Heyyyy! So I already posted my Paper towns review here But I noticed the discussion questions at the end of the book and I thought... well that'd be fun. And I'm actually writing this before the review so that I hopefully won't repeat myself in the review. And these are just the discussion questions at the end of the book and I'll add any questions I think of maybe... I hope there isn't a copyright law for this or anything, these were from the publisher I'm guessing... but I kind of miss school dorkily enough and this feels like homework and I have opinions on the characters... so I'm doing it. Lol.
And this contains spoilers, so don't read unless you've read the book. Its a really good book and a fast read and I'm sure the movie is tons of fun too, so read the book, see the movie then meet back here. Or just one or the other... but you know read.
"When Margo and Quentin are nine, they make a horrible discovery and respond in very different ways. Quentin says "As I took these two steps back, Margo took two equally small and quiet steps forward (p.5) Do these descriptions still apply to the characters when they reach high school? When the story ends? What changes?"
So I think this part is important because it refers back more towards Margo being curious and she's an adventurer and an explorer and Q is more fearful and shy about things. I think in high school Before Quentin and Margo's Adventure, he wouldn't have the exact same reaction, but it'd be similar. I think High School Quentin wouldn't take two steps back... but I don't think he'd move. I think he would want to stay around to try to impress Margo or whoever was there... but I don't think he would take two steps forward towards a corpse. I think if it had happened at the end of the story, Quentin might try to imagine himself as Margo and take the two steps forward. He's definitely more adventurous and daring after understanding how Margo works. It shows when he goes to the abandoned buildings and he sees the rats and says that he was scared of it at first but ended up liking it.
"Describe Q's best friends. Where do they fit into the caste system of Winter Park High? If you had to chose one of these characters as your best friend who would you pick? Why?"
Ben and Radar are definitely the band nerds. I feel like their kind of outcasts from the rest of the school, but they're okay being outcasts. Sure there are times when it seems Ben wants to be popular, but ultimately even when he's drunk and it seems that he could have a friendship with Chuck and those guys and he has the hot girlfriend... he's not going to fit in with the popular guys. He fits in with Ben and Radar. One thing I like about them is that they actually talk about things that matter. So many times guys say that their exchanges with their guy friends are just about who farts the loudest or how big everyone's dick is or tv or sports or something stupid like that... but these guys actually talk about their feelings and even their friendships and stuff like that. In high school the guy I dated was probably like a more jerk-y and more boring version of Ben... lol no offense. He seemed to have the "hopeless romantic that doesn't know what he's doing" angle that Quentin has... but he was definitely more of an unfunny Ben to be honest. And I definitely appreciated Ben for this and I thought his conversation about the image of Lacey and the actual Lacey in the car was quite insightful and I really liked that he mentioned that to Quentin and warned him... which Q clearly couldn't handle.... but I also don't think I'd be best friends with him cause he is slightly more selfish. Not more selfish than Q though, Q I think is the most selfish of the bunch... kind of in a good way... but also he doesn't see that his Margo isn't Margo. Radar would definitely be my best friend. First off: I'd totally want to hang out in the Black Santa mansion. I thought that bit was soooo funny and I totally respect the Black Santa Awareness that he claims his parents aren't doing... but they sort of are inadvertently. Its pretty cool. Also he's definitely really insightful and mature. I like that he accepts his friends for who they are and that is the hardest thing to do sometimes... and even as a 23 year old this is hard to do sometimes... but really people are who they are and you have to accept them for that because they're your people.
"How does Quentin struggle at times with his friendship with Ben? How does Q learn to accept Ben for who he is? How does this relate to Q's understanding of Margo?"
