LITERATURE CIRCLE (2nd Novel)

THE TIME CAPSULE by Lurlene McDaniel

Vocabulary Enricher

1. “Time Capsule” - cover page, page 1

· “Time” – from the Old English word “Tima”, 1) every moment there has ever been or ever will be 2) a system of measuring duration 3) the period during which something exists, happen, etc.

· “Capsule” – from the French word “Capsa” meaning box, a detachable compartment to hold men, instruments in a rocket

Sentence: Please come! The Time Capsule Awaits!

2. Stucco – page 3, an Italian word meaning a plaster or cement for surfacing walls, etc.

3. Dingy – page 3, from an original dialect var. “Dung” meaning not bright or clean; grimy; dismal; shabby

Sentence: The low-slung building of a white stucco, yellow brick and awning-covered windows looked tired and dingy to her now, eight years later.

4. Womb – page 7, from the Old English word “Wamb” meaning the Uterus

Sentence: “We still do. It’s because Adam and I are womb mates”, Alexis said.

5. Podium – page 9, from the Latin word “Pous” meaning foot, a small platform, as for an orchestra conductor; lectern

Sentence: Adam returned with Linda’s soda just as Ms. Lola went up to the podium under the tree, facing the rows of benches and chairs.

6. Scrumptious – page 10, derived from the word “Sumptuous” meaning very pleasing especially to the taste

Sentence: Now, I know all of you are ready for more pizza and for that scrumptious cake that’s waiting to be cut, but first I want to open the time capsule and read your papers.

7. Miffed – page 14, prob. orig. from cry of disgust meaning to offend

Sentence: It was difficult to stay miffed to him.

8. Chow – page 16, a Chinese word, to eat a meal

Sentence: “I ate a lot of hospital food by myself over the years, so no, I don’t need company to chow down”.

9. Stoic –page 19, from Greek word “Stoa” meaning a colonnade: where first Stoics met; state of showing indifferences to joy, grief, pleasure, or pain; impassive

Sentence: Alexis still remembered her mother’s absences and her father’s stoic silences.

10. Virulent –page 20, a) extremely poisonous; deadly b) bitterly antagonistic; full of hate. Medical Term a) a disease violent and rapid in its course and form b) highly infectious

Sentence: Adam had been diagnosed with a rare and virulent form of Leukemia.

11. Scrimmage –page 25, derived from the word Skirmish, Football the play that follows the snap from the center; a practice game

Sentence: Sawyer said, grimacing their team’s quarterback was tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

12. Crummy – page 28, a Slang word meaning shabby, mean

Sentence: Crummy game, isn’t it?

13. Deadbeat – page 42, a Slang word which means tries to evade paying debts

Sentence: Who needed their deadbeat parents ruining a fun weekend because neither of them wanted to be there?

14. Nuzzled – page 58, derived from the word “Nose” meaning to push or rub with the nose, snout, etc.; to nestle; snuggle

Sentence: He nuzzled Alexis’s neck.

15. Condescending – page 60, from the Latin word “Com” meaning together and “Descendere” meaning descend; to be gracious about doing a thing regarded as beneath one’s dignity; to deal with others patronizingly

Sentence: Wade asked, his tone condescending.

16. Hors ‘oeuvres –page 65, French lit. meaning outside of work; an appetizer, as olives, canapés served before a meal

Sentence: Buffet tables were laden with hot and cold hors d’ oeuvres.

17. Vestiges – page 78, from the Latin word “Vestigium” meaning footprint; last trace, mark or sign especially of something that has passed away

Sentence: She shook off the last vestiges of her disappoint with the ride.

18. Foreboding – page 95, Old English word meaning a sense of presentiment or prediction

Sentence: She could not quash the sense of foreboding.

19. Ruckus – page 101, it probably emerge from the word Rumpus ad Ruction which means uproar; noisy confusion; disturbance

Sentence: Alexis grew aware of a ruckus at the outside of the door of the ICU and recognized Sawyer’s voice.

20. Supersede – page 140, derived from the Latin word “Supersedere” meaning to sit over; to replace

Sentence: Lately she’d allowed many things to supersede thinking about Sawyer.

21. Chafe – page 173, from the Latin “Calefacere” meaning make warm; 1) to rub so as to make warm 2) to wear away or make sore by rubbing; to annoy or irritate; to rub (on or against); to be vexed.

Time Capsule by Lurlene McDaniel

Passages:

1. How do people fall out of love?

2. Winning isn’t everything.

3. “It’s never too late, Adam. Not as long as you have breath to say the words”.

