3 Act Structure

Act 1
     Stilettos clicking as she walked to her bank office, the quiet building breathing deeply around her.  That is, until a hand grabbed her, dragging her towards the safe.
     "Open it!" the man said.
     She typed the password, feeling a gun in her side.  She reached to push the silent alarm.

Act 2
     Her plans were spoiled as he tied her up and chucked her in a corner.  Three more men entered the safe, he wasn't alone.
     "Stay quiet and we'll spare you," the leader threatened as they began stuffing the money in bags.  His mask slipped.  She gasped and found the gun in her face.
    

Act 3
     "Can't let you live now you've seen my face!" the man laughed.
     The doors banged open.
     "Police!"
     Shots were fired.  She ducked, crying.
     "You're alright," a cop said.
     She looked up, "how?"
     "They tripped the silent alarm."......

     Click.  Her heels echoed in the silent building.  In her head she saw the bodies of four robbers.

Think Aloud- The Count of Monte Cristo 2

Text Connections-  Text-to-text  When Hannah, Chloe and I read about Noirtier building up Valentine's immunity to brucine we thought of Wesley in the Princess Bride.  Wesley, like Valentine, takes increasing amounts of a deadly poison each day until he is immune to that poison.

Text-to-self  After the Count finds out that Madame Villefort killed herself and her son he feels great remorse and wonders if he went to far.  I know what this feels like.  A couple of times after somebody has done something bad to me I have retaliated but instead of getting the revenge I wanted the other person would have their feelings hurt and I would feel awful.

Process-  I was confused on why, after he made her pretend she was dead, the Count waited a month to bring Valentine back.  I thought, after Madame Villefort was confronted with what she had done, the count would have Valentine back right away so that Maximillien didn't have to suffer for so long.  Hannah, Chloe and I talked about it and we came to a conclusion.  Hannah suggested:

Maybe the Count didn't bring Valentine back right away because there was something else that he needed to do first.  Or maybe it was a symbolic thing because it was similar to him giving Morrel three months to pay his debts.

Chloe was confused on whether the deaths of Barrois and Faria were related.  When Barrois was dying he went through three attacks, with the third one killing him.  Faria's disease caused him to go through three attacks over his life time, the third of which killed him.  Chloe said:

It could be a coincident, but I don't think it was because there aren't many coincidences in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Hannah and I disagreed, saying that:

Faria couldn't have been poisoned because he was in prison and his condition was a disease passed down through his family.  Besides, Faria's attacks were spread out by years, not minutes. 

Main Events-  A event that I think was big was the Caderousse's robbery attempt at the Count's house and the former's murder.  I thought this event was important because it tied together the Count, Caderousse and Benedetto (Andrea).  Because Andrea murders Caderousse and the Count knows it, he is turned in to the police, Eugenie Danglers carries out her plan to run away and Monsieur Danglers is publicly embarrassed because he is associated with a murder.

I also think that Fernand's hearing was a main event.  I think this because it is how the Count finally ruins Fernand.  Another reason I think the hearing was important was it tied Haydee into the story and gave her a reason to be there.  It isn't often that there is an extra character in The Count of Monte Cristo that isn't either a victim or a helper to the Count.  Haydee ends up being a helper.Fernands hearing and ruin results in his wife and son leaving him and the Count to be satisfied.