The Killing Circle

The Killing Circle is the book that I choose to do for my report. The book’s protagonist is a middle-aged widower. His name is Patrick Rush. He has a son, and is a columnist. His life is pretty average, wake up go to work, then come home, spend some time with his boy, and then goes to bed. Everything was normal until he decided to join a writing circle in Kensington market. Throughout the circle there is one person’s story that stands out to him, the authors name is Angela. Patrick for some reason decides to record her story on a Dictaphone that he always has. The story is called the Sandman. Throughout the few weeks that the circle goes on there are three murders. Although they are not related directly to the circle Patrick believes that the Sandman, from Angela’s book, is real. After the circle ends the murders stop. The group members do not speak for a couple of years. It is reported in the newspaper though that the leader of the circle, Conrad White, and Angela died in a car crash. Patrick decides that since Angela is dead he could use her story, and become a published author, but to Patrick’s disbelief he sees Angela at a book signing, she gives him a number that he can reach her on. They meet up and have lunch, and she tells Patrick that she is mad that he stole her book, but there was something more important at hand, the Sandman is real and killing off all of the people that were in the circle. Once Patrick hears this he realizes that his son, Sam is not safe in Toronto anymore, so he sends him to stay with his aunt outside of the city. As the weeks go by Patrick figures out that someone has been following him, and that they want to hurt him. He also discovers the body of one of the circle members in his back shed. He is forced to “deal” with it so that he would not be sent to jail. William, one of the circle members, just days after the murders, confess to all of the killing. Patrick thinks that is safe to go and see a movie at a drive in movie theatre to go and see the movie, the Sandman (Patrick’s book). Sam is kidnapped, and this is when Patrick realizes that William was not actually the Sandman. For the day that the police are looking for Sam, Patrick realizes that the real Sandman was actually Angela, so he goes out to her old house, were he finds himself in a massive blizzard. He thinks that he hears Sam in the forest, and runs out in the snow. He passes out from exhaustion, and wakes up chained to a chair in the old house he was in. This is when Angela confesses to him that yes the story of the Sandman was true, but she was not the one that was doing all of the killing, but it was actually her brother Len, also a member of the circle.
One of the themes in this book was envy. Patrick Rush always wanted to write a book, and then when he heard the story of the Sandman, he became envious of the fact that she had a story. But when she died, and didn’t release the book Patrick took the opportunity, and used her story. Another theme in this book was crime. Through the theft of Angela’s story to the murder of all of the circle members crime and murder are major parts of this book.

This book was a very good read, I thought that the language that Andrew Pyper used was very appropriate, not hard to understand, but still deep in description. The author wrote this book from first person. I thought that it was very effective.

One issue that was raised that I though was reflected on the adolescents of today was plagiarism. I thought that this book really showed that people can become obsessive of there work, and you never know what might happen if you steel their work.

I thought that the author did a very good job on this book, but I think that if he had tried to build up more of a relationship between the people in the circle through the middle of the novel it would create more of a emotional feeling for the reader when the circle was being killed off.

I would and have recommended this book to anyone that likes to read a good mystery novel, that has a twist at the end that you will never see coming. I rate this book a nine out of ten because it kept me reading all the way through.

One of the rhetorical devices in this novel that I found was when Angela was sharing her book, and said that the man in her dreams stepped out, and was killing people. This is the use of personification. I thought that the idea of having a person step out of a dream, and also later on in the book step out of a book was a very good use of a rhetorical device because it created a idea of something with the most terrible intentions, that would only be possible in dreams, coming to get you. Another rhetorical device that I found in the book was the use of poetry that used the repletion of a sound at the end of each line, “I am the ground beneath your feet/ The man in dark alleys you don’t want to meet.” I thought that the use of poetry and repetition was very effective because it gives you an idea that everything that you had an idea about was wrong, and that you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. Also he uses a metaphor in this sequence, “I am the ground beneath your feet.”

Choices

1. What kind of decisions do teens face?
Should I add that person on facebook?
Should I eat that double Big Mac?
Should I go to the gym?
Should I break up with my girlfriend?
Should I have sex with my girlfriend?
Should I fight that kid?
Should I have that 14th beer?
Should I wear skinny jeans?
Should I listen to indie music?
Should I send that hate email?
Should I try drugs?

2. What information do teens need to help make decisions?
They need to know the consequences of there decisions that they are making. I.e. if I want to have sex with my girlfriend I need to know the possible outcome like STDs, and pregnancy. Also the simple things like should I add that stranger on facebook, you need to know that he is not some creepy pedophile.

