02 - Unit 1 (Pages 1-158)
02 - Unit 1 (Pages 1-158)
02 - Unit 1 (Pages 1-158)
of Ideas
introducing
the essentials
• Literary Genres Workshop
• Reading Strategies Workshop
• Writing Process Workshop
1
The Power What Are Life’s Big Questions?
of Ideas We never stop searching for answers to life’s big questions. Asking questions
such as the ones shown here is our way of making sense of who we are,
where we’re going, and how we fit into the world. While our own experiences
can guide us toward answers, good literature can also help. Through reading,
writing, and talking about literature, we can explore the big questions in life
and gain meaningful insights into our own lives and the world.
The Genres
What draws you to the books you read or the movies you see? Most likely, their
86A>;DGC>6
ideas or topics appeal to you. Family relationships, competition between friends,
R3.5 Identify and analyze recurring
themes (e.g., good versus evil) across
impossible decisions—powerful ideas and topics such as these are at the heart of
traditional and contemporary works. all good stories, not just contemporary, or current, works. In fact, believe it or not,
traditional literature—whether it comes from the first part of the 20th century or
originated as far back as a centuries-old oral tradition—also addresses ideas and
topics that are relevant to you in today’s world.
In this book, you’ll explore ideas in a variety of genres, or forms, of literature.
You’ll even consider the ideas in popular media forms, such as ads and movies.
First, though, familiarize yourself with the characteristics of each genre.
genres at a glance
fiction
Fiction refers to stories about made-up events and characters.
• short stories • novels • novellas
poetry
snow Poetry is a type of literature in which words are chosen and arranged
softly in a precise way to create certain sounds and meanings.
swirls • odes • sonnets • narrative poems • lyric poems
drama
Drama is meant to be performed. Characters and conflicts are developed
through dialogue and action.
• comedies • radio plays • historical dramas
TIMES nonfiction
Nonfiction is writing that tells about real people, events, and places.
• autobiographies • essays • news articles
• biographies • speeches • feature articles
types of media
fiction
Does fiction mean “fake”? Some authors dream up every element of a story, academic
from the setting to the plot and the characters. Others may be inspired vocabulary
by real events and people, and build a story around them. Whether it’s an for fiction
• plot
original product of an author’s imagination or an idea “ripped straight from
• conflict
the headlines,” all good fiction guarantees a stirring plot, a vivid setting, and
• character
compelling characters. Most works of fiction also have themes, or larger
• setting
messages about life. Fiction usually takes one of three forms.
• theme
• A short story often focuses on a single event or incident. Most stories are • narrator
short enough to be read without taking a break. • point of view
• A novel is a longer work of fiction that weaves together many different
events, storylines, and characters.
• A novella is generally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.
Novellas usually feature a limited number of characters.
Read the Model In the novel Slam!, Greg Harris has just transferred from a
high school in Harlem to a more academically challenging school for the arts.
At his old school, Greg was the star of his basketball team. Will he still shine
on the court now that he’s on unfamiliar ground? As you read this excerpt,
notice how Greg describes his athletic abilities. In what ways does his attitude
help you to understand the key idea of self-confidence?
slam
from
drama
You may use the term drama in everyday speech to mean something academic
or somebody acting in a dramatic way (as in, “What a drama queen!”). vocabulary
In literature, though, a drama is any work that is written to be performed for drama
on a stage. A drama has all the elements of good fiction—plot, characters, • plot
setting, and theme. Unlike a work of fiction, however, a drama is usually • character
divided into scenes, with several scenes grouped into acts. • act
• scene
A drama is primarily written as dialogue between characters. The playwright, • stage
or author, describes the setting, characters’ movements, and props as stage directions
directions, written in italics throughout the play. These notes represent the • dialogue
playwright’s vision of the performance. However, a great deal is left to the
imagination of the director, the actors, and readers.
Read the Model This drama takes place in Brooklyn in 1937. Fourteen-year-old
Eugene has just discovered that his oldest brother, Stanley, is leaving home.
Stanley is ashamed because he gambled away his paycheck, which the family
relies on to make ends meet. In this excerpt, Eugene offers Stanley “his life
savings” for train fare. As you read, consider the key idea of admiration.
from
rightoneach
emoirs Drama by Neil Simon
news/feature articles
Informative writing in
• Are primarily intended to inform Over
newspapers and magazines.
News articles report on recent
or entertain
• Use headlines, subheadings, photographs,
and graphic aids to present information
the
Top
events. Feature articles offer The True Adventures
• Strive to be objective and fair A of a Volcano Chaser
in-depth coverage of human-
Renee Skelton
interest topics.
model 1: biography
As the cofounder and CEO of a major technology corporation, Steve Jobs
helped develop some of the first user-friendly personal computers. As you
read this excerpt from a biography of Jobs, keep in mind the key idea of
initiative—the ability to take action.
from
Steve Jobs: [Thinks Different]
Biography by Ann Brashares
At thirteen, Jobs’s interest in electronics was blossoming. One day he was Close Read
building an electronic counting machine, and he needed some parts. He knew 1. How can you tell that
he could get them from Hewlett-Packard, a giant electronics company not this excerpt is from a
far from his house. Jobs looked up the phone number of Bill Hewlett, the biography rather than
5 cofounder of Hewlett-Packard. Some kids would have been afraid to dial up one an autobiography?
of the richest and most important men in California. Not Steve Jobs. 2. Key Idea: Initiative Jobs
He boldly chatted with Bill Hewlett for twenty minutes, and Hewlett was so was a “go-getter” even
impressed and surprised by the young man that he not only gave him the parts at the age of 13. What
he needed but offered him a summer job, too. That phone call taught an early qualities do you think
10 lesson: If you ask for what you want, you often get it. people must have in
order to take initiative?
WIRELESS
EVOLUTION:
THANK YOU ENIAC
WAY BACK WHEN, ONE COMPUTER COULD FILL
AN ENTIRE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA. TODAY,
YOU CAN WEAR ONE ON YOUR BELT LOOP.
by David Santos Close Read
1. What characteristics
Far from a Handheld The first 10 ENIAC could execute thousands make this article
computerized “counting machine” was of calculations in seconds. However, different from the
called ENIAC—Electronic Numerical reprogramming it took a team biography you just read?
Integrator and Computer. Completed of people, three days, and lots of 2. Key Idea: Progress Think
5 in 1946, covering three walls, standing patience. about the role technology
eight feet high, and weighing 30 tons, 15 ENIAC’s advanced technology, plays in our society.
ENIAC required 7,468 vacuum tubes even with its massive shortcomings, What are the dangers of
and 6,000 manual switches just to get was critical in spurring on the decades technological progress,
warmed up! of computer evolution that followed. or is it all positive?
9
media academic
The World Wide Web alerts you to breaking news. A blockbuster
vocabulary
for media
movie keeps you on the edge of your seat for two action-packed
• medium
hours. A clever ad campaign convinces you to buy a product you • message
probably don’t need. Media messages are all around you, and they • purpose
influence your beliefs and actions more than you might realize. • target
That’s why it’s important to become media literate—to learn how to audience
“read” all types of media messages, including the ones shown here.
Connect
Find something you can personally relate to. Make Inferences
• Consider whether any characters remind you Make logical guesses by considering the text and your
of people in your life. own experiences.
• Ask: If I were in this situation, would I react • Record specific details in the text about characters
differently? and events.
• Use common sense and your own experiences
to help you “read between the lines.”
Use Prior Knowledge
Recall what you already know about a topic. Details in “The What I Know My Inference
• Before reading, jot down what you already know. Winter Hibiscus”
• As you read, connect what you know to what you
Saeng is nervous It’s easy to make Saeng’s nerves
are learning. about passing mistakes when probably
the driver’s test. you’re nervous. interfered with
her judgment
Predict during the test.
Guess what’s going to happen next.
• Pay attention to certain clues, such as important
statements made by characters or repeated
details.
• Resist the urge to read ahead.
• Ask: Was my prediction on target, or did I miss
the mark?
from
The
Winter
Hibiscus
Short story by Minfong Ho
“Ready?” David asked, eyebrow arched quizzically as he handed her his Close Read
car keys. 1. Make Inferences Given
Saeng nodded. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and she licked her lips. David’s comments in
“Don’t forget: Step on the gas real gently. You don’t want to jerk the car lines 4–5, what can you
5 forward the way you did last time,” David said with a grin. infer about Saeng and
“I won’t,” Saeng said, and managed a smile. David’s relationship?
Another car drove up, and the test instructor stepped out of it and onto
the curb in front of them. He was a pale, overweight man whose thick lips
jutted out from behind a bushy moustache. On his paunch1 was balanced a
10 clipboard, which he was busy marking.
Finally he looked up and saw Saeng. “Miss Saeng Panouvong?” he asked,
slurring the name so much that Saeng did not recognize it as her own until she
felt David nudge her slightly.
“Y—yes, sir,” Saeng answered.
15 “Your turn. Get in.”
Then Saeng was behind the wheel, the paunchy man seated next to her,
clipboard on his lap.
“Drive to the end of the street and take a right,” the test instructor said. He 2. Monitor How can
spoke in a low, bored staccato2 that Saeng had to strain to understand. you tell that Saeng is
20 Obediently, she started up the car, careful to step on the accelerator very nervous? Cite details
slowly, and eased the car out into the middle of the street. Check the rearview from lines 1–22 to
mirror, make the hand gestures, take a deep breath, Saeng told herself. support your answer.
To Follow Directions Closely follow each step. Use Saeng’s She might
whole family is feel she has to
illustrations or photographs depending on her. impress David.
as guides.
Why am I writing? Who are my readers? Which format will best suit
• to entertain • classmates my purpose and audience?
• to inform or explain • teachers • essay • speech
• to persuade • friends • letter • research paper
• to describe • community members • poem • short story
• to express thoughts • customer service at • review • journal entry
and feelings a company • script • Web site
• to inspire • Web users • power
presentation
prewriting listing
Explore your ideas and decide what you want
Ideas from Slam!
to write about. To get your ideas flowing, try
•• passion for an activity
freewriting, listing, or using one of the other •• what activities am I good at?
prewriting strategies described on page 19. •• what if I had to give up doing something I love?
(possible short story idea?)
1
Ideas • centers around a clear, • has a topic, but it could use • has no clear topic
focused topic more development • lacks details or has unclear
• is supported by vivid, • contains general state- details
well-chosen details ments with some details
2
Organization • opens in an engaging • has both an introduction • has no real introduction
way and wraps up with and a conclusion, but they or conclusion
a satisfying conclusion are uninteresting • contains a confusing
• flows in a logical manner • lacks some transitions jumble of ideas
3
Voice • conveys a strong sense • sounds “flat” in some places • has little or no “life”
of individual style • lapses into an inappropriate • employs a completely
• uses a tone that is well tone at times inappropriate tone for
suited to the purpose and the intended purpose
audience and audience
4
Word • uses words that are • uses words that are • uses words that are
Choice precise and colorful correct, but ordinary vague or incorrect
• conveys meaning in a • gets meaning across, • fails to convey
powerful yet natural- but is not memorable meaning clearly
sounding manner
5
Sentence • includes sentences of varied • has some sentence • includes mostly short
Fluency lengths and structures variety but not enough or rambling sentences
• creates a pleasing flow • lacks flow in some places • is awkward or repetitious
from one idea to the next
6
Conventions • shows a strong grasp of • has minor grammar • has such poor grammar and
grammar and usage and usage problems usage that meaning
• has few problems with • contains some is unclear
mechanics (spelling, mechanical errors • contains so many
capitalization, and mechanical errors that the
punctuation) writing is hard to read
1
plot and conflict
• In Fiction
• In Drama
• In Media
• In Nonfiction
• In Poetry
21
1
unit Share What You Know
22
Literature and Reading Center
l i t e r at u r e Writing Center
classzone.com Vocabulary and Spelling Center
23
unit 1
Reader’s Plot and Conflict
Workshop Will the hero save the world and win the girl? Can the young soldier survive the war?
How will the family stay alive on the deserted island? Good stories are all around
you—in novels and short stories, on television, and in movies. How do they capture
your imagination and keep you riveted? Read on to find out.
types of conflicts
External Internal
Character vs. Character Character vs. Self
Ling overhears Julian Hannah accepted Raj’s
bragging about his marriage proposal against
malicious plan to ridicule External External the strong wishes of her
her best friend. Angered, family. If she marries him,
she confronts Julian and Character vs. Character vs. Society they will never speak to
becomes even more Force of Nature The year is 1961. Sarah her again. It’s one day
incensed when he denies A blinding snowstorm works in a factory at a time before the wedding, and
every word. (Ling vs. Julian) hits while Yoni is hiking when workers must put in Hannah is doubting her
in unfamiliar territory. long hours and deal with decision. (marry Raj and
Suddenly, he loses his dismal, even dangerous, alienate her family vs. call
bearings and has no idea conditions on the job. off the wedding and lose
how to find his way home. (Sarah vs. poor working her true love)
(Yoni vs. snowstorm) conditions)
from
Johnny Tremain
Novel by Esther Forbes
“I think,” said Mr. Lyte quietly, “all of you ladies and gentlemen will agree that Close Read
this cup our—ah, cousin, is it?—has brought back tonight is one of this set?” 1. In your own words,
There was a murmur of assent. Johnny could hear the tiny tinkle, describe the conflict
seemingly far away, of Miss Lavinia’s spinet.1 that Johnny is facing.
5 “It is perfectly obvious that this cup now stands where it belongs. The
2. Johnny’s conflict isn’t
question is how was it ever separated from its fellows?” fully revealed until lines
Johnny felt that everyone there except himself knew the answer to this 11–12. What details earlier
question. in the excerpt suggest
“In fact,” the merchant’s voice was as smooth as oil, “I declare this to be the that a problem
10 very cup which was stolen from me by thieves. They broke through yonder is brewing?
window on the twenty-third of last August. Sheriff, I order you to arrest this
boy for burglary.”
from
Eva and the Mayor
Short story by Jean Davies Okimoto
Close Read
Eva knew it wasn’t right to copy other people’s work, but it wasn’t as bad 1. What details suggest that
as cheating on a test, and a lot of people did it. She knew that didn’t make it Eva is conflicted about
right, but still it didn’t seem like such a big sin, and besides, she wasn’t the her decision to let Kenisha
copier. The whole thing made her feel pretty mixed up. copy her homework? One
5 She didn’t know for sure if she had let Kenisha copy her work because of detail is boxed.
all that stuff Gramma Evelyn said about being nice to Kenisha or because she
2. In your opinion, is Eva
wanted to get in with Kenisha and be one of the cool people.
overcome with guilt?
Support your answer.
reader’s workshop 25
Part 2: Stages of Plot
To draw readers into a story and maintain their interest, a writer must do
more than simply introduce an intriguing conflict. He or she has to show how
that conflict develops at every twist and turn, at every stage in the story’s
plot. A plot, or the series of events in a story, typically includes five stages. It’s
important to remember, though, that not every story follows this exact structure.
Take a look at the following graphic, which shows a traditional plot structure.
Notice what happens to the conflict at the different stages.
climax
• Is the turning point in the falling action
rising action
story and the moment of • Reveals the outcome
• Introduces obstacles
greatest suspense of the story’s climax
that make the conflict
more complicated • Presents the conflict at its • Eases the tension
most intense and dramatic
• Builds suspense as • Shows how the main
“the plot thickens” character resolves
the conflict
exposition
• Introduces the setting
and the characters
• Reveals the conflict or
sets the stage for it
resolution
• Reveals the
story’s final
outcome
• Ties up any
loose ends
Of course, the plot’s development does not have to follow this traditional
pattern to be effective. A plot’s development just needs to be suspenseful,
coherent, constantly moving ahead, and satisfying. When evaluating plot
development, you might want to keep those qualities in mind.
the
Elevator
Short story by William Sleator
It was an old building with an old elevator—a very small elevator, with Close Read
a maximum capacity of three people. Martin, a thin twelve-year-old, felt Exposition (lines 1–40)
nervous in it from the first day he and his father moved into the apartment.
