unit Getting the Message theme and symbol In Fiction In Nonfiction In Poetry Across Genres

Transcription

1 Getting the Message 4 unit theme and symbol In Fiction In Nonfiction In Poetry Across Genres 431

2 unit4 Share What You Know Find It Online! Go to thinkcentral.com for the interactive version of this unit. What MESSAGES are timeless? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Love conquers all. These statements may have been communicated to you by family, friends, teachers, or others who wanted to send you messages about life and human nature. Those messages, called themes when they appear in works of fiction or movies, are often expressed in similar ways by writers across different cultures or time periods. ACTIVITY Think about three or four of your favorite books or movies. For each, write down the theme that you think the author or director was trying to express. Consider the following questions: Does the book or movie have something to say about the way people behave under particular circumstances? Does the book or movie teach something about an abstract concept, such as war, love, or friendship? Does the book or movie try to convince you to act in a specific way? Get together with your classmates to see how many of your listed items have similar themes. Make a group list of titles that are good examples of a particular theme. 432

3 Virginia Standards of Learning Preview Unit Goals text analysis reading writing and language speaking and listening vocabulary academic vocabulary media literacy Determine a theme or central idea and analyze its development Compare and contrast universal themes Identify and interpret symbolism Analyze an author s perspective Make inferences and draw conclusions; cite evidence Analyze sequence of events Outline a text and analyze key ideas Write an analysis of literary nonfiction Effectively select, organize, and analyze content Use rhetorical questions for effect Use and punctuate various types of clauses correctly Participate in a panel discussion Use suffixes to determine the meaning of words Determine the connotative meaning of words Use context as a clue to meaning Use a dictionary to find the pronunciation of words or determine their etymology context interpret reveal significant tradition Analyze representations in different mediums 433

4 unit 4 Text Analysis Workshop Theme and Symbol A dramatic plot, heart-pounding action, intriguing characters one or all of these elements may play a part in capturing, and holding, your interest in a story. Often, though, stories resonate most when they provide insights into life or human nature. The meaning behind a work of literature is the theme, the underlying message or central idea that the writer wants you to remember. Understanding this message and the writer s view of the world is the payoff you ll earn for reading carefully. Virginia Standards of Learning Included in this workshop: 9.4a Identify author s main idea and purpose. 9.4b Summarize text relating supporting details. 9.4e Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme. Part 1: Themes in Literature Some very old stories have such enduring appeal that they influence works written many centuries later. One reason these stories remain relevant is that they feature themes about emotions and experiences that are common across virtually all time periods and cultures. These universal themes show up again and again in literature from ancient myths and folktales to today s bestsellers. examples of universal themes People can learn from the mistakes and triumphs of past generations. When it comes to war, there are no winners. Difficult choices are part of growing up. Love binds people together. A writer can use virtually every element of a story characters, plot, and setting to develop a theme. To convey a theme about the challenges of growing up, for example, a writer might craft a story about an insecure teenager who is plagued by difficult choices. As the character struggles to resolve the conflicts, he or she may learn a lesson about life. A writer may also develop a theme through the use of symbols. A symbol is a person, place, object, or activity that stands for something beyond itself. In the same story about the doubt-ridden teenager, a writer may use the following symbols to communicate the theme without having to directly state it: a fork in the road (an important decision) the color red (a character s anger at the world) a torrential rainstorm (an emotional upheaval) 434 unit 4: theme and symbol

5 model: theme and symbol Some symbols, like the ivy leaf in this story, are hard not to notice. The story is about Johnsy and Sue, two artists who become friends while living in New York City. When Johnsy becomes sick with pneumonia, she sinks into a deep depression. How does the symbol help you to understand Johnsy s emotions? from Short story by O. Henry Couldn t you draw in the other room? asked Johnsy, coldly. I d rather be here by you, said Sue. Besides, I don t want you to keep looking at those silly ivy leaves. Tell me as soon as you have finished, said Johnsy, closing her eyes, and lying white and still as a fallen statue, because I want to see the last one fall. I m tired of waiting. I m tired of thinking. I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves.... When Sue awoke from an hour s sleep the next morning she found Johnsy with dull, wide-open eyes staring at the drawn green shade. Pull it up; I want to see, she ordered, in a whisper. Wearily Sue obeyed. But, lo! after the beating rain and fierce gusts of wind that had endured through the livelong night, there yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf. It was the last on the vine. Still dark green near its stem, but with its serrated edges tinted with the yellow of dissolution and decay, it hung bravely from a branch some twenty feet above the ground. It is the last one, said Johnsy. I thought it would surely fall during the night. I heard the wind. It will fall to-day, and I shall die at the same time.... The day wore away, and even through the twilight they could see the lone ivy leaf clinging to its stem against the wall. And then, with the coming of the night the north wind was again loosed, while the rain still beat against the windows and pattered down from the low Dutch eaves. When it was light enough Johnsy, the merciless, commanded that the shade be raised. The ivy leaf was still there. Johnsy lay for a long time looking at it. And then she called to Sue, who was stirring her chicken broth over the gas stove. I ve been a bad girl, Sudie, said Johnsy. Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want to die. Close Read 1. Reread lines 4 8. How do the ivy leaves symbolize Johnsy and her feelings about life? 2. Examine the boxed description of the last leaf. Which words or phrases might also be used to describe Johnsy? Explain. 3. The theme emerges in lines Summarize and explain what the writer is saying about how people should view life. How does the symbol help to convey the theme? text analysis workshop 435

6 Part 2: Determine Theme Writers rarely state a work s theme directly. More often, the theme is implied. You have to analyze layers of clues to see what they reveal about the theme. As you try to uncover the theme of a work, keep these guidelines in mind: It is helpful to summarize the text before you determine its theme. Briefly retell the story s events, identifying important details, without including your own opinions. The theme is not the subject of a work; it is what the work means. Love is a subject or topic. A theme is the writer s insight or idea about love, best expressed in a sentence or two, such as Love conquers all. Some works of literature have more than one theme, but in short stories, usually one theme stands out. The genre of a work affects the way its theme emerges. For example, a poem may share a common theme with a story, but the poet uses different techniques to express that theme. clues to a story s theme title The title may reflect a story s subject or a significant idea. Ask What in the story does the title refer to? Does the title have more than one meaning? What ideas does the title highlight? characters Characters can reflect theme by what they do or say. Ask What do the main character s thoughts and actions reveal about him or her? How does the main character change? What lessons does the character learn? plot and conflict A story revolves around conflicts that are central to the theme. Ask What conflicts do the characters face? How are the conflicts resolved? Is the resolution portrayed positively or negatively? setting Setting can convey theme because of what it means to the characters and readers. Ask How does the setting affect the characters and the plot? What might the setting represent? important statements The narrator or the characters may make statements that hint at the theme. Ask What key statements are made by the characters or the narrator? What ideas do these statements emphasize? symbols Characters, conflicts, and settings can serve as symbols that support the theme. Ask What might the characters, conflicts, and setting represent? What ideas do these symbols communicate? 436 unit 4: theme and symbol

7 Text Analysis Workshop Part 3: Analyze the Text This story takes place in Dublin, Ireland, during a civil war that erupted in Hidden by darkness, a sniper waits for his next target. As you read, track the clues to the theme. What message about war is the writer communicating? Short story by Liam O Flaherty The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness, but for the dim light of the moon, that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey. Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters 1 were waging civil war. On a roof-top near O Connel Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching. Beside him lay his rifle and over his shoulders were slung a pair of field-glasses. His face was the face of a student thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death. He was eating a sandwich hungrily. He had eaten nothing since morning. He had been too excited to eat. He finished the sandwich, and taking a flask of whiskey from his pocket, he took a short draught. Then he returned the flask to his pocket. He paused for a moment, considering whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness and there were enemies watching. He decided to take the risk. Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke hurriedly and put out the light. Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet 2 of the roof. The sniper took another whiff and put out the cigarette. Then he swore softly and crawled away to the left. Cautiously he raised himself and peered over the parapet. There was a flash and a bullet whizzed over his head. He dropped immediately. He had seen the flash. It came from the opposite side of the street. He rolled over the roof to a chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew himself up behind it, until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There was nothing to be seen just the dim outline of the opposite housetop against the blue sky. His enemy was under cover. Just then an armored car came across the bridge and advanced slowly up the street. It stopped on the opposite side of the street fifty yards ahead. The sniper could hear the dull panting of the motor. His heart beat faster. It was an enemy car. He wanted to fire, but he knew it was useless. His bullets would never pierce the steel that covered the grey monster. Close Read 1. Which setting details in the first paragraph help convey a grim, dangerous picture of war? One detail has been boxed. 2. Reread the description of the sniper in lines Through the character of the sniper, what might the writer be saying about soldiers who fight in wars? 1. Republicans and Free Staters: The Irish Republican Army (Republicans) wanted complete independence from England. The Irish Free Staters wanted Ireland to govern itself but still remain part of the British Empire. 2. parapet: a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony. text analysis workshop 437

8 Then round the corner of a side street came an old woman, her head covered by a tattered shawl. She began to talk to the man in the turret of the car. She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay. An informer. The turret opened. A man s head and shoulders appeared, looking towards the sniper. The sniper raised his rifle and fired. The head fell heavily on the turret wall. The woman darted toward the side street. The sniper fired again. The woman whirled round and fell with a shriek into the gutter. Suddenly from the opposite roof a shot rang out and the sniper dropped his rifle with a curse. The rifle clattered to the roof. The sniper thought the noise would wake the dead. He stopped to pick the rifle up. He couldn t lift it. His forearm was dead.... He muttered, I m hit. Dropping flat on to the roof, he crawled back to the parapet. With his left hand he felt the injured right forearm. The blood was oozing through the sleeve of his coat. There was no pain just a deadened sensation, as if the arm had been cut off. Quickly he drew his knife from his pocket, opened it on the breastwork of the parapet and ripped open the sleeve. There was a small hole where the bullet had entered. On the other side there was no hole. The bullet had lodged in the bone. It must have fractured it. He bent the arm below the wound. The arm bent back easily. He ground his teeth to overcome the pain. Then, taking out his field dressing, he ripped open the packet with his knife. He broke the neck of the iodine bottle and let the bitter fluid drip into the wound. A paroxysm of pain swept through him. He placed the cotton wadding over the wound and wrapped the dressing over it. He tied the end with his teeth. Then he lay still against the parapet, and closing his eyes, he made an effort of will to overcome the pain. n the street beneath all was still. The armored car had retired speedily over the bridge, with the machine gunner s head hanging lifeless over the turret. The woman s corpse lay still in the gutter. The sniper lay for a long time nursing his wounded arm and planning escape. Morning must not find him wounded on the roof. The enemy on the opposite roof covered his escape. He must kill that enemy and he could not use his rifle. He had only a revolver to do it. Then he thought of a plan. Taking off his cap, he placed it over the muzzle of his rifle. Then he pushed the rifle slowly upwards over the parapet, until the cap was visible from the opposite side of the street. Almost immediately there was a report, and a bullet pierced the center of the cap. The sniper slanted the rifle forward. The cap slipped down into the street. Then, catching the rifle in the middle, the sniper dropped his left hand over the roof and let it hang, lifelessly. After a few moments he let the rifle drop to the street. Then he sank to the roof, dragging his hand with him. Crawling quickly to the left, he peered up at the corner of the roof. His ruse had succeeded. The other sniper seeing the cap and rifle fall, thought that Close Read 3. Why does the sniper shoot the man in the armored car and the woman? Explain how you think the writer wants you to feel about the sniper s actions. 4. What conflicts are created by the presence of the enemy sniper? 5. Notice how the sniper refers to the other sniper only as the enemy in lines In what ways might this help the sniper be effective in war? 438 unit 4: theme and symbol

9 Text Analysis Workshop he had killed his man. He was now standing before a row of chimney pots, looking across, with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky. The Republican sniper smiled and lifted his revolver above the edge of the parapet. The distance was about fifty yards a hard shot in the dim light, and his right arm was paining him.... He took a steady aim. His hand trembled with eagerness. Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired. He was almost deafened with the report and his arm shook with the recoil hen, when the smoke cleared, he peered across and uttered a cry of joy. His enemy had been hit. He was reeling over the parapet in his death agony. He struggled to keep his feet, but he was slowly falling forward, as if in a dream. The rifle fell from his grasp, hit the parapet, fell over, bounded off the pole of a barber s shop beneath and then clattered on to the pavement. Then the dying man on the roof crumpled up and fell forward. The body turned over and over in space and hit the ground with a dull thud. Then it lay still. The sniper looked at his enemy falling and he shuddered. The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse. The sweat stood out in beads on his forehead. Weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof, he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered. He began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody. He looked at the smoking revolver in his hand and with an oath he hurled it to the roof at his feet. The revolver went off with the concussion, and the bullet whizzed past the sniper s head. He was frightened back to his senses by the shock. His nerves steadied. The cloud of fear scattered from his mind and he laughed. Taking the whiskey flask from his pocket, he emptied it at a draught. He felt reckless under the influence of the spirits. He decided to leave the roof and look for his company commander to report. Everywhere around was quiet. There was not much danger in going through the streets. He picked up his revolver and put it in his pocket. Then he crawled down through the sky-light to the house underneath. When the sniper reached the laneway on the street level, he felt a sudden curiosity as to the identity of the enemy sniper whom he had killed. He decided that he was a good shot whoever he was. He wondered if he knew him. Perhaps he had been in his own company before the split in the army. He decided to risk going over to have a look at him. He peered around the corner into O Connell Street. In the upper part of the street there was heavy firing, but around here all was quiet. The sniper darted across the street. A machine gun tore up the ground around him with a hail of bullets, but he escaped. He threw himself face downwards beside the corpse. The machine gun stopped. Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother s face. Close Read 6. How does the Republican sniper resolve his conflict with the second sniper? 7. Reread the boxed text. How does the sniper change after seeing his enemy fall? 8. Which details in lines tell you that the sniper starts to realize his fallen enemy is a human being? Explain. 9. Consider the last line of the story and the clues you noticed while reading. What is the writer saying about war? State the theme and summarize details that helped you understand it. text analysis workshop 439

10 Comparing Texts Marigolds Short Story by Eugenia Collier Sowing Change Newspaper Article by Donna Freedman In Our Hands Book Cover What if life had a RESET button? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3a Use structural analysis of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and cognates to understand complex words. 9.3b Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases. 9.4e Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme. 9.4i Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point of view of a written work. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. It s a terrible thing to drop your grandmother s prized china vase on the kitchen floor. And did you really have to be so mean to your little brother yesterday? At one time or another, we ve all done or said something that makes us cringe with regret. We wish we could turn back the clock by a minute or a day and just do the whole thing over. What s the Connection? The literary text that follows will explore not only regret but other concepts that shape the way we see and experience the world poverty, pride, and beauty, to name a few. After you read Marigolds, you ll read a nonfiction text and a visual that explore similar topics. 440

11 text analysis: theme and setting Marigolds takes place in a rural African-American community during the 1930s a time of racial segregation, poverty, and limited opportunity. This setting offers important clues about the development of the story s theme, or underlying message. For example, the figurative, or nonliteral, description of futile waiting as the sorrowful background music of our impoverished little community powerfully describes the setting and hints at the hopelessness of the narrator s situation. As you read the story, think about how the setting influences the narrator s experiences and the conflicts she faces. What message do those experiences teach us about life? What changes do they suggest the author would like to see in society? reading skill: draw conclusions A conclusion is a logical judgment based on information in the text and on your own experience and prior knowledge. As you read Marigolds, create a graphic organizer like the one shown. Include information from the text and your thoughts about the information. Then record your conclusions. Text Information All the narrator remembers about her hometown is the dust. Review: Paraphrase vocabulary in context + Prior Knowledge = + Most people recall pleasant memories = of their past. Conclusion She must not have many pleasant memories, or she would have remembered them. In your Reader/Writer Notebook, create a chart like the one below and place the following words from the story in the chart according to your knowledge of them. Then write a brief definition of each word you know. word list bravado degradation exuberance futile impotent nostalgia ostensibly perverse Know Well Think I Know Don t Know poignantly retribution squalor stoicism Meet the Author Eugenia Collier born 1928 Respect for Education Eugenia Collier grew up in the segregated part of Baltimore, Maryland, the city where she still lives today. From her parents, a doctor and a teacher, Collier learned the value of education at a young age. This led her to graduate with high honors from Howard University. She then received a master of arts from Columbia University. Award-Winning Teacher and Writer After working for five years as a caseworker for the Baltimore Department of Public Welfare, Collier became a college professor and started her writing career. She credits her African-American heritage as her inspiration. The fact of my blackness is the core and center of my creativity. Marigolds, one of her first stories, won the Gwendolyn Brooks Award for fiction in Since then, her stories, poems, and essays have appeared in many anthologies and magazines. She was selected as an outstanding educator from and won a Distinguished Writers Award in background to the story Hard Times During the Great Depression of the 1930s, millions of Americans suffered from unemployment. Government programs, such as the unemployment insurance available today, did not yet exist to help people get through the tough times. Although many Americans suffered, African Americans were particularly hard hit. In an age of racial segregation and prejudice, black people generally had fewer job opportunities and experienced higher unemployment rates. Author Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9-441 Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. 441

12 Marigolds Eugenia Collier When I think of the home town of my youth, all that I seem to remember is dust the brown, crumbly dust of late summer arid, sterile dust that gets into the eyes and makes them water, gets into the throat and between the toes of bare brown feet. I don t know why I should remember only the dust. Surely there must have been lush green lawns and paved streets under leafy shade trees somewhere in town; but memory is an abstract painting it does not present things as they are, but rather as they feel. And so, when I think of that time and that place, I remember only the dry September of the dirt roads and grassless yards of the shanty-town where I lived. And one other thing I 10 remember, another incongruency of memory a brilliant splash of sunny yellow against the dust Miss Lottie s marigolds. a Whenever the memory of those marigolds flashes across my mind, a strange nostalgia comes with it and remains long after the picture has faded. I feel again the chaotic emotions of adolescence, illusive as smoke, yet as real as the potted geranium before me now. Joy and rage and wild animal gladness and shame become tangled together in the multicolored skein of 14-going-on-15 as I recall that devastating moment when I was suddenly more woman than child, years ago in Miss Lottie s yard. I think of those marigolds at the strangest times; I remember them vividly now as I desperately pass away the time 20 waiting for you, who will not come. I suppose that futile waiting was the sorrowful background music of our impoverished little community when I was young. The Depression that gripped the nation was no new thing to us, for the black workers of rural Maryland had always been depressed. I don t know what it was that we were waiting for; certainly not for the prosperity that was just around the corner, for those were white folks words, which we never believed. Nor did we wait for hard work and thrift to pay off in shining success as the American Dream 1 promised, for we knew better than that, too. Perhaps we waited for a miracle, a How would you describe the mood created by this painting? theme and setting Identify details that help you visualize the setting. What contrasts are presented? nostalgia (nj-stblpje) n. bittersweet longing for things from the past futile (fyltpl) adj. having no useful result 1. American Dream: the belief that through hard work one will achieve a comfortable and prosperous life. 442 unit 4: theme and symbol Detail of Full Spittoon (1974), Bob Timberlake. Watercolor. Private Collection. Bob Timberlake.

