Beta

1. Beta Book by: Rachel Cohn Presentation by: Maya Watts

2. Setting

3. S: Demesne • The story takes place on the island Demesne. • Demesne is an archipelago of islands formed after a huge volcanic eruption, it’s a utopian society engineered by master scientists to be perfect. • The scientists created a waterway around the islands called the Io Sea, which has violet crests and when you swim it, it relaxes you. • They also reengineered the air, they designed a system to pump premium oxygen into the atmosphere for better breathing • Made to be a paradise for the richest people in the world

4. Characters

5. C: Elysia • Elysia is the main character and a major character, she is a Beta or a clone • She has is supposed to have no emotions, but for some unknown reason experiences them from time to time • She experiences the feelings of the person who she was cloned from when underwater (her First) • In the beginning of the book she is sweet, nice, naïve, and confused about her surroundings. • Now she is rebellious and wants to be free from the humans, and isn’t afraid to have emotions • She was bought by the mayors wife to replace her daughter, Astrid who went to college on the Mainland • She has long golden hair and a fleur-de-lis tattoo on her temple which shows that she is a clone and fuchsia eyes • She is a very dynamic character and a protagonist

6. C: Mother or Mrs. Bratton • She is the wife, of the mayor of Demesne and is the one who bought Elysia or her “mother” • She is the mother to 3 kids: Astrid, Ivan, and Liesel • She has chestnut hair that falls down to her shoulders and she is middle aged. Her voice is breathy and child-like • She is very possessive of Elysia, immature and rich. She is a static character and a antagonist.

7. C: Xanthe • Xanthe is also a clone she is the housekeeper of the Bratton home • She looks to be 20 in human years, has pale skin, bobbed black hair, and angled fuchsia eyes. • She is a dynamic character, at the beginning of the book she is calm and distant and keeps to herself, but she turns out to be a part of the Insurrection- or the clone rebellion and a Defect- which is clone who thinks they have a soul • She is a protagonist and a minor character • Xanthe and Elysia were very close, but Xanthe was killed because they found out she is a Defect, she is one of the reasons why Elysia dislikes humans

8. C: tahir • Tahir is a clone who is secretly made, by a request by his parents to replace the real Tahir who died in a surfing accident. • Unlike Elysia, Tahir is not a defect and has no emotions but after doing a local drug (‘raxia) he becomes a Defect • Elysia falls in love with Tahir but has no emotions so he doesn’t love her back • Tahir has light brown skin, braids, and brown eyes • He is a protagonist, a static character, and he is a major character

9. C:Ivan • Ivan is Elysia’s sister and Mrs. Bratton son • He is a static character • He is a athletic and very protect of Elysia who trains him to join Demesne’s army • He has blond buzzed cut hair for the military. • At the end of the book he abuses her • He is an antagonist and a minor character

10. Plot

11. P:What is Rising Action? • Rising Action- Rising actions is all the important events that lead up to the climax

12. P:Rising ACTION • Elysia is created • Mrs. Bratton comes to the store and buys Elysia • Elysia comes home to Mrs. Bratton’s house and meets Ivan, Liesel, the governor, and Xanthe and Mrs. Bratton is pleased with her • Elysia goes swimming and feels emotions from her First (the person she is cloned from). • Has dinner and figures out she has taste when tasting macaroni and cheese • Trains with Ivan and sees him doing ‘raxia which is a drug with his friends • Eats chocolate and realizes it has the same effects as ‘raxia • Visits Becky the other teen Beta when Mrs. Bratton goes back to the store where she was bought and finds out she is sneaking choclate

13. P: rising action cont. • Meets Tahir falls in love with him • Learns about Defects and the Insurrection from Xanthe • Tahir kisses Elysia while high on ‘raxia has no effect on Elysia • A bomb goes off suspiciously set off by Becky • While Xanthe and Elysia are talking about the Insurrection Liesel walks in on them • Liesel tells the governor and has Xanthe killed • Xanthe pushed off a cliff • Elysia realizes she is a Defect and wants revenge on the humans for killing Xanthe • Mrs. Bratton gives Elysia to Tahir’s family for press • Finds out that Tahir is a clone (he has no emotions unlike Elysia) like her and the real Tahir is dead • Elysia tells the family she is a Defect who has emotions and memories of her first • They fall deeper in love and they smoke the drug again making Tahir a Defect like her • Tahir’s family wants to keep Elysia so one day Tahir can have emotions • Tahir and Elysia plan to escape • Elysia comes home to the Bratton family • Ivan abuses Elysia while high • She goes to Mrs. Bratton and she cries and then Mrs. Bratton finds out she is a Defect, she is finally fed up with the humans

14. P:Climax definition Climax- The turning point of when all of the action settles down

15. P:Climax After being fed up with the humans Elysia murders Ivan because out of her anger

16. P: Falling Action definition Falling Action- The “action” that happens at the end

17. P: Falling Action • Liesel walks in on her when she kills him • Tells the governor- he tries to kill her because this is the 1st murder on a place are perfect as Demesne, and thinks the Defect would ruin their reputation • Elysia escapes, by jumping out the window and swimming away in the Io sea • Saved by a guy from her First memories. • Healed by him and they head to the island where all the Defects live.

18. Conflict

19. C:Man vs. Self • Elysia vs. self- The whole book Elysia wonders if she is normal, and feels ashamed that she has emotions, thoughts, and memories. At the end of the book, she realizes that is fine just the way she is, even if she is a Defect.

20. C: man vs. society • Clones vs. Humans- Clones on Demesne are enslaved by humans. They are deprived of their emotions and supposed to mindless servants to them. The clones want to be treated like humans and have the same right and not have to work for them

21. C: Man vs. Man • Elysia vs. Ivan Elysia has feelings for Tahir who is clone. But, Ivan has feelings for Elysia which she doesn’t have in return. Ivan forces her to love him by getting threats to tell that she is a Defect and threating to kill her. In order to make her feel safe, for vengeance against the humans she kills him

22. Theme And Resolution

23. T:Theme Be proud of who you are- At the beginning of the book Elysia was not proud of who she was in fact she scared of her emotions and feeling. At the end of the book she learned to embrace it and to be proud. “I force myself to stop after the second bite, and I wash the flavor down with my strawberry shake. I should delete this memory, or else I will become greedy for more.” (Cohn 63) “Like Xanthe: I am a Defect.” (Cohn 136)

24. R:Resolution • Elysia escapes safety from the Bratton’s house, she is healed by a clone and meets the leader of the Insurrection who is Alexander Blackburn, who she knows from her First memories. When boarding a ship to the rave caves where the Defects live, she sees a girl who looks just like her, her First. Since her first has never died she has had a soul the whole time. • The book will be a series so Elysia’s adventures will be continued.