I want you to do two things. You may either do them separately, or you may weave them into a single narrative, depending on what is most comfortable for you
1.The central character of Samaritan is the television writer, Ray Mitchell. He makes a wonderful protagonist for our purposes because he has experienced so many different social levels in his life. Throughout the novel, he interacts with a wide variety of people, many of whom could easily be the central character in a story of their own. So what I’d like to have you do is choose any one (in one case, a group), of the characters (I’ve prepared a list below), and imagine the story from that character’s point of view. What is that person’s relationship with Ray? How would he/she interpret Ray, his actions, and motives? What does he/she want from him, or from life in general? What are his/her dreams? What are his/her challenges? (Be aware that what the character says and what the character reallybelieves may not always be the same.) If you wish, and are feeling especially creative, you can try writing this in the first person.
2.Was reading this book valuable to you in any way? If so, how? If not, what about it made reading it a less than good use of your time? Would you recommend this book be used again? Why or why not?
The Eligible Characters:
1.Ruby Mitchell (Ray’s Daughter)
2.Detective Nerese Ammons (Tweetie)
3.The kids (as a group) in Ray’s Class. If you use
these,
consider them a representative sample of kids of that
age in that environment.
4.Carla Powell
5.Danielle Martinez, Carla’s Daughter
6.Claire Mitchell, (Ray’s ex-wife)
7.Nelson, Danielle’s son, Carla’s grandson
8.Freddy Martinez, Danielle’s partner
9.Salim El-Amin (Formerly Coley Rodgers)
10. Tommy Potenza, a.k.a. “White Tom”
Dempsy, New Jersey, is fictional. It is modeled, however, upon Jersey City, a very real place. In order to give you some idea of what Dempsy might be like, I'm providing illustrations of one of the zip codes in Jersey City. I chose it because it includes a waterfront development similar to the one in which Ray Mitchell lives as well as areas similar to those where the other characters reside.
Percentages of Families Living in Poverty. The National Average ia 9.8%
Percentages of Individuals Living in Poverty. The National Average ia 9.8%
Percentage of population identifying itself White. The National Average ia 75.1%
Percentage of population identifying itself Hispanic. The National Average ia 12.5%
Percentage of population identifying itself Black or African-American. The National Average is 12.3%
Zip Code 07302, courtesy of Google Earth. The tower to the bottom right would be similar to that described in Samaritan. A view to the southeast would include the Statue of Liberty.
Note the street pattern here. You'll see that some of the areas described in economic or social terms are outlined by the changes in street orientation.
Click on the Picture to open a vews from Live Search offers a chance to see the part of JerseyCity similar to where Ray Mitchell used to live and where he lives when the story occurs.
Use Google Earth or Live Search to explor the city further. Use some of the layers to see what amenities are available, and if there happen to be pictures of the area included.. You should be able to locate at least one public housing project, and place it in the context of the demographic data below..
Ray Mitchell might have lived in one of the hi rise buildings on the horizon. Stroll around Jersey city to see what other kinds of neighborhoods you can find.
If this works, above will be a map of Jersey city, showing the location of public housing units. Clicking on "View Larger Map" will allow you to use the street view feature"
Length: 5 pp. Typed, double spaced, (more or less)
Due: Thursday, October 14 Submitted by Blackboard.
Preview Period:Through Thursday, October 7: Also submitted through Blackboard.
UPDATE: The Preview is Optional. I offer it for those who think they'd find it useful to
get feedback before submitting a final version for a grade. Because I didn't make this clear, I'm extending the preview period one day: Previews will be accepted
through Friday, October 8.
I'm posting this very early. I want you to have time to think about the problem even before we discuss the book. The book discussion will begin October 5.
The central character of Samaritan is the television writer, Ray Mitchell. He makes a wonderful protagonist for our purposes because he has experienced so many different social levels in his life. Throughout the novel, he interacts with a wide variety of people, many of whom could easily be the central character in a story of their own. So what I’d like to have you do is choose any one (in one case, a group), of the characters (I’ve prepared a list below), and imagine the story from that character’s point of view. What is that person’s relationship with Ray? How would he/she interpret Ray, his actions, and motives? What does he/she want from him, or from life in general? What are his/her dreams? What are his/her challenges? (Be aware that what the character says and what the character really believes may not always be the same.) If you wish, and are feeling especially creative, you can try writing this in the first person.
