Remarkable Thing About Ben Following The Mouse example essay topic

330 words
Response Journal # 1 - Chapter 1 -How does the author capture your interest at the beginning of the book? - There are a number of things mentioned in the beginning of "Incident at Hawk's Hill" that sparked my interest and that I could relate to. First off the main character, a small boy named Ben aged 6, was in a barn imitating a mouse as he slowly followed it in the hay stacks. There was no reason in him doing so; it was just out of pure pleasure. This introduction of Ben's character excited me because I myself have had a personal interest in wild animals for all of my life. The remarkable thing about Ben following the mouse was that the mouse wasn't running, it was taking it's time going from seed to seed on the ground, as if not acknowledging Ben's game of "follow the leader".

As well as the setting was in the late 1800's, a small farm and a medium-sized family of 5 people. This setting was comforting and inviting as it always suggested the picture of a farm house and barn at dusk with the sun peaking through the hills and trees and a big loving family home after a hard day's work. I also like a book where there is some evil or peril and excitement in it, and for this book that meant the character "George Burton". He was a tall, bulky fur trader and his dog mimicked George's portrayal for it was a huge grayish yellow hound that was fierce looking. When the Ben Macdonald's family met their new neighbor George, they all had doubts about him especially when he vigorously picked up Ben and shook him about as if to greet him. This sense of violence among George foreshadowed him being an evil character or protagonist, so I was excited to see what kind of trouble he would cause.