Emily Of New Moon: Read-Along: Discussion 2

Discussion 2 covers chapters 11-17. Jump on over to Amber's blog Seasons Of Humility to read you post and join in on the discussion. You can also comment here.

My Thoughts:

I'm enjoying reading Emily's story, but have to say that I don't like her character as much as I like Anne in Anne of Green Gables. There are similarities with both characters though. Both have vivid imaginations and both love to write.

We get to see more of a friendship between Ilse and Emily in these chapters. Ilse is quite the little spit-fire even though her anger runs hot and furious she gets over it rather quickly. Emily is more of a slow burn kind of girl so they are a bit like water and oil in their personalities. I think Ilse's moods would give me whiplash, but those types of people you tend to know where you stand with them!

I want to reach through the pages to that teacher Miss Brownell and shake her. She's an awful person. And then for Aunt Elizabeth to take her side just infuriated me!

Teddy and Perry...uh oh, are we going to have a love triangle here? I hope not, but I do love both of them!

The author's theology is off, but I do love Emily's exploration of faith and how she tries to help Ilse believe in God even though Ilse's father didn't.

Looking forward to continuing along in the story and see how Emily grows. I'm definitely going to have to get the other books and read them as well.

Quotes I Enjoyed:

--No, I ain't afraid of anything except the devil, said Ilse.

  I thought you didn't believe in the devil either -Rhoda said you didn't.

  Oh, there's a devil all right, Father says. It's only God he doesn't believe in. And if there is a devil       and no God to keep him in order, is it any wonder I'm scare of him?I loved Ilse's reasoning here! 

--And you won't be ashamed of me because my clothes are always queer and because I don't believe in God?

  No. But if you knew Father's God you'd believe in Him.

  I wouldn't. Besides, there's only one God if there is any at all.I loved that even though she says she didn't believe in God she at least believed there was only ONE God.

--I think God is a very interesting subject, and I'm going to pray for you, Ilse, that you can believe in Father's God.

  Don't you dast! shouted Ilse, who for some mysterious reason did not like the idea. I won't be prayed for! This just made me laugh!

--Emily, sitting on a big stone with her knees crossed, her eyes black and her cheeks crimson, interjected little sarcastic retorts that infuriated  Ilse still further. Ilse was crimson, too, and her eyes were pools of scintillating, tawny fire. They were both so pretty in their fury that it was almost a pity they couldn't have been angry all the time. This just cracked me up! 

--puling, snivelling chit

--I'm glad to be rid of you-you proud, stuck-up, conceited, top-lofty biped.

--insignificant serpent

--If I couldn't write better poetry than you, I'd hang myself, she derided. I'll lend you a dime to buy a rope, said Emily.

Oh my word! When Emily suffers Ilse's wrath it kills me the names that Ilse can come up with. And the last one where Emily offers to lend Ilse a dime to buy her rope...ack! Their whole fight was humorous to me even though it tore Emily apart. 

--We fight about once a week but we make up right away and Ilse says things would be dull if there was never a row. I would like it better without rows but you can never tell what will make Ilse mad. She never gets mad twice over the same thing. She calls me dreadful names. Yesterday she called me a lousy lizard and a toothless viper. But somehow I didn't mind it much because I new I wasn't lousy or toothless and she knew it too. I don't call her names because that is unladylike but I smile and that makes Ilse far madder than if I skowled and stamped as she does, and that is why I do it. bwahahahaha! You go Emily! 

--but there is a certain odd kink in human nature by reason of which the flavour of the apples belonging to somebody else is always vastly superior to our own--as the crafty serpent of Eden very well knew. The grass if always greener on the other side of the fence?

--Poor little neglected Ilse, who found in Emily's companionship what she had hungered for all her short life and who was, even now, being led by love into something of her rightful heritage. I love that Ilse is being loved by someone. I love that Emily in her way can show this to Ilse.

--Emily coolly lifted up one of the planks, knelt on the others and peered down. Oh. My. Gosh! This scared me to death! I had visions of Emily falling into that well! A horrible scene!

Discussion Questions:

1. If you could have Ilse, Teddy, or Perry as your friend, which one do you think you would get along with the best? Which one do you think would help you grow the most? Oh I'd probably get along best with Emily, but Perry totally cracks me up! I loved the whole scene where he was listening to Miss Brownell and Aunt Elizabeth told him to come down from the loft area and he had no clothes on! Bwahahahaha! 

2. What did you think of Emily's response when Lofty John suggests she's eaten poison? How might you have reacted similarly or differently? That would have been an awful joke for an adult to play on a child! I would have acted the same way I imagine. How scary for her! Poor thing!

3. Which scene did you find the most humorous in these chapters? What part particularly made you laugh or smile? The scene with Perry in the loft and then the scene with Ilse and Emily fighting. Both made me laugh.

4. Imagine yourself as a student in the classroom when Miss Brownell is reading Emily's poetry—or in the house when Miss Brownell comes to speak with Aunt Elizabeth. How would you feel, and what might you do to come to Emily's aid during or after the incident?Sadly I would probably comfort after the fact, but during I would never have been able to step forward and confront either Miss Brownell or Aunt Elizabeth. And during the whole scene with Miss Brownell reading the poetry I probably would have had my head on the desk because I can't stand to see someone made fun of or ridiculed. 

5. If you lived at New Moon, which season would be your favorite to experience?New Moon seems like a lovely place to grow up and I imagine that all of the seasons have their own beauty and advantages. 

Well, that is it for this discussion. Have you read EMILY OF NEW MOON? Feel free to comment here, head over to Amber's blog and check out her post, and post your own thoughts on the book.