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This is the first novel we read this year.
Written by Richard Preston
Card One
Plot Events: The book starts out with the mysterious death of Kate Moran. The book then goes back in time to the 60s and describes a United States bioweapon test. In the present a CDC worker named Alice Austen travels to New York to investigate the deaths of Kate and a homeless person nicknamed Harmonica man. When doing the autopsy on Kate with Dudley and Ben Kly, she discovers yellow streaks in the kidneys meaning high uric acid. The eyes are also yellow and the brain is soft like jello. On closer examination she discovers high white blood cell count and what look to be crystals in the brain tissue. After a couple more deaths, Austen decided to visit the home of Kate Moran and the shop of Penny Zeker where she discovers Cobra boxes that release the disease into the air. She now knows that these are bombs labeled with a slip of paper that says human trial. After this the FBI becomes involved and Reachdeep is formed and put on the case a base is set up on Governors Island in New York. The base was an old coast guard base. On the island they set up helicopter pads, a hospital and a biocontainment level 3 lab. On the island they then try to diagnose the disease. All of those events were climbing action. The climax was when they diagnose cobra as part brain pox, part cold and part NPV that is a disease that comes from moths. These diseases cause Lesch-Nyhan. The diagnosis of Lesch-Nyhan is the climax of the story. This leads them to a company called Bio-Vek that does research on Lesch-Nyhan. Littleberry finds a machine that makes Cobra. This leads to the FBI taking the company and discovering the name of the unsub-Tom Cope. They then find Cope and chase him through the subway tunnels until he is captured. These events are the falling action.
Card Two
Conflict 1: Tanaka injected mice with Dudley’s infected brain tissue. When everyone else was asleep she noticed one behaving strange. She wanted to bleed that one and test for disease. However a mouse that may or may not have Cobra bit her. In twenty seconds she had to decide if she wanted to cut her finger off to save her life. She decided not to and that decision against herself caused her to get sick and die. Man vs. Self
Conflict 2: Using forensics and biology Austen and the Reachdeep team try to catch Archimedes who is releasing cobra and killing people. Man vs. Man
Conflict 3: Archimedes is releasing cobra all over New York. Many people are getting infected and must fight off cobra. Only one girl survives fighting it off. Since cobra is made of three different natural diseases, by fighting it off that is man vs. nature.
Card Three
Person 1: Alice Austen is 29 years old and works for the CDC in Atlanta. Austen is slender with medium height and wavy auburn hair. She has many friends but there seems to be a distance between her and everyone else. She is independent and curious. Austen’s most important decision was getting on the plane and deciding to investigate the cobra case. Along the way to the end of the book she becomes friends with Will Hopkins.
Person 2: Will Hopkins is in his 30s and has brown hair, a square face and a pocket protector. He works for the FBI repairing equipment so he is really smart and overworks. Hopkins made a decision to leave Governors Island when he was not supposed to and found Archimedes. He also likes Austen.
Person 3: Archimedes has medium height, a baldhead and has glasses. He is smart. He loves the earth and is trying to kill some people to thin the population so nature can take its course. He won’t eat meat and only wears natural fibers. His real name is Tom Cope and he was fired from Bio-Vek. He made the decision where to place his bombs where they will cause the most effects. He has a bad relation with public doctors because they are tying to fight diseases so he considers them enemies.
Person 4: Mark Littleberry is a tall handsome African American. He is retired but worked for the United States Navy in the 60s doing biological weapon tests. Littleberry is hard working. He has a good relationship with Hopkins. The big decisions he made were going AWOL and going off by himself.
Person 5: Kate Moran is a rich teenage girl. She was the second victim of Cobra. She has wavy russet hair and grayish blue eyes. She also liked to collect things. One day in art class she felt weird and dizzy but she believed she had a cold. She had cobra and died. She made the decision to go to art class and not the nurse. She is close to her friend Jennifer Ramosa.
Card 4
The setting of New York City is important to the story because of its population. New York has a large population and lots of people to infect with cobra. New York also provides much transportation out of the city so cobra can spread around the world. Or so Archimedes likes to think.
Homeostasis is interrupted because people are getting sick so homeostasis is not right in the body. There is no homeostasis because if there were a massive outbreak it would be hard to control. Homeostasis also dose not exist because there is not enough vaccine for smallpox.
Card 5
Irony: Its ironic that Tanaka, a person trying to fight Cobra, gets infected and dies herself.
Simile: “ A sky as blue as dreams” pg.319
Metaphor: “Austen’s patient, for the moment, was the city of New York” pg. 39
Alliteration: “You need to shut down the air-circulation fans in the subway” pg.378
Symbolism: “Money makes the world go around” pg.120
Foreshadowing: “The problem is Tom Cope” pg.331
Personification: “Graceful brick dormitories” pg. 194
Onomatopoeia: “Hopkins switched on the machine and it hummed quietly” pg.199
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Can history exist in the present day? The novels The Cobra Event by Richard Preston and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak prove this theory. In both novels the main characters discovered that they had conflicts, not with nature, but with another person and society. The quotation by Arnold Toynbee, “The human race’s prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenseless against tigers then they are today when we have become defenseless against ourselves” prove this idea in itself but it also serves as a connection between the books. If this quote can connect a novel that takes place in Nazi Germany with a setting in present day New York City, one might say history truly does have the ability to appear in present day.
