Independant Reading Response *Final Revision*

        In Wintergirls Lia Overbrook and Cassie Parrish are best friends have been, as they get older they both develop self-deprecating diseases. Lia is a victim to anorexia, while Cassie deals with the demons of bulimia. They each drag each other further down afraid to face their problems on their own until Cassie breaks off their friendship, leaving Lia destroyed. Six months after the girls falling out Cassie leaves Lia thirty-three messages but Lia refuses to answer still upset. The next day Lia learns that Cassie has died from purging too much in a motel downtown Lia puts together that Cassie was calling for help and feels awful and guilty. Lia’s parents divorced and consumed in their own lives don’t notice their daughter start to slip away into her old habits.  Thesis Statement:  In Wintergirls there are many examples of symbolism some of these examples include the term “wintergirl,” the epigrams about Sleeping Beauty and Persephone, and the last is they symbolism of the crossed out words.

          In the book Wintergirls Lia and Cassie refer to themselves as “wintergirls” meaning cold and heartless but beautiful. This really struck me because I love to be myself and have confidence in my body unlike these girls, so it struck me that these girls could deprecate themselves like that. I think the symbolism of winter and the cold that is found throughout the entire book and the role it plays in building the main themes of this novel. I think the whole “wintergirl” meaning started when they made their New Year’s Resolutions to be the skinniest because they had made it into a competition which helped pull them deeper into their eating disorders.

             There were two epigrams in the beginning; one was an excerpt from the story of Sleeping Beauty and the other the myth of Persephone. The story of Sleeping Beauty starts by Sleeping Beauty falling into a deep slumber after pricking her finger on a rose as soon as she hits the age of fifteen, she then stays asleep for a hundred years waking to the kiss of a handsome prince. The second epigram was an excerpt from the myth of Persephone who is arranged to be with Hades by Zeus, but her mother Demeter. When learns of the arrangement by Zeus she sends Hermes to get her. Hades gives Persephone a pomegranate fruit and she eats seven seeds making he stay in the Underworld with him.  Hades and Hermes later create a compromise, Persephone may stay with Hade for four months of the year, and while she is gone Demeter will bring snow until her return in spring. They agree and go on their way. The symbolism relating to roses and pomegranates thrives in this book, and clearly Laurie Halse Anderson has taken the themes of both these stories as guides to Lia’s life and struggle with Anorexia and Self- Mutilation of her arms and legs.

             The last major example of symbolism is in Lia’s writing she crosses out certain words explains how she feels about the person or object and replaces them with words she should be saying. Ex: Lia crosses out the word Mom and replaced it with Dr. Marrigan. This example gave me a different perspective on why she crosses out words because in another section she crosses out the word prison and write clinic so it could possibly be things she doesn’t want but she also doesn’t want her mother. I later came up with a new theory what if she’s lying to herself by crossing out the improper words, to convince herself that she’s not slipping away/succumbing to anorexia and that she has everything under control.  

             In conclusion, in the book Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, there are many examples of symbolism three major examples were the term “wintergirl,” the two epigrams in the beginning of the book and the crossed out words which is shown throughout the whole book.

Vocabulary Extra Credit

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aghast
aloof
anguish
annul
genial
ornate
ostracize
premonition
solicitous
staid

Crossword Puzzle

Puzzle

Solution

Word Sentences

1)   I think that Transformers was a good movie but it didn't compare to the              , Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
        a) sustain                b) sequel           c) bask

2)   I knew I was in trouble when my mom said, "Lay down on the             ,  we need to talk
        a) muster                 b) apparition     c) bolster   

3)  To this day if you remind Alex of when his pants fell down on graduation he will give you an                      expression.
         a) abashed              b) anguished       c) premonition

4) When Charlie decided to pants one of his classmates he didn't think of the                , so now Charlie is in detention instead of playing outside with his friends.
          a) abashed             b) reprocussions   c) facetious

5) As Joey was led away in a police car he tried to come up with a                  story for why he was caught with jewelery in his backpack, sadly he could not come up with one.
           a) sustain             b) bolster               c) plausible

6) Emily's mother sent Emily's Barbie doll back to the manufacturer because there were many                  .
            a) epitaphs          b) defects              c) scapegoats

7) When Amanda reached her grandfather's                on his gravestone she was in tears
            a) epitaph             b) scapegoat          c) ample

8) I am sick and tired of being the                         I never do anything wrong and I am always geting in trouble!
             a) nonentity           b) scapegoat            c) epitaph

9) We                new laws to try to disipline unruly people.
              a) prodigaled        b) obsessed             c) instilled

10) Graveyards are known for rumors of                      , especially during Halloween.
              a) apparitions        b) scapegoats            c) amples

Reading Response to a Independant Reading Book

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
                            

Focus: My focus is how Cassie’s ghost stays and haunts Lia, and how this pushes Lia to go further into her struggle with anorexia.

          In Wintergirls Lia Overbrook and Cassie Parrish are best friends have been, as they get older they both develop self-deprecating diseases. Lia is a victim to anorexia, while Cassie deals with the demons of bulimia. They each drag each other further down afraid to face their problems on their own until Cassie breaks off their friendship, leaving Lia destroyed. Six months after the girls falling out Cassie leaves Lia thirty three messages but Lia refuses to answer still upset. The next day Lia learns that Cassie has died from purging too much in a motel downtown Lia puts together that Cassie was calling for help and feels awful and guilty. Lia’s parents divorced and consumed in their own lives don’t notice their daughter start to slip away into her old habits.

        One important observation that supports my focus is that when Cassie’s ghost is around Lia tends to fight her off by going on the stair-stepper to get Cassie to go away. I think this is an important issue because Cassie’s death in the first place is where Lia’s anorexia has started to escalate. Lia also starts to cut herself to deal with the emotional pain. I also think that Lia deals fights her demons harder when Cassie is around even when others are around.

        Another important observation I made while reading Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson is when Lia does see Cassie she has moments where she wants you to see Cassie and others where she doesn’t. For example when Lia is her therapist’s office she makes a big deal of Cassie being there and then acts like nothing is wrong.

         Another important observation I made while reading this book is that Lia always two steps back when she is in the presence of Cassie. I think this is because Lia feels that if she gets to close she might be sucked back in to mess she and Cassie were in.then I realized it could’ve also been that Lia feels guilt because she didn’t answer that phone call which could’ve saved Cassie’s life and saved Lia from anorexia faster.