Em ulat ion Handbook

The House of the Scorpion / Nancy Farmer

by William Flenner

Living in a lit t le house in t he poppy fields is all Mat t eo Alacrán(Mat t ) has ever know n unt il t he he m eet s t he pow er consum ing Alacráns (know n as t he House of t he Scorpion). Mat t soon Mat t discovers he is a clone of El Pat rón, a pow erful drug lord w ho rules over a land know n as Opium : a count ry in bet w een t he U.S.A and Azt lán(form erly Mexico). Mat t lives w it h El Pat rón?s fam ily(The Alacráns) w ho despise him , except for El Pat rón w ho loves him . As Mat t grow s up , he searches t he reason behind his very exist ence and for w hy he is w ho he is. The House of The Scorpion has received awards such as the John Newbery Medal and the National Book Award for young people's Literature.

"An inspiring tale of friendship, survival, hope, and transcendence" -Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW (Seen on the back cover) Table of Cont ent s

Slides 3-4 - Component #1: Point-Of-View and its Impact Slides 5-6 - Component #2: Plot Sequence Slide 7-8- Component #3: Narration and what the Reader Knows Slide 9 - My Emulation: A Rough Road for Two Slide 10 - Annotations Slide 11 - About the Authors Com ponent #1: Point -Of-View and it s Im pact

?But it w asn't all right . Som et hing about t he food, t he heat , t he light w as w rong and t he m an didn't know w hat it w as. Very quickly over half of t hem died. There w ere only fift een now , and Eduardo felt a cold lum p in t he st om ach. If he failed he w ould be sent t o t he Farm s, and t hen w hat w ill becom e of Anna and t he children and his fat her w ho w as so old?? (Page 3). Com ponent #1: Point -Of-View and it s Im pact What 's t his elem ent ? Here t he aut hor, Nancy Farm er, is expressing t he fearful m ood of t his quot e t hrough Eduardo?s t hought s w hich t he aut hor can read from t he t hird person view. We [t he readers] know t hat t he aut hor is describing t his in t he 3rd person because t he aut hor did not w rit e Eduardo?s t hought s in it alics like in ot her books t hat are w rit t en in t he first person and it w ould have quot at ion m arks before and aft er Eduardo?s t hought s. Also in t he quot e in says: ?...Eduardo felt a cold lum p in his st om ach.? w here if it w ere w rit t en in t he first person it w ould be w rit t en as ?...I felt a cold lum p m y st om ach.?. Looking for ?I? and ?m y? are m et hods of ident ifying first person w rit ing. Why does it m at t er? The quot e is from t he first chapt er so t his is im port ant t o t he st ory because it is int roducing us t o t he cells - t hat are being grow n by Eduardo - w ho w ill becom e t he m ain charact er Mat t eo Alacrán. In t he quot e t he cells alm ost died and based off of Eduardo?s, fear of t he cells dying and his punishm ent for it , w e know t hat Mat t is not only im port ant as t he m ain charact er t o t he reader he is also of im port ance t o t he ot her charact ers in t he book.

What 's t he im pact on t he reader? The elem ent of t his quot e is Eduardo?s fear. Eduardo?s fear im pact s t he m ood of t he st ory t o be int ense so t hat w hen t he reader reads t his part s/ he w ill feel Eduardo?s fear and w ill feel concerned for w hat happens t o Eduardo and t he cells. We can t ell t hat Eduardo is w orried because t he m et aphor used in t he quot e: ?... he felt a cold lum p in his st om ach.? We can also conclude t hat he is w orried for his fam ily, because in t he quot e it says ?...and t hen w hat w ill becom e of? ?. This m eans t hat Eduardo does not know w hat w ill happen t o t hem , but w e can guess t hat it m eans som et hing bad w ould happen, based on t he effect Eduardo?s fear has on reader. In addit ion w e can guess t hat t he Farm s is a bad place because it is inferred in Eduardo's m ood. The aut hor ?s use of t his elem ent is so t hat t he reader w ould have a st ronger connect ion w it h t he charact er in t he book em ot ionally. Com ponent #2: Plot Sequence

?So Eduardo began t o w orry again. And for a m ont h everyt hing w ent w ell. The day cam e w hen he im plant ed t he t iny em bryos in t he brood cow s.? (Page 3).

