How do I know if my open response answers are good?

1. What does this book mean to you? One way to answer this question might be to think


about why you enjoyed this book. (If you are not enjoying a book and you have


given it a fair chance, stop reading it and try another book!) Use specific details from


the book and from your life to discuss this topic. Include at least one meaningful


direct quote from the book in your response. Write down the page number on which


you found this quote.


2. What does this book mean in terms of your family, community, country, and/or


people in general? One way to answer this question might be to start by thinking


about other books or stories this book reminds you of, and/or stories or incidents in


your real life that this book brings to mind. Include at least one meaningful direct


quote from the book in your response. Write down the page number on which you


found this quote.


3. What can you learn about humanity from reading this book? What are some


universal truths it contains? One way to answer this question is to begin by thinking


about what “big idea or ideas” you think the author is trying to convey. Include at


least one meaningful direct quote from the book in your response. Write down the


page number on which you found this quote.








1.


To me, Look Again poses a question of “What would you do?” Throughout Look Again, Ellen Gleeson, the main character, was faced with a situation that forced her to decide between her happiness and another couple’s happiness. On one hand, Ellen could have completely ignored the concept that her adopted son, Will, was actually a missing boy named Timothy. “And how do I explain that to Will, when he grows up? What if he found out? What do I say? That I loved you, so I kept you, even though I knew the truth? Is that love, or just selfishness?”~Ellen Gleeson, page 150. Ellen said this while talking to her lawyer and it shows that the truth would always be haunting her if she knew Will was Timothy but did not return him. On the other hand, Ellen could have returned the boy to his parents back in Florida, forever grieving the loss of her adopted son. “I held out hope, all this time, I knew he’d turn up. I knew he was alive. I could feel him.” ~Carol Braverman, page 257. This was the reaction of Carol Braverman, who is Timothy’s biological mother, when she found out Timothy was still alive but living with Ellen. If Ellen gave her adopted son back to his real parents, she would be happy because Bill and Carol Braverman would be happy, even Ellen’s attempted family would go from two to one.


Luckily, I have never been faced with a life-changing situation that needed a huge decision like the one presented to Ellen in Look Again. While I was reading this book, I tried to put myself in Ellen’s position and considered how I would respond to the missing child card, all the deaths she encountered, and her additional stress at work. Right now, I say that I would return Will if he was really Timothy, but that’s because it is easy to be strong from a distance. However, if this actually happened in my future, I do not know how brave I would be about returning the child. Throughout my reading, I found Ellen’s actions very admirable because she was always looking out for Will, her adopted son, above herself.





2.


Look Again shows that everyone wants to love, be loved, and keep everything that is dear to them. Both Ellen Gleeson and Carol and Bill Braverman want to have a baby to love. However, because Will is Timothy, someone had to be unhappy. In addition, the relationship between Ellen and her boss Marcelo shows that Ellen wants to have someone to love to fall back on when Will gets taken away. Ellen, a worker for a newspaper, also interviews some women who had lost a beloved child due to various occasions. Susan Sulaman’s three children were kidnapped by her husband, but not returned yet. “I think about all that I'm missing with them. All that time, with each of them. Then I start to think that, even when I get them back, I’ll never be able to catch up. I worry that they won’t remember me. That I’ll be a stranger to them.” ~ Susan Sulaman page 34. Even though her children are with her ex-husband, Susan does not think they are safe without their mother. Lateef Williams, eight years old, had been shot to death about a year ago (in Ellen’s life). His mother, Laticia Williams, still has a lot of love for her son. “I cried all I can cry, we all have…I miss him every minute.” ~Laticia Williams, pages 112 and 114. Laticia is now all by herself without anyone living to love.


While I was reading this phenomenal book, it reminded me of the classic Disney tale, Hercules. Both Timothy and Hercules were stolen from their parents as a baby. Then, Timothy was adopted by Ellen, and Hercules was left as a half-mortal to live on Earth with human parents, Alcmene and Amphitryon. Even though Ellen and Hercules’ foster parents knew that their son was adopted, neither of the parents truly knew where theiHow do I know if my open response answers are good?
it's great!