Thought Questions for Clockwork Angel

[Olivia-Savannah]

These thought questions actually come from the Simon and Schuster educational guide for Clockwork Angel!

· What is the Pandemonium Club? The Shadowhunters think the Club has more power than it actually does. Why do they have that impression? What has been done to manipulate the Club’s image?

· Tessa gradually uncovers information about herself and her powers, but she still knows very little about why she was “created.” Why is it important to her and to the Shadowhunters to find out? How does Tessa’s view of herself change over the course of the story?

· Chapter 3 begins with a Robert Browning quote, “Love, hope, fear, faith—these make humanity; These are its sign and note and character.” Do you agree? What other characteristics do you think are the hallmarks of humanity?

· Tessa, Jessamine, and Charlotte all have very different ideas about the appropriate roles for women. How much of each woman’s attitude do you think comes from the beliefs of the day, and how much from her own experiences?

· Why are books so important to Tessa? What do they add to her life? Do the Shadowhunters have things in their life that serve this same purpose?

· How does Jem deal with his addiction and its effect on his health and his life? Has it changed his personality? Why does he ask the others to stop searching for a cure; why do they agree? Is his reaction to addiction normal?

· Will’s philosophy can be summed up by a quote by Horace, “Pulvis et umbra sumus,” which means “We are dust and shadows.” Why do you think this resonates with him so deeply? Do his actions bear witness to this belief?

[DJ]

(view spoiler)[

• The Pandemonium Club is a group of people come and practice dark magic. Shadowhunters are under the impression this club has more power than it actually does because so much about it was kept private. The Shadowhunters thought for the longest time the Magister was the vampire de Quincey. Which is also who the Shadowhunters thought were creating automantons. The clubs’ image was manipulated by the secrecy kept. They overlooked the humans as weak fools, just dabbling in the dark magics.
• By the end of the book I still don’t know as much information about Tessa’s power I was hoping. I think it’s important for Tessa to learn everything about her power that will be the missing pieces of her past. Thinking she had a seemingly normal life, and then suddenly it’s changing, so much as to she is not even human anymore. She wants to know why this happened to her and not her brother. The little she remembers, or knows, about her parents isn’t entirely accurate. Tessa wishes to know the truth. The Shadowhunters want to know more about her power and why she was created because she could be very valuable as a weapon or tool to them or their enemies. If we knew why she was created we would know what their enemies plan are and the role she would play in it. Of course, knowing your enemies plan strengthens your chances in battle. I think Tessa views of herself throughout the book gradually strengthens as she gains self confidence. At first, she wanted to deny it all, and just go back to her normal life. By the end of the book, she realizes that’s not likely and begins to embrace her powers.
• I don’t entirely agree with that quote. Those are some hallmarks of humanity. If I thought about it, I would add selfishness to the list. Pertaining to the book, not so much the chapter;I think the character of Nathan shows this well. They consistently mention how Nathan is ‘just human’ and with the gambling, drinking and giving up his sister, putting her at risk, for his own benefit is selfish.
• The women’s different attitudes come from different places. I really admire Charlotte because she obviously lives in a time where women’s roles were much different than now. She completely owns it by being however women aren’t “supposed” to be. Jessamine has a completely different view. She wants to be treated and act like a lady, and even insults other women who aren’t, how she feels, should be. Tessa is the most interesting because she is evolving throughout the book. She seems to be trying to figure out what role she wants to play and how that fits in with this new life.
• Books are important to Tessa because they give her insight and knowledge to unfamiliar places. The Shadowhunters have a library, but is less important to them. The most comparable resource the Shadowhunters have would be the informants Magnus Bane and Camille Belcourt. Who are different creatures from another place giving information that helps the Shadowhunters make better decisions.
• Jem seems to deal with his addiction reasonably. I don’t know how Jem was before, so I can’t be sure it changed his personality. He seems kind, understanding, and tolerant than other characters in the book. I think Jem knows it is not something cureable, and doesn’t want others to hold on to hope by trying to find a cure. Maybe he sees it as a waste of time. I’m not sure what a normal reaction to addiction is.
• Will doesn’t seem to be a happy person and has a darker view on life. He is mysterious along with this quote. I believe this quote is a comfort for him. His actions seem to be in line with the belief, by rarely getting close to anyone or showing care for anyone except himself.
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Olivia-Savannah]

(view spoiler)[Having the club be so secret is definitely what makes other people think there is a lot more power to it than it is. It's almost natural that whenever something is secluded and only selective people are in on it, everyone wants to know what it is about and creates rumours about it. The same thing has happened with the club.

· It's important for the Shadowhunter's in general so they know the extent of her power and probably so that they can use it to get rid of the Magister. They also simply want to understand why she is as valued as she is. Tessa is evolving as she learns more about herself and who she is. I feel like the power development and her own development really do go hand in hand.

· I would agree to some extent. All of those do contribute to man itself, but I would say the seven deadly sins and their opposites are all ones to add as well.

· I think their opinions each come from the time of day and their own experiences. Charlotte's time of day is overwhelmed by her being a Shadowhunter, so she has become accustomed to that. She's also used to being the one in charge, so that has put her very much so on the side of the spectrum where she feels women should be seen as equal to men. However, Jessamine has really been affected by the human time of day and also her experiences with her mother and trying to be married off. Both experience and time of day catch her out and put her on the opposite side of the spectrum to Charlotte. As DJ said, I would really see Tessa as the in between.

· Because they are teaching her so much about the Shadowhunters, and give her the confidence she needs to face her own adventures. I think it does the same for Shadowhunters and even then, real people alike :D

· He seems to accept it easily? It's kind of scary how easily he accepts it, but I don't feel like it has changed his personality. I feel like he just tries to push on with things like he always would. I'm not sure why he stopped people asking for a cure. I feel like he shouldn't give up hope. And seeing as we see Tessa and him sorta having a thing, isn't that all the more reason to have hope?

· Will seems to think he is untouchable and that in the end, we are already dead so we can take risks now and live life the way we want it. I feel like it's a comfort to him knowing that in the end, we can't change too much in the grand scheme of things and the satisfaction of death waits for everyone at the end... (hide spoiler)]