Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dragonwings
Laurence Yep
Dandelion Wine
Ray Bradbury
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Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the publisher.
Send all inquiries to: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 8787 Orion Place Columbus, OH 43240-4027 ISBN 13: 978-0-07-889151-9 ISBN 10: 0-07-889151-5 Printed in the United States of America. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 047 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
TABLE OF CONTENTS
To Students, Parents, Guardians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Interactive Reading Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Note-Taking Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Note-Taking Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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TA BLE OF CONTENTS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TA BLE OF CONTENTS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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TA BLE OF CONTENTS
The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells . . . 227
Introduction to the Novel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Meet the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 THE TIME MACHINE Before You Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Active Reading Graphic Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Interactive Reading: Literary Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Interactive Reading: Reading Skill or Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 On-Page Note-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Cornell Note-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 After You Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: BOOK ONE Before You Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Active Reading Graphic Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Interactive Reading: Literary Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 Interactive Reading: Reading Skill or Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 On-Page Note-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Cornell Note-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 After You Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: BOOK TWO Before You Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Active Reading Graphic Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Interactive Reading: Literary Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Interactive Reading: Reading Skill or Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 On-Page Note-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Cornell Note-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 After You Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Work with Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Connect to Other Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 Respond Through Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
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Welcome to the Novel Companion. This portable book is designed for you to write in. It is interactive: The book prompts, and you respond. The Novel Companion encourages, questions, provides space for notes, and invites you to jot down your thoughts and ideas. You can use it to circle and underline words and phrases you think are important, and to write questions that will guide your reading. The Novel Companion helps you develop skills for reading, analyzing, and responding to novels, as well as to autobiographies and plays. These literary works are drawn from Glencoes Literature Library. They include some of the most notable works in literature. Many are award-winning modern works; others are classics. The Novel Companion is designed to follow the approach and themes in each unit of your textbook, Glencoe Literature. The Novel Companion includes two types of lessons: Note-Taking Lessons presents two methods of note-taking to help you connect major themes in Glencoe Literature to the other novels and works you will be reading. Using the book will help you learn these valuable note-taking methods, so you can make effective notes whenever you study. Interactive Reading Lessons are lessons based on the sequential chapter groupings in each novel. In this part of the book youll practice identifying important ideas and themes, analyzing literary elements, applying reading strategies, completing graphic organizers, and mastering vocabularyall skills that expert readers use to help them comprehend novels and other long works of literature. Note to Parents and Guardians: Ask your students to show you their work periodically, and explain how it helps them study. You might want to talk to them about how the skills they are learning cross over to other subjects.
The notes and features in the interactive reading lessons will direct you through the process of reading and making meaning from each set of chapters. As you use these notes and features, youll be practicing and mastering the skills and strategies that good readers use whenever they read.
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felt pressured to do (or someone you know) Recall a time when you was your reaction? to. How did you feel? What something you didnt want people think or or traditions suggest that Sometimes social customs feelings or wishes. In conflict with their personal behave in ways that may that may be contrary of your thoughts or beliefs your journal, explore some thinks. to what most of society
NOVEL NOTEBOOK to record Keep a special notebook that you entries about the novels read this year. SUMMARIZE the Summarize in one sentence Build most important idea(s) in Background.
in simple huts, but the majority of people lived During the Middle Ages, were usually a a manor house. Manor houses Catherines family lives in quarters as well as included the familys living collection of buildings. They gatehouse; a privy, or stables for the horses; a other buildings such as spends much of her . In this novel, Catherine outhouse; and a cowshed quarters. It is a room in the familys living time in the solar, a large as a private retreat and bedroom that serves combination of living room of her time in the solar Catherine spends some for the family members. was handmade at into fiber or thread. All cloth it. spinning, or twisting yarn class had to work to make someone of Catherines this time, and even not seem all that at the manor house may Although the conditions comfortable by the they were actually quite appealing to a modern reader, which reflected only thing better was a castle, standards of the time. The society. an even higher status in use of paper. Paper s privileged status is her Another sign of Catherine printing press was the Middle Ages, and the was not widely used during century. Consequently, most d until the mid-fifteenth ngly written not develope the Middle Ages were painstaki documents produced during or parchment, which substance called vellum or copied by hand onto a This thick, precious of cattle, sheep or goats. the was made from the skins , andas in the case of the powerful paper was used by the rich, e religious elite. monks Catherine visitsth
Middle Ages
Dece mbe r
Vocabulary
betrothal [bi tro thl] n. a promise or a contract for a future marriage The king annou nced the betrot hal of his daughter to the prince. docile [dos l] adj. easily led or managed Because Tim was docile, he did what he was told. dowry [dour e ] n. money or property that a woman brings to her husband in marriage The dowry includ ed a sheep pasture, house hold goods, and money. impudence [im py dns] n. disregard for others ; willful disobedience Making insults and other impudence cause d people to dislike T ina.
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Reading Strat egy Evalu ate Characteriz Characterization ation refers to the metho the personality ds that an autho of characters. r uses to devel When authors op character is like, tell you exactly it is called direct what a characterization. a characters perso When authors nality through show his or her words through what other and actions and characters think indirect chara and say about cterization. When him or her, it is called you evaluate chara critically about the details the cterization, you author used to think reveal character. Evaluating chara ember 55 cteriz Birdy: Septem berDec ation will help Catherin e, Called of characters and you to deepen your appreciatio of the authors n both technique. To evaluate chara cterization 1/22/08 9:03:54 PM in this novel, ask conflict with socie yourself how Cathe ty helps reveal rines who she is. You use a graphic organ may find it helpfu izer like the one l to at the right.
swagger [swa r] v. to act superior or overw helmingly selfconfident Full of confidence, Elena would swagger as she walked down the hall.
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Catherines conflict with society is revealed through the customs and issues that she does not understand or with which she does not agree. Through her experiences and analyses of her culture, she develops independent opinions as she
matures and learns about herself. Some of her ideas seem valid; others seem nave. Use the organizer below to chart the ways in which Catherines opinions differ from those generally held by her parents and society.
Social Issue
behavior of young ladies
Societys View
Catherines View
Lady-tasks are pointless. If ladies can pick maggots from the salt meat, why cant they climb trees or throw stones in the river?
Crusades
Literary Element Conflict Name the external writes conflicts that Catherine about.
16th day of September Spinning. Tangled. 17th day of September 55-98_NC_889151.indd 57 Untangled.
C a t he r ine , C a lle d B ir dy :
18th day of September account of thinks that writing this If my brother Edward more learned, grow less childish and my days will help me And I will I will do this no longer. he will have to write it. Less childish indeed. eat. not spin. And I will not . 19th day of September and I have made a bargain I am delivered! My mother account for as long as I write this I may forgo spinning but has it in not much for writing Edward. My mother is he is gone to be Edward, especially now her heart to please the foolish do worse things to escape a monk, and I would So I will write. boredom of spinning.
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T: DEC EM 9th day of BER December, Feast of Sain in Norfolk t Wolfeius, first hermit Gods knees! A person can kirtle at a time only wear one , so why are gown and one my mother making such and her ladi a fuss about es my coverin their spare g the bird cage ones! I cann ot believe they s with poor birds to freeze to would wan t my death. I will have plenty of time imprisoned to think on in the solar, this, for I am brushing feat bird dung off hers and seed of what seem and s enough clot French arm y. I see no deli hing for the verance. Perk grandmother in is busy with . Aelis is in London with his Thomas are the king. Geo from home much these rge and drinking and days, riding amusing othe and r people and knees, I mig ht as well be not me. God an orphan. s ... 14thcday of 57 S e pte m be r D e e m be r Decemb er, Feast of own Lincolns Saint Hybald, hire. I wonder abbot of our if he is a relat I am in disg ive race embroidery,1/22/08 9:03:54today. Grown quite PM weary with with my pric my ked fingers sore back, I and tired eyes kicked it dow and n the stairs dogs fought to the hall, and slobbere where d over it, so mess and thre I took the sogg the w it to the pigs. y Morwenna grabbed me by the ear and My mother gave me a pinched my gentle but ster face. behaving like n lecture abo a lady. Lad ut ies, it seem feelings and s, seldom hav , if they do, e strong never never thumbs! I alw let them sho ays have stro w. Gods ng feelings painful unti and they are l I let them out, like a cow quite milk and bell who needs ows with the to give pain in her disgrace in teats. So I am my chamber. in I pray Mor that being ench wenna nev ambered is er discovers no punishm would find ent for me. some new tort She ure, like send the ladies in ing me to liste the solar. n to 15th day of December, Feast of Sain Saxons, who t Offa, king left his wife, of the East his lands, his to become a family, and monk in Rom his country e and die
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Unit 2
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as a young lady in s must Catherine master these skills? 1. What sort of lady-task she protest against learning medieval society? How does [Paraphrase]
APPLY BACKGROUND Novel Reread Introduction to the that on pages 5253. How did nd information help you understa read in or appreciate what you novel? the
? Why does ideas about the Crusades 2. What are Catherines [Analyze] laugh at Catherines ideas?
George
or distinguishing s major character traits, reveal these 3. What are some of Catherine or circumstances does Catherine qualities? In what ways traits? [Interpret]
cem ber
tice Respond to these questions. 1. Whom woul d you expect a betro merchants or two young peop thal to involvetwo le?
2. Which woul d you expect to be more doci a sheep? le a bull or
Vocabulary
Prac
placed on her by her responses to the demands 4. Describe Catherines and justified? Why her reactions reasonable family and by society. Are help you relate to do your own experiences or why not? In what ways Catherine? [Evaluate]
2. What quali ties does Cath erine have that her to be in cause conflict with her world? Expla each quality in why causes conf lict. [Synthesi ze]
3. What woul d you expect to do with a and trade it, dowryspen or eat and drink d it? 4. How woul d you expect to respond to a smile or a impudencew frown? ith 5. Whom woul d you expect to swagger politician or a proud a humble serva nt?
about the place main ideas have you learned ize] 5. Why Do You Read? What English manor in 1290? [Synthes where Catherine livesan
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Reading Stra tegy Eval uate Characte Is most of the rization characterizati on in this nove indirect? Expla l direct or in, using evide nce 9:03:54 PM [Conclude] 1/22/08 from the nove l.
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De cem ber
Academic Vocabulary One of Catherine s principal occu spinning yarn pations is the or thread. In chore of the preceding means main sentence, princ or major. Think ipal about a princ make of your ipal use you time. Explain why it takes time. up so much of your
Science
s and different plant Catherine uses us ailments Assignment to treat vario substances other natural her any of these any . Find out whet and whether and complaints ally effective, dies was actu reme today. are still in use steps: to treat Follow these Investigate Catherine uses of substances Make a list complaints. n about illnesses or ces of informatio of te reliable sour Try a variety Loca eval medicine. or search herbal and medi catalog s in a library able to search term may also be ence librarian mation on engine. A refer Cath erin works with infor e, Call ed reference Bird y: Sep recommend dies. tem ber Dece r natural reme mbe r 65 herbal and othe tances on your list to learn ing the subs Research tiveness in treat and their effec about them nts. 1/22/08 9:03:54 ailme PM poster list, chart, or e an illustrated Create Mak remedies. Note explaining the they are showing and in use and what are still which ones y. used for toda r and chart, or poste lay your list, in any Report Disp sure to expla it shows. Be explain what s you use. scientific term technical or
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CON NEC T
LA TED WI TH RE WO RK RE AD IN GS
CON NEC T
Cather
have just read ly. right, which is to the literature excerpted from his father cold selection at the Charles by Shirle Literature. Then Laurie regarded said. y Jackson in Glenc answer the quest nothing, he oe ions below. Use text or explain Laurie started I didnt learn learn the exact words events and ideas The day my son I said. Didnt of the in the text to suppo d corduroy Anything, rt your answer. rten he renounce s kinderga s in Glencoe began wearing anything. ted Reading though, Com par e with bibs and Rela a go overalls & Con tras t spanked a boy, answers on s refer to the watched him The teacher d and 1. Confl with a belt; I wing question of this novel. Write your on the lines r girl blue jeans The follo essing his brea s ict ion ing with the olde n some note Library edit d, with Cathe How are Lauries conflicts the same Laurie said, addr texts. Literature but jot dow off the first morn rines conflicts? or different from an era of my g fresh, he adde ils from the t of paper, Are they intern g clearly that butter. For bein ers with deta est Heart separate shee al or external? next door, seein of the Hon ced nurseryport your answ The Knight d, my sweet-voi provided. Sup his mouth full. Who , life was ende let do? I asked. Crispin and ed Birdy a long-trousered Christina Ham What did he erine, Call t motivates tot replaced by res e to Cath school nections Wha forgot to stop do their desi Authors Not Make Con was it? les, he g character who vely? How decepti swaggerin It was Char hman -bye to me. or problems Celia to act e? Karen Cus Laurie thought. t qualities and wave good er spanked e of Catherin the front at the corner nections Wha teenagers of today? fresh. The teach parallel thos Make Con e the same way, said. He was a corner. He e share with He came hom on the e him stand in does Catherin open, his cap him and mad me door slamming . suddenly beco was awfully fresh d again, but and the voice ? floor, ody here do? I aske What did he ting, Isnt anyb a cookie, his raucous shou his chair, took e insolently to Laurie slid off still saying, Struc 2. Text At lunch he spok ture How is the rs milk, and e his father was text structure of his baby siste and left, whil different from the Charles the same were father, spilled g man. text structure of and teacher said we Catherine, Called See here, youn kes Boys rked at . rked that his rema in vain and-Bra Birdy? Laurie rema e of the Lord the WheelsThe next day n, Well, take the nam Becky and d, not to lar as he sat dow simi today? I aske y lunch, as soon ed Bird kys situation y. He w was school James Berr Cag Ho is Bec again toda ribed in nections How Charles was bad a Angelou rately casual. Make Con said, Today the birds desc May elabo pare mously and es? said. nections Com erine like both grinned enor to Catherin Make Con All right, he How is Cath father teacher. Catherine. anything? his Charles hit the the poem to ed bird? Did you learn and the cag the free bird asked.
3. Diction In Catherine, Called Birdy, word choic understand Cathe e helps the reade rines conflicts. r Is the same true Charles? Expla in this excerpt in your answer. from
sa y WRITE ABOUT Argue a Position IT Arranged Write a comparison cen for marriages turi -cont es. have bee paragraph that politica rast Do you think they UNDERSTAN n a par makes atl, cult are ever D THE TAS one a good idea t of some cultures main point about should leastural, economic, or To argue K exist? Dec ? Are ther othe how is to use e any reason or Catherine are alike Charles and ide on your pos r reasons why arra logic to try nged mar ition. to riages Preand/or different. write Ma readers idea influence a ke a list of s or actions three bes reasons for . t reasons. A positio your opin Use your statement: ion or pos n is an opin reasons to ition. Sele ion. It is usually stat write you ct your ed r thesis or position stat in a thesis, opinion Arranged ement, or marriages opinion statement. (should/sho _________ uld not) exis ____ t because (reason 1) , _____________ , and ______ (reason 2) _______. Grammar (reason 3) Tip Draft Sta te your thes Interjection is or opin paper. Pre s ion stateme sent each Use interjec nt near the of your rea explain eac tions to sho beginning sons in sep emotion, h reason w of or feeling. arate bod you give. what peo y paragraph your As part of Interjection ple with the may com your explana s. Fully s e before opposite counterarg or after a opinion mig tion, think complete uments. End about ht thin sentence. with a stro When they express stro ng conclud k or say. Address Revise Exc those ing stateme ng feeling hange pap on their own and nt. ers with a this one for , begin them stand classmate. each othe capital lette with a Complete rs work: r and follo a revision w them with an exc chart like Your thesis lamation point: is ______ _________ Corpus bon _________ Why thesis es! Gods _________ needs/doe thumbs! _________ ________. s not nee d rev _________ When an interjection _________ ision: _________ does not ___ _________ Your reason express stro _________ _______ ng feeling s are quieter tone or has a ________. 1. ______ , follow it _________ with a comma: ______ 2. ___
_________ _________ _________ _________ 3. ______ _________ _________ _________ ___ _________ _________ _________ _________ Why reason ___ _________ s need/do _________ not need revision ___ Why explan _________ ation nee ________. _________ ds/ _________ does not need rev isio _________ _________ n _______________ _________ ________. Edit and Pro ofread
Dear god , I can do no more for either of them.
Pe rsu as
D TH RO UG
ive Es
H W RI TIN
nce al Accepta Newbery Med s Apprentice) wife (for The Mid writes, hman l, Catherine Karen Cus s In the nove does Catherine e Connection Mak paints. How ing, and songs, and composes ing, song mak rests in writ expression? use her inte emotional a means of painting as
Edit your effectively writing so and is wel that it exp l organized. punctuation resses you Carefully , and spe r thoughts proofread lling errors. for gramm ar,
y 91PANI ON: Unit 2 Call ed Bird COM NOVE L Cat her ine,92
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NOTE-TAKING SYSTEMS
You may dislike taking notes. Perhaps you dont believe that notes are useful or maybe you just havent been shown how to do an effective job of taking notes. The Novel Companion will teach you two different systems of taking notes. These systems will help you develop note-taking skills to use in school and for the rest of your life. Research shows that students who take good notes perform better on tests, and note-taking skills are crucial if you plan to attend college. When you take notes, you become more actively engaged in what you read by constantly looking for main ideas, supporting details, and key relationships.
On-Page Note-Taking
College students routinely write on the pages of the books they are reading, using the margins to jot down ideas and questions. If you are allowed to mark up your text, you can write notes directly on the page. The On-Page Note-Taking lessons prompt you to make connections to a Big Question by marking up an excerpt using a system of symbols.
N OTE-TAKING SYSTEMS
A Life-long Skill
Once you become accustomed to using the note-taking skills taught in the Novel Companion, youll be able to use these skills when you read other literature, when you listen to a lecture in class, when you attend a meeting, or even as you watch a film.
NOTE-TAKING LESSONS
Through the note-taking lessons presented in the Novel Companion, youll be learning to record important information in your own words, to reduce it to key words that will help you remember your notes, and to apply your notes as you answer questions and read and write about the novels and other longer works in the program.
MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Do You Read? How does the information on this page help you understand the world in which Catherine lives? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Recap
C at h er i n e, C al l ed B i r d y: S ep tem b er Decem b er
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Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
The Adventures of
Most of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred . . . . [P]art of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in.
Hannibal, Missouri, his hometown. He wrote: During my three days stay in the town, I woke up every morning with the impression that I was a boyfor in my dreams the faces were all young again, and looked as they had looked in the old times. In the Hannibal of his boyhood, it always seemed to be summer. The name Twain chose for the fictional version of his hometown tells you how highly he valued it. He called it St. Petersburg. In Christian beliefs, St. Peter tends the gates of heaven, and the imaginary town of St. Petersburg is very close to heaven in Mark Twains eyes. In the second chapter of Tom Sawyer, he describes life in St. Petersburg: [T]he summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart. . . . There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. Another writer, the American scholar Bernard DeVoto, echoed a word Twain himself used to describe the novel. Referring to Tom Sawyer, DeVoto said: It is a hymn . . . to the richness and security of a childs world, to a phase of American society now vanished altogether, . . . to many other things in which millions of readers have recognized themselves.
In 1876 many Americans were in a mood to look backward. It was the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The country had come a long way since it won its independence from Great Britain. The United States was becoming a powerful industrial country, with large cities, great factories, and railroads that crisscrossed the nation. For city dwellers, life was growing busier and busier. They longed for a simpler time, without smoke-spewing factories and clanging streetcars. To Americans, small towns and farming communities seemed friendlier than the cities.
A Fateful Visit Mark Twain also felt this longing for a simpler time. He was a busy man, a world-famous author and lecturer, living in the East far from his small-town, southwestern roots.
Trouble in Paradise Tom Sawyer is often described as an idyll. An idyll is a remembrance of simple, peaceful, and innocent country life, often by a person who now lives in the city. Many parts of Tom Sawyer are certainly idyllic. However, Mark Twain does not remember only the pleasant parts of life in Hannibal. Evil is floating around the edges of Toms small-town paradise. In addition, St. Petersburg is divided into strict social classes, from wealthy, educated people to penniless drunks, enslaved African Americans, and homeless people.
fun of a type of book written for children at that time. These books portrayed admirable boys who always worked hard, behaved themselves perfectly, made touching sacrifices for others, attended church willingly, studied hard, saved their pennies, and never played hooky from school. Twain, along with some other authors of the time, felt these stories were preachy, unrealistic, and completely lacking in the fun and humor of real childrens lives. From the very first chapter, Twain makes fun of Model Boy books. Some critics claim that readers recognize something of themselves in Tom Sawyer. Tom represents a freedom that few, if any, people enjoy. This is another reason for the books continuing popularity. Who would not want to join in Toms search for lost treasure? Who has not dreamed of escaping to a deserted island to fish, swim, and play in the summer sun? Who has not longed to leave real life behind for a while and live in a world of the imagination?
Twain contrasts the world of childhood with the world of adults. Often these two worlds are in conflict. More often than not, the young people in Tom Sawyer succeed in tricking the adults. In many ways, Tom and his friends seem to run the town. There is a reason for this. One of Mark Twains purposes in writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was to make
Slavery in Missouri
In the years before the Civil War (18611865), Missouri and other southern states allowed slavery. Enslaved African Americans were a common sight in Mark Twains boyhood home of Hannibal. However, even though many people in Missouri were immigrants from southern states and supporters of slavery, many others opposed it. Missourians mixed feelings about slavery prevented the state from joining other slaveholding states in the Confederacy and made Missouri a battleground during the Civil War.
I was born the 30th of November, 1835, in the almost invisible village of Florida, Monroe County, Missouri. . . . The village contained a hundred people and I increased the population by 1 percent. It is more than many of the best men in history could have done for a town.
The real name of the author we know as Mark Twain was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. His father was a lawyer and store owner. While not poor, the family was never well-off.
Growing Up Along the Mississippi Four years after his birth, Samuel Clemenss family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a fast-growing town on the Mississippi River. Samuel spent the next fourteen years there.
Finding His Lifes Work When he was twenty-one, Clemens returned to the Mississippi River. He trained for the job he had always wanted: steamboat pilot. When the Civil War began in 1861, Clemens took a job in Virginia City, Nevada. There he began to write humorous sketches and tall tales for the local newspaper. In February 1863, he first signed a story with the pen name that he would make famous: Mark Twain. It was the riverboatmans term for water two fathoms, or twelve feet, deep meaning just barely deep enough to navigate safely.
All kinds of boats, from simple rafts and barges to magnificent steamboats, traveled the Mississippi River. Hannibal was also home to relatives, friends, and townspeople who would resurface years later as characters in Twains fiction. Many of them appear in Tom Sawyer. Clemens was only eleven years old when his father died. At thirteen he became a printers apprentice. When he was seventeen and had learned the trade, Clemens left Hannibal to work in printing shops and on newspapers from Iowa to New York.
Clemens next moved to California where he tried mining for a while. In 1865 a national magazine published his retelling of a tall tale he had heard from miners. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County was an instant success. As a reporter for several newspapers, he traveled to Hawaii, Europe, and the Middle East. The book he wrote about his travels, The Innocents Abroad, made him famous. More books followed, including Roughing It, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper. Thanks to his lecture tours and books, the image of the bushy-haired, mustachioed author known as Mark Twain became familiar around the world.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. SUMMARIZE Summarize in one sentence the most important idea(s) in Build Background.
Build Background
Staying True to the Characters
Though Mark Twains story of a Missouri childhood concerns the life and times of a boy named Tom Sawyer, in some ways the novel is also about Twain himself. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer brims with Twains very strong opinions on everything from education to religion to racial intolerance. But it is important to note that Twain allowed his characters to speak in their own very distinctive voices. The characters in the novel use colorful and often grammatically incorrect language. Although Twain himself did not speak in that way, he was able to re-create the language of the people he knew when he was a young boy growing up in smalltown Missouri. Another important difference between Twain and his characters becomes clear in Chapter 6, when Huck and Tom use racial slurs. Twain himself became a supporter of equal rights for African Americans, and in fact, one of his last works was a bitter attack on European colonial exploitation of Africa.
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Vocabulary
apprehensively [ap ri hen siv le] adv. cautiously Jenny heard a strange noise in the basement, and she apprehensively went down the steps. beguiled [bi ld ] v. tricked; misled They should have known better, but they were beguiled by the con mans promises of money and fame. perplexed [pr plekst ] adj. confused We were perplexed by the complicated rules of the board game. reluctance [ri luk tns] n. hesitation With great reluctance, the little girl opened her mouth and showed the dentist her sore tooth. turmoil [tur moil] n. uproar The whole family was thrown into turmoil by the arrival of an uninvited guest.
Character
Tom
Traits
My inference is
Aunt Polly
Huck
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Many new characters are introduced in the first section of Tom Sawyer. Use the web diagram on this page to keep track of the new characters and their relationship to Tom. As new characters appear, add each name to a circle and connect to
the Tom circle with a line. On the line, write a short description of the characters relationship to Tom. Also connect each new character with any other appropriate circle, and explain the relationship on a connecting line.
Aunt Polly
sg m To ua i rd an
Tom
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Literary Element Narrator and Point of View How does Tom respond to having to wash? What point does the narrator make about this response?
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. . . The churchs high-backed uncushioned pews would seat about three hundred persons; the edifice was but a small, plain affair, with a sort of pine-board tree-box on top of it for a steeple. At the door Tom dropped back a step and accosted a Sunday-dressed comrade: Say, Bill, got a yaller ticket? Yes. Whatll you take for her? Whatll you give? Piece of lickrish and a fish-hook. Less see em. Tom exhibited. They were satisfactory, and the property changed hands. Then Tom traded a couple of white alleys for three red tickets, and some small trifle or other for a couple of blue ones. He waylaid other boys as they came, and went on buying tickets of various colours ten or fifteen minutes longer. He entered the church, now, with a swarm of clean and noisy boys and girls, proceeded to his seat and started a quarrel with the first boy that came handy. The teacher, a grave, elderly man, interfered; then turned his back a moment, and Tom pulled a boys hair in the next bench, and was absorbed in his book when the boy turned around; stuck a pin in another boy, presently, in order to hear him say Ouch! and got a new reprimand from his teacher. Toms whole class were of a patternrestless, noisy, and troublesome. When they came to recite their lessons, not one of them knew his verses perfectly, but had to be prompted all along. However, they worried through, and each got his reward in small blue tickets, each with a passage of Scripture on it; each blue ticket was pay for two verses of the recitation. Ten blue tickets equalled a red one, and could be exchanged for it; ten red tickets equalled a yellow one; for ten yellow tickets the Superintendent gave a very plainly bound Bible (worth forty cents in those easy times) to the pupil. How many of my readers would have the industry and the application to memorize two thousand verses, even for a Dor Bible?
