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By: Robert Cormier 1977 Ronnethyst Wilson Slide 2 The book I Am The Cheese comes from the thoughts of the protagonist Adam Farmer. The book is a reflection of the boys journey from Monument, MA to Rutterburg, VT. He is on his way to visit his father where he is met by many obstacles such as dogs, bullies, and vehicles along the way. Later on in the book the reader discovers that Adam is not a young boy but, really a man telling his life story in a psychiatric ward. Slide 3 During my freshman year of playing basketball I not only made varsity, I started on the junior varsity team. I played most of the game plus I received a lot of playing time in varsity. One week we had three games and two JV games. By Thursday, I was exhausted at practice. My body couldnt function. We were doing wall jumps before we left, but I couldnt do it. Fisher said, Wilson, you are one of the toughest mentally get on the wall and do it. I knew if I didnt I would just be a coward who was scared to push myself in life. This was a challenge that made me realize no matter how you may feel, you are your own true motivator. Slide 4 My uncle was killed while I was only at the age of 1. Later that year I turned 2 years old and my daddy was shot 5 times a couple months later. When I got older I never discussed the untouchable issue. It was always in the back of my mind of what actually happened and this left me curious. When I would ask what happened my mother would shy away from the issue. Finally, I mustarded up the courage to ask my daddy. He told me my uncle was shot making his last drug run before giving of that life and going to pick up his daughter, my older cousin. He also told me that the reason he was shot was because he discovered who his brothers killer was and he just wanted answers. This was a lesson within a lesson. This showed me asking questions can lead to answers, but that some questions arent worth being answered. Slide 5 It was the last game of the summer basketball season in AAU. It had been our third game of the day. My body felt like crumpling apart on the slightest movement. The game was almost at half time when I made a steal. As the ball was almost out of bounds, I tried to save it. I tried to stop myself as I felt I was falling in slow motion. My knee caved into the side and I braced myself as I went down on the wooden floor. Soon after, still in the motion of falling, I heard a sound of a rubber band snapping. This was the worst pain my body had ever sustained. Later, this event became know as that tore my ACL. Slide 6 Some people take my personality and what I say as being rude or even mean sometimes. There has been many occasions when I know I am just being blunt or brutally honest. I feel that you should rather want to know the truth then send yourself out in the world being blind. I also can take the constructive criticism because it makes you better at the goals you are trying to accomplish in this lifetime. Slide 7 There have been times when I have thought about quitting, but I have never actually went through with the action. One day during physical therapy my knee was in so much pain I wanted to cry. I just wanted to walk out the door. I also thought that if I done this I would never get to live out my dream and go back to playing basketball so I pushed myself because I knew it would benefit me in the long run. Slide 8 It was the day of my ACL surgery and I felt numb and helpless as they prepared me. My body just felt drained and reality didnt set in of what was happening until the nurse came and set the medicine in my hand to begin anesthesia. It felt like I just wanted to get up and run away but, my legs wouldnt let me. Its like I knew when I woke up I would feel the outcome of the surgery which would be nothing but pain. Slide 9 The theme of the book I Am The Cheese to me is becoming one with yourself or finding your true identity. During this book the main character Adam is on a journey in order to find his parents. Little does he know he is on a journey to find who he is in this life. Typically, a person can remember their childhood, but this is just a clue of how the book is not only intriguing, but full of twists and turns. No matter if you connect with the characters or not you will pull something from the book to call your own. Slide 10 Cormier, Robert. I Am The Cheese. New York City, New York. Pantheon Books: 1991.