grand finale bri

The Cure

I walked up to the gate, the house seemed almost sad in the emptyness we left it in. Theres a lock on the gate, a heavy padlock, it wasnt budging. I heard Alex before I saw him, his tennis shoes crunching the gravel. I was about to say something to him, I'm sure it would have been something sarcastic like 'thanks for the key' or something. I think it clicked in our heads at the same moment right then, him pulling me out of sight right before a circle of lights turned on all around the house. Police and regulators were shouting, someone claimed to have seen us. They fanned out in all directions, searching. Alex and I took off once again, keeping to the shadows. I was about to go in a seperate direction, before he grabbed my wrist. a gentle shake of the head reminded me of what I should already have known. We could never go back to portland, this hadn't been some chance raid. someone had reported us, and going back into portland would land us straight in the crypts or worse, cured.

We ran, we ran as fast as we could for the border. The guard hadnt been drugged, we had nothing with us but the few possessions I had brought with me, thinking we still had time to prepare. I was wrong, there wasn't time left after all. There were search lights everywhere, Alex and I just having time to dodge them, just barely not getting caught. We kept low to the ground, having to stop at almost a crawl once we reached the guard huts. All the lights were on, but there wasn't anything we could do. We reached the very edge of the light, preparing to make a mad dash for the border, hoping against hope they hadn't turned the fence on yet, that they had been overconfident that they were going to catch us. Alex grabbed my hand, stealing a quick kiss before pulling me up. Holding my hand tight, he ran, and I ran with him, Alex pulling me along faster, hoping against hope we could make it.

Alex grabbed me around the waist when we reached the fence, boosting me up and almost throwing me at it. There was shouting at the guard huts now, but Alex just kept telling me not to look back, that he was right behind me. He waited till I was at the top before jumping on himself. I carefully picked my way around the barb wire like he taught me to do, and dropped to the ground, rolling away. Alex was at the bar wire now, picking his way through. An electric hum jumped up from the fence, and Alex jumped, but, not fast enough. His leg had been caught in the barb wire, and I screamed as he fell to the ground. I ran up to him, pulling him back by his arms, the same arms that had held me in that house just a few days ago, the same arms that weren't moving now. I smelled something burning, and realized with a lurch in my stomache that that was Alex's leg. My heart had stopped, I heard nothing of the screaming on the other side of the fence, or the copters, or the dogs, I didn't even hear myself screaming until it hit me that I was crying. The only thing that I was capable of doing was staring at that face, willing for those wonderful, sparkling eyes to open. I stradled him, started pumping his chest and counting out heartbeats, just like I was taught. My heart only restarted when I heard a ragged breath pulled through those lips that I had kissed so many times, had kissed me, and did once again before continuing to pull Alex to the trees. 

The Grand Finale- Destiny

Rebel

By: Destiny

I go to meet Alex in the evening just when the sun starts to set. I find that Hana is there too and they are both holding huge bags in their hands. As I see this, a smile shoots across my face and I feel as if this is all one fantasy. Before I can even finish the process of thinking, Hana grabs my arm, pulling me towards the way to the gate. The gate to freedom, where our mental thoughts aren't used against us. Its a place where love isn't something to be ashamed of. When I arrive there, I come to find my long lost mother who I've missed dearly.

"You guys keep going, I'm  going back. I will come back later when it is safe"- Hana says reassuringly.

"What? NO! They will take you and harm you! Stop fooling around." I speak as I become angry at her statement.

 "Baby, I promise it will all make since once you see what we have in mind," her mother says.

Before I could turn around to look back at Hana, she was gone. I was curious in what they meant. While in the process of what it could mean, Alex and my mother were grabbing my hands, pulling me along further into the woods of the wilds. Finally, they mention that were good now. 

At the end of the sentence I blurt out impatiently "explain!"

So my mother began, "Hana is going back to become a part of the security and procedure operator.. She will pretend to give the procedure in which she will actually not. Her idea is to let people feel and think for themselves instead of what the government wants them too. This way, they will want to end the way the society is."

