Reading Journal
This page will be the place where you record your impressions of 'The Running Man' throughout your reading. Once a week there will be a prompt that you are to respond to (here on this blog, under the prompt using the 'Comment' link). Your response needs to be in the form of a correctly structured paragraph and use complete sentences, correct spelling and grammar.All posts are to strictly relate to our study of this novel and NOT include any personal information, messages or content.
Week 3: Post your response before Monday of Week 4.
Post a response with your initial response to your reading of Chapters 1-3. Possible ideas to consider include:
- impressions of the events read so far
- connections to your own experiences
- predictions of the plot (or generally
- questions that arise from your reading
- reflections or 'thinking aloud' about what you have read
- identification and interpretation of the conflict/s
- considering another character's point of view
- analysing the motivations of characters
- advice you would give the characters
- questions your would ask the author
- literary features: themes, symbols, language (figurative language, sound devices, etc) etc
These prompts can also be used to guide or assist you with posts to your own Weebly pages throughout our study.
I feel sorry for the "running man" because in chapter 3 when Joseph freaks out because he is getting closer. the "running man" was just on his way to where ever he was going and the kid made no attempt to hide his distrust from the man and probably makes the guy feel bad about himself when he probably hasn't done anything to deserve the distrust of him and acts the way he does for a very good reason... or he's just a crazy old guy.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you looking at another character's perspective. I think you have it right when you say he "acts the way he does for a very good reason". Mrs Lans
DeleteMy Impressions Of The Story "The Running Man" so far is that it is a sick twisted tale of a dark mysterious figure"Tom Leyton" who is hiding away from the rest of the world because he is still in mourning over the death of his parents.
ReplyDeleteDeanFenner
Interested in your comment "...a sick and twisted tale". Will catch up with you to find out what you mean. Thanks for posting. Mrs Lans
Delete"The Running Man" is quite interesting. I think the characters Tom, Joseph and the running man have a deeper connection then what has been explored so far in the text. The novel shows the judgemental nature of humanity which perceives people in a certain way due to how they act or what people say about them.
ReplyDeleteJoseph has a childhood fear of the running man and his nightmare involving the running man returns as soon as he is asked to draw his reclusive neighbour Tom Leyton. Tom Leyton has been ostracised by the rest of the town. I think that Joseph will draw Tom Leyton and as Joseph moves deeper into the life of Tom Leyton he will also open up his "private hell".
ReplyDeleteNice observations Luke. Particularly like your recognition of Tom's reclusiveness and ostracism. Mrs Lans
Delete"The Running Man" is an appealing novel in many ways. Personally, I think it shows how judgmental people can be, even if they just know your name not your story. The novel explores three main characters, so far. These three characters each have different identities that the text also explores.
ReplyDelete"The Running Man", in my opinion, is a novel that shows how judgemental society is and how they can perceive a person based on rumors and speculation. So far in the text the audience has been introduced to various characters who all contridict each others personalities yet seem to live in somewhat harmony except for Tom Leyton, whom i believe, will teach everybody how identity can influence how others perceive you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an identity statement Nicole. Nice work.
Delete"The Running Man' is a novel that i think that all of us at some point can relate to it. In the first 3 opening chapters i feel that it shows how people can be judged without knowing whats on the inside and without knowing their whole story. so far in the novel it has only been based on three characters.
ReplyDeletei think the novel 'The Running Man' is really interesting. I think that the characters and their strange personalities is what makes the novel so interesting. WE began with knowing about this character that the rest of the community stays away from, then this kid is asked to draw a portrait of him which i believe will bring them loser and show the true identity of the characters and their past.
ReplyDeleteJoseph is quite a polite and well-mannered boy, but his fear of "the running man" as a child returns to him as he is asked to paint a portrait of his neighbour Tom Leyton. I believe that Joseph will bring out the inner beauty in Tom Leyton to show that your identity comes from what is built up inside you
ReplyDeletei think the novel 'the Running Man' is really mysterious, dark and interesting. Tom Leyton is a mysterious man who is hiding from the rest of the world and being a depressing man because of how his parents died and left him and his sister, but than Joseph is a quite polite boy but has a fear of 'the running man'. this shows us different types of idientity and how it bulits up inside of you.
ReplyDeletethe begining 3 chapters of the running man is interesting because it gets us thinking of the characters personalities and the way the story is going to play out. i also think the portrait is going to be a big part of the story and that there are still some more interesting charaters who will be introduced in the next few chapters.
ReplyDeleteJoseph seem like a pretty normal kid with a weird neighbor. But he has a fear hidden fear of the running man because of something that happened to him when he was a kid. Tom Leyton is made out to be some almost mythical person is mentally unstable. But Joseph's mum thinks that he's misunderstood. l think that Tom will end up being the running man and Joseph will have to bring out something he has kept inside of since he was a young boy. Tom will have reveal himself to this kid and bring out things he has been holding inside of him since the death of his parents. both characters will discover a new aspect of their identity and also start to heal themselves for the pain that they had kept inside of them since their events of trauma.
ReplyDeleteSome great ideas Levi. There are definitely aspects of Tom's identity that need (and will receive) explanation. This is a story of how one's identity can be formed.