13 Comparing Texts

14 amorphous in concept but necessary if one were to have the grit to rise before dawn each day and labor in the white man s vineyard until after dark, or to wander about in the September dust, offering one s sweat in return for some meager share of bread. But God was chary 2 with miracles in those days, and so we waited and waited. We children, of course, were only vaguely aware of the extent of our poverty. Having no radios, few newspapers, and no magazines, we were somewhat unaware of the world outside our community. Nowadays we would be called culturally deprived and people would write books and hold conferences about us. In those days everybody we knew was just as hungry and ill-clad as we were. Poverty was the cage in which we all were trapped, and our hatred of it was still the vague, undirected restlessness of the zoo-bred flamingo who knows that nature created him to fly free. b As I think of those days I feel most poignantly the tag-end of summer, the bright dry times when we began to have a sense of shortening days and the imminence of the cold. By the time I was 14 my brother Joey and I were the only children left at our house, the older ones having left home for early marriage or the lure of the city, and the two babies having been sent to relatives who might care for them better than we. Joey was three years younger than I, and a boy, and therefore vastly inferior. Each morning our mother and father trudged wearily down the dirt road and around the bend, she to her domestic job, he to his daily unsuccessful quest for work. After our few chores around the tumbledown shanty, Joey and I were free to run wild in the sun with other children similarly situated. For the most part, those days are ill-defined in my memory, running together and combining like a fresh water-color painting left out in the rain. I remember squatting in the road drawing a picture in the dust, a picture that Joey gleefully erased with one sweep of his dirty foot. I remember fishing for minnows in a muddy creek and watching sadly as they eluded my cupped hands, while Joey laughed uproariously. And I remember, that year, a strange restlessness of body and of spirit, a feeling that something old and familiar was ending, and something unknown and therefore terrifying was beginning. c One day returns to me with special clarity for some reason, perhaps because it was the beginning of the experience that in some inexplicable way marked the end of innocence. I was loafing under the great oak tree in our yard, deep in some reverie which I have now forgotten except that it involved some secret, secret thoughts of one of the Harris boys across the yard. Joey and a bunch of kids were bored now with the old tire suspended from an oak limb which had kept them entertained for a while. Hey, Lizabeth, Joey yelled. He never talked when he could yell. Hey, Lizabeth, let s us go somewhere. b DRAW CONCLUSIONS Based on what you ve read so far, what conclusions can you draw about the narrator s life? Cite details to support your answer. poignantly (poinpyent-lc) adv. in a profoundly moving manner c DRAW CONCLUSIONS Reread lines Lizabeth, the narrator, is almost 15 at this point in the story. What changes are taking place in her life? 2. chary (chârpc): sparing or stingy. 444 unit 4: theme and symbol

15 I came reluctantly from my private world. Where you want to go? What you want to do? The truth was that we were becoming tired of the formlessness of our summer days. The idleness whose prospect had seemed so beautiful during the busy days of spring now had degenerated to an almost desperate effort to fill up the empty midday hours. Let s go see can we find some locusts on the hill, someone suggested. Joey was scornful. Ain t no more locusts there. Y all got em all while they was still green. The argument that followed was brief and not really worth the effort. Hunting locust trees wasn t fun any more by now. Tell you what, said Joey finally, his eyes sparkling. Let s go over to Miss Lottie s. The idea caught on at once, for annoying Miss Lottie was always fun. I was still child enough to scamper along with the group over rickety fences and through bushes that tore our already raggedy clothes, back to where Miss Lottie lived. I think now that we must have made a tragicomic spectacle, five or six kids of different ages, each of us clad in only one garment the girls in faded dresses that were too long or too short, the boys in patchy pants, their sweaty brown chests gleaming in the hot sun. A little cloud of dust followed our thin legs and bare feet as we tramped over the barren land. When Miss Lottie s house came into view we stopped, ostensibly to plan our strategy, but actually to reinforce our courage. Miss Lottie s house was the most ramshackle of all our ramshackle homes. The sun and rain had long since faded its rickety frame siding from white to a sullen gray. The boards themselves seemed to remain upright not from being nailed together but rather from leaning together like a house that a child might have constructed from cards. A brisk wind might have blown it down, and the fact that it was still standing implied a kind of enchantment that was stronger than the elements. There it stood, and as far as I know is standing yet a gray rotting thing with no porch, no shutters, no steps, set on a cramped lot with no grass, not even any weeds a monument to decay. d In front of the house in a squeaky rocking chair sat Miss Lottie s son, John Burke, completing the impression of decay. John Burke was what was known as queer-headed. Black and ageless, he sat, rocking day in and day out in a mindless stupor, lulled by the monotonous squeak-squawk of the chair. A battered hat atop his shaggy head shaded him from the sun. Usually John Burke was totally unaware of everything outside his quiet dream world. But if you disturbed him, if you intruded upon his fantasies, he would become enraged, strike out at you, and curse at you in some strange enchanted language which only he could understand. We children made a game of thinking of ways to disturb John Burke and then to elude his violent retribution. d Comparing Texts 9.3b Language Coach Derivations Words that are formed from another word or base are derivations. The word generate, meaning bring into existence, has many derivations, including generation and regenerate. Reread lines to find another derivation of generate. Guess the word s meaning. ostensibly (J-stDnPsE-blC) adv. seemingly; to all outward appearances DRAW CONCLUSIONS Reread lines What does this description of Miss Lottie s home add to your understanding of her and her social and financial standing? retribution (rdtqre-bylpshen) n. something given in repayment, usually as a punishment marigolds 445

16 But our real fun and our real fear lay in Miss Lottie herself. Miss Lottie seemed to be at least a hundred years old. Her big frame still held traces of the tall, powerful woman she must have been in youth, although it was now bent and drawn. Her smooth skin was a dark reddish-brown, and her face had Indian-like features and the stern stoicism that one associates with Indian faces. Miss Lottie didn t like intruders either, especially children. She never left her yard, and nobody ever visited her. We never knew how she managed those necessities that depend on human interaction how she ate, for example, or even whether she ate. When we were tiny children, we thought Miss Lottie was a witch and we made up tales, that we half believed ourselves, about her exploits. We were far too sophisticated now, of course, to believe the witchnonsense. But old fears have a way of clinging like cobwebs, and so when we sighted the tumble-down shack, we had to stop to reinforce our nerves. Look, there she is, I whispered, forgetting that Miss Lottie could not possibly have heard me from that distance. She s fooling with them crazy flowers. Yeh, look at er. Miss Lottie s marigolds were perhaps the strangest part of the picture. Certainly they did not fit in with the crumbling decay of the rest of her yard. Beyond the dusty brown yard, in front of the sorry gray house, rose suddenly and shockingly a dazzling strip of bright blossoms, clumped together in enormous mounds, warm and passionate and sun-golden. The old black witch-woman worked on them all summer, every summer, down on her creaky knees, weeding and cultivating and arranging, while the house crumbled and John Burke rocked. For some perverse reason, we children hated those marigolds. They interfered with the perfect ugliness of the place; they were too beautiful; they said too much that we could not understand; they did not make sense. There was something in the vigor with which the old woman destroyed the weeds that intimidated us. It should have been a comical sight the old woman with the man s hat on her cropped white head, leaning over the bright mounds, her big backside in the air but it wasn t comical, it was something we could not name. We had to annoy her by whizzing a pebble into her flowers or by yelling a dirty word, then dancing away from her rage, reveling in our youth and mocking her age. Actually, I think it was the flowers we wanted to destroy, but nobody had the nerve to try it, not even Joey, who was usually fool enough to try anything. e Y all git some stones, commanded Joey now, and was met with instant giggling obedience as everyone except me began to gather pebbles from the dusty ground. Come on, Lizabeth. I just stood there peering through the bushes, torn between wanting to join the fun and feeling that it was all a bit silly. You scared, Lizabeth? I cursed and spat on the ground my favorite gesture of phony bravado. Y all children get the stones; I ll show you how to use em. e stoicism (stipg-sgzqem) n. indifference to pleasure or pain; a lack of visible emotion perverse (per-vûrsp) adj. stubbornly contrary; wrong; harmful THEME AND SETTING What do the marigolds represent to Miss Lottie? to the children? bravado (bre-väpdi) n. a false show of courage or defiance 446 unit 4: theme and symbol

17 Comparing Texts Field of Hope, Charly Palmer. Mixed media collage on canvas, Charly Palmer. How does this image compare with the narrator s description of the setting and Miss Lottie? I said before that we children were not consciously aware of how thick were the bars of our cage. I wonder now, though, whether we were not more aware of it than I thought. Perhaps we had some dim notion of what we were, and how little chance we had of being anything else. Otherwise, why would we 160 have been so preoccupied with destruction? Anyway, the pebbles were collected quickly, and everybody looked at me to begin the fun. f Come on, y all. We crept to the edge of the bushes that bordered the narrow road in front of Miss Lottie s place. She was working placidly, kneeling over the flowers, her f THEME AND SETTING What connection is made between poverty described metaphorically as a cage and destruction in lines ? marigolds 447

18 dark hand plunged into the golden mound. Suddenly zing an expertlyaimed stone cut the head off one of the blossoms. Who out there? Miss Lottie s backside came down and her head came up as her sharp eyes searched the bushes. You better git! We had crouched down out of sight in the bushes, where we stifled the giggles that insisted on coming. Miss Lottie gazed warily across the road for a moment, then cautiously returned to her weeding. Zing Joey sent a pebble into the blooms, and another marigold was beheaded. Miss Lottie was enraged now. She began struggling to her feet, leaning on a rickety cane and shouting, Y all git! Go on home! Then the rest of the kids let loose with their pebbles, storming the flowers and laughing wildly and senselessly at Miss Lottie s impotent rage. She shook her stick at us and started shakily toward the road crying, Git long! John Burke! John Burke, come help! Then I lost my head entirely, mad with the power of inciting such rage, and ran out of the bushes in the storm of pebbles, straight toward Miss Lottie chanting madly, Old witch, fell in a ditch, picked up a penny and thought she was rich! The children screamed with delight, dropped their pebbles and joined the crazy dance, swarming around Miss Lottie like bees and chanting, Old lady witch! while she screamed curses at us. The madness lasted only a moment, for John Burke, startled at last, lurched out of his chair, and we dashed for the bushes just as Miss Lottie s cane went whizzing at my head. I did not join the merriment when the kids gathered again under the oak in our bare yard. Suddenly I was ashamed, and I did not like being ashamed. The child in me sulked and said it was all in fun, but the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack that I had led. The mood lasted all afternoon. When we ate the beans and rice that was supper that night, I did not notice my father s silence, for he was always silent these days, nor did I notice my mother s absence, for she always worked until well into evening. Joey and I had a particularly bitter argument after supper; his exuberance got on my nerves. Finally I stretched out upon the palette in the room we shared and fell into a fitful doze. g When I awoke, somewhere in the middle of the night, my mother had returned, and I vaguely listened to the conversation that was audible through the thin walls that separated our rooms. At first I heard no words, only voices. My mother s voice was like a cool, dark room in summer peaceful, soothing, quiet. I loved to listen to it; it made things seem all right somehow. But my father s voice cut through hers, shattering the peace. Twenty-two years, Maybelle, twenty-two years, he was saying, and I got nothing for you, nothing, nothing. It s all right, honey, you ll get something. Everybody s out of work now, you know that. It ain t right. Ain t no man ought to eat his woman s food year in and year out, and see his children running wild. Ain t nothing right about that. g impotent (GmPpE-tEnt) adj. powerless; lacking strength or vigor 9.3a Language Coach Etymology The Latin word malus means bad. Words that come from malus include the verbs malfunction ( fail to work properly ) and malign ( speak badly of ). What adjective in line 190 shares this etymology, or origin? What other words can you think of that might come from malus? Check a dictionary to see how many you have identified correctly. exuberance (Gg-zLPbEr-Ens) n. condition of unrestrained joy DRAW CONCLUSIONS Reread lines Why is the narrator torn between conflicting feelings? 448 unit 4: theme and symbol

19 Comparing Texts Honey, you took good care of us when you had it. Ain t nobody got nothing nowadays. I ain t talking about nobody else, I m talking about me. God knows I try. My mother said something I could not hear, and my father cried out louder, What must a man do, tell me that? h Look, we ain t starving. I git paid every week, and Mrs. Ellis is real nice about giving me things. She gonna let me have Mr. Ellis old coat for you this winter Damn Mr. Ellis coat! And damn his money! You think I want white folks leavings? Damn, Maybelle and suddenly he sobbed, loudly and painfully, and cried helplessly and hopelessly in the dark night. I had never heard a man cry before. I did not know men ever cried. I covered my ears with my hands but could not cut off the sound of my father s harsh, painful, despairing sobs. My father was a strong man who would whisk a child upon his shoulders and go singing through the house. My father whittled toys for us and laughed so loud that the great oak seemed to laugh with him, and taught us how to fish and hunt rabbits. How could it be that my father was crying? But the sobs went on, unstifled, finally quieting until I could hear my mother s voice, deep and rich, humming softly as she used to hum to a frightened child. The world had lost its boundary lines. My mother, who was small and soft, was now the strength of the family; my father, who was the rock on which the family had been built, was sobbing like the tiniest child. Everything was suddenly out of tune, like a broken accordion. Where did I fit into this crazy picture? I do not now remember my thoughts, only a feeling of great bewilderment and fear. i Long after the sobbing and the humming had stopped, I lay on the palette, still as stone with my hands over my ears, wishing that I too could cry and be comforted. The night was silent now except for the sound of the crickets and of Joey s soft breathing. But the room was too crowded with fear to allow me to sleep, and finally, feeling the terrible aloneness of 4 a.m., I decided to awaken Joey. Ouch! What s the matter with you? What you want? he demanded disagreeably when I had pinched and slapped him awake. Come on, wake up. What for? Go way. I was lost for a reasonable reply. I could not say, I m scared, and I don t want to be alone, so I merely said, I m going out. If you want to come, come on. The promise of adventure awoke him. Going out now? Where to, Lizabeth? What you going to do? I was pulling my dress over my head. Until now I had not thought of going out. Just come on, I replied tersely. I was out the window and halfway down the road before Joey caught up with me. h i DRAW CONCLUSIONS From the dialogue in lines , what can you conclude is bothering Lizabeth s father? THEME AND SETTING How does the conversation between Lizabeth s parents affect her? Cite details to support your answer. marigolds 449