What 's t his elem ent ? In t his part of t he st ory t he aut hor is briefly explaining t he cells grow t h int o an em bryo and it is show ing t hat t he book?s w hole plot sequence is linear.

Why does it m at t er? This is im port ant t o t he st ory because it is describing t he m ain charact er ?s grow t h. It is t elling t he reader w hat t he plot sequence is going t o be like t hroughout t he book, and t hat t he aut hor is speeding t hings along and skipping over t he unim port ant part s, such as all t he det ails of t he cells grow ing int o an em bryo, t o keep t he st ory from dragging along. This is t he aut hor ?s w ay of keeping t he reader 's int erest .

What 's t he im pact on t he reader? This quot e is t elling t he reader w hat t he book?s plot sequence is and t hat t here w ill be m ore quot es like it t hat are sped up and are described briefly, w hich w ill com e lat er in t he st ory. This elem ent is keeping t he reader from being bored from t he book dragging along and from losing int erest . So t his effect keeps t he reader involved in t he st ory. Also, t his part of t he st ory also t ells t he reader a quick overview of w hat ?s going on in a cert ain part of t he chapt er. This quot e, specifically, t ells t he reader t hat it w ent from t rouble of t he cells dying t o t he cell successively grow ing. This m akes t he reader go from nervous t o relieved and calm . Overall, short overview s of a part of t he plot can quickly change w hat a reader m ay feel about t he st ory w hile reading it . Com ponent #2: Plot sequence Plot Sequence of Chapt er 1

Start: Day Half One Month: Cells Day embryos of the cells die grow into embryos are put in cows (pages 2-3) (page 3) (pages 3-4)

Unknown Number of Days: Unknown Number of Remaining embryos grow into infants Days: The last infant and die until one is left (page 4) continues to grow (page 4)

Day Eduardo Receives INewborn (page 4) Com ponent #3 Narrat ion and What t he Reader Know s

I??Propert y of t he Alacrán Est at e?? That ?s us. It doesn?t m ake sense,? said St even. ?What ?s going on?? cam e a voice t hat Mat t hadn?t heard before. A large, fierce looking m an burst int o t he room . St even im m ediat ely st raight ened up. Em ilia and even María looked alarm ed. ¨ We found a kid[Mat t eo Alacrán] in t he poppy fields, Fat her,? said St even. He 's hurt him self, and I t hought t he doct or...t he doct or--? (Page 23)

Background Inform at ion: Aft er Mat t Jum ped out of t he shat t ered w indow t o go play w it h St even, Em ilia, and María, Mat t falls on broken glass. The t hree t ake Mat t t o The House of The Scorpion(t he Alacrán's house) t o help rem ove t he glass. Com ponent #3 Narrat ion and What t he Reader Know s I??Propert y of t he Alacrán Est at e?? That ?s us. It doesn?t m ake sense,? said St even. ?What ?s going on?? cam e a voice t hat Mat t hadn?t heard before. A large, fierce looking m an burst int o t he room . St even im m ediat ely st raight ened up. Em ilia and even María looked alarm ed. ¨ We found a kid[Mat t eo Alacrán] in t he poppy fields, Fat her,? said St even. He 's hurt him self, and I t hought t he doct or...t he doct or--? (Page 23)