Literary Element Narrator and Point of View In this case, do you think the attitudes and beliefs of the narrator are the same as the attitudes and beliefs of the author? Explain your answer.
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Reading Strategy Make Inferences About Characters What inference can you make about Tom based on his reaction to the new boy in town?
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Well, I will, if you fool with me. . . . Awtake a walk! Sayif you give me much more of your sass, Ill take and bounce a rock offn your head. Oh, of course you will. Well, I will. Well, why dont you do it, then? What do you keep saying you will for? Why dont you do it? Its because youre afraid. I aint afraid. You are. I aint. You are. Another pause, and more eyeing and sidling around each other. Presently they were shoulder to shoulder. Tom said: Get away from here! Go away yourself! I wont. I wont, either. So they stood, each with a foot placed at an angle as a brace, and both shoving with might and main, and glowering at each other with hate. But neither could get an advantage. After struggling till both were hot and flushed, each relaxed his strain with watchful caution, and Tom said: Youre a coward and a pup. Ill tell my big brother on you, and he can lam you with his little finger, and Ill make him do it, too. What do I care for your big brother? Ive got a brother thats bigger than he is; and, whats more, he can throw him over that fence, too. (Both brothers were imaginary.) Thats a lie. Your saying so dont make it so. Tom drew a line in the dust with his big toe, and said: I dare you to step over that, and Ill lick you till you cant stand up. Anybody thatll take a dare will steal a sheep.
Reading Strategy Make Inferences About Characters Why do you think it takes the two boys so long to begin fighting?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Whom Can You Count On? What decision does Tom make about whom to count on? How do you know? Why do you think he feels this way? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 11. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. Who is Huckleberry Finn? Why does Tom find him appealing? [Analyze]
3. The narrator does not tell us what happens at the end of Chapter 4, when Tom is unable to answer the judges question correctly. Why, in your opinion, does the narrator not explain how the scene ends? [Infer]
4. Tom uses his imagination to escape from the boredom of everyday life. Is this a positive or a negative character trait? What are its advantages and disadvantages? Explain your answer. [Interpret]
5. Whom Can You Count On? Choose one of the characters you have read about so far and explain why you think Tom does or does not count on that character. [Interpret]
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Literary Element Narrator and Point of View 1. In Chapter 9, Tom and Huck witness a grave robbery and a murder. This scene has a very different feeling from what preceded itthe comic overtones of Toms exploits are replaced with a sense of fear and suspense. Reread the section in which Injun Joe attacks Dr. Robinson. What do you think the narrators opinions of these events might be? How do you know? [Analyze]
Vocabulary Practice
Match each boldfaced vocabulary word with a word from the right column that has the same meaning. Two of the words in the right column will not have matches. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. apprehensively beguiled perplexed reluctance turmoil a. angrily b. disinclination c. surreptitiously d. charmed e. chaos f. confounded g. anxiously
Academic Vocabulary Tom is able to acquire enough tickets to qualify for a new Bible at Sunday school. In the preceding sentence acquire means to come into possession as ones own. To become more familiar with the word acquire, fill out the graphic organizer below. Reading Strategy Make Inferences About
Characters
1. In Chapter 10, a howling dog reminds Tom and Huck of a superstition they share. Though the narrator never reveals the superstition directly, what inference can you make about it based on the two boys behavior and dialogue?
definition
synonym
acquire
antonym
sentence/image
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Writing
Personal Response What is your first impression of Tom? Make a list of words or phrases that you think describe him.
Behavior
Tom skips school
Harmful to Tom
Harmful to others
Discuss During your discussion, respect the views of others by listening carefully. Remember to make eye contact and share your own ideas and opinions calmly. Offer support for your opinions, but keep yourself open to the possibility of changing your mind. Use your notes and your chart to support your opinions. Report Have one member of your group orally state your consensus to the class or state that no consensus was reached. This group member must speak loudly and clearly enough for all to hear. Evaluate How would you rate your own participation in the discussion? Write a short paragraph describing what you feel you did well and listing at least one element you feel you could improve. Exchange your self-evaluation with a peer, and discuss each others participation.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, in the present tense, using information in Build Background. The photograph shows Mark Twains boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri.
Have a Discussion
Discuss with a partner an experience in which you or a friend were looking at a past event through rose-colored glasses. What led to the positive feeling about the event? Did your view of the event ever change?
Build Background
Fact and Fiction
Mark Twain created the characters and places in his novels partly from the people and places he knew. His experiences in his boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri, are reflected in some of his works, particularly in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Tom, Mark Twain later wrote, is made up of himself as a child and two of his friends. Aunt Polly is based on Twains mother, and Becky is based on Laura Hawkins, a neighbor. Henry, Twains younger brother, appears in the book as Sid, but Twain noted that Henry was never a tattletale. Tom Blankenship, son of a Hannibal neer-do-well, was the model for Huck. In real life, Injun Joe was a pitiful homeless person. Keep in mind that the real-life people Twain used are not the characters themselves. They have been filtered through Twains imagination. Twain often made reference to the wondrous power of the human imagination. He once wrote: Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isnt.
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Vocabulary
chronic [kron ik] adj. permanent; long-term The pain in Sajids fingers is the result of a chronic medical condition. conspicuous [kn spik u s] adj. obvious With her enormous flowered hat, Aunt Lily was conspicuous even in a crowd. frivolous [friv ls] adj. not serious; silly or playful His frivolous behavior in class annoyed his teacher and classmates. ominous [om ns] adv. threatening; menacing It was about to storm and the sky looked very ominous. vindictive [vin dik tiv] adj. eager for revenge When Maurice feels hes been unfairly accused, he can be very vindictive.
Literary Element Description Description is writing that conveys the feeling and impression of a setting, a person, an animal, an object, or an event. Writers use sensory details to make their descriptions more vivid. Sensory details appeal to the readers five senses: hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell. Sensory details are also called imagery. Writers use concrete words to appeal to the senses. Writers also use abstract words that express ideals or qualitiessuch as order, hope, and despairto describe what the senses cannot reveal. As you read, notice examples of concrete and abstract words that effectively convey Toms adventures and thoughts. Reading Skill Analyze Setting When you analyze, you look at the separate parts of something to understand the whole. When you analyze the setting of a literary work, you look at the different aspects of where and when the story takes place. A setting also embodies the values and traditions of a particular place or culture. Analyzing the setting is important because the setting can have a great influence on the characters and action of a story. Every change in setting can help move the plot forward. To analyze setting, pay attention to where and when the action takes place what the details of each new setting are how each setting affects the characters and their actions You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one at right.
Where
Jackson Island
Details
natural beauty, quiet, no adults, plenty of free time
Effects
sense of freedom, homesickness
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The long second paragraph of Chapter 14 contains many striking words and phrases that create a word painting of waking up on Jacksons Island. As you read this paragraph, keep track of words
and phrases that you feel are especially colorful and memorable. In one column of the chart below, write the word or phrase. In the other, explain how the description appeals to a reader.
Word or Phrase
cool gray dawn
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Literary Element Description What details in this description help you imagine the sights and sounds of the oncoming storm?
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spume-flakes, the dim outlines of the high bluffs on the other side, glimpsed through the drifting cloud-rack and the slanting veil of rain. Every little while some giant tree yielded the fight and fell crashing through the younger growth; and the unflagging thunder-peals came now in ear-splitting explosive bursts, keen and sharp, and unspeakably appalling. The storm culminated in one matchless effort that seemed likely to tear the island to pieces, burn it up, drown it to the tree-tops, blow it away and deafen every creature in it, all at one and the same moment. It was a wild night for homeless young heads to be out in. But at last the battle was done, and the forces retired, with weaker and weaker threatenings and grumblings, and peace resumed her sway. The boys went back to camp a good deal awed; but they found there was still something to be thankful for, because the great sycamore, the shelter of their beds, was a ruin, now, blasted by the lightnings, and they were not under it when the catastrophe happened. Everything in camp was drenched, the camp-fire as well; for they were but heedless lads, like their generation, and had made no provision against rain. Here was matter for dismay, for they were soaked through and chilled. They were eloquent in their distress: but they presently discovered that the fire had eaten so far up under the great log it had been built against (where it curved upward and separated itself from the ground), that a handbreadth or so of it had escaped wetting; so they patiently wrought until, with shreds and bark gathered from the under sides of sheltered logs, they coaxed the fire to burn again. Then they piled on great dead boughs till they had a roaring furnace and were glad-hearted once more. They dried their boiled ham and had a feast, and after that they sat by the fire and expanded and glorified their midnight adventure until morning, for there was not a dry spot to sleep on anywhere around.
Literary Element Description To what does author Mark Twain compare the end of the storm? What details does he use to create this comparison?
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Reading Skill Analyze Setting How has the town changed in response to the disappearance and assumed drowning of Tom, Joe, and Huck?
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see the departed last, and exchanged the last words with them, the lucky parties took upon themselves a sort of sacred importance, and were gaped at and envied by all the rest. . . . When the Sunday-school hour was finished the next morning, the bell began to toll, instead of ringing in the usual way. It was a very still Sabbath, and the mournful sound seemed in keeping with the musing hush that lay upon nature. The villagers began to gather, loitering a moment in the vestibule to converse in whispers about the sad event. But there was no whispering in the house; only the funereal rustling of dresses, as the women gathered to their seats, disturbed the silence there. None could remember when the little church had been so full before. There was finally a waiting pause, an expectant dumbness, and then Aunt Polly entered, followed by Sid and Mary, and then by the Harper family, all in deep black, and the whole congregation, the old minister as well, rose reverently and stood, until the mourners were seated in the front pew. There was another communing silence, broken at intervals by muffled sobs, and then the minister spread his hands abroad and prayed. A moving hymn was sung, and the text followed: I am the resurrection and the life. As the service proceeded, the clergyman drew such pictures of the graces, the winning ways, and the rare promise of the lost lads, that every soul there, thinking he recognized these pictures, felt a pang in remembering that he had persistently blinded himself to them always before, and had as persistently seen only faults and flaws in the poor boys. The minister related many a touching incident in the lives of the departed, too, which illustrated their sweet, generous natures, and the people could easily see, now, how noble and beautiful those episodes were, and remembered with grief that at the time they occurred they had seemed rank rascalities, well deserving the cowhide. The congregation became more and more moved as the pathetic tale went on, till at last the whole company broke down and joined the weeping mourners in a chorus of anguished sobs, the preacher himself giving way to his feelings, and crying in the pulpit.
Reading Skill Analyze Setting Why do you think Mark Twain chose to set this scene in the church? What does this setting reveal about the way the townspeopleand people in generalsometimes behave after a tragedy?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Whom Can You Count On? Why does Tom take the blame for Beckys actions? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
ASK QUESTIONS Write a question about the novel. Can you find the answer in your notes?
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 23. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. What important decision does Tom make at the end of this section? What result does the decision have? [Analyze]
3. Do you feel that Mark Twain is successful in creating Injun Joe as a villain? Does Injun Joe seem like a real person to you? Explain your answer. [Classify]
4. Some readers feel that Tom goes too far in his pranks. What do you think? How would you feel if you were one of the people affected by his jokes, such as Aunt Polly or the people who attended his funeral? [Connect]
5. Whom Can You Count On? In terms of counting on others, what do you think are the benefits and disadvantages to Toms living in a small town? [Analyze]
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Literary Element Description 1. In your opinion, what was some of the most memorable imagery in Chapter 12s description of the cat and the pain-killer? [Recall]
Vocabulary Practice
On a separate sheet of paper, write the vocabulary word that best completes each sentence. chronic frivolous vindictive conspicuous ominous
2. What emotional effect do you think author Mark Twain had in mind with this description? [Evaluate]
1. My cousin hates being ____________ , so he always tries to blend into the scenery. 2. Some people respond in ____________ ways when they feel they have been wronged. 3. Andy is tired of his ____________ problem with math. 4. Sometimes people think Terri is a ____________ person, but thats only because she laughs too loudly. 5. There was a(n) ____________ pause after my mother asked who broke her favorite vase.
Reading Skill Analyze Setting 1. How do you think living on the island influences the way Tom, Joe, and Huck think about themselves? [Infer]
Academic Vocabulary Becky Thatcher thought Toms conduct was noble when he took the blame for tearing the book. In the preceding sentence, conduct means behavior. Conduct also has other meanings. For instance: Tom and his friends like to conduct imaginary battles after school. What do you think conduct means in the preceding sentence? What is the difference between the two meanings?
2. How do the values and traditions of the town make it easy for the three boys to return without being harshly reprimanded? [Interpret]
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, in the present tense, using information from Build Background.
Sharing Ideas
Share ideas with a partner about the advantages and disadvantages of being wealthy. How might your life changefor the better and for the worse?
Build Background
Bad Boys and Good Boys
You read on page 9 about the good boy novels that Mark Twain poked fun at. In the final section of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, youll find out what happens to Tom, the bad boy, and his bad comrade, Huck Finn. Keep in mind that the good boys of the other books never misbehaved and were rewarded with wealth, true love, and the respect and admiration of others. Mark Twain had great affection for his literary creations, Tom and Huck. He brought them back in other novels. In 1885, nine years after The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published, Twain published the first sequel to Tom Sawyer. This novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is considered to be Twains masterpiece and one of the great American novels. It follows Huck and the runaway Jim on a journey down the Mississippi River to freedom. In 1894 Twain published Tom Sawyer Abroad and two years later, Tom Sawyer, Detective.
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Vocabulary
apathy [ap the] n. lack of interest My sister used to love playing soccer, but now the idea of playing fills her with apathy. insipid [in sip id] adj. uninteresting; bland Some people find paintings of sweet, sad-eyed puppies to be quite insipid. subdued [sb dood ] adj. quiet; restrained When the other team scored a touchdown, our fans became subdued. threadbare [thred bar] adj. shabby; worn That old sofa is so threadbare that its springs are coming out. windfall [wind fol] n. unexpected gain; bonus My cousins inheritance was a windfall of more than a million dollars!
Literary Element Theme The theme is the main message about life that an author wants to share. Some works have a stated theme, which is expressed directly. More often, though, works have an implied theme, one that is revealed slowly through other elements such as plot, character, and setting. Identifying the theme of a story, poem, novel, or play helps you understand the authors message and purpose. In these final chapters of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, consider the way the narrators relationship to the story and the events of the story embody one of author Mark Twains major themes: Youth is a time of innocence. Reading Skill Analyze Plot Plot is the sequence of events in a story. The plot begins with exposition, which introduces the storys characters, setting, and situation. The rising action adds complications to the storys conflict, or central problem. The highest point of conflict, interest, or suspense in a story is called the climax. The falling action is the logical result of the climax, and the resolution presents the final outcome. When you analyze the plot of a literary work, you break it down in terms of these major structural elements. Analyzing the plot is important because it can help you understand not only the theme, setting, and characters, but also how the story itself is built. As you read the final chapters of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, pay attention to the characters needs and desires try to understand how one action leads to other actions note the emotional pull of each event or situation make predictions about what will happen next You may find it helpful to fill out graphic organizers like the one on the right and on the next page to keep track of the storys plot progression.
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Following the different events in the final chapters of Tom Sawyer is important to understanding the novels ending. Use the step-by-step chart on this
page to record the events as they occur in this section of the novel, starting with the first one listed.
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Literary Element Theme In what way do Hucks problems with living in society reflect the authors nostalgic view of childhood?
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nor roll around anywheres; I aint slid on a cellar door forwell, it pears to be years; I got to go to church, and sweat and sweatI hate them ornery sermons! I cant ketch a fly in there, I cant chaw, I got to wear shoes all Sunday. The widder eats by a bell; she goes to bed by a bell; she gits up by a belleverythings so awful reglar a body cant stand it. Well, everybody does that way, Huck. Tom, it dont make no difference. I aint everybody and I cant stand it. Its awful to be tied up so. And grub comes too easyI dont take no interest in vittles that way. I got to ask to go a fishing; I got to ask to go in a swimming dernd if I haint got to ask to do everything. . . . The widder wouldnt let me smoke, she wouldnt let me yell, she wouldnt let me gape, nor stretch, nor scratch before folks. Then with a spasm of special irritation and injury: And dad fetch it, she prayed all the time! I never see such a woman! I had to shove, Tom, I just had to. And besides, that schools going to open, and Id a had to go to it; well, I wouldnt stand that, Tom. Looky here, Tom, being rich aint what its cracked up to be. Its just worry and worry, and sweat and sweat, and a wishing you was dead all the time. Now these clothes suits me and this barl suits me, and I aint ever going to shake em any more. Tom, I wouldnt ever got into all this trouble if it hadnt a ben for that money; now you just take my sheer of it along with yourn, and gimme a ten-center sometimesnot many times, becuz I dont give a dern for a thing thout its tollable hard to gitand you go and beg off for me with the widder. Oh, Huck, you know I cant do that. Taint fair; and besides, if youll try this thing just a while longer youll come to like it. Like it! Yesthe way Id like a hot stove if I was to set on it long enough. No Tom, I wont be rich, and I wont live in them cussed smothery houses. I like the woods, and the river, and hogsheads, and Ill stick to em too. Blame it all! just as wed got guns, and a cave, and all just fixed to rob, here this dern foolishness has got to come up and spile it all!
Literary Element Theme About what activities does Huck feel nostalgia? What do all these things represent to him?
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Reading Skill Analyze Plot Keeping in mind the events of the novel up to this point, into which category of plot structure do you think this portion of the excerpt fallsexposition, rising action, falling action, or resolution? Explain your answer.
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Look here, lad, you go back up the river where you belong. Wait there till you hear from me. Ill take the chances on dropping into this town just once more, for a look. Well do that dangerous job after Ive spied around a little and think things look well for it. Then for Texas! Well leg it together! This was satisfactory. Both men presently fell to yawning, and Injun Joe said: Im dead for sleep! Its your turn to watch. He curled down in the weeds and soon began to snore. His comrade stirred him once or twice, and he became quiet. Presently the watcher began to nod; his head drooped lower and lower; both men began to snore now. . . . Now one snore ceased. Injun Joe sat up, stared around smiled grimly upon his comrade, whose head was drooping upon his kneesstirred him up with his foot and said: Here! Youre a watchman, aint you! All right, though nothings happened. My! have I been asleep? Oh, partly, partly. Nearly time for us to be moving, pard. Whatll we do with what little swag weve got left? I dont knowleave it here as weve always done, I reckon. No use to take it away till we start south. Six hundred and fifty in silvers something to carry. . . . Yes, but look here; it may be a good while before I get the right chance at that job; accidents might happen, taint in such a very good place; well just regularly bury itand bury it deep. Good idea, said the comrade, who walked across the room, knelt down, raised one of the rearward hearthstones and took out a bag that jingled pleasantly. He subtracted from it twenty or thirty dollars for himself and as much for Injun Joe, and passed the bag to the latter, who was on his knees in the corner, now, digging with his bowie-knife. The boys forgot all their fears, all their miseries in an instant.
Reading Skill Analyze Plot What do you predict will happen next?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Whom Can You Count On? How do the townspeople work together to find the missing children? What does this behavior say about them as individuals and as a group? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 35. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. How does Huck help the Widow Douglas? Why does he want his actions kept secret? [Recall]
3. In what ways can the novel be seen as a study of the effects money has on peoples lives? [Evaluate]
4. The final section of the novel contains two examples of racist attitudes expressed by the characters, along with a sexist remark. Identify one of these examples. [Identify]
5. Whom Can You Count On? How would you describe Toms behavior in the cave with Becky? What personal characteristics does he demonstrate? [Summarize]
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Literary Element Theme 1. Do you think Tom will ever reach his goal of becoming a famous and wealthy robber? Explain. [Evaluate]
Vocabulary Practice
Identify whether the words in each set have the same or the opposite meaning. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. apathy and lethargy insipid and scintillating subdued and raving threadbare and ragged windfall and boon
2. In what way does Huckleberry Finns final statement illustrate a theme of the novel? [Analyze]
Academic Vocabulary The people of the town of St. Petersburg often underestimated Huckleberry Finns potential based on his social class. Potential means capability or promise. Have you ever been underestimated in terms of your potential? What do you think were the reasons behind the way others saw you?
Reading Skill Analyze Plot 1. The plot of a novel is in many ways like a journeyfor the characters and for the reader. In what ways did Tom Sawyers journey through the events of the novel change him? Did your opinion of him change as a result? Explain. [Evaluate]
2. You will recall that the falling action of a novels plot happens after the climax. Identify the falling action in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. [Identify]
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Writing
Write an Argument Consider again the idea of seeing life through rose-colored glasses. Can you find evidence that author Mark Twains story and its setting are not entirely viewed through rose-colored glasses? Does he focus only on the positive aspects of small-town life, or does he include negative aspects as well? Using examples from the novel, write an essay to support your argument. Before you begin writing, you may find it helpful to create a list of the advantages and disadvantages of living in a small town like St. Petersburg. For example: Positive factors: Everyone knows everyone else. People take care of each others children. The whole town goes out to look for people who have gone missing. There is a strong sense of family and community. Negative factors: People gossip about each other. People are often hypocritical about their beliefs. If a member of the community is seen as having bad reputation, it is hard to change the towns opinion about it. Jot down some notes here first.
Boys Manuscript Mark Twain Make Connections Give examples of people and events in Boys Manuscript that Mark Twain later used in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Sometimes I Feel This Way John Ciardi Make Connections Tom Sawyer wrestles with the choice of being good or bad. Which does he usually seem to choose? How does Aunt Polly describe Toms behavior?
A Rescue from an Underground Mine! Deborah Morris Make Connections Why are Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher better off in the cave than Josh is in the mine? What does each child do to survive?
from Ethics Susan Neiburg Terkel Make Connections Based on Terkels description of ethics, what would you say about Toms decision to tell the lawyer about Injun Joes part in the doctors murder?
Getting the Bugs Out of Tom Sawyer John D. Evans Make Connections How is the entomologist able to correctly identify the insect in Toms bedroom that makes a ghastly ticking of a death watch in the wall?
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Compare the novel you have just read with the literature selection at the left, which is excerpted from We Are All One by Laurence Yep in Glencoe Literature. Then answer the questions below. Provide details from the selections to support your answers.
WRITE ABOUT IT Using very different means, both Tom Sawyer and the old peddler try to find a way to make a fortune. The peddler tries to win a particular reward by solving a problem. Tom Sawyer sets out to find his fortune using only his desire and his instincts. Which method do you think is usually more effective? Write a paragraph explaining your response.
2. Description The authors of both works use imagery and descriptions of the settings to convey not only a sense of place but also their attitudes about the larger world. Explain, using examples.
3. Theme How would you relate the statement We are all one to the people, places, and events depicted in Tom Sawyers small town of St. Petersburg?
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Research Report
Investigate Setting The events of the novel take place in and around the small town of St. Petersburg, in the preCivil War south. Although the town, which is located along the banks of the Mississippi River, is fictional, it is based on author Mark Twains hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. Using multiple research sources, write a research report of 1,500 words on the subject of Mississippi River towns and their function as centers of commerce and transportation during the time period of the novel. Use at least three sources, including at least one primary source. Prewrite Make a list of questions to guide your research. For example: What kinds of industry were most common in Mississippi River towns? What were the people like there? What was the climate like and how did that affect trade and industry? What were some of the political and social issues people faced?
UNDERSTAND THE TASK Primary sources are firsthand accounts of an event, such as diaries or eyewitness news articles written at the time the event took place. Secondary sources are sources written by people who did not influence or experience the event.
Grammar Tip
Parentheses To document each fact, quote, or idea you use in your report, enclose in parentheses the name of the author of your source and the page number on which you found the information: The Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States (Jenner, p. 14).
Look for the answers to these questions by checking secondary sources, such as Web sites, encyclopedias, and books. Keep a detailed list of each fact or quote you findand its source. Then plan what you want your report to say. Draft Once you have selected the ideas you want to explore, create a thesis statement that explains what you plan to say about your chosen topic. Example: Great changes took place in towns along the Mississippi River during the 1820s as a result of new political policies and rapid population expansion. As you begin to write your report, continue to refer to your notes. Try to present the information in the most logical and effective way possible. Remember that graphics can help readers understand your topic more clearly. You may wish to enhance your report with copies of old photographs and historical documents. Revise As you continue to refine your ideas, be on the lookout for areas where your report might be over- or underwritten. Delete any facts or ideas that do not support your thesis. Locate and incorporate any missing facts or other information. Make sure you define any terms or regional expressions that might be unfamiliar to your readers. Edit and Proofread Edit your writing so that it expresses your thoughts effectively and is well organized. Carefully proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
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The England of 1290 is a foreign country. It would seem foreign even to people who have been to England or live there now. . . . Our ideas of individual identity, individual accomplishments and rights, individual effort and success did not exist. Family and community and guild and country were what mattered. No one was separate and independent, even the king.
read dealt with characters of great fame or social stature. She wanted to explore the lives of regular people who faced struggles that were typical of the era in which they lived. Thus, Catherine is the daughter of a country knight who hopes to increase his own wealth and status by arranging a profitable marriage for Catherine.
A Strong Female Character Catherine, like Cushmans other protagonists, is a strong female character who goes through the coming-of-age process, facing many of the challenges that teenagers of all ages have facedtrying to become an adult while at times still feeling like a child, rebelling against the dictates of parents and society, discovering a sense of self and individuality. The author herself can relate to her protagonist. Cushman says that there have been times in her life when she, like Catherine, has felt trapped in a way of life. When she was around ten years old, her family moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. The 1950s were not the freest time for a girl who was a little differentbookish and shy with a rich imagination. She recalls that it took her a long time to figure out what she wanted. Once she knew, like Catherine, she realized that she might not be able to achieve it.
As the novel begins, Catherine declares that What follows will be my bookthe book of Catherine, called Little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Rollo and the lady Aislinn, sister to Thomas, Edward, and the abominable Robert, of the village of Stonebridge in the shire of Lincoln, in the country of England, in the hands of God . . . . The writing I learned of my brother Edward, but the words are my own. Catherine identifies herself as a member of a family and of a society, yet she asserts that what follows will be uniquely hers, the story of an individual. Catherine, Called Birdy, Karen Cushmans first novel, is the product of years of reading, researching, imagining, and wondering. Cushman was inspired by books about the Middle Ages, but not in the usual way. Most of the books she had
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thinking, questions widely-held assumptions and beliefs, and learns a great deal about herself in an effort to find a way to function and find happiness in medieval society.
