book 2

If I Stay

This novel is about a seventeen years old girl named Mia. She went to coma because of a car accident where she lost her parents and her younger brother. Her spirit went out her body that she can see the things happening to her. She will have to make a decision if she will stay or would she go?

Discussion Leader: Angel May S. Bagaforo

I was the one who was assigned to this task. I gave 5 questions which we all answered. We decided to individually answer each question.

                         

1. If you were Mia, would you stay or would you go?

=> If I were Mia, I will go. I will choose not to stay because I feel that there is no more reason for me to stay. I know I have Adam, Kim, my Grandparents, my relatives but I guess all these will not be enough to be a reason for me to stay. I grew up in a complete family were I have supportive and music lover parents and a hyper brother. I can never go on with my life, as an orphan, without my family. They are the ones who complete me and I can never imagine a single day living without them. I love Adam but I guess that love can make me stay. What will happen to us? We are both young. They are both teenagers. We don't know what lies ahead and we have many things to learn. What if after I chose to live, and his love will be lessen? What if all the things I left before the accident will turn around? There is no assurance that I will have no regrets if I chose to live. After all, I am still alone. May parents and my brother are already dead. There is no reason for me to live. Even music will not be enough for me to stay. If I were Mia, I would go because I know they will understand me and this decision will free them from burden of seeing me miserable and pained.

2. What do you think will happen to Mia after she wakes up? Will she have any regrets that she chose to live? Why?

=> I guess she will continue to play musical instruments but I guess she will not play Cello because of her injury. She will live on her grandparents’ house and she will continue schooling but it will be home schooling. I guess she will not immediately feel the pain of being alone because she is still recovering but eventually she will realize that she is alone. I don't think that she and Adam will continue their relationship for they will realize that they are still young and many things could happen. I guess she will not say that she have any regrets but there will be a point in her life that she will think that she should have chosen to go. These are just my opinion and these could or couldn't happen after Mia chose to live.

3. If you were Mia, will the love of Adam and your love for Adam will be enough that you will choose to stay? Why do you say so?

=> Love will not always be the solution to any problem. Love can't pay bills, can't buy rice and can't give education. Love will not always be enough. If I were Mia, I would still chose to go even if I love Adam so much. My love for him cannot change my decision to go. There is no assurance that I will have a happy life with Adam if I chose to stay. He is not yet my husband that if I will live, he will not be responsible for me. What if Adam fell in love with someone else? I will feel like I died because of that so much pain and thought that I should have died in the first place. But if I will chose to stay, there will be a lot of reasons why I would choose to stay and Adam will just be a part of it. My dreams will still be a bigger reason than my love for Adam if I chose to stay.

4. Did Adam became selfish when he said to Mia that she should stay? Defend your side.

=> 4. For me, it is yes. Adam became selfish when she said to Mia that she should stay because he only thought of himself and not of Mia. He knows that his words will have a big impact on Mia but she never worried about here. He knows that if Mia will be alive, she will be an orphan but he did not thought of the future. Of the things that would happen if Mia will stay. He just said that not thinking of what lies ahead. He just thought in that moment that Mia should chose to stay because he loves her, he needs her, and he cannot live without her. But did he ever think what would be Mia's life if she will stay? No! He did not think that because all he wanted is Mia to be alive because he loves her. He did not thought that maybe, Mia wanted to go but because of him she chose to stay. But what will their life be after Mia wakes up? He is not her husband that it is not his responsibility to take care of her. Can he really give up his band for Mia? What if he gets tired of taking care of Mia? Maybe he did not all thought of these, but for me, he will always be a selfish lover.

5.If Mia chose to die, what could have happened?

=> If Mia chose to go, I think her love ones will accept her decision and they will continue their lives. Maybe Adam will not love another the way he loved Mia but who knows? Maybe he can find another person and he will love her but Mia will always stay on her heart. They will all remember Hall's family forever.

Passage Picker: Chinny Grace Oraiz

The Passage Picker picked 5 meaningful passages in the novel. She explained why she picked each line and on how it can be used in our lives. She also wrote the chapter or the page of the passage in the book. She also tells on how we can apply the passage so it will not just remain a line.

 “Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.” At 2:48 A.M. (Page 67)

I believe life is all about the little decisions we make every day. There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So we must keep in mind that, the choice we make, makes us. After all, everything’s just a matter of choice.

