Bel Canto. 8

5 Comments:

1. General Benjamin and Mr. Hosokawa are having a meeting and playing a chess game at the same time. They had been playing for hours.
2. Mr. Hosokawa had loosened up a bit. When guest come over to his place, they were only allowed to limited areas, but now Mr. Hosokawa even put in more chairs in variety of places to allow guest to go around to.
3. Mr. Hosokawa compared to the room he have now to the one he had back in Japan. His bedroom is now so large that in Japan, only a hotel banquet hall, or a opera house would have a room that big.
4. Seeing General Benjamin and Mr. Hosokawa playing chess all the time makes Ishmael wants to play too, but all young terrorists should not ask for more than they already could have.
5. Mr. Hosokawa and Roxane spends most of their times together. They would look at the same things together or Mr. Hosokawa would just stare at Roxane.

4 Questions:

1. Is chess a new game Mr. Hosokawa learned or people do play chess back in Japan?
2. Are Mr. Hosokawa and Roxane together now or they are just there to company each other and nothing more?
3. Does Ishmael really want to play chess that badly? He memorized the chessboard...
4. Why did Mr. Hosokawa limited to the amount of area that his guests are allow to be at? What made him finally decide to open up and allow them to more places?

3 Vocabulary:

1. Pustules - any pimplelike or blisterlike swelling or elevation
2. Conjunctivitis - nflammation of the conjunctiva
3. Cavern - a large underground cave

2 Literary Term:

1. "...that comforting tightness a child experiences when bundled into sweaters and a coat." [Metaphore pg. 228]
2. "Silently, Ishmael memorized the chessboard." [Foreshawdow pg. 230 - shows that Ishmael will probably become a good chess player]

1 Overview:

This chapter is about Roxane and Ishmael watching General Benjamin and Mr. Hosokawa playing a chess game together in his bedroom.