Where She Went
by Gayle Forman
This book is the sequel of the novel “If I Stay”. This view point of this book is of Adam and he tells what happened to Mia after she stayed. The story begins three years after Adam and Mia separated. Adam is now in New York and Mia is in Julliard. They both have different lives now. There are many flashbacks about what happened to them the last three years. One day, when Mia had a concert in New York, she and Adam met. The novel really evolves in that one day. At that time, they realized that they still love each other and they went back to each other’s arm.
1. If you were
Mia, would you also blame Adam for making you stay? Why?
=> Partly yes because first and foremost, he is the
reason why I decided to live. I was ready to die but because of him, I felt
that I still had a reason to live. It is also my fault because I decided to
stay. When I was in coma, I know this could happen but I just thought of the
present and not of the future. But If I were in Mia's position, I should not blame
anyone because I know that it is my choice to stay alive and it is my
responsibility because I wanted to be alive. We all agreed that this is Mia'
fault and Adam is just a reason why she stayed. It is still her decision to be
alive.
2. If you were
Adam, would you also deny that Mia was once your girlfriend? Why?
=> Yes. If I were Adam, I would also do that. It is
not because I don't love her anymore but because I love her that I want to
protect her. If denying that she was my girlfriend will protect her, then I
would do it because that's my way of showing I care for her. I'm not just
protecting myself but especially Mia because I know it might ruin her and
better to avoid her. I don't want to see her suffering because of me. We all
have different ways of showing that we care and love another person and for me,
avoiding is my way of showing that I love her. Some of us agreed and some did
not. I'm one of those who agreed for this is my way of protecting my love ones.
Some said that they have a different way of protecting.
3. If you were
Adam, would you also enter relationship just to move on? Why?
=> No. I won't go into a relationship because I
know it would not work. If I were Adam and I know that I still love Mia, I
would never go into a relationship just to forget her. It is unfair to side of
the new girl that I will be courting if she will know that I don't really love
her and I am just using her to move on. There are many ways to move on and I
think it is not right to use other people. We also agreed that it is not right
to go into another relationship just to move on.
4. What if Adam
did not watch the concert of Mia, what do you think would happen?
=> If they are really for each other, I guess they
will still see each other. If they are really meant to see each other, they
will see each other how impossible the situation may be. But I guess this is
the perfect time for them to see each other. They met there because it is the
right time for them to be together again. Three years is enough to heal their
hearts and to start over. We believe in destiny that we believe they will still
see each other in different time.
5. Are you
satisfied with the ending? Why?
=> Yes because they were together again. It is
still a happy ending after all. If they were still separated until the last, I
would be very disappointed. But I came to realized that it is not on how they
are separated but on how they are able to survived the pain and be together
again. It is not just about happy endings that the readers are satisfied, but
on how the story went before it came to end. I guess the story is good that I
like its ending, not just because they were back together but because of how
Mia and Adam fought the challenges that made a happy ending for the both of
them. Some said that they are not satisfied with the ending because it is a
cliffhanger for them. Some said that it was good and I'm one of them.
Passage Picker - Merwilyn P.
Bagatua
1. "Every
morning I wake up and I tell myself this. It's just one day, one twenty-four
hour period to get yourself through." (Chap.1, p.1)
This passage I think is true to life. Every day is a
constant struggle. One day is technically made up of long twenty-four hours.
Long enough when the person is in pain, miserable, solitude, sadness, or even
when in boredom and missing someone. Just like me when I really feel so sad, I
feel like a day very long.
=> I agree to this passage. Every morning we should
get up and be ready for life because we are alive. It's brand new day that the
Lord has given to us. When we face problems and it burdens us, we should be
more thankful for we have the chance to solve it. There are also days that we
don't want to get up because we are afraid that this day might come but if we
don't get up, we cannot know what lies ahead of us.
2. "Basically,
all the saints of the world: Men. The jerks, the players, the wet T-shirt
contest afficionados? They were guys. Back then, I was a Man."(Chap.12, p.144)
Personally I just like this passage. It’s just funny
how people can categorize other people too. According to Mia and Kim there are
two kinds of men. Adam back then was a man but after three years, he becomes a
guy which hurts him. And I also agree with it.
=> Adam said this because he was a man back then
but now, he is a guy. The Adam before and the Adam now is different because
they think differently. He was a man because he did what a man should do. Now,
he is just a total jerk. He was a man because he was in love at that time and
was loved but knows he's just the same as other boys who were left and felt unloved.