20 260 New Dreams (2002), Ernest Crichlow. Lithograph (Edition 150), 24 3 / /4. Photo by Maureen Turci, Mojo Portfolio. Courtesy of the Ernest Crichlow Estate. Wait, Lizabeth, where you going? I was running as if the Furies 3 were after me, as perhaps they were running silently and furiously until I came to where I had half-known I was headed: to Miss Lottie s yard. The half-dawn light was more eerie than complete darkness, and in it the old house was like the ruin that my world had become foul and crumbling, a grotesque caricature. 4 It looked haunted, but I was not afraid because I was haunted too. Lizabeth, you lost your mind? panted Joey. I had indeed lost my mind, for all the smoldering emotions of that summer swelled in me and burst the great need for my mother who was never there, the hopelessness of our poverty and degradation, the bewilderment of being neither child nor woman and yet both at once, the fear unleashed by my father s tears. And these feelings combined in one great impulse toward destruction. j j degradation (ddgqre-dapshen) n. condition of being brought to a lower level; humiliation THEME AND SETTING Reread lines Why do the narrator s emotions produce an urge to destroy? 3. Furies: In Greek and Roman mythology, the Furies were three goddesses of vengeance, or revenge. 4. a grotesque caricature (gri-tdskp kbrpg-ke-chmrq): a bizarre and absurdly exaggerated representation of something. 450 unit 4: theme and symbol

21 Lizabeth! I leaped furiously into the mounds of marigolds and pulled madly, trampling and pulling and destroying the perfect yellow blooms. The fresh smell of early morning and of dew-soaked marigolds spurred me on as I went tearing and mangling and sobbing while Joey tugged my dress or my waist crying, Lizabeth stop, please stop! And then I was sitting in the ruined little garden among the uprooted and ruined flowers, crying and crying, and it was too late to undo what I had done. Joey was sitting beside me, silent and frightened, not knowing what to say. Then, Lizabeth, look. I opened my swollen eyes and saw in front of me a pair of large calloused feet; my gaze lifted to the swollen legs, the age-distorted body clad in a tight cotton night dress, and then the shadowed Indian face surrounded by stubby white hair. And there was no rage in the face now, now that the garden was destroyed and there was nothing any longer to be protected. M-miss Lottie! I scrambled to my feet and just stood there and stared at her, and that was the moment when childhood faded and womanhood began. That violent, crazy act was the last act of childhood. For as I gazed at the immobile face with the sad, weary eyes, I gazed upon a kind of reality that is hidden to childhood. The witch was no longer a witch but only a broken old woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility. She had been born in squalor and lived in it all her life. Now at the end of that life she had nothing except a falling-down hut, a wrecked body, and John Burke, the mindless son of her passion. Whatever verve there was left in her, whatever was of love and beauty and joy that had not been squeezed out by life, had been there in the marigolds she had so tenderly cared for. k Of course I could not express the things that I knew about Miss Lottie as I stood there awkward and ashamed. The years have put words to the things I knew in that moment, and as I look back upon it, I know that that moment marked the end of innocence. People think of the loss of innocence as meaning the loss of virginity, but this is far from true. Innocence involves an unseeing acceptance of things at face value, an ignorance of the area below the surface. In that humiliating moment I looked beyond myself and into the depths of another person. This was the beginning of compassion, and one cannot have both compassion and innocence. l The years have taken me worlds away from that time and that place, from the dust and squalor of our lives and from the bright thing that I destroyed in a blind childish striking out at God-knows-what. Miss Lottie died long ago and many years have passed since I last saw her hut, completely barren at last, for despite my wild contrition she never planted marigolds again. Yet, there are times when the image of those passionate yellow mounds returns with a painful poignancy. For one does not have to be ignorant and poor to find that one s life is barren as the dusty yards of one s town. And I too have planted marigolds. k l Comparing Texts squalor (skwjlper) n. a filthy, shabby, and wretched condition, as from poverty 9.4l DRAW CONCLUSIONS The narrator uses fairy-tale metaphors to describe Miss Lottie throughout the story, repeatedly calling her a witch and referring to enchantment surrounding her home. Reread lines , in which a change takes place in Lizabeth. Why is she suddenly able to see Miss Lottie as she really is? PARAPHRASE Paraphrase the narrator s thoughts about innocence and compassion in lines marigolds 451

22 After Reading Comprehension 1. Recall How old is the narrator in the story? 2. Recall What is unusual about Miss Lottie s marigolds? 3. Summarize What does the narrator do that she later regrets? Text Analysis 4. Understand the Influence of Setting Note the most prominent features of the story s setting and the figurative language the narrator often uses to describe them. How do they affect the narrator s outlook on life? 5. Draw Conclusions Review the chart you made as you read. What leads the young Lizabeth to destroy Miss Lottie s marigolds? Support your conclusions with evidence from the story. 6. Analyze Climax Identify the climax of the story. What change does this turning point initiate in the narrator? in Miss Lottie? Cite evidence to support your answers. 7. Analyze Symbolism Miss Lottie s marigolds are central to the story. What do they symbolize? To help you interpret their meaning, create a chart like the one shown to record descriptions of the marigolds and the ideas you associate with them. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4e Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme. 9.4i Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point of view of a written work. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. Description of Marigolds a brilliant splash of sunny yellow (lines 10 11) Associations sunny yellow, like the sun, gives energy and life 8. Analyze Theme and Setting The narrator and Miss Lottie respond to their impoverished surroundings in very different ways. What message does the story convey about the impact of poverty on people s lives? What other themes does the story impart? 9. Evaluate Ideas Reread the next-to-last paragraph (lines ). Do you agree with what the narrator says about innocence and compassion? Use evidence from the story as well as your own experiences to explore your answer. Text Criticism 10. Social Context Can Marigolds be considered social commentary on racial segregation? Cite evidence to support your opinion. What if life had a RESET button? If you had another chance, what in your past would you do differently? 452 unit 4: theme and symbol

23 Comparing Texts Vocabulary in Context vocabulary practice Decide whether the words in each pair are similar or different in meaning. 1. perverse/agreeable 2. squalor/splendor 3. exuberance/enthusiasm 4. retribution/retaliation 5. nostalgia/homesickness 6. futile/effective 7. poignantly/indifferently 8. bravado/timidity 9. degradation/humiliation 10. ostensibly/apparently 11. impotent/powerless 12. stoicism/emotionalism word list bravado degradation exuberance futile impotent nostalgia ostensibly perverse poignantly retribution squalor stoicism academic vocabulary in writing context interpret reveal significant tradition Marigolds play a significant role in the lives of both Miss Lottie and the narrator. Think of one thing it could be an object or a place that has been significant in your life. Write a paragraph expressing what you feel about it and why you feel that way. Use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your paragraph. vocabulary strategy: the suffix -or Many words have endings called suffixes that can help you determine a word s meaning. For example, the word squalor ends with -or, a noun suffix derived from Latin meaning state or condition of. You may recognize squalor as similar to the word squalid, meaning very dirty or filthy. These two insights can help you conclude that squalor means a filthy condition. Recognizing this suffix in other unfamiliar words can provide clues to the meanings of those words. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3a Use structural analysis of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and cognates to understand complex words. PRACTICE Use each numbered word in a sentence. Then use your knowledge of the suffix -or to figure out the meaning of each word. Use a dictionary to check your work. 1. terror 4. stupor 2. furor 5. fervor 3. candor 6. pallor Interactive Vocabulary Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9-453 marigolds 453

24 Reading for Information Sowing Change Newspaper Article Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3b Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases. 9.5a Recognize an author s intended purpose for writing and identify the main idea. 9.5b Summarize text relating supporting details. What s the Connection? In Marigolds, Miss Lottie s garden is the only bright spot in her difficult life. In the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, a garden has also become a bright spot for residents. To find out more about this garden and its impact, read Sowing Change. Standards Focus: Outline When you need to understand and summarize a great many ideas and facts, outlining can help. An outline is a way of organizing a text s main ideas and supporting details according to their levels of importance. Since the main ideas and supporting details are written in the form of brief phrases, an outline can be considered a text s skeleton. You can take notes in outline form by following these steps: Skim the text to figure out its main topic, subtopics, and pattern of organization. Draft a basic outline by restating the main topics (numbered with Roman numerals) and the subtopics (lettered with capital letters) in the order presented by the writer, excluding your own opinions. Then, as you read the text closely, determine which supporting details are most important and which are less important in supporting the author s purpose and central idea. Add these details at the appropriate levels of importance. Use Arabic numerals and lower-case letters to show further levels of detail. Follow the steps above to take notes on Sowing Change in outline form. You can use the outline begun here as your starting point or create a new one. (For more information on outlining, see the Reading Handbook, page R4.) The African Heritage Garden in North Lawndale I. What the Garden Looks Like A. Covers a large corner lot B. Contains many plants and special features 1. a. b. 2. II. What It Took to Create the Garden 454 unit 4: theme and symbol

25 Comparing Texts Sowing Change Many hands join to transform a barren city lot into a thriving green space for plants and people in North Lawndale a The 20-by-32-foot bed of marigolds is not just a sea of orange blooms, but a Rorschach blot. Back up a few feet, look again and the shape of the African continent emerges on a North Lawndale street corner. A pair of doorway-like arbors invite passersby off the sidewalk and into a garden where raised beds are a glory of lilies, daisies, hibiscus, nicotiana, shrub roses and other plants. In some places, flowers fight for space among broccoli, sweet potatoes and purple kale that are almost treelike in their vigor. Three low, bark-covered mounds, plus a limestone-terraced hill at the rear of the site, give a sense of terrain. Shrubs, ornamental grasses and young hackberry, black locust, crab apple and magnolia trees also provide vertical uplift on this city lot. This is what we need: open space, a place to sit and talk, to think a while, says North Lawndale resident Gerald Earles, sitting in the garden at 12th Place DONNA FREEDMAN and Central Park Avenue. The 130-by- 100-foot garden seemed to spring up in a single day in late April. b In reality, it took more than two years, about 400 volunteers and $200,000 in donated materials and expertise to create the African Heritage Garden. I ve always known that the community [was] capable of a project of this magnitude. We just needed a focus, says Valerie Leonard, executive director of the non-profit North Lawndale Small Grants Human Development Corp. The corporation s attempts to garden on the site withered and died due to lack of water. But things finally came together this year after the Chicago Botanic Garden NeighborSpace, a non-profit land trust, and The Enterprise Companies, a residential real estate development firm, provided financial and design support. About 200 people, including about 25 people from the community, attended a design session in March to determine a b OUTLINE Before you begin taking notes, skim the entire article to see what its main topics and subtopics are. OUTLINE What important information in this paragraph is not covered in the draft outline on page 454? Add it to your own outline. 9.3b Language Coach Word Origins Many botanical terms, such as the names of certain plants, are derived from Latin. Some terms, however, have their linguistic roots in other languages. Withered (line 39) comes from the Middle English root widren, which is related to another Middle English word meaning weathered. Based on this information and the context clues in lines 38 40, what does withered mean? sowing change 455

26 c d OUTLINE What do lines add to your understanding of the purpose of this garden? OUTLINE What new topic is introduced in lines 95 98? what the garden would become. All agreed that the site should have a bed shaped like the African continent and incorporate a number of plants that grow in Africa. Both ideas were part of Leonard s original plan, which was inspired by Unity Park, another Lawndale project. That park was created five years ago by residents fed up with crime near 19th Street and Kostner Avenue. Gladys Woodson, who spearheaded that project, says that once the site became a well-used and neatly maintained park, the criminal element left. If you get enough good people to come out, the bad people are going to leave, Woodson says. She and other Unity Park organizers are helping at the African Heritage Garden as well. c In fact, the heritage garden is thriving under the care and nurturing of a variety of groups, including the North Lawndale Greening Committee, the Combined Block Club, and Slumbusters. Neighbor- Space, which purchased the land from the city and leases it to North Lawndale, also paid to install a water hookup. The plants and landscape materials, design, and onsite supervision were paid for by a grant from the Chicago Botanic Garden s Neighborhood Gardens program. Each year, the Chicago Botanic Garden awards money to community groups interested in greening their neighborhoods. It all came together on April 26 when about five dozen volunteers of varying ages, mostly neighborhood residents, planted hundreds of flowers and vegetable seedlings under the supervision of the Chicago Botanic Garden s Community Gardens division. The Safer Foundation, which helps men make the transition from prison to the outside world, sent clients to build arbors and a half-dozen large raised beds With regular watering, the garden has thrived as have the weeds. Scheduled work parties and neighborhood residents keep the weeds at bay. d In late June, the Chicago Botanic Garden brought more trees and flowers, which were planted by about 30 volunteers, including 9-year-old Nikky Pierce. Nikky, who lives down the street from the garden, is pleased with the results. Before, it was just dirty and trashy, she says. It looks pretty when there are flowers in it. Elder plantswoman and neighborhood resident Annie Lott lends a hand as well as her expertise. At 92, she is an avid gardener who grows numerous flowers and 16 kinds of vegetables. It was her suggestion to put some food, something that s healthy in the flower beds. I love this garden because it brings back memories of how I was raised, says Lott, who is from Mississippi. I was raised on a farm and our father taught us to do things for others and share. The African Heritage Garden is a work in progress. Areas among the beds and mounds still need to be covered with stones. A shelter symbolizing a tribal hut, made with thatch and other materials from Africa, is in the works. Park benches also are likely. But the progress has been huge, says Leonard, even though some of the volunteers had no gardening experience. They were involved, and now they re asking, When can we do it again? That s music to my ears, Leonard says. When you see how it was being used before and how it s being used now, that s an awesome feeling. It belongs to the community now. 456 unit 4: theme and symbol

27 After Reading Comparing Texts Comprehension 1. Summarize After initial setbacks, how did the African Heritage Garden come to be? Text Analysis 2. Analyze Your Outline Using the outline you created, summarize the article s main ideas and supporting details. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.5a Recognize an author s intended purpose for writing and identify the main idea. 9.5b Summarize text relating supporting details. 9.5j Organize and synthesize information from sources for use in written and oral presentations. 3. Make Inferences What are some of the values held by the North Lawndale community? How does the garden represent these values? Cite details from the article to support your answer. 4. Make Judgments Consider what you know about crime as well as what the article tells you about this particular community garden. Why would something as simple as a garden reduce crime in an area? Read for Information: Analyze Ideas writing prompt Both Marigolds and Sowing Change feature gardeners and their work. Write a brief analysis of the benefits of gardens. Use details from the short story and the article to support your ideas. Writing an analysis involves identifying and explaining the parts of a subject and, finally, arriving at a conclusion. For help, follow these steps: 1. To analyze the benefits of gardens, review the benefits and consider how you might break them down. For example, the benefits might split naturally into benefits to gardeners and benefits to the community. 2. Reread the selections to take notes on the particular benefits you want to address. 3. Review your notes. Identify any conclusions you can draw about gardening and its benefits. As you write your analysis, be systematic. Introduce each main idea, identify its parts, and then elaborate on those parts before arriving at your conclusion. Introduce Subject Examine Part of Subject Draw a Conclusion sowing change 457

28 Reading for Information Book Cover As you ve seen in the preceding literary and nonfiction texts, plants can possess beauty and vitality that make them potent symbols. Consider the image on the book cover below. The questions on the right will help you analyze what this image suggests about communities and cooperation. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.2e Monitor, analyze, and use multiple streams of simultaneous information. 1. Interpret Think about the title In Our Hands. What might the book s authors want to persuade readers to think or do? 2. Analyze Details What differences do you notice between the two hands pictured on the book cover? What idea might these differences convey? 3. Synthesize The term grassroots refers to organizations and movements that operate at the local level. With this book cover in mind, explain why grassroots likely means what it does. 458 unit 4: theme and symbol

29 Comparing Texts: Assessment Practice Assessment Practice: Short Constructed Response literary text: marigolds On assessments, you will need to answer questions that focus on particular passages from a story. To strengthen your close-reading skills, read the short constructed response question below and pay attention to the strategies suggested at right. The narrator recalls exactly when childhood faded and womanhood began (lines ). Explain why she considers this incident to be her coming-of-age experience. Support your answer with evidence from the story. strategies in action 1. Read the passage closely before deciding on your interpretation. 2. Remember that evidence from the text can take the form of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis. 3. Make sure that any assertion you make is directly supported by evidence. nonfiction text: sowing change You will also need to draw conclusions about nonfiction texts as you read. Practice this skill by answering the short constructed response question below. In what ways have community gardens changed the North Lawndale neighborhood for the better? Support your answer with evidence from the article. strategies in action 1. Reread the article and note the positive changes taking place in the community. 2. Draw insightful conclusions by connecting these changes to the creation of parks. 3. Include evidence for each connection you make. Relevant quotations make solid evidence in support of your conclusions. comparing literary and nonfiction texts To compare and contrast a literary and a nonfiction text, apply the following short constructed response question to Marigolds and Sowing Change. How is the children s behavior in Marigolds different from that of the community members in Sowing Change? What factors might account for these differences? Support your answer with evidence from both texts. strategies in action 1. After stating generally how the behaviors differ, give a specific example of each. 2. Notice that the second part of the question is asking you to make an inference an educated guess based on your own knowledge and the information in the text. As evidence, you must cite the information from the text that led you to your inference. marigolds / sowing change / in our hands 459

30 Before Reading The Scarlet Ibis Short Story by James Hurst VIDEO TRAILER KEYWORD: HML9-460 Why do we HURT the ones we LOVE? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3a Use structural analysis of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and cognates to understand complex words. 9.3b Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases. 9.4e Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. Cruelty can intrude on the most loving relationship, often in moments of anger or disappointment. How do you deal with mixed emotions like these? Adults usually control such urges, but children are more likely to act on their immediate feelings. What harm can come from a thoughtless word or action? DISCUSS Sometimes we are harder on loved ones than on anyone else. Why do you think this is? Discuss this question with a small group of your classmates. FOXTROT 1997 Bill Amend. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. All rights reserved. 460