Of course he was always uncomfortable in elevators, afraid that they would
5 fall, but there was something especially unpleasant about this one. Perhaps its 1. Reread the boxed
baleful1 atmosphere was due to the light from the single fluorescent ceiling details. What do you
strip, bleak and dim on the dirty brown walls. Perhaps the problem was the learn about the main
door, which never stayed open quite long enough, and slammed shut with character Martin in the
such ominous, clanging finality. Perhaps it was the way the mechanism exposition?
10 shuddered in a kind of exhaustion each time it left a floor, as though it
might never reach the next one. Maybe it was simply the dimensions of the
contraption that bothered him, so small that it felt uncomfortably crowded
even when there was only one other person in it.
Coming home from school the day after they moved in, Martin tried the
15 stairs. But they were almost as bad, windowless, shadowy, with several dark
landings where the light bulbs had burned out. His footsteps echoed behind
him like slaps on the cement, as though there was another person climbing,
getting closer. By the time he reached the seventeenth floor, which seemed to
take forever, he was winded and gasping.
20 His father, who worked at home, wanted to know why he was so out of
breath. “But why didn’t you take the elevator?” he asked, frowning at Martin
when he explained about the stairs. Not only are you skinny and weak and
bad at sports, his expression seemed to say, but you’re also a coward. After that,
Martin forced himself to take the elevator. He would have to get used to it, he
25 told himself, just the way he got used to being bullied at school, and always
picked last when they chose teams. The elevator was an undeniable fact of life.
reader’s workshop 27
He didn’t get used to it. He remained tense in the trembling little box, his 2. Consider what you’ve
eyes fixed on the numbers over the door that blinked on and off so haltingly, read so far about the
as if at any moment they might simply give up. Sometimes he forced himself setting and Martin’s
30 to look away from them, to the Emergency Stop button, or the red Alarm feelings about his
button. What would happen if he pushed one of them? Would a bell ring? surroundings. What
Would the elevator stop between floors? And if it did, how would they get do you think the main
him out? conflict will be about?
That was what he hated about being alone on the thing—the fear of being
35 trapped there for hours by himself. But it wasn’t much better when there were
other passengers. He felt too close to any other rider, too intimate. And he was
always very conscious of the effort people made not to look at one another,
staring fixedly at nothing. Being short, in this one situation, was an advantage,
since his face was below the eye level of adults, and after a brief glance they
40 ignored him.
ntil the morning the elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor, and Close Read
the fat lady got on. She wore a threadbare green coat that ballooned Rising Action
around her; her ankles bulged above dirty sneakers. As she waddled into the begins (lines 41–80)
elevator, Martin was sure he felt it sink under her weight. She was so big that
45 she filled the cubicle; her coat brushed against him, and he had to squeeze into
the corner to make room for her—there certainly wouldn’t have been room for
3. What event sets the
another passenger. The door slammed quickly behind her. And then, unlike
rising action in motion?
everyone else, she did not stand facing the door. She stood with her back to
the door, wheezing, staring directly at Martin.
50 For a moment he met her gaze. Her features seemed very small, squashed
together by the loose fleshy mounds of her cheeks. She had no chin, only a
great swollen mass of neck, barely contained by the collar of her coat. Her
sparse red hair was pinned back by a plastic barrette. And her blue eyes,
though tiny, were sharp and penetrating, boring into Martin’s face.
55 Abruptly he looked away from her to the numbers over the door. She didn’t
turn around. Was she still looking at him? His eyes slipped back to hers,
then quickly away. She was still watching him. He wanted to close his eyes;
he wanted to turn around and stare into the corner, but how could he? The
elevator creaked down to twelve, down to eleven. Martin looked at his watch;
60 he looked at the numbers again. They weren’t even down to nine yet. And
then, against his will, his eyes slipped back to her face. She was still watching
him. Her nose tilted up; there was a large space between her nostrils and her
upper lip, giving her a piggish look. He looked away again, clenching his
teeth, fighting the impulse to squeeze his eyes shut against her. 4. Martin seems to perceive
65 She had to be crazy. Why else would she stare at him this way? What was the strange lady as a
she going to do next? threat. In your opinion,
She did nothing. She only watched him, breathing audibly, until the is this conflict real or in
elevator reached the first floor at last. Martin would have rushed past her to get his head? Support your
answer.
out, but there was no room. He could only wait as she turned—reluctantly, it
70 seemed to him—and moved so slowly out into the lobby. And then he ran. He
didn’t care what she thought. He ran past her, outside into the fresh air, and he
ran almost all the way to school. He had never felt such relief in his life.
He thought about her all day. Did she live in the building? He had never
seen her before, and the building wasn’t very big—only four apartments
75 on each floor. It seemed likely that she didn’t live there, and had only been
visiting somebody.
But if she were only visiting somebody, why was she leaving the building at
seven thirty in the morning? People didn’t make visits at that time of day. Did
that mean she did live in the building? If so, it was likely—it was a certainty—
80 that sometime he would be riding with her on the elevator again.
e was apprehensive as he approached the building after school. In the Close Read
lobby, he considered the stairs. But that was ridiculous. Why should Rising Action
he be afraid of an old lady? If he was afraid of her, if he let it control him, then continues (lines 81–174)
he was worse than all the names they called him at school. He pressed the
85 button; he stepped into the empty elevator. He stared at the lights, urging the
elevator on. It stopped on three.
At least it’s not fourteen, he told himself; the person she was visiting lives
5. What internal conflict is
on fourteen. He watched the door slide open—revealing a green coat, a
plaguing Martin in lines
piggish face, blue eyes already fixed on him as though she knew he’d be there.
81–84?
90 It wasn’t possible. It was like a nightmare. But there she was, massively real.
“Going up!” he said, his voice a humiliating squeak.
She nodded, her flesh quivering, and stepped on. The door slammed. He
watched her pudgy hand move toward the buttons. She pressed, not fourteen,
but eighteen, the top floor, one floor above his own. The elevator trembled
95 and began its ascent.2 The fat lady watched him.
He knew she had gotten on at fourteen this morning. So why was she
on three, going up to eighteen now? The only floors he ever went to were
seventeen and one. What was she doing? Had she been waiting for him? Was
she riding with him on purpose? 6. Tension builds as Martin
100 But that was crazy. Maybe she had a lot of friends in the building. Or else and the lady meet again.
she was a cleaning lady who worked in different apartments. That had to be What details in lines
it. He felt her eyes on him as he stared at the numbers slowly blinking on 88–105 help to create
and off—slower than usual, it seemed to him. Maybe the elevator was having suspense about what
trouble because of how heavy she was. It was supposed to carry three adults, might happen? One
105 but it was old. What if it got stuck between floors? What if it fell? detail is boxed.
They were on five now. It occurred to him to press seven, get off there, and
walk the rest of the way. And he would have done it, if he could have reached
the buttons. But there was no room to get past her without squeezing against
her, and he could not bear the thought of any physical contact with her. He
110 concentrated on being in his room. He would be home soon, only another
reader’s workshop 29
minute or so. He could stand anything for a minute, even this crazy lady
watching him.
Unless the elevator got stuck between floors. Then what would he do? He
tried to push the thought away, but it kept coming back. He looked at her. She
115 was still staring at him, no expression at all on her squashed little features.
When the elevator stopped on his floor, she barely moved out of the way.
He had to inch past her, rubbing against her horrible scratchy coat, terrified
the door would close before he made it through. She quickly turned and
watched him as the door slammed shut. And he thought, Now she knows I live
120 on seventeen.
“Did you ever notice a strange fat lady on the elevator?” he asked his father
that evening.
“Can’t say as I have,” he said, not looking away from the television.
He knew he was probably making a mistake, but he had to tell somebody.
125 “Well, she was on the elevator with me twice today. And the funny thing was,
she just kept staring at me, she never stopped looking at me for a minute. You
think . . . you know of anybody who has a weird cleaning lady or anything?”
“What are you so worked up about now?” his father said, turning
impatiently away from the television.
130 “I’m not worked up. It was just funny the way she kept staring at me. You
know how people never look at each other in the elevator. Well, she just kept
looking at me.”
“What am I going to do with you, Martin?” his father said. He sighed and
shook his head. “Honestly, now you’re afraid of some poor old lady.”
135 “I’m not afraid.”
“You’re afraid,” said his father, with total assurance. “When are you going
to grow up and act like a man? Are you going to be timid all your life?” 7. What details in lines
He managed not to cry until he got to his room—but his father probably 121–139 suggest a conflict
knew he was crying anyway. He slept very little. between father and son?
140 nd in the morning, when the elevator door opened, the fat lady was 8. Review your answer
waiting for him. to question 4. Then
She was expecting him. She knew he lived on seventeen. He stood there, consider the lady’s
unable to move, and then backed away. And as he did so, her expression behavior each time
changed. She smiled as the door slammed. Martin sees her on
145 He ran for the stairs. Luckily, the unlit flight on which he fell was between the elevator. Has your
sixteen and fifteen. He only had to drag himself up one and a half flights with answer changed?
Explain.
the terrible pain in his leg. His father was silent on the way to the hospital,
disappointed and annoyed at him for being such a coward and a fool.
It was a simple fracture. He didn’t need a wheelchair, only a cast and
150 crutches. But he was condemned to the elevator now. Was that why the fat
lady had smiled? Had she known it would happen this way?
At least his father was with him on the elevator on the way back from the
hospital. There was no room for the fat lady to get on. And even if she did, his
father would see her, he would realize how peculiar she was, and then maybe
155 he would understand. And once they got home, he could stay in the apartment
for a few days—the doctor had said he should use the leg as little as possible. 9. In lines 145–160, the story
A week, maybe—a whole week without going on the elevator. Riding up with takes an unexpected
his father, leaning on his crutches, he looked around the little cubicle and felt turn. How might this
a kind of triumph. He had beaten the elevator, and the fat lady, for the time development affect
160 being. And the end of the week was very far away. Martin’s conflict?
“Oh, I almost forgot,” his father reached out his hand and pressed nine.
“What are you doing? You’re not getting off, are you?” he asked him, trying
not to sound panicky.
“I promised Terry Ullman I’d drop in on her,” his father said, looking at his
165 watch as he stepped off.
“Let me go with you. I want to visit her, too,” Martin pleaded, struggling
forward on his crutches.
But the door was already closing. “Afraid to be on the elevator alone?” his Close Read
father said, with a look of total scorn. “Grow up, Martin.” The door slammed Climax (line 175)
170 shut.
Martin hobbled to the buttons and pressed nine, but it didn’t do any good.
The elevator stopped at ten, where the fat lady was waiting for him. She
moved in quickly; he was too slow, too unsteady on his crutches to work his 10. Line 175 is the climax,
way past her in time. The door sealed them in; the elevator started up. or turning point, of the
175 “Hello, Martin,” she said, and laughed, and pushed the Stop button. story. Do you think
Martin is in danger?
Explain your opinion.
Close Read
Falling Action and
Resolution
reader’s workshop 31
Before Reading
Raymond’s Run
Short Story by Toni Cade Bambara
What’s worth
the effort ?
KEY IDEA Have you ever wanted something so badly you’d do
anything to achieve it? If so, you’ve felt motivation, the drive that
causes people to strive toward a goal. In the story you
86A>;DGC>6
are about to read, a spunky young girl does what it takes 1. Hold record
R3.2 Evaluate the structural for
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots, to be the fastest runner in her neighborhood. m ost chin -ups
parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s 2. Learn ne w da
development, and the way in which nce
conflicts are (or are not) addressed
QUICKWRITE Jot down a list of things you’ve been
and resolved. willing to work for. Choose a favorite and write a short
Also included in this lesson: W1.3 paragraph telling what motivates you.
(p. 45), LC1.4 (p. 45)
fpo
32
literary analysis: plot 86A>;DGC>6
A plot is the series of events that happen in a story. When a
Creativity and Concern
story develops in a conventional way, it progresses through the Raised in urban
following stages: neighborhoods of
New York and New
• Exposition—introduces the main characters, the setting,
Jersey in the 1940s
and sometimes the conflict and 1950s, Toni
• Rising action—increases tension and builds the conflict Cade spent much
time daydreaming
• Climax—the point of greatest interest, or the turning point
and exploring her
in the story world. Her mother
• Falling action—shows the result of the climax and brings encouraged her to do
the story to a close so. In the dedication Toni Cade Bambara
of her award-winning 1939–1995
• Resolution—reveals the final outcome of events and ties novel The Salt Eaters,
up loose ends Bambara thanks her “mama . . . who in 1948,
having come upon me daydreaming in the
As you read “Raymond’s Run,” notice what each of these stages,
middle of the kitchen floor, mopped around
or structural elements, of the plot adds to the story. me.” One day, while looking through an old
trunk, Toni found her great-grandmother’s
reading skill: make inferences sketchbook. The name inscribed there was
“Bambara.” Impressed with her ancestor’s
When you make an inference while reading, you use clues from creative drive, she decided to add that name
the story and your own knowledge to guess about things the to her own.
author doesn’t say directly. As you read “Raymond’s Run,” make
“A Tremendous Responsibility” Toni Cade
inferences to better understand the main character’s feelings,
Bambara went on to careers as a teacher,
thoughts, and ideas. Record your inferences in equations. community activist, and documentary
filmmaker. She continued to write, sharing
Squeaky says her dad Kids like when her personal concern for and understanding
Squeaky is proud
is the only one faster + their parents = of her father. of the lives of African-American families and
than she is. are talented.
communities. She was always aware of the
influence that writers, artists, and cultural
workers have on others. “It’s a tremendous
vocabulary in context responsibility,” she said. “One’s got to see
The boldfaced words help Toni Cade Bambara tell a story about what the factory worker sees, what the
a race that’s important in more ways than one. Use context prisoner sees, what the welfare children
see . . . in order to tell the truth and not
clues to figure out what each word means.
get trapped.”
1. Teams of three or four usually compete in relay races.
more about the author
2. The talented young sprinter was considered a track For more on Toni Cade Bambara,
prodigy. visit the Literature Center at
ClassZone.com.
3. Mai’s teammate is also her good friend, or sidekick.
4. Ben is liable to get injured if he doesn’t warm up before
the race.
5. At the start of a race, runners crouch close to the ground.
6. The winner might clutch the blue ribbon to her chest.
r aymond’s run 33
r a raymond
y m o n d’’ss
r run
un t o n i c a d e ba m ba r a
don’t have much work to do around the house like some girls. My mother
I does that. And I don’t have to earn my pocket money by hustling; George
runs errands for the big boys and sells Christmas cards. And anything else
ANALYZE VISUALS
From her posture and her
expression, what can you
infer about the girl in this
that’s got to get done, my father does. All I have to do in life is mind my photograph?
brother Raymond, which is enough.
Sometimes I slip and say my little brother Raymond. But as any fool can
see he’s much bigger and he’s older too. But a lot of people call him my little
brother cause he needs looking after cause he’s not quite right. And a lot of
smart mouths got lots to say about that too, especially when George was
10 minding him. But now, if anybody has anything to say to Raymond, anything
to say about his big head,1 they have to come by me. And I don’t play the
dozens2 or believe in standing around with somebody in my face doing a lot of
talking. I much rather just knock you down and take my chances even if I am
a little girl with skinny arms and a squeaky voice, which is how I got the name
Squeaky. And if things get too rough, I run. And as anybody can tell you, I’m
the fastest thing on two feet. a a PLOT: EXPOSITION
There is no track meet that I don’t win the first place medal. I used to What have you learned
about Squeaky so far?
win the twenty-yard dash when I was a little kid in kindergarten. Nowadays,
it’s the fifty-yard dash. And tomorrow I’m subject to run the quarter-meter
20 relay all by myself and come in first, second, and third. The big kids call me relay (rCPlA) n. a race
Mercury 3 cause I’m the swiftest thing in the neighborhood. Everybody knows in which several team
members take turns
that—except two people who know better, my father and me. He can beat
running to complete
me to Amsterdam Avenue with me having a two fire hydrant headstart and the race
him running with his hands in his pockets and whistling. But that’s private
information. Cause can you imagine some thirty-five-year-old man stuffing
himself into PAL shorts to race little kids? So as far as everyone’s concerned, I’m
1. big head: a result of hydrocephalus, or fluid in parts of the brain, that causes enlargement of the skull.