What 's t his elem ent ? The aut hor is using t he narrat ion t o put t he reader in Mat t ?s shoes. We know t his because in t he m iddle of t he excerpt it says ?...cam e a voice t hat Mat t hadn?t heard before.? The aut hor only t ells w hat everyt hing is t hrough w hat Mat t already know s and t he new know ledge t hat Mat t gains, like in t he quot e it says t hat t here is new person's voice but w e don?t know w ho it is because Mat t doesn?t know w ho it is. We can also say t hat t he book is w rit t en in present t ense. We know t hat because in t he quot e, t he narrat ed port ion is sounds like it is in t he present t ense. If t he book w as narrat ed from t he aut hor ?s point of view she m ay have revealed som e inform at ion about som et hing t hat m ay com e lat er in t he plot . Why does it m at t er? The narrat ion is t he form of how t he st ory is What 's t he im pact on t he reader? being t old, such as w ho is t he narrat or, w hat point -of-view t he st ory is t old in, w hat t ense t he IWhen t he aut hor uses Mat t t o narrat e t he st ory st ory is is t old in, and how m uch inform at ion is w e feel like w e are m ore deeply connect ed w it h given t o t he reader. In The House of t he Mat t and t hat w e are Mat t . Because t he book is Scorpion t he narrat or is Mat t , t he st ory is w rit t en in t he first -person, Mat t ?s em ot ions and 3rd-person lim it ed, t he st ory is present t ense. feelings are read as if it w ere com ing st raight This inform s us t hat t he narrat or can see t hings from us. So t his m akes t he reader react t o every only from Mat t ?s perspect ive, m eaning t he feeling because t he w ay Mat t ?s feelings are narrat or can?t see and describe everyt hing. This described are so close t o how w e experience is t he aut hor ?s w ay of creat ing suspense. t hose exact feelings in real life. Every t im e Mat t get s nervous w e st art t o becom e afraid. Every t im e Mat t get s hurt w e shudder and recoil. Also, by using Mat t t o narrat e t he st ory, t he aut hor doesn?t spoil anyt hing for t he reader. Because of t his each new t hing t hat Mat t learns is new t o t he reader. When Mat t learns about som et hing new but doesn?t know m uch about it , t he reader w ant s t o know m ore so t he reader w ant s m ore. My Em ulat ion: A Rough Road for Tw o

There it is, t hought Jason excit edly. But his excit em ent did not last long. Jason looked dow n, t hen quickly looked aw ay. His body jerked violent ly. He felt st one give w ay beneat h his foot . ?Augh!? Jason jum ped and grabbed ont o a higher part , t he rocky face. His body slam m ed against jagged rock. Im m ediat ely he felt t he point of a rough ledge drive int o his cheek. Sharp pain spread t hrough Jason like w ild fire. Jason felt like he w as being st abbed over a t housand t im es. A cold st ream of liquid t rickled dow n his face. He w ished t hat t he sound of nearby rocks falling dow n below him w as only his im aginat ion. Jason st ruggled t o cat ch his breat h, he slow ly t urned his face t ow ards t he heavens. He could see a t he edge of a m esa?s flat surface, about t hirt y feet aw ay from him . His eyelids shut . You have t o Jason, you m ust ! Jason let t he w orld re-ent er his vision. He looked over his shoulder t o see his luggage. ?Don?t w orry,? said Jason. ?We?ll get t here.? But t he luggage said not hing.And how could it ?Thought Jason. It w as fast asleep. Jason looked back t ow ards t he m esa and resum ed his clim bing.

?Finally.? Jason w hispered. He dared not w ake up his luggage. Jason pulled him self over a rocky ledge. He could see a flat rocky surface before him . When regained his foot ing, he looked across t he rocky plain t o t he glit t ering field of silver m asses t hat laid beyond t he base m ount ain. ?There it is,? He t old t he load on his back. ?El Paso.? Jason t urned him self halfw ay around t o let t he luggage see. Jason glanced over his shoulder. It ?s eyes w ere st ill closed. Jason w alked t o t he edge of t he plain and looked dow n. Below w as a st eep rocky slope, just like t he previous one t hat t ook him hours t o clim b. Long, painful hours, Jason t hought . At t he base of t he m ount ain w as a t an field filled w it h dried plant s t hat lied bet w een t he cit y and t he m ount ain. How m any m iles t he field w as, Jason did not know , w hat he did know w as t hat it w as long. Jason sighed. ?I have a long journey ahead. We have a long journey ahead.? Jason said t o t he sleeping luggage. ?Com ?on Carlos, m í herm ano, it ?s t im e t o clim b.? Annot at ions Annot at ion #1 ?Im m ediat ely he felt t he point of a rough ledge drive int o his cheek. Sharp pain spread t hrough Jason like w ild fire. Jason felt like he w as being st abbed over a t housand t im es...He w ished t hat t he sound of nearby rocks falling dow n below him w as only his im aginat ion. Jason st ruggled t o cat ch his breat h? ?