3. "Quitting's
not hard. Deciding to quit is hard." (Chap. 16, p. 182)
This sounds like a motto to me. I really agree with
this passage. Simply because it's true that to quit is easy. It's easy to say
and just quit. When you quit, you stop, do away from a burden, give up, you
feel relieve and the like. But to decide is a burden for you to think especially
if that something that you're about to quit means a lot to you and you will have a hard time to think and think
to arrive at a conclusion which is to finally to decide whether you quit or
not. Just like for Adam here, it is not easy for him to quit the band because
it is his passion and music is almost his life. Then he must also think of
others, what will be the effect of his quitting and what would happen to him if
he finally decide to quit. And that's it, quitting is easy, just quit and so be
it. But to decide requires so much thinking and weighing the effects of it.
=> I also agree to this phrase. It's so easy to
quit. Just say you had enough then that's it. It's over. What is difficult is
to decide whether to quit or to fight. The process of thinking that you want to
quit is the hard part. You have to think of the effect and outcome if you quit
and if you quit, it will still be hard for you to get over to it. If we feel
that we want to quit, we should remember why we fought that long and what we
are fighting for. Is it really right to give up and just quit? You are not just
disappointing yourself but also other people that believe in you. You will
never know the outcome if you quit.
4."You were
so busy trying to be my savior that you left me all alone." (Chap. 16, p. 184)
Mia told this to Adam.
=> Personally, I love this phrase. I love this
because this is what I always do. I am always trying to protect my love ones
that I avoid them. I don't want them to get in trouble that I bring. It cause a
lot of pain for them and also for me that I just carry the burden to myself. I
don't want them to be involved that I think it is better that I handle our
problems alone. It is not that I left them because I wanted to but it is
because it is my way of protecting them. It’s also for their own sake. They
just feel that they are left but it’s not true. I never left a friend; I just
want to protect them. Sometimes, I feel that I’m the problem that I am avoiding
them because I want to protect them from me. I don't want them to be hurt that
I prefer to hurt myself. I don't want to see other people are suffering because
of me that I want the burden to be carried just by me, alone.
5. "If we
didn't entirely understand the other person's obsession, it didn't matter, because
we understood our own." (Chap. 19, p.212)
This passage means that we really don't have to
understand what other people do or their likes in their lives. What's important
is we understand what we have. Just like in Adam and Mia, both are music lover
while others aren't. So, they don't have to bother themselves understanding
about them as long as they understand each other's obsession which binds them.
=> We should not judge about other people’s life
because we have our own life to handle. We can't understand them sometimes but
we should focus on our ourselves. We keep on judging other peoples flaws but we
don't look on ours. We should first make sure that we understand our own lives,
our purpose before we judge them.
Connector: Sheila Almarie G. Daguman
After the terrible accident,
Mia continues her life without her family in her side. Although it is very
painful for her to continue life like an orphan she has endures it. Moreover,
the love from her family which is missing in her life is supplemented by her
relatives and friends.
I can connect my life with
Mia's. However, I am more fortunate than her for it was only my mother who had
passed away. On the other hand, Mia is already teenager when her parents and
brother passed away while I am at a very young age when my mother died. And she
is not as miserable like what I am experiencing sometimes. However, sometimes I
also feel emptiness even though some members of my family are still here but it
seems that something is lacking. Like Mia who is wondering what would be her
life if she still has her family with her, I am also wondering what would be my
life today if my mother is still alive. Would it be better than the life that I
am taking now?
Sometimes I wish that my
mother is still with me so that there is someone whom I can share as with my
sentiments and problems which I cannot share with my present family today. For
I think they will just tell me that I am over acting. I'm also missing her as
Mia misses her family. Furthermore, Mia is still blessed for she has a
relatives and friends who did not get tired of loving her. And I realized that
like Mia I am also blessed for having relatives and friends whom I can feel the
love that sometimes I did not feel from my very own family.
General View:
ð I was shocked about the connection that the connector
made. I did not expect that she will connect it to her mother. I guess she has
done a good job. But I will just react over what she is feeling about her
family. I guess she should not think that her family is like that or she is not
fortunate because there are more unfortunate than her. I guess she should not
be a pessimist about her family rather she should accept her situation. On
whatever situation we have, especially to our family, we should always look to
the bright side and be thankful. We don’t know that our problems are so minimal
compared to the problems of others. We should be contented on our situation for
God has a purpose why He did such a thing.
Character Captain: Johanna Ariexia S. Quilinderino
Adam Wilde
– he is the narrator of the story. He was the boyfriend of Mia. He is the
vocalist of a band named Shooting Star. He is currently living at New York.
STRONG - In the story
“Where She Went” I find Adam as a strong character for he always finds ways to
try to forget Mia. However, it is very evident in the story that he can never
forget Mia and is impossible to get away with the things that they used to do.
But the thought of him trying to get rid and to move on is already a
manifestation that he is tough and strong. For all we know, forgetting someone
who is very dear to us is an intolerable thing.
