I'm not a lead but need to post today. I really enjoyed Skellig. It had a mysterious “ora, or intuitive feeling” to the entire schema. The sick baby sister that no-one knew if she would get better, the friend Mira next door with her strange ways and her mother that enjoyed art and poetry more than school and told stories to them. Michael finding Skellig and we do not know what he is, and Michael is not afraid of him.
The story gave an impression to me that maybe he was Death, after Ernie had died, and because Dr. Death (Dr. Dan) was always there to see the baby, but that could not be, since Michael was not afraid. Then it went on to let us know he had wings, so I felt he must be an angle, but with Artur Itis, why would he be wasting away and eating bugs and small rodents like a bird? Soon after finding Skellig, the teacher Miss Clarts lectured about Icarus and his father Daedalus. That gave a sense of maybe this was another Icarus. It had me wondering just who was he and what would happen to the baby.
I liked Skellig when he and the kids (and when he and the baby), were dancing and they could see each other’s wings. Was it to be the future of man with evolution going on?
I liked Mira and her directness (at the teacher was rude but needed said), and in her way to listen to the sounds most people do not hear. She seemed to be very intuitive to others' feelings. The boys at school were typical kids, jealous of their friendship, and a bit missing Michael.
I think Michael was lonely and depressed and Skellig was just what he needed to keep him focused on helping him to survive, instead of the way he was feeling. Maybe that was why he was there?
It was the beginning of Winter, and went on to the Spring in a quick way, but it was easy to see Michael changing. I can see the reason he wanted the baby called Persophone, can you? How did everyone else like it? Why do you think Skellig was there? What do you think Skellig was?
3 comments:
Skellig is definately an interesting book. The first sentence alone caught my attention when Dr. Death was inside with everyone. I think Almond does a really good job at describing the certain things in depth, like the angel. It's very sad though that Michael's baby sister is sick and at the beginning of the book it's almost as if he's jealous that he's not getting the attention that the baby sister is. I agree with Joanne that Skellig is a way for Michael to attain that attention and that it kinda pulls him out of the slump he's in. I'm not sure exactly what Skellig is, either, but that's one of the reasons I really like the book is because in a way I'd rather just use my imagination and leave it abstract.I'm not sure if we'll know in the end, but I'm excited to read the rest of the book.
I also enjoyed this book a great deal. I only meant to read half when I started, but I ended up reading the entire thing by the next day. I also don't know what Skellig is. When Michael first found him I thought he was a ghost, until Michael was able to touch him and he ate the Chinese food Michael brought him. Once Michael felt the wings on his back I thought he must be some half angel/half person sort of creature. Then when Mina found the pellets next to him I thought he must be part bird/part angel/part human. hah. I still don't know what I think he is, but that was half the fun of reading the book.
I agree with you both that Skellig helped Michael get through the trama of his sister being sick and in and out of the hospital. I think that Michael also helped Skellig as much as Skellig helped Michael; he fed him, moved him to safety, brought him aspirin and cod oil pills, and most importantly loved him. I don't think either one could have made it through without each other.
Mina was also important because she helped Michael see and hear things around him that he normally wouldn't have noticed. She was there for him when he wasn't able to see Skellig, and she let him know it was OK to feel the way he was feeling. The one thing I could never tell was how old Michal and Mina were. I got the impression they were probably around the 6th grade, although I don't remember the book ever telling their age. It was obvious they had strong feelings for each other, but I wasn't sure if they were old enough to understand their feelings or if they were mostly just there for each other.
I do see why Michael wanted to name his baby sister Persephone, but I can't remember what page it discussed the story of Persephone, so I can't answer that question...
One of the most interesting things I realized while reading this book was that it sounded strangely familiar. I ended up looking back through other novels i had read, and it came to me. In 12th grade I was in an AP Spanish Lit class and we had to read several mythological tales in spanish. One of the stories had a character nearly identical to skellig. It was old, frail, molting, and ate insects. At least that was what I gathered from translating it to english. It to, was hidden in a sort of shed, and befriended a couple of young children by accident. I wish i could remeber the title of the spanish tale, but unfortunately i cant. Anyway, I see skellig as that same angel, trapped between worlds, and suffering from it. I see skellig as fallen, or in need of returning to his cloudy home. Either way, the story is fascinating because of its mysterious nature... and because of its "contamination" from literature in another language.
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