Sunday, November 05, 2006

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

How does Cass' disappearance control and manipulate Caitlin's choices? Caitlin felt like an outsider in her own family before Cass' departure. Is this perception accurate, or does Caitlin become an outsider as the result of her own flaws? Or does Rogerson, with his tragic flaws of jealousy and suspicion manipulate and control Caitlin's decision to reject her former life? Why do her parents need to keep their illusions about both daughters alive? Start blogging about how these Othello theme topics connect to Dreamland. As you get more into the novel, you may want to look over several of the discussion guides, including the one at the publisher's website.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

disapearing acts always effect familys in strange ways. sometimes they laugh about it or cry and sometimes they hide behind masks becoming isolated from the rest but in all cases the pain is still there. everyone is effected as an individual and they are still a family in some way weather or not they are the same.

Anonymous said...

i guess this book is good cause i started it and i diidnt obsevere much yet

Anonymous said...

this books now that i read it is about a girl sisters runs away from home with her boyfriend because she isn't happy with her college career

Anonymous said...

strange circumstances to run away from.

Anonymous said...

this book is reminds me of when i watched a tv show called 24. Because in the tv show and and book the daughters run away from home with their boyfriends

Anonymous said...

So far i like this book, it is intresting. It's about a girl that runs away from home with her boy friend.

Anonymous said...

I'm at the part when Cass calls home and tells her dad that she is fine. She also says she is not going to return home.

Anonymous said...

The parents dont even really notice catlin because its her birthday and they havent even said happy birthday to her. they just stay in their rooms all upset beacuse thier daughter left for the life that she really wanted. what do you guys think about the parents and the actions the take towards their daughters?

Anonymous said...

I think both parents should keep their illusions for both of their daughters because they should treat them both the same because they are both their daughters and they shouldn't treat them diferrently because one might feel left out!

Anonymous said...

I think that the parents are leaving caitlin out because they don't even care about what or how she was feeling when her sister cass ran away and that they feel depressed and as if cass was their only daughter because they are so worried about what had happened to cass and not noticing what is happening to caitlin while she is dating rogerson of how he treats her.

Anonymous said...

Well i think that cass' dissappearance manipulates caitlin's choices in many ways....one way i think it manipulative is b/c when caitlin talks in the book she always refers to cass and what she used to do when she was at home....Well i think that yes cass leaving does make her an outsider b/c if u guys remember at the beginning of the book she would always say things that made her and her sis alike in many ways......like how the mom would make them so that they were twin like.....so thats what makes her an outsider b/c she so use to having someone there basically her not being independent...like for example when cass left caitlin found someone and that was Rogerson who is now showing alot of gender power, jealousy, manipulation,illusion ect....well i think that the parents should keep there illusion of there daughter alive b/c it hepls caitlin remeber about her b/c Caitlin so stuck in Dreamland and what goes on there.....well in this book many theme topics are exposed...themes that are exposed are gender power, esp. w/ Rogerson and how he always refers to "its the hair" so basically as in the bible when one of the men had hair he had alot of power but then when he was forced to shve or cut it off he no longer had power, so same thing w/ Rogerson i think that when caitlin get the chance to step up to him that he will lose his power....Another theme topic that is exposed in here is jealousy in the book when jealousy is involved around caitlin and rogerson and how he is so manipulative towards her when another person is around her esp. when its a male he tends to get furious and voilent towards her...
well g2g!!!!!

Anonymous said...

what do you guys think about the parents and the actions the take towards their daughters?
well i dont really know how to answer that question but i think that they should really focus on caitlin b/c she the one still under their roof not cass.So when cass decides to come back the they can focus on both daughters but i think their main focus should be
on caitlin b/c alot of things are happening to her and their parents arent even having suspicions.....

Anonymous said...

how ironic it is that she keeps thinking that her sister had this perfect life before she ran away. the parents dont realize that she got kicked off the cheerleeading squad. if they paid any attention to her they would know that something was up with the way she started dressing notice all long sleeve and baggy pants. If you were caitlin how long do you think you can hold all that pain and misery in?