CARING – We can still
feel in the story that Adam still cares for Mia especially when he found out that
Mia is still alive. When a reporter went to him to ask about what is his
relationship with Mia, he tried to avoid the issue. Instead he decided to keep
it as a secret so that Mia won’t be connected with his life so that, Mia will
be able to live her life peacefully.
HONEST – He is honest
in a way that he admits to Mia that he is still in love with her. However, the
honesty of him only was showed at the latter part of the story. Another honesty
of Adam was also shown when he told Bryn the truth about Mia and about being in
love with her. It was not an easy thing to do but he managed to the right thing
so that at the end, no one will be hurt.
ð For
me, Adam has a strong character. He never stopped loving Mia but he chose to
let her go because that was the right thing to do. He is also aggressive and
easily-angered. After Mia and he separated, he became a different person. He
totally changed. But for me, he is still the same Adam before Mia woke up. He
is still caring and he still loves Mia very much. I also agree to the character
captain on how he describes Adam.
Mia Hall –she was the girlfriend of Adam. She
stayed and Adam was the one who told what happened to her after she stayed.
STRONG – She showed a
different side of Mia where being strong was her only option. Waking up every
day is really difficult especially thinking that you alone will be the one to
face the day. Mia took the challenge of moving on even if it is so hard to
accept the fact that she was left alone. Instead of giving up, she accepted the
incident as an inspiration to move forward.
MARTYR- I consider her
as a martyr for even though she still loves Adam, she avoided him to make everything
okay. I believe that what Mia did was a constant reminder that no matter how
you love someone, you still need to consider the things around you. Be
sensitive enough to identify if what you really wanted is still appropriate.
FIGHTER – being strong
comes with a fighter inside. That is what exactly Mia showed in the whole
story. Obviously, she went through a lot of circumstances that made her a
fighter.
ð I
agree on the character captain. She is strong for she fought the loneliness and
pain after she stayed. Imagine, you are living a life with no more parents, you
are alone. But Mia surpassed all this. I guess she and Adam is the same for
they sacrifice their love for each other for they know it is the right thing to
do. They are both martyr. She is also a fighter for she always fight and she
never surrenders, whatever circumstances she might be in.
Bryn –she is the new girlfriend of Adam but he doesn’t
really love her.
WORRIED – Obviously,
she’s not the typical girl who has her own lovable prince charming. But the
fact that she has this boyfriend named Adam is not exactly the fulfillment of
her fairytales. In the story, Bryn is completely worried about having this
ghost rival towards Adam. Because even though they were together already, it
cannot still justify that Adam loves her.
CONSTANT-
she is very consistent from the very beginning till the end. She showed a
normal character of a girl. Never tried to intrude between what’s going on to
Adam and Mia.
FALMBOUYANT
- in the story, she is the top-celebrity who will make every man head over
heels for her.
General View:
Personally,
I think the character captain can do more. What she passed is somewhat not
enough, I guess. But I know she have done her best but I guess I’m still
looking for some adjectives that really describes the characters. But it is
still a good job for she has done her part.
Artistic Adventurer: Chinny Grace G. Oraiz
Walk Away
It’s been three years since the accident
Wondering
where in the world you went
Three
years since you walked out of my life
I
don’t know why, have we been in strife?
Missing you every day and every night
Looking
for you my beautiful sunlight
It
is just your hand that I want to touch
To
tell you the words “I love you so much”
Every
day, I’m waiting for your return
Every
day, watching the time to turn
I
guess that you don’t want me anymore
I
set you free and you walked out the door
Vocabulary Enricher: Angel May S. Bagaforo
Note:
The meaning of the words comes from the English Dictionary. Each word has many
meanings that I only put what is applicable to the scene.
1.
Unfurl
/ʌnˈfɝl/
“Letting go. Everyone
talks about it like it’s the easiest thing. Unfurl your fingers one by one until your hand is open. But my hand
has been clenched into a fist for three years now; it’s frozen shut.” [Adam] (Chapter 16, Page 196)
Verb
-
To unroll something
that has been rolled.
Example: She unfurled the sail when the boat started its engine.
-
It was used in the novel to describe letting go. This
happened when Adam and Mia had a conversation before they separated. Mia told
Adam that it was because of him why she stayed. Adam was between the decision
to hold on or to let go. Adam chose to let go of Mia because at that time, it
was the best thing to do.
-
In this paragraph, letting go is compared to a hand that is
easy to open. You just have to unfurl your fingers. But Adam’s hand is
tightened and it is now a fist. When your hands are clenched, it is difficult
to open it. He is saying that it is hard for him to let go of Mia because he
loves him so much. He does not want to let go of Mia but he has to.
2.
Annihilate
/əˈnaɪə.leɪt/
“Hate me. Devastate
me. Annihilate me. Re-create me.