Feudalism Social and economic conditions in thirteenth-century England were much different than they are now. The economy was based on a system of feudalism, which originated as an economic arrangement designed to address military problems. A man would attach himself to someone superior to him in rank and, in return for a grant of land, would promise military service. By the thirteenth century, country knights, such as Lord Rollo of Catherine, Called Birdy, were no longer expected to bear arms and thus granted the use of their lands in exchange for rents (money or goods). These knights usually held lands that
belonged to a single neighborhood and managed their holdings from the manor house, a structure that was something like a small castle or a large farmstead.
Marriage During the Middle Ages Marriage was an issue of great importance during the Middle Ages. Villagers, who might marry for love or romantic attachment, enjoyed more freedom than those who were of the nobility. Women like Catherine, whose fathers held lands and titles, were treated as their fathers property and were given in marriage to the man who offered the greatest economic and social benefit to the family. Thus, Catherines father admonishes her not to discourage various suitors as he attempts to negotiate a marriage contract. Catherine and other young women in the novel face issues that women of their time typically faced.
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People ask me why I write books for young people, and when I grow up will I write for adults. I write about topics and issues that concern me, and they are issues that concern many other people, of all ages.
Research, Research, Research Cushmans books are products of extensive research. Some of the source materials she uses include books about aspects of everyday life, such as clothing, manners, and foods, as well as primary sources, or first-hand accounts, such as letters, journals, and personal papers. One of her goals is to make her characters seem real so that readers can experience strange and exotic places through their stories. Her Career Catherine, Called Birdy, published in 1994, was an immediate success and was recognized as a Newbery Honor Book. Her second book, The Midwifes Apprentice, earned the prestigious Newbery Medal. Cushman has continued to write historical fiction; her other titles include The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (1996), set during the California gold rush, and Matilda Bone (2000), in which Cushman returns to medieval England.
Karen Cushman, who began her writing career at age 50, considers herself a late bloomer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she grew up loving books, often visiting the public library. While growing up, Cushman attended Catholic school, and she draws on this background for her books about the Middle Ages. She earned degrees in Greek and English, and masters degrees in human behavior and museum studies.
Ordinary People Many of the books that Cushman read as a child told stories of kings and queens or great generals and presidents. In her own writing, she prefers to focus on the lives of ordinary young people from other times. In Catherine, Called Birdy, she explores the possibilities of what a young woman might do in a situation that she cannot control.
Cushmans works have been recognized by numerous organizations, including the American Library Association and School Library Journal. Cushman plans to continue researching and writing about the everyday lives of characters in remote times and places and to present to her readers lively characters who must overcome realistic challenges.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. SUMMARIZE Summarize in one sentence the most important idea(s) in Build Background.
Build Background
Class and Privilege in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, the majority of people lived in simple huts, but Catherines family lives in a manor house. Manor houses were usually a collection of buildings. They included the familys living quarters as well as other buildings such as stables for the horses; a gatehouse; a privy, or outhouse; and a cowshed. In this novel, Catherine spends much of her time in the solar, a large room in the familys living quarters. It is a combination of living room and bedroom that serves as a private retreat for the family members. Catherine spends some of her time in the solar spinning, or twisting yarn into fiber or thread. All cloth was handmade at this time, and even someone of Catherines class had to work to make it. Although the conditions at the manor house may not seem all that appealing to a modern reader, they were actually quite comfortable by the standards of the time. The only thing better was a castle, which reflected an even higher status in society. Another sign of Catherines privileged status is her use of paper. Paper was not widely used during the Middle Ages, and the printing press was not developed until the mid-fifteenth century. Consequently, most documents produced during the Middle Ages were painstakingly written or copied by hand onto a substance called vellum or parchment, which was made from the skins of cattle, sheep or goats. This thick, precious paper was used by the rich, the powerful, andas in the case of the monks Catherine visitsthe religious elite.
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Vocabulary
betrothal [bi tro thl] n. a promise or a contract for a future marriage The king announced the betrothal of his daughter to the prince. docile [dos l] adj. easily led or managed Because Tim was docile, he did what he was told. dowry [dour e ] n. money or property that a woman brings to her husband in marriage The dowry included a sheep pasture, household goods, and money. impudence [im py dns] n. disregard for others; willful disobedience Making insults and other impudence caused people to dislike T ina. swagger [swa r] v. to act superior or overwhelmingly selfconfident Full of confidence, Elena would swagger as she walked down the hall.
Literary Element Conflict Conflict is the central struggle between opposing forces in a story. An external conflict is the struggle of a character against an outside force, such as nature, society, fate, or another character. An internal conflict takes place within a characters mind. For example, he or she might have to make a difficult choice. The events in most stories revolve around conflict. As a reader, you can learn a lot about life by seeing how people and characters confront and resolve conflicts. As you read, ask yourself, what internal and external conflicts does Catherine face? Use the graphic organizer on the following page to help you record the information. Reading Strategy Evaluate Characterization Characterization refers to the methods that an author uses to develop the personality of characters. When authors tell you exactly what a character is like, it is called direct characterization. When authors show a characters personality through his or her words and actions and through what other characters think and say about him or her, it is called indirect characterization. When you evaluate characterization, you think critically about the details the author used to reveal character. Evaluating characterization will help you to deepen your appreciation both of characters and of the authors technique. To evaluate characterization in this novel, ask yourself how Catherines conflict with society helps reveal who she is. You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one at the right.
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Catherines conflict with society is revealed through the customs and issues that she does not understand or with which she does not agree. Through her experiences and analyses of her culture, she develops independent opinions as she
matures and learns about herself. Some of her ideas seem valid; others seem nave. Use the organizer below to chart the ways in which Catherines opinions differ from those generally held by her parents and society.
Social Issue
behavior of young ladies
Societys View
Catherines View
Lady-tasks are pointless. If ladies can pick maggots from the salt meat, why cant they climb trees or throw stones in the river?
Crusades
privacy
marriage
Marriage is a business arrangement. A daughter must marry according to her fathers wishes.
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Literary Element Conflict Name the external conflicts that Catherine writes about.
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What follows will be my bookthe book of Catherine, called Little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Rollo and the lady Aislinn, sister to Thomas, Edward, and the abominable Robert, of the village of Stonebridge in the shire of Lincoln, in the country of England, in the hands of God. Begun this 19th day of September in the year of Our Lord 1290, the fourteenth year of my life. The skins are my fathers, left over from the household accounts, and the ink also. The writing I learned of my brother Edward, but the words are my own. Picked off twenty-nine fleas today. 20th day of September Today I chased a rat about the hall with a broom and set the broom afire, ruined my embroidery, threw it in the privy, ate too much for dinner, hid in the barn and sulked, teased the littlest kitchen boy until he cried, turned the mattresses, took the linen outside for airing, hid from Morwenna and her endless chores, ate supper, brought in the forgotten linen now wet with dew, endured scolding and slapping from Morwenna, pinched Perkin, and went to bed. And having writ this, Edward, I feel no less childish or more learned than I was. 21st day of September Something is astir. I can feel my fathers eyes following me about the hall, regarding me as he would a new warhorse or a bull bought for breeding. I am surprised that he has not asked to examine my hooves. And he asks me questions, the beast who never speaks to me except with the flat of his hand to my cheek or my rump. This morning: Exactly how old are you, daughter? This forenoon: Have you all your teeth? Is your breath sweet or foul? Are you a good eater? What color is your hair when it is clean? Before supper: How are your sewing and your bowels and your conversation? What is brewing here?
Literary Element Conflict Does Catherine appear to have any internal conflict here? Explain.
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Reading Strategy Evaluate Characterization What methods of indirect characterization are used here? How well do they show Catherines conflict with society? Support your evaluation with evidence.
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I was seated at dinner this day with a visitor from Kent, another clodpole in search of a wife. This one was friendly and good-tempered, and had all his teeth and hair. But he did not compare with George or Perkin, so I would have none of him. Our talk at dinner went like this: Do you enjoy riding, Lady Catherine? Mmph. Could we perhaps ride together while I am here? Pfgh. I understand you read Latin. I admire learned women when they are also beautiful. Urgh. Mayhap you could show me about the manor after dinner. Grmph. So it went until I conceived my plan, after realizing that the only thing my father would want more than a rich son-in-law is not to part with one of his pennies or acres or bushels of onions. So I grew quite lively and talkative, bubbling with praise for our chests of treasure and untold acres and countless tenants and hoards of silver and for the modesty that prompted my father to hide his wealth and appear as a mere country knight. My suitors eyes, which had already rested kindly on me, caught fire, and he fairly flew over the rushes to talk with my father in the solar. The storm I expected was not long in coming. Poor Fire Eyes tumbled down the stairs from the solar, hands over his head, and rolled across the hall floor to the door and out while my father bellowed from above, Dowry! Manors! Treasure! You want me to pay you to take the girl? Dowry? Ill give you her dowry! And as the comely young man ran across the yard on his way to the stable and freedom, a brimming chamber pot came flying from the solar window and landed on his head. Farewell, suitor. Benedicite. Even now as I pity the young man in his spoiled tunic, I must smile to think of my dowry. No other maiden in England has one like it.
Reading Strategy Evaluate Characterization What methods of indirect characterization are used in these two diary entries? How well do they show Catherines conflict with society? Support your evaluation with evidence.
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Do You Read? How does the information on this page help you understand the world in which Catherine lives? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Introduction to the Novel on pages 5253. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. What are Catherines ideas about the Crusades? Why does George laugh at Catherines ideas? [Analyze]
3. What are some of Catherines major character traits, or distinguishing qualities? In what ways or circumstances does Catherine reveal these traits? [Interpret]
4. Describe Catherines responses to the demands placed on her by her family and by society. Are her reactions reasonable and justified? Why or why not? In what ways do your own experiences help you relate to Catherine? [Evaluate]
5. Why Do You Read? What main ideas have you learned about the place where Catherine livesan English manor in 1290? [Synthesize]
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Literary Element Conflict 1. Catherine is in conflict with her father and with brother Robert. Why? Do you think her father and Robert think the conflict is as great as Catherine thinks it is? [Evaluate]
Vocabulary Practice
Respond to these questions. 1. Whom would you expect a betrothal to involvetwo merchants or two young people? 2. Which would you expect to be more docilea bull or a sheep? 3. What would you expect to do with a dowryspend and trade it, or eat and drink it? 4. How would you expect to respond to impudencewith a smile or a frown? 5. Whom would you expect to swaggera proud politician or a humble servant?
2. What qualities does Catherine have that cause her to be in conflict with her world? Explain why each quality causes conflict. [Synthesize]
Academic Vocabulary One of Catherines principal occupations is the chore of spinning yarn or thread. In the preceding sentence, principal means main or major. Think about a principal use you make of your time. Explain why it takes up so much of your time.
Reading Strategy Evaluate Characterization Is most of the characterization in this novel direct or indirect? Explain, using evidence from the novel. [Conclude]
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Writing
Write a Song
Catherine enjoys making up songs. What kind of song do you think she might write about herself and her situation? Write the song for her. If you want, set it to a popular tune. Jot down some ideas here first.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, using information in Build Background.
Make a Web
Create a web listing the positive qualities of a close friend or someone you admire. Think about why these qualities are especially important to you.
Build Background
Feasts in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, holidays and the seasons of the year were marked by feasts, vacations from work, and then more feasts to celebrate the resumption of work. The most important holidays were Christmas, a celebration that lasted for nearly two weeks, and Easter. As part of the Christmas festivities, groups of masked pantomimists, called mummers, visited different homes to dance and present plays. Christmas marked the end of winter, and Hocktide, a festival at the end of Easter week, marked the beginning of summer. Lammas (August 1) ushered in the harvest season. Most holidays were celebrated with food, entertainment, games, and general merriment. In Catherines diary, almost every day is a feast day. Only some feast days were days of celebration, however. Most were simply days on which a particular saint was remembered or commemorated.
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Vocabulary
blight [blt] v. to frustrate plans or hopes; to destroy My injuries blight my hopes for breaking a record this season. chide [chd] v. to scold or reprove In a firm voice, the parents chide their child for her messy room. closeted [kloz i tid] adj. secluded; working or meeting in private The managers are closeted in the office, deciding on next years budget. moderate [mod r it] adj. calm; avoiding extremes of behavior Amy is a moderate person who does not get angry easily. odious [o de s] adj. exciting strong dislike or repugnance No one wanted to go near the odious dog with its strange skin disease.
Novel Information
My Prediction
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While many events in this section of the novel are humorous, many are tragic, revealing some of the tremendous difficulties faced by people who lived during the Middle Ages. In fact, Catherine often dreams of pursuing romantic adventures in order to escape the realities of
medieval life. To get an overview of the ups and downs of daily life in the thirteenth century, use the chart below to record both positive and negative events that occur in this section of the novel. Record the events in each column in chronological order.
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Literary Element Text Structure How does the diary format show chronological order?
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5th day of january, Feast of Saint Simeon Stylites, who lived for thirty-seven years atop a pillar, praising God. Eleventh day of Christmas I will not be sorry to see the Christmas days end, for I have been spending excessive time curing other peoples ale head, putrid stomach, and various wounds, cuts, and bruises sustained in drunken fights. I have near run out of mustard seed and boiled snake. 6th day of january, Feast of the Epiphany. Twelfth day of Christmas The end of Christmas. Mayhap I will soon have my chamber and my bed to share with only the usual residents. At dinner today my mother found the bean in her Twelfth Cake and chose my father to be king. I found the pea and was queen. My father and I had to sit next each other for the mumming and lead the dancing and eat together at supper. I could hardly swallow from being so near the beast for so long. I wish I had just eaten the pea and told no one . . . . 13th day of January, Feast of Saint Kentigern, called Mungo, grandson of a British prince It appears the curse has worked. George returned last night from York to say that Aelis has been married to the seven-year-old duke of Warrington. After the ceremony, the duke had an attack of putrid throat and had to go home to his mother to be nursed. His new wife remains at court. I am sorry that Aelis was sold at auction to the highest bidder like a horse at a horse fair, but I am gladdened to have my uncle George back.
Literary Element Text Structure What signal words and phrases in this excerpt indicate time order?
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Reading Strategy Make Predictions About Plot What prediction might you make about Roberts actions in the future?
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him because his manor lies next to my mothers, and my father lusts after it. I fail to see how sitting next to me and sharing my bowl and goblet honored himand it certainly did me no good. The man was a pig, which dishonors pigs. He blew his red and shiny nose on the table linen, sneezed on the meat, picked his teeth with his knife, and left wet greasy marks where he drank from the cup we shared. I could not bring myself to put my lips to the slimy rim, so endured a dinner without wine. . . . 27th day of February, Shrove Tuesday and the Feast of Saint Alnoth, serf and cowherd Today my father questioned me about the bearded pig. I said he affected my stomach like maggoty meat and my father laughed and said, Learn to like it. It bodes not well. Shaggy Beard has a son, Stephen, whom he spoke of with loathing, calling him Sir Priest, the clerk, and the girl, because the boy thinks and bathes and does not fart at Mass. I fear they are planning a match between me and Stephen. I will not. To be part of Shaggy Beards family and have to eat with him every day! If my father does not drive him away, I will, as I have done the others.
Reading Strategy Make Predictions About Plot Based on what you have read and what you already know, make a prediction about whether Catherine will learn to like it. Use evidence from the novel to support your prediction.
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Do You Read? What did you find out about English beliefs and customs in 1290? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Try the following approach as you reduce your notes. ASK QUESTIONS Write any questions you have about the novel. Do you have to go to an outside source to find the answers?
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 67. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. Who is Shaggy Beard? Why does Catherine dislike him so much? [Infer]
3. This section of the novel marks the transition from winter to spring. How do events in this section parallel the change of season? Does Catherines life also parallel the movement from winter to spring? Why or why not? [Conclude]
4. Which of Catherines qualities do you like or admire? Why do you admire these qualities? [Evaluate]
5. Why Do You Read? What do the people of Catherines time and place appear to value most? [Conclude]
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Literary Element Text Structure 1. How does the text structure of this novel help you understand small details of life in the Middle Ages? [Analyze]
Vocabulary Practice
A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Match each boldfaced vocabulary word below with its synonym. Use a thesaurus or dictionary to check your answers. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. blight chide closeted moderate odious a. b. c. d. e. f. g. calm diminish hateful further secluded scold destroy
2. Tell how at least one event that occurred between January and the end of April led to another. [Analyze]
Academic Vocabulary Catherine often writes about her individual needs and concerns. To become more familiar with the word individual, fill out the graphic organizer below.
definition
Reading Strategy Make Predictions
synonyms
About Plot
1. Tell whether you think Catherine will marry before the novel ends. Cite evidence from the novel to support your prediction. [Apply]
individual
2. Tell what else you think is going to happen in the final section of this novel. Cite evidence from the novel to support your prediction. [Apply]
antonym
sentence/image
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Writing
Personal Response What is your opinion of
Catherine at this point in the novel? Can you relate to her in any way? Why or why not?
Criterion
Example
My Rating
Nonverbal Made eye Good to Techniques contact after Excellent stating my thesis and each main reason Used gestures to show first, second, and third most important reasons Verbal Techniques Content and Clarity 78
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. SUMMARIZE Summarize in one sentence the most important idea(s) in Build Background.
Quickwrite
Think of a time when you made a sacrifice for the benefit of someone else. Was it difficult? What were your feelings? Write a paragraph describing your experience, your emotions, and the feelings of the person you helped.
Build Background
Medicine in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, childbirth was very hazardous to both mother and baby, and one or both often died. Most babies were not delivered by doctors but by midwives, women who made a profession of assisting in childbirth. Though the midwife made some efforts at medical treatment, she also followed superstitious rituals, especially during a difficult delivery. For example, midwives might order servants to open all doors, drawers, and cupboards in the house as well as to untie all knots. This ritual was supposed to help speed the delivery of the baby. In Catherine, Called Birdy, as Catherines mother struggles to deliver her baby, Catherine untied all the knots and unstopped all the jugs in the manor, but to no immediate avail. In this section of the novel, Catherine begins to create an herbal, a book of remedies in which she draws various herbs and describes their uses in curing a range of ailments. Medieval cures went well beyond the use of single herbs and included various tonics and poultices. Tonics are medicines or potions that invigorate, restore, or refresh. Poultices are heated substances applied to a cut, wound, or sore. Ingredients for tonics included various kinds of organic matter ranging from fish bones to human nail trimmings. In this section, the physician recommends a poultice of raven manure as a cure for toothache.
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Vocabulary
cajole [k jo l ] v. to persuade with gentle urging If we cant cajole you into action, we may force you into it. desolate [des lit] adj. joyless; sorrowful The house was desolate with all the owners and their things gone. harrowing [har o in ] adj. distressing; tormenting Harrowing thoughts of having hurt her sister filled Meis head. relics [rel iks] n. objects valued for their associations with saints or martyrs People at the church kissed the relics and prayed to the saints. unlettered [un let rd] adj. lacking in knowledge to be gained from books; illiterate The unlettered woman could not write her name.
Literary Element Diction Diction refers to the authors choice of words. A writer chooses some words for their denotation, or exact meaning in the dictionary, and others for their connotations, or feelings associated with the word. Word choice can help an author present his or her bias, or inclination toward a particular attitude or opinion. Diction is important because a writers diction helps pull a reader into the writing. The words help influence how the reader feels about the characters, events, and issues of the time and place. As you read, think about the words author Karen Cushman chooses. Ask yourself the following questions: What feelings do they arouse in you? How do they show the authors bias? Why? Reading Skill Identify Cause-and-Effect Relationships In a cause-and-effect relationship, one event or action causes another event or action. For example, a character does something wrong (cause) and then feels guilty about what he or she did (effect). The character may then try to correct the wrong that was done (a new effect caused by the characters feeling of guilt). Identifying cause-and-effect relationships helps readers understand the reasons why events happen and why characters act in certain ways. Use the graphic organizer on the following page to help you understand the changes that Catherine undergoes. To identify other cause-and-effect relationships, think about the connection between events or actions and the resulting outcomes ask yourself why things happen in the story and how events affect characters look for words, such as because, so, since, if . . . then, and as a result of, that signal cause and effect. As you read, you may want to also use a graphic organizer like the one at the right and on the next page to keep track of cause-and-effect relationships.
Cause
Catherine feels pity for the bear.
Effect/New Cause
Effect/New Cause
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In this section of the novel, Catherine becomes less selfish and more caring. As you read, use the diagram below to keep track of Catherines acts of
kindness and their effectsparticularly how performing these acts affects her feelings.
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Literary Element Diction Write two words in these entries for June that you think were chosen for their denotation and two that were chosen for their connotation. Explain your choices.
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body. I could put deadly thorn apple or monkshood in his soup or train my birds to fly north and peck him to death. Or a giant hand might reach down and pinch him between its thumb and finger. Life is full of possibilities. If only something would happen soon.
Literary Element Diction How does word choice in these entries for July help show the authors bias about arranged marriage in the England of 1290?
JULY
2nd day of July, Feast of Saints Processus and Martinian, Roman martyrs, whose relics cure the sick, reveal perjurers, and cure lunatics I have been thinking about my own marriage. Once I dreamed of a handsome prince on a white horse decked in silks and bells. Now I am offered a smelly, broken-toothed old man who drinks too much. I would rather even Alf! But it occurred to me that what actually makes people married is not the church or the priest but their consent, their I will. And I do not consent. Will never consent. I will not. I cannot be wed without my consent, can I? They cannot bind me with ropes and force my mouth open and closed while my father says in a high voice, I will. I am told this has happened, but even my father could not be so cruel. I will not consent and there will be no marriage. Amen. 4th day of July, Feast of Saint Andrew of Crete, stabbed to death by a fanatical Iconoclast I spent this summer evening lying in the field, watching stars come out in the sky. Free. Free. Free! After my harrowing days locked away, I rejoice to be free. It was like this: The evening after Meg's wedding, I encountered my father near the buttery. Now we will get on with it, daughter, he said. It is time to make good your promise and consent to marriage with Murgaw. Never, I said. Your villagers are allowed to marry where they will, but your daughter is sold like a cheese for your profit! Never. He blinked three times, opening and closing his mouth. Then his face grew purple and he choked out disconnected words: Meg . . . cottage . . . promise . . . marriage.
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Reading Skill Identify Cause-and-Effect Relationships What is the effect of Catherines time spent thinking about her choices?
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shall not find it a comfortable prize he has won, this grayeyed, sun-browned beauty. Amen. After dinner my uncle George came home, surprised but pleased to see me. His mouth smiled and his eyes almost did as I told him of the mad plans of Ethelfritha and how I decided I cannot escape my life but can only use my determination and courage to make it the best I can. He will take me home tomorrow. We will ride, which suits my feet just fine. 22nd day of September, Feast of Saint Maurice and his six thousand six hundred sixty-six companions, Roman soldiers of the Theban Legion, martyred for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods We leave in one hour. In George's garden I saw a toad, may it bring me luck. And as Morwenna says, luck is better than early rising. 23rd day of September, Feast of Saint Thecla of Iconium, virgin and follower of Saint Paul. Condemned to be burnt, a storm put out the fire. Sent to be eaten by beasts, they would not. She escaped and lived in a cave for seventy-two years I am home again. Such ado! I was kissed and slapped and lectured until my ears turned inside out. I told my tale and then sat to listen to theirs. It seems God is indeed watching over me. Or else toads really are lucky. How I know is this: The riders from the north did not say that Shaggy Beard comes for his bride, but that he is dead, killed in a brawl over a tavern maid. His son Stephen is now Baron Selkirk, Lord of Lithgow, Smithburn, Random, and Fleece, and wishes to honor the marriage contract in his father's place. He sent me an enameled brooch of a little bird with a pearl in its beak. I am wearing it now. My lady mother and the beast my father think it no better and no worse that I marry Stephen instead of Shaggy Beard, but for me it is like moving from the darkness into the light, like coming in from a cold gray mist and seeing the fire make a warm and golden glow in the center of the hall, like the yolk of a boiled egg or the deeper gold in the belly of a rose.
Reading Skill Identify Cause-and-Effect Relationships Why will Catherine marry Stephen and not Shaggy Beard?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Do You Read? What have you learned about how people amused themselves in 13thcentury England? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 79. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. At the end of the novel, what does Catherine mean when she says, I am, if not free, at least less painfully caged? [Synthesize]
3. In what ways does Catherines tone, or attitude, change in this section of the novel? What was her tone in the beginning of the novel, and how is it different now? [Compare]
4. What do you think Catherine means when she says that she is having so many soft feelings? How do these soft feelings affect her behavior? [Conclude]
5. Why Do You Read? Does reading about a young adult in 13th-century England help you in any way to understand young adults in your own time and place? Explain. [Connect]
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Literary Element Diction 1. When Catherine writes, the bear is safe and I am doomed, which word carries the strongest connotations? What are they? [Analyze]
Vocabulary Practice
Denotation is the literal, or dictionary, meaning of a word. Connotation is the implied, or cultural, meaning of a word. For example, the words scrawny and skeletal have a similar denotation, being very thin, but they have different connotations: Negative scrawny More Negative skeletal
2. By the end of the novel, Catherine is no longer writing Gods thumbs! or other curses. What does this change in diction help show about her? [Synthesize]
Each of the vocabulary words is listed with a word that has a similar denotation. Choose the word that has a more negative connotation. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. cajole desolate harrowing relics unlettered force upset disturbing remains ignorant
Academic Vocabulary Author Karen Cushman uses the technique of diary entries to tell this story. In the preceding sentence, technique means a method of doing something. Think of a goal you wanted to achieve in writing, drawing, making music, or another activity. What technique did you use?
Relationships
What causes Catherine to begin her book with such anger and to end it with such joy? [Synthesize]
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Precise Words
Give It Structure Use spatial order to organize your ideas about the place. Options include describing from top to bottom, from left to right, or around the perimeter and working toward the center. Look at Language Sharpen word choices by making them more exact. For example, turn the field into the baseball field or the chair into the dentists chair. Add feelings, too. If you dont like a room, you might call it a cell. If you love the room, you might call it a haven.
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Authors Note to Catherine, Called Birdy Karen Cushman Make Connections What qualities or problems does Catherine share with teenagers of today?
The Knight of the Honest Heart Christina Hamlet Make Connections What motivates Crispin and Celia to act deceptively? How do their desires parallel those of Catherine?
Caged Bird Maya Angelou Make Connections Compare the birds described in the poem to Catherine. How is Catherine like both the free bird and the caged bird?
