Jones 1
Joe Jones
Mr. Braam
CCR English 10, Bell 1
Independent Novel Response #1
Nov. 6, 2015
Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
In the novel Catching Fire, author Suzanne Collins builds tension by using cliffhanger endings to her chapters. For example, at the end of Chapter 19, Katniss goes to check on Peeta after her partner was zapped by a force field. The chapter ends with “I press my ear against his chest, to the spot where I always rest my head, where I know I will hear the strong and steady beat of his heart. Instead, I find silence” (Collins 279). By saying that Katniss expects to hear the heartbeat that she always hears, then saying she hears nothing, Collins makes readers want to turn the page quickly to relieve the tension caused by wanting to know whether or not Peeta survives.
Another example comes at the end of Chapter 20, when a seemingly innocent fog starts sliding into the area where Katniss and her allies are sleeping. The chapter ends with “The progression of the front line [of the fog] is too uniform to be natural. And if it is not natural ... . A sickening sweet odor begins to invade my nostrils and I reach for the others, shouting for them to wake up. In the few seconds it takes to rouse them, I begin to blister” (Collins 297). Once again, by leaving Katniss and her friends in danger and their fate unknown, Collins makes readers feel the increased tension, pulling them further into the book to find out the results.
These are just two examples of how Collins masterfully uses cliffhanger endings to build tension, both in her book Catching Fire and in the readers’ minds.
Joe Jones
Mr. Braam
CCR English 10, Bell 1
Independent Novel Response #1
Nov. 6, 2015
Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
In the novel Catching Fire, author Suzanne Collins builds tension by using cliffhanger endings to her chapters. For example, at the end of Chapter 19, Katniss goes to check on Peeta after her partner was zapped by a force field. The chapter ends with “I press my ear against his chest, to the spot where I always rest my head, where I know I will hear the strong and steady beat of his heart. Instead, I find silence” (Collins 279). By saying that Katniss expects to hear the heartbeat that she always hears, then saying she hears nothing, Collins makes readers want to turn the page quickly to relieve the tension caused by wanting to know whether or not Peeta survives.
Another example comes at the end of Chapter 20, when a seemingly innocent fog starts sliding into the area where Katniss and her allies are sleeping. The chapter ends with “The progression of the front line [of the fog] is too uniform to be natural. And if it is not natural ... . A sickening sweet odor begins to invade my nostrils and I reach for the others, shouting for them to wake up. In the few seconds it takes to rouse them, I begin to blister” (Collins 297). Once again, by leaving Katniss and her friends in danger and their fate unknown, Collins makes readers feel the increased tension, pulling them further into the book to find out the results.
These are just two examples of how Collins masterfully uses cliffhanger endings to build tension, both in her book Catching Fire and in the readers’ minds.
Highlighted= Required elements of book title, book author, and MLA Citations
Bold and underlined = a repeating of the prompt and the statement of my claim
Bold = quoted examples from my book that support my claim
Underlined = Explanations of how my quotes/examples support the claim
Italics = A conclusion that rephrases my claim