The Cobra Event by Richard Preston provided numerous examples where characters found themselves defenseless against man rather than a natural occurrence. In the book there was an unknown perpetrator releasing a lethal virus called cobra in New York City. To discover whom this person was, the FBI went to a suspect company called Bio-Vek for information. There, one of the characters, Mark Littleberry, discovered a machine, producing cobra. When the FBI inquired about the disease, they claimed to know nothing about it. Since the FBI had to legally accept that response until they had a warrant, they were defenseless against any lie that Bio-Vek wanted to tell. Another fine example of a powerless society in The Cobra Event was the world population. In the book the antagonist was a man going by the alias Archimedes. He was building bombs and testing them over the city. His big scheme was to release large amounts of the virus all over the city. His idea was that eventually cobra would spread all over the world through boats and airplanes infecting people in many different countries around the globe. His plan was to thin the human population. If his plan succeeded, people all over the world would be defenseless against cobra because of one individual. The next connection would affect the entire country. The Cobra event described a biological weapons program that existed in Iraq. If Iraq decided to launch their weapons on the United States or any other country, the people in the hit area would be defenseless against death because of a few individuals in Iraq who decided to start a WMD war. Because of the actions of certain people in the book, many scenarios were created where people got hurt or died.
The individuals in The Cobra Event also provided connections to the quote. Archimedes was one such character that showed defenselessness. He believed that he would never be caught. He thought he had taken every step to protect his identity. He soon discovered, however, that the FBI was on his trail and he was not as strong as he once thought. The protagonist, Alice Austen also at one point seemed defenseless. Before the FBI became involved in the crisis, Austen only had the Center of Disease Control and the New York OCME to diagnose the disease and discover how it was spreading. With only a few tools on hand and a rising death count, Austen became defenseless against helping anyone and had trouble finding any conclusions. But Austen did eventually find enough evidence to involve the FBI. A man named Frank Masaccio was the head of the FBI. It was his job to lead the FBI through the investigation. When they finally got a suspect, Frank discovered that catching and trying Archimedes was harder than he perceived. He needed to find evidence against Archimedes and do it legally. Archimedes however, covered his tracks very well. Frank was legally defenseless against Archimedes. The characters in The Cobra Event prove that everyone feels defenseless once in a blue moon.
The scenery of The Cobra Event provided even more connections to the quotation. The setting of New York City proves Archimedes theory. In such a large city with so many people close together, a disease like Cobra would easily spread killing many people. In addition to spreading cobra all over New York, the city provided much transportation out of the city. With hundreds of airplanes and other transportations out of the city, cobra would easily spread all over the world in many different countries leaving millions sick defenseless and dieing. Cobra would spread because at first it only looks like a common cold. If a person’s friend had it and that person was near his friend he would catch it. This was shown with the characters Kate Moran and Peter Talides. Kate had cobra and Peter was her art teacher. Peter was close to her when she died so Peter caught it and became deceased. The setting shows how one small act by one human can lead to the entire world to be defenseless.
Richard Preston used many languages devises in his novel that interest the reader and provided connection to the quote. On page 319 Preston used simile and described the sky as “a sky as blue as dreams”. Even though lives are on the line, the reader was distracted for the moment and felt peaceful. He tried to bring the reader away from the idea of defenselessness and wanted one to think everything would be fine. Preston used the same reasoning when he personified the buildings on Governors Island as “graceful brick dormitories” on page 194. He wanted the buildings to be a sign of hope and peace but over time they became a center of pain, death and painstaking research. The language devises used, further connected the quote to the novel.
Throughout The Cobra Event, characters faced different kinds of struggles. Austen experienced a man vs. man conflict in the abandoned subway tunnels when she was chasing and trying to arrest Archimedes. Archimedes pulled a gun on her and tried to shoot her. If the subway were not dark, she would have been murdered. At that moment, Austen was locked in a conflict with Archimedes. Since she did not have a gun, Archimedes made her defenseless against him. Man vs. Society was also present in the book. Archimedes was against the human population. He knew that the amount of humans on the planet needed to be reduced. So when he decided to take action, society was officially against his decision. When his actions become acts of terrorism, the government could no longer trust him to be free and needed to find him and bring him to justice. The conflicts in The Cobra Event were perfect connections to the quote.
The novel The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak connects to the quotation in several areas. This book took place in Nazi Germany and showed that not all Germans were the monsters that the allies claimed them to be. However, the Jews did not see it this way. They believed that all of Germany was against them. During Hitler’s reign of terror, he ordered the violent and inhumane murder of millions of innocent people. Most of them were Jewish. The Jews felt defenseless against the Nazis’ attack and outrage against them. The main setting in The Book Thief, the German town of Molching, was defenseless. As the war raged on, the threat of an allied bombing became increasingly real. Even though the town was preparing for the bombings, the town would still be heavily damaged and some lives would be lost. This novel showed how many people were defenseless during World War Two.