2. play the dozens: exchange rhyming insults.
3. Mercury: in Roman mythology, the swift messenger of the gods.
6. Dodge City: an Old West town, famous for showdowns between outlaws and lawmen.
r aymond’s run 37
110 around me looking me up and down but keeps walking up Broadway, and
her sidekicks follow her. So me and Raymond smile at each other and he says,
“Gidyap” to his team and I continue with my breathing exercises, strolling
down Broadway toward the ice man on 145th with not a care in the world
cause I am Miss Quicksilver7 herself.
I take my time getting to the park on May Day because the track meet is
the last thing on the program. The biggest thing on the program is the May
Pole dancing, which I can do without, thank you, even if my mother thinks
it’s a shame I don’t take part and act like a girl for a change. You’d think my
mother’d be grateful not to have to make me a white organdy dress with a big
120 satin sash and buy me new white baby-doll shoes that can’t be taken out of
the box till the big day. You’d think she’d be glad her daughter ain’t out there
prancing around a May Pole getting the new clothes all dirty and sweaty and
trying to act like a fairy or a flower or whatever you’re supposed to be when
you should be trying to be yourself, whatever that is, which is, as far as I am
concerned, a poor Black girl who really can’t afford to buy shoes and a new
dress you only wear once a lifetime cause it won’t fit next year. d d MAKE INFERENCES
I was once a strawberry in a Hansel and Gretel pageant when I was in Reread lines 115–126.
What do you think
nursery school and didn’t have no better sense than to dance on tiptoe with my
Squeaky’s relationship
arms in a circle over my head doing umbrella steps and being a perfect fool just with her mother is like?
130 so my mother and father could come dressed up and clap. You’d think they’d
know better than to encourage that kind of nonsense. I am not a strawberry. I
do not dance on my toes. I run. That is what I am all about. So I always come
late to the May Day program, just in time to get my number pinned on and
lay in the grass till they announce the fifty-yard dash.
I put Raymond in the little swings, which is a tight squeeze this year and
will be impossible next year. Then I look around for Mr. Pearson, who pins
the numbers on. I’m really looking for Gretchen, if you want to know the
truth, but she’s not around. The park is jam-packed. Parents in hats and
corsages and breast-pocket handkerchiefs peeking up. Kids in white dresses
140 and light-blue suits. The parkees8 unfolding chairs and chasing the rowdy
kids from Lenox9 as if they had no right to be there. The big guys with their e MAKE INFERENCES
caps on backwards, leaning against the fence swirling the basketballs on Reread lines 135–136. How
the tips of their fingers, waiting for all these crazy people to clear out the is Squeaky’s life affected
by having to take care of
park so they can play. Most of the kids in my class are carrying bass drums Raymond? Think about
and glockenspiels10 and flutes. You’d think they’d put in a few bongos or how she might deal with
something for real like that. e Raymond next year.
Then here comes Mr. Pearson with his clipboard and his cards and pencils
and whistles and safety pins and 50 million other things he’s always dropping
all over the place with his clumsy self. He sticks out in a crowd because he’s
r aymond’s run 39
of New York didn’t turn out in sneakers. “That new girl should give you a run
for your money.” He looks around the park for Gretchen like a periscope11 in a
submarine movie. “Wouldn’t it be a nice gesture if you were . . . to ahhh . . .”
I give him such a look he couldn’t finish putting that idea into words.
Grownups got a lot of nerve sometimes. I pin number seven to myself and
stomp away, I’m so burnt. And I go straight for the track and stretch out on
the grass while the band winds up with “Oh, the Monkey Wrapped His Tail
Around the Flag Pole,” which my teacher calls by some other name. The man
170 on the loudspeaker is calling everyone over to the track and I’m on my back
looking at the sky, trying to pretend I’m in the country, but I can’t, because
even grass in the city feels hard as sidewalk, and there’s just no pretending you
are anywhere but in a “concrete jungle” as my grandfather says.
he twenty-yard dash takes all of two minutes cause most of the little kids
T don’t know no better than to run off the track or run the wrong way or
run smack into the fence and fall down and cry. One little kid, though, has got
the good sense to run straight for the white ribbon up ahead so he wins. Then
the second-graders line up for the thirty-yard dash and I don’t even bother to
turn my head to watch cause Raphael Perez always wins. He wins before he
180 even begins by psyching the runners, telling them they’re going to trip on their
shoelaces and fall on their faces or lose their shorts or something, which he
doesn’t really have to do since he is very fast, almost as fast as I am. After that
is the forty-yard dash which I used to run when I was in first grade. Raymond
is hollering from the swings cause he knows I’m about to do my thing cause
the man on the loudspeaker has just announced the fifty-yard dash, although
he might just as well be giving a recipe for angel food cake cause you can
hardly make out what he’s sayin for the static. I get up and slip off my sweat
pants and then I see Gretchen standing at the starting line, kicking her legs
out like a pro. Then as I get into place I see that ole Raymond is on line on
190 the other side of the fence, bending down with his fingers on the ground just
like he knew what he was doing. I was going to yell at him but then I didn’t. It
burns up your energy to holler. f f PLOT: RISING ACTION
Every time, just before I take off in a race, I always feel like I’m in a dream, What details in this
paragraph increase the
the kind of dream you have when you’re sick with fever and feel all hot and
excitement and tension?
weightless. I dream I’m flying over a sandy beach in the early morning sun,
kissing the leaves of the trees as I fly by. And there’s always the smell of apples,
just like in the country when I was little and used to think I was a choo-choo
train, running through the fields of corn and chugging up the hill to the
orchard. And all the time I’m dreaming this, I get lighter and lighter until I’m
200 flying over the beach again, getting blown through the sky like a feather that
weighs nothing at all. But once I spread my fingers in the dirt and crouch over crouch v. to stoop with
the Get on Your Mark, the dream goes and I am solid again and am telling bent knees
11. periscope: a tube with mirrors or prisms inside through which a person can see the reflection of an
object at the other end.
r aymond’s run 41
ANALYZE VISUALS
What can you infer about
how the girl in red feels
about herself? Tell what
clues you used to make
your inference.
So I stand there with my new plans, laughing out loud by this time as
Raymond jumps down from the fence and runs over with his teeth showing
and his arms down to the side, which no one before him has quite mastered as
a running style. And by the time he comes over I’m jumping up and down so
250 glad to see him—my brother Raymond, a great runner in the family tradition.
But of course everyone thinks I’m jumping up and down because the men on
the loudspeaker have finally gotten themselves together and compared notes
and are announcing, “In first place—Miss Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker.”
(Dig that.) “In second place—Miss Gretchen P. Lewis.” And I look over at
Gretchen wondering what the “P” stands for. And I smile. Cause she’s good,
no doubt about it. Maybe she’d like to help me coach Raymond; she obviously
is serious about running, as any fool can see. And she nods to congratulate me
and then she smiles. And I smile. We stand there with this big smile of respect i PLOT: FALLING
between us. It’s about as real a smile as girls can do for each other, considering ACTION AND
RESOLUTION
260 we don’t practice real smiling every day, you know, cause maybe we too busy How does Squeaky react
being flowers or fairies or strawberries instead of something honest and worthy to the announcement
of respect . . . you know . . . like being people. i that she won the race?
Comprehension 86A>;DGC>6
1. Recall What nickname have the big kids given Squeaky, and why? R.3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots,
2. Clarify Why does Squeaky feel the May Pole dance is a waste of time? parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s
development, and the way in which
3. Clarify Describe Squeaky’s reaction when she sees Raymond running parallel conflicts are (or are not) addressed
and resolved.
to her in the race.
Literary Analysis
4. Make Inferences Review the inference equations you created as you read
the story. Use these inferences to answer this question: Why might Squeaky
react to other people the way she does? Support your answer.
5. Compare and Contrast What are some differences between Squeaky and
Gretchen? What are some similarities?
6. Analyze Plot The plot of “Raymond’s Run” revolves around Squeaky’s desire
to win the May Day race. Using a diagram like the one shown, note the
events that happen at each stage of the plot.
Climax
Fa
n llin
ctio gA
in gA cti
Ris on
Resolu
tion
Exposition
7. Draw Conclusions How do the events in the story change the way Squeaky
views competition?
8. Evaluate Plot A plot should be suspenseful, coherent, well-paced, and
satisfying. What is your evaluation of the plot of “Raymond’s Run”? Be sure
to assess the climax and resolution of the story as well as the other structural
elements of the plot.
research links
For more on hydrocephalus, visit the Research Center at ClassZone.com.
raymond’s run 43
Vocabulary in Context
vocabulary practice
Answer each question to show your understanding of the vocabulary words.
1. Is a sidekick likely to be a friend or someone you just met? clutch
2. If you were to clutch something, would you be tossing it away or holding
crouch
it close?
3. Which would you expect a sports prodigy to be—clumsy or talented? liable
4. When are you more likely to crouch—picking a flower from the garden prodigy
or reaching for a glass in the cabinet?
relay
5. If a person is liable to do something, does that mean it’s likely or unlikely
to happen? sidekick
6. What’s more important in a relay race—one good runner or a team effort?
vocabulary in writing
Pretend you are going to run in a race with Squeaky. Using at least two
vocabulary words, write a paragraph about your thoughts and feelings
at the starting line. You could begin like this.
example sentence
PRACTICE Use context clues to figure out the meaning of each boldfaced
compound word. Then write the definition. You can consult a dictionary if
you need to.
1. Traffic was at a standstill after the semitrailer blocked the highway.
2. When the children get to the crosswalk, have them look both ways before
crossing the street.
3. If the audience is having trouble hearing you, make the announcement over vocabulary
practice
the loudspeaker. For more practice, go
4. Since you heard it directly from the source, it’s firsthand knowledge. to the Vocabulary Center
at ClassZone.com.
5. We couldn’t find the tools, so we used a metal pole as a makeshift hammer.
the subject is or does), or both. The missing part(s) must be added in order to fix, LC1.4 Edit written manuscripts to
ensure that correct grammar is used.
or complete, the sentence.
Original: My brother. (This is a sentence fragment because it is missing
a predicate.) He likes movies with a lot of action.
Revised: My brother likes movies with a lot of action. (This is now
a complete sentence because it contains the subject “My
brother” and the predicate “likes movies with a lot of action.”)
PRACTICE Decide whether the following sentence fragments in bold are missing
a subject, a predicate, or both. Then combine each fragment with the sentence
before it, inserting any additional words as needed.
1. The crowd gathered in the park. For the May Day festivities.
2. They gathered, as usual. The regulars, or parkees.
3. For many, the May Pole dance is the highlight. For others, the races.
4. I’m sure I’ll win again. Always do.
5. He was the surprise of the day. Squeaky’s brother Raymond.
For more help with fragments, see page R64 in the Grammar Handbook.
raymond’s run 45
Before Reading
Is any plan
foolproof ?
KEY IDEA You can make a list. You can check it twice. You can go
over every last detail of a plan in your mind. But even when you
think you’ve thought of everything, the unexpected can change the
86A>;DGC>6
outcome in surprising, terrible, or sometimes hysterically funny ways.
R3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots, In the story you are about to read, the main characters have a plan
parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s for making some quick money, but things don’t work out the way
development, and the way in which
conflicts are (or are not) addressed they had hoped.
and resolved.
Also included in this lesson: R3.6
(p. 59), LC1.4 (p. 61)
LIST IT With a partner, plan a surprise party for a friend
Lu’s Pa rty!
by making a list of what you need to do. Then, next to
each item, write down something unexpected that could E-mail Forg et
our group
possibly happen to spoil that part of the plan. to take
to in vite Lu off
th em . th e list.
46
literary analysis: conflict and resolution 86A>;DGC>6
A story’s plot centers on conflicts, or struggles between
Unexpected Twists
opposing forces. By the end of the story, the conflicts are The early life of
usually resolved, or settled. For example, a fight between two O. Henry, whose real
characters might be resolved when one character wins and one name was William
character loses. As you read “The Ransom of Red Chief,” pay Sydney Porter, was
attention to the conflicts and note how they are resolved. filled with ups, downs,
and unexpected turns.
As a young man, he
reading strategy: predict held many different
When you watch TV shows or read books, do you ever try jobs. He clerked in
his uncle’s drugstore,
to guess what will happen next? If you do, you’re making
worked as a ranch O. Henry
predictions. As you read this story, use clues from the text hand, and became a 1862–1910
and your own common sense to make predictions. Keep track bank teller. Several
of whether your predictions were right, or whether you were years after leaving his position at the bank,
surprised by the way events unfolded. he was convicted of having embezzled, or
stolen, money from his employer. It certainly
My Prediction Actual Event Correct or Surprised? wasn’t his plan to be put in jail, but that’s
where he found his next occupation.
The boy will Boy fights back. correct
fight back when A Trailblazing Storyteller While behind
kidnapped. bars, Porter began penning stories to help
support his young daughter. Upon his
release, he changed his name to O. Henry,
Review: Make Inferences became a fiction writer, and contributed
weekly stories to newspapers. He grew
vocabulary in context into one of the country’s best-loved authors.
O. Henry wrote adventure stories, humorous
O. Henry’s characters use the words listed, but they aren’t as stories, and slice-of-life tales of ordinary
smart as their big vocabulary suggests. See how many words people. The stories often had surprise
you can match with their numbered definitions. endings. Today, stories that end with an
unexpected twist are said to be written in
word collaborate diatribe provisions the “O. Henry style.”
list commend impudent ransom
more about the author
comply proposition For more on O. Henry, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
1. payment demanded for the release of a person or property
2. to act according to a command or request
3. verbal attack; harsh criticism
4. bold and disrespectful
5. to work together on a project
6. to praise
7. necessary supplies, especially food
8. a suggested plan
I t looked like a good thing; but wait till I tell you. We were down South, in
Alabama—Bill Driscoll and myself—when this kidnapping idea struck us.
It was, as Bill afterward expressed it, “during a moment of temporary mental
ANALYZE VISUALS
What personality traits
might the boy in the
painting possess?
apparition”;1 but we didn’t find that out till later.
There was a town down there, as flat as a flannel-cake, and called Summit,
of course. It contained inhabitants of as undeleterious2 and self-satisfied a class
of peasantry as ever clustered around a Maypole.
Bill and me had a joint capital of about six hundred dollars, and we needed
just two thousand dollars more to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scheme
10 in Western Illinois with. We talked it over on the front steps of the hotel.
Philoprogenitiveness,3 says we, is strong in semi-rural communities; therefore, diatribe (dFPE-trFbQ) n.
and for other reasons, a kidnapping project ought to do better there than in bitter, abusive criticism
the radius of newspapers that send reporters out in plain clothes to stir up talk
about such things. We knew that Summit couldn’t get after us with anything ransom (rBnPsEm) n.
payment demanded for
stronger than constables, and, maybe, some lackadaisical bloodhounds and a
the release of a person or
diatribe or two in the Weekly Farmers’ Budget. So, it looked good. property
We selected for our victim the only child of a prominent citizen named
Ebenezer Dorset. The father was respectable and tight, a mortgage fancier and a PREDICT
a stern, upright collection-plate passer and forecloser. The kid was a boy of ten, Reread lines 17–23. Based
20 with bas-relief 4 freckles, and hair the color of the cover of the magazine you on Sam’s final comment,
do you think the men’s
buy at the news-stand when you want to catch a train. Bill and me figured that plan will be successful?