3. Describe your life 10 years from now.
In ten years I want to be a competitive ski racer. I also want to be in university in the US at a nice tier one or two school on an athletic scholarship. I want to have a girlfriend, and have a job. I think that I need to make decisions that will help my fitness. I need to be careful about not doing thins like smoking, and drinking. I lastly think that I need to work hard in the gym, and eat healthy.

Rituals

1. What are Rituals?

Rituals are when is set out group of actions that is often related to religion, or tradition.

2. What are examples of rituals?

Some example of rituals are confirmation, mass, and evensong.

3. Why are rituals related to nature?

Rituals are related to nature because they are a way of coming to respect and love the gods or spirits that live in nature, like the a bear god or god. Also because rituals mimic nature because there is a lot of repetition in nature, and rituals are also very repetitive. 

4. Why is repetition critical to the enhancing of a ritual?

Repetition is critical to enhancing a rituals because in essence each religion is trying to engrain their beliefs in there heads.

5. List events that are repetitive in your lives or the world around you.

Brushing your teeth

Sleeping

Going to school

Eating dinner

Going to the gym

Driving to work

6. What action would you repeat on a regular basis?

I always get out of bed, go to the bathroom, have a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, go to school ect.

7. Do Rituals have a symbolic value? Explain the value of symbolism in ritual.

Yes, a lot of rituals do have symbolic values. A lot of rituals use the moon and the sum to represent different things. Some also use fire and water.

8. How are rituals associated with theatre?

I think that there are a lot of rituals that are used in the theater during a performance. I think that we use rituals in theatre to try and attract people to there primitive nature. Also I think that we try and associate rituals into theater because rituals a very pretty, and prestigious things to be a part of.

9. How are rituals related to memory? 

I believe that a ritual is related to memory because with all of the repetition in rituals they are basically brainwashing us into believing what they want to believe. 

How are hierarchies related to status? How does one assert one's status over others?

 

Hierarchies are related status because they show your position. The higher up you are on the hierarchy the more power you have. The lower you are in the hierarchy the less power you have making you lower in status. One may either use a person lower on the hierarchy for a slave or a servant. Also they may bully and or hurt others because they are higher on the hierarchy and they can. Also one may boss people around because they are trying to move themselves up in the ranks because they impress the other people. 

Individual Role Play

Which of your faces/masks/personas is really you?

I think that all of the personas that I played are really me. I think that i am not just a single celled organism. I am more the just one thing. I will show different sides of me to different people. I will be caring, and thmughtfull and other things to my girlfriend. This side of me i have never shown, and highly doubt will show to any of my teachers. I think that we have different sides to use because that is what makes us who we are. If i was one person to everyone i would not have that many friends, and my parents and teachers and friends would all think of me as a different person. I think that when we act differently around others we show who we truly are because as an individual you think that you are acting very differently, but really you are still the same person, and all of you will shine, it just depends on who is seeing it, and from what perspective. I think as a person we try and portray a different person to different people, but i think that is just human nature, and trying to make ourselves recognized, and loved. In a whole I think that no matter what face we put on we are still the same person, and we shouldn't try and be exactly the same around everyone because you will not be successful because you will be so 1 sided, and uninteresting that people will not want to be incorporated with you.

1. How is role-playing or acting different from taking on a particular attitude during a group activity? I think that the attitude is different because you have more freedom in acting to explore a different personality or a person. 2. What can you do to improve your contribution to group work? I think that i can listen more to the people that are trying to express the opinion on how they think stuff should be done, even if their points are stupid. I think that i should also try to be more co-operative with the other group members.

Role-Play Questions 2

1) Some sociologists say that because most families today have so much technology, we have become so self-sufficient that we think that we donít need communities anymore. What do you think about this?

I think that this is a somewhat true statement, but i think that in todays society with the amount of technology we have we can create a different type of society. Also i think that we still have a community, it just is less reliant on others.

2) How important is concentration and focus in this kind of work? Why?

Concentration and focus are so important in this kind of activity because without them you can not maintain a certain amount of disbelief, also if you start laughing during a scene then the entire scene could be ruined.

3) How important is listening to others in this kind of work? Why?

It is so important to listen in this kind of work because you don't know who the other person is, or what they are gonna say. Also you have to listen because if you don't you will end up saying something that has nothing to do with the scene.

4) How does role play in drama help us understand ourselves as human beings on this planet?

It helps us understand ourselves as human beings because it will help us think from other people's perspectives. Also i think that it will help because we can share how we are feeling through another person. This will let out all of the built up rage inside and stop us from flipping out.