31 text analysis: symbol A symbol is a literary device in which a person, animal, place, object, or activity stands for something beyond itself. Writers use symbols to emphasize important ideas and character traits in a story, which can act as clues to the story s theme. In The Scarlet Ibis, for example, a swamp comes to symbolize the love between two brothers. To identify other symbols in this story, use these strategies as you read: Look for ideas that the writer emphasizes. Note striking images and character descriptions. Ask yourself what associations each one brings to mind. Review: Mood, Theme reading skill: make inferences about characters When you make an inference, you make a logical guess based on observations or evidence and on your own knowledge and experience. Sometimes called reading between the lines, making inferences is an essential step in understanding theme, characters, and the story itself. Use a chart like the one shown to record evidence from the text and your inferences about the relationship between the narrator and his brother. Quotations and Evidence Doodle... was a nice crazy, like someone you meet in your dreams. vocabulary in context Inferences About Relationship Narrator basically liked his brother, but thought he was odd. The following boldfaced words are important to understanding The Scarlet Ibis. To see which words you already know, restate each phrase, using a different word for the boldfaced word. 1. exotic flowers from the tropics 2. reiterate your idea for emphasis 3. evanesce, like smoke into thin air 4. in imminent danger of falling 5. claimed infallibility in his deeply-held beliefs 6. worked hard and with doggedness 7. balanced precariously on the edge 8. dangerous beliefs that bordered on heresy Meet the Author James Hurst born 1922 A Man of Many Talents James Hurst lives near the North Carolina coast, not far from the farm where he was born. After attending college and serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he studied singing at New York s famous Juilliard School. Hoping for an operatic career, he also studied in Rome, Italy, but soon gave up on this goal. Then, in 1951, he settled into a long career at a large New York bank. A Tribute to the Human Spirit During his early years at the bank, Hurst published short stories and a play. The Scarlet Ibis received national attention after appearing in the Atlantic Monthly in July 1960 and winning the Atlantic First award that same year. When asked about the meaning of the story, Hurst once replied, I hesitate to respond, since authors often do not understand what they write. That is why we have critics. I venture to say, however, that it comments on the tenacity and the splendor of the human spirit. background to the story Drawn from Nature The Scarlet Ibis takes its title from a tropical bird rarely found in coastal North Carolina, where the story takes place. The lush natural environment of this setting is prominent in the story. In addition to the ibis, Hurst uses the local names of plants for the power of their symbolic associations. For example, the exotic ibis lands in a bleeding tree, a type of pine that oozes a white sap when cut. Graveyard flowers are fragrant white gardenias often planted in cemeteries because they bloom year after year. Author Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9-461 Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. 461

32 The Scarlet Ibis James Hurst It was in the clove of seasons, 1 summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The flower garden was stained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox. The five o clocks by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle. The last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking softly the names of our dead. a It s strange that all this is still so clear to me, now that that summer has long since fled and time has had its way. A grindstone stands where the bleeding 10 tree stood, just outside the kitchen door, and now if an oriole sings in the elm, its song seems to die up in the leaves, a silvery dust. The flower garden is prim, the house a gleaming white, and the pale fence across the yard stands straight and spruce. But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool, green-draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its changes is ground away and I remember Doodle. Doodle was just about the craziest brother a boy ever had. Of course, he wasn t a crazy crazy like old Miss Leedie, who was in love with President Wilson and wrote him a letter every day, but was a nice crazy, like someone you meet in your dreams. He was born when I was six and was, from the 20 outset, a disappointment. He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man s. Everybody thought he was going to die everybody except Aunt Nicey, who had delivered him. She said he would live because he was born in a caul, 2 and cauls were made from Jesus nightgown. Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him. But he didn t die, and when he was three months old, Mama and Daddy decided they might as well name him. They named him William Armstrong, which was like tying a big tail on a small kite. Such a name sounds good only on a tombstone. b a b MOOD What words or images contribute to the mood of sadness and longing in lines 1 7? What qualities does the boy in the painting seem to have? Point to details of color, line, shape, and texture to support your answer. MAKE INFERENCES What inferences can you make about Doodle from the details offered in this paragraph? Explain your thought process. 1. the clove of seasons: a time between two seasons, in this case, summer and autumn. 2. born in a caul: born with a thin membrane covering the head. 462 unit 4: theme and symbol Richard at Age Five (1944), Alice Neel. Oil on canvas, Estate of Alice Neel. Courtesy Robert Miller Gallery, New York.

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34 I thought myself pretty smart at many things, like holding my breath, running, jumping, or climbing the vines in Old Woman Swamp, and I wanted more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch with in the top fork of the great pine behind the barn, where across the fields and swamps you could see the sea. I wanted a brother. But Mama, crying, told me that even if William Armstrong lived, he would never do these things with me. He might not, she sobbed, even be all there. He might, as long as he lived, lie on the rubber sheet in the center of the bed in the front bedroom where the white marquisette curtains billowed out in the afternoon sea breeze, rustling like palmetto fronds. 3 It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow. However, one afternoon as I watched him, my head poked between the iron posts of the foot of the bed, he looked straight at me and grinned. I skipped through the rooms, down the echoing halls, shouting, Mama, he smiled. He s all there! He s all there! and he was. c When he was two, if you laid him on his stomach, he began to move himself, straining terribly. The doctor said that with his weak heart this strain would probably kill him, but it didn t. Trembling, he d push himself up, turning first red, then a soft purple, and finally collapse back onto the bed like an old worn-out doll. I can still see Mama watching him, her hand pressed tight across her mouth, her eyes wide and unblinking. But he learned to crawl (it was his third winter), and we brought him out of the front bedroom, putting him on the rug before the fireplace. For the first time he became one of us. As long as he lay all the time in bed, we called him William Armstrong, even though it was formal and sounded as if we were referring to one of our ancestors, but with his creeping around on the deerskin rug and beginning to talk, something had to be done about his name. It was I who renamed him. When he crawled, he crawled backward, as if he were in reverse and couldn t change gears. If you called him, he d turn around as if he were going in the other direction, then he d back right up to you to be picked up. Crawling backward made him look like a doodlebug, so I began to call him Doodle, and in time even Mama and Daddy thought it was a better name than William Armstrong. Only Aunt Nicey disagreed. She said caul babies should be treated with special respect since they might turn out to be saints. Renaming my brother was perhaps the kindest thing I ever did for him, because nobody expects much from someone called Doodle. d Although Doodle learned to crawl, he showed no signs of walking, but he wasn t idle. He talked so much that we all quit listening to what he said. It was about this time that Daddy built him a go-cart and I had to pull him around. c d MAKE INFERENCES Compare the narrator s initial reaction to Doodle with his response to Doodle s grin. What can you infer about the change in the narrator s attitude? SYMBOL Reread lines A nickname can sometimes be a kind of symbol. What does Doodle s nickname tell you about the feelings and expectations others have for him? 3. palmetto fronds: the fanlike leaves of a kind of palm tree. 464 unit 4: theme and symbol

35 Cypress Swamp, Texas (1940), Florence McClung. Oil on masonite, Gift of the Roger H. Ogden Collection. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art. 70 At first I just paraded him up and down the piazza, but then he started crying to be taken out into the yard, and it ended up by my having to lug him wherever I went. If I so much as picked up my cap, he d start crying to go with me, and Mama would call from wherever she was, Take Doodle with you. He was a burden in many ways. The doctor had said that he mustn t get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that he must always be treated gently. A long list of don ts went with him, all of which I ignored once we got out of the house. To discourage his coming with me, I d run with him across the ends of the cotton rows and careen him around corners on two wheels. Sometimes I accidentally turned him over, but he never told Mama. His skin 80 was very sensitive, and he had to wear a big straw hat whenever he went out. When the going got rough and he had to cling to the sides of the go-cart, the hat slipped all the way down over his ears. He was a sight. Finally, I could see I was licked. Doodle was my brother and he was going to cling to me forever, no matter what I did, so I dragged him across the burning cotton field to share with him the only beauty I knew, Old Woman Swamp. I pulled the go-cart through the sawtooth fern, down into the green dimness where the palmetto 9.3b Language Coach Word Definitions Writers sometimes give clues to a word s meaning by placing a definition or example nearby. Reread lines What words give you clues to the meaning of careen? the scarlet ibis 465

36 fronds whispered by the stream. I lifted him out and set him down in the soft rubber grass beside a tall pine. His eyes were round with wonder as he gazed about him, and his little hands began to stroke the rubber grass. Then he began to cry. For heaven s sake, what s the matter? I asked, annoyed. It s so pretty, he said. So pretty, pretty, pretty. After that day Doodle and I often went down into Old Woman Swamp. I would gather wildflowers, wild violets, honeysuckle, yellow jasmine, snakeflowers, and water lilies, and with wire grass we d weave them into necklaces and crowns. We d bedeck ourselves with our handiwork and loll about thus beautified, beyond the touch of the everyday world. Then when the slanted rays of the sun burned orange in the tops of the pines, we d drop our jewels into the stream and watch them float away toward the sea. e There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle. One day I took f him up to the barn loft and showed him his casket, telling him how we all had believed he would die. It was covered with a film of Paris green 4 sprinkled to kill the rats, and screech owls had built a nest inside it. Doodle studied the mahogany box for a long time, then said, It s not mine. It is, I said. And before I ll help you down from the loft, you re going to have to touch it. I won t touch it, he said sullenly. Then I ll leave you here by yourself, I threatened, and made as if I were going down. Doodle was frightened of being left. Don t go leave me, Brother, he cried, and he leaned toward the coffin. His hand, trembling, reached out, and when he touched the casket he screamed. A screech owl flapped out of the box into our faces, scaring us and covering us with Paris green. Doodle was paralyzed, so I put him on my shoulder and carried him down the ladder, and even when we were outside in the bright sunshine, he clung to me, crying, Don t leave me. Don t leave me. When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn t walk, so I set out to teach him. We were down in Old Woman Swamp and it was spring and the sick-sweet smell of bay flowers hung everywhere like a mournful song. I m going to teach you to walk, Doodle, I said. He was sitting comfortably on the soft grass, leaning back against the pine. Why? he asked. I hadn t expected such an answer. So I won t have to haul you around all the time. I can t walk, Brother, he said. e f MAKE INFERENCES Describe the relationship that develops between the brothers. What do you think is the reason that Doodle wins the narrator over? THEME In lines , the narrator makes a direct statement that offers clues to the theme. Paraphrase the message he expresses. 4. Paris green: a poisonous green powder used to kill pests. 466 unit 4: theme and symbol

37 Who says so? I demanded. Mama, the doctor everybody. Oh, you can walk, I said, and I took him by the arms and stood him up. He collapsed onto the grass like a half-empty flour sack. It was as if he had no bones in his little legs. Don t hurt me, Brother, he warned. Shut up. I m not going to hurt you. I m going to teach you to walk. I heaved him up again, and again he collapsed. This time he did not lift his face up out of the rubber grass. I just can t do it. Let s make honeysuckle wreaths. Oh yes you can, Doodle, I said. All you got to do is try. Now come on, and I hauled him up once more. It seemed so hopeless from the beginning that it s a miracle I didn t give up. But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death. Every day that summer we went to the pine beside the stream of Old Woman Swamp, and I put him on his feet at least a hundred times each afternoon. Occasionally I too became discouraged because it didn t seem as if he was trying, and I would say, Doodle, don t you want to learn to walk? g He d nod his head, and I d say, Well, if you don t keep trying, you ll never learn. Then I d paint for him a picture of us as old men, white-haired, him with a long white beard and me still pulling him around in the go-cart. This never failed to make him try again. Finally one day, after many weeks of practicing, he stood alone for a few seconds. When he fell, I grabbed him in my arms and hugged him, our laughter pealing through the swamp like a ringing bell. Now we knew it could be done. Hope no longer hid in the dark palmetto thicket but perched like a cardinal in the lacy toothbrush tree, brilliantly visible. Yes, yes, I cried, and he cried it too, and the grass beneath us was soft and the smell of the swamp was sweet. With success so imminent, we decided not to tell anyone until he could actually walk. Each day, barring rain, we sneaked into Old Woman Swamp, and by cotton-picking time Doodle was ready to show what he could do. He still wasn t able to walk far, but we could wait no longer. Keeping a nice secret is very hard to do, like holding your breath. We chose to reveal all on October eighth, Doodle s sixth birthday, and for weeks ahead we mooned around the house, promising everybody a most spectacular surprise. Aunt Nicey said that, after so much talk, if we produced anything less tremendous than the Resurrection, 5 she was going to be disappointed. At breakfast on our chosen day, when Mama, Daddy, and Aunt Nicey were in the dining room, I brought Doodle to the door in the go-cart just as usual and had them turn their backs, making them cross their hearts and hope to g MAKE INFERENCES Why does the narrator try so hard to teach Doodle to walk? Point out statements in lines that support your answer. imminent (GmPE-nEnt) adj. about to occur 5. the Resurrection: the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead after his burial. the scarlet ibis 467

38 die if they peeked. I helped Doodle up, and when he was standing alone I let them look. There wasn t a sound as Doodle walked slowly across the room and sat down at his place at the table. Then Mama began to cry and ran over to him, hugging him and kissing him. Daddy hugged him too, so I went to Aunt Nicey, who was thanks praying in the doorway, and began to waltz her around. We danced together quite well until she came down on my big toe with her brogans, 6 hurting me so badly I thought I was crippled for life. Doodle told them it was I who had taught him to walk, so everyone wanted to hug me, and I began to cry. What are you crying for? asked Daddy, but I couldn t answer. They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother. h Within a few months Doodle had learned to walk well and his go-cart was put up in the barn loft (it s still there) beside his little mahogany coffin. Now, when we roamed off together, resting often, we never turned back until our destination had been reached, and to help pass the time, we took up lying. From the beginning Doodle was a terrible liar and he got me in the habit. Had anyone stopped to listen to us, we would have been sent off to Dix Hill. 7 My lies were scary, involved, and usually pointless, but Doodle s were twice as crazy. People in his stories all had wings and flew wherever they wanted to go. His favorite lie was about a boy named Peter who had a pet peacock with a ten-foot tail. Peter wore a golden robe that glittered so brightly that when he walked through the sunflowers they turned away from the sun to face him. When Peter was ready to go to sleep, the peacock spread his magnificent tail, enfolding the boy gently like a closing go-to-sleep flower, burying him in the gloriously iridescent, rustling vortex. 8 Yes, I must admit it. Doodle could beat me lying. i Doodle and I spent lots of time thinking about our future. We decided that when we were grown we d live in Old Woman Swamp and pick dog-tongue for a living. Beside the stream, he planned, we d build us a house of whispering leaves and the swamp birds would be our chickens. All day long (when we weren t gathering dog-tongue) we d swing through the cypresses on the rope vines, and if it rained we d huddle beneath an umbrella tree and play stickfrog. Mama and Daddy could come and live with us if they wanted to. He even came up with the idea that he could marry Mama and I could marry Daddy. Of course, I was old enough to know this wouldn t work out, but the picture he painted was so beautiful and serene that all I could do was whisper Yes, yes. h i MAKE INFERENCES Reread lines Why is the narrator ashamed of himself? Grammar and Style Reread lines Hurst uses a variety of sentence structures, containing independent and subordinate clauses, to add rhythm and interest to his writing. 6. brogans (bripgenz): heavy, ankle-high work shoes. 7. Dix Hill: common name for a mental hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. 8. iridescent rustling vortex: the shimmering, rainbow-colored peacock feathers are in a funnel shape, like a whirlpool or whirlwind (vortex). 468 unit 4: theme and symbol

39 210 Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle to walk, I began to believe in my own infallibility, and I prepared a terrific development program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy, of course. I would teach him to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight. He, too, now believed in my infallibility, so we set the deadline for these accomplishments less than a year away, when, it had been decided, Doodle could start to school. That winter we didn t make much progress, for I was in school and Doodle suffered from one bad cold after another. But when spring came, rich and warm, we raised our sights again. Success lay at the end of summer like a pot of gold, and our campaign got off to a good start. On hot days, Doodle 220 and I went down to Horsehead Landing, and I gave him swimming lessons or showed him how to row a boat. Sometimes we descended into the cool greenness of Old Woman Swamp and climbed the rope vines or boxed infallibility (Gn-fBlQE-bGlPG-tC) n. an inability to make errors the scarlet ibis 469