Becky and the Wheels-and-Brakes Boys James Berry Make Connections How is Beckys situation similar to Catherines?
Newbery Medal Acceptance (for The Midwifes Apprentice) Karen Cushman Make Connections In the novel, Catherine writes, composes songs, and paints. How does Catherine use her interests in writing, song making, and painting as a means of emotional expression?
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Compare the novel you have just read to the literature selection at the right, which is excerpted from Charles by Shirley Jackson in Glencoe Literature. Then answer the questions below. Use the exact words of the text or explain events and ideas in the text to support your answer.
WRITE ABOUT IT Write a comparison-contrast paragraph that makes at least one main point about how Charles and Catherine are alike and/or different.
2. Text Structure How is the text structure of Charles the same and different from the text structure of Catherine, Called Birdy?
3. Diction In Catherine, Called Birdy, word choice helps the reader understand Catherines conflicts. Is the same true in this excerpt from Charles? Explain your answer.
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Persuasive Essay
Argue a Position Arranged marriages have been a part of some cultures for centuries. Do you think they are ever a good idea? Are there any political, cultural, economic, or other reasons why arranged marriages should exist? Decide on your position. Prewrite Make a list of reasons for your opinion or position. Select your three best reasons. Use your reasons to write your thesis or opinion statement: Arranged marriages (should/should not) exist because _____________ , _____________ , and _____________. (reason 1) (reason 2) (reason 3) Draft State your thesis or opinion statement near the beginning of your paper. Present each of your reasons in separate body paragraphs. Fully explain each reason you give. As part of your explanation, think about what people with the opposite opinion might think or say. Address those counterarguments. End with a strong concluding statement. Revise Exchange papers with a classmate. Complete a revision chart like this one for each others work:
UNDERSTAND THE TASK To argue is to use reason or logic to try to influence a readers ideas or actions. A position is an opinion. It is usually stated in a thesis, position statement, or opinion statement.
Grammar Tip
Interjections Use interjections to show emotion, or feeling. Interjections may come before or after a complete sentence. When they express strong feeling and stand on their own, begin them with a capital letter and follow them with an exclamation point: Corpus bones! Gods thumbs! When an interjection does not express strong feeling or has a quieter tone, follow it with a comma: Dear god, I can do no more for either of them.
Your thesis is _________________________________________. Why thesis needs/does not need revision: ___________________ _____________________________________________________. Your reasons are 1. ___________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________________ Why reasons need/do not need revision ____________________. Why explanation needs/does not need revision _______________ _____________________________________________________.
Edit and Proofread Edit your writing so that it expresses your thoughts effectively and is well organized. Carefully proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
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Dandelion Wine
Ray Bradbury
D andel i on Wi ne
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Dandelion Wine
Ray Bradbury
Bradbury writes or speaks, When solid fact and metaphor getsthe line between hazy. He often adds his own details to true stories to make them more interesting or illustrative . . . . . . The more Bradbury twists the facts, the more he is able to wring from them.
Even this characters name shows reality transformed. Douglas Spaulding is made up from Bradburys own middle name and the middle name of his father, Leonard Spaulding Bradbury. In the same way, his home town of Waukegan is transformed into Green Town and friends, such as John Huff of Arizona are moved east to Green Town and woven into the story.
The Setting Dandelion Wine takes place in the summer of 1928, the summer just before the Great Depression, which began the following year. The so-called Roaring Twenties were years of great change. One world war had finished, and another lurked on the horizon.
In an introduction to Dandelion Wine, Bradbury writes, I was gathering images all of my life, storing them away, and forgetting them. Somehow I had to send myself back, with words as catalysts, to open the memories out and see what they had to offer. Dandelion Wine, however, is fiction, not an autobiography.
Playing with Memories and Senses In this book, Bradbury takes real memories and sense impressions and plays with them. For example, at the age of thirteen, the writer actually looked at the hairs on the back of his wrist and suddenly became aware of the fact that he was alive. A similar experience takes place in the novel, when the main character, Douglas Spaulding, has this realization: Im really alive! he thought. I never knew it before, or if I did I dont remember!
The twenties were the first decade in which the population of the United States was above a hundred million, and for the first time, more Americans lived in cities than lived on farms. Still, a third of the people did live on farms. However, the rapid development of both the automobile and the radio were quickly making society more mobile and less provincial. Now people could not only travel to new places easily, but they could also hear about what was happening in the wider world.
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Urban lifestyles also differed from those of small towns. Gangsters, flappers, and movie stars made newspaper headlines with their unconventional lives. Yet the heroes of the decade,
Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earheart, appealed to old-fashioned idealism when they flew their tiny planes alone across the Atlantic Ocean.
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Bradbury spent a childhood steeped in Buck Rogers comic strips, magic, movies, and literature. These influences, as well as the personal details of Bradburys own life, stayed with the author and inspired many of his later works. His hometown of Waukegan, for instance, is the basis for Green Town in Dandelion Wine. When Bradbury was fourteen, his family moved to Los Angeles, where the writer still lives. A few years later, he joined the local Science Fiction League and published his first story in a fan magazine. At twenty, his first story appeared in the professional publication Weird Tales.
Versatile Writer Bradbury is best known for his science fiction writing. But as a writer, he is incredibly versatile. In addition to books and stories, he has written television scripts, screenplays, poetry, and even musicals. He has been a consultant for the U.S. Pavilion at the 1964 Worlds Fair and for Spaceship Earth at Disney World. He is now creating CD-ROM adventure games. 98
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, in the present tense, using information in Build Background.
Build Background
Herbal Medicine
For centuries the dandelion has been used as a medicinal herb. Arabian doctors in the tenth century called it Taraxacon. Today, the chemical that is found in the root is called Taraxacin. The plant is said to be a general stimulant that increases appetite and improves digestion. Some people squeeze juice from the roots and claim the juice will help cure liver problems. People also make dandelion tea, dandelion powder, and dandelion wine. The wine takes months to make. First, the plants are steeped in water and allowed to stand and then various ingredients are added. Only later is the wine placed in bottles that are then capped. Once bottled, dandelion wine can be stored for later use.
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Vocabulary
ferrule [fer l] n. metal ring or cap put around the end of a shaft, such as a cane, to strengthen it The pipe was fitted at one end with a small steel ferrule. paraphernalia [par fr nal ya] n. pl. personal belongings When the children divided their paraphernalia, they found they had collected many treasures. ravine [r ven ] n. small, deep, narrow valley My uncles cottage is located at the bottom of a steep ravine. revelation [rev la shn] n. something that is revealed or disclosed The court gasped as the prosecutor brought out revelation after revelation about the defendants previous record. serenely [s ren le] adv. peacefully; calmly The raft drifted serenely down the river.
Literary Element Figurative Language Figurative language is language used for descriptive effect, often to imply ideas indirectly. Expressions of figurative language are not literally true but express some truth beyond the literal level. One example of figurative language is metaphor, a comparison of two seemingly unlike things. An extended metaphor is one that continues through a long poem or passage. A simile is a comparison of seemingly unlike things that uses the words like or as. Although figurative language can occur in many different genres, it is most common in poetry. Fiction writers like Ray Bradbury often bring a poetic sensibility to their work. As you read the first section of Dandelion Wine, consider how Bradbury uses figurative language to pull you into the rich world of his imagination. Reading Strategy Interpret Imagery Imagery is language that emphasizes sensory impressions to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste the scenes described in a literary work. When you interpret imagery, you use your own knowledge of the world to understand and experience the impressions presented. Interpreting imagery is important because using your own history and experiences gives you another way to understand what an author is really trying to say. To interpret imagery, look for details about the place the writer is describing. Ask yourself: What do the details help you see in your mind? look for details about the people discussed in the selection. How does the writer describe peoples physical features, clothing, and body language? look for details about objects the writer describes. What does the item sound, feel, smell, or taste like? As you read Dandelion Wine, pay close attention to the authors descriptions. You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one to the right.
Detail
The street lights, like candles on a black cake, went out. The water was blue silk in the cup; clear, faintly blue silk.
My interpretation
The lights go out as quickly and completely as blowing out birthday candles.
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Dandelion Wine contains many settings, characters, stories, and objects, some of which are mentioned again later in the book. A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story
is called a motif. As you read the opening chapters, pay attention to the items listed below. Record what you know about that item and how the characters felt about it.
Item
dandelion wine
Details
put away until January
Characters thoughts/feelings
the ravine
Grandfathers lawnmower
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Literary Element Figurative Language This is the beginning of an extended metaphor that goes on until the end of the chapter. What two seemingly unlike things is author Ray Bradbury comparing? Why do you think he uses metaphor instead of simply stating the facts?
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January day with snow falling fast and the sun unseen for weeks or months and perhaps some of the miracle by then forgotten and in need of renewal. Since this was going to be a summer of unguessed wonders, he wanted it all salvaged and labeled so that any time he wished, he might tiptoe down in this dank twilight and reach up his fingertips. And there, row upon row, with the soft gleam of flowers opened at morning, with the light of this June sun glowing through a faint skin of dust, would stand the dandelion wine. Peer through it at the wintry daythe snow melted to grass, the trees were reinhabitated with bird, leaf, and blossoms like a continent of butterflies breathing on the wind. And peering through, color sky from iron to blue. Hold summer in your hand, pour summer in a glass, a tiny glass of course, the smallest tingling sip for children; change the season in your veins by raising glass to lip and tilting summer in. Ready, now, the rain barrel! Nothing else in the world would do but the pure waters which had been summoned from the lakes far away and the sweet fields of grassy dew on early morning, lifted to the open sky, carried in laundered clusters nine hundred miles, brushed with wind, electrified with high voltage, and condensed upon cool air. This water, falling, raining, gathered yet more of the heavens in its crystals. Taking something of the east wind and the west wind and the north wind and the south, the water made rain and the rain, within this hour of rituals, would be well on its way to wine. Douglas ran with the dipper. He plunged it deep in the rain barrel. Here we go! The water was silk in the cup; clear, faintly blue silk. It softened the lip and the throat and the heart, if drunk. This water must be carried in dipper and bucket to the cellar, there to be leavened in freshets, in mountain streams, upon the dandelion harvest. Even Grandma, when snow was whirling fast, dizzying the world, blinding windows, stealing breath from gasping mouths, even Grandma, one day in February, would vanish to the cellar.
Literary Element Figurative Language What does the simile blossoms like a continent of butterflies mean? Try to paraphrase the meaning by creating your own simile.
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Reading Strategy Interpret Imagery How does the authors use of imagery add to the suspense of this scene?
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into her crib, and saw her staring up at him with a blind, blue, fixed and frozen stare until the men came with a small wicker basket to take her away. Death was when he stood by her high chair four weeks later and suddenly realized shed never be in it again, laughing and crying and making him jealous of her because she was born. That was death. And Death was the Lonely One, unseen, walking and standing behind trees, waiting in the country to come in, once or twice a year, to this town, to these streets, to these many places where there was little light, to kill one, two, three women in the past three years. That was Death . . . . But this was more than Death. This summer night deep down under the stars was all things you would ever feel or see or hear in your life, drowning you all at once. Leaving the sidewalk, they walked along a trodden, pebbled, weed-fringed path while the crickets rose in a loud full drumming chorus. He followed obediently behind brave, fine, tall Motherdefender of the universe. Together, then, they approached, reached, and paused at the very end of civilization. The Ravine. Here and now, down in that pit of jungled blackness were suddenly all the things he would never know or understand; all the things without names lived in the huddled tree shadow, in the odor of decay. He realized he and his mother were alone. Her hand trembled. He felt the tremble . . . . Why? But she was bigger, stronger, more intelligent than himself, wasnt she? Did she, too, feel that intangible menace, that groping out of darkness, that crouching malignancy down below? Was there, then, no strength in growing up? No solace in being an adult? No sanctuary in life? No fleshly citadel strong enough to withstand the scrabbling assault of midnights? Doubts flushed him. Ice cream lived again in his throat, stomach, spine and limbs; he was instantly cold as a wind out of December gone.
Reading Strategy Interpret Imagery What imagery does the author use to describe the ravine? What senses does this imagery appeal to?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
What Makes Life Good? What meeting of the minds do you think Douglas and Mr. Sanderson come to about what makes life good? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 99. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. What is Lena Auffmanns opinion about the Happiness Machine? On what does she base her opinion? What realization does Leo Auffmann have when he looks through his window? [Interpret]
3. Why, according to her husband, does Mrs. Bentley save things? What does she finally do with her possessions and how does that make her feel? [Analyze]
4. What character or characters remind you of people you know? In what ways? [Connect]
5. What Makes Life Good? What are three memorable moments when Douglas is aware of lifes goodness? [Infer]
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Literary Element Figurative Language 1. The author describes the ravine as tensing, bunching together its black fibers, drawing in power from sleeping countrysides. What do you visualize from this metaphor?
Vocabulary Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the vocabulary word correctly. 1. A. Without the ferrule, the spear would have broken in two. B. If you ferrule the pipe, it will not bend. 2. A. How many paraphernalia do you really need to keep? B. My room is loaded with paraphernalia. 3. A. Climb up into the ravine. B. Climb out of the ravine. 4. A. My father is famous in our town for his revelation about dolphins. B. My father is famous in our town for his ability to revelation about dolphins. 5. A. My grandmothers serenely attitude allows her to enjoy life. B. My grandmother lives serenely and enjoys life.
2. To what does Grandfather compare the first day of lawn mowing? What images support this comparison?
Academic Vocabulary Reading Strategy Interpret Imagery 1. In Chapter 15, an ice cream truck comes around a corner like an elfin band. To which of the five senses does this simile appeal? [Analyze] Leo Auffmanns Happiness Machine did not affect his wife the way he thought it would. In the preceding sentence affect means to produce an effect. Affect also has other meanings. For example: The child had a sullen affect after being scolded by her mother. What do you think affect means in the preceding sentence? What is the difference between the two meanings? Look in a dictionary to check your answer.
2. What sensory details does the author use describe the sound of the Happiness Machine? [Identify]
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Advances in Science/Technology
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
Other categories might include events in world politics or important births and deaths. Create Using your chart as a guide, research the events of 1928. You may wish to use library resources or an Internet search engine such as Google. Add to your chart as you find more information that you think should be included on the time line. Then meet with your classmates and compare charts. From this larger list of events, try to find at least one major event for each month of the year 1928. Report You can create a poster version of your time line or a word-processed document. Each member of your group should read through the time line carefully before the group turns in the final version.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below using information in Build Background.
Freewrite
Spend two or three minutes freewriting about change. You might want to start by noting your feelings about change or by giving as many examples as you can. Write without stopping and without worrying about grammar, usage, or punctuation.
Build Background
Trolley Days
By the 1920s, automobiles and airplanes were changing the way people traveled. Before these inventions, people walked, rode in horse-drawn vehicles or bicycles, or traveled on local trolleys. A trolley is a wheeled vehicle that runs on tracks laid on roads. Most trolleys were drawn by horses or powered by steam, electricity, or cables. The trolleys ran on a schedule and carried people for relatively short distances. Some trolleys were beautiful machines, with brass or wooden trim, and windows that opened to let in fresh air. However, they were slower than modern cars and buses and often caused traffic jams. Gradually, trolleys were abandoned as a common form of public transportation. You will note that at one point in the next section of the novel, the character who has been the Green Town trolley driver announces the last trolley ride before the new bus service begins. This brief bit of information, addressed to Douglas Spaulding and the other Green Town children, signifies the end of an important period in their lives.
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Vocabulary
calamities [k lam tez] n. great misfortunes; disasters When natural calamities strike, the nations relief organizations get to work. concoction [kon kok shn] n. mixture of several ingredients The health food drink was a terrible concoction of wheat juice, yeast, and cranberry juice. desiccation [des i ka shn] n. dryness When you extract salt from ocean water the desiccation process turns it white. infinitesimal [in fi n tes ml] adj. so small that it is immeasurable The hotel manager told the tourists that their chances of finding the beach open during a hurricane warning were infinitesimal. ricochet [rik sha ] v. to cause to bounce back A pinball machine forces the ball to ricochet off various obstacles.
Literary Element Sound Devices Sound devices are techniques used to create a sense of rhythm or to emphasize certain sounds in writing. Some of the techniques that control sound are Repetitionthe recurrence of sounds, words, phrases, lines, or stanzas in a piece of writing. Parallelismthe use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form. Parallelism emphasizes items that are arranged in the similar structures. Alliterationthe repetition of consonant sounds usually at the beginning of words or syllables. As you read the next section of the novel, listen for Ray Bradburys use of sound devices, and think about how these techniques amplify the imagery descriptive passages. Reading Skill Analyze Style When you analyze, you look at separate parts of something in order to better understand the whole. Style is the way an author chooses and arranges words and sentences. Diction, or word choice, use of imagery, and sentence structure and length are a few of the factors that contribute to a writers style. Analyzing style is important because it forces you to look more critically at a work of literature to understand the authors purpose in writing and attitude toward his or her subject. To analyze style, pay attention to the authors use of imagery and to the differences in the way the various characters speakand the way the narrator speaks about them. As you read, think about how the elements of diction and sentence length and structure work together to create an overall stylistic effect. You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one to the right.
Style
Diction: informal language Sentence structure: both phrases and sentences Sentence length: short, choppy
Effect
feeling of excitement or expectation
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Ray Bradbury is known for his evocative style the richness of his diction and imagery and the complicated ideas he is able to convey while maintaining an entertaining sense of drama. As
you read the next section of the novel and come to the examples listed in the chart below, fill in the right-hand side of the chart to analyze the authors style.
the curtain coming down fast and the women weeping 1910 Boston Variety Arts Theatre poor man poor man It glided. It whispered, an ocean breeze. Delicate as maple leaves, fresher than creek water, it purred with the majesty of cats prowling the noontide. He fixed his bright, stuffed-fox, greenglass-eye gaze upon that wonderful merchandise. Mr. Tridden told them how it had been twenty years ago, the band playing on that ornate stand at night, the men pumping air into their brass horns, the plump conductor flinging perspiration from his baton, the children and fireflies running in the deep grass Tell me! Brown!" John turned away. No, sir. What you mean, no?" Youre not even close! Douglas peered off at the horizon where clouds filled the sky with immense shapes of old gods and warriors.
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Literary Element Sound Devices Identify an example of parallelism in this section. What does this use of a sound device accomplish?
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Literary Element Sound Devices Which sound device does the author employ here? What is its effect? How is Mr. Quartermains exclamation different from those of Miss Fern and Miss Roberta? How does this small difference affect the way you hear the three exclamations?
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Reading Skill Analyze Style Compare the way William speaks in this section with the way Helen speaks. What does this tell you about their relationship?
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would be dreadful, wouldnt it, if you lived on to be very, very old and some afternoon in 1999 walked down Main Street and saw me standing there, aged twenty-one, and the whole thing out of balance again? I dont think we could go through any more afternoons like these weve had, no matter how pleasant, do you? A thousand gallons of tea and five hundred biscuits is enough for one friendship. So you must have an attack of pneumonia some time in about twenty years. For I dont know how long they let you linger on the other side. Perhaps they send you back immediately. But I shall do my best, William, really I shall. And everything put right and in balance, do you know what might happen? You tell me. Some afternoon in 1985 or 1990 a young man named Tom Smith or John Green or a name like that, will be walking downtown and will stop in the drugstore and order, appropriately, a dish of some unusual ice cream. A young girl the same age will be sitting there and when she hears the name of that ice cream, something will happen. I cant say what or how. She wont know why or how, assuredly. Nor will the young man. It will simply be that the name of that ice cream will be a very good thing to both of them. Theyll talk. And later, when they know each others names, theyll walk from the drugstore together. She smiled at him. This is all very neat, but forgive an old lady for tying things in neat packets. Its a silly trifle to leave you. Now lets talk of something else. What shall we talk about? Is there any place in the world we havent traveled to yet? Have we been to Stockholm? Yes, its a fine town. Glasgow? Yes? Where then? Why not Green Town, Illinois? he said. Here. We havent really visited our own town together at all.
Reading Skill Analyze Style What do you notice about the length and structure of the sentences in this section? How do these stylistic elements relate to other sections of the novel?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
What Makes Life Good? What does this passage say about what makes life good for a person like Colonel Freeleigh? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
ASK QUESTIONS Write a question about the novel. Can you find the answer in your notes?
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Meet the Author on page 98. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. Why does Douglas consider John Huff the only god living in the whole of Green Town, Illinois, during the twentieth century? How does Douglas react when John leaves? Why do you think he does this? [Analyze]
3. Helen Loomis says, Time is so strange and life is twice as strange. . . . It was a terrible bit of timing. To what is she referring? Do you agree? Give your reasons. [Evaluate]
4. In your opinion, is this section of the book sad, heartwarming, or confusing? Explain. [Evaluate]
5. What Makes Life Good? Colonel Freeleigh takes Doug and his friends on a journey back to the past. How do his memories affect the boys? What role do you think memories play in making a persons life good? [Connect]
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Literary Element Sound Devices 1. Chapter 20 contains this sentence: There was a soft sigh of air; the door collapsed gently shut, tucking up its corrugated tongue. Identify the alliteration in the sentence and describe its effect.
Vocabulary Practice
On a separate sheet of paper, write the vocabulary word that correctly completes the sentence. calamities concoction desiccation infinitesimal ricochet
2. Write a sentence about a moment you remember from the section of the novel you just read. Use examples of both alliteration and repetition in your sentence.
1. When the chemist added acid to the _____________ it turned blue and began to bubble. 2. Nanotechnology is so small as to be _____________. 3. The _____________ process allowed the salted fish to remain edible for weeks. 4. When my brother gets excited he does nothing but _____________ around the house. 5. Of all the _____________ that could happen to my grandmother, the one she feared most was losing her home.
Reading Skill Analyze Style 1. Toward the end of Chapter 21, Ray Bradbury writes: A series of rifle shots. Screen doors banged one after the other, a sunset volley across the street. How does this idea reflect what Douglas is feeling about his friend John Huff? [Infer]
Academic Vocabulary In Chapter 21, Douglas seems to equate friendship and loyalty with permanence. In the preceding sentence equate means to treat or represent as equal or comparable. To become more familiar with the word equate, fill out the graphic organizer below.
definition
synonym
2. Note the imagery in this excerpt from Chapter 23: Her eyes felt like wads of blazing cotton. Her tongue tasted like a dust mop. Her ears were belling and ringing away? To what senses do these images appeal? [Identify]
equate
antonym
sentence/image
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, in the present tense, using information from Build Background.
Discuss
With a partner, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of knowing your future. How would that knowledge affect your present life? What if your future were better than the present? What if the future were far worse?
Build Background
For Your Amusement
An arcade is a long covered area, often containing shops. Amusement arcades contain various games and machines that are designed for fun. In older arcades, visitors would drop a penny, nickel, or dime into a machine anddepending on the machinethey might view a short film, play a game of skill, or watch a mechanical scene come to life. Some of the most popular arcade machines were the ones that promised to tell the future. These machines might simply print out a slip of paper, or they might be more complicated. The most elaborate fortune-telling machines had lifesize mannequins inside wooden booths with glass windows. The mannequins could look surprisingly real: they nodded, blinked, pointed, handled such items as pens and cards, and even seemed to breathe. Contemporary arcades most often feature computer and video games. Video arcades, though high-tech, rely to a great extent on the same human tendency as many of the old arcadesthe desire to win.
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Vocabulary
apparition [ap rish n] n. something strange or unexpected that comes suddenly into view; ghost What the boys mistook for an apparition in white turned out to be only Grandmother in her flannel nightgown. commotion [k mo sh n] n. noisy disturbance or excitement A raccoon got into the garbage cans last night and made a terrible commotion. equilibrium [ek w lib re m] n. state of balance, sometimes emotional balance After the marathon, some runners complained of dizziness and loss of equilibrium. exhalation [eks h la shn] n. act of letting air out of the lungs After final exams many students let out a long relieved exhalation. overwrought [o vr rt ] adj. worked up to an unhealthy state of excitement or nervousness My dog gets overwrought whenever I bring out the vacuum cleaner.
Literary Element Setting Setting is the time and place during which a story takes place. The setting can help create the storys atmosphere or mood. Although the overall setting of Dandelion Wine is the small Midwestern community of Green Town during the summer of 1928, the storys episodic structure reveals many settings within this larger onefor example, the ravine and the arcade. Each provides insights about the storys themes. As you read, think about how the setting adds to and helps illustrate the themes of life and death, magic, change, and the passage of time. Reading Strategy Connect to Personal Experience To connect, you look for links between ideas or information. When you connect to personal experience, you locate links between what you read and your own experience. Connecting to personal experience is important because it can help you to become a more focused reader. Ideas and events in literature mean more to you when you can connect them to feelings, thoughts, and impressions of your own. To connect to personal experience as you read, ask yourself: Have I been to places similar to the setting described by this writer? What experiences have I had that compare and contrast with what I am reading? What opinions do I already have about this topic? What characters from my life remind me of the Douglas plays with characters in this selection? friends, visits people Use the graphic organizers on the next page or the one at the right to help you make connections.
Summer
I _______________ I _______________
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In the chapters that follow, many interesting events take place. As you read about these events, use the chart below to consider how the characters experiences and feelings relate to
your own personal experience. The first column lists the story details. In the second column, describe how each detail corresponds to your own experience.
Story detail
Lavinia Nebbs walks home through the ravine by herself.
My experience
Have you ever done something you knew was dangerous?
Great-grandma dies.
Have you ever lost a loved one? How did you feel?
Douglas doesnt want to think about the possibility of his own death.
Have you ever wanted to avoid thinking about this subject? Why or why not?
Have you ever wanted to know the answer to the future? What did you do?
The children of Green Town pick out treasures from Mr. Jonass wagon.
Have you ever gotten anything secondhand? How did you feel about it?
What are big dinners with friends or family like in our experience?
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Literary Element Setting What does this exchange tell you about what it is like to live in Green Town in generaland about the characters of Lavinia and Helen in particular?
