1. Copy down a quote from a character and explain why you think it's meaningful. What does it suggest about this character's personality? Personal qualities? Etc. Explain your thinking.
"...On his face was the same expression that was on every statue of Buddha that I'd every seen- that smile. It reminded of the smile on the face of the Mona Lisa. It was as if the Buddha had just made a wonderful discovery, learned something very satisfying, something that answered a long held question. But with the Mona Lisa I always thought she was keeping the secret to herself. But with the Buddha, it was like, if you asked and listened ever so intently, he'd share that wisdom with you."
I think this quote is meaningful to the story because it explains what Sam thinks of when he looks at the Buddha, and it's also giving you an example of how he thinks. I think this reflects Sam's personality by telling you how he thinks about things when he sees them, instead of just looking at them and going "Oh, that's nice." I think this makes you think that he must be intelligent, as most people don't think about things like this.
2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
When I first started reading Wave I thought that some of the characters seem very believable, like they actually exist (Like Sam, and his mother), while some characters didn't seem so real (Like Beth and her father). Some predicaments I can relate to are going on vacation with only some of my family, other than that, I have never experienced a Tsunami... I think that if I had to pick one character that I am like I would say that I am most like Sam, as I sometimes over think things, and he seems to do this also.