For m y first elem ent I analyzed t he im pact of t he m ain charact er ?s em ot ions t hrough a t hird person-lim it ed perspect ive, on t he reader. When I looked at page 3 of t he House of t he Scorpion, I looked at how Eduardo?s fear of failure creat ed a sense of fear and anxiet y in t he reader. In t he st ory t hat I creat ed, I m ade t he point -of-view in t hird person-lim it ed, w here t he t hings are seen and narrat ed from Jason?s perspect ive, just like in The House of t he Scorpion w here t hings are described in Mat t ?s perspect ive. In t he quot e above I w ant ed t o recreat e t he em ot ional im pact on t he reader t hat w as in page t hree of The House of t he Scorpion. In t he quot e above is a scene w here Jason jum ps higher up t he face of t he m ount ain t o save him self from falling. I described t he pain t hat Jason w ent t hrough w hen he landed t o m ake in det ail, t o m ake t he reader shudder at t hought , as a react ion t o reading. Annot at ion #2 ?Jason looked back t ow ards t he rocky spire and resum ed his clim bing. ?Finally.?...Jason pulled him self over a rocky ledge. He could see a flat rocky surface before him . When regained his foot ing, he looked across t he rocky plain.?

The second elem ent I chose t o look at t he plot sequence of The House of t he Scorpion. I analyzed a port ion of page 3 w here it describes a brief overview of t he event s of t he em bryos? grow t h. ?So Eduardo began t o w orry again. And for a m ont h everyt hing w ent w ell. The day cam e w hen he im plant ed t he t iny em bryos in t he brood cow s.? The aut hor uses t his t o skip over t he unim port ant det ails-like w hat every day of t he m ont h w here ?...everyt hing w ent w ell? ?-t o m ake t he st ory w ell paced. Som et im es w hen books have part s t hat are skipped around t hey oft en go t o flash backs m aking a disorient ed order. The quot e from t he book does not have any flashbacks, only fast forw ards. This t ells us t hat t he plot sequence is linear. In quot e I have above I have bot h t he end of t he first sect ion-Jason clim bing t o t he t op of t he m ount ain, and t he beginning of t he second sect ion-Jason arriving at a flat plane w hich is t he m ount ain's t op. This show s t hat som e t im e in plot w as skipped over, just like in The House of t he Scorpion quot e. This is show ing t hat t he plot sequence is not disorderly w it h lot s of flashbacks m ixed w it h flash forw ards Inst ead linear and orderly. Annot at ion #3

?There it is, t hought Jason excit edly.?

The Final elem ent I review ed w as how t he aut hor narrat ed The House of t he Scorpion. The w hole st ory (w it h t he except ion of t he first chapt er) is narrat ed by t he aut hor t hough Mat t ?s perspect ive. This m eans t hat t he point -of-view and t he narrat ion is in t he t hird-person, lim it ed. In t his perspect ive, not everyt hing is revealed t o t he narrat or. Everyt hing w e know about t he st ory com es from w hat t he m ain charact er know s. In t he quot e above I show s Jason?s t hought s and t he follow ing paragraph show s t he point of view of t he narrat or (t o be t hird-person, lim it ed). Because m y st ory is narrat ed from Jason?s point of view , t he reader About The Aut hors

Nancy Farm er is an American writer and author for young-adult fiction, science fiction, and fantasy books and children's literature. Born on July 7, 1941 in Phoenix Arizona, attended to Reed College, in Oregon where she earned her B.A. in 1963 and later went to the University of California to study chemistry and entomology. She joined the Peace Corps in 1963 and worked in Zimbabwe and Mozambique on ways of controlling the tsetse fly. She studied at the University of Zimbabwe where she met Harold Farmer. They got married to each other week later. She currently lives with her husband in Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona which became the setting for The House of the Scorpion. Nancy Farmer has written three Newbery Honor books which are A Girl Named Disaster, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, and The House of the Scorpion.

William Flenner is a high school sophomore at Science Leadership Academy in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy books. He has written some fan fiction and script writing for his digital film making class in school, in the past. He writes his stories with suspense and mystery, uses his imagination to create a variety of fiction elements, and likes to make the reader think about the story while reading. He also has an interest in visual arts, film making, history, and a passion for soccer. Thank You!