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Well, look whos here! What a time of night for you to be out, Miss Nebbs! Officer Kennedy! And thats who it was, of course. Id better see you home! Thanks, Ill make it. But you live across the ravine. . . . Yes, she thought, but I wont walk through the ravine with any man, not even an officer. How do I know who the Lonely One is? No, she said, Ill hurry. Ill wait right here, he said. If you need any help, give a yell. Voices carry good here. Ill come running. Thank you. She went on, leaving him under a light, humming to himself, alone. Here I am, she thought. The ravine. She stood on the edge of the one hundred and thirteen steps that went down the steep hill and then across the bridge seventy yards and up the hills leading to Park Street. And only one lantern to see by. Three minutes from now, she thought, Ill be putting my key in my house door. Nothing can happen in just one hundred eighty seconds. She started down the long dark-green steps into the deep ravine. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten steps, she counted in a whisper. She felt she was running, but she was not running. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty steps, she breathed. One fifth of the way! she announced to herself. The ravine was deep, black and black, black! And the world was gone behind, the world of safe people in bed, the locked doors, the town, the drugstore, the theater, the lights, everything was gone. Only the ravine existed and lived, black and huge, about her. Nothings happened, has it? No one around, is there? Twenty-four, twenty-five steps. Remember that old ghost story you told each other when you were children? She listened to her shoes on the steps.
Literary Element Setting What two major themes does the setting of the ravine emphasize in this section? Explain.
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Reading Strategy Connect to Personal Experience Taking into account your own family and friends, do you agree or disagree with what Greatgrandma says about the way people go on living? Why?
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part of me which is called, for convenience, Great-grandma, wont be here to step it along, those others parts of me called Uncle Bert and Leo and Tom and Douglas, and all the other names, will have to take over, each to his own. Yes, Grandma. I dont want any Halloween parties here tomorrow. Dont want anyone saying anything sweet about me; I said it all in my time and my pride. Ive tasted every victual and danced every dance; now theres one last tart I havent bit on, one tune I havent whistled. But Im not afraid. Im truly curious. Death wont get a crumb by my mouth I wont keep and savor. So dont you worry over me. Now, all of you go, and let me find my sleep. . . . Somewhere a door closed quietly. Thats better. Alone, she snuggled luxuriously down through the warm snowbank of linen and wool, sheet and cover, and the colors of the patchwork quilt were bright as the circus banners of old time. Lying there, she felt as small and secret as on those mornings eighty-some-odd years ago when, wakening, she comforted her tender bones in bed. A long time back, she thought, I dreamed a dream, and was enjoying it so much when someone wakened me, and that was the day when I was born. And now? Now, let me see . . . She cast her mind back. Where was I? she thought. Ninety years . . . how to take up the thread and the pattern of that lost dream again? She put out a small hand. There. . . Yes, that was it. She smiled. Deeper in the warm snow hill she turned her head upon her pillow. That was better. Now, yes, now she saw it shaping in her mind quietly, and with a serenity like a sea moving along an endless and selfrefreshing shore. Now she let the old dream touch and lift her from the snow and drift her above the scarceremembered bed. Downstairs, she thought, they are polishing the silver, and rummaging the cellar, and dusting in the halls. She could hear them living all through the house. Its all right, whispered Great-grandma, as the dream floated her. Like everything else in this life, its fitting. And the sea moved her back down the shore.
Reading Strategy Connect to Personal Experience How does Great-grandma feel about her impending death? Think about an elderly person you know well. What is his or her outlook on life and death? Compare and contrast this persons point of view with Great-grandmas.
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
What Makes Life Good? What new insights about what makes life good do you think Douglas got from having been sick? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Meet the Author on page 98. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. What is Aunt Roses opinion of Grandmas kitchen methods? What does Aunt Rose do, and what is the effect of her actions? From this, what can you conclude about the authors attitude toward good cooks and how they operate? [Analyze]
3. How many ketchup bottles were in the basement? What value do they have for Tom? How does Grandfathers attitude toward them differ from Toms? [Recall]
4. Tom says that he will remember what happened on every day of this year, forever. Grandfather says that as you get older, days blur together. Which person is correct? Explain. [Evaluate]
5. What Makes Life Good? Why do you think some of the younger Green Town residents are sad about the death of Lonely One? How does this connect to the idea of what makes life good? Explain. [Infer]
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Literary Element Setting 1. Do you think the episodic structure of the novel works well? Why or why not?
Vocabulary Practice
On a separate sheet of paper, write the vocabulary word that correctly completes each sentence. apparition commotion equilibrium exhalation overwrought
2. How does Douglas mark the passage of time over the course of the summer of 1928?
1. Here, here! the policeman shouted to the crowd. Whats all this _____________? 2. Being _____________ can have many negative effects on the body. 3. Carla couldnt believe her eyes when she thought she saw a(n) _____________ floating at the top of the stairs. 4. To be a tightrope walker, one needs a very strong sense of _____________. 5. Proper _____________ is very important to all athletes.
Personal Experience
Academic Vocabulary Discussing the Lonely One had become a tradition in Green Townit was part of living in the community. Tradition means an inherited or customary pattern of thought or action. Do you have a special tradition in your family or community? What is it, and how and why did it get started?
1. What are some examples from real life that remind you of Green Towns situation with the Lonely One? [Connect]
2. In your experience, do people who share a community respond to serious problems in the way the people did in the novel? [Analyze]
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Writing
Personal Response What did you think of the way
this book ended? Did you find the ending satisfying or not? Give your reasons.
Question
Answer
Source
As you proceed, think about how the information you are finding fits together. From these connections, you will build the central idea of your report. When you have completed your research, reorganize the answers in a logical progression that supports your central idea. Report At the end of your report include a list of correctly formatted citations for the Web sites you consulted.
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Dandelion Wine
The following questions refer to the Related Readings in Glencoes Literature Library edition of this novel. Support your answers with details from the text. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, but jot down some notes first on the lines provided.
Just This Side of Byzantium Ray Bradbury Make Connections Bradbury writes: I blundered into creativity as blindly as any child learning to walk and see. Judging from what you have read in the novel and in Just This Side of Byzantium, what part does creativity have in Bradburys writing?
Homesickness Brent Ashabranner Make Connections In what ways are Ya Thongs feelings toward home similar to those of Douglas Spaulding? What is different about Ya Thongs situation?
Knoxville, Tennessee; Mango Juice Nikki Giovanni; Pat Mora Make Connections In both Mango Juice and Knoxville, Tennessee, the speakers recall summertime experiences. Contrast their methods of remembering summers with Douglas Spauldings method.
Dandelions: Survivors in a Challenging World Jenepher Lingelbach, editor Make Connections Which details in this article are reflected in Dandelion Wine? Why might Bradbury have ignored the other details?
Searching for Summer Joan Aiken Make Connections Both Aiken and Bradbury write about summer. In what ways are their views similar, judging from these works? Give reasons for your answer.
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Compare the novel you have just read to the literature selection at the left, which is excerpted from An American Childhood by Annie Dillard in Glencoe Literature. Then answer the questions below.
WRITE ABOUT IT One of the things that makes life good is experiencing and appreciating nature. Both Annie Dillards An American Childhood and Ray Bradburys Dandelion Wine reflect this idea in different ways. Compare and contrast one way each author does this.
2. Sound Devices The two stories bring their scenes to life with amazing clarity. Do you think Annie Dillards use of sound devices is like or unlike Ray Bradburys? What are some of the similarities between their styles? What are some of the differences? Explain.
3. Setting Although Annie Dillards An American Childhood takes place in Pittsburgh in the early 1950s and Dandelion Wine is set in small-town Illinois in 1928, there are some similarities between the two settings. Compare and contrast how the setting affects the central characters in both stories.
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Review
Convince an Audience Write a book review of Dandelion Wine. In your opinion, does the book appeal to contemporary teenage readers? Do you think it is an important work of literature? Explain your point of view and the reasons behind it in a book review. Use evidence from the novel to support your ideas. Prewrite You have already read Dandelion Wine, so you already know whether or not you liked the book. But liking or disliking a book is not a strong enough foundation for a well-reasoned review. Firm up your ideas and opinions by skimming and scanning the novel to determine what your controlling idea will be. Write a quick summary of the overall plot. From there you can begin to set forth your own opinions on the themes, setting, characters, and overall effect of the work. Draft Create your thesis. After introducing the novel, you may wish to include a rhetorical question (see Grammar Tip) to pull readers in to the guiding idea of your review. Develop a logical sequence of information based on the outline you created in your prewriting phase. You may refer to plot events and character traits, or you may quote directly from the novel. You may wish to create a chart like the one below to ensure that your points are well supported.
UNDERSTAND THE TASK A book review is a form of persuasive essay. In a book review, a reviewer presents his or her opinions about a work of fiction or nonfiction. To be effective, the opinions in any book review must be well supported with examples from the book itself.
Grammar Tip
Rhetorical Questions A rhetorical question is a form of interrogation that is used to open or extend discussion rather than to elicit a direct answer from a respondent. In book reviews and other persuasive essays, rhetorical questions can be used to introduce a subject and then address it: Will contemporary teenage audiences find Dandelion Wine to be compelling reading? To my mind the answer is an enthusiastic yes. The changes Douglas Spaulding experiences in his final preteen summer have universal appeal.
Claim
Ray Bradburys novel is, to some extent, about the contradictions of lifelife and death, happiness and sadness, change and continuance.
Evidence
Douglas experiences joy and wonder when he realizes for the first time that hes alive. Yet during that same summer, several people he knows die and another, his best friend, moves away forever.
Revise As you review your first draft, make sure you have considered the other side of the argument. Careful attention to the opposing viewpoint can show an audience that your opinion is balanced and thoughtful. Edit and Proofread Edit your writing so that it expresses your thoughts effectively and is well organized. Carefully proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
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Dragonwings
Lawrence Yep
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Dragonwings
by Laurence Yep
It was an important moment in my life. Perhaps the most important. I had never seen my father, though I had often tried to picture him from Mothers and Grandmothers descriptions. His letters were certainly warm enough, filled with his worries about us and his longing to be back home. But a man cannot be a father in a letter.
But Moon Shadow knows there are things one must do: There was a certain rightness in lifethe feeling you got when you did something the way you knew you should.
The Land of the Demons So begins the journey of a young boy to meet the father he does not know in a world of which he knows little. In the United States, Moon Shadow is an outsider learning his way around a strange place with strange customs, a strange language, and strange people. The new world is not always a gentle or wholesome one. Drugs are there as well as danger and violence. The boy is not totally alone, however. Other Chinese immigrants are there too. Through them, readers learn about the traditional culture of Chinese immigrants. Literary critic Marla Dinchak writes:
Young Moon Shadow faces a difficult choice as he is given an opportunity to meet his father for the first time. Moon Shadows cousin, Hand Clap, has returned to China from the United States to visit family and friends. He has brought with him a letter from Moon Shadows father, who is now in San Francisco. Moon Shadows father wants his son to travel to the United States with Hand Clap and join him in the Land of the Golden Mountain.
Outsider Status Moon Shadow is hesitant to leave his mother and grandmother in China for a new life in America. He has been told of the demonswhite peoplein the United States who killed his grandfather. The white people forbid Chinese men to bring their families to the United States. The demons harass and beat Chinese people without cause, though they most often spare the children, for even the demons have some principles. 140
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Chinese folklore, myths, and legends are interwoven so readers not only sympathize with Moon Shadow and the other Chinese, but understand more of their culture and traditions. That is true of most of Yeps work, for he not only tells a story but bridges a cultural gap. Moon Shadows father also is there to guide his son, but the father has a dream of his ownhe dreams of building a flying machine. His secret dream will coincide with one of the most important events in history.
Chinatown Dragonwings begins in southern China in 1903. Most of the novel
takes place in San Francisco, California, from 1903 to 1910. In 1850 only a few hundred Chinese lived in California. Two years later, 10 percent of the population was Chinese. Today, the densely populated Chinatown area of San Francisco, home to the Tang community of Moon Shadow and his father, is one of the largest Chinese communities outside Asia.
Discrimination Many people came to California because of the jobs associated with the California Gold Rush. Life was not easy. Most newcomers took simple labor jobs, but as gold rush fever faded and jobs became scarce, feelings of ill will toward the Chinese soon followed. The United States had long discriminated against Asian immigrants. In fact, the first law in American history restricting immigration was directed against Asians. Passed in 1862, the law
forbade American ships to transport Chinese people to the United States. In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited the entry of any Chinese immigrants into the United States. Until 1936, Asians were required, by law, to attend separate schools. The Chinese Exclusion Act was not repealed until the middle of World War II. Many of the men who had come to work in the United States after 1850 formed bachelor societies because they were unable to bring their families. The men sent money back to their families in China, where there was little work. When women were able to join their husbands, Asian American families often adapted to American customs and lost touch with their traditions. In Dragonwings Laurence Yep has tried to give readers a sense of what these traditions and customs were like.
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I wanted to show that Chinese Americans are human beings upon whom America has had a unique effect. I have tried to do this by seeing America through the eyes of a recently arrived Chinese boy, and by presenting the struggles of his father in following his dream.
Yeps first novel, Sweetwater, was published in 1973. The science fiction story takes place on a planet named Harmony, where a young man is one of a group of relocated aliens. The group struggles to find a place among the rich colonists from Earth and the native people of the planet. Racial tension, jealousy, money, and social position divide the groups.
A Kite-Making Father In 1975 Yeps second novel, Dragonwings, was published. This novel established Yep as a powerful voice for Chinese Americans. His own father, a kite maker, was the model for the character of Windrider. Yep sees his book as a way of stepping into the shoes of members of my family. But his efforts as a writer are not just about family, or even about how people find their place in the world. Laurence Yep has written many other books and articles and has received numerous awards. He lives with his wife, Joanne Ryder, also a writer.
As a boy, Laurence Yep was exposed to many different cultures, but he did not feel he could call any one of them his own. His parents were of Chinese heritage, though both grew up in the United States, and his father owned a grocery store in an African American neighborhood in San Francisco. It was in this neighborhood that Laurence grew up, but he did not feel part of the community. Yep was not exposed to the culture of mainstream white America until he entered high school.
Relating to Teen Readers Yeps experiences as a youth made him feel like an outsider, which he believes helped him as a writer:
Probably the reason that much of my writing has found its way to a teenage audience is that Im always pursuing the theme of being an outsideran alienand many teenagers feel theyre aliens.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. SUMMARIZE Summarize in one sentence the most important idea(s) in Build Background.
Build Background
Chinatown in San Francisco
Today, Chinatown spreads over more than twenty blocks of Nob Hill in San Francisco, California. Established around the time of the Gold Rush of 1849, San Franciscos Chinatown is one of the largest and oldest Chinese settlements outside Asia. When gold was discovered in 1848 at Sutters Mill, near Californias Sacramento River, thousands of Chinese immigrated to the United States. Concerned that the large influx of immigrants would cause employment problems, the San Francisco City Council passed antiChinese ordinances in 1870. These ordinances limited housing and employment opportunities for Chinese immigrants. In 1882 Congress passed the first of several Chinese Exclusion Acts. These acts further restricted housing and employment opportunities for Chinese immigrants. As a result of the ordinances and the act, the Chinese American population of San Francisco decreased. Chinese immigrants suffered further misfortune when the earthquake and fires that devastated San Francisco in 1906 destroyed most of Chinatown. The area was rebuilt and, to appease the anti-Chinese city officials, the new Chinatown featured a unique East-meets-West architectural design. In 1943 the Exclusion Acts were repealed, and Chinese immigrants were allowed to become American citizens. Today, Chinatown is the second most popular tourist attraction in San Francisco after the Golden Gate Bridge. Its streets are filled with small shops and restaurants that reflect the Chinese culture.
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Vocabulary
amiably [a me ble] adv. good naturedly Even when others were unkind, Kai still reacted amiably. dynasty [d ns te] n. succession of family members All the rulers from the same family created a dynasty. heirlooms [ar looms ] n. treasured family possessions Among the heirlooms from my grandmother are a lace tablecloth and a wedding ring. insolent [in s lnt] adj. disrespectful; rude When the child was insolent to his parents, he was sent to his room. intuitive [in too tiv] adj. instinctive; by hunch Tina had not learned the theorem, but she had an intuitive understanding of it.
Literary Element Characterization Characterization includes all the methods that a writer uses to develop the personality of a character. This is generally done by What a character says What a character does What other characters say about a character What the narrator says about a character When the narrator of a story tells you exactly what a character is like, this is called direct characterization. When a characters personality is revealed through his or her words and actions and through what others think and say about him or her, this is called indirect characterization. Often writers use both direct and indirect characterization to develop a character. Characterization is important because it makes characters seem real and believable. When you pay attention to how characters are developed in a story, you will gain a better understanding of them. As you read, pay attention to what the narrator says about the characters. Ask yourself what a characters actions and words reveal about his or her personality. Think about what other characters say and think about the character. Use the graphic organizer on the following page to record your ideas. Reading Skill Analyze Cultural Context The customs, beliefs, relationships, and traditions that are typical of a certain region and time period are the cultural context in a story. Understanding the cultural context of a novel is important because culture helps show characters, conflicts, and themes. The cultural context of early Chinese immigration to the West Coast and life in a Chinese American community is central to Dragonwings. As you read, list details that suggest the cultural context of the novel. Use a graphic organizer like the one to the right to help you.
Details
The characters call Americans demons.
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When Moon Shadow comes to America, he meets new people in the Company. To keep track of these characters, use the following chart. For each
character you encounter, make a note of his personality or appearance and the method the writer uses to reveal the character.
Example
There was never a flea that Hand Clap didn't call a horse.
Method of Characterization
Other characters words, indirect characterization
White Deer:
Lefty:
Black Dog:
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Literary Element Characterization What do you learn about Windrider on these pages? Which indirect methods of characterization are used?
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were really wiresled from the globe across the table, vanishing into the jumble of machines. Father dimmed the gaslight. Watch this, he said eagerly. He examined the table, gave a grunt when he found what he wanted, and turned a switch. I heard a click. Suddenly the insect within the globe shone with a light that was so bright and intense that it hurt my eyes, and I cried out. Father turned off the switch. Whats wrong? I didnt say anything, but Father realized I was scared from the way I was shaking. He put his arm around me and I felt his reassuring bulk. He waved his free arm around at the room. All of these things are only toys. Theyre harmless. Because you learned the demons magic to protect you? Father smiled and laughed softly. No. No. Whats here belongs neither to us nor to the demons. Its only a form of a much greater and purer magic. It can do harm in the hands of a wrong man and lash back on him; but the superior man need not be afraid. But he could see from my face that I was not too sure about the devices in the room. He sighed and scratched the back of his head as if puzzled. Wont you take my word for it, boy? Its hard to order someone to believe. I added, Sir. We both felt stiff and awkward. Father spread his hands. Oh, hell, boy. I dont know much about being a father. I guess I dont know much about being your son, I said slowly. Yes, well, he nodded to me. I guess well have to learn together then. He sat down on the mat. But I can see Ill have to tell you about my name. Then youll understand why you should not be afraid. He patted a place beside him. I sat down there. He nodded his head at the devices on the table. All of these are part of my name. The story was told to me by the Dragon King himself.
Literary Element Characterization What do you learn about Moon Shadow on these pages? By what methods of characterization do you learn it?
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Reading Skill Analyze Cultural Content How does the setting reflect a culture different from your own?
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Reading Skill
The poem hung above Leftys ironing board. There were other, more conventional pious sayings up on the walls. Ones like: Peace and prosperity upon this store. They had been written by a man who had belonged to the Company before us. And there was one strip, faded and smoke-smudged by time, which had been written by one of the men who had founded the Company and who was long since dead. The founder had written: The three virtues of the Stranger are to be silent, to be cunning, but above all to be invisible. Uncle told me that the warning had been taken from one of the Middle Kingdoms oldest books, Classic of Changes. All of us went up the stairs that led to the second floor. This was used as a kitchen and relaxation room, where the Company could read or gossip or play Mah-Jongg, the game with tiles that is something like the demons card game of gin rummy. On the third floor were our sleeping quarters. The dinner we had that night was the finest I had ever had. White Deer was the cook. He was a devout Buddhist who ate no meat and so few vegetables that I doubt if a grasshopper could have lived on what he ate. Still, he was one of the finest cooks around. . . . At any rate, White Deer outdid himself that day. He made duck with the skin parted and crisped and the meat salty and rich and good. He had cooked squab in soy sauce so that the skin and meat were a deep, deep brown all the way to the bone. There was sharks-fin soup, tasting of the sea. There were huge prawns fried in a special butter that gave them an extra fluffy coat. And on and on. But we werent allowed to touch any of the courses until we had the toasts.
Analyze Cultural Context What evidence of a culture different from yours do you find in this excerpt? Consider art, religion, pastimes, and food.
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
What Influences You? Who influences Moon Shadow most his father or Uncle Bright Star? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Meet the Author on page 142. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. What trouble does Black Dog get into? What problems might be behind some of his troubles? [Synthesize]
3. In your opinion, why might Laurence Yep have put all English speech in italic print? [Infer]
4. Why does Moon Shadow refer to white people as demons? Do you think Moon Shadow will still feel this way after he has spent some time in the United States? [Conclude]
5. What Influences You? Name two great influences on Moon Shadows life in his new home. Explain your answer using details from the novel. [Conclude]
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Literary Element Respond and Think Critically 1. What is Moon Shadow like? What is the main method of characterization used to show his traits? [Synthesize]
Vocabulary Practice
Write the boldfaced vocabulary word below that correctly completes each sentence. If none of the words fits the sentence, write none. amiably insolent dynasty intuitive heirlooms
1. Felicia responded didnt trust what we said. 2. You learn about Windrider in part through the narrator, as well as through Windriders words and actions. How else do you learn about him? [Analyze]
because she
2. That trunk has been used for sixty years to store those .
3. At times, the girl was polite, but she could also be . 4. LiChen was done the work. 5. Responding friends. to admit that she had not is a good way to make grasp of
Reading Skill Analyze Cultural Context 1. How is Moon Shadow different from other children living in California at the time when the novel takes place? [Synthesize]
Academic Vocabulary As narrator, Moon Shadow explains that Mother and Grandmother had decided to invest the money Father sent us to buy more land and livestock. Using context clues, try to figure out the meaning of the word invest in the sentence above. Write your guess below. Then check your answer in a dictionary. 2. Explain why you think the novel is called Dragonwings. [Synthesize]
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Writing
Write a Letter The Land of the Golden Mountain turns out to be different from what Moon Shadow expected. Write a letter from Moon Shadow to another relative who wants to come to America. Use the voice of Moon Shadow, as well as his experiences and those of the Company, to prepare the person for what he or she will and wont find in the United States. Jot down some notes here first.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. SUMMARIZE Summarize in one sentence the most important idea(s) in Build Background.
List Steps
With a partner, make a list of steps that people often go through as they get acquainted.
Build Background
Opium Wars
Opium is a dangerous drug produced from the juice of the unripe opium poppy. Opium and the other drugs that are made from the opium poppy plantmorphine, codeine, and heroinare highly addictive. Opium was used for medicinal purposes as far back as A.D. 100. Toward the middle of the 1600s, people began smoking opium in China. Many became addicted. By the 1700s, Chinas rulers recognized the problems caused by opium. They began to take actions to stop cultivation of the plant and to prohibit opium trade with the Western countries. In the mid-1800s, the opium trade caused two wars between China and Great Britain. The Opium Wars, as they were known, began when the Chinese government attempted to stop the illegal importation of opium into China by the British. China lost both wars. The Chinese government was forced to sign a treaty that gave Hong Kong to the British and opened several Chinese ports to British residence and trade. The importation of opium was legalized.
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Vocabulary
antiquated [an t kwa tid] adj. old; out-of-date You have to start that antiquated machine with a crank. benevolence [b nev lns] n. kindness; generosity Giving away all her money to the poor was an act of benevolence. ironically [ ron i kl le] adv. with double meaning; sarcastically Josh said great ironically he didnt mean it. patronizing [pa tr nz in ] adj. snobbish; haughty The patronizing man thought he did us a favor by saying hello. tainted [tan tid] adj. poisoned; disgraced The dog sniffed the tainted meat but would not eat it.
Literary Element Allusion An allusion is a reference in a literary work to characters, places, or situations from other literary works, music, art, contemporary life, or history. When readers recognize an allusion in a work, it can enrich their understanding of the text. For instance, if a character in a work is compared to Superman, a reader would likely instantly gain a greater appreciation for the good or strong qualities of the character. As you read, look for allusions to people, places, or ideas from Chinese or Chinese American culture. Reading Strategy Visualize When you visualize, you create images, or pictures, in your mind as you read. You use the authors descriptions and details to imagine characters, settings, and plot events. Visualizing helps you enjoy stories more because you imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings the author describes. When you visualize, you are better able to understand and remember what you read. Try these steps to visualize as you read. Pay attention to the sensory details that help you see the story. Try to imagine the scene as if it were taking place in a movie. Think about whether your images make sense with what you know about the story. Drawing a picture can help you practice visualizing. Make a graphic organizer like the one shown below. List descriptive details, and then use those details to sketch things you can see as you read.
Detail
Detail
Detail
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Visualize the scene in the Whitlaws kitchen when Moon Shadow presents the paper picture of the Stove King. Use the space below to sketch the
room. Show where the characters and furnishings might be within it. Add color to your drawing if you like to show better what you see.
Whitlaw Kitchen
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Literary Element Allusion There is an allusion to the Listener on this page. How does it help you understand that Miss Whitlaw was different from the person Moon Shadow expected?
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The demoness turned it over and over in her hands in puzzlement until Father spoke. He Chinee saint of kitchen. I doubt if the demoness would have had a heathen god inside her kitchen but a holy man was a different matter. Well, isnt that nice. She smiled pleasantly and stepped aside from the door. Please, do come in. . . . But as the demon girl fetched the box of viewing cards, I was looking at one corner of the room that was filled with a blend of strange colors. I looked up to see that it was the result of a window. Would you like to see our stained-glass window? the demoness asked gently. I glanced at Father and he nodded, so I walked over to it until I was about two yards away. You can take a closer look than that, the demoness said. It was a tall, rectangular window. On the outside there was a border of flowers and vines made from bits of colored glass set into a lead frame. But on the inner part of the window there was a great green creature, breathing yellow and red flames and biting at the spear that a silverclad demon thrust into him. With a rustle of skirts, the demoness joined me. Whats that? I asked, pointing at the green creature. A dragon, she said. You know. Its a very wicked animal that breathes fire and goes about eating up people and destroying towns. St. George killed many of them. I looked at Father horrified, for these demons had turned the story of dragons upside down if they thought a holy man would kill them. But Father answered for me. Very interesting. We have dragons too. Do you have a Chinese saint who did the same things as St. George? the demoness asked with obvious satisfaction. You should tell them the truth about dragons, I told Father. Maybe dragons in the demon lands are all as evil as they believe. Father shrugged. At any rate, when youre someones guest, you dont correct her no matter how wrong she may be.