Ebenezer would melt down for a ransom of two thousand dollars to a cent. Add this prediction to
But wait till I tell you. a your chart.
52
After breakfast the kid takes a piece of leather with strings wrapped around
it out of his pocket and goes outside the cave unwinding it.
“What’s he up to now?” says Bill anxiously. “You don’t think he’ll run away,
do you, Sam?” f f MAKE INFERENCES
“No fear of it,” says I. “He don’t seem to be much of a homebody. But How do you think Bill is
starting to feel about the
we’ve got to fix up some plan about the ransom. There don’t seem to be much
plan to get two thousand
excitement around Summit on account of his disappearance; but maybe they dollars?
haven’t realized yet that he’s gone. His folks may think he’s spending the
night with Aunt Jane or one of the neighbors. Anyhow, he’ll be missed today.
140 Tonight we must get a message to his father demanding the two thousand
dollars for his return.”
Just then we heard a kind of war whoop, such as David might have emitted
when he knocked out the champion Goliath. It was a sling that Red Chief had
pulled out of his pocket, and he was whirling it around his head.
I dodged, and heard a heavy thud and a kind of a sigh from Bill, like a horse
gives out when you take his saddle off. A rock the size of an egg had caught
Bill just behind his left ear. He loosened himself all over and fell in the fire
across the frying pan of hot water for washing the dishes. I dragged him out
and poured cold water on his head for half an hour.
150 By and by, Bill sits up and feels behind his ear and says: “Sam, do you know
who my favorite Biblical character is?”
“Take it easy,” says I. “You’ll come to your senses presently.”
“King Herod,”11 says he. “You won’t go away and leave me here alone, will
you, Sam?”
I went out and caught that boy and shook him until his freckles rattled.
“If you don’t behave,” says I, “I’ll take you straight home. Now, are you
g PREDICT
going to be good, or not?”
Do you expect that the
“I was only funning,” says he, sullenly. “I didn’t mean to hurt Old Hank. boy will behave better
But what did he hit me for? I’ll behave, Snake-eye, if you won’t send me home, going forward? Add the
160 and if you’ll let me play the Scout today.” g prediction to your chart.
“I don’t know the game,” says I. “That’s for you and Mr. Bill to decide. He’s
your playmate for the day. I’m going away for a while, on business. Now, you
come in and make friends with him and say you are sorry for hurting him, or
home you go, at once.” h h CONFLICT
I made him and Bill shake hands, and then I took Bill aside and told him In what ways has the
conflict changed since the
I was going to Poplar Cove, a little village three miles from the cave, and find
beginning of the story?
out what I could about how the kidnapping had been regarded in Summit.
Also, I thought it best to send a peremptory letter to old man Dorset that day,
demanding the ransom and dictating how it should be paid.
170 “You know, Sam,” says Bill, “I’ve stood by you without batting an eye in
earthquakes, fire, and flood—in poker games, dynamite outrages, police raids,
train robberies, and cyclones. I never lost my nerve yet till we kidnapped that
11. King Herod: an ancient king of Judea who once ordered the execution of all Bethlehem boys
under the age of two.
Manuscript
Found
in an Attic
MARCUS ROSENBAUM
O. Henry
When I told my father that I was moving to Des Moines, he told me about the only time
he’d been there. It was in the 1930s, he said, when he was the business manager of the
literary magazine of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. His friend Lon Tinkle was
the magazine’s editor. Lon also taught English at SMU, and there was a student in his
class who had a severely deformed back. It was the Depression, and the young woman
came from a family that was so poor she couldn’t afford the operation that would correct
the problem.
Her mother, who ran a boardinghouse in Galveston, was cleaning out the attic one
day when she came across an old dusty manuscript. Scribbled across the top were the
words, “By O. Henry.” It was a nice story, and she sent it along to her daughter at
SMU, who showed it to Lon. Lon had never seen the story before, but it sounded like
O. Henry, it had an O. Henry story line, and he knew that William Sydney Porter,
aka O. Henry, had lived in Houston at one time. So it was entirely possible that the
famous author had gone to the beach and stayed in the Galveston boardinghouse,
had written the story while he was there, and had inadvertently left the manuscript
behind. Lon showed the manuscript to my father, who contacted an O. Henry expert
at Columbia University in New York. The expert said he’d like to see it, so my father
got on a train and took it to him.
The expert authenticated the story as O. Henry’s, and my father set out to sell it.
Eventually, he found himself in Des Moines, meeting with Gardner Cowles, a top editor
at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loved the story and bought it on the spot. My father
took the proceeds to the young woman in Lon Tinkle’s class. It was just enough for her
to have the operation she so desperately needed—and, as far as we know, to live happily
ever after.
My father never told me what the O. Henry story was about. But I doubt that it
could have been better than his own story: a story about O. Henry that was an O. Henry
story itself.
Comprehension 86A>;DGC>6
1. Recall Why do Sam and Bill need two thousand dollars? R3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots,
2. Clarify Why does the boy prefer staying with Sam and Bill to going home? parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s
development, and the way in which
conflicts are (or are not) addressed
3. Represent Reread lines 24–26 on page 50. Use the details in this paragraph and resolved.
to draw a simple map showing Summit, the mountain, and the cave. R3.6 Identify significant literary
devices (e.g., metaphor, symbolism,
Ironic? Ironic?
6. Draw Conclusions Look back at lines 8–16. From the vocabulary Sam uses, as
well as the way he presents himself and Bill to the reader at the beginning of
the story, do you think the partners are typically successful in their schemes?
Cite evidence to support your conclusion.
vocabulary in writing
What is your reaction to the end of this story? Use two or more vocabulary
words to write a one-paragraph answer. You could start like this.
example sentence
PRACTICE Choose the word from the list that matches each numbered
definition. If necessary, consult a dictionary.
PRACTICE Rewrite the following sentences so that they are no longer run-ons.
1. I thought I wouldn’t like being away from home, it’s actually really fun.
2. I promised to behave, they threatened to send me home.
3. There weren’t daily newspapers, nosy reporters wouldn’t be coming around.
4. They didn’t count on the boy’s adventurous spirit they were surprised by it.
5. Parents worry about keeping their children safe, they don’t worry about
keeping people safe from their children.
For more help with run-on sentences, see page R64 in the Grammar Handbook.
Clean Sweep
Short Story by Joan Bauer
Harmonica
I got My
it on my 7th first instrument
birthday.
Got
me interested in
guitar and bass
62
literary analysis: conflicts and subplots 86A>;DGC>6
As you may recall, there are two basic kinds of conflicts.
Laughter and Life
• External conflicts are struggles between a character and an As a child, Joan Bauer
outside force. The outside force could be another character, dreamed of becoming
a comedian or a
society, or a force of nature.
comedy writer when
• Internal conflicts are struggles within a character. This type she grew up. The
of conflict may occur when the character has to make a funny adults in her
difficult decision or deal with opposing feelings. life inspired her. Her
mother loved to make
A story may develop more than one kind of conflict. people laugh, and her
Sometimes an additional conflict is worked out in a subplot, or grandmother, Nana,
minor plot. In stories that contain subplots, often the lessons was a storyteller Joan Bauer
characters learn working out one conflict help them address or whose tales always born 1951
resolve the other. included humor. But
real life wasn’t always amusing. When Joan
As you read “Clean Sweep,” notice how a past event causes
was eight years old, her parents divorced.
both an internal and an external conflict. Also, see if you can This and other family troubles proved
spot a subplot. devastating. However, she continued
writing, finding that it helped ease her pain.
reading skill: sequence Now an award-winning author, Joan Bauer
admits to often drawing from these difficult
To follow a story, you must recognize the sequence, or order, of life experiences while creating her touching,
the event described. While events are often presented in the amusing stories.
order in which they occur, sometimes the action is interrupted
Hope and Humor “I want to create stories
to present a scene from an earlier time. This scene, called a that link life’s struggles with laughter,”
flashback, can help explain a character’s actions. To help you Bauer has said. “Laughter is a gift we’ve
figure out when events occurred, look for signal words and been given . . . not just to make us feel good,
phrases such as these: four years ago, moments later, and but to empower us to overcome dark times.”
while. Then keep track of the sequence of important events by Her novels and stories are about how we
can help each other by sharing both the
recording them on a sequence chart.
struggle and the laughter.
Review: Predict
more about the author
For more on Joan Bauer, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
vocabulary in context
The boldfaced words help Joan Bauer tell about one teenager’s
experience with loss and familial responsibility. To see how
many you know, substitute a different word or words for each.
1. The room was dark and dingy.
2. A minuscule amount of light came through the window.
3. Her sense of propriety kept her from interrupting him.
4. She acted calm in front of her class, but she was in turmoil.
5. I can’t stand the vileness of rotten eggs.
6. It was an aberration, not what she usually sees.
clean sweep 63
Clean
Joan Bauer
Joa
“
Have you ever seen a dust mite? ” ANALYZE VISUALS
My mother always lowers her voice when she asks this; it adds to the What can you conclude
about this girl’s feelings
emotional impact. Never in the four years since she’s had the cleaning
toward housework?
business has anyone ever said they’ve seen one. That’s because the only
people who have seen dust mites are scientists who put dust balls on slides
and look at them under microscopes. Personally I have better things to do
than look at minuscule animals who cause great torture among the allergic, minuscule (mGnPE-skyLlQ)
but my mother has a photo of a dust mite blown up to ten gazillion times adj. very small; tiny
its size—she is holding it up now, as she always does in this part of her
10 presentation—and the two women who sit on the floral couch before her
gasp appropriately and shut their eyes, because dust mites, trust me, are ugly.
Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Hunchback of Notre Dame,
and you’re just beginning to enter into the vileness of this creature. vileness (vFlPnEs)
“They’re everywhere,” Mom says to the women. “Under the bed, on the n. unpleasantness;
disgusting quality
sheets, clinging to the blinds; hiding, waiting. And at Clean Sweep,” she
offers quietly, but dramatically, “we kill them for you. We hate them even
more than you do. This is why we’re in business.”
The two women look at each other and say yes, they want the cleaning
service to start immediately.
20 Mom tells them our price. One woman, as expected, says, “That sounds a
little high.” People are so cheap. Everyone wants quality, no one wants to pay
for it. Here’s the suburban dream—to hire great workers who are such meek
morons that they don’t have the guts to ask for a living wage. a a CONFLICTS AND
This is not my mother’s problem. She holds up the dust mite enlargement SUBPLOTS
What conflicts do the
to make the point. “We cost more because we know where he and his army
main character and her
are hiding.” family face with each job?
clean sweep 67
their twenty-fifth anniversary and the tablecloth has been in this trunk ever
since—only used once, she keeps saying—beautiful Egyptian linen. She looks
kind of sad, though stiff. I say, “You could start using it now, Mrs. Leonardo,”
which is the wrong thing to say. She shuts that trunk and asks me just who do I
think she’s going to invite to dinner since everyone she’s ever done anything for
has either deserted her or died. e e CONFLICTS AND
I don’t know how to answer a question like this. My mother didn’t cover SUBPLOTS
What causes Mrs.
it during Clean Sweep boot camp training where I learned how to scour a
Leonardo to be upset
bathtub that a toddler spilled ink in, how to clean pet stains from any carpet with Katie?
120 known to man, how to wash windows and not leave streaks, how to open a
refrigerator with year-old meat and not gag in front of the client. I pledged that
the customer was always right and I, the lowly dust eliminator, was always,
always wrong.
But I’m not sure what to do. If I agree with her, I’m not helping, and if I
listen, I won’t get the job done. The truth is, I don’t like Mrs. Leonardo—so
there’s a big part of me that doesn’t care—even though I know this is probably
inhumane because she’s a sad person, really. Kneeling there in the dust,
surrounded by the boxes of her so-called interesting life, going on and on
ANALYZE VISUALS
What do the details in
the picture tell you about
the person or people who
live here?
clean sweep 69
must be going through all these memories,” or, “I hope sorting through all this
is helping you the way it helped me.” Memories are the only things we have
left sometimes. You can hold a photo of a person you loved who’s gone, but it
isn’t alive. Memories—the best ones—are filled with sights, smells, love, and
happiness. I try to hold some of those in my heart for my dad each day.
She goes through the trunk, stony-faced. I can’t tell what she’s found, can’t
tell if she’s going to torch the contents or hold them to her heart. I lug a big
bag over and throw old newspapers inside. Mrs. Leonardo stops going through
180 the trunk. She’s holding something in her hands, not moving. I look at her
stiff face and for a moment in the weird light of the attic, she looks like she’s
going to cry. But that’s impossible. Then I hear a sniff and she says softly, “My
mother read this book to my sister and me every night before bed.”
I look at the book—a well-worn brown leather cover. Doesn’t look like much.
“I thought she had it,” Mrs. Leonardo says sadly.
“Who had it?”
“My sister, Helen. I thought she had the book. She always wanted it.”
In these situations it’s best to say, “Oh.”
“I thought . . . I thought I’d sent it to her after Mother died.” She looks down.
190 I say, “It’s hard to remember what you’ve done after someone important dies.”
“But, she’d asked me for it. It was the one thing she’d wanted.”
“Well . . .”
“I haven’t talked to her since Mother died. I thought she . . .” j j CONFLICTS AND
I’m not sure how to ask this. Is Helen still alive? SUBPLOTS
Reread lines 177–193.
I dance around it. “What do you think you should do with the book, Mrs.
What subplot is
Leonardo?” She doesn’t answer. introduced here? Tell who
I try again. “Why did Helen want it so bad?” is involved in the subplot
She hands me the book. “She said these stories were her best memories and what the central
of childhood.” I look through it. “The Naughty Little Frog,” “The Little conflict seems to be.
200 Lost Tulip,” “Spanky, the Black Sheep.” It’s amazing what we put up with
as children. But then I remember my favorite bedtime story—“Rupert, the
Church Mouse”—about this little mouse who lives in a church and polishes all
the stained glass windows every night before he goes to sleep so the light can
come forth every morning.
“I know she lives in Vermont,” Mrs. Leonardo offers. “I heard from a cousin
a while ago . . .” Her voice trails off. k k PREDICT
“I think you should call her, Mrs. Leonardo.” Now that she’s found the
book, what do you think
She shakes her old head. No—she couldn’t possibly.
Mrs. Leonardo might do
“I think you should call her and tell her you’ve got the book.” in regard to her sister?
210 She glares at me. “I believe we’re done for today.” She grabs the book from
my hands, puts it back in the trunk.
“Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean . . .”
She heads down the attic stairs.
clean sweep 71
he never, ever cleaned his lily pad. It got so dirty that his
mother had to make him stay on that lily pad several times
each day to—”
“You’re going to have to wait for the end.” I yank the book
from his hands and head down the creaky attic stairs with the
tablecloth. Mrs. Leonardo is in the kitchen wearing a frilly
apron, stirring a pot of something that smells beyond great.
260 She turns to look at me, puts her wooden spoon down.
“Help me put it on the table,” she orders.
I’m smiling a little now because I know this tablecloth’s
history. I’m wondering who’s coming to dinner.
“Looks like you’re having a party,” I offer as we get the
tablecloth squared perfectly on the table.
Mrs. Leonardo says nothing, sets the table for two with what
looks like the good silverware, the good napkins. Then she puts
the storybook in front of one of the place settings.
“My sister, you see . . .” She pauses emotionally. “Well, she’s . . .
270 coming to dinner.”
“You mean the one you haven’t seen for a long time?”
“I only have one sister.”
I’m just grinning now and I tell her I hope they have the best
dinner in the world.