=> . We make choices because we need to and that choice can change us and our lives. Choices will build us as a human for what ever choices we make, it will always affect our lives. We sometimes makes choices because we have to but we don't notice that the decisions we make will always define us. We will always be the ones who are responsible of the choice that we will make and we should also think that it is not only us who will be affected but also the people around us.

 “…Dying is easy. Living is hard.” At 10:40 P.M. (Page 62)

Living is hard. Living without purpose and without someone who loves you is even harder. And life has a lot of ups and down. The world is a dangerous and scary place. It takes gut to face the world. It takes a lot of courage to stand for the world. Maybe it’s too poignant but it depends on one’s point of view. Dying is a life chance or a choice. It’s easy to decide whether you want to die or not. Therefore I believe this statement is true.

=> I agree to this quote. It is very easy to die. One can die in just a snap of a hand. We don't know when we will going to die but we still live every day not worrying of it. We worry on how we will live. How can we survive every day still being alive. Living is hard because we strive not to die. We work hard not to die. We know how easy for us to die but we still do not want to die. What is the point of living if we will just think of dying? We live because we don't want to die but we die because we want to live.

“Life might take you down different roads. But each of you gets to decide which one to take.” At 4:57 A.M. (Page 73)

This passage is also about making a choice. There are many different roads we will encounter, but in the end, it depends on our own decision. Life is the greatest journey you will be on, so the decisions we make can affect our way of life. The decisions we make in life can make our life.

=> For me, this means that we face many problems in our lives but is our choice if we will continue to fight for it or just run away. It will always depend on us of what decision we will make. If we will find the solution to our problems or just give up. We may all have the same problems but it depends on the individual how he or she will look at the problem and how he will solve it. There will always be a good and bad effects but these two will always be together and it will always depend on us if what will we weight the greater.

 “People believe what they want to believe.” 4:49 P.M. (Page 29)

People believe what they want to believe most of the time. They believe things without any reason but they believe often times without good reason. Lots of people have reasons for what they believe, but when those reasons are proven wrong they still stand on their point of view.

=> We will always believe what we want to believe even if it is not always right. We have principles and we will always fight for it no matter what. What we believe is what in our mind. We will believe what we think is right. This is the same as "to see is to believe". We will believe if we saw it on our own eyes and inculcate it to our minds. We sometimes don't know the reason why did that happen but we believe it because we saw it. Sometimes we make prejudice and we don't listen to what other people are saying. I think this is because we inculcate it only in our minds. Also in our hearts. We all have different principles and we don't all have the same beliefs. But if we put what we believe in our hearts, we will see the truth and realize that the ones we believe might not be always true.

“Fake it till you make it.” 5:40 P.M. (Page 35)

If you don’t feel confident, pretend you are until you gain the experience that is all for real. Act like you are something so you can, in fact, become that thing. Though it might seem force in the beginning, soon it will become natural. The mind can be tricked, and you can balance your life in that little trick. You will learn what you need to and turn pretend confidence into the real deal.

=> I think this line was said by Mia's mother to her when she was so nervous and she doesn't know what to do. She advised her to pretend to fine when she goes into auditions. I guess this line can also be used when someone is hurt. Pretend that you’re okay even if it's not. I can't really apply its idea because I think it is better if one shows who he really is. There will be situations that we need to show who we are instead of faking ourselves. It is better if we fall, not pretending anyone else than to succeed not recognizing ourselves.

*General View:

The novel don't have many memorable lines that the passage picker had difficulties in choosing the lines. But I guess these lines makes sense and the picker explained it well ans she did a great job.

Connector: Maricris G. Santos

The Connector chose to connect the book to her life and how she relates to the events in the novel. She also relates it to the pain of losing someone that you love. The connector can also include a book or a movie that is parallel to this novel and she will explain why she felt that they are similar.

I can connect the story If I Stay to the koreanovela entitled 49 Days because these stories are somewhat similar. They are connected in a way that both the female protagonists got into a car accident, although not as worst as the other, but left them both in a coma and their spirits are gone out of their bodies. Another connection they had is when both of them are given a chance to return to their bodies and live again but both of them refused to live again.

Mia, in If I Stay, refuses to stay because her parents and brother are taken away from her by the accident while Shin Ji Hyun, in 49 Days, refuses to come back when she found out that her fiance and friend betrayed her. But lastly they prefer to stay for their love ones. Mia stayed for Adam and Shin Ji Hyun stayed for her family and friends even in just a short while.

*General View:

I like how the connector connected this novel to the koreanovela 49 days (Pure Love). The main characters both experienced to see the things that they did not knew when they were love. They realized that they're loved by many people. There was a time that they both lost hope and surrendered but because of their special someone, they chose to live. 

