A Bad Beginning
Q1. A Bad Beginning has a very strong narrator. What effects do the narrator’s warnings against continuing the book have? Is the narrator’s constant defining of word condescending? Interesting? Helpful? Distracting? Etc. What do the dedication and letter at the end tell us about the narrator?
The narrator warns about continuing to read this book because it does not have a happy ending, the misfortunes continue until the end of the book. There are very few happy things in the book because there are very few happy things that happened in the lives of the three kids. The warning that the narrator give about reading the story has also another effect as it gives the reader the urge to continue reading the story because the reader asks him or her self the reason as to why the story is not a happy story and this keeps the reader asking this question and continuing to read the story.
The constant defining of words is interesting because there is no hesitation for the reader as the reader gets to understand everything that the narrator is saying. The letter at the end shows how the narrator is creative in his way of capturing the attention of the reader as he wants the reader to keep reading the story in order to know why it is not interesting.
Q2: Is the use of large or difficult words vocabulary-building and entertaining or is it discouraging? Do you notice any pattern to who defines words, in what circumstances, and to what effect?
The use of the words is done very well and it is entertaining as it keeps the story rolling on and it is a sign that the writing is great.
Q3: How are women portrayed in the story? Is there any thing unusual or overly stereotypical about the women in the story? Be sure to give examples
Women are portrayed as being mean and this is seen in the case of Poe’s wife who is very mean to the three kids such that she gives the children itchy clothing such that they smell a very weird odor. There is nothing stereotypical about women in the story.
Q4: Overall, what view of adults, parents, and authority in general is presented in the text?
The view which this text shows generally about the people is that there are both good and evil people in the society. In this text there are good people like Poe who is good and his wife and Olaf who are evil.
Q5: Do you think this book appropriate for children? Why or why not?
This book is not appropriate for children as it has a lot of misfortunes with nothing interesting to read about therefore children should not read it.
Reference
“The bad beginning” from http://snicket.wikia.com/wiki/The_Bad_Beginning Accessed on 13 July 2012
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