40 Autumn Embers (Frosted Scarlet Sage) (1944), Charles Burchfield. Watercolor on paper, 22 1/2 x 28. Courtesy DC Moore Gallery, New York. scientifically beneath the pine where he had learned to walk. Promise hung about us like the leaves, and wherever we looked, ferns unfurled and birds broke into song. That summer, the summer of 1918, was blighted. In May and June there was no rain and the crops withered, curled up, then died under the thirsty sun. One morning in July a hurricane came out of the east, tipping over the oaks in the yard and splitting the limbs of the elm trees. That afternoon it roared back out of the west, blew the fallen oaks around, snapping their roots and tearing them out of the earth like a hawk at the entrails of a chicken. Cotton bolls were wrenched from the stalks and lay like green walnuts in the valleys between the rows, while the cornfield leaned over uniformly so that the tassels touched the ground. Doodle and I followed Daddy out into the cotton field, where he stood, shoulders sagging, surveying the ruin. When his chin sank down onto his chest, we were frightened, and Doodle slipped his hand into mine. Suddenly Daddy straightened his shoulders, raised a giant knuckly fist, and with a voice that seemed to rumble out of the earth itself began cursing heaven, hell, the weather, and the Republican Party. 9 Doodle and I, prodding each other and giggling, went back to the house, knowing that everything would be all right. How do the color, brush strokes, and subject matter of this painting create a mood of sorrow and despair? 9.3a Language Coach Prefixes Word parts that come before base words are prefixes. The base word furled in line 224 means rolled up. The prefix un-, which comes from Old English, means the opposite of, or not. What is the definition of unfurled? What other words include the prefix un-? 9. Republican Party: In 1918, most Southerners were Democrats. 470 unit 4: theme and symbol

41 And during that summer, strange names were heard through the house: Château-Thierry, Amiens, Soissons, and in her blessing at the supper table, Mama once said, And bless the Pearsons, whose boy Joe was lost at Belleau Wood. 10 So we came to that clove of seasons. School was only a few weeks away, and Doodle was far behind schedule. He could barely clear the ground when climbing up the rope vines, and his swimming was certainly not passable. We decided to double our efforts, to make that last drive and reach our pot of gold. I made him swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn t lift an oar. Wherever we went, I purposely walked fast, and although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became glazed. Once, he could go no further, so he collapsed on the ground and began to cry. Aw, come on, Doodle, I urged. You can do it. Do you want to be different from everybody else when you start school? Does it make any difference? It certainly does, I said. Now, come on, and I helped him up. As we slipped through dog days, 11 Doodle began to look feverish, and Mama felt his forehead, asking him if he felt ill. At night he didn t sleep well, and sometimes he had nightmares, crying out until I touched him and said, Wake up, Doodle. Wake up. j It was Saturday noon, just a few days before school was to start. I should have already admitted defeat, but my pride wouldn t let me. The excitement of our program had now been gone for weeks, but still we kept on with a tired doggedness. It was too late to turn back, for we had both wandered too far into a net of expectations and had left no crumbs behind. Daddy, Mama, Doodle, and I were seated at the dining-room table having lunch. It was a hot day, with all the windows and doors open in case a breeze should come. In the kitchen Aunt Nicey was humming softly. After a long silence, Daddy spoke. It s so calm, I wouldn t be surprised if we had a storm this afternoon. I haven t heard a rain frog, said Mama, who believed in signs, as she served the bread around the table. I did, declared Doodle. Down in the swamp. He didn t, I said contrarily. You did, eh? said Daddy, ignoring my denial. I certainly did, Doodle reiterated, scowling at me over the top of his iced-tea glass, and we were quiet again. Suddenly, from out in the yard, came a strange croaking noise. Doodle stopped eating, with a piece of bread poised ready for his mouth, his eyes popped round like two blue buttons. What s that? he whispered. j MAKE INFERENCES What is happening to Doodle? doggedness (dôpggd-ngs) n. persistence; stubbornness reiterate (rc-gtpe-ratq) v. to repeat 10. Château-Thierry (shä-ti-tyd-rcp), Amiens (ä-mybnp), Soissons (swä-sinp),... Belleau (belpi) Wood: places in France where famous battles were fought near the end of World War I ( ). 11. dog days: the hot, uncomfortable days between early July and early September (named after the Dog Star, Sirius, which rises and sets with the sun at this time). the scarlet ibis 471

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43 I jumped up, knocking over my chair, and had reached the door when Mama called, Pick up the chair, sit down again, and say excuse me. By the time I had done this, Doodle had excused himself and had slipped out into the yard. He was looking up into the bleeding tree. It s a great big red bird! he called. k The bird croaked loudly again, and Mama and Daddy came out into the yard. We shaded our eyes with our hands against the hazy glare of the sun and peered up through the still leaves. On the topmost branch a bird the size of a chicken, with scarlet feathers and long legs, was perched precariously. Its wings hung down loosely, and as we watched, a feather dropped away and floated slowly down through the green leaves. It s not even frightened of us, Mama said. It looks tired, Daddy added. Or maybe sick. Doodle s hands were clasped at his throat, and I had never seen him stand still so long. What is it? he asked. Daddy shook his head. I don t know, maybe it s At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty. l It s dead, Mama said. What is it? Doodle repeated. Go bring me the bird book, said Daddy. I ran into the house and brought back the bird book. As we watched, Daddy thumbed through its pages. It s a scarlet ibis, he said, pointing to a picture. It lives in the tropics South America to Florida. A storm must have brought it here. Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree. Let s finish lunch, Mama said, nudging us back toward the dining room. I m not hungry, said Doodle, and he knelt down beside the ibis. We ve got peach cobbler for dessert, Mama tempted from the doorway. Doodle remained kneeling. I m going to bury him. Don t you dare touch him, Mama warned. There s no telling what disease he might have had. All right, said Doodle. I won t. Daddy, Mama, and I went back to the dining-room table, but we watched Doodle through the open door. He took out a piece of string from his pocket k l SYMBOL What clues suggest that the appearance of the bird might be important? precariously (prf-kârpc-es-lc) adv. insecurely; in a dangerous or unstable way exotic (Gg-zJtPGk) adj. excitingly strange SYMBOL What characteristics of the scarlet ibis are emphasized in lines ? the scarlet ibis 473

44 and, without touching the ibis, looped one end around its neck. Slowly, while singing softly Shall We Gather at the River, he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petunia bed. Now we were watching him through the front window, but he didn t know it. His awkwardness at digging the hole with a shovel whose handle was twice as long as he was made us laugh, and we covered our mouths with our hands so he wouldn t hear. When Doodle came into the dining room, he found us seriously eating our cobbler. He was pale and lingered just inside the screen door. Did you get the scarlet ibis buried? asked Daddy. Doodle didn t speak but nodded his head. Go wash your hands, and then you can have some peach cobbler, said Mama. I m not hungry, he said. Dead birds is bad luck, said Aunt Nicey, poking her head from the kitchen door. Specially red dead birds! m As soon as I had finished eating, Doodle and I hurried off to Horsehead Landing. Time was short, and Doodle still had a long way to go if he was going to keep up with the other boys when he started school. The sun, gilded with the yellow cast of autumn, still burned fiercely, but the dark green woods through which we passed were shady and cool. When we reached the landing, Doodle said he was too tired to swim, so we got into a skiff and floated down the creek with the tide. Far off in the marsh a rail was scolding, and over on the beach locusts were singing in the myrtle trees. Doodle did not speak and kept his head turned away, letting one hand trail limply in the water. After we had drifted a long way, I put the oars in place and made Doodle row back against the tide. Black clouds began to gather in the southwest, and he kept watching them, trying to pull the oars a little faster. When we reached Horsehead Landing, lightning was playing across half the sky and thunder roared out, hiding even the sound of the sea. The sun disappeared and darkness descended, almost like night. Flocks of marsh crows flew by, heading inland to their roosting trees; and two egrets, squawking, arose from the oyster-rock shallows and careened away. Doodle was both tired and frightened, and when he stepped from the skiff he collapsed onto the mud, sending an armada of fiddler crabs rustling off into the marsh grass. I helped him up, and as he wiped the mud off his trousers, he smiled at me ashamedly. He had failed and we both knew it, so we started back home, racing the storm. We never spoke (What are the words that can solder 12 cracked pride?), but I knew he was watching me, watching for a sign of mercy. The lightning was near now, and from fear he walked so close behind me he kept stepping on my heels. The faster I walked, the faster he walked, so m SYMBOL What is the connection between Doodle and the scarlet ibis? 12. solder (sjdper): to join or bond together. 474 unit 4: theme and symbol

45 I began to run. The rain was coming, roaring through the pines, and then, like a bursting Roman candle, a gum tree ahead of us was shattered by a bolt of lightning. When the deafening peal of thunder had died, and in the moment before the rain arrived, I heard Doodle, who had fallen behind, cry out, Brother, Brother, don t leave me! Don t leave me! The knowledge that Doodle s and my plans had come to naught 13 was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened. I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us. The drops stung my face like nettles, and the wind flared the wet glistening leaves of the bordering trees. Soon I could hear his voice no more. n I hadn t run too far before I became tired, and the flood of childish spite evanesced as well. I stopped and waited for Doodle. The sound of rain was everywhere, but the wind had died and it fell straight down in parallel paths like ropes hanging from the sky. As I waited, I peered through the downpour, but no one came. Finally I went back and found him huddled beneath a red nightshade bush beside the road. He was sitting on the ground, his face buried in his arms, which were resting on his drawn-up knees. Let s go, Doodle, I said. He didn t answer, so I placed my hand on his forehead and lifted his head. Limply, he fell backward onto the earth. He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red. Doodle! Doodle! I cried, shaking him, but there was no answer but the ropy rain. He lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermilion 14 neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never before seemed so fragile, so thin. I began to weep, and the tear-blurred vision in red before me looked very familiar. Doodle! I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain. m n MAKE INFERENCES Why does the narrator continue to run when he knows Doodle has fallen behind him? evanesce (DvQE-nDsP) v. to disappear; vanish heresy (hdrpg-sc) n. an action or opinion contrary to what is generally thought of as right 13. had come to naught: had resulted in nothing. 14. vermilion (ver-mglpyen): bright red to reddish orange. the scarlet ibis 475

46 Connect: Poem W O M A N with Flower 5 Naomi Long Madgett I wouldn t coax the plant if I were you. Such watchful nurturing may do it harm. Let the soil rest from so much digging And wait until it s dry before you water it. The leaf s inclined to find its own direction; Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself. Much growth is stunted by too careful prodding, Too eager tenderness. The things we love we have to learn to leave alone. 476 unit 4: theme and symbol

47 After Reading Comprehension 1. Clarify How is Doodle different from other children? 2. Recall What are the narrator s motives for teaching Doodle? 3. Summarize What happens to Doodle, and why? Text Analysis 4. Make Inferences Look back at the chart you made as you read. Review the inferences you made about the relationship between Doodle and the narrator. How would you describe their relationship over the course of the story? 5. Analyze Character The narrator has mixed emotions about Doodle. How might he answer the big question on page 460? 6. Interpret Symbol The narrator sees Doodle as the scarlet ibis at the end, but Doodle identifies with the exotic bird immediately. To explore this symbolic connection, identify as many similarities between the ibis and Doodle as you can. Record your comparison in a chart like the one shown. 7. Analyze Theme and Symbol Which of the following themes does the symbolism of the ibis support? Find details to support your answer. a. Selfish pride generally causes more harm than good. b. Delicate creatures need to be protected and cared for. c. Spiteful cruelty toward a loved one often stems from wounded pride. 8. Examine Foreshadowing and Mood Reread lines The dramatic death of the ibis foreshadows Doodle s death. Find at least three other examples of such foreshadowing. What mood do they create? 9. Compare Literary Works What advice does the speaker in Woman with Flower seem to offer the narrator of The Scarlet Ibis? In what ways are the themes of these works similar? In what ways are they different? Text Criticism 10. Author s Style The Scarlet Ibis is an example of Southern literature, which is characterized in part by its emphasis on details of time and place, the importance of family and community, an exploration of the past, and a sense of moral dilemma. How are these characteristics evident in this story? Why do we HURT the ones we LOVE? What consequences can arise from being cruel to loved ones? Scarlet Ibis and Doodle Both are unusual and don t fit in their surroundings. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4e Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. the scarlet ibis 477

48 Vocabulary in Context vocabulary practice Identify the word that is not related in meaning to the other words in the set. 1. (a) exotic, (b) ordinary, (c) unusual, (d) foreign 2. (a) impending, (b) imminent, (c) approaching, (d) remote 3. (a) fidelity, (b) heresy, (c) conformity, (d) compliance 4. (a) echo, (b) repeat, (c) originate, (d) reiterate 5. (a) errancy, (b) infallibility, (c) inaccuracy, (d) imperfection 6. (a) insecurely, (b) cleverly, (c) precariously, (d) dangerously 7. (a) disappear, (b) float, (c) vanish, (d) evanesce 8. (a) doggedness, (b) perseverance, (c) tenacity, (d) casualness word list doggedness evanesce exotic heresy imminent infallibility precariously reiterate academic vocabulary in writing context interpret reveal significant tradition This story takes place in the context of the rural South in the early 1900s. What would have been different if the context were of a city in 2010? Take one incident from the story and rewrite it, making the changes that would be necessary. Use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your response. vocabulary strategy: denotation and connotation While a word s denotation refers to a word s definition, a word s connotation refers to the attitudes or feelings associated with a word. For example, doggedness and stubbornness could both be defined as the quality of not giving in readily, but, in the context of the story, the use of the word doggedness to describe Doodle s efforts conveys positive connotations not associated with stubbornness. Writers use connotation to communicate certain feelings and to evoke a mood. Being aware of these connotations can enrich your understanding of what you read. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3c Discriminate between connotative and denotative meanings and interpret the connotation. PRACTICE Place the words in each group on a continuum like the one shown to show the positive or negative associations each word connotes. Then compare your answers with those of a classmate. highly negative highly positive 1. talk, vent, articulate 2. new, fresh, original 3. choosy, finicky, particular 4. smile, smirk, grin 5. responsibility, obligation, duty Interactive Vocabulary Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML unit 4: theme and symbol

49 Language grammar and style: Vary Sentence Structure Review the Grammar and Style note on page 468. Hurst uses a variety of sentence structures in his writing. Using only one type of sentence can make your writing sound dull. All complete sentences contain at least one independent clause, which can stand on its own. (Doodle went to sleep.) Some combine the independent clause or clauses with one or more subordinate clauses, which cannot stand alone. (Doodle went to sleep while the family ate dinner.) This kind of variety, as found in this passage from Hurst s story, makes for better-sounding prose: I lifted him out and set him down in the soft rubber grass beside a tall pine. His eyes were round with wonder as he gazed about him, and his little hands began to stroke the rubber grass. (lines 87 89) Below, notice how the revisions in blue improve the rhythm of this first draft. Revise your response to the prompt below by incorporating a variety of sentence structures. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.6 The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writings for a variety of audiences and purposes. 9.7c Use appositives, main clauses, and subordinate clauses. student model but The narrator sometimes shows he cares for Doodle. He also seems to enjoy as if were making his brother feel trapped and alone. He treats Doodle like an animal. who In reality, Doodle is just a child. He does his best to overcome a serious illness. reading-writing connection YOUR TURN Add to your understanding of The Scarlet Ibis by responding to this prompt. Then use the revising tip to improve your writing. writing prompt Extended Constructed Response: Character Analysis Do you blame the narrator for what happens to Doodle? Consider his age, his mixed emotions, and what he says about himself. Write a three- to five-paragraph response analyzing his role in Doodle s death. revising tip Review your response. How have you used independent and subordinate clauses to make your prose sound better? Interactive Revision Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9-479 the scarlet ibis 479

50 Before Reading Math and After Math Essay by Lensey Namioka What are you really GOOD at? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3b Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases. 9.3g Use knowledge of the evolution, diversity, and effects of language to comprehend and elaborate the meaning of texts. 9.4a Identify author s main idea and purpose. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. 9.4m Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process. Knowing what you re good at can take you a long way toward finding work and activities that you enjoy. In Math and After Math, Lensey Namioka describes how she first embarked on one career path and then later discovered her true talent. DISCUSS Make a list of activities you particularly enjoy. For each one, list the skills that help you succeed at the activity. With a partner, brainstorm career possibilities that could make use of those skills. Cooking ability to follow recipes knack for combining ingredients 480

51 text analysis: implied main idea In nonfiction, the writer s central idea, or overall message, is often referred to as the main idea. This main idea may be stated directly, or it may be implied by the factual details and personal examples and ideas that the writer chooses to include. In Math and After Math, Lensey Namioka shares a series of anecdotes episodes from her life through which she develops a main idea. To identify the implied main idea as you read, ask yourself, What important idea is conveyed by the anecdotes? How does this idea relate to the author s conclusion? reading skill: analyze sequence of events The events in a memoir are not always described in the same sequence in which they occurred. When describing or explaining events, a writer may move back and forth in time to make a point. This skipping around in time can be confusing, however, so it s important for the reader to keep track of how the sequence of events actually unfolded. Signal words, such as when, by the time, or for years, help to clarify this sequence. As you read Math and After Math, use a chart to jot down the important events in each stage of Namioka s life. Then number them in the order they occurred in time. Stage in Life Second grade Years later Order vocabulary in context Event Namioka suffers abacus anxiety. Family emigrates to America. Math is best subject. Lensey Namioka uses the following boldfaced words to tell her tale of personal discovery. Use context clues to determine the meaning of each one. 1. The speaker s dialect revealed that he was not a native of the area. 2. The movie s scenario included no plot twists or surprises. 3. Her ability to act is intuitive; she has never had a lesson. 4. The detective s analytic approach to solving problems led him to the killer. 5. Your hypothesis will not stand up to further testing. Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. Meet the Author Lensey Namioka born 1929 Always an Outsider Lensey Namioka was born in China and moved to the United States when she was nine years old. She has lived in many places and, consequently, has felt herself to be something of an outsider wherever she has lived. It s not surprising, then, that the protagonists in her stories for young adults are usually outsiders too. Multicultural Author Namioka s writing draws on both her Chinese heritage and her husband s Japanese heritage. She has written humorous novels about young Chinese immigrants in America, as well as a series of adventure-mystery books about two 16th-century Japanese samurai. background to the essay Girls and Math In Math and After Math, Namioka describes how she stood out in her American classrooms as a girl who was good at math. Researchers have long sought to determine whether the differences in math performance between girls and boys stem from biology or culture. In elementary school, girls tend to outperform boys in many subjects, including math. In high school, however, the situation changes. Statistics show that, as a group, boys score slightly higher than girls on math aptitude tests. Also, boys tend to choose math-related college majors and careers more often than girls do, although this is changing. Researchers continue to debate various hypotheses that explain these gender differences. Author Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML

