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.