Character Captain: Merwilyn P. Bagatua

The Character Captain explained each of the character by using 3 adjectives. She included the main and the minor characters but she can also chose to describe only the main characters. She explained why those 3 adjectives best describes the character and why she chose those words.

Main Characters:

Mia Hall - 17 years old. The protagonist of the story. Went in coma because of a car accident and lost her family.

Musically gifted. It is very obvious in the story that music plays a vital role on it. She, of course is a musically gifted girl. She plays cello and a lover of classics. Being a cellist is very important to her. In fact, she described it as "It looked almost human to me." In addition, she has been playing it for ten years. And, she is also qualified to The Julliard School. So this also means that she has a promising career in playing and is truly musically gifted.

Exception. As I read the story, it seems to me that she's different from others. Physically, she has brown hair and dark eyes, while everybody in the family are blond and fair. Moreover, she is the only one who loves classics. She is not even expected to play cello but electric guitar. Because of that, she even thinks that she's from different tribe. But anyway, what's important is she loves music.

Modest. As said in the story, she is also quiet. She is a kind of girl who is not flirtatious. She doesn't have crushes. Then, she even said that she'll be having a boyfriend when she'll be in college. Adam came into her life unexpectedly.

Adam Wilde - Mia's boyfriend. A band vocalist and loves Mia very much.

Musician. Just like Mia he is also into music. He is the lead singer and the guitarist of an emo-core band, Shooting Star. He is also fond of punk rock music. And it is also music which connected him and Mia together.

Very fond of Mia. From the start when he invited her to Yo Yo Ma concert, he is showing her that he is interested with her, he even worked harder just to have those tickets to watch with her. Next is during Halloween, when Mia asked him if he like her more than just her ordinary look, he answered that she is the same Mia he loved yesterday, he loves today and he will love tomorrow. And when he knew what had happened to her, he did everything just to see her. He even brought the singer, Brooke Vega to get the nurses' attention for him to come in. Because at first, he was not allowed to do so. He's truly in love with her.

Mia's Angel. He is her angel. It is him who begged her to stay. Saying that he's willing to give up his career and go with her in New York if she'll stay. And he is like the light to Mia's soul to help her decide to stay finally.

Kat and Danny Hall - Mia's parents. Kat is described as a tough chick while Danny is blue haired, has tattoos and likes to wear leather jacket. Mia inherited her love for music from her family.

Music lovers. Her mom likes NPR while her dad likes Frank Sinatra and punk. Everybody in the family loves music so much. Sometimes, they even fight on what kind of music to play. Their common is Jonathan Richman, their musical patron.

Supportive. Both are supportive parents to Mia and Teddy. They support Mia's talent in playing cello and even offer her training for her talent. And encouraged her on her first recital.

Cool. Both are cool parents even from the start during her mother got pregnant in Mia. They are like experimenting in nurturing their children. Then her mother was also the one who did the makeup thing to her during the Halloween. She's like young at heart. And they are like enjoying everything about life, their children, music and friendships.

Kim Schein - best friend of Mia. She is like her sister.

Similar to Mia. Although she is not into music, this does not stop them to build a strong relationship with each other. So, just like Mia, she is also dark, serious and quiet. They are like twins. She's also not flirtatious and thinks that she'll have a boyfriend when she'll be in college. Only, she is sarcastic, into photography and she's a staff on a yearbook. Physically and in attitude they're alike.

Understanding. She understands about the issue of Adam to her. Even though, she is in not good terms with him, she still accepts him as Mia's boyfriend being a real friend.  She was also there and helped Adam to see Mia in the hospital putting aside their own issues. Then she also understands when Mia hasn’t told her about him before. She didn't get angry at her. A genuine friend understands.

Opposite to her mother. A saying says: "Like mother like child." That is not true in her case because her mother is a Drama Queen but she's not. She is funny and droll unlike her mom so emotional. And she hates it.

Teddy Hall - younger brother of Mia.

Prodigy. So just like everybody else, he is also a musical gifted one. As young as six months, he has shown his personality already. According to their father, he is even a prodigy. It is because he had his first harp concert when he was just as cool as cucumber. He also likes SpongeBob Square pants and has inherited the drum sets of their father. He also likes Alice Copper.

Hyper. Being a little kid, he is of course, jolly, energetic and Mia loves him a lot.