Literary Element Allusion Explain how the allusion to St. George helps you understand some of the differences between Miss Whitlaws culture and Windriders culture.
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Reading Strategy Visualize What can you see in your minds eye as you read this page?
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something soft and wet hit my leg. It was an old tomato. They began to throw bits and pieces of garbage at me. Still I stood there. Finally stones began falling around me. I suppose they had collected the garbage and the stones before they tried to get me. I felt a vague feeling of triumph at having made them use their biggest weapons. I turned slowly, as if I were not afraid of them but only bored. A stone caught me in the small of the back. I grunted, but I took my time despite the pain, remembering how Red Rabbit had behaved that other time. Besides, I did not want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. . . . Let go, Father said. I did and the glider leaped out of my hands three feet into the air and hovered indecisively. Robin ran parallel to the surf line, her pigtails flying. The glider was one of Fathers earlier models, without the rudder controls. It was really like a big box kite in some ways. Suddenly the sea winds caught the glider and lifted it upward toward the sun, veering and soaring like a thing alive, pulling stubbornly at the string. Robin had stopped way down on the beach, a solitary little figure with the waves washing her legs. Father cupped his hands about his mouth. Give it more string, he shouted to her. Give it more string. It smells its home. And Robin did. She had to, or it would have been lost. Father went down then to fetch her hat. That long afternoon we took turns flying the glider. First Robin. Then me. Then even Miss Whitlaw. Flying is a rather exhilarating experience, she confessed to us. Her eyes were shining as a twist of her wrist sent the glider dipping and then rising. By the end of the day it was Fathers turn. I remember how he stood on the beach, his pants rolled up as he highstepped, whooping and shouting, through the surf. Once he stumbled and went down in the water, but he came right back up, laughing and spluttering and spitting out seawater. Triumphantly he held up the string to show us he had held on to the glider.
Reading Strategy Visualize Name five things you can visualize as you read this scene.
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
What Influences You? How does Moon Shadows culture influence him? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
ASK QUESTIONS Write a question about the novel. Can you find the answer in your notes?
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 155. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. How does Miss Whitlaw help Windrider come closer to achieving his dream? [Analyze]
3. How does Yep make the Whitlaws seem different from other demons? [Compare]
4. Does the growing friendship between Moon Shadow and his father and the Whitlaws seem true to life? Why or why not? [Evaluate]
5. What Influences You? What person, event, or other value or idea do you think influences Moon Shadow to hit Jack? [Conclude]
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Literary Element Allusion 1. Father often refers to the superior man. As Chapter 2 explains, this is an allusion to wisdom of Confucius. Why do you think Yep keeps repeating this allusion throughout the novel? [Analyze]
Vocabulary Practice
Identify whether each set of paired words has the same or the opposite meaning. 1. antiquated and modern
4. patronizing and snobbish 2. How do the allusions in this novel help you learn about Chinese culture? Name at least one example to support your answer. [Analyze]
Academic Vocabulary Reading Strategy Visualize 1. Describe what you see in the encounter that takes place between only Black Dog and Moon Shadow. [Apply] That the Whitlaws are not like other demons is evident from the first time that Moon Shadow and his father meet them. In the preceding sentence, evident means clear or able to be understood. Think about why the contrast with other demons is evident. Then fill in the blank for this statement: It is evident that the Whitlaws are not like other demons because
2. Describe what you see in the scene when Moon Shadow, his father, and the Whitlaws look up at the night sky. [Apply]
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Writing
Personal Response How do you think the relationship between Moon Shadow and his father and the Whitlaws might affect Moon Shadow in the future?
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, using information in Build Background.
Quickwrite
Write a short paragraph that defines the meaning of friendship.
Build Background
The Wright Stuff
In 1903 two small-town bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, stunned the world. Orville and Wilbur Wright, who designed and made bicycles, became interested in flight after reading about glider experiments. One day Wilbur was watching buzzards fly and noticed that they must tilt, as well as steer and climb, to use air efficiently. When the Wrights built their first glider in 1899, it could do all these things. Control wires could warp the wings to change shape and thus bank to regain control if necessary. Between 1900 and 1902, the Wrights built three experimental gliders. Then they designed propellers and a lightweight engine for a powered airplane. On December 17, 1903, the Wrights flyer, powered by a gasoline engine, took off with Orville at the controls. The flight lasted twelve seconds. A later flight that day lasted fifty-nine seconds, and an age-old dream to fly was realized. Many peopleincluding the U.S. Armyrefused to believe the Wrights had flown. Although the Wrights quickly offered their flyer to the army, it took six years to get a contract signed.
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Vocabulary
abominable [ bom n bl] adj. hateful; vile We couldnt wait to complete the abominable job of picking up trash. desolate [des lit] adj. lonely; ruined No one would hear Maggie if she called out in this desolate place. indifferent [in dif r nt] adj. uncaring; apathetic Jamal cared deeply about the old woman, but Dee was indifferent to her. monopolize [m nop lz] v. to take over; to control Those two boys monopolize every conversation with their nonstop chatter. venerable [ven r bl] adj. aged; worthy of reverence The people bowed before their venerable ruler.
Event or Scene
Message
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There are many conflicts in Dragonwings. Are they all resolved at the end of the novel? Write the resolution of the story in the center of the web below. Use the other circles to record conflicts in
this section of the novel or from previous sections. For each conflict that you believe is resolved at the end of the novel, darken the dotted line leading from the conflict to the resolution.
Resolution
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Literary Element Conflict and Resolution Identify the conflict in this passage.
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Dream or not, I can fly, Father said matter-of-factly. I can build a flying machine. Uncle looked grim. Even assuming you can build a flying machine and then make money flying it, what will you and your family eat while youre building the machine? Its time I thought of myself, Father asserted. Uncle was scandalized. Supposing your father and mother had thought that? Or suppose their fathers and mothers had thought that before? Thats cheating. Father sagged in his chair and rested his hands on his knees. A superior man admits the truth, Uncle snapped. I could see Father was beat. He hung his head for the longest time, staring down at his hands. I could only think of some immortal who had suddenly woken one morning to find himself in a mans body and realized he was being punished. For the second time in my life, I made an important decision to be with him. I want to fly too, Father, I said. Stay out of this, Uncle snapped. Pardon me, Uncle, but you brought me into this. I looked at Father again. We should build the flying machine. Maybe you can make a living doing it. And while were building it, well both get jobs. Well all manage somehow. Father straightened a little. Despite what everyone says? A superior man can only do what hes meant to do, I said. Uncle laughed scornfully. Dont give me that nonsense. Hes the only one I hear talking sense, Father said. Dont expect to come back here, either of you, Uncle warned us. He was hurt by our leaving him a second time. I wont have anything to do with fools. Please let me go with you, Father. I wont be any trouble at all, and youll need help. Father put his hand on my shoulder. Yes. I know Ill need help. I was hoping youd come along.
Literary Element Conflict and Resolution How does the rest of this excerpt resolve the conflict highlighted on the previous page? What additional conflict does it introduce?
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Reading Skill Analyze Theme The theme shown by this passage is a theme that has appeared in many other places in the novel? What is it?
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The squad was guarding other Tang people, who stood with their gear on their backs or in wheelbarrows. We were marched through the camp, with demons staring at us, while the soldiers rounded up more and more Tang people. When we got back to the main camp of the Tang people, we found most of the tents already struck. The Company was loading our stuff onto our wagon. There were more soldiers there, standing with rifles at the ready, waiting for some outbreak of rebellion. From the way the demon soldiers acted, you would have thought each of us had a knife up his sleeve. A long procession of Tang people, many on foot, marched along Van Ness Avenue past the gutted mansions of the rich. What the earthquake had not destroyed, the fires had. At the end of Van Ness, after several footwearying miles, we came to a warehouse. Except for Uncle, myself, and Hand Clap, who rode on the wagon, the rest of the Company had walked. Red Rabbit already had to carry several wagonloads at the same time. Somehow he did it. But then, the very next day, we were moved to a parade ground at an army fort near the entrance to the bay, the Golden Gate. I cant remember everywhere we moved, or when. But I think Thursday morning we were moved to the golf course at the Presidio, another army base slightly to the east of the Golden Gate. It was as if the demons could not make up their minds. . . . Last year the demon officials of the city had tried to move the Tang people out of our old area to a place called Hunters Point in the southern part of the city, where some Tang fishermen already had a camp. It was now rumored that the demon officials were going to make us rebuild the Tang peoples town not in our original location but down at Hunters Point; and yet every other ethnic group in the city was going to be allowed to return to its old homesite.
Reading Skill Analyze Theme How does author Laurence Yep reveal the theme of this passage? For example, does he use characters, events, or setting?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Influences You? What influences everyones words and actions in this scene? How do you know? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 167. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
3. Have you ever experienced an emergency? How do you think you would react to a major event like the one faced by the characters in San Francisco? [Connect]
4. Were you satisfied with the response of Moon Shadows father to the flight? Is this his last flight? How do you know? [Conclude]
5. What Influences You? What do you think is the most important influence on Uncle Bright Star? Cite details from the novel to support your answers. [Conclude]
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Literary Element Conflict and Resolution 1. There are several conflicts in this novel. What do you think is the most important one? Explain your answer by referring to the events of the novel. [Summarize]
Vocabulary Practice
Identify the context clues in the following sentences that help you determine the meaning of each boldfaced vocabulary word. 1. Throwing eggs at the old mans house was an abominable act. 2. After the hurricane hit, the streets were desolate. 3. The people were cold and hungry, but the indifferent ruler did not take action. 4. Two students monopolize the discussion while all the others are silent. 5. People called the queen venerable because of her wisdom and generosity.
2. Describe the resolution of this novel. Which conflict or conflicts are resolved? [Analyze]
Reading Skill Analyze Theme 1. What do you think is the main theme of Dragonwings? Explain your answer by referring to specific ideas and events in the novel. [Synthesize]
Academic Vocabulary One of the main factors leading to the success of the glider flight is Windriders technical ability. In the preceding sentence, factor means something that contributes to a result or an ingredient. Factor also has other meanings. For example: You must multiply by a factor of four. What do you think factor means in the preceding sentence? What is the difference between the two meanings?
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Writing
Write Storyboard Text Make a storyboard of the events in this section that lead up to the climax of the novel. A storyboard is a charting of the events of the novel, just as they might appear in a movie or video. Your storyboard should show main events in the rising action as well as the climax. For each scene, write a summary statement of the action. If you want, create the images, too. Jot down some notes here first.
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Dragonwings
The following questions refer to the Related Readings in Glencoes Literature Library edition of this novel. Support your answers with details from the text. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, but jot down some notes first on the lines provided.
Writing Dragonwings Laurence Yep Make Connections How did identifying his audience help Yep to write Dragonwings?
Success at Kill Devil Hills Becky Welch Make Connections The Roman writer Seneca said, It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? How might this statement apply to Windrider and the Wright Brothers?
from Chinese Kites Wang Hongxun Make Connections How might a knowledge of kite design have helped the characters in Dragonwings to build their airplanes?
from The Case of the Goblin Pearls Laurence Yep Make Connections Compare and contrast the relationship of Auntie and Lily with the relationship of Windrider and Moon Shadow.
Some Personal Recollections Gerstle Mack Make Connections How does Gerstle Macks experience compare with Moon Shadows experience?
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Compare the novel you have just read to the literature selection at the left, which is excerpted from The War of the Wall by Toni Cade Bambara in Glencoe Literature. Then answer the questions below. Use the exact words of the text or explain events and ideas in the text to support your answers.
WRITE ABOUT IT Write some advice to the children in The War of the Wall about jumping to the wrong conclusions about people. To support and explain your advice, use examples from Dragonwings that show how people can make mistakes as a result of lack of understanding.
2. Allusion What allusions do you find in this excerpt? How is the use of allusions in this story like the use of allusions in Dragonwings?
3. Conflict and Resolution How do the conflict and resolution in this story differ from the conflict and resolution in Dragonwings?
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Expository Essay
Compare and Contrast Theme One of the major themes of Dragonwings is the immigrant experience and how it influences a persons life. Identify a literary work from Glencoe Literature with a similar theme. Compare and contrast the two themes and how they are revealed. Prewrite Make notes about how the immigrant experience is shown in Dragonwings. Record scenes and bits of evidence, or quoted words and phrases, that help reveal the theme. Reflect on how Yep shows the theme, such as through actual historical events, problems and solutions, conflicts, or details of the setting. Then do the same for the literary work from Glencoe Literature. Draft State the title and author of both works you will compare and lead up to your thesis by making a general statement about the works or their themes. End your introductory paragraph with a clear statement of your thesis. Use your body paragraphs to demonstrate your understanding of the themes of both works. Be sure to make detailed references to both works, either by quoting them or carefully explaining what happens in them, to support the points you make about each theme. Revise As you revise, look for ways to link your quoted evidence to the sentences that come before and after the quotations. For example, to lead into a quotation, you might write, One problem of the immigrant experience is shown when says . To lead out of, or explain the same quotation, you might write, These words show . Edit and Proofread Edit your writing so that it expresses your thoughts effectively and is well organized. Carefully proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
UNDERSTAND THE TASK To compare and contrast is to discover and explain likenesses and differences between two or more things. A theme is the central message about life in an essay or work of literature. Like a thesis, a theme is a controlling idea in a work. Unlike a thesis, a theme is almost always unstated. Instead, the reader understands the theme by thinking about the overall meaning conveyed by the work.
Grammar Tip
Italics Italics are used to show book, newspaper, movie, and other titles. They also have other special uses. One of these is the use of italics to show foreign words that are not common in English: It has become de rigueur to be tolerant of cultural differences, she said. Use italics when you refer to a word as a word: De rigueur means the same as proper or right.
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. . . People often ask me how I can write novels for both children and adults. I cant understand why this should be such a strange idea to them. The way any fiction writer works is to get inside the main character, to see through the characters eyes, to walk around in the characters skin for awhileand when writing a novel for children the main character is a child, thats all. Style, vocabulary, subject matter, everything else follows naturally once the fundamental act of imagination takes place.
Nancy Springer
Was there a real King Arthur? Historical documents and archaeological remains in England hint that such a leader may have lived in the early 500s. According to these sources, a Celtic chieftain named Arthur fought against Germanic invaders. A vast oral literature developed around Arthur, and by the time the stories were written down, truth and fiction had been forever blended.
Questioning Legend In the Arthurian tales, Mordred is infamous as the illegitimate heir to Arthurs throne. Together with his aunt Morgan, he convinces a number of knights of the Round Table to join him in his fight
against King Arthur. But Mordred is missing from the Arthurian tales that are set in the period between his birth and his entrance into court as Arthurs rival. It was Mordreds absence from these stories that first prompted Nancy Springer to write The Raven, a short story about Mordreds life. Springer felt that the presentation of Mordred in earlier versions of the story as the unique cause of the failure of Arthurs glorious ideals was perhaps undeserved. Her novel asks readers to consider whether Mordred deserves that blame. I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot takes readers inside Mordreds mind so that they can decide for themselves who caused Camelots fall.
An Ageless Story Stories of Arthur and his court had been passed down orally for some years before Sir Thomas Malory and other authors first published them. Malorys collection of tales, called Le Morte dArthur (The Death of Arthur), came out in 1485. However, the stories are set in a much earlier time. Arthur and his knights are said to have lived around the fifth or sixth century in Britain; the earliest mentions of the legendary king occur shortly after this period. But the stories developed slowly, over several centuries, adding characters drawn from ancient Celtic stories (such as Gawain)
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INTRODUCTION TO THE NOVEL and traditional French tales (such as Lancelot). People telling these stories were looking back to a legendary golden age of peace. That ageand Arthur probably never existed, but the legends were more thrilling and more appealing than reality for medieval listeners. Even today, the stories are being written anew and filmed in movies.
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. . . Once I had started writing books for children, I finally started growing up.
writing fantasy, just as she had turned to reading it during her teen years.
Room for a Pony Like many children, Springer always dreamed of having her own horse, and her success as a writer allowed her to buy her own horse when she was thirty-three. Her experiences with this somewhat unruly animal gave her confidence and a new direction in her writing:
Born on July 5, 1948, Nancy (Connor) Springer was the only girl and youngest child in her family. From a young age, she felt presssure to do just what the adults in her life said she should. I was miserably shy, and very small and skinny, and of course I was picked on, she recalls. Springer spent her teen years helping out in her parents business, a small motel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She found that reading works of fantasy helped her escape from daily cares: Without quite knowing why, when I was in my teens I started to daydream a lot about heroes facing an evil, hostile world. . . .
An Avid Reader From an early age, Springer lived to read, keeping notebooks with lists of the books she had read and new words she had learned from them. But it wasnt until after college that she dare[d] to really write. Springer taught high school for a year and then left to raise a family. When the demands of family life seemed pressing, she turned to
[I] found myself writing books specifically for children and young adults. The horse, for me, was a key that let me back into my own childhood in a more complete and realistic way than my fantasy heroes had.
Exploring Mordred Springer first explored Mordreds tale in a short story but was intrigued enough to develop the story into a novel. She has since written a companion volume, I Am Morgan le Fay: A Tale from Camelot, to flesh out Morgans tale as well. Springer has a rubber stamp with her motto on it, a motto she says has defined her life: Conform, go crazy, or become an artist. She continues to write novels, stories, and poetry that explore how each person finds his or her place in the world.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, using information in Build Background.
Build Background
Medieval Households
Most of Mordreds story is set in the households of medieval nobility. Such households were large and required many people to run them. The seneschal, for example, was in charge of directing the servants and keeping the accounts, while the steward made sure that the kitchen and pantry were stocked and staffed. A lord had his retainers, men-at-arms in his service, and a lady had ladies-in-waiting who met her personal needs. Wealthy households sponsored bards, singers of tales who kept the family history alive. Outside the castle, crofters worked the fields and vineyards that provided the households foods. All these people are part of the backdrop of this tale. Most members of a noble household, including the knights and the servants, ate together daily in the castles great hall. This method allowed the nobles to pay off their servants with food and to foster loyalty and goodwill in the household. But it was also a matter of practicality, as no refrigeration methods existed at that time. If an animal was slaughtered, it had to be eaten promptly to prevent spoilage.
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Vocabulary
cozen (kuz n) v. to cheat; deceive The bully had to cozen others into giving him their lunch money. fealty (fe l te) n. deeply felt loyalty The workers had great fealty for their boss after she gave them all raises. pretext (pre tekst ) n. an open purpose that hides a real but secret purpose I went to the store on the pretext of buying eggs, but I really wanted to buy candy bars. rapt (rapt) adj. fascinated, enthralled Mr. Dowd gave a spellbinding lecture to a rapt audience. uncanny (un kan e) adj. suggesting supernatural or mysterious powers at work Brett has the uncanny ability to disappear before doing his Saturday morning chores.
Generalization
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Mordred interacts with several parent figures in the first part of the book, and each affects him in a unique and significant way. In each circle below, describe how the mother figure or father figure
behaves toward Mordred. On the line connecting the circle to Mordred's name, write how Mordred feels about that person.
King Arthur
kind, proud of him, welcomes him as his son
Morgause
Fisherfather MORDRED
Fishermother
Lothe
Nyneve
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Literary Element Narrator and Point of View What does this tell you about Mordreds assessment of his current skills and his potential?
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ears flew, so that she seemed to skim the ground like a white bird. She could run as fast as any scent-hound in the pack. But this was Gulls oddity: She had not yet whelped. When she was not with me, she ran with the other castle dogs, scent-hounds and sight-hounds and harriers; she was no virgin. Like King Arthurs Queen, Guinevere, Gull was barrenso folk teased me. But I did not care if Gull never bore pups. We lay nose to noseI could always count on Gull for a wet, cold nose on a hot daywe sprawled on the cool dirt, and I felt so much at peace that I must have dozed; I did not hear Garet calling me or hear him stride in. Mor-dred! He was in a temper. He kicked me in the ribsthis was his customary way of lifting me off the floor, with the toe of his bootbut then he did what he had not done before, what he should not have done: He kicked Gull. She yelped, and a heat I had never felt before burned in my chest, and I lunged up, caught him around the knees, and toppled him. He fell hard, for I had taken him by surprise. The fall knocked the breath out of him, and before he could move I pinned his arms with my shins and sat on his chest, hitting him in the faceGull watched with her floppy ears hoisted in interest as I chastised him. I should not have been able to do itGaret stood a head taller than I and two stone heavierbut an angel of rage was in me that day. It was the day I learned to fight from the heart. Get off me, stinking brat! Garet tried to jounce me off, tried to wriggle free, but I settled my knees harder on his shoulders and punched him in the eye. Bastard! Garet almost wept with fury, for he was used to being the one who beat me, not the other way around. As he could not hit me with his fists, he flung words at me. Brat, you want to know why they put you in the boat? Because you were supposed to die, stupid. Thats why they put babies out to sea, to kill them when theyre wrong. Like you.
Literary Element Narrator and Point of View Although Mordred does not mention it directly, what personality trait does his fighting back against his brother reveal about him?
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Reading Skill Make Generalizations About Characters What generalization can you make about Morgan le Fay based on what she says and does here?
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She blew out the candles, then placed the mirror on the floor, where it lay like a small pool, shimmering in the moonlight that sifted into the room through the high, narrow windows. A moonless night would be better, Morgan le Fay said. But it is dark enough. She settled herself on the bedthe ropes creaked under her weight, and the canopy shifted. Sit on the floor, Mordred, and look slantwise in the mirror. Think of what you desire to see and let the desire fill you. Then be still and gaze without blinking until you see nothing that is in this room. I could not have seen my own bony face in the mirror if I tried. That small circle of metal lay like a mystery, all shadows and intimations. I stared, and lost sense of time, and the shadows began to swirl, and in the shifting dimness I saw the sheen of goldand thenit was he, King Arthur, I knew it by the coiled druid vine work of his crown. He stood with his back to me, on some lonely shore, staring out to sea. I saw his wine-red cloak, his broad shoulders, his curling hair nearly as golden as his crown, and in a moment he would turn, my father, I would see more, I would seehis face But as if feeling a cold shadow fall upon me I felt the presence of Morgan le Fay in the room with me; could she see what I was seeing? I did not know. There was too much I did not know about her. Where did she live? How did she come to travel like a queen? Where were her husband, her children? Did she have none? Had she killed them? That thought came out of nowhere. It made me blink, and the vision of my father, King Arthur, vanished before he could turn his face to me. Stiffly I struggled to my feet. What did you see? asked Morgan le Fay. Nothing, my lady. I saw nothing. My heart was a white stag leaping in my chest; I would share nothing of my father with her. II am weary, my lady. By your leave. I bowed to her and bolted, running to my chamber. My dreams that night were of Arthur, King Arthur, Very King, looking out to sea.
Reading Skill Make Generalizations About Characters What generalization can you make about the magic it takes for Mordred to do the scrying?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
How Can You Become Who You Want to Be? How has Garets information changed Mordreds ideas about himself? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Introduction to the Novel on page 184. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. How does Gull react to Mordreds aunt Morgan, and what does the brachets reaction make you suspect about her? [Infer]
3. How do Gawain and Garet treat Mordred? Are the fights the boys have merely the rivalries that most siblings experience, or do the halfbrothers have other reasons to be at odds? [Analyze]
4. What prompts Garet to tell Mordred the devastating truth about Arthur? Do you agree with Mordred that harsh words can hurt worse than physical blows? Why or why not? [Connect]
5. How Do You Become Who You Want to Be? At the end of Chapter 4, how does Mordreds attitude change about who he wants to become? Why? [Infer]
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Literary Element Narrator and Point of View 1. Why do you think Mordred proclaims over and over again the words I am Mordred? [Infer]
Vocabulary Practice
A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Match each boldfaced vocabulary word below with its synonym. Use a thesaurus or dictionary to check your answers. cozen fealty pretext rapt uncanny captivated mysterious deceive ploy fidelity
2. How do you think Mordreds story would be different if it were told from the point of view of another character? Choose one character to use in your answer. [Interpret]
Academic Vocabulary Nyneve tells Mordred that he will one day interpret King Arthurs actions toward him very differently. Think about something you interpret differently today than you did several years ago. In your opinion, what accounted for the change in your interpretation? Reading Skill Make Generalizations
About Character
1. What do the Fishermother and Nyneve have in common? What generalization can you make about Mordred based on his relationship with them? [Generalize]
2. What generalization can you make about the two kinds of people in Mordreds life to this point in the novel? [Identify]
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Writing
Write a Letter Imagine that you are Mordred and you have just learned that King Arthur is your father. Write a letter to King Arthur telling him that you know he is your father. What will you say to him? What will you ask him? Remember you are writing to a king who has not yet met you and who has the astonishing power to sentence people to death. Once you have completed this letter, write a response to it from King Arthurs point of view. Try to use language similar to the dialogue in the novel. Jot down some notes here first.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, using information in Build Background.
Share an Experience
Think about what it takes to overcome obstacles in the way of reaching a goal. Do you need help from others? Must you face failures and setbacks and go on? Compare your ideas with a classmates, and then share them with the class as a whole.
BUILD BACKGROUND
The Quest for the Holy Grail
Pelleas leaves Nyneve on a quest to seek the Holy Grail, and Mordred seeks his own grail, in a figurative sense. What was the Grail? The word simply means a kind of dish, usually a goblet or bowl. People in medieval England believed that the Grail was the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and that it held drops of Jesuss blood. According to myth, the Grail came to England when one of Jesuss worshippers traveled there. It could heal body and soul, but only the pure of heart could see it. For the legendary Knights of the Round Table, the quest for the Grail was the holiest of missions, a religious goal shared by nearly all of them. Today, the term holy grail means a nearly impossible but much-desired goal. For instance, medical researchers might say that the grail they seek is a vaccine to prevent cancer.
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Vocabulary
boon (boon) n. a favor given in answer to a request; a blessing When the automobile was invented, some people thought it was a boonothers called it a curse. cosset (kos it) v. to pamper My mother would cosset us when we were little, but now that were grown up, shes stricter.
expediency (iks pe de n se) n. an action that sets aside a principle in order to achieve a goal It was political expediency to pass a law that placed fewer limits on polluting factories.
paragon (par on ) n. a model or example of perfection or excellence Aunt Mae was a paragon of virtue who worked for the betterment of the poor. sumptuous (sump choo s) adj. very costly, luxurious The drapes are made of sumptuous blue velvet.
Knights
Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Torre, etc.
Historical Context
Operated by a strict code of conduct, had to be loyal to the king, were referred to as Sir
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Author Nancy Springers tale takes Mordred through several very different settings, each one symbolizing something significant in his life.
