Chesapeake, By Stanley Suter

               Prompt-What are techniques used in your book?

               This week I have finally restarted reading "Chesapeake" and I really like it. A woman from across the Chop-tank river is sent for to be married to a Steed. This was celebrated unusually because the man, Fitzhugh Steed, had been married before. However, he was part of the first family on the Chop-tank river and his family was of the highest nobility. The woman's name was Rosalind, named after a character in Shakespeare's play, was set on making the world in Massachusetts as good as possible for her children. While doing so she embarrasses her husband and children, earning her a very bad spot in the town's court, where she is being persecuted constantly for the smallest of "crimes". Thats where I am in the story so far.

               The first technique that I think is crucial to the story is James Michener's purpose in his writing. The purpose of this story was a Narrative, because it slowly goes through the lines of generations of three different families, with certain explanations and comments through the chapter. This allows for much better understanding for the chain of events and how the families interact. Without his narrations, we would not know the storyline behind Fitzhugh being the father of three children that where not Rosalind's. Without his narration, we would be completely lost in the story.

               The second technique that I think was very important to the story was James Michener's style through his writing. I found a page in the book that had four vocabulary words from about two weeks ago. He uses very high tiered words that I used to have trouble understanding, but now it really enhances the old-agedness of it. I think it makes it much more exciting as a whole when the well educated characters have arguments about some things so simple, and some life and death situations. The words that James uses improves scenes in the story that would have otherwise been plain and boring.