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The One and only ivan
by Katherine applegate

Cage vs. domain p. 111 & p. 165

8/7/2015

28 Comments

 
Stella to Ivan: p.111:

"I've never asked for a promise before, because promises are forever, and forever is an unusually long time when you're in a cage."

"Domain," I correct.

Ruby and Ivan: p. 165

"Ruby taps her trunk against the rusty iron bars of her door. 'Do you think,' she asks, 'that I'll die in this domain someday, like Aunt Stella?'

Once again I consider lying, but when I look at Ruby, the half-formed words die in my throat. 'Not if I can help it,' I say instead.

I felt something tighten in my chest, something dark and hot. 'And it's not a domain,' I add.

I pause and then I say it. 'It's a cage.'"


At the beginning of the story the author defines a domain as a territory. A cage is defined as  a structure of bars or wires in which birds or other animals are confined.


There are connotative and denotative meanings to these words, similar to the way that the words "house" and "home" have different meanings. The connotative meaning of “home” is a place of security, comfort, and family. When Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz says, “There’s no place like home,” she’s not referring to its denotation, but the emotions “home” evokes for her and most people. A denotative meaning is the literal meaning of a word, the dictionary version. Remember this because Denotative/Dictionary are both "D" words. Connotative meanings involve shared feelings and emotions that the words carries with it.  

Although "cage" may be a synonym for "domain", it has a different connotative meaning. In the examples from The One and Only Ivan, does the word "cage" have a positive, negative, or neutral connotation? What is the connotative meaning of cage? Earlier in the story Ivan corrected Bob when he called their "domain" a "cage". Now Ivan has changed his thinking, and he is correcting Ruby. What do you think has caused him to change the way he feels about his "home"?

Watch this video about connotative and denotative word meanings.  Can you make a better video explaining connotative and denotative word meanings using "cage" and "domain" as examples?
28 Comments
Aidan link
2/14/2018 02:46:53 pm

Cage is negative and Domain is positive

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Brian.L
4/1/2019 11:55:58 am

I think that a cage is a negative thought because in a cage people touch them and they can get them sick but if you are in a dominion you will not get touched and will not get sick.

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Brian L.
4/1/2019 12:56:20 pm

I think that a cage has a negative connotation. I think this because when you lock someone up they feel like they are in a dungeon. Ivan changed his thinking because Stella died in a cage instead of a domain or the wild like were she is meant to be.

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Quinn B.
4/1/2019 12:03:22 pm

I think the word cage has a negative meaning. I think this because the people at the zoo take the baby animals from their parents and put them in a cage. When they're in a cage they aren't in their natural habitat. Ivan has changed his thinking about cages because the people at the zoo brought a baby elephant there and he felt sad because they took Ruby from her parents and put her in a cage.

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Jordan L
4/1/2019 12:04:35 pm

I think cage is a negative because you are trapped and you are alone. I think he changed his thinking because he does not want Ruby to die like Stella and he has been there for a long time.

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Trey H
4/1/2019 12:05:31 pm

Cage is negative because you are not free and you can't be in your natural habitat. People take animals and put them in cages. I think Ivan changed his thinking because he saw Ruby how sad she was and Ivan noticed that it was not a place for animals.

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Trey H
4/8/2019 09:08:23 am

Cage is negative because you are not free and you can't be in your natural habitat. People take animals and put them in cages. I think Ivan changed his thinking because he saw Ruby how sad she was and Ivan noticed that it was not a place for animals. In the book we see that Stella and Ivan don't get to roam around or do whatever they want. Mack also bosses them around for what to do. Mack should let them do what they want wen they want.

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Bryony D.
4/1/2019 12:05:39 pm

A cage is a bad place to be because you are trapped and that you have no freedom and in this case all of the animals (except for bob) were taken away from their family's

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Lily.Y.O
4/1/2019 12:05:50 pm

I think a cage is a bad place because it would make the animal feel really bad and it would trap you and all the animals are traped in a habitat

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Jame W.
4/1/2019 12:06:28 pm

I think cage has a negative connotation. I think this because they are locked up in a cage, they don't have family. Iven changes his thinking because stall died ,she got a faction and she did not get any help


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Quinn B.
4/1/2019 12:58:23 pm

how do you think that Jame W.

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Jack M
4/1/2019 12:07:07 pm

I think the word cage has a negative meaning. I think this because all the animals are trapped in a room and they are not allowed to leave, and also they get taken captivity and have to leave there parents as young. Ivan has changed his thinking about the word cage because at first he thought that he lived in a domain where thought that it was his home but now when he saw Ruby he now knows that he is in a cage because like Stella he is probably going to die there as well. He felt bad bad because he saw that Ruby got took from her parents. So now he knows that he needs to help Ruby get out of the domain.