The people in The Book Thief showed weakness in the actions they made and expressions they used. The novel followed a young girl named Liesel as she was dropped in the care of foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, or as Liesel came to know them, Papa and Mama. Along the way, Liesel learned to read and became fond of it. Eventually she resorted to stealing books in order to continue her interest. Her neighbor, Rudy Steiner, became her best friend and they enjoyed playing soccer and hanging out together. As Rudy got to know Liesel, he began to like her and started begging for a kiss. Liesel refused every time. Rudy was defenseless against Liesel’s refusal even though he tried to change her mind with favors and challenges. Rosa Hubermann was also defenseless at some points. The family was relatively poor and Rosa brought in the income by washing and ironing rich families’ clothes. However, when the war started, rations were put into effect and money needed to be saved. This resulted in Rosa being let go from her jobs and the money being depleted. Rosa was defenseless against the people’s decision to let her go but as soon as the door was closed and they were out of earshot, Rosa began one of her infamous swearing fits. When Liesel first arrived at the Hubermann’s doorstep she was surprised at the mouth Rosa used. At first she felt offended and defenseless against Rosa’s swearing but later became used to it and knew it was just an odd way to show affection. Conflicts arose when the Hubermanns hid a Jew named Max in their basement as part of a deal Hans made years ago. Hiding a Jew in Nazi Germany was a serious offense. As a Jew, he would be defenseless if the Nazis ever found him. In his dreams he liked to think he had a chance at survival. He dreamt he was fighting Adolf Hitler. This shows that Max was not planning to surrender easily. Many characters became defenseless and dealt with it in different ways.
The setting shows how The Book Thief connects to the citation. This novel took place in Nazi Germany. This setting left many defenseless. Liesel was a young girl and was easily influenced. Liesel was constantly in an environment surrounded by negative thoughts and actions. Liesel was defenseless against these negative entities created by other humans but remembered what was right. The book was also good for revealing the positive side of Germans during this time. It proved that not every German was a loyal Nazi and it showed that not every ally was the giver of goodness and freedom. The allies bombed a poor German town filled with people who were ashamed at their country. Sometimes it was the axis defenseless against the allies not the allies defenseless against the axis. This point also showed that the war tore the bonds between fellow countries and as they fought against each other, they became defenseless against their neighbor nation. The Book Thief reveals how the setting connects to the quote.
Markus Zusak uses language devises throughout his book that provide connections to the quotation. The entire book was an example of personification. It was narrated by death. He gave stories of how humans were defenseless against him and how war made him even busier with collecting souls. He was defenseless against the human’s decision to start a war that would result in a great loss of life. There was another example of personification on page 25. “Liesel was sure her mother carried the memory of him, slung over her shoulder.” The him was Liesel’s brother Werner who died on the train on the way to the Hubermanns. Werner was defenseless against the cough that killed him and Liesel’s mother and Liesel were defenseless against the memory of him. Liesel was so defenseless, that for years afterward, Liesel was haunted of her brother’s corpse in her nightmares. Liesel also felt Werner’s spirit on more then one occasion. Even the words and language devises used prove the connection to the quote.
The Book Thief characters faced many conflicts and those conflicts prove the connection. An unimportant character named Frau Holtzapfel faced a man vs. man conflict. Both of her sons fought in the war. One came home and delivered the news that the other died and he was injured. Frau Holtzapfel then became depressed and mad at Hitler and the Nazis for allowing that to happen to her sons. She was not in the war and was defenseless against what would occur. Eventually her life was ruined when her one remaining son committed suicide. A man vs. society conflict also existed. Max was against Germany because he was a Jew. If he was found he would be severely punished and the Hubermann’s would also be disciplined. If he were discovered, he would be defenseless against being killed or sent to a concentration camp.
Both The Cobra Event by Richard Preston and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak are connected to the quotation, “the human race’s prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenseless against tigers then they are today when we have become defenseless against ourselves” by Arnold Toynbee. Because both novels are connected to the quote one can easily argue that the two are connected and similar. Since the books are connected, history dose have the ability to appear in present day.
Step 1: Cobra is easily spread and the person catches cobra by the smallest contact. The virus is invading your brain cells and cloning itself.
Step 2: The person begins to experience cold like symptoms. Nothing too serious yet. The body is reacting to cobra and is trying to fight it.
Step 3: The eyes turn a yellow color. This is from the body reacting to the virus.
Step 4: The victim starts to feel confused and dizzy. The body fighting the virus causes this. It is losing.
Step 5: The person begins to eat himself around the lips and tongue. This is the result of the bodies last attempt to get rid of the virus.
Step 6: The victim goes into a spasm and they begin to lose control of their body and their back arches. The virus is killing the brain.
Step 7: The person dies. The virus has destroyed the brain.