A load of people come out; I was astonished by what was happening. It was so much to process in such little time. Then my mother started again.

"And us, the invalids, we will prepare to put up a fight to distract the regulators and everyone else while the whole army of Hanas will take over and change the society."

Suddenly, all of the weight that was lifted off my shoulders once I came here was all put back on. This was something massive; never before has anyone done this. There has been schemes and raids, but nobody has went this far. I must get ready. We all must get ready for the fight of our lifes.

A few months later after all the training of being quiet and quick, Hana shows. We all gather up to head out to the labs. Once we are there, Hana lets us in. I watch the evaluations amused by how everyone is saying the same thing, the wrong thing to be exact. We then make a scene exposing each and every one of the invalids catching their attention. Hana goes and locks down the buildings and all of her followers who she has obtained are capturing the ones of the government and the ones who follow them. One by one, they are locked up. Funny, how its not so great when instead of it being us, it is them. How does it feel I think. Then I flash black to reality and realize I have no time to think, I must act. We began hacking and destroying all the monitors. Singing and speaking of things nobody has heard and then finally, its all said and done. Not only did we win, but we just made a new beginning to the society which nobody ever thought would have come. 

The Grand Finale

Taylor-  Temptation

 I was ready to go. Only two more days until I will run away with Alex. We will stay together under the night sky in the wilds forever. I can’t wait, I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about him. His kiss, his smile, his touch, I love him. Carol can’t keep me here, not anymore. I want to go see Alex, everyone seems asleep for the night. I creep out of bed and slowly make my way out the door and down the steps. I’m dressed in all dark colors, I don’t want to be caught not now. I keep my guard up until I make it to our house. The doors opens quietly and a silhouette of Alex appears from the dark.

“Lena, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to help.”

Alex’s face shows a half smile, more of a smirk.

“We agreed to meet tomorrow.”

“I-I know.”

Tomorrow seemed like and eternity away and just the thought of it made me choke up. I couldn’t think of what to say, luckily I didn’t have to. Just as I began to form words Alex deemed them unnecessary. His touch sent shots of electricity through me, my eyes fluttered between his face and his shirt. His lips felt warm against my cheek.

“I know it’s hard, but we aren’t ready yet. I haven’t gotten enough food ready. We can’t rush this.”

“I know.”

I knew his words were true, but I still couldn’t wait. I buried my face in his shirt and listened. His heartbeat was slow and steady, a constant beat. Bump bump… bump bump… I lost track of time and before I knew it Alex had me in his arms lightly stroking my hair.

“You have to get home,” I could hear the sadness in his voice,” It won’t be long.”

I don’t remember the next morning or work that day. My mind was focused on counting the hours until I could see him again. Hours turned into minutes, minutes into seconds. Finally night had fell, Carol made me do dish duty again that night but I didn’t complain. I cleaned the dishes, got Gracie into bed, made sure Jenny was fast asleep, then listened for the sound of footsteps to stop. I waited around an hour after then I left for Alex.

I was less alert this time, but luckily I was fine. The door creped open, but instead of Alex standing there I was alone. Confused and worried, I searched through the darkness. I found nothing. Worry swelled inside me until I could see the streams puddle on the ground. Every drop shattered against the floor, with every drop a flood of water. Everyone could hear me, but I couldn’t stop. The door then slammed open and dust scattered through the room. Through the blur I could see him. Alex’s mouth wide open, his hands clasped around my cheeks. He was here, he was safe.

Alex took his time calming me down, letting his mouth and hands do more than words. Once I was calm, he whispered,” Sorry I was late. I was picking up something.”

Before I could even ask he showed me two large bags.

“What?”

“I’m ready… I was late packing enough for us.”

I was in tears again. I could leave, we could leave and never look back. We could be together, be happy. We packed everything and set out. Alex motioned for me to follow him as we got close to the fence. There was no buzz, it was off. I climbed the fence and carefully rested waiting for Alex to come too. Once he did, we ran; we had nothing to fear anymore. We were free, Invalid, and happy.

Yey or Nay?