“Well, I do too.” She looks nervously out the window and
says whatever work we haven’t finished can be done tomorrow.
“You were right about . . . calling her, Katie.” m m SEQUENCE
I smile brightly, wondering if she’s going to offer me some of her great- What steps has Mrs.
Leonardo taken to
smelling food to show her gratitude. She doesn’t. I head up the attic stairs
prepare for her sister’s
280 and drag Benjamin to safety. He’s sneezing like he’s going to die. I take off visit? Add these to
his Terminator dust mask and lean him against a wall. Half of me wants to your chart.
give Mrs. Leonardo a little hug of encouragement, but the other half warns,
Don’t touch clients because they can turn on you.
“Whatever you’re cooking, Mrs. Leonardo, it sure smells good,” I shout.
“Your sister’s going to love it.” I’m not sure she hears all of that. Benjamin is
into his fifth sneezing attack.
She nods from the kitchen; I push Benjamin out on the street.
“I could have died up there,” he shouts, blowing his nose.
“But you didn’t.”
290 And I remember the book my dad would read to us when we were little
about the baby animals and their parents and how each mother and father
animal kissed their babies good night. That book was chewed to death, ripped,
stained, and missing the last two pages, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
We walk back home almost silently, except for Benjamin’s sniffs, sneezes,
and groans. People just don’t understand what important things can be hiding
in the dust.
Mom says that all the time in her presentation.
Comprehension 86A>;DGC>6
1. Recall What job does the Clean Sweep company do? R3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots,
2. Clarify Why does Katie resent her brother? parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s
development, and the way in which
conflicts are (or are not) addressed
3. Summarize For Katie, what makes working for Mrs. Leonardo so difficult? and resolved.
Literary Analysis
4. Identify Sequence Review the chart you created as you read. Which event or
events in the sequence occur as flashbacks? What information do you learn
about Katie from the flashbacks?
5. Examine Conflicts Note the internal and external conflicts Katie faces after
her dad’s death. By the end of the story, which of these conflicts are resolved?
Which are not resolved? Share your opinion of the way in which each conflict
is or is not resolved.
Characters Involved:
6. Analyze Character Motivations Why do you think Mrs.
Mrs. Leonardo and her sister
Leonardo decided to reconnect with her sister?
7. Evaluate Subplot Use the chart to record details of the Conflict:
subplot involving Mrs. Leonardo and her sister. What
does this subplot help Katie to realize? In your opinion,
Resolution:
is the subplot a worthwhile addition to the story?
Explain why or why not.
8. Make Judgments Reread lines 221–229 and footnote 4.
Would you say that Katie’s brother is a hypochondriac?
Use examples from the text to support your answer.
research links
For more on dust mites, visit the Research Center at ClassZone.com.
clean sweep 73
Vocabulary in Context
vocabulary practice
Decide whether the words in each pair are synonyms (words that mean aberration
the same) or antonyms (words that mean the opposite).
dingy
1. propriety/rudeness
2. vileness/niceness minuscule
3. dingy/shabby propriety
4. minuscule/huge
turmoil
5. aberration/sameness
vileness
6. turmoil/chaos
vocabulary in writing
What was the state of Mrs. Leonardo’s attic when Katie first saw it? Use at
least two vocabulary words to write a one-paragraph description. You could
start this way.
example sentence
The attic was dingy and dusty, and it was filled with old clothes and papers.
PRACTICE Identify the base word and suffix in each boldfaced word.
Then define the nouns that have been made by adding the suffixes.
1. Winning the state championship was quite an achievement.
2. To make the connection, your flight will have to arrive on time. vocabulary
practice
3. His performance in the concert was superb. For more practice, go
4. One could see the sadness in their faces. to the Vocabulary Center
at ClassZone.com.
5. We have a shortage of paper towels in the kitchen.
your writing clear, follow these guidelines for punctuating possessive nouns: LC1.5 Use correct punctuation and
capitalization.
• Singular nouns: Add an apostrophe and s, even if the word ends in s (dog’s
leash, princess’s crown)
• Plural nouns ending in s: Add an apostrophe (hosts’ party, employees’ benefits)
• Plural nouns not ending in s: Add an apostrophe and s (children’s toys, mice’s
footprints)
Original: When I lifted the trunks’ lid, it wobbled and creaked.
Revised: When I lifted the trunk’s lid, it wobbled and creaked.
clean sweep 75
Before Reading
76
literary analysis: suspense 86A>;DGC>6
Writers often “hook” readers by creating a sense of excitement,
Orphan at Two Edgar
tension, dread, or fear about what will happen next. This Allan Poe was born
feeling is called suspense. Techniques used by Edgar Allan Poe in Boston to parents
to develop suspense include who made their
livings as traveling
• describing a character’s anxiety or fear actors. When Poe
• relating vivid descriptions of dramatic sights and sounds was two, his father
deserted the family.
• repeating words, phrases, or characters’ actions
Less than a year later,
As you read “The Tell-Tale Heart,” notice what causes you his mother died.
to feel suspense. Edgar was raised in
Virginia by family Edgar Allan Poe
friends, the Allans. 1809–1849
reading skill: evaluate narrator After being expelled
Have you ever suspected someone was not telling you the from both the University of Virginia and the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Poe
truth? Just as you can’t trust every person you meet, you can’t
began writing for a living.
believe all narrators, or characters who tell a story. To evaluate
a narrator’s reliability, or trustworthiness, pay attention to his “Madness or Melancholy” Poe got a job
or her actions, attitudes, and statements. Do any raise your as a journalist to support himself and his
young wife while he worked on the stories
suspicions? As you read “The Tell-Tale Heart,” record any clues
and poems that would earn him the title
that reveal whether the narrator is reliable or not. “father of the modern mystery.” A master
of suspense, he wrote works that were often
Narrator’s Reliability dark and full of horrifying images. Poems
Makes Me Suspicious: Makes Me Trust Him: such as “The Raven” and short stories such
as “The Pit and the Pendulum” brought him
• •
fame but no fortune. Poverty intensified
• • his despair when his wife, Virginia, fell ill
• • and died. Deeply depressed, Poe died two
years later after being found on the streets
of Baltimore. Poe’s obituary stated he was
a man of astonishing skill, a dreamer who
vocabulary in context walked “in madness or melancholy.”
Poe uses the following words to reveal how the main character
is acting, feeling, and thinking. For each word, choose the more about the author
For more on Edgar Allan Poe, visit the
numbered word or phrase closest in meaning. Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
1. annoy 6. smothered
2. cautiously 7. ridicule
3. intense 8. think of
4. crack 9. strongly
5. deceptive 10. shameless daring
T rue!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! but why
will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not
destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard
ANALYZE VISUALS
What details in the picture
help create suspense?
all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, acute (E-kyLtP) adj.
then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell sharp; keen
you the whole story.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once
conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there conceive (kEn-sCv) v. to
was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given think of
10 me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He
had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell
upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up
my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you
should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what
caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation1 I went to work! a a EVALUATE
I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed NARRATOR
Reread lines 1–16. On the
him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened
basis of what he plans
it—oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, to do, decide whether
20 I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I the narrator’s opinion of
thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust himself makes you trust
it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old him more or less.
a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would
have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at
twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept. b b SUSPENSE
Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the Note the actions the
narrator repeats. Why
door. A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before does this repetition create
that night had I felt the extent of my own powers—of my sagacity.2 I could a sense of dread?
scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the
door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I
40 fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed
suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back—but no. His
room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close
fastened, through fear of robbers), and so I knew that he could not see the
opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb
slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in the bed, crying
out—“Who’s there?”
I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a
c SUSPENSE
muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting In what way does the
50 up in the bed listening,—just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to characters’ inaction
the death watches3 in the wall. c create tension?
Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror.
It was not a groan of pain or grief—oh, no!—it was the low, stifled sound stifled (stFPfEld) adj.
that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew smothered stifle v.
the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has
welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors
that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and
pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake
ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had
60 been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless,
but could not. He had been saying to himself—“It is nothing but the wind in
the chimney—it is only a mouse crossing the floor,” or “it is merely a cricket
which has made a single chirp.” Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with
these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death,
I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and
deposited all between the scantlings.6 I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so
cunningly, that no human eye—not even his—could have detected anything
110 wrong. There was nothing to wash out—no stain of any kind—no blood-spot
whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all—ha! ha!
When I made an end of these labors, it was four o’clock—still dark as
midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street
door. I went down to open it with a light heart,—for what had I now to fear?
Comprehension 86A>;DGC>6
1. Recall Why does the narrator want to kill the old man? R3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots,
2. Clarify Why does the narrator believe he will not be caught after murdering parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s
development, and the way in which
the old man? conflicts are (or are not) addressed
and resolved.
3. Summarize What actions does the narrator take to prepare for the crime and
cover up?
Literary Analysis
4. Make Inferences Reread lines 7–13. From this passage, what do you think was
the relationship between the narrator and the old man?
5. Analyze Suspense Which of Poe’s techniques for creating suspense is most
effective for you? To find out, review the following story sections. List the
techniques used in each section, and then rank the sections from 1–4, with 1
being the most suspenseful.
Rank
Techniques 1. 1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2. 2.
6. Evaluate Narrator How reliable is the narrator of the story? Should you
believe what he tells you about himself? Support your answer with details
from the chart you created as you read.
7. Draw Conclusions Do you think the police knew the narrator was guilty at
any point before he confessed? If so, when do you think the police became
suspicious? Give reasons for your answer.
research links
For more on lie detection, visit the Research Center at ClassZone.com.
vex
vocabulary in writing
Using three or more vocabulary words, write a paragraph about how the
narrator felt before the murder. Here is a sample beginning.
example sentence
The Hitchhiker
Radio Play by Lucille Fletcher
Is seeing believing ?
KEY IDEA Occasionally, something happens so quickly or
unexpectedly, you can’t be sure what you’ve seen. Was that a rabbit
racing through the field, or was it just wind in the grass? Did you
86A>;DGC>6
see a man hiding in the alley, or did you see only a shadow? To be
Included in this lesson: R3.2 (p. 98),
W2.1abc (p. 99), LC1.4 (p. 99) convinced that something is real, you need proof, or solid evidence.
In The Hitchhiker, a man is desperate for proof that what he’s seeing
can be explained.
86
literary analysis: foreshadowing 86A>;DGC>6
While reading a story or watching a movie, have you ever
Suspenseful Stories
gotten a hint about what might happen later on? When a As a young adult,
writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story, Lucille Fletcher
the writer is foreshadowing. For example, if a character says, wanted to become
“Whatever you do, don’t open that door,” you might suspect a novelist. After she
that the door will eventually be opened to create a dramatic took her first job as
a script typist and
effect. Anticipating that event can add to the story’s suspense,
began reading scripts
making you more excited to find out what happens next. by other writers, she
As you read The Hitchhiker, make a chart to note events or decided she wanted
dialogue that might foreshadow what happens later. You’ll to write plays as well.
complete the chart at the end of the selection. She was successful Lucille Fletcher
at both. Fletcher 1912–2000
Foreshadowing Events That Were Foreshadowed penned more than
20 radio plays, including the well-known
Sorry, Wrong Number and The Hitchhiker. In
addition, she wrote several novels. Her
works were suspenseful, full of mystery,
reading strategy: reading a radio play and often terrifying.
A radio play is a play written for radio broadcast, which means
more about the author
that it was originally meant to be heard, not seen. When you’re For more on Lucille Fletcher, visit the
reading a radio play, you’ll understand it best if you try to imagine Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
what it would sound like being performed. As you read, look for
the following elements, written in italics. Use the information
Background
these elements provide to “hear” the radio play in your mind.
Radio Plays Though the television was
• Stage directions, or instructions, for the actor will help you invented in the 1920s, most American
know how a line is spoken. households did not have television sets until
the late 1950s. Before then, families gathered
• Sound effects are often used to suggest what is happening around the radio to listen to their favorite
in the play. They help a listener “see” the action. radio plays. These plays took the form of
• The term music in will indicate when music is used to mark a dramas, mysteries, or comedies. Actors at
the radio station read their lines into the
change of scene or show the passing of time.
microphone with dramatic flair. Background
music helped set the mood.
vocabulary in context
Hearing Is Believing Sound effects were an
The words in Column A help Lucille Fletcher tell about one man’s important part of a radio play. They were
encounter with a mysterious hitchhiker. Match each word with often produced in the radio studio. Sheet
the word or phrase in Column B that is closest in meaning. metal, shaken up and down, replicated rolling
thunder. A wooden match, broken close
Column A Column B to the microphone, sounded like a baseball
1. lark a. guarantee bat striking a ball. Coconut halves clapped
2. junction b. carefree adventure against wood imitated the sound of horses’
hooves.
3. sinister c. evil
4. assurance d. sameness
5. monotony e. place of joining
the hitchhiker 87
The
Hitchhiker Lucille Fletcher
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Orson Welles Girl
Ronald Adams Operator
Adams’s Mother Long-Distance Operator
Voice of Hitchhiker Albuquerque Operator
Mechanic New York Operator
Henry, a sleepy man Mrs. Whitney
Woman’s Voice, Henry’s wife
Welles. Good evening, this is Orson Welles . . . of that dear old phosphorescent1 foolishness that
(music in) Personally I’ve never met anybody people who don’t like ghost stories don’t like,
who didn’t like a good ghost story, but I know a then again I promise you we haven’t got it. What
lot of people who think there are a lot of people we do have is a thriller. If it’s half as good as
who don’t like a good ghost story. For the benefit we think it is you can call it a shocker, and we
of these, at least, I go on record at the outset present it proudly and without apologies. After
of this evening’s entertainment with the sober 20 all a story doesn’t have to appeal to the heart—
assurance that although blood may be curdled it can also appeal to the spine. Sometimes you
on this program none will be spilt. There’s no want your heart to be warmed—sometimes you
10 shooting, knifing, throttling, axing or poisoning want your spine to tingle. The tingling, it’s to be
here. No clanking chains, no cobwebs, no bony hoped, will be quite audible as you listen tonight
and/or hairy hands appearing from secret panels to The Hitchhiker—That’s the name of our story,
or, better yet, bedroom curtains. If it’s any part The Hitchhiker—
2. Alleghenies (BlQG-gAPnCz): The Allegheny Mountains, a range extending from northern Pennsylvania to
western Virginia.
3. gave me the willies: made me nervous.
the hitchhiker 91
Mechanic. I see. Well—that’ll be just a dollar (sound: car starts with squeal of wheels on dirt . . .
forty-nine—with the tax . . . (fade) into auto hum)
(sound: auto hum up) (music in)
(music changing) Adams. After I got the car back onto the road
Adams. The thing gradually passed from my again, I felt like a fool. Yet the thought of picking
mind, as sheer coincidence. I had a good night’s him up, of having him sit beside me was somehow
sleep in Pittsburgh. I did not think about the unbearable. Yet, at the same time, I felt, more
man all next day—until just outside of Zanesville, than ever, unspeakably alone.
Ohio, I saw him again. (sound: auto hum up)
170 (music: dark, ominous note) 210 Adams. Hour after hour went by. The fields, the
Adams. It was a bright sunshiny afternoon. The towns ticked off, one by one. The lights changed.
peaceful Ohio fields, brown with the autumn I knew now that I was going to see him again.
stubble, lay dreaming in the golden light. I was And though I dreaded the sight, I caught myself
driving slowly, drinking it in, when the road searching the side of the road, waiting for him to
suddenly ended in a detour. In front of the barrier, appear.
he was standing. (sound: auto hum up . . . car screeches to a halt . . .
