Discussion Director
I do agree with the questions made by Cloister. It can be the questions to be answered when you read this novel.
· If you’re the veterinarian who found Bettie Brice at the river banks during the night of the abduction, would you do the same?
· If I were the veterinarian, I think I would do exactly what he did. I will keep her until she’s ready and strong enough to protect herself. Although it would be unfair to Jack Stang for not letting him know that Bettie was still alive but it was the best thing to do during that time. You don’t know whom to trust. You don’t know who are the bad guys and good guys. You can’t just even report it to the authorities that she was alive because you simply don’t know the people there. And a single wrong action could take Bettie’s life.
· What if Jack Stang knew that Bettie Brice was not really dead at all after that abduction?
- Perhaps they got married and have already started their own family. But on the other hand, I think it will be a little bit hard for them to have a simple and peaceful life because for sure Bettie’s abductors would do everything and anything for her speedy death.
Literary Luminary
As literary luminary Jaynne got the most meaningful passages.
In this first passage I thought Jaynne got it because she believes that Jack Stang is very happy to find her love ones alive.
· “She was alive! My Bettie was alive! I didn’t care how she looked or how she remembered things, what she could see or couldn’t see, my Bettie was alive and that’s all that counted. (Page 24)
· “The end would be the beginning”. (Page 47)
In this passage it would be a challenge to us that the end is not the end of everything but it is the beginning of new horizons. Just in the story that after they saw each other for 20 years of parting time it will be the new beginning of new chapter of their lives.
· Some dreams are impossible to remember. They get scrambled and exist beyond comprehension. (Page 55)
This passage simply implies that everything changes and sometimes we don’t notice that something happens to us.
· Credentials would refer to the identification with a drug deal. (Page 110)
I think this passage pick by Jaynne proves that there is a possible solution to the problem behind the case of Bettie.
Literary Connector
Being the literary connector, Pana found it hard to connect “Dead Street” with other novels because very few detective or spy novels that she had read before. The only novel she can remember that she had read is the “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which is a lot different from Dead Street of Mickey Spillane. In “Dead Street”, it involves a love story and the male protagonist, Jack Stang, was betrayed by his co-officer and friend unlike Sherlock Holmes who wasn’t betrayed by his loyal friend and partner, Dr. Watson, from the start until the end.
The other novel that she had read that is quite similar to “Dead Street” which was written by the same author is “The Erection Set”. Both novels involve romantic relationships that seem to be put on hold for decades while waiting for someone yet it ended in happily ever after. They both involve eliminations of local gangsters, mobsters or any bad people. And the novels include romantic scenes like most of the couples do.
The plots of ”Dead Street” like the betrayal of a friend or co-worker revealed in the last part is very common to the movies she had seen but that was a long time ago that she can hardly remember their titles. But one of her favorite movies that are impossible to forget is the action-comedy film starred by Van Diesel as Shane Wolfe. He was betrayed by his commanding officer, Captain Bill, who is a double agent. Both of the traitors failed to succeed in killing the protagonists. Captain Bill was captured and put into prison while died but before he lost his last breath he was able to ask for forgiveness to his friend. He asked Jack Stang to shoot him with the mobster’s gun so that people would think that he was shot by the enemies. Through that people won’t find out that he was a traitor but they will see him as a man of honorable character who died faithful to his duty. And thus, he won’t cause shame to his family especially not to disappoint his colleagues and fellow police officers.
For her the novel is good and some parts of it are realistic based on what she had experience from a story of her best friend. Back when she was younger, she once had a best friend whose father viewed as a very good, upright man but behind his pleasing personality shown to them is a hidden truth. He was a perfidious husband who is addicted to gambling. According to her best friend, his dad was indebted a large sum of money. At first, he didn’t believe it because his father has been very kind and was so good to them until their father confessed to them. To pay the debts, his father accepted the offer to handle a mission so he needs to be away from home. Until such a shocking news was heard that her best friend’s father was shot in the shooting incident. Others believed that whoever is responsible for his father’s are people whom his father owed the debts. But no matter what they say, her best friend would always believe that he had the best dad in the world and no one can change that perception.
So whenever she read novels or heard stories similar to these, she can’t help herself but associate it with her experience and it affects how she perceive and judge people or things.
But despite of her very good answer I am disappointed with her performance for this first novel we had read. We have an agreement that we have only 2-4 days of reading the material but for her she read it for almost a week that results to we haven’t have enough time to discuss with the group.