4. A person could not buy back lost time.

5. She didn’t have to see the sun to know it existed.

Connector

its really hard when someone you love so much, who's very close to your heart die. It's a feeling that you wouldn't like to feel. saying goodbye is really hard. seeing tomorrow wthout that someone. well its not me who can relate with this but I'm going to tell you about my mom losing her father, my grandfather. it was my older cousin who was left at the house, as I arrived at home from school I notice him looking at our Lolo. He told me to feel him breathing as if there where no air. We decided to call our mom. As I went to my mom, i Didn't know how to say it. but then I just said , Mom your urgently needed at home somethings' going on with Lolo. My mom asked where's my Lola she's suppose to be their at home to look for Lolo. But then, my mom went home but sadly she didn't arrive at the exact time Lolo died. It was my only cousin who witness his loss. My mom prayed to the soul of my Lolo. She was crying, and so do I. At the burial my mom shouted to have my Lolo back. But its too late all we have to do is to accept that his gone. 

Passage Picker

1. What was the novel all about?
The novel was all about the twins Adam and Alexis Chappel who were unsaparatable since their existence. But a problem occurred wherein Adam was sick. When they were kids, he had a leukemia that almost caused their family broken. But with faith and love to each other, they hold on to for a moment. When they were about to graduate in high school, leukemia came again and for the last moment he wasn’t able to survive from it, he died. At first, his illness almost broke his family but in the second time around it became the reason for them to be together once again as a family leaving her beloved twin Alexis full of fate and stronger enough to survive from any obstacles.
2. Did their father Blake have an affair with another lady?
Actually, Blake didn’t love another lady except their mother Eleonor. It’s just that all of them almost had a break down from the first disease of Adam. Their mother was not at home always just to take care Adam and their father felt that nobody needed hem anymore in the family so he put his mind on his work where he met this young lady who admired hem because of his intelligence as a lawyer, and there they found themselves comfortable with Blake having somebody to talk to with.
3. Is Eleonor an irresponsible mother?
She’s not an irresponsible mother, just like their father, after Adam recovered from his first sickness; she wants to forget that once in the life of Adam he suffered much. She doesn’t want to remember those moments wherein his son suffered from treatments. That’s why she made an escape; she focused on her work as a supporter of a politician.
4. Why Adam did didn’t tell her twin that his disease came back?
As I read the story, maybe the answer is “guilt”. He felt guilty that their parent’s doesn’t even stay at home, no more communication, as if they don’t know each other. As what he said, he wants to be live normally as others do even he knew that the killing disease is breaking his body for the second time.
5. Can you describe Alexis as a sister, student and a daughter?
She’s a loving sister. She did everything to fill the emptiness that her brother might feel because of the kind of family that they have. An intelligent student that she was even called a debate queen in their school. And of course, a responsible daughter. She did everything just to bring her family back together. 

Summarizer

When they were six, Adam and Alexis wrote down what they wanted to be when they grow up and put it in their teachers time capsule now entering their senior year in high school and invited to their first grade reunion, they are surprised to read what they wrote : Alexis wrote she wanted to help people and Adam wanted to be a fireman. But, that was before Adam got sick their family fell apart. Adam leukemia have remission, but, sadly so is the family
The twins parents don't have time for each other - they don't have time for the twins. Alexis planned to have their family have a weekend off to be as family together. But, she was not able to convince both of their parents, instead their father gave them money to have weekend vacation with their friends.
Their father said yes if their mother would say yes too but their mother was busy with some other things. So what Alexis did is to hang out with her friends. Accidentally, when Alexis and her friends were looking for clubs to hang out in she saw her father with other women. Alexis was hurt with what she saw so she get home early just to ease the pain she felt. She remembered her father offering them to hang out with their friends with a pocket of money. she accepted her fathers deal because she'd rather want to spend the money of her father than their father's mistress spend it.
So then, the twins took their vacation in Disney land where their family used to go to when they were young. they enjoyed themselves with the rides and at night they took swimming at the pool but Adam did not join them while they were swimming Adam wore jacket and a long pants which is inappropriate to wear to have swimming, his excused is that he grab the wrong outfit when he was packing with his things.
When they went home, Alexis spend time with her boyfriend she felt something wrong was happening with her twin Adam.She hurried home and saw a note from her mother saying that that Adam is in the hospital. when she arrived she saw her brother lying in bed with bruises in her body. Her mother told her that Adam's Leukemia have remission.
Adam's sick have no chance of recovering explained by the Doctor. His Leukemia is already at stage four. Adam doesn't want to tell his family specially his twin. He doesn't like his family to fell apart completely only because his sick. He doesn't want Alexis to be sad when his gone.
Now that Adam have only six months left to live. He wants to see his family happy. So Adam did everything just to make it happen. She told their father about what she saw at the bar. Their father said he could never love any other women same as he love their mother. What Alexis saw at that night is just a business partner of their father, no other relationship going on between them. Upon hearing it both of their parents apologized to each other and then to the twin.
Adam requested Alexis to help him prepare something to give to other children who's also suffering the same condition with his. Adam gave the little Rudy who used to be his friend at the hospital a teddy bear wearing a cap of a fireman. In that way Alexis was able to help kids which was what she wrote at the time capsule.
Adam died, but he left his parents and Alexis with happy memories.

ARTISTIC CONVENTURER