HCC English 102: Week 5, Discussion 5- Alteration

"This life is filled with threats and danger, David. We face those that we have to face, and there will be times when we must make the choice to act for a greater good, even at risk to ourselves, but we do not lay down our lives needlessly. Each of us has only one life to live and one life to give. There is no glory in throwing it away where there is no hope" (175). What do you think Roland's statement means?

David feels responsible for the beast that attacks the village. Moreover, David thought that "the Beast was familiar to him, that there was a corner of his imagination where the creature had found an echo of herself" (218). What does he mean by this? Why does he feel this? Is David responsible? Why or why not?

"As for you, you are my friend. You are brave, and you are both stronger than you look and stronger than you believe yourself to be. You are trapped in an unfamiliar land with only a stranger for company, yet you have defied wolves, trolls, a beast that had destroyed a force of armed men, and the tainted promises of the one you call the Crooked Man. Through it all I have never yet seen you despair" (234).

When David finds Roland's body the book describes an important transformation. His "anger overcame fear, and his rage overcame any thoughts of flight. In that moment, he became more man than boy, and his passage to adulthood began in earnest" (251). Is this the moment truly when David's passage to manhood begins or is it earlier? If it was not, then when? What does this part of David's transformation say about the differences between adults and children?

Remember the Initial Responses, due by Saturday, should:

Be between 500 and 700 words in length

Meet Minimum Standards

Contain at least 1 quote, correctly formatted with an in-text citation and work cited entry.