(music in) impatient honk two or three times . . . door being
Adams. Let me explain about his appearance before
unbolted)
I go on. I repeat. There was nothing sinister about Sleepy Man’s Voice. Yep? What is it? What do you
180 him. He was as drab as a mud fence. Nor was his 220 want?
attitude menacing. He merely stood there, waiting, Adams (breathless). You sell sandwiches and pop
almost drooping a little, the cheap overnight bag here, don’t you?
in his hand. He looked as though he had been Voice (cranky). Yep. We do. In the daytime. But
waiting there for hours. Then he looked up. He we’re closed up now for the night.
hailed me. He started to walk forward. Adams. I know. But—I was wondering if you
Voice (far off ). Hall-ooo . . . Hall-ooo . . . could possibly let me have a cup of coffee—black
Adams. I had stopped the car, of course, for the coffee.
detour. And for a few moments, I couldn’t seem Voice. Not at this time of night, mister. My wife’s
to find the new road. I knew he must be thinking the cook and she’s in bed. Mebbe further down
190 that I had stopped for him. 230 the road—at the Honeysuckle Rest . . .
Voice (closer). Hall-ooo . . . Hallll . . . ooo . . . (sound: door squeaking on hinges as though being
(sound: gears jamming . . . sound of motor turning closed )
over hard . . . nervous accelerator) Adams. No—no. Don’t shut the door. (shakily)
Voice (closer). Halll . . . oooo . . . Listen—just a minute ago, there was a man
Adams (panicky). No. Not just now. Sorry . . . standing here—right beside this stand—a
Voice (closer). Going to California?
suspicious looking man . . .
Woman’s Voice (from distance). Hen-ry? Who is it,
(sound: starter starting . . . gears jamming)
Hen-ry?
Adams (as though sweating blood). No. Not today.
Henry. It’s nobuddy, mother. Just a feller thinks he
The other way. Going to New York. Sorry . . .
240 wants a cup of coffee. Go back into bed.
200 sorry . . .
the hitchhiker 93
hear the train in the distance now, but I didn’t Adams. Hitchhike much?
care. Then something went wrong with the car. It Girl. Sure. Only it’s tough sometimes, in these
stalled right on the tracks. great open spaces, to get the breaks.
(sound: Train chugging closer. Above this sound of car Adams. I should think it would be. Though I’ll
stalling.) bet if you get a good pick-up in a fast car, you can
Adams. The train was coming closer. I could hear get to places faster than—say, another person, in
its bell ringing, and the cry of its whistle. Still another car?
300 he stood there. And now—I knew that he was Girl. I don’t get you.
beckoning—beckoning me to my death. 340 Adams. Well, take me, for instance. Suppose I’m
(sound: Train chugging close. Whistle blows wildly. driving across the country, say, at a nice steady
Then train rushes up and by with pistons going, et clip of about 45 miles an hour. Couldn’t a girl
cetera.) like you, just standing beside the road, waiting for
Adams. Well—I frustrated him that time. The lifts, beat me to town after town—provided she
starter had worked at last. I managed to back up. got picked up every time in a car doing from 65
But when the train passed, he was gone. I was all to 70 miles an hour?
alone in the hot dry afternoon. Girl. I dunno. Maybe she could and maybe she
(sound: Train retreating. Crickets begin to sing.) couldn’t. What difference does it make?
310 (music in) Adams. Oh—no difference. It’s just a—crazy idea
Adams. After that, I knew I had to do something. 350 I had sitting here in the car.
I didn’t know who this man was or what he Girl (laughing). Imagine spending your time in a
wanted of me. I only knew that from now on, I swell car thinking of things like that!
must not let myself be alone on the road for one Adams. What would you do instead?
moment. Girl (admiringly). What would I do? If I was a good-
(sound: Auto hum up. Slow down. Stop. Door looking fellow like yourself? Why—I’d just enjoy
opening.) myself—every minute of the time. I’d sit back, and
Adams. Hello, there. Like a ride? relax, and if I saw a good-looking girl along the side
Girl. What do you think? How far you going? of the road . . . (sharply) Hey! Look out!
320 Adams. Amarillo . . . I’ll take you to Amarillo. Adams (breathlessly). Did you see him too?
Girl. Amarillo, Texas. 360 Girl. See who?
Adams. I’ll drive you there. Adams. That man. Standing beside the barbed
Girl. Gee!
wire fence.
Girl. I didn’t see—anybody. There wasn’t nothing,
(sound: Door closes—car starts.)
but a bunch of steers—and the barbed wire fence.
(music in) What did you think you was doing? Trying to run
Girl. Mind if I take off my shoes? My dogs4 are into the barbed wire fence?
killing me. Adams. There was a man there, I tell you . . . a
Adams. Go right ahead. thin gray man, with an overnight bag in his hand.
Girl. Gee, what a break this is. A swell car, a decent And I was trying to—run him down.
330 guy, and driving all the way to Amarillo. All I 370 Girl. Run him down? You mean—kill him?
been getting so far is trucks.
5. lowing: mooing.
the hitchhiker 95
(music faster) (music strikes sinister note of finality.)
450 Adams. He was waiting for me outside the Navajo 470 Adams. I was beside myself when I finally reached
Reservation, where I stopped to check my tires. Gallup, New Mexico, this morning. There is an
I saw him in Albuquerque6 where I bought 12 auto camp here—cold, almost deserted at this
gallons of gas . . . I was afraid now, afraid to stop. time of year. I went inside, and asked if there was
I began to drive faster and faster. I was in lunar a telephone. I had the feeling that if only I could
landscape now—the great arid mesa country speak to someone familiar, someone that I loved,
of New Mexico. I drove through it with the I could pull myself together.
indifference of a fly crawling over the face of the (sound: nickel put in slot)
moon.
Operator. Number, please?
(music faster)
Adams. Long distance.
460 Adams. But now he didn’t even wait for me to
480 Operator. Thank you.
stop. Unless I drove at 85 miles an hour over
those endless roads—he waited for me at every (sound: return of nickel; buzz)
other mile. I would see his figure, shadowless, Long-Distance Opr. This is long distance.
flitting before me, still in its same attitude, Adams. I’d like to put in a call to my home in
over the cold and lifeless ground, flitting over Brooklyn, New York. I’m Ronald Adams. The
dried-up rivers, over broken stones cast up by number is Beechwood 2-0828.
old glacial upheavals, flitting in the pure and Long-Distance Opr. Thank you. What is your
cloudless air . . . number?
the hitchhiker 97
After Reading
Comprehension 86A>;DGC>6
1. Recall What is Ronald Adams’s original destination? R3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots,
2. Clarify Why does the repeated sight of the hitchhiker give Adams parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s
development, and the way in which
“the willies”? conflicts are (or are not) addressed
and resolved.
3. Clarify What does Adams learn about his mother at the end of the play?
Literary Analysis
4. Make Inferences What kind of relationship did Ronald Adams have with
his mother? Cite evidence to support your answer.
5. Examine Foreshadowing Now that you’ve read the play, is there anything
you’d like to change or add to the first column of your foreshadowing chart?
Make the adjustments and complete the second column. Which use of
foreshadowing most increased your sense of suspense?
6. Analyze the Radio Play Reread lines 377–384. Tell what actions and emotions
are communicated through stage directions and sound effects. Could
listeners fully understand what was taking place in this scene if these
elements weren’t included? Explain.
7. Draw Conclusions Who do you think the hitchhiker is? Give proof from
the play to support your conclusion.
8. Compare Across Texts What are some similarities and differences
between the characters, settings, and endings of “The Tell-Tale “The Tell-Tale Heart” The Hitchhiker
Heart” and The Hitchhiker? Present your answers in a Venn
diagram.
9. Evaluate Plot Development Now that you have compared the
two selections, pick one and share your opinion of its plot’s
development. Use details from the selection to support your
opinion. Remember that strong plot development is usually
suspenseful, coherent, constantly moving ahead (or, at least,
well-paced), and satisfying.
pronoun their refers to the antecedent they: They took their seats at the café. LC1.4 Edit written manuscripts to
ensure that correct grammar is used.
Be sure to use singular pronouns with singular antecedents and plural pronouns
with plural antecedents. Pair antecedents ending in one, thing, or body with
singular pronouns, such as he, her, she, or his. In the revised sentence, notice
how the pronouns (in yellow) and the antecedent (in green) agree in number.
Original: Adams would ask just about anyone whether they had seen
the hitchhiker.
Revised: Adams would ask just about anyone whether he or she had
seen the hitchhiker.
For more help with pronoun-antecedent agreement, see page R52 in the
Grammar Handbook.
the hitchhiker 99
Great
Reads Hoot
Novel by Carl Hiaasen
100
86A>;DGC>6
Read a Great Book
Roy Eberhardt didn’t know what he was in for when his
family moved from Bozeman, Montana, to Coconut Cove,
Florida. He’s getting bullied on the bus, but he’s used to that.
In fact, since his family moves around a lot, he’s encountered
enough bullies to consider himself “an expert on the
breed.” It’s the stuff that he isn’t used to that makes his
new home seem strange. For starters, he spies a barefoot
boy sprinting alongside the school bus at a speed that
would put track stars in state-of-the-art running shoes
to shame. Then there’s the big, threatening girl who
knows too much about him and won’t tell him how.
Roy needs to find some answers to his questions, but
it won’t be easy.
from
Hoot
“Are there any other schools around here?” Roy asked Garrett.
“Why? You sick of this one already?” Garrett cackled and plunged
a spoon into a lump of clammy apple crisp.
“No way. The reason I asked, I saw this weird kid today at one of the
bus stops. Except he didn’t get on the bus, and he’s not here at school,”
Roy said, “so I figured he must not go to Trace.”
“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t go to Trace,” Garrett said. “There’s
a Catholic school up in Fort Myers, but that’s a long ways off. Was he
wearing a uniform, this kid? Because the nuns make everybody wear
10 uniforms.”
“No, he definitely wasn’t in a uniform.”
“You’re sure he was in middle school? Maybe he goes to Graham,”
Garrett suggested. Graham was the public high school nearest to
Coconut Cove.
101
Roy said, “He didn’t look big enough for high school.”
“Maybe he was a midget.” Garrett grinned and made a funny noise
with one of his cheeks.
“I don’t think so,” said Roy.
“You said he was weird.”
20 “He wasn’t wearing any shoes,” Roy said, “and he was running
like crazy.”
“Maybe somebody was after him. Did he look scared?”
“Not really.”
Garrett nodded. “High school kid. Betcha five bucks.”
To Roy, that still didn’t make sense. Classes at Graham High
started fifty-five minutes earlier than the classes at Trace; the high
school kids were off the streets long before the middle school buses
finished their routes.
“So he was skippin’ class. Kids skip all the time,” Garrett said.
30 “You want your dessert?”
Roy pushed his tray across the table. “You ever skip school?”
“Uh, yeah,” Garrett said sarcastically. “Buncha times.”
“You ever skip alone?”
Garrett thought for a moment. “No. It’s always me and my friends.”
“See. That’s what I mean.”
“So maybe the kid’s just a psycho. Who cares?”
“Or an outlaw,” said Roy.
Garrett looked skeptical. “An outlaw? You mean like Jesse James?”
“No, not exactly,” Roy said, though there had been something wild
40 in that kid’s eyes.
Garrett laughed again. “An outlaw—that’s rich, Eberhardt. You got
a seriously whacked imagination.”
“Yeah,” said Roy, but already he was thinking about a plan. He was
determined to find the running boy.
102
Great Reads
scouted out the window, waiting. Seven rows back, Dana Matherson
was tormenting a sixth grader named Louis. Louis was from Haiti and
50 Dana was merciless.
As the bus came to a stop at the intersection, Roy poked his head
out the window and checked up and down the street. Nobody was
running. Seven kids boarded the bus, but the strange shoeless boy
was not among them.
I t was the same story the next day, and the day after that. By Friday,
Roy had pretty much given up. He was sitting ten rows from
the door, reading an X-Man comic, as the bus turned the familiar
corner and began to slow down. A movement at the corner of his eye
made Roy glance up from his comic book—and there he was on the
60 sidewalk, running again! Same basketball jersey, same grimy shorts,
same black-soled feet.
As the brakes of the school bus wheezed, Roy grabbed his backpack
off the floor and stood up. At that instant, two big sweaty hands
closed around his neck.
“Where ya goin’, cowgirl?”
“Lemme go,” Roy rasped, squirming to break free.
The grip on his throat tightened. He felt Dana’s ashtray breath on
his right ear: “How come you don’t got your boots on today? Who ever
heard of a cowgirl wearing Air Jordans?”
70 “They’re Reeboks,” Roy squeaked.
The bus had stopped, and the students were starting to board.
Roy was furious. He had to get to the door fast, before the driver closed
it and the bus began to roll.
But Dana wouldn’t let go, digging his fingers into Roy’s windpipe.
Roy was having trouble getting air, and struggling only made it
worse.
“Look at you,” Dana chortled from behind, “red as a tomato!”
Roy knew the rules against fighting on the bus, but he couldn’t think
of anything else to do. He clenched his right fist and brought it up
103
80 blindly over his shoulder, as hard as he could. The punch landed
on something moist and rubbery.
There was a gargled cry; then Dana’s hands fell away from Roy’s
neck. Panting, Roy bolted for the door of the bus just as the last
student, a tall girl with curly blond hair and red-framed eyeglasses,
came up the steps. Roy clumsily edged past her and jumped to
the ground.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the girl demanded.
“Hey, wait!” the bus driver shouted, but Roy was already a blur.
The running boy was way ahead of him, but Roy figured he could
90 stay close enough to keep him in sight. He knew the kid couldn’t go
at full speed forever.
He followed him for several blocks—over fences, through shrubbery,
weaving through yapping dogs and lawn sprinklers and hot tubs.
Eventually Roy felt himself tiring. This kid is amazing, he thought.
Maybe he’s practicing for the track team.
Once Roy thought he saw the boy glance over his shoulder, as if he
knew he was being pursued, but Roy couldn’t be certain. The boy was
still far ahead of him, and Roy was gulping like a beached trout. His
shirt was soaked and perspiration poured off his forehead, stinging
100 his eyes.
The last house in the subdivision was still under construction, but
the shoeless boy dashed heedlessly through the lumber and loose nails.
Three men hanging drywall stopped to holler at him, but the boy never
broke stride. One of the same workers made a one-armed lunge at Roy
but missed.
Suddenly there was grass under his feet again—the greenest,
softest grass that Roy had ever seen. He realized that he was on a
golf course, and that the blond kid was tearing down the middle of
a long, lush fairway.
110 On one side was a row of tall Australian pines, and on the other side
was a milky man-made lake. Roy could see four brightly dressed figures
ahead, gesturing at the barefoot boy as he ran by.
Roy gritted his teeth and kept going. His legs felt like wet cement,
and his lungs were on fire. A hundred yards ahead, the boy cut sharply
104
Great Reads
to the right and disappeared into the pine trees. Roy doggedly aimed
himself for the woods.
An angry shout echoed, and Roy noticed that the people in
the fairway were waving their arms at him, too. He kept right on
running. Moments later there was a distant glint of sunlight on
120 metal, followed by a muted thwack. Roy didn’t actually see the golf
ball until it came down six feet in front of him. He had no time to
duck or dive out of the way. All he could do was turn his head and
brace for the blow.
The bounce caught him squarely above the left ear, and at first it
didn’t even hurt. Then Roy felt himself swaying and spinning as a
brilliant gout of fireworks erupted inside his skull. He felt himself
falling for what seemed like a long time, falling as softly as a drop of
rain on velvet.
When the golfers ran up and saw Roy facedown in the sand trap,
130 they thought he was dead. Roy heard their frantic cries but he didn’t
move. The sugar-white sand felt cool against his burning cheeks, and
he was very sleepy.
