LAQ'S #1

General

    1. The plot of "Cruise Control" is about a boy named Paul who is in high school and he has a bad temper but he is one of the best if not the best athlete at his school. His brother, Shawn on the other hand is not so fortunate. He is mentally disabled, in a wheel chair,can't do anything on his own and he has seizures that get worse and worse and on top of that, his father left them when they were about 5 years old. Throughout the story he has to go through the mental torment of seeing his father coming to his home every once in a while to try and make things better but Paul wants nothing to do with it

    2. The theme of this story is that no matter how bad things are right now, you have to find the will to get through it and keep on moving forward.

    3. The author's tone is both fearful and hatred. One example that shows fearfulness is when Paul having a terrible seizure with drool all over, he calls his mom because Paul sees that Shawn's face is purple and he is afraid to lose his brother. Another example is when Paul starts to think about collage and starts to realize that he may not be able to go to collage because he has to stay and take care of his brother. One example of hatred is when Paul realizes that he can't go to collage because of his father, if his father wouldn't have left them, he would be able to go to collage while his dad takes care of Shawn.

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         1. Direct characterization/ "My only brother is a veg. Yep, a full-fledged, drooling, fourteen-year-old idiot."
         2. Mood/ "Like i said, I've got a bad temper. It's so bad, it makes me sick sometimes."
         3. Conflict/ "When i pull up to our house, my dad's car is here. Damn! I consider rolling right on by, killing time until he leaves..."
         4. Third person/ "I pull up to my regular parking spot and cut the engine."
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Characterization

    1. :Direct characterization/ "My only brother is a veg. Yep, a full-fledged, drooling, fourteen-year-old idiot."
       :Direct characterization/ "My name is Paul, but don't call me Pauly. I mean never."
    2. The author uses diction when he is talking about Paul and when Paul speaks. A lot of it is exaggerated
    3. Paul is a static character because he doesn't change much
    4. When i finished the book i felt like i knew Paul very well, i felt alot of emotion, and i felt what Paul would feel in the situations he was in