Coffee drinker. He may be young but he drinks coffee much because the family itself is also drinker. He drinks a lot which results to being hyper. That's why their mother switched his coffee into decaf. He also likes pancakes with chocolate dips on it.

*General View:

Music plays a big role on the life of each character. Music bonded them all. I also think that Mia loves Adam more than she loves her family because even though she knew she will be an orphan, she still decided to stay. They are still young but the love that they feel for each other is so great. Music and love bonded them. I think the captain could have done much more than this. I really expected a lot from her and I guess it was not enough. I know she can give so much more than this. She explained many characters and I admire her for that.

Artistic Adventurer: Cahra Kincel E. Lipay

The Artistic Adventurer made a poem about the love of Mia for Adam that she choose to stay.

BECAUSE OF YOU

I found no reason to live

For my parents who gave life to me

My brother who’s very dear to me

For them who means life to me left me

There’s nothing that holds me back to stay

So I decided to be where they are

But when you came my heart beats fully

Because of you I choose to stay.

*General View:

I also like this poem. It is simple but you can really feel the emotions. The love of Mia for Adam is so great because she choose to stay for him. It's a job well done.

Vocabulary Enricher: Johanna Ariexia S. Quilinderino

The Vocabulary Enricher chose to use the 5 words that are not commonly used in daily conversation. She put what the word means, how it was used in the book and how she understands it. She can also put the line or the page where she got the word and a little bit explain why she chose that word.

1.1.     “You can make a valiant try.” (Page 1)

  Valiant (adjective)

Meaning:  showing courage or determination

     This word is used to tell Teddy that the snow outside is ridiculous and instead of making snowman, amoeba is better.

Sentence: She loved him because he was very valiant.

2.    2. Definition: Of or pertaining to tailors or their trade

Sentence: Jackie Onasis had an undefined beauty with a sartorial elegance.

3.    3. Guffaw - page 5

from book - "Dad and I guffaw at the same time."

Definition - A loud, unrestrained burst of laughter.

Sentence: I guffaw at Rebecca Black's stupid music video.

4.    4. Exuberant - page 5

from book - "He's just naturally exuberant."

Definition - Full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy.

SENTENCE: She was exuberant when she discovered she won a trip to Hawaii.

5.    5. Viscereal - page 216

from book - "But sometimes the memories feel so real, so viscereal, so personal, that I confuse them with my own.

Definition - Relating to , situated in, of affecting the viscera.

Sentence:  The memory that the little boy had had was so visceral.

*General View:

At first, I was confused when I first read this but then I got the pattern. It is easier to understand the words because it was used in the sentence. I guess she should have put the meaning of the word for her or put the meaning from the dictionary.

Summarizer: Sheila Almarie G. Daguman

The summarizer gives the summary of the novel in a generalized view. She only

included the most important parts. She did not state Mia's flashbacks.

One cold morning in the Oregon, Mia and her family have a joyful breakfast. They planned to have a family adventure by visiting their grandparents' crib and their family friend. Not knowing what lies ahead, her family rode on their car taking the slippery road caused by the snow.

She felt happy to be in a warm car with her sonata and her family. Everything seemed peaceful when suddenly a four- ton pickup truck going sixty miles an hour with a force of an atom bomb crashed their car. The accident happened in just a blink.

She woke up a distance from their car. At first she figured that everything was fine. So she went near to their car. Their car was now deformed and folded like a scrap. Her world seemed to stop spinning at the scene of her whole family dead because of the accident. Mia was horrified when she saw her body miserably lying.

The rescuer arrived and brought her into the nearest hospital. The doctor said that she was in coma and has a little chance to recover. After her relatives and best friend heard about the accident they hurriedly went to the hospital. But Adam, Mia's boyfriend doesn't have any idea about the accident because he was having a band concert at Seattle.

It was Mia's best friend Kim, who informed him. He then immediately went to the hospital but he had difficult in entering her room because one of the nurses did not allow him to enter.

Apparently, Mia's relatives told her while she was lying in bed that she was free to go. So that she will not suffer any longer. Hearing this, Mia thought that there was no sense if she will stay because she was now an orphan. But seeing Adam miserably crying beside her bed asking her to stay made her spirit returned in her body.

*General View:

The way the novel was summarized so briefly and its not really detailed. It's like a trailer, and it's like there are so many things that are missing. But she still did her job so I congratulate her for that.

*Over-all View:

I understand the performance of my fellow group mates for I also feel what they feel but I guess we can give so much more than this. We can show more a lot of things. We will try to give more than this next time. I still congratulate my group mates for a job well done.