Delirium- Taylor, Brianna, Destiny, Irwin, Amber, and Patrick
The novel as a whole was deep, meaningful, and inspiring. We  loved the use and effectiveness of love and danger. The best parts of our novel was the first meetings between the characters, such as Lena and Alex's meting during the evaluation and once again when she entered the evaluation area without permission. The beach scene with the two of them was another favorite of ours with the incredible secret of Alex and Lena's outrageous reaction. The best thing and yet the worst was the ending, the dramatic scene of Alex and Lena's final days together is heart wrenching. One thing we didn't like was the abuse and under appreciated animals though this was necessary to the plot and advancement of the Lena's character. Another thing that could have been approved was the variety of both people and landmarks. It seemed like there was a set  template for places in the novel, all the streets seeming the same, with only four or five set landmarks in the entire story. Regardless of the things that could have been changed the main story is beautifully written, full of excitement and suspense. The author had beautiful prose, and described the limited scenery with great detail. We would recommend this novel to people who love drama, adventure, romance, and dystopian culture. 

Let Me Introduce Myself

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Charatcer Anaylsis

Taylor -Gracie
 1)I chose Gracie. Gracie is Lena's cousin. Lena is the only one that knows the true about Gracie, and is the only one that even attempts to understands her and actually does understand her.
2) Gracie a small child of six years and several months. She has great big gray eyes. Gracie is traumatized by the death of her mother, who had a heart attack, and refuses to speak to anyone because of it. Gracie cries in her sleep and often repeats one word as she cries, "Momma". The other characters such as her Aunt Carol have never head her speak and often say, " She's as dumb as a rock." Her own sister does not defend her and she doesn't have a good relationship with anyone she lives with but Lena for she was the only one who heard her cry.
3) I chose Gracie because she is close to myself. By saying this I don't mean I have experienced the same thing, but I understand her. Gracie cries herself to sleep most nights, I do too. Gracie doesn't wish to talk to others, I feel the same way. No one can fully understand her, I know that feeling. Gracie is quiet, defiant, misunderstood, and is in constant reminder of her past. All these apply to me personally, though I do talk, I don't talk very much and at that not very loud. I am defiant but not in the sense of defining the law, I rebel against society and their interpretations of what is acceptable and what is not. I am misunderstood, my family doesn't understand me and neither do my friends, this is as far as I am willing to go on that topic. I, though have lived longer that Gracie, am always reminded of my past, the people I've met, the places I've been, and the sense of loneliness and solitude that comes with that. Not every past is good, not every life is full of darkness, but for Gracie, she is alone in her mind, alone reliving her mother's death over and over again. She knows she has Lena, but Lena can't see into her mind and feel the dread she does, but she knows Lena suffers from the same thing so they connect.

This picture represents both myself and Gracie. It is shown through the gray monotone shades that the mood is dull and sad. It shows the grey feeling of sadness and gloom. I named this picture Misunderstood for the quality I chose to represent. I have chosen to include in the background the items or people that are most important to the selected person. A broken phone, and written on pages with several drawings, these things are the what represent this quality to me and show loneliness. For Gracie, I gave her the quote "Momma" and the image I view her of wanting her mother happy.

Destiny- Hana
1) Hana is the best friend of the main character, Lena. By societ, they are looked at as people who should not socialize after the cure because of their family backgrounds. However, they feel a deep connection during their friendship.
2) Hana is a tall, beautiful girl who is also tan. She is the more 
relaxed person, but brave enough to seek out what she is curious in. She will be the first to do anything and everything. along with this, she has a tendency to speak what she thinks too often, unaware of what is around. Lastly, although others may be right, she follows her instincts and thoughts over anyone else's. 
3) This character is a like me mainly because even in the most sincere situations, there is always one thing to look at and laugh about. I stay very relaxed about most of everything, also when something grabs my attention, I tend to be anxious to find out more. Just like how Hana reacts when she is obviously curious about the invalids and detects an open way for them to get into the labs. She convinces Lena to go along with her into the open, although she notices the "do not enter" sign. Furthermore, I speak about things to friends that are suppose to be secretive, but do not pay attention to the surroundings of me. Neither does Hana when she converses about the invalids with Lena, even though she knows she is not suppose to mention the name. 