52 Math and After Math lensey namioka 10 Seven! shouted the teacher. Or did he shout Four? I shrank down in my seat. Math class was an absolute nightmare. The teacher scared me so much that my hands got sweaty, and my fingers slipped on the abacus 1 beads. I was in the second grade when I discovered that I suffered from abacus anxiety. The trouble was that I was going to a school where the teacher spoke a different dialect. I grew up with Mandarin, the dialect spoken by the majority of the Chinese. When the eastern part of China was occupied by the Japanese, our family moved inland, to a region where I could barely understand the local dialect. Writing was pretty much the same in any dialect, so in language and history classes I didn t have trouble with what was on the blackboard. My problems started in the math class, where we had to learn the abacus. Before the days of the calculator, the abacus was the main tool for adding and multiplying. It still is, in many parts of China (as well as in countries like Japan and Russia). The abacus teacher would shout out the numbers he wanted us to add or multiply. My ears didn t always understand what he said, so seven, for instance, sounded a lot like four. What elements of the photograph reflect the writer s attitude toward math? dialect (dfpe-ldktq) n. a variety of a standard language unique to a certain region or social group 1. abacus (BbPE-kEs): a manual computing device consisting of rods hung within a frame and strung with movable counters. 482 unit 4: theme and symbol

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54 Until that class, math was one of my better subjects, especially when it came to multiplication. Years later, when we emigrated to America, I was astounded to hear one of my American friends recite the multiplication table: Two times one is two. Two times two is four. Two times three is six... It seemed to take forever. a The multiplication table is much shorter in Chinese. One reason is that the Chinese names for numbers are all one-syllable. We don t have numbers like seven. Also, we omit words like times and equals while reciting. Instead of Seven times two equals fourteen, we say, Er qi shi si, or literally, two seven fourteen. So we do it in four syllables instead of eight. The best trick is that we memorize only half as many entries, because we know that seven times two is the same as two times seven. (I learned later this was called the Commutative Law.) This meant I could rattle off the multiplication table about three times faster than my American classmates. But I learned the table even faster than my Chinese classmates. The reason was that I sang it. You can remember a tune better than a string of numbers, my father told me. So I want you to sing the multiplication table. The standard way to teach musical notation in Chinese schools was to give numbers to the diatonic scale: 2 do was one (not a female deer), re was two (not a ray of sunshine), mi was three, and so on. When I had to remember that two times seven was fourteen, my father told me to hum the little tune re ti do fa. This was not a pretty tune, but it certainly stuck in my mind. a S E QUENCE OF EVENTS Reread lines Which words indicate the passage of time? 2. diatonic (dfqe-tjnpgk) scale: the standard musical scale of seven tones, often referred to as do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti. Images.com/Corbis 484 unit 4: theme and symbol

55 Following Father s suggestion, I learned the multiplication table very quickly, and even now I still hum. The other day, when I was in the store buying candy bars, I noticed another customer staring at me. I was trying to figure out if my fistful of change was enough for four candy bars, and I must have been humming as I multiplied. When I entered American schools, my best subject was math. I didn t need to know much English to manage the Arabic numbers, 3 and my Chinese school had been a year ahead of American schools in math (because of shorter multiplication tables, maybe). b After a while I realized that my classmates found me weird. During our early years in America, my family lived in towns where there weren t too many Asians, and I looked different from everybody else in class. It turned out that my weirdness wasn t just because I looked different, or because I hummed funny tunes. How come you re so good at math? asked one of my classmates. Why shouldn t I be? I asked. You re a girl! In America, apparently, it was unusual for a girl to be good at math. It was different in China, where women were good at figures. They regularly kept the household accounts and managed the family budget. A few years ago, I saw a movie about Chinese-Americans called Dim Sum. 4 A Chinese man who ran a restaurant in Chinatown brought his receipts to a woman friend, who figured out his accounts for him. My American friends found the situation strange. It s not unusual at all, I told them. In my family, for instance, my mother made the major financial decisions. In fact, my mother made a financial killing when we were living in Berkeley, California. A neighbor took her to a land auction. A piece of land near our house was offered for sale, and Mother thought it would be fun to bid on it. Someone was bound to top her bid, she thought. She was stunned when nobody else made a bid, and Mother found herself the owner of a large plot of land. As she and her friend prepared to leave the auction room, a man rushed up to them. He was a realtor who had planned to bid for the land, but had arrived at the auction too late. I ll give you whatever you paid, plus something extra! he told Mother. No, thank you, said Mother. I m quite happy with the purchase. The realtor raised his offer, but Mother still turned him down. He became frantic. Look, I ll go as high as two thousand dollars above your bid! This just made Mother more stubborn. No, I want to keep the land. The realtor obtained our address and phone number, and immediately called our house. b IMPLIED MAIN IDEA Consider Namioka s childhood success with math. What is she implying about Chinese math education? 9.3b Language Coach Word Definitions You often have to read several definitions in a dictionary to find one that fits. Reread line 69. Which definition fits the use of killing in this line? (1) the act of one who kills, (2) a sudden gain, (3) very funny 3. Arabic numbers: the numerical symbols 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and Dim Sum: the movie title refers to a Chinese cuisine in which small portions of a variety of foods, including an assortment of dumplings, are served. math and after math 485

56 When Father answered the phone, the realtor shouted, Do you know what your wife just did? She threw away a chance to make two thousand dollars! I m sure she had her reasons, Father answered calmly. Nothing that the realtor said could disturb him. The land turned out to be an excellent investment, and helped to provide a tidy nest egg for my parents in their old age. c In many other Asian countries, too, the housewife is the one who manages money. It s normal for the husband to hand over his paycheck to his wife, and out of it she gives him an allowance. Perhaps it s the result of Confucius s teaching 5 that a gentleman is above money, so it s the woman s duty to be concerned with such petty matters. Things were very different in America. An American husband would hit the roof if his wife did what my mother had done. Women here were supposed to be hopeless when it came to money matters and figures. Many girls got good math grades in elementary school, but their grades began to slip when they entered middle school. By then they were getting interested in boys, and they didn t want the boys to think they were weird. I was weird in elementary and middle school because I was a real whiz at multiplication. In high school, I continued to be a whiz in my geometry and algebra classes. I was lucky to have a geometry teacher who addressed us by last name and didn t care whether you were a boy or a girl, as long as you agreed with Euclid. 6 My high school geometry class was also the first place where the word argument meant something good. My parents complained that I was always arguing. In geometry class, making an argument meant presenting something in an orderly, logical manner. I also liked the story or word problems in my algebra class. Years later, when I was teaching math, I couldn t understand why many students complained bitterly about them. To me, story problems meant fiction, romance. The most d exciting one involved an army column marching forward at a certain speed. A messenger at the head of the column was sent back to the rear. If the column was so many miles long, would he be able to deliver his message in time? I pictured the following scenario: We expect to engage the enemy in half an hour, the commander told the messenger. You have to get word to the men in the rear of the column! The mud-splashed rider desperately lashed his horse, while arrows fell on him from ambushers. How fast did he have to ride so that he would reach the rear guard in time to deliver his message? Attacking these story problems with relish, I was usually one of the first in the class to finish, and I was often sent to the board to write out the solution. c d IMPLIED MAIN IDEA Reread Namioka s anecdote about her mother s real estate purchase. What is the main idea of this anecdote? SEQUENCE OF EVENTS In this paragraph Namioka flashes forward to her adulthood. What is she able to reveal by doing this? scenario (sg-nârpc-iq) n. a description of a possible course of action or events 5. Confucius s (ken-fylpshes-gz) teaching: the Chinese philosopher Confucius ( b.c.) taught ideas about practical moral values that are still widely followed in China today. 6. Euclid (ylpklgd): a third-century-b.c. Greek mathematician upon whose ideas much of the study of geometry in schools is based. 486 unit 4: theme and symbol

57 A math lecture in a university lecture hall By the time I started college, I began to realize that it was unusual, unnatural maybe even unhealthy for girls to be good at math. I entered Radcliffe College, which was connected with Harvard. Some of my laboratory courses were taken together with the Harvard students, but classes such as English and math were taught separately on the small Radcliffe campus. 130 The English classes usually had around twenty students, but my beginning calculus class had only five of us. According to rumor, new instructors at Harvard were assigned to teach Radcliffe math classes as a test. If they manage to get through the year without breaking down, they re allowed to go on to higher things, we heard. On the first day of our math class, the instructor (who later became a famous mathematician) crept into the room without looking at us, and spent the whole period mumbling into the blackboard. In fact, he spent the whole year mumbling into the blackboard. He s awfully shy, isn t he? I remarked to a friend. math and after math 487

58 Maybe he s just scared of girls who study math, she said. Things got better when I entered the University of California, which was co-ed. The math classes were larger, and five girls in a class of forty boys weren t enough to scare the instructors. By this time I knew that in America a girl who was good at math was not only unusual, unnatural, unhealthy, but worst of all unattractive. Boys don t date you if you re a math whiz, I was told. e The situation was different for me. First of all, racial cross-dating was still rare when I was in college, so I dated only Chinese-American boys, who were hardened to the sight of their mothers or sisters doing math. I got very good grades in math throughout my school years and majored in mathematics in college. I had a head start in the multiplication table, and I loved arguing and proving things. By the time I learned that I wasn t supposed to do well in math, it was too late. A hot topic when I was in graduate school was the right-brain, left-brain debate. Scientists decided that men tended to use their left brain, which was the reasoning part, while women used their right brain, the intuitive part. That s why we re good at hard sciences and math, the boys in my classes assured us. You girls should stick with poetry, history, art, and things like that. It s a matter of genes or hormones. Then, later studies showed that the Japanese listened to insect sounds with their left (analytic) brain, while Westerners listened to insects with their right brain. Still other studies showed that professional musicians (both male and female) listened to music with the analytic side of their brain, while the general public listened with their intuitive side. It began to seem that training and social pressure, not genes and hormones, influenced which side of the brain was used. I eagerly followed the debate and could hardly wait for the day when it was okay for women to study science and math in America. f Today, attitudes are finally beginning to change. My daughters tell me that girls in high school math classes are less afraid to do well, and many women go into science and math in college. (One of my daughters is a computer scientist, and the other is an engineer.) For years, I seemed to be doing well in math because of my Chinese background, because I wasn t afraid to get good math grades in school. I did all the assigned problems without much trouble. But it wasn t enough to do all the problems assigned by the teacher. To be a creative mathematician, you also have to make up problems. I finally learned that I would never do really original work in mathematics. I found that, for math at least, I lacked what the Chinese call huo qi, 7 literally fiery breath, in other words, ambition and drive. In English the e f IMPLIED MAIN IDEA What do Namioka s anecdotes about college suggest is the main reason that American girls do poorly in math? intuitive (Gn-tLPG-tGv) adj. based on what seems to be true without conscious reasoning; instinctive analytic (BnQE-lGtPGk) adj. using logical reasoning or analysis IMPLIED MAIN IDEA Reread lines How does this factual information about brain research support Namioka s main idea? 7. huo qi (hwi chc). 488 unit 4: theme and symbol

59 expression fire in the belly comes close. I didn t think I was creative enough in mathematics to do good research, nor did I have the drive. g My immediate excuse for getting out of math was the difficulty of arranging for childcare. To be completely honest, I have to admit that I left mathematics because I wasn t all that good, despite my early impressive grades. I made the transition from mathematics to freelance writing through translation work. For a brief period, I translated mathematical papers from Chinese into English. My work dried up, however, when the Cultural Revolution 8 swept over China. Mathematicians, like other scholars, were ordered to stop research and write papers confessing their political shortcomings. (These were the lucky ones. The unlucky ones spent their time cleaning latrines.) With no mathematical papers to translate, I eventually took up freelance writing. My parents reproached me. How can you give up a beautiful subject like mathematics? We can admire beautiful pictures or music, I told them. But we don t all have the gift to paint or compose. You spent so many years studying math, some people say. Does it help you at all in your writing? Math has taught me the useful lesson of thrift. I ve met hundreds of mathematicians, and not one of them was a spendthrift. In math you re taught to squeeze the strongest possible result out of the weakest possible hypothesis in other words, you try to get the most value for your money. This thrifty habit stayed with me after I became a writer. When I put people or events into a book, I squeeze the most out of them. Very few things are thrown in and then forgotten later. As a result my plots seem to be carefully worked out in advance, instead of being made up as I go along. h Years ago, I enjoyed story problems because the stories fired my imagination. In fact, writing fiction was where I finally found my fiery breath. Instead of story problems, I can write problem stories. And that s what I m still doing today. g h IMPLIED MAIN IDEA What does Namioka suggest is needed in order for a person to express a true talent? hypothesis (hf-pjthpg-sgs) n. an assumption made in order to test its possible consequences 9.3g ANALOGIES An analogy is a comparison of two things that are alike in certain ways. In lines , Namioka uses analogies to describe the effect of studying math on her writing. She first explains that math teaches behaviors similar to thrifty spending habits. Then she explains how her writing style is also thrifty nothing is wasted or cast aside. Create your own analogy by comparing either math or writing to something else. 8. Cultural Revolution: a political upheaval in China in the 1960s that resulted in many attacks on intellectuals. math and after math 489

60 After Reading Comprehension 1. Recall Why did Namioka do so well in math as a young child? 2. Recall In the United States, how did Namioka s classmates regard her talent for math? Why? 3. Summarize According to Namioka, what is the typical Chinese attitude about girls and women s abilities in the area of math? 4. Clarify Why did Namioka finally give up her work in mathematics? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4a Identify author s main idea and purpose. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. Text Analysis 5. Compare and Contrast Cultures What is the main cultural difference discussed in this selection? Support your answer with details from the text. 6. Analyze Conflict In this essay, Namioka traces her struggle to determine her true talent. What part of this conflict is internal? What part is external? Give reasons for your responses. 7. Identify Implied Main Idea In your own words, state the main idea, the central idea or message, of this essay. Cite evidence from the text to support your answer. 8. Evaluate Sequence On your sequence chart, review the parts of the essay where Namioka describes events out of chronological order. In each case, evaluate the effect of this change of sequence. Do you think this is a good technique? Cite evidence to explain your opinion. 9. Make Judgments How do contemporary views on women s talent in math compare with those discussed in this essay? Cite evidence to support your claim. What are you really GOOD at? Will you follow a career that utilizes your talents? 490 unit 4: theme and symbol

61 Vocabulary in Context vocabulary practice Decide whether these statements are true or false. 1. If you have an intuitive understanding of a procedure, you will probably check each step as you go. 2. Spanish is a dialect of English. 3. A student asking for more homework is an unlikely scenario. 4. A hypothesis is often the first step in an investigation. 5. A person with an analytic mind could probably be a successful mathematician. word list analytic dialect hypothesis intuitive scenario academic vocabulary in writing context interpret reveal significant tradition Namioka talks about the Chinese tradition related to the handling of household finances. With a partner, discuss other traditions she identifies and what they reveal about the culture of China or the culture of the United States. Use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your discussion. vocabulary strategy: using context clues Dialect refers to a variety of speech that differs from the standard speech patterns of a given culture. Vocabulary is one element of dialect. For example, a person might refer to a sweet, carbonated beverage as a soda, a pop, or a soft drink, depending on where he or she lives in the United States. You can often infer the meaning of a word in dialect by noting context clues in the sentences and paragraphs that surround the word. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3b Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases. PRACTICE Identify the meaning of the underlined term in each sentence. Use context clues and your own knowledge to determine its meaning. Work with other students to try to identify where or by whom the term is mostly used. 1. Put a schmear of cream cheese on that bagel. 2. The gum bands holding the papers together were old and frayed. 3. You can pack your lunch in that little poke. 4. My grandparents lived on the top floor of the two-flat where I grew up. 5. That plug ought to be put out to pasture. 6. After drinking the chocolate frappé, he wasn t hungry for dinner. 7. Leon is getting together with his homeboys. 8. You can get some water from the bubbler in the hallway. Interactive Vocabulary Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9-491 math and after math 491

