John Green's 'The Fault In Our Stars'

Part I – Fiction

The Fault in Our Stars By John Green

1. Character: The main characters in The Fault in Our Stars are Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus “Gus” Waters, Isaac, Mrs. Lancaster, Mr. Lancaster, Peter Van Houten, Patrick, Mr. Waters, Mrs. Waters, Dr. Maria, Lidewij Vliegenthart, Kaitlyn, Monica, Caroline Mathers, and Anna. Some characters such as Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters are extremely complex, whereas other characters like Patrick and Monica are much less complex. Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster interact with each other affectionately and passionately. Their relationship affects the plot by taking them to Amsterdam, thus meeting Peter Van Houten and Lidewij Vliegenthart. Their relationship also eventually
takes Hazel Grace to Gus's funeral.

2. Setting: The Fault in Our Stars takes place mainly in present day Indianapolis and Amsterdam. The author establishes a dull, monotonous mood when describing Indianapolis, whereas when describing Amsterdam, he creates a magnificent, and inspiring mood when describing Amsterdam. The author decides to describe Indianapolis as dull and monotonous because Hazel lives a boring, and mediocre life in Indianapolis. However, the author decides to describe Amsterdam as magnificent and inspiring because Hazel and Augustus are excited and feel liberated. 3. Theme: A main theme in the novel is the necessity of suffering. A quote that portrays this theme is on page 272, when Hazel says “There's a great quote in Gus's house, one that both he and I found very comforting: Without pain, we couldn't know joy.”

4. Conflict: Major conflicts that exist in The Fault in Our Stars are Man vs. Man, Man vs. Self, and Man vs. Society. An example of a Man vs. Man conflict is when Hazel and Augustus meet Peter Van Houten who is very rude and disrespectful towards them. An example of a Man vs. Self conflict is represented throughout the story with Augustus, Hazel, and Isaac's cancers. An example of a Man vs. Society conflict is how society views Hazel and Augustus as social outcasts.

5. Imagery & Figurative Language: There are many examples of sensory details conveyed in The Fault in Our Stars An example of a sound detail is how Hazel describes her BiPAP machine as a breathing dragon. An example of a touch detail is when Hazel touches Augustus's scar. An example of a sight detail is the “confetti” falling in Amsterdam. I see many instances of similes and symbolism in the novel. The author, John Green uses symbols to convey a message without being blatant. For example, he describes Augustus putting unlit cigarettes in his mouth often. This represents Augustus's attempt to control the things he fears. An example of a simile in the novel is Hazel referring to herself as a grenade.
Part II – Non Fiction

To Be a Slave By Julius Lester

1.
Main topics and ideas found in To Be a Slave include the unique narrative of a slave, liberation, and promoting awareness of what exactly happened during slavery.

2. In the beginning of To Be a Slave, the soon-to-be slaves are very close to their homeland, Africa. Once they are taken away from Africa, the slaves become connected to one another. Slaves stuck together to keep spirits high and to protect their best interests.

3. The central idea in To Be a Slave is power. The white slave owner abused his power by taking captive vulnerable people for free labor. One slave owner exerted power over several slaves. The slave owners asserted their power daily through beatings, whippings, and even murder.

4. The author, Julius Lester's point-of-view is that the narrative of a slave must be made known to fully understand the horrors of slavery. An opposing point-of-view may be that in order to move past slavery, we must forget that it happened altogether.

5. The author's purpose is to inform the reader about the horrors of slavery from a slave's
perspective.

Part III – Film

The Fault In Our Stars

1.
The protagonist of the film is Hazel Grace Lancaster. Hazel is not the typical heroine that we are familiar with, instead she is constantly struggling with everyday tasks due to her disability. Despite Hazel's disability, she is very strong emotionally.

2. There are several characters in The Fault In Our Stars that I find significant, confusing, amusing, and interesting. Characters that I find significant are Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters, and Peter Van Houten. A character that I find confusing is Peter Van Houten. Characters I find amusing are Isaac, Gus, Patrick, and Peter Van Houten. Characters that I find interesting are Hazel, and Peter.

3. The soundtrack is used to portray many feelings, and to create several moods. An example of one of these instances is when Augustus and Hazel arrive in Amstersdam, and an upbeat dance song called “Boom Clap” by Charli XCX is played. This song expresses Gus and Hazel's excitement for being in Amsterdam. Towards the end of the film, a dramatic song called “Wait” by M83 is played, this portrays the gratitude Hazel feels towards Gus. 4. There are several camera techniques used in the film, three of which include scene transitions, close-up, and blur effects. Scene transitions and blur effects are used mostly to show Hazel going into a
coma

Part IV – Illustration

The Black Sheep By W.W. Denslow

1. The illustration is realistic because it represents familiar things, a young boy and a sheep, in a way that is true to life.

2. The illustration is color.

3. The media used in The Black Sheep is pen and ink.

4. Major images in the artwork are love and connection. The young boy and sheep are close together, and are glaring at each other affectionately, this represents connection. The heart behind them represents love.