Like I said, Ben and Quentin are two pretty selfish people, and that means they don't always want to be there for each other all the time. From Ben's Point Of View: Q is ruining the last week of school over this obsession with a girl that isn't even "real." Its like Metaphysical I Spy. He does find Margo, but not his Margo,and Ben gets that thats how it is going to be for Q and he doesn't see why its that big of a deal to find her. From Quentin's Point Of View: Ben is ruining his only chances at happiness with this girl because he doesn't care about her. He cares about drinking and calls him up on prom night when Quentin is deep into investigation just so Q can DD. He also doesn't want to help Q the next morning when he really needs him. They both just have a hard time with each other because they are so similar, just with different perspective's on things. Radar helps Q realize that people are who they are. Ben is who he is. Q is who he is. They aren't just Paper Dolls that are the exact same, they're not going to agree with each other sometimes, but thats who they are. Also on their road trip when they play "That Guy is a Gigolo" Radar and Q disagree on something and then Radar says it says more about the people playing it than the people they are looking at and judging and Q agrees... so he's even getting deeper insight into his friends point of views on that... and I believe right after he shifts the situation to Margo, showing that he is kind of wondering about her insights about these sorts of things... and from that he is able to understand that the Margo he knew and the Margo he was hunting down is not the Margo that was. And she needed to be away from home so that she could be the Margo that she was. And Q knew that. He knew he'd probably never see her again, but he was glad to see her and I think he was happy that she was happy where she was.
"Why do you think Margo picks Q as her accomplice on her campaign for revenge?"
I think its really more of a challenge. She's really just challenging Q to be the boy that she always dreamed of him to be... similar to his idea of Margo, she had an idea of Quentin as well... and that idea didn't seem to fit the real life Quentin. But... I don't think she necessarily just "chose" him because clearly Quentin was ready for adventure anyway. He wanted to go with her not just to be with her... but I think he genuinely knew it would be a fun memorable night, and really he needed it as much as Margo did. And his adventures at the end of the book are much the same. He wants to find Margo so he looks for the clues.
"Do you think the characters Margo targets for revenge get what they deserve? Does Lacey deserve to be included? "
Yes on both counts. I feel like if she didn't go after Becca and Jase, they would have gotten what they deserved anyway. Jase still called Becca Margo when they were about to have sex... so clearly he wasn't really serious about his relationship with Becca either. And she just seems like a horrible person that is incapable of friendships with anyone... and also made of paper. And... I think Lacey kinda deserved it to. I don't think she was a terrible person and I think she'll remain a friend to Q and his gang and even to Margo... but I can see the subtle things that get Margo down like Lacey referring to Margo as curvy... and yeah. Things like that happen a lot. Margo probably could have talked to her... but in high school its just easier to leave a catfish in their bedroom... so I think it made sense. I don't think Lacey is mature enough to see what she did wrong to Margo anyway... so I think Fishes speak louder than words in this case.
"When Margo disappears after her outing with Q, its not the first time she's seemingly vanished for a long period. Describe Margo's other adventures and note any common threads between the trips. What makes her disappearance after her night with Q different from the others? "
I think Margo's other disappearances are just kind of for fun, or to plan out the big trip. She mentions that her trip to the Mississippi was actually really lonely because she was planning her final farewell out. She probably also did it for her reputation. She's known as this crazy, beautiful, carefree girl that can just pack up and go to Mississippi whenever she feels like it. The thing about her escape after her night with Q is that it feels better to her because she knows theres really no going back. She knows her parents won't put up with it any longer and that she can't leave this time without leaving for good... and its like what Q said, leaving feels sad at first, but once you do it it feels good... so I think she might still be lonely, but at times it just feels good for her to do it.
The next question I didn't really like so I'm skipping it.
"Do you think Margo wants to be found? Do you think Margo wants to be found by Q?"
I think Margo left the clues for Q as another challenge to him to see if he'll go out and find her and if he is that daring guy that she wrote about as a child... so yeah I do think she wanted to be found by Q specifically. I don't think she wanted to be found by her parents or Lacey or Jase or anyone else because she wanted to leave them... but I think she wanted to bring the memories of Q with her and thats why she wanted him to find her. And she did kiss him and I think she wanted that also.
The rest of these are all kind of "school essay" ish so I'm not going to answer them... plus there are a ton! I thought there would only be a few when I started this but gosh there are a lot! Lol.