Anonymous said...

yea i totally agree w/ you anan!!!!dat she hella thinks her sister had this perfect life and how her parents didnt even stop and try to ask her!!!!

Anonymous said...

Well im barley at the part were rogerson hits caitlin, but i think she is dumb for not saying anything to him. I also think that the only reason why rogerson hits her is because he gets hit by his dad over the little mistakes he makes. the same way his dad takes out his anger on him he does the same to caitlin. Why do you guys think that caitlin lets rogerson step all over her? She says its because of love, but is that true??? what ydo you guys think???

Anonymous said...

Well I think Caitlin lets Rogerson step all over Caitlin because she loves him but also becuase she is use to everyone telling her what to do and she always listens to others when they tell her what to do! I also think she lets Rogerson step all over her because her sister left and she's been sad about it even though she does not show it. She takes all that because she feels like Rogerson is one of the only people that cares and understands her. Rogerson has something that makes her forget that she has problems.

Anonymous said...

Why do you guys think that caitlin lets rogerson step all over her? She says its because of love, but is that true??? what do you guys think???well i think caitlin lets rogerson step all over her b/c just like liset said that she is too used to being told what to do from family and friends.For example cheerleading, caitlin's friend gets caitlin into cheerleading she never really wanted to do it.......well i think its not love is just something to go to b/c sshe feels alone...she is so used to having her sister there which they were compared as "twins" as they were little and basically did everything together....so i think she goes to rogerson b/c she feels like he the only one who understands and kind of like how othello gets desdemona lost in his stories thats probably the same way Rogerson gets caitlin lost but just by his appearance i guess......

Anonymous said...

I was surprised that during the fool's party when her mother found out that rogerson hits caitlin and he got arrested that caitlin was sad that they took rogerson away. she felt sad and that the only person she felt safe with was now gone. Threw all of what was happening to caitlin's family didn't have a clue of what he would do to her and they were to focused on cass. Does the camera show that how caitlin has changed throughout the book or does it symbolize something else?

Anonymous said...

I think that it can symbolize something but most of all I think it is mostly that caitlin changed through out the book and I think that she changed because of Rogerson and also because of her parents because they dont pay much attention to her!

Anonymous said...

Well I just got to the part were rina invites caitlin to go with her for the afternoon. but what i dont understand is why catlin says rina is her best friend... but then again she doesnt tell her about rogerson hitting her. Because i thought best friends trust each other, thats why i tell my best friend everything.She's my best friend because i can trust her. but yea what do you guys think rogerson is going to do to caitlin if she leaves with rina?

Anonymous said...

i think that rogerson will get really mad at caitlin for leaving with rina because she didnt go out with him and that he's going to hit her and it feels that rogerson wants caitlin all to himself....

Anonymous said...

why was Caitlin in Evergreen care center?

Anonymous said...

How do you think it must of felt when her friends and family finally found out what has been happening to Caitlin?

Anonymous said...

I also agree that caitlin use to let rogerson step all over her because she goes from what her mother tells her to what she thinks as independent yet it is the same thing where someone is telling her what to do.

Anonymous said...

The reason she is in evergreen is beacuse her family found out that Rogerson was hitting her and for using drugs beacuse Caitlin's mother found her bowl and some pot in her jacket.

Anonymous said...

I think that it must of felt wierd for Caitlin having her friends and family knowing what she is going through with Rogerson!!

Anonymous said...

this novel is about a girl named cass who runs away. I think that her sister caitil is the most person that is affected when her sister runs away.

Anonymous said...

Rogerson might be jealous when he sees caitlin talking to another guy. So he goes and salps her on the face.

Anonymous said...

When Caitlins family had found out that Rogerson was hitting her they were disappointed of Rogerson and they were mad of caitlin for not telling them from before.

Anonymous said...

Why do you think that Caitlin still loves Rogerson when he hits her and beats her up?