Vocabulary Enhancer
I believe that these vocabulary words found by Daisyree in the novel we have read are not familiar for us. And I think reading novels is such a good thing to do to have a high vocabulary; it would be the ease to know and used it in an appropriate situation.
1. Meager— adj. deficient in quantity, fullness or extent.
Pg. 1. And was packing his belongings for a U-haul ride to Los Angeles.
· I was already in school when I remember that I brought a meagre bag.
2. Graffiti/graffito— n. a drawing or inscription made on a wall or other surface usually to be seen by the public.
Pg. 14. But the financial cut-off had let the cement chip away from the courses of brick and left a blackboard for the damn graffiti artists to spray- paint insults on.
· She passed that place and was amazed of the graffiti she had seen.
3. Slobs— n. A crude or slovenly person.
Pg. 14. A couple of those slobs were still wearing bandages.
· She said that she had a very high standard, but how come that most of his boyfriends were slobs?
4. Anachronism— n. Representation of something as existing.
Pg.15. Hell, I was the living anachronism, the old fire horse couldn’t get out of his stall.
· She is an anachronism of their place.
5. Miniature— n. A very small detailed painting.
Pg. 28. I stared at it for a few seconds, dipped a few ice cubes of the miniature icemaker.
· He enabled to reminisce the past when he saw his girlfriend’s miniature.
6. Muttered— n. A low indistinct utterance.
Pg. 26. Hump muttered, “Sure, Jack”.
· I don’t get her point because she just muttered it.
7. Abducted— v. To carry off by force; kidnap.
Pg. 18. “The night before, we had heard about the altercation in the city, and we both knew at once that this girl who had been abducted.
· Elisa’s family thought that she was abducted, but the fact is she had voluntarily go with her uncle.
8. Squirms—v. Exhibit signs of humiliation/ embarrassment.
Pg. 18. Twice before I had felt those in siding little squirms and both times I had been shot at right afterward,
· Stop it! Can’t you see those signs of squirms?
9. Flipped off— v. to turn over especially with a quick motion.
Pg. 18. My thumb flipped off the leather snap fastener and eased the hammer back.
· When I saw those gossipers I quickly flipped off my way.
10. Jab— n A quick stab or blow.
Pg. 18. Something seemed to jab my heart.
· He was assigned to kill her, but he can’t do it just even to jab her.
Character Captain
Jack Stang is the main character in the novel entitled Dead Street by Mickey Spillane. As the Character Captain, I can say that he is determined to find the truth behind the case of his love Bettie. In page 191, we can prove this characteristic, “When Bettie remembered the information about the files. Bettie said it just was a coincidence, a complete coincidence that man Orbach chose Credentials to safeguard his data. He is determined to know and he asked what that data was.”
He is hopeful. In such a way that he is hoping to find Bettie his one and only love whose involved in the credential case 20 years ago. This characteristic of Jack is proven in page 120. It states that, “When he said no Bettie noticed the quietness in my voice and didn’t say a word, she was waiting. She was rational; she could be able to comprehend the details of the past without losing any of the progress she had made. Now the ball was in his court he said that twenty years ago he and she were in love. They go to get married. Bettie was smiling! He felt a little bit nervous. She was waiting so he continued. At work she uncovered something in the files- Bettie’s fas didn’t show any deep concern at all. She was digesting the details and studying them; then after atleast for the moment. It was like surviving the monstrous blast of an A-bomb.”
He is also deeply in love and faithful. In page 121 it states that, “After telling what had happened past 20 years Bettie asked him if jack love her. Incredibly so, said Jack. Jack asked something. They both had their eyes closed when he kissed her. They were blind but all-seeing and now they had the world in their hands.”
Artistic Adventurer
As the artistic adventurer Kevin made the most beautiful art presentation related to the novel we have read. It’s not because of we are the one who portrays in the photos but he thought of a very simple yet amazing arts. It sounds funny but I am telling what I wanted to say. It made me interested to be the next artistic adventurer. And I am hoping to have a very good presentation.
Evaluation
As what I have observe in our group we haven’t reach the peak of satisfaction. We haven’t so much time to discuss all the subject matters in the first novel we have read. But I am grateful that we have accomplished it as a group. I hope on the next novel we’re going to read it on time. We will have time management so that we have so much time to discuss in a group to have a better outputs.