Anyway hope you found this discussion interesting and maybe I'll do more of these. There are no questions at the end of Looking For Alaska, which I've only got a few pages of... but I'm sure I'll do more discussion focused questions sometime... lol.
Byeee!
-Shannon
And this contains spoilers, so don't read unless you've read the book. Its a really good book and a fast read and I'm sure the movie is tons of fun too, so read the book, see the movie then meet back here. Or just one or the other... but you know read.
"When Margo and Quentin are nine, they make a horrible discovery and respond in very different ways. Quentin says "As I took these two steps back, Margo took two equally small and quiet steps forward (p.5) Do these descriptions still apply to the characters when they reach high school? When the story ends? What changes?"
So I think this part is important because it refers back more towards Margo being curious and she's an adventurer and an explorer and Q is more fearful and shy about things. I think in high school Before Quentin and Margo's Adventure, he wouldn't have the exact same reaction, but it'd be similar. I think High School Quentin wouldn't take two steps back... but I don't think he'd move. I think he would want to stay around to try to impress Margo or whoever was there... but I don't think he would take two steps forward towards a corpse. I think if it had happened at the end of the story, Quentin might try to imagine himself as Margo and take the two steps forward. He's definitely more adventurous and daring after understanding how Margo works. It shows when he goes to the abandoned buildings and he sees the rats and says that he was scared of it at first but ended up liking it.
"Describe Q's best friends. Where do they fit into the caste system of Winter Park High? If you had to chose one of these characters as your best friend who would you pick? Why?"
Ben and Radar are definitely the band nerds. I feel like their kind of outcasts from the rest of the school, but they're okay being outcasts. Sure there are times when it seems Ben wants to be popular, but ultimately even when he's drunk and it seems that he could have a friendship with Chuck and those guys and he has the hot girlfriend... he's not going to fit in with the popular guys. He fits in with Ben and Radar. One thing I like about them is that they actually talk about things that matter. So many times guys say that their exchanges with their guy friends are just about who farts the loudest or how big everyone's dick is or tv or sports or something stupid like that... but these guys actually talk about their feelings and even their friendships and stuff like that. In high school the guy I dated was probably like a more jerk-y and more boring version of Ben... lol no offense. He seemed to have the "hopeless romantic that doesn't know what he's doing" angle that Quentin has... but he was definitely more of an unfunny Ben to be honest. And I definitely appreciated Ben for this and I thought his conversation about the image of Lacey and the actual Lacey in the car was quite insightful and I really liked that he mentioned that to Quentin and warned him... which Q clearly couldn't handle.... but I also don't think I'd be best friends with him cause he is slightly more selfish. Not more selfish than Q though, Q I think is the most selfish of the bunch... kind of in a good way... but also he doesn't see that his Margo isn't Margo. Radar would definitely be my best friend. First off: I'd totally want to hang out in the Black Santa mansion. I thought that bit was soooo funny and I totally respect the Black Santa Awareness that he claims his parents aren't doing... but they sort of are inadvertently. Its pretty cool. Also he's definitely really insightful and mature. I like that he accepts his friends for who they are and that is the hardest thing to do sometimes... and even as a 23 year old this is hard to do sometimes... but really people are who they are and you have to accept them for that because they're your people.
"How does Quentin struggle at times with his friendship with Ben? How does Q learn to accept Ben for who he is? How does this relate to Q's understanding of Margo?"