Keep Reading
Roy has gone from reading mysteries to being right in the
middle of one. But the barefoot boy is just one of the mysteries
in Roy’s new hometown, where reptile wranglers are listed in
the phone book because you just might find an alligator in your
toilet. While Roy is trying to find out who the strange boy is, the
Coconut Cove Public Safety Department has another mystery on
its hands. Someone is sabotaging the construction of a pancake
house, and no one knows why. Keep reading to see how the
mystery unfolds.
105
Media from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Study Film Clip on MediaSmart DVD
Background
A Perfect Fit The novel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is
about four lifelong best friends who are about to spend their first
summer apart. Before their vacations begin, these girls make an
amazing discovery. A pair of jeans purchased in a thrift shop fits
each one of them perfectly. To stay connected that summer, they
agree to mail the jeans to each other. This book’s popularity led
to sequels to the novel as well as a movie. The scene you’ll watch
occurs fairly early in the movie and focuses on Carmen, who is
about to visit her dad.
106
86A>;DGC>6
Media Literacy: Plot in Movies
The exposition stage of a story is the part that introduces the characters,
setting, and conflict. Movies unfold in a similar way, introducing the characters
and their struggles. For a movie director, the first steps in developing a plot are
to show characters’ relationships and predicaments, and to make viewers like
you care about these characters. Filmmakers position the characters and the
camera in certain ways to help you to follow and react to what’s happening.
Directors position characters to portray relationships. Notice how close or how far apart
To show how characters relate to each other in a characters stand to one another. Their
scene, directors use blocking, the arrangement of positions may offer clues about their
the characters within a film frame. relationships or their emotions.
Directors position the camera to reveal how what’s To watch for what might be revealed in
happening affects the characters. close-up or medium shots, ask yourself:
A close-up shot is a detailed view of a character • What reactions or thoughts can I infer
or an object. Close-ups can reveal a character’s from a character’s facial expressions?
personality and often hint at a character’s emotions • What does a character’s body language
or thoughts. Medium shots show a character tell me about how he or she feels about
from the waist up. This type of shot can capture what’s happening?
movements that reveal a character’s behavior.
Directors try to stir viewers’ emotions. As you watch a conflict unfold in a scene,
Directors not only want you to understand what’s ask yourself:
happening in a story but to get you emotionally • How am I reacting to what’s happening?
involved. They want you to follow the plot • What does the director do to make me
complications closely and to make you wonder care about what will happen?
about the outcome.
• What is the mood of the music? Is it
upbeat? Sad? How is it affecting me?
now view
1. Recall Carmen surprises her dad with her grades. What is the surprise
Carmen’s dad reveals to her?
2. Clarify What is shown from outside of the moving car that gets
Carmen’s attention?
• the details about the characters that are delivered through dialogue
• the shots the filmmakers use to make the characters’ emotions visible
• your own emotional reactions to what happens in the scene
108
Media Study
Write or Discuss
86A>;DGC>6
Analyze Film You’ve viewed a clip from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to
LS1.9 Interpret and evaluate the
look at how directors portray characters and conflicts. Now put yourself in the various ways that visual image
makers (e.g., graphic artists,
shoes of the movie’s director. How might the scene be different if it focused less illustrators, news photographers)
on Carmen and more on her dad and his news? Write a short description of this communicate information and affect
impressions and opinions.
new version. Think about
• which character would have more close-ups
• how viewers might sympathize more with him
• how the music might differ
When is it time to
le av e ?
KEY IDEA Even under the best of circumstances, leaving someone or
something behind can be difficult. Familiar people and places often
provide us with a sense of safety and security. In the memoir you are
86A>;DGC>6
about to read, Julia Alvarez faces the pain of leaving her homeland,
Included in this lesson: R1.2 (p. 117)
even as she realizes the dangers of staying.
110
literary analysis: memoir 86A>;DGC>6
A memoir is a form of autobiographical writing in which a writer
Where Is Home? Julia
describes important events in his or her life. Most memoirs Alvarez emigrated
• use the first-person point of view from the Dominican
Republic to the United
• are true accounts of actual events States when she
• describe conflicts faced by the writer was ten. Her father
had taken part in an
• include the writer’s feelings about historical events or underground plot
social issues against dictator Rafael
Trujillo (rä-fäQyElP
As you read “My First Free Summer,” look for places where Julia
trL-hCPyI), so the
Alvarez shares her feelings about the historical events taking family’s safety was in Julia Alvarez
place in the Dominican Republic. jeopardy. Although born 1950
Alvarez and her
reading skill: recognize cause and effect family escaped, she found it difficult being
cut off from her homeland and adjusting
Events are often related by cause and effect, which means that to a new country. Books offered Alvarez a
one event brings about the other. The first event is the cause, world where she did not feel alone. Through
and what follows is the effect. Sometimes, one cause can have writing, she could begin to connect her two
many effects. Recognizing cause and effect relationships can cultures. She likes to quote another poet in
help you understand important turning points, because you’ll saying, “Language is the only homeland.”
be aware of the consequences of events and actions. A Poet First Poetry first drew Alvarez to
As you read, look for the effects that the political struggle writing. After receiving degrees in literature
in Alvarez’s homeland had on her life. Use a chart like the one and writing, she spent 13 years teaching
shown to help you keep track of these effects. poetry at several universities. Homecoming,
a book of her poems, was published in 1984.
Since then, Alvarez has gone on to write in a
Effect:
variety of genres, including fiction for both
Cause: children and adults.
Effect:
political struggles
Background
Effect:
A Brutal Dictator The people of the
Dominican Republic suffered under the
brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and his
vocabulary in context supporters for 31 years (from 1930–1961).
Alvarez uses the vocabulary words to help describe a traumatic Under his rule, masses of people were
childhood experience. See how many you know. Make a chart slaughtered for “crimes” as minor as not
hanging his portrait in their homes. Many
like the one shown. Put each word in the appropriate column.
brave Dominicans, including Alvarez’s father,
tried to overthrow this government. Those
word contradiction replete unravel caught faced terrible consequences.
list interrogation summon
more about the author
and background
Know Well Think I Know Don’t Know at All To learn more about Julia Alvarez
and the Dominican Republic, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
I never had summer—I had summer school. First grade, summer school.
Second grade, summer school. Thirdgradesummerschoolfourthgradesummer-
school. In fifth grade, I vowed I would get interested in fractions, the
ANALYZE VISUALS
Look at the girl’s
expression, posture, and
clothing, as well as the
presidents of the United States, Mesopotamia; I would learn my English. window she leans near.
That was the problem. English. My mother had decided to send her What do these details
children to the American school so we could learn the language of the nation suggest about her
that would soon be liberating us. For thirty years, the Dominican Republic situation?
had endured a bloody and repressive dictatorship.1 From my father, who was
involved in an underground plot, my mother knew that los américanos 2 had
10 promised to help bring democracy to the island.
“You have to learn your English!” Mami kept scolding me.
“But why?” I’d ask. I didn’t know about my father’s activities. I didn’t know
the dictator was bad. All I knew was that my friends who were attending
Dominican schools were often on holiday to honor the dictator’s birthday,
the dictator’s saint day, the day the dictator became the dictator, the day the
dictator’s oldest son was born, and so on. They marched in parades and visited
the palace and had their picture in the paper.
Meanwhile, I had to learn about the pilgrims with their funny witch hats,
about the 50 states and where they were on the map, about Dick and Jane3 and a CAUSE AND EFFECT
20 their tame little pets, Puff and Spot, about freedom and liberty and justice for What effect does Mr.
Alvarez’s political
all—while being imprisoned in a hot classroom with a picture of a man wearing involvement have on
a silly wig hanging above the blackboard. And all of this learning I had to do in Julia’s life? Include this
that impossibly difficult, rocks-in-your-mouth language of English! a in your chart.
Comprehension
1. Recall Why was Alvarez allowed to attend the American school?
2. Clarify What happened at the airport as the Alvarez family waited for
the plane?
Literary Analysis
3. Interpret Memoir What do you think the title of the memoir means?
Consider the possible meanings of the word “free.” Cite evidence from the
selection to support your interpretation.
4. Analyze Personality Traits Choose
three words or phrases to describe curious
“But why?”
Alvarez as a child. Include them in a I’d ask, “But why?”
web like the one shown. Expand the
web by providing specific examples Young Alvarez
from the memoir that support each
description.
5. Analyze Perspective Although the
events depicted in the memoir take
place when Alvarez was a child, she writes about the experience many years
later. Find at least two examples from the selection that show her adult
perspective, or view on the topic. What does she know as an adult that she
didn’t know at the time?
6. Generalize About Cause and Effect Review the chart you created as you read.
On the basis of the information you collected, make a general statement
about how politics can affect one’s personal life.
7. Draw Conclusions Why do Alvarez’s feelings about leaving her homeland
change by the end of the memoir?
research links
For more on Dominican Republic, visit the Research Center at ClassZone.com.
vocabulary in writing
Write a paragraph explaining the challenges that Julia and her family faced in
the summer of 1960. Use at least two vocabulary words. You might begin this 86A>;DGC>6
way. R1.2 Understand the most
important points in the history of
English language and use common
example sentence word origins to determine the
historical influences on English word
When events started to unravel, Julia’s family had to leave the country. meaning.
When is it OK to be
scared ?
KEY IDEA A spider. A roller coaster. A hurricane. We’re all scared of
something. Even so, it can be hard to admit to being afraid. If your
friends think it’s fun to jump off the high dive, you might not want
86A>;DGC>6
them to know that heights frighten you. In the selection you are
R3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots, about to read, Laurence Yep tells about a time he tried to overcome
parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s his fear in order to impress his father.
development, and the way in which
conflicts are (or are not) addressed
and resolved. SURVEY What scares you and your What Scares You?
Also included in this lesson: W1.3 classmates? Find out by conducting
(p. 131), LC1.4 (p. 131) Fears Number of People
an informal survey. On your own,
1. Heights IIII
jot down three or four of your
fears. Then meet with a small 2. Thunder II
group, combine your lists, and tally 3. The dark III
the results. Which fears are most 4.
common? Which surprised you?
118
literary analysis: conflict in nonfiction 86A>;DGC>6
In the memoir you’re about to read, Laurence Yep relates an
A Man of
event from his childhood. To tell this real-life story, he uses some Accomplishment
of the same literary elements that appear in his award-winning Laurence Yep has said
fiction. For example, the narrative centers around conflicts, or that he approaches
struggles between opposing forces. As you read “The Great Rat American culture
Hunt,” identify the conflicts the young Laurence Yep faces. as “somewhat of
a stranger.” Born
in San Francisco,
reading skill: identify chronological order California, Yep was
Memoirs are often organized in chronological order, which always surrounded
by people of various
means that events are presented in the order in which they
backgrounds, Laurence Yep
happened. To make sure you know when each event occurs, none quite like born 1948
follow these steps: his own. He was
raised in an African-American community
• Identify individual events taking place.
and commuted to a bilingual school in
• Look for words and phrases that signal order, such as before, Chinatown. There, his classmates teased
after, first, next, then, while, the next day, or an hour and him for not knowing Chinese. Yep began
a half later. submitting his work to magazines when a
high school English teacher made publishing
As you read “The Great Rat Hunt,” keep track of the chronology. a story a requirement for getting an A in the
In a chart like the one shown, record key events in order, using class. He became a published author at 18
parallel boxes when two actions occur at the same time. and went on to publish dozens of stories, as
well as earning a college degree and a PhD.
Many of the main conflicts in his works
involve feeling like an outsider.
Father sets out traps.
A Father’s Pride Yep’s writing has gained
him numerous awards, including more than
ten for his book Dragonwings—a book that,
like many of his more recent works, explores
vocabulary in context Chinese mythology. Yep’s success as a writer
The boldfaced words help Laurence Yep relate a story from his greatly pleased his father, who displayed his
childhood. To see how many you know, substitute a different son’s writing medals and plaques “in lieu of
athletic accomplishments.”
word or phrase for each one.
1. barricade the doorway more about the author
For more on Laurence Yep, visit the
2. rationalize a bad habit Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
3. wince in pain
4. perpetual motion
5. an improvised comedy skit
6. known for his quiet reserve
7. vigilant watchdog
8. the ravage caused by the flood
9. embarrassed by my ineptitude
10. spoken to me brusquely
II had asthma1 when I was young, so I never got to play sports much with
my father. While my brother and father practiced, I could only sit in
bed, propped up by a stack of pillows. As I read my comic books, I heard
ANALYZE VISUALS
What can you infer about
the relationship between
the man and the boy in
them beneath our apartment window. In the summer, it was the thump of this painting?
my brother’s fastball into my father’s mitt. In the fall, it was the smack of a
football. In the winter, it was the airy bounce of a basketball.
Though my father had come from China when he was eight, he had taken
quickly to American games. When he and Mother were young, they had had
the same dances and sports leagues as their white schoolmates—but kept
10 separate in Chinatown. (He had met Mother when she tripped him during a
co-ed basketball game at the Chinatown Y.)
Father was big as a teenager and good at sports. In fact, a social club
in Chinatown had hired him to play football against social clubs in other
Chinatowns. There he was, a boy playing against grown men.
During a game in Watsonville, a part-time butcher had broken Father’s
nose. It never properly healed, leaving a big bump at the bridge. There were
other injuries too from baseball, basketball, and tennis. Each bump and scar
on his body had its own story, and each story was matched by a trophy or
medal. a CONFLICT
How does Yep’s asthma
20 Though he now ran a grocery store in San Francisco, he tried to pass on his affect his relationship
athletic skills to my older brother Eddy and me. During the times I felt well, I with his father and
tried to keep up with them, but my lungs always failed me. a brother?
90
II didn’t believe in killing—unless it was a bug like a cockroach. However, I
felt different when I saw a real rifle—the shiny barrel, the faint smell of oil,
the decorated wooden stock. I rationalized the hunt by telling myself I was not rationalize
murdering rabbits or deer, just a mean old rat—like a furry kind of cockroach. (rBshPE-nE-lizQ) v. to make
explanations for one’s
“What’ll it be, boys?” Father asked. behavior
Taking a deep breath, I nodded my head. “Yes, sir.”
Father turned expectantly to Eddy and raised an eyebrow.
From next to me, though, Eddy murmured, “I think I’ll help Mother.” He
wouldn’t look at me.
Father seemed just as shocked as Mother and I. “Are you sure?”
Eddy drew back and mumbled miserably. “Yes, sir.”
Mother gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “I expect you to still have ten f CONFLICT
100 toes and ten fingers when you finish.” Reread lines 88–103.
Why is Yep torn between
As we left the store, I felt funny. Part of me felt triumphant. For once, it was staying with his mother
Eddy who had failed and not me. And yet another part of me wished I were and going to help his
staying with him and Mother. f father?
Father said nothing as we left the store and climbed the back stairs. As I
trailed him, I thought he was silent because he was disappointed: He would
rather have Eddy’s help than mine.
4. poulterer (pIlPtEr-Er): a person who sells domestic fowls, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, or geese.
110 how to dribble, or catch a football, or handle a pop foul. “I won’t.” I nodded
earnestly.
Father pulled a lever near the middle of the gun. “Next, make sure the rifle
is empty.” He let me inspect the breech.5 There was nothing inside.
reserve (rG-zûrvP) n. self-
“Yes, sir,” I said and glanced up at him to read his mood. Because Father
restraint in the way one
used so few words, he always sounded a little impatient whenever he taught me looks or acts
a lesson. However, it was hard to tell this time if it was genuine irritation or his
normal reserve. g g CONFLICT
He merely grunted. “Here. Open this.” And he handed me the box of How does Yep think his
father sees him?
cartridges.
120 I was so nervous that the cartridges clinked inside the box when I took it. As
I fumbled at the lid, I almost felt like apologizing for not being Eddy.
Now, when I got edgy, I was the opposite of Father: I got talkier. “How did
you learn how to hunt?” I asked. “From your father?”