62 Before Reading The Future in My Arms Essay by Edwidge Danticat What does a community OWE its CHILDREN? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3a Use structural analysis of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and cognates to understand complex words. 9.4a Identify author s main idea and purpose. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. 9.4m Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process. Parents, of course, have a huge commitment to their children. But what is the responsibility of a community to its young? A familiar African proverb states, It takes a village to raise a child. Do you agree? QUICKWRITE In a small group, discuss how people in your community have influenced your life. Did someone teach you to play soccer or baseball? What about the person who always made a point of asking how you were doing? Create a concept web, as shown, with people who have helped you. Then choose one person and write a paragraph describing how he or she has made a difference in your life. People Who Helped Me Basketball Coach taught me to be a team player 492

63 text analysis: author s perspective An author s perspective is the lens through which a writer views a subject. This lens is made up of the writer s ideas, values, feelings, and beliefs products of the writer s life experiences and cultural upbringing. For example, in Math and After Math (page 480), Lensey Namioka writes from the perspective of a Chinese-American female who has a talent for math and was raised to believe that it is not unusual at all for a woman to excel at mathematics. Readers learn her perspective from direct statements as well as anecdotes that illustrate her views. As you read The Future in My Arms, determine Edwidge Danticat s point of view by examining the following: statements of opinion tone, or attitude diction, or word choice repeated words or ideas the descriptions of cultural customs the portrayal of her niece reading strategy: monitor Monitoring is the strategy of checking your comprehension as you read and intentionally using other strategies to improve it. For example, if as you read you realize that you are not understanding the text very well, you might decide you need to slow down your reading pace, reread, or skim the next section before reading it. With The Future in My Arms, the following strategies may be especially helpful: Predict what will happen later in the selection. Question the events described and their significance. Reread passages that you find confusing. Summarize what you have read by briefly restating the central ideas in your own words. As you read, keep track of your thoughts, ideas, and questions by jotting them down. Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. Meet the Author Edwidge Danticat born 1969 An Early Start When Edwidge Danticat came to the United States from Haiti at the age of 12, she had a hard time fitting in at school. She sought refuge in writing and began a story that would develop into her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory. She published the novel in 1994, when she was in her mid-20s, after earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Brown University. Other major works include Krik? Krak!, The Farming of Bones, and The Dew Breaker. One Voice in a Million Critics have acclaimed Danticat as the voice of Haitian Americans, but she resists the title. Danticat says, There are millions and millions of Haitian voices. Mine is only one. My greatest hope is that mine becomes one voice in a giant chorus that is trying to understand and express artistically what it s like to be a Haitian immigrant in the United States. background to the essay The Haitian Diaspora Danticat s transition into a new country and culture was eased by the support of her family and of the Haitian community in Brooklyn, New York. Many Haitians emigrate to the United States and other countries to escape the extreme poverty and political instability of their native country. This emigration of hundreds of thousands of Haitians to other countries has been called the Haitian Diaspora. Author Online Go to thinkcentral.com.. KEYWORD: HML

64 the future in My Arms a Edwidge Danticat I had never held any living thing so tiny in my hands. Six pounds and one ounce, lighter than my smallest dumbbell was my newborn niece, her face bright pink, her eyes tightly shut, her body coiled around itself in a fetal position, still defiantly resisting the world into which she d just been thrust. I had been awaiting her birth with feverish anticipation; I was going away for the summer, and I didn t want to leave before she was born, only to come back eight weeks later and find that she had grown accustomed to most things in the world except her only auntie on her father s side, the sole woman child in a family of men, who all her life had dreamed of having a sister. b 10 She arrived the day before I was to leave. I was at the Brooklyn Public Library researching an article when I called to check my messages. In a breathless voice, my brother Andre announced, You are now the proud aunt of Nadira Amahs Danticat. 1 Her name means, She whom God has chosen. I ran out of the library and headed toward a flower shop on Flatbush Avenue. As I approached, I heard someone call out my name. It was my brother Karl and Mia, who were expecting their own child in a few months. They, too, were heading to the hospital to see Nadira. On the way there, I remembered a message that a girlfriend of mine, a new mother, had sent me for my thirtieth birthday a few months before. May 20 your arms always be a repozwa, a place where a child can rest her head, it said. I had told her that two of my brothers were becoming fathers, and she wanted me to share those words with them. But I d decided to wait until both my niece and nephew were born to share this with their parents that we had each become a repozwa, 2 the Haitian Creole 3 term for sacred place, in whose shelter children would now seek rest. a b MONITOR Based on the essay title and the painting, what do you predict this essay will be about? AUTHOR S PERSPECTIVE What do lines 1 9 reveal about Danticat s attitude toward children, especially her niece? Cite details. What elements of this painting suggest the idea of repozwa mentioned and defined in lines 22 25? 1. Nadira Amahs Danticat (nä-dîrpä ä-mäsp dbn-tg-käp). 2. repozwa (ra-piz-wäp). 3. Haitian Creole: the French-based language spoken in Haiti. 494 unit 4: theme and symbol Mama s Cradle, April Harrison. Mixed media collage on canvas board, April Harrison.

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66 By the time we got to the hospital, my sister-in-law, Carol, had already had a few visitors. She appeared exhausted but in good spirits as she and Andre took us down the corridor to the maternity-ward window. Which one was Nadira? Andrew wanted us to guess, to pick her out of the rows of infants like a long-lost relative in a crowd of strangers. We were aided in our task by the small pink name tag glued to her bassinet. Carol asked if we wanted to have a closer look. We went back to the room and waited for the nurse to bring her in. We all stood up when she was carried in. I knew I was getting ahead of myself, but this made me think of a wedding where everyone immediately and almost instinctively rises to greet the bride. She was passed from loving hand to loving hand, but I kept her longer. I would soon have to leave, so I wanted to hold her, to cradle her in my arms, let her tiny head rest in the crook of my elbow. I wanted to watch her ever so slightly open her eyes and tighten her mouth as she battled to make sense of all the new sounds around her, all the laughter, the wild comparisons with relatives living and gone, all so very present in her face. I wanted to read her lines from Sonia Sanchez s Poem at Thirty : i am here waiting / remembering that / once as a child / i walked two / miles in my sleep. / did i know / then where i / was going? / traveling. i m always traveling. / i want to tell / you about me... / here is my hand. c Nadira s presence had already transformed the room. Her opening her eyes was like a Hollywood press conference, with all the video and picture cameras going off, trying to capture something that perhaps none of us knew how to express, that we had suddenly been allowed a closer view of one of life s great wonders, and by being there, were an extension of a miracle that happened every second of every day in every part of the world, but had generously now granted us a turn. That day, when we lined up for a glance, a touch, a picture, and tried to imagine a life for Nadira in a new country, we each made our own silent promises not to let her face that new world alone. We were telling her and her parents that we were her village with our offers of baby-sitting favors, our giant teddy bears, our handfuls of flowers, and the crooks of our arms and necks and laps, which we hoped that she would run to if she ever needed a refuge. d Looking back on my own thirty years, having crossed many borders, loved and lost many family and friends, young and old, to time, migrations, illnesses, I couldn t help but worry for Nadira, and for my nephew yet to be born. Are there ahead for them wars, a depression, a holocaust, a new civil-rights struggle as there were for those children born at the dawn of the last century? Will they have to face the colonization of new planets, genetic cloning, new forms of slavery, and other nightmares we have yet to imagine? Will we, their tiny village, give them enough love and assurance to help them survive, thrive, and even want to challenge those things? e Before handing Nadira back to her parents, I felt torn between wanting her to grow up quickly so that her body might match the wits she d need to face her future and at the same time wanting her to stay small so that she might be c MONITOR Reread lines What significance might these lines of poetry have for Danticat? d e AUTHOR S PERSPECTIVE What do Danticat s promises suggest about her beliefs concerning the responsibility adults have toward children? GRAMMAR AND STYLE Reread lines Notice how Danticat poses a series of rhetorical questions about the future to prompt readers to share her concern. 496 unit 4: theme and symbol

67 Circle of Joy, Keith Mallett. Keith Mallett Studio, Inc./ easier to shield and carry along the length of our elbows to the reach of our palms. I wanted to tell her parents that though I had never held any living thing so tiny in my hands, I had never held anything so grand either, a bundle so elaborately complex and yet fragile, encompassing both our past and our future. Though Nadira and my soon-to-arrive nephew were not created specifically with me in mind, I felt as though they were the most magical gifts that could ever have blessed my thirtieth year of life. Humbled by my responsibility to them, I silently promised their parents that for the next thirty years and the 80 thirty after that, my heart and soul would be their children s repozwa, a sacred place where they would always find rest. 9.3a Language Coach Synonyms Words with the same or nearly the same meaning are synonyms. Reread lines Which word in this sentence is a synonym for including or encircling? the future in my arms 497

68 After Reading Comprehension 1. Recall What is Danticat s relationship to the baby she holds? 2. Recall How does Danticat regard the baby and her birth? 3. Clarify Why is the baby so special to her? 4. Summarize What role does she hope to play in the baby s life? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4a Identify author s main idea and purpose. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. Text Analysis 5. Determine Central Idea Review the questions, thoughts, and ideas you noted as you monitored your reading. Then, using this information as a guide, state the central idea, or thesis, of The Future in My Arms. 6. Make Inferences About Author s Perspective What can you infer about Danticat s values, feelings, and beliefs concerning the role of adults in children s lives? Support your inferences with details from the text. 7. Analyze Concept Complete a concept chart like the one shown for the word repozwa. What is the significance of the word in this essay? Give evidence to support your answer. Repozwa Origin: Literal Meaning: Connotations: Significance in Essay: 8. Interpret Text Reread lines What does Danticat mean when she states that the baby Nadira encompasses both our past and our future? Support your answer with details from the essay. Text Criticism 9. Social Context How do your community s views on the responsibility of adults toward children compare with those in this selection? Consider the role of institutions such as parks, schools, daycare facilities, and neighborhood-watch programs in your area. What role do neighbors and extended families have in the care of children? Cite evidence to support your evaluation. What does a community OWE its CHILDREN? How should this commitment to children extend beyond the community? 498 unit 4: theme and symbol

69 Language grammar and style: Add Rhetorical Questions Review the Grammar and Style note on page 496. Here, the author uses interrogative sentences to ask rhetorical questions that not only express her own concerns but also prompt similar concerns in her readers. Unlike other questions, rhetorical questions do not require answers; they are used for effect. For example, notice how the following rhetorical questions make this paragraph more powerful than it would be with only declarative statements: A community is only as strong as its members. Our community needs to reach out to all children who live in our town. What are their needs? What will help them grow strong? How can we help them become responsible citizens who will, in turn, make this a better community? Now study the following model. Notice how the revisions in blue make this first draft more powerful and effective. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.6 The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writings for a variety of audiences and purposes. 9.7f Proofread and edit writing for intended audience and purpose. student model What is my responsibility to this child? What is our responsibility to all children in the community? Recently, I became an aunt to a beautiful baby girl. This joyous occasion caused me to reflect upon my role in her life. I started to consider my responsibilities to her and the other children in our community. reading-writing connection YOUR TURN Increase your understanding of The Future in My Arms by responding to this prompt. Then use the revising tip to improve your writing. writing prompt Extended Constructed Response: Letter How might Danticat encourage a community to become a repozwa for its children? Drawing on ideas in her essay, write a three- to fiveparagraph letter that Danticat might send to a local newspaper encouraging that community to examine its responsibilities to its children. revising tip Review your letter. Does it make a strong case? Consider adding rhetorical questions to make your writing more powerful. Interactive Revision Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9-499 the future in my arms 499

70 Before Reading Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country Poem by T ao Ch ien My Heart Leaps Up Poem by William Wordsworth The Sun Poem by Mary Oliver VIDEO TRAILER KEYWORD: HML9-500 Where do you go to GET AWAY from it all? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4f Compare and contrast the use of rhyme, rhythm, sound, imagery, and other literary devices to convey a message and elicit the reader s emotion. 9.4i Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point of view of a written work. What does nature do for you? Whether it s staring at a fishbowl, escaping to the mountains, or simply taking a walk in the park, many people look to nature for beauty, serenity, or rejuvenation. The poems that follow reflect on the experience of basking in the natural world. QUICKWRITE Make a concept web like the one shown, identifying a part of nature you enjoy and how it makes you feel. Then write a paragraph explaining your thoughts. Makes me feel self-sufficient Requires patience; slows me down Going Fishing Quiet is soothing 500

71 text analysis: universal theme Some poems have a universal theme; they express ideas that people from many cultures and times have found to be true. The poems you are about to read all describe a love of nature. Although written by poets who lived centuries apart and in very different cultures, all three poems touch upon the same theme. As you read each poem, use these strategies to identify their shared message: Think about the idea each poem is expressing about nature. What theme does each poem convey? Examine each poet s approach to the subject and look for similarities and differences. Modern-day poets often write with an awareness of mythic, classical, or traditional poems and are influenced by the language and themes of poems from earlier historical periods. For example, someone writing about nature in the 20th or 21st century would likely have been influenced by England s Romantic poets, who had a deep reverence for nature. When reading the following three poems, consider the influences each earlier poem may have had on the later ones. reading strategy: reading poetry for theme The words in a poem are carefully chosen and arranged to convey the poet s message. As a result, to understand theme in poetry, you need to look at details differently than you would when reading prose. The strategies that follow can help you discover the theme in each poem in this lesson: Identify the speaker, or voice, that talks to the reader. What attitude does the speaker have toward the subject of the poem? Notice key images and think about their meanings. Identify words and phrases that are emphasized or repeated or that strike you as important. Consider what ideas and feelings the words and phrases convey. As you read, keep a list of significant words, images, and phrases from each poem. Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country Meet the Authors T ao Ch ien Grandfather of Chinese Wilderness Poetry T ao Ch ien worked for the government before he returned to his family farm to live as a farmer a radical decision at the time. His poetry reflects Taoist philosophy, which emphasizes s living simply and close to nature. Both his life and his natural, conversational style of poetry inspired many later Chinese writers. William Wordsworth England s Poet of Nature William Wordsworth grew up in the Lake District of northern England. As a boy, he loved being outdoors and appreciated the natural beauty of the region; this love of nature never left him. His poetry introduced a new view of the relationship between people and nature. Wordsworth became one of the leaders of the Romantic movement in English literature. Mary Oliver born 1935 American Celebrant of Nature Mary Oliver became a distinguished poet and professor without ever having finished college. Her poetry, which links the worlds of people, animals, and plants, has won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. For my nature always/loved the hills and mountains. (lines 3 4) Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. Authors Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML

72 Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country In youth I had nothing that matched the vulgar tone, 1 For my nature always loved the hills and mountains. 5 Inadvertently I fell into the Dusty Net, 2 Once having gone it was more than thirteen years. The tame bird 10 longs for his old forest The fish in the house-pond thinks of his ancient pool. a I too will break the soil at the edge of the southern moor, 15 I will guard simplicity and return to my fields and garden. My land and house a little more than ten acres, In the thatched cottage 20 only eight or nine rooms. Elms and willows shade the back verandah, Peach and plum trees in rows before the hall. T ao Ch ien Viewing Plum Blossoms by Moonlight, Ma Yuan. Ink and color on silk, 9-7/8 x 10-1/2. Gift of John M. Crawford, Jr. ( ). Photo by Malcolm Varon Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York/Art Resource, New York. a READING POETRY Consider the images in lines Why does the speaker mention the tame bird and the fish in the house-pond? 502 unit 4: theme and symbol 1. matched the vulgar tone: The speaker is saying that he was never coarse or raucous in his youth. 2. Dusty Net: a term that refers to being caught up in professional ambition and materialism.