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jonathan C
4/1/2019 12:08:35 pm

cage seems like a negative response. a cage is meant to be a thing that traps things so they can't escape. the sad thought of saying stuck for most of your life imprisoned and not in your main home and captive.
the comparison of a domain is way better to a cage that traps you for most of your life. A domain is better, like a home. Ivan used to think that it was a domain, but change to thinking it was a cage. He changed his thinking because Mack use the bullhook on Ruby and contributed to Stella's death. These were scaring situations and made Ivan feel like he has been manipulated.

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James Blanchard
4/1/2019 12:09:11 pm

Cage is bad and domaine is good.

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jack M
4/1/2019 12:52:45 pm

smart logic JB

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James Blanchard
4/1/2019 01:18:53 pm

REALLY JACK!🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

James B
4/8/2019 09:20:39 am

Cage is bad because it is just metal bars and people can poke the animal that is in the cage.

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Artyom.P
4/1/2019 02:18:23 pm

I think cage has a negative meaning because the book says that it is where Animals are confined and domain is not where they are confined

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Christian
4/1/2019 02:38:36 pm

I think that the word cage has a negitave connotation because if animals are locked up in cages they can’t get the basic things they need. For example if a dog is locked up in it cage than in can’t get any exercise and It can’t play but I think that cages aren’t always bad for example if an animal is get transported then it will Need
To stay in a cage but I don’t think that people should keep there pets in cages. I think that Ivan changed his thoughts about his domain because now that Ruby came he finally realized that he shouldn’t be trapped in the domain/cage and that he should live in the wild and have freedom also he thinks that Ruby doesn’t deserve to live the top mall and that she should also be free with her family.


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Christian G
4/8/2019 09:33:34 am


I think that the word cage has a negitave connotation because if animals are locked up in cages they can’t get the basic things they need. For example if a dog is locked up in it cage than in can’t get any exercise and It can’t play. But I think that cages aren’t always bad for example if an animal is get transported then it will Need
To stay in a cage but I don’t think that people should keep there pets in cages. I think that Ivan changed his thoughts about his domain because now that Ruby came he finally realized that he shouldn’t be trapped in the domain/cage and that he should live in the wild and have freedom. Also he thinks that Ruby doesn’t deserve to live the top mall and that she should also be free with her family. If I was trapped in a cage I would be very sad because I could never do anything except sleep a eat also I would never get to see my family.

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Blake S.
4/8/2019 09:19:54 am

A cage can be neutral. This is because if an animal is sick or it needs to go somewhere and it needs to be transported it needs to be in a cage because you can't have it running around. A cage is negative when an animal is put their against it's will and they are not allowed to leave. Ivan gets depressed in his cage because he thins its not a good place for him. It is mostly an empty room with paint on the wall. Therefore, a cage is negative when it is used to separate an animal or a person from their family.

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Bryony D
4/14/2019 05:10:26 pm

A cage is a negative place because you are trapped and you have no freedom to explore the world and roam around. Ivan changed his thinking after a while because he was getting bored and he wasn't having fun and getting the exercise he needed to stay healthy and happy. His cage is definitely a negative place. In the book Ivan later didn't like his cage, he was missing his family and his friends. He definitely doesn't like it here.

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Jordan L
4/15/2019 06:34:07 am

I think cage is a negative because people are taking animals from their natural habitat and families.I think Ivan changed his thinking because he saw Stella die and did not want Ruby to die in a cage like her.

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Jordan L
4/15/2019 06:42:18 am

I think cage is a negative because People are taking animals from their homes and families. But cage can also be a positive because if an animal is sick it needs to go in a cage to be treated. Another reason cage can be a positive is because if an animal is getting transported it cannot go around ruining everything.I think Ivan Changed his thinking because he saw Stella die in a cage and he did not want the same to happen to Ruby.

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Peeps
10/1/2020 01:53:54 pm

I think that Cage is negative because when I her Cage I think of being trapped and someone bad put me there,
but when I here domain I think of a zoo were people and animals can be friendly to each other and people could be happy to see animals and animals are happy to se them

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Guy
10/1/2020 02:20:47 pm

I think that Ivan thinks of his cage as a domain because he thinks of it as his land and his space. He thinks of it as his spot that he owns. Bob and Stella thought of it as a cage because you're locked in it and you're behind bars or glass. There is barriers preventing you from escaping and its inclosed.

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Aya
10/1/2020 04:43:09 pm

I think that the word "Cage" would be used as a sad word because you are locked in it and have no one to talk to or see. It is really said. And then a domain I feel like is around the same thing but instead it is a little nicer, you can see people and sometimes talk to each other. I think a domain is a little nicer and a little bit of a more happier than a cage

Reply
oreo yes thats my name oreo link
12/16/2020 08:01:59 pm

cage is bad domain is good

Reply



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    Ms. Marshall's blog for The One and Only Ivan. This will be our first novel unit this year, as well as an introduction to blogging as a form of written response to reading.

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