My father rarely spoke of his father, who had died before I was born. He
winced now as if the rat had just nipped him. “My old man? Nah. He never wince (wGns) v. to flinch
had the time. I learned from some of my buddies in Chinatown.”6 He held out or shrink in pain or
his hand. distress
7. mug: face.
260
S scared it off,” Father announced.
Mother shook her head. “That rat laughed itself to death.”
father changed since the
beginning of the story?
Father disappeared into the storeroom: and for a moment we all thought
Mother had gone too far. Then we heard the electric saw that he kept back
there. “What are you doing?” Mother called.
He came back out with a block of wood about two inches square. He was
carefully sandpapering the splinters from the edges. “Maybe some day we’ll
find the corpse. Its head ought to look real good over the fireplace.”
Mother was trying hard to keep a straight face. “You can’t have a trophy
head unless you shoot it.”
“If it died of laughter like you said, then I killed it,” he insisted proudly.
270 “Sure as if I pulled the trigger.” He winked at me. “Get the varnish out for our
trophy will you?”
I was walking away when I realized he had said “our.” I turned and said,
“That rat was doomed from the start.” I heard my parents both laughing as I
hurried away.
Comprehension 86A>;DGC>6
1. Recall How do Laurence and his brother differ? R3.2 Evaluate the structural
elements of the plot (e.g., subplots,
2. Recall What compliment does Laurence’s father give him? parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s
development, and the way in which
conflicts are (or are not) addressed
3. Clarify What happens to the rat at the end of the selection? and resolved.
Literary Analysis
4. Identify Chronological Order Review the chart you made as you read. Does
it contain all the important events of the selection? If not, add them now.
Then use your chart to tell what happened right before Father ran out of the
apartment. What happened right after?
5. Examine Conflict In a conflict map like the one shown, note one of the
selection’s most important conflicts and the events that lead to its resolution,
or outcome.
Conflict:
Resolution:
6. Analyze Characters Even though Yep was scared, he still agreed to help his
father capture the rat. What do you learn about Yep from his actions?
7. Compare and Contrast Compare Yep’s feelings about his role in the family
in the beginning of the selection with his feelings at the end. How are they
different?
8. Interpret Meaning Reread lines 270–271. What do you think it means that
Yep’s father uses the word “our” to refer to the trophy?
vocabulary in writing
Imagine you are trying to assist Yep and his father in searching for the rat. Use
three or more vocabulary words to write a paragraph about your experience.
You could start like this.
example sentence
PRACTICE In the following sentences, identify the words that are examples of
onomatopoeia.
1. You could hear the tick-tock of the clock.
2. The fire crackled as the logs burned. vocabulary
practice
3. I love to pop popcorn.
For more practice, go
4. The crowd was buzzing with excitement. to the Vocabulary Center
at ClassZone.com.
5. He plopped down in the chair to watch the movie.
Subject pronouns function as just that—the subject of a sentence. They include LC1.4 Edit written manuscripts to
ensure that correct grammar is used.
the words I, he, she, we, and they. Object pronouns function as the object of a
sentence and include the words me, him, her, us, and them. (You and it function
as both subject and object pronouns.)
Original: Him and his brother have different interests and abilities.
Revised: He and his brother have different interests and abilities.
(The pronoun is functioning as a subject, so it should be he.)
For more help with pronoun cases, see page R53 in the Grammar Handbook.
132
literary analysis: narrative poetry 86A>;DGC>6
You’ve read fictional stories, true stories, and stories presented
An Accomplished
dramatically. Now you’re about to read a narrative poem, Teenager When
which is a poem that tells a story. Like a short story, a narrative he was just 14,
poem has the following elements: Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow was
• a plot, or series of events that center on a conflict faced by accepted into
a main character Bowdoin College
• a setting, the time and place(s) where the story occurs; in Maine. He did
well in his studies
setting is usually established in the exposition stage of
and had nearly 40
the plot poems published
• character(s), or the individual or individuals who take part before he graduated. Henry Wadsworth
in the action He learned French, Longfellow
Italian, and Spanish 1807–1882
As you read “Paul Revere’s Ride,” notice how Longfellow uses and translated famous
story elements to describe Paul Revere’s adventures. literary works into English.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead, belfry n. the bell tower in
In their night encampment on the hill, a church.
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
45 That he could hear, like a sentinel’s8 tread, c PARAPHRASE
Reread lines 31–41.
The watchful night-wind, as it went Paraphrase this stanza,
Creeping along from tent to tent, remembering to include
And seeming to whisper, “All is well!” all details in your own
A moment only he feels the spell words. Add this to your
chart.
50 Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,—
55 A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats. d d SUSPENSE
Reread lines 52–56. What
words or phrases does the
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
writer use in this passage
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride to create a feeling of
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere. suspense?
60 Now he patted his horse’s side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous,9 stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;10
But mostly he watched with eager search
Comprehension 86A>;DGC>6
1. Recall How many lanterns were hung in the belfry of the Old North Church? R3.1 Determine and articulate the
What do they signify? relationship between the purposes
and characteristics of different forms
of poetry (e.g., ballad. lyric, couplet,
2. Summarize In your own words, describe what Paul Revere hoped to epic, elegy, ode, sonnet).
accomplish with his late-night ride.
3. Represent Reread lines 37–56. Draw what you think Revere’s friend sees from
the bell tower.
Literary Analysis
4. Analyze Narrative Poetry In a chart like “Paul Revere’s Ride”
the one shown, note the story elements
Setting
in “Paul Revere’s Ride.” Then tell the
main conflict and how it is resolved. Characters
research links
For more on Paul Revere, visit the Research Center at ClassZone.com.
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Subheadings Notes
Rumors of a March Night of April 18, 1775, a rumor reaches
on Concord William Dawes that the British are planning
to take ammunition in Concord.
Dawes tells Paul Revere; both get orders from
Dr. Joseph Warren to ride to inform the
leaders of the Provincial Congress of what’s
going on.
Sneaking Past Guards
F OCUS ON FORM
You are about to read
a history article, a
tic
b HISTORY ARTICLE N R.
Charlestown
History articles often a British roadblock. Dawes and
W E
contain maps, timelines, Prescott were captured before Boston
Boston
S Harbor
and other graphic aids to they could be warned. As the Charl
es R .
help you track the details British tried to lead them into a Dawes’s ride
Comprehension
1. Recall Who was sent to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams about
a British military operation?
2. Clarify What kind of person was William Dawes?
3. Clarify What “near miss” did the riders encounter as they rode to Concord?
Critical Analysis
4. Use Your Notes Use your notes to create a timeline of the historic events that
occurred on the night of April 18, 1775.
5. Understand a History Article Now that you’ve read this history article, what
do you think are the main points the author wants to make about the events
of April 18, 1775?
contrast the legend in the poem with the true account of that night
as it is presented in the historical article.
Remember that when you compare and contrast, you identify the ways in
which two or more things are alike and different. Then follow these steps:
1. In a chart like the one shown, identify the main people and events in the
poem. Then identify the main people and events in the article.
2. Note the differences between the two accounts in the last column of
the chart.
3. In a sentence, make a general statement about the similarities and
differences in the accounts. Support your statement with specific
examples.
Let me tell you how it all started. Tom and I were in the cafeteria,
5 eating. It was fourth period in May. I grunted with a mouth full of ham, Includes dialogue that
“I got an idea.” Tom was so busy eating his hot dog with everything on matches what people
said at the time, even
it that he didn’t hear me. if it contains slang or
“Tom!” I yelled, sending bits of ham onto his tray. mistakes in grammar.
g
me
ti n
Use a spider map, a cluster diagram, or another Ch Tom fourth-period lunch
t
Se
graphic organizer to help you gather important ar May
ac Anahi
te
facts about the incident. Thinking about the rs
Jalapen~o-
major elements of a story—characters, setting, Eating Contest
and action—can help jog your memory.
I get the idea.
n
4. Conclude strongly.
It’s a little harder to get Tom to partake in
• [Bracket] the part of your conclusion that
my other schemes since I sent him to the drinking
explains why you chose to describe this
fountain for hours! I still have hope that he can
experience or what you learned from it.
pack down 58 peppers if he just works at it, though.
• If you have nothing to bracket, add one or I’m sure you can imagine how much luck I’m having
more sentences that explain the meaning convincing him to try.
of the incident.
What about you? Bon appétit!
focuses on one experience “Come on, Tom. You can do it!” I encouraged,
includes well-chosen details and pounding the table. “50, 51, 52, 53, 54 . . .
dialogue Come on . . . 55, 56, 57.”
Organization “Yahoo!!” Tom shouted.
has a vivid introduction and a
strong conclusion • If the speaker’s words are a statement, use a
uses transitions to make the order comma to separate them from the rest of the
of event clear text. If they are a question or an exclamation,
use a question mark or an exclamation point
Voice
instead of a comma.
has a distinctive style
Word Choice “So let’s hear this great idea of yours,” Tom
stated, brushing ham from his fries.
uses sensory language
Sentence Fluency
varies sentence types (statements, “What? Huh?” he replied, looking up from his
questions, and exclamations) hot dog.
Conventions
uses correct grammar, spelling, “All right, Tom!” I yelled.
and punctuation
See page R49: Quick Reference: Punctuation
Ask a Peer Reader
• Do any events seem out of order or
confusing? If so, which ones?
• What else would you like to know
about this experience? publishing options
For publishing options, visit the
• How can I make my introduction Writing Center at ClassZone.com.
more interesting?
assessment prepar ation
For writing and grammar assessment practice,
go to the Assessment Center at ClassZone.com.
Presenting a Narrative
When sharing your narrative with an audience (such as your
classmates), you’ll need to do more than just read it aloud. Here’s
how to tell your narrative in an interesting, entertaining way.
Preparing the Narrative
1. Choose details wisely, with your audience in mind. The
narrative that you wrote focuses on a single incident, event,
or situation. What do you need to do to describe it clearly and
coherently? Certain slang words, jargon, or other vocabulary
may be new to your listeners. You may need to add background
information to make the narrative easier to understand.
2. What’s the significance? What does the incident that you
described mean to you, and how do you want audience
members to feel about it? Once you decide on your message
and purpose, you will know what tone (attitude) you want to
project—serious or playful, formal or informal.
3. Get organized. On note cards, record words and phrases that
remind you of the details of your narrative. Highlight places
where you want to change your voice modulation (making your
voice softer or louder) or expression (the way you look and
sound when you say a word—for example, sweet or angry).
4. Test it out. Tell your narrative to a group of friends or family
members. Ask if any parts were unclear or boring; then revise.
go on
154
Assessment Practice
9. The flashback reveals that the narrator 14. During the falling action, you discover that
the invaders
A carefully watched the invaders when they
left their ship A arrive on a large ship
B was captured as a child by invaders and B have strangely colored eyes
taken to their land C are led by an English captain
C grew to believe that the invaders had D mistreat their animals and each other
friendly intentions
D had many habits in common with the
invaders Written Response
10. The climax of the story occurs when the SHORT RESPONSE Write two or three sentences
narrator to answer each question.
A steps out and speaks to the invaders 15. Identify one technique the author uses to
B hides from the invaders in the woods create suspense. Give an example from the
C returns home after being held captive text to support your choice.
D hears the invaders talk to their leader
16. In the flashback, what steps does the narrator
11. Why does the narrator hide from the new take to escape the invaders?
invaders?
A He distrusts the invaders and is trying to EXTENDED RESPONSE Write a paragraph to answer
decide what to do. the following question.
B Other people are coming to help him. 17. Reread lines 37–46. What does the narrator
C He wants to surprise the invaders from a realize about the invaders? Explain how this
well-protected location. realization helps him to resolve his conflict.
D A search party is looking for him.
155
Vocabulary
DIRECTIONS Use context clues and the Latin DIRECTIONS Use the dictionary entry to answer
word and root definitions to answer the the following questions.
following questions.
craft (krBft) noun 1. A boat, ship, or aircraft.
1. The Latin prefix ex- means “out,” and the 2. Skill in doing or making something 3. An
Latin word habere means “to hold” or “to see.” occupation or trade. verb 1. To make by hand.
What is the most likely meaning of the word Synonyms: noun: vehicle, talent, profession,
exhibited as it is used in line 15? trickery; verb: create.
A made to work hard
B presented in public 5. Which definition best matches the meaning
of the word craft as it is used in line 6?
C held captive in a prison
D soothed with kind words A noun definition 1
B noun definition 2
2. The word establish comes from the Latin word C noun definition 3
stabilis, which means “firm.” What is the most D verb definition 1
likely meaning of the word establish as it is
used in line 22? 6. In which sentence is the word craft used as
A to end quickly a verb?
B to damage beyond repair A She learned her craft from her father, who
C to bring about using trickery was a carpenter.
D to set up and make solid B The fine workmanship revealed the
sculptor’s craft.
3. The Latin word fervere means “to boil.” What C He tried to craft a set of bookshelves for
is the most likely meaning of the word the library.
fervently as it is used in line 31? D The small craft was tossed about by the
A in a dreamy way rough waves.
B for a long time
7. Which synonym would best replace the word
C with great emotion
craft in the following sentence?
D while cooking
4. The Latin word speculari means “to observe.” The wily fox used craft to outsmart the
What is the most likely meaning of the word hunters.
speculating as it is used in line 36? A vehicle
A creating a new object B talent
B thinking about or guessing C profession
C taking a risk in the hope of gain D trickery
D accepting something as true
156
Assessment Practice
(1) When the Pilgrims first landed at Plymouth in 1620, everyone had their dream
of a better life. (2) They agreed that they should work together to build a common
house for all of the colonists meetings and religious services. (3) Peoples lives were
difficult though, especially because there was a shortage of food. (4) Nobody knew
whether they would survive. (5) In fact, many settlers died during his first winter
in the colony. (6) The Native American Squanto helped everyone who remained
find where they could fish and trap animals for food. (7) The Native Americans
willingness to share their knowledge of agriculture helped the Pilgrims survive in
the new land. (8) Today, the national holiday of Thanksgiving recalls the Pilgrims
celebration of their first harvest in Plymouth.
3. Choose the correct way to punctuate the 7. Choose the correct way to punctuate the
underlined word in sentence 3. underlined word in sentence 7.
A Peopleses’ C Peoples’s A American’s C Americanses’
B Peoples’ D People’s B Americans’s D Americans’
STOP
157
1
unit
Is seeing believing?
The Kite Rider Sorceress The True Confessions
by Geraldine McCaughrean by Celia Rees of Charlotte Doyle
In thirteenth-century China, Agnes grew up on a Mohawk by Avi
Hayou works as a kite rider. reservation in upstate New At only 13, Charlotte is a
It’s a terrifying job, but as he York. When she starts perfect young lady. When
soars through the clouds he dreaming of a 17th-century she’s on a ship traveling to
sometimes sees his father’s ancestor, she goes home to America, she swears she will
spirit. Can these sightings her Aunt M for help. Is Agnes never leave her cabin, but by
give Hayou the wisdom and going crazy, or is someone the end of the voyage she’s
courage to save his mother trying to tell her secrets of her been accused of murder, tried,
and himself? family’s past? and found guilty.
When is it OK to be scared?
Code Orange A Girl Named Disaster The Rag and Bone Shop
by Caroline B. Cooney by Nancy Farmer by Robert Cormier
Mitty panics when he Nhamo isn’t even 12 when A little girl has been
remembers his biology she’s forced to marry a cruel murdered. Trent, an expert
paper. He grabs some old man with three wives. Her interrogator, is brought to
medical books from his grandmother convinces her Monument, Massachusetts to
mother’s office and finds an to run away, and Nhamo meet the 12-year-old suspect,
envelope of smallpox scabs must find her way from Jason Dorrant. If Trent can
from 1912. Has Mitty just Mozambique to Zimbabwe get the boy’s confession it’ll
unleashed a deadly virus on on her own. make his career, but is Jason
New York City? really guilty?