I created this picture to represent Hana when spots the open way into the lab. She was anxious to know more and decided to go on through even though she was not allowed too. This signifies her characteristics of being brave because she knew how much trouble she would be in if she was to be caught. Which also relates to me because I tend to forget the consequences and rather focus on what is happening presently. This is to be called "Curiosity make its worthwhile." 


Annabel (Lena's mom)  -Brianna

She has red hair, was the same build as lena and icy blue eyes. She does not have friends, has very limited family including a sister and a neice that was later diceased. She also has a late husband and another daughter named Rachel. Annabel was known for being happy and full of life, showing her daughters much love in private but still being mostly calm in public. She filled her daughters days with endless laughter, and raised them diffrently than the cured parents did. Annabel also had days of depression and anxiety, as well as nights when she cried herself to sleep. She still greived for her late husband, keeping his military pin on a chain under her shirt at all times.

I relate to Annabel because she is a fighter, because she never gives up. She was incredibly stubborn, just like I am. She was never cured, and they never broke her. I like to think im also that strong willed, after all its not like I ever back down from a challenge. Annabel also felt things more than she was sopposed to, and i get that way sometimes too. I let it all get to my head, and just like Annabel, I don't have anyone who would understand enough for me to talk to them. She also had alot of patience, breaking out the way she did. Even though I know I dont have that much patience, I do know I'm stubborn enough to do it much the same way. Annabel also never let anyone bend her way of thinking, never let them take away that little light inside. I'm the same, theres a lot I can keep from getting to my head, I take a lot, just like her.  

This flower is clinging onto life, it is a fighter, just like Annabel. It is symbolic because it shows that things dont have to be perfect for sparks to survive. The dark and light split in the vase shows a choice. The dark half shows insanity, the disease, or love, in this book. The light represents the norm, scociety, doing what you're told. Annabel had to make a choice, and she chose to fight the procedure, to go to the crypts rather than submit. For me, the dark represents what I want to do with my life, and the light represents what my family is telling me to do. I have a choice to make too.

Aunt Carol (Lena’s Aunt)- Irwin

Aunt Carol in the book Delirium by Lauren Oliver is a relative to Lena and took her after her mother and father died. Lena who has desire the affection from her family never really gets it from them. Not from her sister Rachel, nor her cousins. The only one who actually really has an affection and caring characteristics s aunt Carol and really cares for her major evaluation test that will determine her outcome in society. So Aunt Carol is a major character to Lena because she sees the love or humanity characteristics that should not exist with her aunt. In fact Aunt Carol and Lena in way find the evaluation test unnecessary and unfair to society.

Aunt Carol is seems to have certain affections for Lena, in which she tries to hide the love within. Aunt Carol seems to always encourage Lena in the decisions she agrees with, even if it’s not the right thing. She tends to almost act like a loving and caring mother to Lena. That’s how I can be sometimes, I tend to be a little smart mouth, but when it comes to the real deal, and my feminine side comes out.








Brian Scharff - Patrick Bradberry


 My character I'm choosing is Brian Scharff. Brian is the guy that Lena is paired with during the evaluation. He is a little skinny nerdy boy who try's to make something out of Lena and his relationship. Lena doesn't like him because of his features and personality. And she says in quotes, "I don't love him because he's not Alex."
 I feel like he's pretty relatable to me because of many, many reasons. I have always been looked down upon just like Brian. From how I look to how I speak, dress, walk, and have fun. I have always been in the out crowd. Even though a lot of people do know me, 75% of it is probably not in a good way. I like things a lot of other people don't and find weird like Brian being the captain of the fencing team at his school. I love makeup theatrical makeup, drawing, painting, and creating something from nothing. Me and Brian would be pretty good friends.

 

Trailer for Delirium Coming Soon

First forty eight- edited by directed Patrick Bradberry.

