End Of Unit Assessment Himl

Marisol Sanchez Period 3 11/08/18 Throughout the course of the book Hole In My life by Jack Gantos, Gantos develops the thematic topic of choices. The author believes that the choices you make can lead to consequences. In part 1, Gantos develops the theme by showing how Gantos ends up feeling horrible after his choice to drink a lot. In part 2, Gantos realizes that he would have made a different decision if he knew what his consequence would be. In part 3, Gantos starts making decisions that will lead to better outcomes. In part 1 of HIML by Jack Gantos, the theme of how the choices you make can lead to consequences is developed by the author. This can be seen in chapter 2 when the author states, “Unfortunately I was also in the process of discovering I had no tolerance for that much alcohol and I always became blind drunk and ferociously ill, spending almost every night loudly heaving my guts out in the toilet while begging god for mercy. I was a mess.” (Gantos 13) To paraphrase, Gantos drank a lot of alcohol even though he knew he shouldn't have and he ended up feeling awful. The author illustrates/portraits that Gantos made poor decisions in his life and had to suffer the consequences by using strong words such as “ferociously ill” and “mess”. The author also uses a regretful tone to emphasize how Gantos had to suffer the consequences of his choice to drink excessively. In conclusion, the theme is developed by having the author use tone and word choice to demonstrate how Gantos had to deal with the aftermath of his choices. Next, in part 2 of HIML, the author continues to develop the theme that the choices you make can lead to consequences. In chapter 2 it is stated, “If I hadn’t been so spellbound by the thought of ten thousand dollars in cash, I would have fled with the rats the moment the rust-colored sails were hoisted” (Gantos 72). To paraphrase, Gantos is saying that if he had a chance to change his choice, he wouldn’t have taken the job. The regretful and reflective tone of this quote implies that Gantos now knows that the choice he made was a mistake and that his mistake lead him to bad results. By using the word choice of “spellbound” and “fled with the rats” this illustrates how regretful Gantos is and how he realizes his choices affected him negatively. In conclusion, the author shows how Gantos is regretful about the decisions he took which helps develop the theme that the choices you make can lead to consequences. Throughout part 3 of Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos, Gantos develops the theme that the choices you make can lead to consequences. This can be seen in chapter 3 when Gantos states, “And honestly I was eager to get away from him. I was beginning to fill up with fear and wanted to put some distance between us. It was the fear of being with a victim and that I would be next in line.” (Gantos 153) This demonstrates that Gantos had the choice to continue being friends with the person and possibly get hurt or distance himself from them and be safe and Gantos chose to distance himself because he knew that the decision to stay with the person could affect him negatively. This quote uses a cautionary tone when Gantos explains his fear of

what could happen which emphasizes the theme of how the choices you make could lead to a consequence. Next, in chapter 8, it states, “ I would not let myself make that kind of mistake again. No matter how desperate for money I was, I knew giving in would reveal that I was desperate on the inside in an even worse way- and I wasn’t, not anymore.” (Gantos 200) Gantos realizes that if he were to dig up the hash he could get in trouble again so he chooses not to do it. The word choice of “mistake” indicates that Gantos regrets his previous choices because he had to pay the price for them so Gantos won’t make the same “mistake” because he now knows there could be a consequence to any choice he makes which is the theme. In conclusion, by using tone and word choice Gantos is able to develop the theme that the choices you make can lead to consequences. The author uses tone and word choice throughout Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos to develop the theme that the choices you make can lead to consequences. This is seen in part 1 when Gantos makes a choice to drink which leaves him feeling bad. In part 2 when Gantos regrets his choice because of the results he had. In part 3 when Gantos realizes he needs to make better choices in order to have a better aftermath. This theme is relevant to my life and the real world because I know that each choice you make has a result whether that be a good or bad one. I especially know that a bad choice will lead to a consequence like a domino effect. This theme of how the choices you make can lead to consequences is important to the real world.