Deletei think joseph is a relateable character, hes just a kid that his mind gets the better of him, and the more he thinks the worse it gets. due to "the word" spead by mrs mossop, who is the gossip queen of her time, creates a unbearable, and inescapable image in josephs head when he over hears her comments. the running man is probally a character the is really misunderstood, andd we will probs come to hear more of his story and see why hes so decrepit and mysteryous
ReplyDeleteBy touching on Mrs Mossop you are considering the fact that our identity can be influenced by others in addition to what we might do ourselves. Nice thinking Mitchell.
ReplyDeletethrough their relationship there is lots of tension in there conversation. tom leyton seem to want to communicate but he doesn't know how to say it. by giving joseph the poem tom hopes to give joseph an anwser to his question without having to say anything. joseph tries to be careful with what he says because he doesn't want tom to go back into his shell and never see him again. when he realises that he need to know more about his neighbour and starts to be a bit more adventurous with his guestion, revealing a new part of his identity
ReplyDeleteIn the the next few chapters we begin to see even more how tension starts to overcome the conversations. Tom giving Joseph the poem is just a way of masking what he wants to say, he figures that if he just gives joseph the poem he has avoided telling him the answer to his question in person. We also start to notice how precise Joseph is being when he talks to Tom because he knows that one wrong word or conversation could mean that he will go back into his shell. The ideas 'uneasy relationship' come into this section of the book because we start to undertand that the relationship between Joseph and Tom is 'uneasy'.
ReplyDeleteWithin the following chapters we begin to obtain a much more in depth view on Tom Leyton, particularly on his physical appearance and body language. Josephs initial judgments on Tom are fulfilled revealing he truly is a mysterious and unpredictable indivdual however as the book progresses, the relationship between the two becomes closer. They contain an uneasy relationship constantly uncertain of how the other person may react or reply, but i think as the book goes on this relationship may become more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteAs the book moves on, we begin to find out even more about Tom Leyton. However even though some aspects are revealed, he still contains many hidden secrets, that Joseph is unaware of. Its obvious that Tom was unable to cope with the tragedy of his parents death and instead of being comforted by those around him, he has decided to remove himself from society, creating his own identity as a mysterious, lonely, and crazed man locked up inside.
ReplyDeleteJoseph seems to be a young teenager that is conventional in manner and sticks to the status quo. We soon realise that he has problems too, he likes to be alone, and keep to himself. His mother thinks this is odd. Where is his father? Why does it hurt Joseph to think about him?
ReplyDeleteTom Leyton appears to be a character greatly misjudged by all around him. He is obviously misjudged because no one has seen or heard of him for ten years, even his sister does not talk to anyone about him, and people then begin to draw conclusions. What is wrong with him? Has he had an accident? What has happened so that Tom stays inside? In some ways Tom is similiar to Joseph as he seems to like to keep to himself, maybe this is why Caroline thought Joseph would be good for her brother.
I feel sorry for 'the running man', mostly because, he, just like Tom, has likely been horribly misjudged. Joseph, as we can see from his fear and word choices, eg. 'ragged figure', as judged this 'running man' only by physical appearances. He is scared of the running man not because of what he has done, but of what he may do. He has stereotyped 'the running man' by how he looks, and has attributed with it actions that fill nightmares, "he was, quite literally, the stuff of nightmares". Even his name is an assumption of who the man is. We feel sorry for this man, even though Joseph's interpretations beg differently, because we can sympathise with how he feels as many of us have judged or been judged through stereotypes. Who is this 'running man'? Why does Joseph fear him even though he has never spoke to him or knows his personality?
Will Joseph learn to better understand Tom and 'The Running Man' and sympathise with them as we as readers do?
chapter 4-8
ReplyDeletei really felt only pitty towards tom in the first few chapters and for his sister who seemed to be the only one who would cop the gossip from the town but now that i have read i fell for both of them they are two very interesting characters and i feel a passonite anger towards the community who has ben judging them.
i found that the next few chapters where just further describing the characters. i think toms identity is the way it is because of what happened with his parents and the way he couldnt take it all. in these few chapters Tom and Josephs reltaionship also becomes stronger.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDuring the next few chapters Joseph is starting to see Tom Leytons true Identity, Joseph soon realizes that Tom is a misjudged figure and that his physical appearance could be shocking by the way Tom's sister portrays him. Could Tom's identity be because of his parents?
ReplyDeleteIn the next few chapters, the reader sees how society can fixate on one aspect of one's identity, letting this aspect taint their perception. However when Joseph gets to know Tom, it shows how this perception can spread to others even if they don't know that person all to well which was shown when Joseph was frightened to meet Tom even though he didn't know him.
ReplyDeleteI think chapters 9 to 12 in the running man are very important you start to really feel for tom as more of his past and his personality start to be revealed. I think it was great use of using the silkworms as something that brought the two characters together instead of the drawing. Joseph starts to fill in his drawing as he started to see the personality of tom which is the authors way of showing the progress of the relationships thoughtful the novel I think if the author wanted to do something abrupt in the relationship like if they wanted to show their relationship fading away the silkworms could die to show that connection has gone.
ReplyDeletelel lick my nut
ReplyDelete