Re-create me. Won’t you, won’t you, won’t you re-create me.” [Adam] (Chapter 23, Page 266)
Verb
-
To destroy
Example: Too
much stress can annihilate one’s
immune system.
-
It was used in the novel as the chorus of Collateral Damage. Adam made the song
because of anger and pain that the separation has brought. He wanted the crowd
to know that he is suffering and only Mia can change what he is feeling. But in
the end, the meaning of the song changed. It is not an angry plea anymore but a
new vow. It is now the new promise of their love for each other.
-
The chorus shows that in love you will be hurt and you will
also hurt the one that you love. You will encounter circumstances that will
make you sacrifice. It also shows that being destroyed is the only way to
change. One can be repair, only when he is destroyed. Adam is now destroyed, after
all the things that happened to them, that Mia can only fix him. After you
suffered, you will be a better person.
3.
Nebulous /ˈnɛbjʊləs/
“The rest of the plan
that’s formulating in my head –part of which already is solidified in some nebulous way last night on the bridge –I keep to
myself, but I think Aldous senses it.” [Adam] (Chapter 21, Page 244-245)
Adjective
-
Vague or ill-defined
Example: Success
of course is very nebulous;
sometimes failure is easier to spot than success!
-
It was used in the novel when Adam made excuses why he can’t
go to London. He was with Mia that he wants to spend that day with her. He
thinks that Aldous understands his decision not to go there. He has many things
to do. Make music video and do interviews but at that time, he just wants to be
with Mia.
-
He can’t think of
clear reasons to excuse himself from the band but he is sure what he wants. He
just wants to be with Mia and it’s all that matters. What he knows at that time
is that he will not lose Mia again. Not this time.
4.
Murk
/mɝk/
“I stare down at the water. A minute ago it was calm
and glassy but now it’s like the river is opening up, churning, a violent
whirlpool. It’s that vortex, threatening to swallow me whole. I’m going to
drown in it, with nobody, nobody in the murk
with me.” [Adam] (Chapter 16, Page 196)
Noun
-
Darkness or gloomy
environment
Example:
There is murk in the center of the universe.
-
It was used in the
novel to describe what Adam feels at that moment. This is when he and Mia are
on the river and they are about to separate. Mia told Adam that he made her
stay and he has faults on what happened to her after she stayed. Adam blamed
Mia for ruining him but he realized that he was the one who ruined himself.
-
In this scene, Adam felt
that he is alone. That no one understands and will understand him. He is in the
darkness that no one will see and help him. This is when he decides that he
should let go of Mia and that decision made him feel that he is now alone. Adam
compared his feeling of loneliness to a whirlpool that will drown him and there
will be no one to help him.
5.
Cathartic
“I meant it as a compliment. It was very cathartic for a lot of people,
myself included. And that’s my point. Everyone knows something went down during
your ‘black hole.’ It’s going to come out eventually, so why not control the
message? Who does the ‘collateral damage’ refer to?”
[Vanessa] (Chapter 1, page 22)
Adjective
-
Releases emotional
tension, especially after an overwhelming experience
Example:
Sometimes, it is good to have cathartic things.
-
It was used in the
novel to show how the song affected their fans. This happened during the
interview of Vanessa, a reporter, to Adam about their album. Vanessa is asking
Adam what happened to him why he made that song and for whom the song is
intended to. She said that Collateral
Damage is like the angriest album of the decade. Adam said that he did not
make the song and it was made by his band mate.
-
The song releases
emotions that the fans can feel. It is not just a song full of emotions but
there is more to it. It is like the song was made because of anger and pain and
it was based on the experience of Adam. Vanessa feels that Adam is the one who
made the song and it was based on his personal experience. The song has anger
that she thinks Adam maybe went to a relationship that he never wanted to end.
- this is the task that was assigned to me.for me, I did my best in making my past and I'm happy to its result.
Summarizer: Maricris G. Santos
It’s been three years since Mia woke up from the state of being coma. Adam and Mia departed and enjoy their lives separately. Mia continued her dreams at Julliard while Adam and his band went to New York.
They enjoyed the fame brought by their musical career. Adam narrated the events that happened during the past three years, what happened to him after their break up. He made a song about the pain that he felt when they broke up.
One day, on the concert of Mia, they met again, talked, reminisce their past then realized that they still love each other and were
back on each other’s arms.
The story ended with the concert of Adam. While Adam was singing the song he composed, the thought of the song changed, it is not just about the pain anymore. He felt that their hearts beat as one
=> The summary is too short that I realized it really does not tell the story. But I still appreciate the work of the summarizer for she did her best.
Overall view:
I like our performance in this book because everyone made a great job. Everyone made their part and I'm happy to its result.
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