Year 7 - English - 11.4.14

Chapter 12: Stranded

Word meaning

   1.     smother – overwhelm/ choke

   2.     retrieve –  recover/regain

   3.     stranded – stuck/trapped

   4.     couch – sofa

Summary

Jess and his parents walked over to the Burkes' to pay respect to Leslie. When they got there, they found the golden room filled with people. The people crying for the death of Leslie unnerved Jess.

Bill, Leslie's father hugged Jess and thanked him repeatedly for being such a wonderful friend to Leslie. Now that he knew that he would not see her again, he couldn’t maintain his sense of apathy (unconcern) any longer, and he ran out of Leslis’s house. Jess's emotions had turned on again, with a vengeance (revenge). When he tore back to his house, May Belle wanted to know if he had seen Leslie’s body laid out. May Belle wanted to know how a dead person looked like, but Jess just hit her, hard. He gathered up the paint set that Leslie had given him for Christmas, he ran to the creek, and threw it in. Jess’s father stroke his hair and comforted him. Father - son bond is stronger in this chapter

Later on, Bill comes by and asks Jess to take care of Prince Terrien while he and his wife go to Pennsylvania.  Jess agrees, and he is comforted by the presence of the dog that Leslie had loved. Bill and Judy decided to cremate Leslie’s body.

Jess’ parents tried to support Jess to overcome his mixed emotions. His father whom he thought never cared for him was giving his full support and comfort which made Jess realize the true relationship of father and son. His mother on the other hand gives her support by letting him keep Prince Terrien in the house and does not bother him much with the household chores as she felt that it was important for Jess come out of the emotions that stranded him.

Chapter 13: Building the Bridge

Word meanings

1.     whimper – cry in a low voice

2.     swift- fast

3.     chaos – confusion

4.     allegiance – loyalty/ faithfulness

5.     mourn – sad

Summary

The next morning Jess decided to go to Terabithia. He crossed the creek with the help of a tree branch that had fallen across the creek. For a minute he is convinced that the magic has indeed departed forever, that Leslie's death and the breaking of the rope cemented his fate as an ordinary boy rather than a king for the rest of his life. He had always felt somewhat at a loss without Leslie to guide him through the wonders of the kingdom. She is always been the one who spoke so royally, who had most of the ideas. Jess wanted to recapture that, eventually he decided to make a funeral wreath.

Jess is pleased with the effect when he was done with the wreath; he carries it to the grove of the spirits. Jess begins to feel that perhaps he can be a king. Just then he hears a shriek. May Belle had tried to cross to the other side of the creek on the branch, but she had gotten stuck halfway and was too terrified to move. Jess was still in control, and the sense of strength that descended upon him from Leslie helped him rescue her and they walked back to the house together. The next day in school, Leslie's desk had already been taken out of the classroom. Mrs. Myers calls him outside the room to speak with him. She expresses her sympathy and tells him that when her husband died how people were always telling her to forget, but that she did not want to forget. She knows it is the same for Jess now, and she wants him to know that if she can ever help him through this in any way, he should let her know. Mrs. Myers's words actually had meaning for Jess, and helped him to see Mrs. Myers in a whole new light. He realized that the only way to preserve the memory of Leslie was to preserve Terabithia.

The Burkes moved out of the old Perkins place several days later, saying that without Leslie, there is no reason to stay in Old Perkins anymore. They gave Jess all of Leslie's books and her own watercolor set, and told him to take anything from that they had left behind. Jess requested some of the lumber from their back porch. The next day Jess goes down to the creek and builds a bridge across it with the lumber he got from the Burkes. He brings May Belle down; they cross the bridge to Terabithia and he makes her the queen of Terabithia.