces as their meeting place and assumed roles and responsibilities for the discussion of the novel, as well as for the design of their homepage. Ms. Hunt assigned a focus for the literature circles. They were told to explore how the setting (time and place) affected the mood and tone of the story. These are their drawings and excerpts from their postings and discussions.
Kendal looking at the rattlesnake that he has to catch.
by Leah
Kendal braiding Jeneum's hair by the waterfall.
by Leah
R. F. was the "literary expositor" for her group. Her role was to select passages, which stood out for her, from the book and share her reasons and ideas about why she chose them.Running as fast as a horse
Passage: "They ran neck and neck the ancient magic pouring through Kendall. He was back with the runners of his ancestors at last, and the power consumed him, giving him speed like nothing before. Kendall could have sworn that he was flying over the ground. He'd never run this fast. But he had never had to outrun a horse before (p 51)."
Reason: I was amazed that he was able to run as fast as a horse.
Jacob responded: Well he does have the power of the gods and they're pretty powerful...
Why does Kendal want to stay in the past?
R. F. asked: I don't know if anybody else has gotten to this point in the book but I was wondering why Kendal wants to stay in the past. I thought that he just wanted to visit the village and the mesa to help himself, except that he now has a stepmother.
Jacob responded: I think he feels obligated to protect his ancestors from the Spanish Conquistadors.
Jeneum and Kendal
Passage: "Ever since the night under the waterfall Jeneum had seemed shy around him, and Kendall was afraid he had shamed her somehow. He knew that they liked to be together, and it was easy to talk and laugh with her, but he still didn't know what had happened during the night of the first storm (p 107)."
Reason: This paragraph surprised me because I don't understand why Jeneum is so embarrassed around Kendall.
Leah responded: I think it's kind of like if we do something bad with a person, and we feel the guilt then it's awkward to be around them, so she probably was confused on what to do.
Rattlesnake
Passage: Kendall recognized the yellowy and black markings of the serpent which was about three feet in length. "He let out his breath slowly. 'It's a rattlesnake,' he mouthed silently.
'Yes, and so?' (p 83)."
Reason: Akish's reaction surprised me a lot because rattlesnakes can be extremely dangerous.
Jacob responded: I think that Akish has had past experiences with catching rattlesnakes and has confidence. He also said that the snake was chosen by the "gods" for Kendall to pick up.
The Acomas are fired on
Passage: "A deafening blast shot from the guns, and the entire first wave of Acoma warriors were laid to the ground. Screams of agony punctured the air (p 144)."
Reason: I chose this passage because it made me feel like I was actually there and it was horrifying.
I commented about the phrase "punctured the air" and wondered aloud about what it might sound like at the top of a 400 foot mesa.
R. F. responded: I bet it would echo off the other mesas until it was deafening.
Punishment
Passage: "All adult males I sentence to have one foot cut off and to twenty years personal servitude. The women I sentence likewise to twenty years personal servitude."
Reason: I think that punishing someone for protecting their home is horrible and think that those conquistadors were monsters. (p 178)
Leah responded: I agree!!! That's very mean, and I'm glad those rules don't apply to us today.
The Ending
Passage: "Cupping his hands Kendall picked up the two stone necklaces hanging around his neck and gently kissed them together. He had to make the final leg of his journey home alone. Just him and the desert and the gods, the spirit of Jeneum gathered safely inside his heart, and Akish, the last of the ancient Snake Runners, by his side."
It wasn't much more than fifty miles. It would be an easy run. (p 198)
Reason: I found this ending very unsatisfying and i would also like to know how fifty miles is an easy run.
Jacob responded: I didn't like the ending either, it was very sad too. I think he was being sarcastic when he said it was an easy run.
In response to a question I asked about how the story might be different in feel and tone if it was set in different part of the country.
R. F. responded: I think if the setting was in a different place I think that they would have other advantages and disadvantages. For instance, in the forest it would have been easier for them to ambush the soldiers or stay hidden.