 

 



 

Character List

                                                                  Who's Who?                                                                                                Alex:  blonde hair slightly orange, tall, golden brown eyes, tan skin.
Cure scar is fake, is an invalid, was born in the wilds, father is dead, guard for the evaluation center, last name is fake, owns a house in the wilds, implied dead at end of book. Met Lena in the evaluation center when it was overrun by cows, is currently nineteen.
"I'm not who you think I am."

Lena: often has nightmares, is in between in every way, is five-two, has brown hair, two cousins and lives with her aunt Carol and uncle William. Her best friend is Hana, birthday is on September 3,is seventeen, hate oranges, father is dead, mother taken to crypts.
"The deadliest of all deadly things: it [love] kills you both when you have it and when you don't."

Carol: Aunt of Lena, is cured, wife of William, took Lena in after her mother was sent to the crypts,
"They want to know about your personality, yes, but the more generalized your answers the better chance you have of being considered for a variety of reasons."

William: uncle of Lena, is cured, husband of Carol,works in a grocery store and let's Lena work there with him.

Gracie: sister of Jenny, mother is dead, father was a sympathizer, she never talks, remembers her mother clearly, helps Lena many times through the course of the book, is greatly disturbed by her mothers death and can't speak more then the word "mama" because of it
"Wait."

Jenny: sister of Gracie, is currently nine, has the attitude like Carol, doesn't show many emotions

Rachel: sister of Lena, is cured, has a husband and two children, fell in love with a man named Thomas before she was cured,claims that the cure is good for Lena, drugs Lena so that she can't escape

Hana: best friend of Lena, she is incredibly rebellious, rich, blond hair and very beutiful, is left behind at the end of the book, ultimately led Lena to officially meeting with Alex, 18 years old, has many ideas about love and happiness, covered for Lena and Alex many times.
"You can't be happy unless you are unhappy sometimes."

Annabel(Lena's mother): went through multiple cure surguries, cure never worked on her, cared for lena like no cured mother would, mourned her father years after his death, was taken to the crypts when Lena was a small child, she later escaped, carve "love" into the crypt wall
"I love you, remember, they cannot take it."

Brian Scharff: appointed match to Lena, has many medical problems, is cured, had a secret love for a girl before he was cured

Riley(the dog): was killed during the raid while Lena watched, was the neighbors dog, beaten to death with a baton by a regulator, is the reason Lena realizes that this life she has is wrong, after watching him die she felt that everything she knew was a lie and that everyone was there to hurt and hunt her not help and keep her safe

Task

And Then What? 

Based on the title and 1st page of the novel, what do you think the story will be about generally? Any preconceived ideas of who the characters might be or their relationships. What do you know based on the first paragraph?

Based on the title and first page of delirium, I think the story is about how love has come to be a disease in the society they live in. Based on the first paragraph you can't really tell who the characters are and what they act like. The first paragraph does tell you is there is a surgery to get rid of the disease called love, and that the main character is going to receive the surgery on her birthday, in ninety five days, on September third.

Who Did It?


Lauren Oliver was born on November 8, 1982 in Brooklyn. She is currently thirty one years old and she graduated from the University of Chicago with a literature and philosophy. She comes from a family of writers. She was born in queens, New York but loves in Brooklyn presently. She has been writing young adult novels for over four years. Lauren Oliver was raised in a small town called Winchester, NY, very similar to the setting in her first book, before I fall.


Where Are We Again?

The book is set mainly in Portland, Main. There are also key parts set in the wilds, the uncured area outside the city gates. Society in the United States is contained within city walls in select authorized cities. The wilds extend all across the country, between all secured cities, or cured areas. Cured cities are full of people that have gone through the procedure that cures you from deliria, or love. Lena lives with her cousins and her aunt Carol.



Are We There Yet?



Why is it that some people find it better when you can't feel emotion, as to not feeling or blocking themselves off from caring about people?

Is it better to let the chance pass you by and be cautious, or take the chance?

Why is it that some people say that love is this wonderful feeling, while others say it is nothing but pain?

What are the benefits of being different from the rest of society?

How easy is it for people to hide their true intentions from everyone else?