Describe each setting below and tell what it symbolizes for young Mordred. If you cite exactly worded examples from the text, put them in quotes.
Setting
the sea
Description
What It Symbolizes
Youth and innocence, later his heritage and curse
Lothian
Camelot
Caer Morgana
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Literary Element Symbol What clue does this description provide about Camelot as a symbol in Mordreds life?
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The blind harper chanted on, his eyes staring as milk white as the towers of Camelot, as white as his beard. On his shoulder there perched a raven, a wise bird with a great black heavy bill that made me think of an executioners ax. The harper did not see me walking by, of course, but the raven saw me and croaked, Branded, branded! Red-handed! Those who had gathered to hear the harper laughed at its cheekiness, but I shivered, for I felt as if it spoke straight to me. Yetyet there was no reason for me to feel that way. I was King Arthurs son. Firming my face, lifting my head, I followed Gawain into the great hall with Gull pattering at my heels. Even now, after all the years, I remember the great hall of Camelot, that aspiring vaulted hall hung with many tapestries embroidered in threads of red, royal blue, gold. I remember the tapestries: a white stag leaping, a red dragon, a lady in a garden of blue roses, many others. But that morning I saw nothing of their splendor, for my heart pounded like a war stallion charging and I could not think of anything but him, my father. At last. Blinking in the muted light, I looked for a throne. I saw none. Yet I knew him at once. King Arthur. There he sat at his place upon the rim of the Round Table, and by that time he had ruled for more years than I was old. Yet he turned toward me the face of a young man at the height of his powers. No gray dulled the bronze of his beard or his hair curling crisp under his golden crown. He held his chin high as he scanned me with the sea-gray eyes of a visionary. He looked wise, regal, strong, fierce, and fair, an eagle among men, all that a King should be, and what was more to me, he was a man any daydreaming boy would choose as a father. Such awe and longing washed through me that I could barely stand; weakness as much as courtesy made me fold to my knees at his side. He looked at me quizzically, then up at Gawain, who had not kneeled.
Literary Element Symbol What does the raven symbolize for Mordred? How do you know?
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Reading Skill Analyze Historical Context What can you tell about the knights code of chivalry from this conversation?
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baby sisters all deador whether he was calling Garet and me babies, orI was not sure he had said what I thought I had heard; he had said something of King Arthur Gawain, Garet warned, speak no more, not a single word. Gawain did not obey, of course. And your precious Nyneve, he barked at me, blurring the words, shes a murderer too. He was drunk. Not worth answering. I turned my back on him and walked out of our chamber. I went looking for Nyneve and found her, not in her tower, but by the central fountain in Queen Guineveres gardenthe one place in Camelot where Gull was not allowed to follow me. It was a peaceful place, that garden, full of order and symmetry, quite unlike the twisted wilderness outside the castle walls. A high square of hedge enclosed it for shade and silence, and inside, straight white-cobbled paths ran under trellises of rosesany churl can grow violets, but a noble garden fosters great roses, red and white, and beds of lilies and carnations. Fruit trees stood in the garden too, apple, pear, pomegranate, their fruit hanging as yellow and red and heavy as the flowers. And in the trees, golden cages held linnets and blackbirds and nightingales. I felt bad for the birdswould not sweetly singing birds have winged to those trees without being caged there? Still, it was a royal garden, a jewel among gardens, heady with roses, a fitting haven for the Queen. Few folk were allowed there, but Nyneve was a favored courtier, and so was I. King Arthur cosseted me, and so, perforce, did the Queen. On the soft turf by the fountain, Nyneve sat gazing into the water even though it stirred constantly and she would see nothing there. After encountering Pellinore, she had made her way to water for comfort, I knew, just as I had made my way to her.
Reading Skill Analyze Historical Context Given what you have learned about the political and social systems of the medieval court, why do you think most people were banned from the queens garden? Why do you think Nyneve and Mordred are allowed to enter the garden?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
How Can You Become Who You Want To Be? How does Mordreds saying no in such a situation help him become a better person? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Try the following approach as you reduce your notes. ASK QUESTIONS Write a question about the novel. Can you find the answer in your notes?
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Meet the Author on page 186. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. What sorts of obstacles must Mordred overcome to fulfill his quest? Why is the last sight he sees in the Forest Perilous the most frightening to him? [Evaluate]
3. Arthur tells Mordred, theres small freedom in being King. Most often a King does not what he wishes, but what he must. What do you think Arthur is trying to say to Mordred? Why does Mordred misunderstand Arthurs intent? [Infer]
4. Mordred calls the sea my enemy who had taken me away from . . . my mother, starved me, . . . tried to kill me. Why, then, does he go first to the sea? What does it symbolize for him? [Interpret]
5. How Do You Become Who You Want to Be? When he is with the fisherman and his son, Mordred is glad they do not call him Tad or Mordred or my lord. Why do you think he prefers being called nothing? [Infer]
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Literary Element Symbol 1. What is the significance of the sea to Mordred? In what way is the sea a symbol of his father? [Interpret]
Vocabulary Practice
On a separate sheet of paper, write the vocabulary word that correctly completes eachsentence. boon expediency sumptuous cosset paragon
1. Gus is an athlete and a health. 2. What symbol did Morgan le Fay use to show Mordred the meaning of fate? [Identify]
of good
2. When we left Marians ranch, she told us with tears in her eyes that our visit had been a real . 3. There was no sense of fair play in the committees decisionit had simply handled the matter with . 4. The lobster feast was truly as butter dripped down my chin. 5. Mother birds seem to for a very brief period. , I said their young
Reading Skill Analyze Historical Context 1. Do you think it would have been physically comfortable to live in a castle like the one belonging to Morgan le Fay? Why or why not? Use details from the story to support your answer. [Conclude]
Academic Vocabulary With anger as his fuel, Mordred finds himself able to dominate his foes in battle. Using context clues, try to figure out the meaning of dominate in the previous sentence. Write your guess below. Then check your answer in a dictionary.
2. Do you think by the end of Chapter 10 Mordred has become more or less like a knight of the Round Table? Explain your answer. [Evaluate]
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Personal Qualities
Talents: acting, guitar, painting
Possible Symbol
musical notes, comedy and tragedy masks, paintbrush or palette scales of justice, clasped hands
Argument
Banning mirrors would make people less concerned with personal appearance.
Counterargument
If mirrors were banned, there would be no rearview mirrors in cars and trucks.
Personal Traits: warm, friendly, loyal, fair quick tempered, tough, thought before action
Give It Structure Dont clutter your description of the challenge with too many symbols. Choose one or two that clearly say something about who you are and the challenge you faced. Look at Language Instead of choosing symbols that are well known (such as a heart as a symbol of romantic love), think in terms of your personal themes to create symbols that have meaning for you. Choose words that reflect that meaning.
Debate Use your chart to help defend your points with specific ideas. Listen carefully to your team members and your opponents. Nothing sinks a debate more quickly than lashing out and insulting the opposition. Evaluate Write a paragraph in which you assess both your own and your teams performance.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, using information in Build Background.
Make a Web
With your classmates, explore the emotions that center on gossip. Why would a person spread a rumor? What sorts of reactions are common to malicious rumors? How can someone stop a rumor from circulating? Arrange your ideas in a web on the board.
Build Background
Malorys Arthurian Legend
Over the years there have been many literary interpretations of the legendary King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. One of the most popular of these, written by Sir Thomas Malory (14051471), was Le Morte dArthur (The Death of Arthur). In Malorys interpretation, when Arthur made Guinevere his queen, Guineveres father gave them the Round Table as a wedding gift. Arthur decided this table would be the place where his knights would convene; he reasoned that if no one sat at the head of the table, there would be fewer quarrels over hierarchy. At the end of Malorys version, Arthur, a beloved but troubled monarch, left Britain to take part in a distant battle, leaving Mordred in charge of Camelot. But the evil, scheming Mordred had dark plans of his own, and Arthur was soon obliged to come back to reclaim his court. This led to Arthurs final battle on Salisbury Plain, during which he killed Mordred but was also seriously wounded himself. Malorys version of Arthurs fate is not conclusive; it ends with Arthur on a boat bound for Avalon.
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Vocabulary
aghast ( ast ) adj. shocked; struck by horror Everyone looked aghast when Aunt Pat took her dentures out and put them on the dinner table. alchemy (al k me) n. a mysterious transformation, such as common metals being turned into gold As if by alchemy, our once ugly kitchen had turned into a real showplace. droll (drol) n. whimsical or odd humor Some people find that stand-up comic droll, but to me his jokes arent funny at all. sardonically (sar don ik le) adv. disdainfully mocking The mysterious visitor stood on the doorstep, sardonically smiling. transfigured (tranz fi yrd) v. transformed outwardly for the better Time has transfigured that spindly-legged colt into a stunning chestnut mare.
Climax
g lin Fal
on Ac ti
ti Ac
sin g
on
Exposition
Ri
Resolution
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As Mordred follows his quest, he finds or is given several possible solutions to the problem of his evil destiny. Use the chart below to interpret the corresponding plot events. Each solution is listed in a
circle. On the arrow line, explain your interpretation of why the solution does not work, and in the box, describe Mordreds reaction to the failure.
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Literary Element Legend What does the discussion between Nyneve and Mordred tell you about the social status of women during medieval times? How does Nyneve feel about her status? Is this an example of verisimilitude?
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wounds healed as if they had never been. Then I slept again in the pavilion with Gull by my side. In the afternoon of the next day, Nyneve came for me. Are you ready? I stood up and buckled on my sword so as to appear before the Lady of the Lake as a knight and a warrior. But Nyneve stood smilingI remembered that selfsame smile from when she had first greeted me, nearly ten years beforeand shaking her head at me. Mordred, she said, youd do better to put that aside, with your shield and helm and mail. Better to put off your boots and spurs too. And go barefoot? Assuredly. Dont you remember? We took away all those toys once before, ladywater and I, in the river below Caer Morgana. I stood with my hand on my sword hilt, my mouth sagging open, gawking at her. She said, What made you in such a hurry to take up arms again? Or ever? You could have been once more a carefree churl, a lad with a little white dog, both of you lying in the sun. You could have gone off and picked wild cherries. You could have built yourself a hut and lived there and been a woodcutter, and Gull could have caught you rabbits to eat. Why didnt you? Such thoughts had never occurred to me. It made my heart ache that they had not, but I firmed my mouth and let my face show her nothing. Im a true noble, as you once said. Yes, and that little X behind your ear, it is a dark, dark bird flying lower every day. Put off your boots and your sword if you wish to speak with my liege lady. I did so, and followed her to the verge of the lake. Very still, the water gleamed a deep, glassy green in the evening light. Lilies floated with their yellow throats open to the sky, their petals stark white against the dark water and the velvet-green lily pads. I saw no castle, no court, no lady. I looked around. Where is she? She is everywhere. To speak with her, you must go to sleep in the lake.
Literary Element Legend What core beliefs does Nyneve try to make Mordred understand before he visits the Lady of the Lake? How is this different from the male-dominated world Mordred inhabits?
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Reading Skill Interpret Plot Events By now you have become familiar with the events that have shaped Mordred. What do you think has led him to feel such empathy for the caged hawk? How does this tie in to the larger theme of the story?
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I stood gazing with Gull by my side, and the harp notes flew up wild and free all around meas a boy I had unhooded hawks and watched them fly, free and hungry, and felt joy as keen as a knife in my chest. If the hawks would not come back to the lure I was glad, even though it meant a punishment for me; I flew my hawks badly so that they might fly away. I understood this harper hawk defying his cage with music, with notes that soared, golden, silver winged, singing joy, happiness, freedom. How brave a spirit he must be. I knew what it was to be a prisoner, trapped in despair. All creatures should be free, and fate should snip itself and die. If I had wings I would fly away. As if be could hear me thinking, the hawk paused in his harping and looked at me. He looked at me this time, not through me, his gaze as deep as a well. As never before I saw a falcons nearly human eyes, dark as the dark of the moon between pallid yellow eyelids, under a frown of gray feathers. He opened his beak soundlessly. I saw his thick blue tongue, so different from mine. I took three steps, unlatched the door of the cage, and opened it wide. A whir of pointed wingshe flew at once, as swiftly as only a falcon can fly. In an eye blink he darted above the treetops. With my head tilted back I watched as he circled once, then vanished eastward with a high, wild cry. I lowered my gaze. Well, Gull, I murmured, patting her. . . . I looked around at twining plum trees, at snickering fountains, at tawny roses climbing to the sky, all golden in sunset light. Even without the music of the mystic harper, this was a garden surpassing beauty. Lets stay here tonight, I said to Gull. I sat down on the soft turf patted my faithful brachet and watched her grin and pant in reply. I pressed my nose to her wet nose and stared crosseyed at her. She licked me under the chin and I grinned; I felt happy. Maybe that was the answer to my quest, just to do good and be happy. Maybe there was no need to go on looking for Merlin.
Reading Skill Interpret Plot Events From what you know of the storys plot so far, who do you think the harper hawk might actually be?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
How Can You Become Who You Want to Be? How has Mordred achieved his goal of being acknowledged by King Arthur? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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2. How will Mordreds life improve after he gives up his soul? When Arthur speaks to the soulless Mordred, the king bowed his headed blew out the candle. What might the snuffed candle symbolize? [Infer]
3. To what extent does Merlins prophecy about Arthur and Mordred come true in the end? What does the epilogue suggest about the fate Mordred felt he could not escape? [Interpret]
4. How does Mordreds very name cause trouble for him wherever he goes? Nyneve tells him not to be ashamed of his name, which means noble counselor. Why, then, does he call himself the Knight of the White Brachet when he is with Lynette? [Evaluate]
5. How Do You Become Who You Want to Be? Do you think Mordred escaped the fate that had been prophesied? Explain your answer. [Interpret]
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Literary Element Legend 1. What are some characteristics of a legend that can be found in I Am Mordred ? Use events from the story in your answer. [Analyze]
Vocabulary Practice
Identify whether the words in each pair have the same or opposite meaning. 1. aghast 2. alchemy 3. droll 4. sardonically 5. transfigured thrilled transformation humorless contemptuously worsened
2. What other legends have you read or heard? Compare and contrast them with this version of the legend of King Arthur. [Synthesize]
Academic Vocabulary The philosophy of the Lady in the Lake is that all the worlds problems can be solved through love, not war and killing. In the preceding sentence, philosophy means point of view about life. How would you describe your own personal philosophy?
Reading Skill Interpret Plot Events 1. What overall theme is revealed by the final action Mordred takes in the book? [Infer]
2. Do you think the ending of the book is hopeful? Why or why not? [Respond]
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Writing
Personal Response Nancy Springer wrote of I Am Mordred: I was thinking as I wrote of modern teens, assumed guilty, deprived of constitutional rights the moment they enter a school door, discriminated against in ways that no other American has to tolerate. . . . I was thinking of young people in general when I dedicated the book to oddlings everywhere. Is Springers opinion about teens extreme? Are all teens oddlings? Write a paragraph in which you agree or disagree with Springers position.
Mordreds Event
Mordred finds out about the prophecy. Responses: feels cursed, guilty, afraid, worthless Outcome: fulfills prophecy
My Event
I was afraid I d flunk a math test. Responses:
Outcome:
Discuss When you meet with your group, listen carefully to the views of others. Deliver your own views in a strong clear voice, and use specific examples from your chart. Report If you reach a consensus within your group, select one member to state it orally to the class. If no consensus was reached, select two members with opposing views and have each of them state the reasoning behind their point of view. Evaluate Write a brief paragraph evaluating your report.
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I Am Mordred
The following questions refer to the Related Readings in Glencoes Literature Library edition of this novel. Support your answers with details from the texts. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, but jot down some notes first on the lines provided.
Boudicca Milton Meltzer Make Connections Compare and contrast Boudica and Arthur as monarchs.
A Call to Armor Robert K. Elder Make Connections When Mordred takes the armor from Sir Dalbert, he asks for his help in mounting his horse. (Sir Dalbert refuses, of course.) Given the pictures here and what you have learned of armor from the book, why can Mordred not mount by himself? What must he do with the armor once Sir Dalbert is dead?
Eldorado Edgar Allan Poe Make Connections Both Mordred and the knight in the poem make a questing journey. Compare and contrast the cause of each characters failure.
from The Legend of Tarik Walter Dean Myers Make Connections The color black is symbolic in both novels. Mordred chooses to wear black as his quest fails, and Tarik is known throughout his world as the black knight. What does the color stand for in each novel?
from Camelot 3000 Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland Make Connections In the novel and the comic book, King Arthur is noble. Compare Arthurs treatment of his knights, including Mordred, in the novel with his treatment of Tom and Merlin in Camelot 3000.
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Compare the novel you have just read with the literature selection at the left, which is excerpted from The Teacher Who Changed My Life by Nicholas Gage in Glencoe Literature. Then answer the questions below.
2. Symbol What might be a good symbol to represent Nick in The Teacher Who Changed My Life? Compare and contrast it with one of the symbols that represents Mordred.
3. Legend I Am Mordred is a tale that spins off from an ancient legend about King Arthur, the Knights of Round Table, and Camelot. In some ways, The Teacher Who Changed My Life has some of the basic elements of legend. What elements do both stories share?
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Expository Essay
Evaluate Theme In I Am Mordred, young Mordred grapples with a question that has fascinated philosophers for centuries: Is a persons life ruled by a predetermined fate or do free will and the ability to choose guide a persons existence? What do you think? In an essay, evaluate how well the author presented Mordreds struggle with this question. Support your idea with examples from the text. Prewrite Plan carefully before you begin to write. It is a good idea to skim the novel and make a list of important events, their causes, and the immediate and eventual effects. Which events simply happen to Mordred? Which ones does he himself bring about? As you skim, you might find it helpful to keep track of your ideas in a chart like the one below.
UNDERSTAND THE TASK Theme is a message about life that that author wants to convey, usually in a statement (Love hurts, not Love). To evaluate is to make a reasoned judgment or form an opinion about a topic. When you evaluate, you provide evidence to support your opinion. In this task you are not just telling how the author presents the theme, but how well she does it.
Once you have completed your chart, use the information as the basis of a thesis for your essay. What overall point do you think the information adds up to? In what order will you present the information to best make that point? Draft Identify the most significant events and ideas in I Am Mordred. Then consider how each of them plays into the works larger theme of fate versus self-determination. Dont worry if you feel there is gray area in the novel. The fact that readers must decide what they think of the events is part of what makes the work complex and interesting. Revise When you have completed your draft, exchange papers with a classmate. Review each others work carefully. Does the writer express viewpoints in a coherent way? Are the statements well supported by the text? Give your classmate detailed oral feedback. Accept the same from your classmate and revise your work accordingly. Edit and Proofread Edit your writing so that it expresses your thoughts effectively and is well organized. Carefully proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
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Indeed, the whole story can be regarded as an extended allegory on the theme of the exploitation of man by man.
H. G. Wells is known today as the father of modern science fiction. Well-known writers of the time read and admired Wellss works. Joseph Conrad called Wells a realist of the fantastic, hitting upon the two concepts in the currently used term science fiction. George Orwell believed that the minds of all of us, and therefore the physical world, would be perceptibly different if Wells never existed.
A Time of Great Change Wells began developing his ideas for The Time Machine during the late 1880s and early 1890s. These last years of the nineteenth century were a time of great change. New means of travel were being developed. Industrialism was growing rapidly, and with it flourished factories and new kinds of machines that were previously unimaginable.
Wells and the avid readers of his fiction were fascinated by what the future might hold. Where would all these strange new inventions take them? What would society and humanity become? Wellss fascination led him so far as to wonder what it would be like to travel into the future and find out the answers to these questions. In writing The Time Machine, he created a machine that could travel through time as well as space.
A Future Version of the Present The story unfolds in two different times, although the setting is the same in each time period. Some of the story takes place in nineteenth-century England. The bulk of the story, however, takes place in the year a.d. 802,701. Most of the evidence of the earlier time has disappeared, although enough landmarks and dilapidated ruins remain that the Time Traveller is able to recognize his new location as being a future version of the present one.
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When Wells wrote The War of the Worlds in 1898, he was living in Woking, England. To make the story realistic, he walked around Woking, making notes on people and places to be destroyed in the story. He wrote to a friend, Im doing the dearest little serial for Pearsons new magazine, in which I completely wreck and destroy Wokingkilling my neighbors in painful and eccentric waysthen proceed via Kingston and Richmond to London, which I sack, selecting South Kensington for feats of peculiar atrocity.
The First Tale of Martian Invasion Wellss imagination of the invasion by Martians was highly inventive and
original. At the time he wrote, interplanetary space travel was far in the future. Wells was the first writer to create a tale of invasion by aliens. Thereafter, the survival of the human race against an attack by invaders from outer space became a standard element in science fiction. Wells has been called the father of science fiction because, with his publication of The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and other scientific romances (as they were known at the time), he established the genre as readers know it today.
An Accurate Portrayal The story takes place at the end of the nineteenth century. Woking is a district in England about twenty-five miles southwest of London. A railroad line connects the two locations. Wellss portrayal of Woking as a quiet residential area surrounded by countryside is accurate. Not far away is the Thames River, a gentle river flowing through the English countryside.
Terrifying a Nation
In 1938 in the United States, Orson Welles broadcast over the radio a play based on H. G. Wellss The War of the Worlds. Many listeners panicked, thinking Earth really was being invaded by Martians. Don Freeman, who attended rehearsals for the radio play, said, It seemed merely a good joke, though it turned out to be the performance in which he scared half the nation out of its skin with the Martian invasion.
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H. G. Wells (18661946)
Personally I have no use at all for life as it is, except as raw material. It bores me to look at things unless there is also the idea of doing something with them. . . . It is always about life being altered that I write, or about people developing schemes for altering life.
[My apprenticeship stiffened] my naturally indolent, rather slovenly, and far too genial nature into a grim rebellion against the worlda spurt of revolt that enabled me to do wonders of self-education. . . . If I had been the son of a prosperous gentleman I should never, I am sure, have done anything at all. Wells escaped the hated life of drapers apprentice when, at the age of eighteen, he was awarded a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London. There he studied biology under T. H. Huxley, a champion of Charles Darwin and a noted scientist, whose views on evolution greatly influenced Wellss imagination. The social and biological evolution of humanity would form a longrunning theme in Wellss works. He began to imagine the future and to write about it, publishing his first work, A Tale of the Twentieth Century, before he was twenty.
Achieving Utopia Over time, Wellss emphasis in writing shifted to history, philosophy, and politics. Wells was also a supporter of socialism, a system in which all people share labor, profits, goods, and services. Although Wells believed that humanity could achieve utopia through evolution and scientific advances, he grew discouraged in this belief in later life, partly in response to the world wars.
By the time of his death in 1946, Herbert George Wells had become a wealthy and famous author of novels, short stories, essays, and critical works. In his works, he exhibited an uncanny knack for foretelling future scientific developments, including robots and chemical warfare. Wells introduced his readers to the possibilities of the futureboth positive and negative.
Rising Above His Circumstances Born to lower-middle-class parents in 1866, Wells grew up in his struggling familys small china shop near London. He received a less-than-adequate education, and at age fourteen, because of his familys financial woes, he was apprenticed to a curtainmaker. This driving, systematic, incessant work caused him to view with envy other boys who were able to go to school. But lack of schooling did not prevent him from learning:
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below, using information in Build Background.
Quickwrite
Jot down your thoughts about how the future of a million years from now might be different from the present time. How will society be structured? How will people live their daily lives? How will they relate to one another? What will cause these changes?
Build Background
Utopian Societies
A utopia is a society whose inhabitants exist in perfect conditions. Writers from Plato to H. G. Wells and others have tried to imagine what a utopian society would be like. Some people have even experimented with the creation of utopian societies. In fact, the United States was home to a number of utopian communities during the 19th century, including the Shaker communities of the eastern seaboard and the Harmonists of Pennsylvania and Indiana. Such communities were often formed by religious separatists seeking a simpler and more humane way of life. The Shakers created beautiful handcrafted wood furniture and woven cloth with a distinctive style all its own. However, sustaining this simpler way of life in the face of the progressive push of the modern world proved difficult, and most utopian societies were disbanded after a period of years. As you read about the Time Travellers encounters with the Eloi and the Morlocks, think about what the author is implying about utopian societies.
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Vocabulary
anachronism [ nak r niz m] n. something that is out of its proper place in history The play was set in the 1950s, so it was a strange anachronism when one character entered talking on a cell phone. deliquesce [del kwes ] v. to melt away As the majority of the party guests began to deliquesce, the conversation got quieter and quieter. plausible [plo z bl] adj. believable Youre going to need a plausible excuse, young man, Mrs. Borchard told her son, pointing at her watch angrily. recondite [rek n dt] adj. beyond the grasp of ordinary understanding The algebra professor was losing patience as he cried, This problem is not recondite, ladies and gentlemen! temerity [t mer te] n. foolishness, recklessness Everything was fine until the moment when young Oliver Twist had the temerity to ask for more porridge.
Literary Element Flashback A flashback is an interruption in a chronological narrative that tells about something that happened before that point in the story or before the story began. A flashback gives readers information that helps to explain the main events of the story. In The Time Machine, a character known only as the Time Traveller shares with a group of friends the news of his strange new invention, a time machine. A week later, the story he tells them takes the form of a flashback retold by one of the dinner guests, as it covers events that happened between the occasions when the men dined together. As you read The Time Machine, notice how the author uses the idea of time both literally and thematically. Reading Strategy Activate Prior Knowledge When you activate prior knowledge about literature, you use information and ideas that you already possess in order to make sense of new information and ideas in your reading. Activating prior knowledge is important because reading is an interactive process between you and a writer. When you use your own knowledge and experience and combine it with words on a page, you create meaning in the selection. To activate prior knowledge as you read, ask yourself What do I know about this topic? What experiences have I had that compare or contrast with what I am reading? What characters from life or literature remind me of the characters or narrator in the selection? You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one at the right.
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The Time Traveller notices many differences between the Eloi and the Morlocks. As you read, jot down details about each race. Use your prior
knowledge of other works of literature, film, and television to discuss such creatures as these in terms of their traits and similarities and differences.
Eloi
childlike apelike
Morlocks
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Literary Element Flashback Why do you think the author chose to tell the Time Travellers story as a flashback as opposed to taking readers along on the journey with him?