Like I said, Ben and Quentin are two pretty selfish people, and that means they don't always want to be there for each other all the time. From Ben's Point Of View: Q is ruining the last week of school over this obsession with a girl that isn't even "real." Its like Metaphysical I Spy. He does find Margo, but not his Margo,and Ben gets that thats how it is going to be for Q and he doesn't see why its that big of a deal to find her. From Quentin's Point Of View: Ben is ruining his only chances at happiness with this girl because he doesn't care about her. He cares about drinking and calls him up on prom night when Quentin is deep into investigation just so Q can DD. He also doesn't want to help Q the next morning when he really needs him. They both just have a hard time with each other because they are so similar, just with different perspective's on things. Radar helps Q realize that people are who they are. Ben is who he is. Q is who he is. They aren't just Paper Dolls that are the exact same, they're not going to agree with each other sometimes, but thats who they are. Also on their road trip when they play "That Guy is a Gigolo" Radar and Q disagree on something and then Radar says it says more about the people playing it than the people they are looking at and judging and Q agrees... so he's even getting deeper insight into his friends point of views on that... and I believe right after he shifts the situation to Margo, showing that he is kind of wondering about her insights about these sorts of things... and from that he is able to understand that the Margo he knew and the Margo he was hunting down is not the Margo that was. And she needed to be away from home so that she could be the Margo that she was. And Q knew that. He knew he'd probably never see her again, but he was glad to see her and I think he was happy that she was happy where she was.
"Why do you think Margo picks Q as her accomplice on her campaign for revenge?"
I think its really more of a challenge. She's really just challenging Q to be the boy that she always dreamed of him to be... similar to his idea of Margo, she had an idea of Quentin as well... and that idea didn't seem to fit the real life Quentin. But... I don't think she necessarily just "chose" him because clearly Quentin was ready for adventure anyway. He wanted to go with her not just to be with her... but I think he genuinely knew it would be a fun memorable night, and really he needed it as much as Margo did. And his adventures at the end of the book are much the same. He wants to find Margo so he looks for the clues.
"Do you think the characters Margo targets for revenge get what they deserve? Does Lacey deserve to be included? "
Yes on both counts. I feel like if she didn't go after Becca and Jase, they would have gotten what they deserved anyway. Jase still called Becca Margo when they were about to have sex... so clearly he wasn't really serious about his relationship with Becca either. And she just seems like a horrible person that is incapable of friendships with anyone... and also made of paper. And... I think Lacey kinda deserved it to. I don't think she was a terrible person and I think she'll remain a friend to Q and his gang and even to Margo... but I can see the subtle things that get Margo down like Lacey referring to Margo as curvy... and yeah. Things like that happen a lot. Margo probably could have talked to her... but in high school its just easier to leave a catfish in their bedroom... so I think it made sense. I don't think Lacey is mature enough to see what she did wrong to Margo anyway... so I think Fishes speak louder than words in this case.
"When Margo disappears after her outing with Q, its not the first time she's seemingly vanished for a long period. Describe Margo's other adventures and note any common threads between the trips. What makes her disappearance after her night with Q different from the others? "
I think Margo's other disappearances are just kind of for fun, or to plan out the big trip. She mentions that her trip to the Mississippi was actually really lonely because she was planning her final farewell out. She probably also did it for her reputation. She's known as this crazy, beautiful, carefree girl that can just pack up and go to Mississippi whenever she feels like it. The thing about her escape after her night with Q is that it feels better to her because she knows theres really no going back. She knows her parents won't put up with it any longer and that she can't leave this time without leaving for good... and its like what Q said, leaving feels sad at first, but once you do it it feels good... so I think she might still be lonely, but at times it just feels good for her to do it.
The next question I didn't really like so I'm skipping it.
"Do you think Margo wants to be found? Do you think Margo wants to be found by Q?"
I think Margo left the clues for Q as another challenge to him to see if he'll go out and find her and if he is that daring guy that she wrote about as a child... so yeah I do think she wanted to be found by Q specifically. I don't think she wanted to be found by her parents or Lacey or Jase or anyone else because she wanted to leave them... but I think she wanted to bring the memories of Q with her and thats why she wanted him to find her. And she did kiss him and I think she wanted that also.
The rest of these are all kind of "school essay" ish so I'm not going to answer them... plus there are a ton! I thought there would only be a few when I started this but gosh there are a lot! Lol.
Anyway hope you found this discussion interesting and maybe I'll do more of these. There are no questions at the end of Looking For Alaska, which I've only got a few pages of... but I'm sure I'll do more discussion focused questions sometime... lol.
Byeee!
-Shannon
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