I chose this assignment to help the reader try to understand how Georgie McCool felt in her situation and to ask them what they think about time travel. Not only can they try to feel how she feels and get the experience, they can also reflect on themselves and see if there is anything they might want to change. Whether they need to change themselves, make changes to help others, or a different change.
Introduction
If you messed up, would you take the opportunity to go back? Would you try to change everything? Or would you keep it all the same? Landline is a book that takes you through the challenges of a late thirty year old woman, Georgie McCool, as she tries to solve the complications in between herself and her husband. Along with her best friend and co-worker Seth, her sister Heather, "the Sweaty One", and "the One Who Looks Like It Bit a Brick". However, she can't contact her present husband, but she can contact her past husband.
Landline, by Rainbow Rowell, is a novel pertaining to the genres of romance and science fiction. Through family and time-travel, the plot is developed and subtle themes can be created from this book. The assignment ahead will help you further understand the main character, who she is and why she acts the way she does, allow you to consider whether she actually time traveled in more depth, ponder more over the book and what it could mean or represent, and put yourself in Georgie's shoes.
Task
After reading the novel, answer the following questions in the form of a PowerPoint:
Analyze Georgie McCool. What type of character is she (dynamic, static, flat, round)? Use evidence.
Did Georgie McCool actually travel back in time? Was she imagining everything? Or something else? Use evidence.
What are some possible themes of Landline? What could they mean?
If you could travel back in time and make changes would you? Why or why not?
Process
Use this website to create your Slideshow:
https://www.google.com/slides/about/
Use the book and your knowledge to analyze what Georgie McCool is like. (Page numbers and chapter number can be included in the evidence)
Read these articles about landlines to help answer the question on whether Georgie McCool time traveled or not:
http://theconversation.com/how-landline-phones-made-us-happy-and-connected-92662
https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/telephone.htm
Read these articles that discuss time travel to help you answer the question on whether Georgie McCool time traveled or not. You may also watch the video that is located on the first link:
https://www.space.com/21675-time-travel.html
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/temporal-turmoil-the-time-travel-stories-of-robert-silverberg/
Use the book and your knowledge to analyze the possible themes of the story. (Page numbers and chapter numbers can be included in the evidence)
Use your experience to decide whether you would go back in time to change the past. If wanted, share stories and explain experiences you have had.
Evaluation
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| All of the questions were answered and developed thoroughly. Sentence structure is included. | Most of the questions were answered well. | Over half of the questions were answered but not very thoroughly. | Less than half of the questions were answered. | Only a couple of the questions were answered not thoroughly or with thought. Simple sentences. | None of the questions were answered. |
| It can be seen that the book was read and understood well. | It can be seen that the book was understood and read. | It can be seen that the book is understood and was read; however, not much information is shown and given. | The book may not have been understood on a deeper level. | Little understanding of the book was shown. | No understanding of the book was shown. |
| A sufficient amount of evidence was used and supported the answers given. | Multiple pieces of evidence were used but not well supported. | Some evidence was used and was not supported very well. | A small amount of evidence was used and barely supported or discussed. | Little evidence was used. | No evidence was used. |
| Little to no grammatical errors. | Some grammar mistakes that are not too noticeable. | Grammar mistakes that can be noticed. | Multiple grammar mistakes that are noticeable. | Over half of the PowerPoint contains grammatical errors. | Multiple grammatical errors. |
| Style and creativity in the PowerPoint are visually appealing to the audience and effort into the work can be noticed. Pictures are included. | Effort can be seen towards the style of the PowerPoint. A couple of pictures are included. | Half of the PowerPoint seems to have style while the other half may not seem like it was worked on. | Less than half of the PowerPoint is decorated and a couple to zero pictures are included. | Little style in the PowerPoint and no pictures are included. | No style or creativity to the PowerPoint. |
Conclusion
After competing this assignment, hopefully you have a deeper understanding of the book. The assignment should have allowed you to better understand the characters, the book as a whole, put yourself in Georgie McCool's shoes, and think deeper as to what happened in the book. Georgie can be a complicated character that is hard to understand because of the way she may act and think. The book not only tells a story as to how a family reunites and becomes happy again, but can also teach lessons. Decisions can be made which can lead to further decisions and different outcomes with multiple possibilities. After looking deeper into the book and understanding Georgie more, have you decided whether you would try to change the past to change the future?
Credits
Here is an article that provides a story that can also be used to answer the questions or be read:
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/07/bizarre-cases-of-real-life-time-travelers/