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I looked up again at the crouching white shape, and the full temerity of my voyage came suddenly upon me. What might appear when the hazy curtain was altogether withdrawn? What might not have happened to men? What if cruelty had grown into a common passion? What if in this interval the race had lost its manliness, and had developed into something inhuman, unsympathetic, and overwhelmingly powerful? I might seem some old-world savage animal, only the more dreadful and disgusting for our common likenessa foul creature to be incontinently slain. Already I saw other vast shapeshuge buildings with intricate parapets and tall columns, with a wooded hillside dimly creeping in upon me through the lessening storm. I was seized with a panic fear. I turned frantically to the Time Machine, and strove hard to readjust it. As I did so the shafts of the sun smote through the thunderstorm. The grey downpour was swept aside and vanished like the trailing garments of a ghost. Above me, in the intense blue of the summer sky, some faint brown shreds of cloud whirled into nothingness. The great buildings about me stood out clear and distinct, shining with the wet of the thunderstorm, and picked out in white by the unmelted hailstones piled along their courses. I felt naked in a strange world. I felt as perhaps a bird may feel in the clear air, knowing the hawk wings above and will swoop. My fear grew to frenzy. I took a breathing space, set my teeth, and again grappled fiercely, wrist and knee, with the machine. It gave under my desperate onset and turned over. It struck my chin violently. One hand on the saddle, the other on the lever, I stood panting heavily in attitude to mount again. But with this recovery of a prompt retreat my courage recovered. I looked more curiously and less fearfully at this world of the remote future. In a circular opening, high up in the wall of the nearer house, I saw a group of figures clad in rich soft robes. They had seen me, and their faces were directed towards me.
Literary Element Flashback How are these plot events affected by the storys flashback structure?
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Reading Strategy Activate Prior Knowledge How does this description relate to other things you have read or seen about the possible future changes to the earths environment?
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appeared in the sea and the water had receded from the beach. I fancied I saw some black object flopping about upon this bank, but it became motionless as I looked at it, and I judged that my eye had been deceived, and that the black object was merely a rock. The stars in the sky were intensely bright and seemed to me to twinkle very little. Suddenly I noticed that the circular westward outline of the sun had changed; that a concavity, a bay, had appeared in the curve. I saw this grow larger. For a minute perhaps I stared aghast at this blackness that was creeping over the day, and then I realized that an eclipse was beginning. Either the moon or the planet Mercury was passing across the suns disk. Naturally, at first I took it to be the moon, but there is much to incline me to believe that what I really saw was the transit of an inner planet passing very near to the earth. The darkness grew apace; a cold wind began to blow in freshening gusts from the east, and the showering white flakes in the air increased in number. From the edge of the sea came a ripple and whisper. Beyond these lifeless sounds the world was silent. Silent? It would be hard to convey the stillness of it. All the sounds of man, the bleating of sheep, the cries of birds, the hum of insects, the stir that makes the background of our livesall that was over. As the darkness thickened, the eddying flakes grew more abundant, dancing before my eyes; and the cold of the air more intense. At last, one by one, swiftly, one after the other, the white peaks of the distant hill vanished into blackness. The breeze rose to a moaning wind. I saw the black central shadow of the eclipse sweeping towards me. In another moment the pale stars alone were visible. All else was rayless obscurity. The sky was absolutely black. A horror of this great darkness came on me. The cold, that smote to my marrow, and the pain I felt in breathing, overcame me.
Reading Strategy Activate Prior Knowledge Based on your prior reading, or viewing of films about time travel, what might the author be describing here?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Share Stories? Why do you think the Time Traveller told the story to his colleagues and friends on the evening before his final disappearance? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Introduction to the Novel on page 228. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. What does the Time Traveller see in the future when he leaves the Eloi and the Morlocks? Why might the author have included this description? [Infer]
3. What evidence does the Time Traveller have of his journey? Why do you think most of the men do not believe the Time Travellers tale? [Analyze]
4. What do you think Wells is saying about utopias? Explain whether you think it would be possible to create a utopia today. Why or why not? [Connect]
5. Why Share Stories? Do you think things might have turned out differently if the Time Travellers friends and colleagues had believed his story without question? [Infer]
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Literary Element Flashback 1. How would you describe the timeframe of this novel? [Describe]
Vocabulary Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the vocabulary word correctly. 1. A. My mother asked me to help her deliquesce the butter in the pan. B. When subjected to great heat, water will deliquesce into steam. 2. A. Jim isnt plausible very oftenhe wears colors that dont match. B. Janes story wasnt too plausibleshe said she was at the store, but I could see that shed never left the living room. 3. A. Jonathan had the temerity to stick his hand right into the snarling dogs cage! B. My aunt Susan gets very temerity when shes nervous. 4. A. The principal was completely recondite to the studentsthey simply couldnt grasp it. B. Whenever I feel recondite, I try to study harder. 5. A. Grandpa likes to wear clothes from the 1970s, but hes no mere anachronism. B. My anachronism family has strong ties to our past.
2. What surprise is revealed in the very last sentence of the epilogue? [Analyze]
Reading Strategy Activate Prior Knowledge 1. How did your prior knowledge help you to understand the response of the Time Travellers colleagues to his story? [Connect]
Academic Vocabulary According to the Time Traveller, society ceases to function in a productive way when there is nothing left to strive for, because people become lazy and intellectually stunted. In the previous sentence, function means operate or work. Do you agree with this assessment of societys chances of survival in the face of luxury and leisure time? What clues can you find in your own life to support your answer?
2. What other stories or films have you experienced that feature nonhuman characters like Weena or the other Eloi and Morlocks? [Connect]
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Writing
Write a New Ending Write a new ending for the novel that describes the Time Travellers last voyage. Does he travel into the future or the past? What does he see, and what does he do? Why does he never return? Jot down some notes here first.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. WRITE THE CAPTION Write a caption for the image below using information in Build Background.
Discuss
Share with the class your ideas about mass panic. What kinds of events can cause mass panic? How does mass panic generate more panic? How might mass panic be avoided?
Build Background
The Mystery of Mars
Several events inspired Wells to write The War of the Worlds. First, Germany was beginning to unify and gather its armed forces, causing many people to predict war. Also, a few years earlier Mars had been positioned especially close to Earth, and an Italian astronomer had reported seeing channels on its surface. Because the word for channels in Italian is canali, people mistakenly translated it as canals in English. Consequently, people feared Mars had life forms capable of constructing canals. Finally, another astronomer reported seeing a mysterious light on Mars in 1894.
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Vocabulary
common [kom n] n. open public land While crossing the village common, a group of tourists stopped to look at a statue of a local hero. complacency [km pla sn se ] n. smugness, a sense that one is above harm My uncles complacency while his house was burning down made me know something was wrong. conflagration [kon fl ra shn] n. huge, destructive fire We looked across at the destroyed building, which was engulfed by the conflagration. Gorgon [ or n] n. in Greek mythology, any of three sisters with snakes for hair Hedys first piano teacher was so strict that everyone called her the Gorgon. indefatigable [in di fat bl] adj. untiring, determined Myron doesnt care if he wins, but when it comes to finishing the race, he is indefatigable.
Literary Element Description Description is writing that seeks to convey the impression of a setting, a person, an animal, an object, or an event by appealing to the senses. Almost all writing, fiction and nonfiction, contains elements of description. H. G. Wells uses vivid description to bring to life a world altered by a strange invasion. Although many of the events and creatures he describes exist only in imagination, Wells grounds these elements in a reality that draws readers in and allows them to invest in the story. As you read Book One of the novel, notice the quality and the quantity of the concrete details, simple, specific details that tell who, what, when, and where, and sensory details that appeal to the five senses. Use the graphic organizer on the next page to help you. Reading Strategy Interpret Authors Meaning When you interpret an authors meaning, you look for clues in the text and use your own knowledge of the world and of literature to form your understanding of the underlying meanings. Interpreting the authors meaning is important because without your own interpretation you lack a primary tool with which to understand the events of the story and the actions of the characters. To interpret the authors meaning in a literary work, you must read interactively and ask yourself questions about the material. For example: Why did this event take place? What is its larger significance to the story? What do I know about this situation or character already? Why did the author choose to tell it in this way? What is the message I can take away from this? You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one at the right.
Event
The Narrator sends his wife to Leatherhead and returns to Maybury.
Question
Why doesnt he stay with her?
My Interpretation
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In Book One, the narrator slowly reveals details about the Martians. As you read Book One, make notes in the chart below about the concrete and
sensory details in the descriptions of the Martians spacecraft, their physical appearance, weapons, and actions.
Spacecraft
Physical Appearance
large, dark eyes
Weapons
Martians
Actions
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Literary Element Decription Identify some of the sensory details on this page.
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tumultuous water, pushing aside a man in black to do so, until I could see round the bend. Half a dozen deserted boats pitched aimlessly upon the confusion of the waves. The fallen Martian came into sight downstream, lying across the river, and for the most part, submerged. Thick clouds of steam were pouring off the wreckage, and through the tumultuously whirling wisps I could see, intermittently and vaguely, the gigantic limbs churning the water and flinging a splash and spray of mud and froth into the air. The tentacles swayed and struck like living arms, and, save for the helpless purposelessness of these movements, it was as if some wounded thing were struggling for its life amid the waves. Enormous quantities of a ruddy-brown fluid were spurting up in noisy jets out of the machine. My attention was diverted from this death flurry by a furious yelling, like that of the thing called a siren in our manufacturing towns. A man, knee-deep near the towing path, shouted inaudibly to me and pointed. Looking back, I saw the other Martians advancing with gigantic strides down the riverbank from the direction of Chertsey. The Shepperton guns spoke this time unavailingly. At that I ducked at once under water, and, holding my breath until movement was an agony, blundered painfully ahead under the surface as long as I could. The water was in tumult about me, and rapidly growing hotter. When for a moment I raised my head to take breath and throw the hair and water from my eyes, the steam was rising in a whirling white fog that at first hid the Martians altogether. The noise was deafening. Then I saw them dimly, colossal figures of grey, magnified by the mist. They had passed by me, and two were stooping over the frothing, tumultuous ruins of their comrade. The third and fourth stood beside him in the water, one perhaps two hundred yards from me, the other towards Laleham. The generators of the Heat-Rays waved high, and the hissing beams smote down this way and that.
Literary Element Description What concrete details are included in the excerpt?
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Reading Strategy Interpret Authors Meaning What do you think the author is saying about human nature in this description?
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There were two men and a woman at the gate. Eh? said one of the men, turning. What news from the common? I said. Aint yer just been there? asked the man. People seem fair silly about the common, said the woman over the gate. Whats it all abart? Havent you heard of the men from Mars? said I; the creatures from Mars? Quite enough, said the woman over the gate. Thenks; and all three of them laughed. I felt foolish and angry. I tried and found I could not tell them what I had seen. They laughed again at my broken sentences. Youll hear more yet, I said, and went on to my home. I startled my wife at the doorway, so haggard was I. I went into the dining room, sat down, drank some wine, and so soon as I could collect myself sufficiently I told her the things I had seen. The dinner, which was a cold one, had already been served, and remained neglected on the table while I told my story. There is one thing, I said, to allay the fears I had aroused; they are the most sluggish things I ever saw crawl. They may keep the pit and kill people who come near them, but they cannot get out of it. . . . But the horror of them! Dont, dear! said my wife, knitting her brows and putting her hand on mine. Poor Ogilvy! I said. To think he may be lying dead there! My wife at least did not find my experience incredible. When I saw how deadly white her face was, I ceased abruptly. They may come here, she said again and again. I pressed her to take wine, and tried to reassure her. They can scarcely move, I said.
Reading Strategy Interpret Authors Meaning How does the narrator know this about the Martians?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Share Stories? What does the author seem to be saying about why the story of the war with the Martians did not travel more quickly across England? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
ASK QUESTIONS Write a question about the novel. Can you find the answer in your notes?
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Meet the Author on page 230. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. How do Londoners reactions to the invasion change over time? What does the narrator describe their ultimate reaction as the beginning of the rout of civilization, of the massacre of mankind? [Evaluate]
3. Once the Martians deploy their fighting machines, how do they carry out their invasion? How does this strategy serve to demoralize rather than destroy mankind? [Infer]
4. Why do you think the general population of England was at first so complacent about the Martians? Explain whether you think people in America might have the same attitude toward a similar event today. [Infer]
5. Why Share Stories? Do you think it is important to share stories of violent or terrifying events that occur in places far from our homes? Why or why not? [Connect]
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Literary Element Description 1. What, in your opinion, makes the authors physical description of the Martians war machines so effective? [Evaluate]
Vocabulary Practice
On a separate sheet of paper, write the vocabulary word that correctly completes the sentence. common conflagration indefatigable complacency Gorgon
2. Choose a paragraph from Book One that you feel is a good example of description. Explain your choice. [Evaluate]
1. The ____________ is one of the most terrifying creatures in mythology. 2. I have never run a marathon, but I am ____________ when it comes to playing basketball. 3. Gerald feels that Pams continued ____________ about her salary is keeping her from making enough money to live on. 4. The most relaxing spot on the entire campus is a little park known as the student ____________. 5. The blaze started out as a tiny spark in the basement, but it grew to a vast ____________.
Reading Strategy Interpret Authors Meaning 1. At the beginning of the novel, how do you interpret the authors meaning about the humans lack of preparedness for the Martian attack? [Recall]
Academic Vocabulary The humans research about the possibility of life on Mars has clearly been woefully inadequate; the Martians, on the other hand, seem to have found out all the weaknesses of the humans. Using context clues, try to figure out the meaning of the boldfaced word in the sentence above. Check your guess in a dictionary.
2. Would you say that the novel is a cautionary tale? Why or why not? [Evaluate]
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Facial Features
round head V-shaped drooling mouth enormous eyes no chin or brows oily, brown skin
Movements
clumsy, heavy painful looking difficulty breathing
Now think about what is not mentioned in the text. Fill in the blanks in your imagination. For example, does the Martian have hair? fingernails or claws? a particular facial expression? Make a list of other features you would like to include in your rendering. Create Using art supplies or computer software, recreate the Martian you have envisioned. Take your time and be sure you incorporate details from both the text and your imagination. Label the various features. Report Present your work to the class. Use a pointer to indicate the drawings various features you have created.
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NOVEL NOTEBOOK Keep a special notebook to record entries about the novels that you read this year. SUMMARIZE Summarize in one sentence the most important ideas from Build Background.
Build Background
The first readers of The War of the Worlds knew little or nothing of robotic technology. In fact, the word robot was not invented until over twenty years after the book was published. In 1920, the Czech writer Karel Capek created the term robot based on the Czech word robota, which means forced labor. Today robots are computer-controlled tools that can perform many functions, such as welding automobiles or assembling machine parts. They typically feature some kind of motor system that allows them mobility, a sensor that allows them to interpret certain environmental factors, a power supply (usually battery or electric power), and a computerized brain that controls their various functions. The purpose of these machines is to replicate human behavior.
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Vocabulary
circumspection [sur km spek
shn] n. caution; careful
consideration After much circumspection, the guard opened the door and let us enter. entrails [en tralz] n. inner organs, guts We all felt sickened by the sight of the vulture picking at the dead raccoons entrails. fortnight [fort nt] n. two weeks The cruise will take a fortnight thats thirteen days and fourteen nights on the Pacific Ocean! integument [in te y mnt] n. outer covering, shell The cheaply made tent didnt provide much integument against the wind and rain. putrefactive [pu tr fak tiv] adj. rotting and foul-smelling Apparently a mouse had died inside the walls of the old house, because there was a distinctly putrefactive odor.
Literary Element Suspense Suspense is a feeling of curiosity, uncertainty, or even dread about what is going to happen next. Writers increase the level of suspense in a story by giving readers clues about what might happen. This is called foreshadowing. Usually the suspense builds to a final climax, or turning point, before ending in a resolution. In Book Two of The War of the Worlds, suspense builds as the narrator is trapped inside a house next to a Martian encampment. As you read, ask yourself, how does Wells use foreshadowing to build suspense? Use the graphic organizer on the next page to help you see how clues build suspense. Reading Skill Identify Problems and Solutions When you identify problems and solutions in what you read, you look for the various obstacles the characters face and consider the various ways those obstacles might be overcome. Identifying problems and solutions in what you read is important because it is one of the ways you learn about the characters. By identifying how the characters solve their problems, you can gain key insights about the plot and theme as well. To identify problems and solutions and examine how conflicts and obstacles are overcome, look for text clues including such words and phrases as need, attempt, help, aid, and obstruction. Ask yourself what obstacles stand in the characters way. Then predict what the characters will do to overcome the obstacles. You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one below.
Problem
Solution
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In Book Two, the narrator slowly reveals details about the Martians that add to the suspense. As you read Book Two, make notes in the chart below
about the Martians spacecraft, their physical appearance, weapons, and actions.
Suspense
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Literary Element Suspense What event does the author foreshadow with the narrators growing conflict with the curate? How does this help to build the storys suspense?
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dreams whenever I slept. It sounds paradoxical, but I am inclined to think that the weakness and insanity of the curate warned me, braced me, and kept me a sane man. On the eighth day he began to talk aloud instead of whispering, and nothing I could do would moderate his speech. . . . He talked with his voice rising slowly, through the greater part of the eighth and ninth daysthreats, entreaties, mingled with a torrent of half-sane and always frothy repentance for his vacant sham of Gods service, such as made me pity him. Then he slept awhile, and began again with renewed strength, so loudly that I must needs make him desist. Be still! I implored. He rose to his knees, for he had been sitting in the darkness near the copper. I have been still too long, he said, in a tone that must have reached the pit, and now I must bear witness. Woe unto this unfaithful city! Woe! Woe! Woe! Woe! To the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet Shut up! I said, rising to my feet, and in a terror lest the Martians should hear us. For Gods sake Nay, shouted the curate, at the top of his voice, standing likewise and extending his arms. Speak! The word of the Lord is upon me! In three strides he was at the door leading into the kitchen. I must bear my witness! I go! It has already been too long delayed! I put out my hand and felt the meat chopper hanging on the wall. In a flash I was after him. I was fierce with fear. Before he was halfway across the kitchen I had overtaken him. With one last touch of humanity I turned the blade back and struck him with the butt. He went headlong forward and lay stretched on the ground. I stumbled over him and stood panting. He lay still.
Literary Element Suspense How does the authors use of short, choppy sentences add to the suspense?
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Reading Skill Identify Problems and Solutions What immediate problem does the narrator have in this passage? How does he solve this problem?
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I stared about me, scarcely believing my eyes. All the machinery had gone. Save for the big mound of greyishblue powder in one corner, certain bars of aluminum in another, the black birds, and the skeletons of the killed, the place was merely an empty circular pit in the sand. Slowly I thrust myself out through the red weed, and stood upon the mound of rubble. I could see in any direction save behind me, to the north, and neither Martians nor signs of Martians were to be seen. The pit dropped sheerly from my feet, but a little way along the rubbish afforded a practicable slope to the summit of the ruins. My chance of escape had come. I began to tremble. I hesitated for some time, and then, in a gust of desperate resolution, and with a heart that throbbed violently, I scrambled to the top of the mound in which I had been buried so long. I looked about again. To the northward, too, no Martian was visible. When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees. Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing. The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems. The neighboring houses all had been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors. The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms. Below me was the great pit, with the crows struggling for its refuse. A number of other birds hopped about among the ruins. Far away I saw a gaunt cat slink crouchingly along a wall, but traces of men there were none. The day seemed, by contrast with my recent confinement, dazzlingly bright, the sky a glowing blue. A gentle breeze kept the red weed that covered every scrap of unoccupied ground gently swaying. And oh! the sweetness of the air!
Reading Skill Identify Problems and Solutions Why do you think the narrator feels so elated at the end of this chapter?
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MARK IT UP Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas: Underline = important idea Bracket = text to quote Asterisk = just what you were looking for Checkmark = might be useful Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up
BIG Question
Why Share Stories? Once the Martian invasion is over, how would you describe its overall affect on the world? In the end, why do you think the narrator had to share this story? Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses the Big Question.
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Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Reduce
Recap
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APPLY BACKGROUND Reread Build Background on page 255. How did that information help you understand or appreciate what you read in the novel?
2. Why does the narrator know nothing for three days? When he finally locates his house again, what is ironic about the paper he finds on his desk? [Infer]
3. According to the narrator, the Martian invasion did much to bring humankind together. In your opinion, why do disasters often unify humanity? When have you seen evidence of this in todays society? [Connect]
4. What is your opinion of the narrators actions during Book Two? How do you think you might react in a similar situation? [Evaluate]
5. Why Share Stories? Would you say the novel has a happy ending? Why or why not? [Interpret]
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Literary Element Suspense 1. How did the escalation of the bad feelings between the narrator and the curate add to the suspense of the novel? [Evaluate]
Vocabulary Practice
Identify whether the words in each set have the same or opposite meaning. 1. circumspection 2. entrails 3. fortnight caution outer covering two weeks insides fragrant
2. How do the authors descriptions build suspense as the narrator tries to make his way back to his wife after the invasion? [Analyze]
4. integument 5. putrefactive
Academic Vocabulary The Martians technology completely overwhelmed the humans. In the preceding sentence, technology refers to a combination of skills and machinery or equipment. In what ways would you say your own life is influenced by technology?
and Solutions
1. What is the artillerymans solution for repopulating the world with humans? Do you think this solution would work? Why or why not? [Interpret]
2. At the end of Chapter 7, how did the narrator and the artilleryman pass their time together? What problem did this interaction solve for them? [Infer]
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Writing
Write an Incident Report After reviewing your answer from Connect to the Literature on page 255, imagine that you are a police officer who discovered the curates body in the ruined home. You have already interviewed the narrator and heard his version of events. Now, write a police report in which you cite the problem: a murder has been committed. Then consider the possible solutions to this problem. Given the circumstances, should the narrator be arrested for murder? Should he receive a lesser charge? Should he be allowed to go free? Jot down some notes here first.
Question
Why is it referred to as the red planet? Do scientists agree about the possibility of life on Mars?
Answer
Research There are many government and university Web sites that have information on the physical characteristics, environment, and history of Mars, including scientific speculation about the possibility of life there. Use an Internet search engine and the keywords life on Mars to begin your search. Prepare As you check out Web sites, be on the lookout for strong visuals that you can print out and use in your presentations. Photographs, computer simulations, charts, and graphs of atmospheric information, and other graphics can serve as handy visual aids. Present When you present your report, use standard public-speaking techniques, including effective eye contact, modulated tone of voice, and confident, relaxed body language.
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The Disintegration Machine Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Make Connections Professor Challenger sees the dangers involved with the disintegration machine and takes steps to keep the machine from being used. Imagine that in the near future, someone invents a time machine. What dangers might be associated with such a machine? Explain whether you think a time machine would be ethical.
The Night the Martians Came to New Jersey Michelle Green, Andrea Fine, and Susanne Adelson Make Connections H. G. Wellss Martian invasion occurs in Woking, England, while Kochs broadcast is set in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Why do you think the authors chose these particular locations, and how do you think their choices affected audiences responses?
Rip Van Winkle Washington Irving Make Connections In both The Time Machine and Rip Van Winkle, characters pass from the present into the future. Contrast the Time Travellers and Rip Van Winkles reactions to the future. In what ways are their reactions different?
In Communication with a UFO Helen Chasin Make Connections Contrast the extraterrestrials in this poem with the extraterrestrials in The War of the Worlds. How are they different?
Bringing Life to Mars Christopher P. McKay Make Connections What might be an ethical consideration of terraforming another planet? In ethical terms, how do the goals of Earths scientists differ from the goals of the Martians in The War of the Worlds?
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Don Martins place. Charlie. I tell you its the kid. Don. Its Charlie. Hes the one. [We move into a series of close-ups of various people as they shout, accuse, scream, interspersing these shots with shots of houses as the lights go on and off, and then slowly in the middle of this nightmarish morass of sight and sound the camera starts to pull away, until once again weve reached the opening shot looking at the Maple Street sign from high above. The camera continues to move away until we dissolve to a shot looking toward the metal side of a space craft, which sits shrouded in darkness. An open door throws out a beam of light from the illuminated interior. Two figures silhouetted against the bright lights appear. We get only a vague feeling of form, but nothing more explicit than that.] Figure One. Understand the procedure now? Just stop a few of their machines and radios and telephones and lawn mowers . . . Throw them into darkness for a few hours, and then you just sit back and watch the pattern. Figure Two. And this pattern is always the same? Figure One. With few variations. They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find . . . and its themselves. And all we need do is sit back . . . and watch.
Compare the works you have just read with the literature selection at the left, which is excerpted from The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street by Rod Serling in Glencoe Literature. Then answer the questions below.
WRITE ABOUT IT What advice would you give to the characters in both these works about how to think about and tell the stories of what they have experienced?
2. Description Compare and contrast, the peoples reaction to the supposed invasion on Maple Street with those of the people of England during the actual Martian invasion. What do the authors descriptions reveal about human nature?
3. Suspense How would you compare the use of suspense in The War of the Worlds and The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street?
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Short Story
Apply Suspense Think about a situation in your own life in which you felt threatened by outside forces. The situation should provide opportunity to include suspense, but it need not be a life-or-death situationit may in fact be humorous. Use this incident as the jumping-off point for work of fiction, and write a short story of at least 1,500 words. Remember to give readers clues to what might happen to increase the level of suspense. Prewrite You might want to look over old journal entries to stimulate your memory of a suspenseful episode in your life. Remember that you are writing a work of fiction, however, not an autobiographical essay. Give yourself the freedom to exaggerate the events and responses. Draft Building suspense in a work of fiction depends on coming up with the right clues and planting them in the story at the right time. Think about what the readers need to know and at what point they need to know it. As you write, use concrete details (who, what, when, and where) as well as sensory details (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures) to describe actions, events, thoughts, and feelings experienced by the characters. Revise When you have completed your draft, exchange papers with a classmate. Review each others work carefully. Does the writer express his or her own viewpoints in a coherent way? Is there a rising sense of suspense about what might happen? Revise your work according to the feedback you receive. Edit and Proofread Edit your writing so that it expresses your thoughts effectively and is well organized. Carefully proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
UNDERSTAND THE TASK A short story is a work of fiction that can usually be read in a single session lasting between several minutes and an hour or two.
Grammar Tip
Sentence Fragments Although it is generally considered a mistake to use sentence fragments, there are certain situations in informal writing and fiction in which they can be effective. In these cases, a phrase or exclamation can produce suspense. Note the underlined fragments in the passages below. I crept slowly down the hall on my hands and knees. Kneeling in front of the massive oak door, I reached up and gently turned the knob. Locked! That was the last we saw of poor Martineau. People often ask me when he will come back to our village. My answer? Never again.
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