Anonymous said...

i need help.. whats the illusion vs reality in the book??? because i dnt get it...

Anonymous said...

I think that the reason that caitlin still loves him is because she felt like she was safe with him and that she has no one else to be safe with.

Anonymous said...

why did caitlin ripped the girl's picture?

Anonymous said...

well i think she riped up the picture of herself because she doesnt like the kind of person she use to be. I think she does it because she wants to change and start over.

Anonymous said...

Why does Caitlin feel sad for Rogerson when he gets arrested right after he beats her up infront of her house?

Anonymous said...

The help with illusion v.s. reality is that the illusion was that her parents thought that everything was going smoothly with Caitlin and Rogerson and the reality is that he is hitting her and not treating her the right way. Since at evergreen Caitlin was able to put her picture that she ripped back together which shows us that she has gotten better and is ready to go home when she completes the puzzle of the photo. She would finish and overcome what had happened to her.

Anonymous said...

Do you think that Cass will come back to see and welcome her sister from Evergreen?

Anonymous said...

why was caitlin thinking of the picture she ripped?

Anonymous said...

was caitlin jealous of cass?

Anonymous said...

What Do you think of Rogerson's character and the theme he represent?

Anonymous said...

Why do you think caitlin still thinks of Rogerson enven though he is at jail not thinking of her?

Anonymous said...

This novel represent many themes as i see such as jealousy and power.

Anonymous said...

I think that Caitlin still thinks of Rogerson even though he is in jail because she really loves him and also because she always use to say that Rogerson was speacial for her!! And I think Rogerson doesn't think of Caitlin because he probably think's that she isn't thinking about him outside and also because he is in jail because of caitlin and becuase of what he did.

Anonymous said...

I think that Caitlin was and is still jealous of Cass because she kept on saying that how Cass was better at everything and how she was first born and of how she can do anything. Which is why she ended up with Rogerson because she was always doing the opposite or something that Cass would never do. Caitlin's mother was also a big part beacuse she would always think of Cass and would show to Caitlin that she loved Cass more.

Anonymous said...

What do you think would have happen if Caitlin stayed with Mike?

Anonymous said...

Do you think that Caitlin would have told Cass that Rogerson was hitting her if Cass never left?

Anonymous said...

I think that caitlin might have told her sister cass that Rogersonm is hitting her because i think that caitlin somehow trusts Cass.

Anonymous said...

Yes I think Caitlin would of told Cass that Rogerson hit her because Caitlin really trusted Cass and also beause she loved her sister a lot!

Anonymous said...

Why do you guys think that Caitlin would of told Cass that Rogerson was hitting her? Do you think that Caitlin should of told Boo this since she really likes Boo and always looked at Boo like a mother?

Anonymous said...

Why do you guys think that Rogerson always watched Caitlin on everything she did with Rina? Is Rogerson afraid to loose Cailtlin becuase of Rina?

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

well im done with the book, but what did you guys think about the story? how do you guys think caitlin will react if she sees rogerson agin??

Anonymous said...

Well I really liked the story it was very intresting! I think that Caitlin would react differently with him or she would just act like she didn't know him because she is afraid of him.But who know's becuase at the end of the story in one of the last pages Caitlin said that she wouldn't know how she would react when she saw Rogerson again becuase she still loved him but at the same time she was mad at him because he hurt her.

Anonymous said...

I think it would have been different if Cass didn't leave because Caitlin would have told her sister that rogerson was hitting her and Cass would have protected her from rogerson. Also the only reason Caitlin met rogerson is because she wanted to do something that cass would never do which is keep going out with someone who keeps on hitting her.

Anonymous said...

Why didn't Caitlin tell her parents the first time that rogerson hit her instead of ending up in Evergreen Care Center?

Anonymous said...

How has Cailtins stlye of clothing changed? Why doesn't she hang out with Rina anymore? Why hasn't her mother noticed the change in caitlin style and attitude?