The+Last+Song+PARTICIPATION

This project is for participation points! ** **Author Biography:** Nicholas Sparks was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 31, 1965. He finished grade school, and was nominated as valedictorian at the end of high school. Then he moved on to college. He attended the University of Notre Dame, and graduated in 1988. While at college, he got injured while running a track event, and he spent a lot of time at home recovering. While he was gaining his strength at home, his mom said:    "Don't just pout," she said, "Do something" "What?" I asked, not bothering to hide my sulking. "I don't know. Write a book." I looked at her. "Okay," I said. From that moment on, Sparks had become a writer. After college, he got married to a woman named Cathy. Six weeks after getting married, his mother died in a horseback riding accident, at the age of 47. That was a big moment in Sparks' life. Later on, his wife gave birth to two baby boys, and then he started to write the well-known book (that later turned into a motion-picture) //The Notebook//. His son was diagnosed with autism. An autistic character is commonly present in a lot of his books. Also, his sister got cancer. Sparks is also known for characters who have cancer in his books too. On top of all this, his dad died in a car accident at the age of 54. In his books (such as the //Last Song// and //Dear John//) the father gets cancer. Sparks and his wife gave birth to one more son and twin daughters. Sparks continued to write //The Last Song, The Lucky One, Dear John, A Walk to Remember//, and many other books. I found this information at the following cites: [|Nicholas Sparks Bio 1] and [|Nicholas Sparks Website]
 * The Last Song ** ** By: Nicholas Sparks

//The Last Song// is a story about a 17-year-old girl, named Ronnie. She has always lived with her mom and brother in New York, but one summer, her mom decides to send her to visit her dad in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is angry at her dad for leaving them 3 years before, and has turned somewhat rebellious. She doesn't want to be there, and she blames everything on her parents. But while she is there, she meets Will Blakely. And her life would never be the same. Find out about how the rest of Ronnie's summer turns out. Will she ever connect with her father? What will happen between Ronnie and Will? Read this heartwarming and tear-jerking novel by Nicholas Sparks.
 * Plot Synopsis:**


 * Literary Terms:**
 * Themes: The theme that was revealed in this book was that love can break your heart, but love can also heal.
 * Protagonist: Ronnie, Will, Ronnie's dad
 * Diction: This story was neutral diction because it used common words and had many conversations. The author uses this level of writing to help one connect easily with the characters in the book.
 * Point of View: This story changes perspectives in the first person point of view. It switches between Ronnie, Steve (her dad), Will, and Marcus (a boy from the town). This helps readers see the story from many different perspectives. It helps to get a feel for how each individual characters is feeling, and you know their emotions.
 * Symbolization: In this book, the piano symbolizes Ronnie's love for her father. Also, the turtles symbolize her love and friendship with Will. (P.S. READ IT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THESE EVENTS :)

Ronnie has grown to become more mature and to be a better sister. She has become more open and she realizes that she has been living on the rebellious side. Ronnie really does love her dad, but she just needs to learn about her past and her parents' past in order to figure this ou t. "Sometimes you have to be a part from people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you love them more" (246).
 * Literary Analysis:**

The Last Song is, by far my favorite book. I really could connect with the characters because Sparks presents them perfectly. You witness the story from many different perspectives and it gives you a feel for how each character feels. I really like it because it is a story about love. What I got out of it is that love can break someone's heart, but it can also heal your heart. Sparks has a way of pulling you in and you don't want to stop reading! I finished this book in 2 days and I know that I will read it again. IF there is one thing that I don't like as much is that this book made me cry my eyes out. It is definitely a tear-jerker, and it makes you feel many different emotions. It was kind of embarrassing to cry in front of my whole family. All in all, I would rate this book a 10/10!!! It was absolutely amazing!!!
 * Criticism:

If you want any information at all about Nicholas Sparks, his books, or the movies, go to his official website: ** [|Nicholas Sparks Website]

If you want to see the movie, watch the trailer: media type="youtube" key="joCwQ2pjfjw" height="385" width="640" align="center"