73 Hazy and dimly seen a village in the distance, Close in the foreground the smoke of neighbors houses. A dog barks amidst the deep lanes, A cock is crowing atop a mulberry tree. No dust and confusion within my doors and courtyard; In the empty rooms more than sufficient leisure. Too long I was held within the barred cage. Now I am able to return again to Nature. b Translated by William Acker b UNIVERSAL THEME Reread the last four lines. What is the barred cage? My Heart Leaps Up w i l l i a m w o r d s w o r t h 5 My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die! c The Child is father of the Man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety. 1 c UNIVERSAL THEME Paraphrase what the speaker reveals in lines 1 6 about his feelings toward nature. 1. piety (pfpg-tc): the quality of showing devotion or being reverent. poem on returning... / my heart leaps up 503

74 The Sun Mary Oliver 5 Have you ever seen anything in your life more wonderful than the way the sun, every evening, relaxed and easy, floats toward the horizon and into the clouds or the hills, or the rumpled sea, and is gone and how it slides again out of the blackness, every morning, on the other side of the world, like a red flower streaming upward on its heavenly oils, say, on a morning in early summer, at its perfect imperial distance and have you ever felt for anything d such wild love do you think there is anywhere, in any language, a word billowing enough for the pleasure that fills you, as the sun reaches out, as it warms you as you stand there, empty-handed or have you too turned from this world or have you too gone crazy for power, for things? e d e READING POETRY Note the imagery in lines What can you infer about the speaker s attitude toward nature from this description of the sun? UNIVERSAL THEME List the similarities among the three poems. How might Oliver have been influenced by the other two poems? 504 unit 4: theme and symbol

75 After Reading Comprehension 1. Recall In Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country, what change does the speaker make in his life? 2. Recall In My Heart Leaps Up, what does the speaker wish for? 3. Summarize In The Sun, what does the speaker regard as the most wonderful thing in life? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4f Compare and contrast the use of rhyme, rhythm, sound, imagery, and other literary devices to convey a message and elicit the reader s emotion. 9.4i Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point of view of a written work. Text Analysis 4. Compare and Contrast In Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country, contrast the speaker s feelings about his former life in the city and his new life in the country. Why does the speaker prefer the country life? Provide evidence from the poem to support your answer. 5. Interpret Meaning My Heart Leaps Up includes the famous line The Child is father of the Man. Think about how childhood experiences influence the person one becomes as an adult. What do you think the speaker means? 6. Make Inferences What possible influences from the other poems do you see in The Sun? Record your answers in a chart like the one shown. from Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country from My Heart Leaps Up Influences in The Sun 7. Analyze Universal Theme Record on a piece of paper the theme reflected in each poem. Then come up with a single theme that all three poems share. 8. Evaluate In your opinion, which poem makes the strongest statement about the power of nature? Cite evidence to support your choice. Text Criticism 9. Historical Context England s Romantic poets had a deep reverence for nature. Their work shows an emphasis on imagination, the expression of emotions, and wonder at the world around them. How does Wordsworth s poem reflect this tradition? To what extent do these traits appear in T ao Ch ien s and Mary Oliver s poems? Cite evidence to support your answer. Where do you go to GET AWAY from it all? Do you have a special place that is all your own? poem on returning... / my heart... / the sun 505

76 Comparing Across Genres Two Kinds Short Story by Amy Tan Video link at thinkcentral.com Rice and Rose Bowl Blues Poem by Diane Mei Lin Mark VIDEO TRAILER KEYWORD: HML9-506 How do EXPECTATIONS affect performance? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3 The student will apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, and figurative language to extend vocabulary development in authentic texts. 9.3f Extend general and specialized vocabulary through speaking, reading, and writing. 9.3g Use knowledge of the evolution, diversity, and effects of language to comprehend and elaborate the meaning of texts. 9.4j Compare and contrast author s use of literary elements within a variety of genres. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. Think of a time when someone in authority set a very high goal for you. Perhaps a coach expected you to be the team s top scorer, or a parent expected you to get straight A s. How did you respond to these expectations? Were you motivated to work harder? Did you inwardly rebel? DISCUSS With a small group of classmates, discuss why parents in particular might have high expectations of their children. Record three or more reasons from your discussion and then share them with other groups. 506

77 text analysis: theme across genres The short story and the poem you are about to read are literary works about young people struggling to be themselves in the face of parental expectations. Each has a specific theme, or message, about that topic. The fiction writer and the poet use different techniques to express the theme of the work. The chart shows the techniques each writer uses. As you read, try to infer the theme of each work by paying attention to the following. In the Short Story details about the main character s traits, motivations, and values details about how the characters change and the lessons they learn the major internal and external conflicts information about the setting the story s title In the Poem words and phrases describing the speaker s thoughts and feelings key images stanzas and lines that present an idea or compare images sound devices, such as alliteration and repetition, that may emphasize an idea the poem s title reading strategy: set a purpose for reading When you set a purpose for reading, you establish specific reasons to read a work. For example, your purpose for reading Two Kinds and Rice and Rose Bowl Blues is to identify the theme of each so that you can compare and contrast them. As you read, think about the important struggles each main character faces. After you read, you will use the Points of Comparison chart on page 521 to help you analyze and compare the two selections. Review: Draw Conclusions vocabulary in context Decide whether each word in the list has a positive or a negative connotation, and record your thoughts in your Reader/Writer Notebook. Meet the Authors Amy Tan born 1952 Late Bloomer Like the narrator in Two Kinds, Amy Tan is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Raised in the San Francisco Bay area, she spent most of her high school years traveling through Europe with her family after the death of her father and brother. Although she had studied literature and worked as a business writer, Tan did not turn to fiction writing until age 33 when her analyst fell asleep during a session for the third time. At that point, she abandoned therapy in favor of fiction. Overnight Success After publishing a handful of short stories, Tan came out with The Joy Luck Club, a collection of related short stories about four Chinese women friends and their daughters. Critically acclaimed, the book became a bestseller and was made into a movie. Her work has been translated into more than 20 languages, including Chinese. Diane Mei Lin Mark Maker of Images A fifth-generation Chinese American, Diane Mark is a successful writer and filmmaker. She co-produced the film Picture Bride, a lyrical depiction of Hawaii s plantation culture in the early 20th century. The film won the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Film at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. word list debut discordant fiasco lament prodigy reproach encore mesmerizing Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. Authors Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML

78 Kinds Amy Tan My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous. Of course you can be prodigy, too, my mother told me when I was nine. You can be best anything. What does Auntie Lindo know? Her daughter, she is only best tricky. America was where all my mother s hopes lay. She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her 10 first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. But she never looked back with regret. There were so many ways for things to get better. a We didn t immediately pick the right kind of prodigy. At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple. 1 We d watch Shirley s old movies on TV as though they were training films. My mother would poke my arm and say, Ni kan You watch. And I would see Shirley tapping her feet, or singing a sailor song, or pursing her lips into a very round O while saying, Oh my goodness. Ni kan, said my mother as Shirley s eyes flooded with tears. You already know how. Don t need talent for crying! 20 Soon after my mother got this idea about Shirley Temple, she took me to a beauty training school in the Mission district 2 and put me in the hands of a student who could barely hold the scissors without shaking. Instead of getting big fat curls, I emerged with an uneven mass of crinkly black fuzz. My mother dragged me off to the bathroom and tried to wet down my hair. You look like Negro Chinese, she lamented, as if I had done this on purpose. The instructor of the beauty training school had to lop off these soggy clumps to make my hair even again. Peter Pan is very popular these days, a prodigy (prjdpe-jc) n. a person who is exceptionally talented or intelligent THEME Reread lines What does the narrator s mother want for her daughter? Consider what this suggests about the mother s character. What do the posture, facial expressions, dress, and printed background suggest about the mother and daughter in this picture? Explain. 1. Shirley Temple: a popular child movie star of the 1930s. 2. Mission district: a residential neighborhood in San Francisco. 508 unit 4: theme and symbol

79 Comparing Across Genres

80 the instructor assured my mother. I now had hair the length of a boy s, with straight-across bangs that hung at a slant two inches above my eyebrows. I liked the haircut, and it made me actually look forward to my future fame. In fact, in the beginning, I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so. I pictured this prodigy part of me as many different images, trying each one on for size. I was a dainty ballerina girl standing by the curtains, waiting to hear the right music that would send me floating on my tiptoes. I was like the Christ child lifted out of the straw manger, crying with holy indignity. I was Cinderella stepping from her pumpkin carriage with sparkly cartoon music filling the air. In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything. But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient. If you don t hurry up and get me out of here, I m disappearing for good, it warned. And then you ll always be nothing. b Every night after dinner, my mother and I would sit at the Formica 3 kitchen table. She would present new tests, taking her examples from stories of amazing children she had read in Ripley s Believe It or Not, or Good Housekeeping, Reader s Digest, and a dozen other magazines she kept in a pile in our bathroom. My mother got these magazines from people whose houses she cleaned. And since she cleaned many houses each week, we had a great assortment. She would look through them all, searching for stories about remarkable children. The first night she brought out a story about a three-year-old boy who knew the capitals of all the states and even most of the European countries. A teacher was quoted as saying the little boy could also pronounce the names of the foreign cities correctly. What s the capital of Finland? my mother asked me, looking at the magazine story. All I knew was the capital of California, because Sacramento was the name of the street we lived on in Chinatown. Nairobi! 4 I guessed, saying the most foreign word I could think of. She checked to see if that was possibly one way to pronounce Helsinki before showing me the answer. The tests got harder multiplying numbers in my head, finding the queen of hearts in a deck of cards, trying to stand on my head without using my hands, predicting the daily temperatures in Los Angeles, New York, and London. One night I had to look at a page from the Bible for three minutes and then report everything I could remember. Now Jehoshaphat 5 had riches and honor in abundance and... that s all I remember, Ma, I said. c b c reproach (rg-prichp) n. blame; criticism THEME Reread lines What are the narrator s conflicting feelings about being a prodigy? THEME Reread lines How successfully does the narrator perform the tests given by her mother? 3. Formica (fôr-mfpke): a heat-resistant material used on kitchen counters, table tops, and similar surfaces. 4. Nairobi (nf-ripbc): the capital of the African nation of Kenya. 5. Jehoshaphat (je-hjshpe-fbtq): a king of the ancient Biblical land of Judah in the ninth century b.c. 510 unit 4: theme and symbol

81 Comparing Across Genres And after seeing my mother s disappointed face once again, something inside of me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations. Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back and that it would always be this ordinary face I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made high-pitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror. And then I saw what seemed to be the prodigy side of me because I had never seen that face before. I looked at my reflection, blinking so I could see more clearly. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won ts. I won t let her change me, I promised myself. I won t be what I m not. d So now on nights when my mother presented her tests, I performed listlessly, my head propped on one arm. I pretended to be bored. And I was. I got so bored I started counting the bellows of the foghorns out on the bay while my mother drilled me in other areas. The sound was comforting and reminded me of the cow jumping over the moon. And the next day, I played a game with myself, seeing if my mother would give up on me before eight bellows. After a while I usually counted only one, maybe two bellows at most. At last she was beginning to give up hope. Two or three months had gone by without any mention of my being a prodigy again. And then one day my mother was watching The Ed Sullivan Show 6 on TV. The TV was old and the sound kept shorting out. Every time my mother got halfway up from the sofa to adjust the set, the sound would go back on and Ed would be talking. As soon as she sat down, Ed would go silent again. She got up, the TV broke into loud piano music. She sat down. Silence. Up and down, back and forth, quiet and loud. It was like a stiff, embraceless dance between her and the TV set. Finally she stood by the set with her hand on the sound dial. She seemed entranced by the music, a little frenzied piano piece with this mesmerizing quality, sort of quick passages and then teasing lilting ones before it returned to the quick playful parts. Ni kan, my mother said, calling me over with hurried hand gestures, Look here. I could see why my mother was fascinated by the music. It was being pounded out by a little Chinese girl, about nine years old, with a Peter Pan haircut. The girl had the sauciness of a Shirley Temple. She was proudly modest like a proper Chinese child. And she also did this fancy sweep of a curtsy, so that the fluffy skirt of her white dress cascaded slowly to the floor like the petals of a large carnation. d THEME Reread lines What causes the narrator to rebel against her mother? Point out statements that reveal her new insights and provide clues to the theme. mesmerizing (mdzpme-rfzqgng) adj. holding one s attention in an almost hypnotic manner mesmerize v. 6. The Ed Sullivan Show: a popular television variety show in the 1950s and 1960s. two kinds 511

82 In spite of these warning signs, I wasn t worried. Our family had no piano and we couldn t afford to buy one, let alone reams of sheet music and piano lessons. So I could be generous in my comments when my mother bad-mouthed the little girl on TV. Play note right, but doesn t 120 sound good! No singing sound, complained my mother. What are you picking on her for? I said carelessly. She s pretty good. Maybe she s not the best, but she s trying hard. I knew almost immediately I would be sorry I said that. Just like you, she said. Not the best. Because you not trying. 130 She gave a little huff as she let go of the sound dial and sat down on the sofa. The little Chinese girl sat down also to play an encore of Anitra s Dance by Grieg. 7 I remember the song, because later on I had to learn how to play it. Three days after watching The Ed Sullivan Show, my mother told me what my schedule would be for piano lessons and piano practice. She had talked to Mr. Chong, who lived on the first floor of our apartment building. Mr. Chong was a retired piano teacher and my mother had traded housecleaning services for weekly lessons and a piano for me to practice on every day, two hours a day, from four until six. When my mother told me this, I felt as though I had been sent to hell. I whined and then kicked my foot a little when I couldn t stand it anymore. Why don t you like me the way I am? I m not a genius! I can t play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn t go on TV if you paid me a million dollars! I cried. My mother slapped me. Who ask you be genius? she shouted. Only ask you be your best. For you sake. You think I want you be genius? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you! So ungrateful, I heard her mutter in Chinese. If she had as much talent as she has temper, she would be famous now. e encore (JnPkIrQ) n. a repeated or additional performance e THEME Examine the conflict between the characters as revealed in lines and lines Why does the mother continue to push her daughter? 7. Grieg (grcg): Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg ( ). 512 unit 4: theme and symbol

83 Comparing Across Genres Mr. Chong, whom I secretly nicknamed Old Chong, was very strange, always tapping his fingers to the silent music of an invisible orchestra. He looked ancient in my eyes. He had lost most of the hair on top of his head and he wore thick glasses and had eyes that always looked tired and sleepy. But he must have been younger than I thought, since he lived with his mother and was not yet married. I met Old Lady Chong once and that was enough. She had this peculiar smell like a baby that had done something in its pants. And her fingers felt like a dead person s, like an old peach I once found in the back of the refrigerator; the skin just slid off the meat when I picked it up. I soon found out why Old Chong had retired from teaching piano. He was deaf. Like Beethoven! he shouted to me. We re both listening only in our head! 8 And he would start to conduct his frantic silent sonatas. Our lessons went like this. He would open the book and point to different things, explaining their purpose: Key! Treble! Bass! No sharps or flats! So this is C major! Listen now and play after me! And then he would play the C scale a few times, a simple chord, and then, as if inspired by an old, unreachable itch, he gradually added more notes and running trills and a pounding bass until the music was really something quite grand. I would play after him, the simple scale, the simple chord, and then I just played some nonsense that sounded like a cat running up and down on top of garbage cans. Old Chong smiled and applauded and then said, Very good! But now you must learn to keep time! So that s how I discovered that Old Chong s eyes were too slow to keep up with the wrong notes I was playing. He went through the motions in halftime. To help me keep rhythm, he stood behind me, pushing down on my right shoulder for every beat. He balanced pennies on top of my wrists so I would keep them still as I slowly played scales and arpeggios. 9 He had me curve my hand around an apple and keep that shape when playing chords. He marched stiffly to show me how to make each finger dance up and down, staccato 10 like an obedient little soldier. He taught me all these things, and that was how I also learned I could be lazy and get away with mistakes, lots of mistakes. If I hit the wrong notes because I hadn t practiced enough, I never corrected myself. I just kept playing in rhythm. And Old Chong kept conducting his own private reverie. So maybe I never really gave myself a fair chance. I did pick up the basics pretty quickly, and I might have become a good pianist at that young age. 9.3f Language Coach Oral Fluency Certain English letter combinations are pronounced differently in different words. Usually ch is pronounced /CH/, as in cheese. Sometimes, though, it is pronounced /K/, as in character. Reread lines Find examples where ch is pronounced as /K/ and as /CH/. Use a dictionary to check the pronunciations of the words you find. 8. Beethoven... in our head! (baptiqven): Ludwig van Beethoven ( ) continued to compose great music even after becoming totally deaf during the last years of his life. 9. arpeggios (är-pdjpc-izq): chords in which the notes are played separately in quick sequence rather than at the same time. 10. staccato (ste-käpti): producing distinct, abrupt breaks between successive tones. two kinds 513

84 But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different, that I learned to play only the most ear-splitting preludes, 11 the most discordant hymns. f Over the next year, I practiced like this, dutifully in my own way. And then one day I heard my mother and her friend Lindo Jong both talking in a loud, bragging tone of voice so others could hear. It was after church, and I was leaning against the brick wall wearing a dress with stiff white petticoats. Auntie Lindo s daughter, Waverly, who was about my age, was standing farther down the wall about five feet away. We had grown up together and shared all the closeness of two sisters squabbling over crayons and dolls. In other words, for the most part, we hated each other. I thought she was snotty. Waverly Jong had gained a certain amount of fame as Chinatown s Littlest Chinese Chess Champion. She bring home too many trophy, lamented Auntie Lindo that Sunday. All day she play chess. All day I have no time do nothing but dust off her winnings. She threw a scolding look at Waverly, who pretended not to see her. You lucky you don t have this problem, said Auntie Lindo with a sigh to my mother. And my mother squared her shoulders and bragged: Our problem worser than yours. If we ask Jing-mei 12 wash dish, she hear nothing but music. It s like you can t stop this natural talent. And right then, I was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride. g A few weeks later, Old Chong and my mother conspired to have me play in a talent show which would be held in the church hall. By then, my parents had saved up enough to buy me a secondhand piano, a black Wurlitzer spinet 13 with a scarred bench. It was the showpiece of our living room. For the talent show, I was to play a piece called Pleading Child from Schumann s 14 Scenes from Childhood. It was a simple, moody piece that sounded more difficult than it was. I was supposed to memorize the whole thing, playing the repeat parts twice to make the piece sound longer. But I dawdled over it, playing a few bars and then cheating, looking up to see what notes followed. I never really listened to what I was playing. I daydreamed about being somewhere else, about being someone else. The part I liked to practice best was the fancy curtsy: right foot out, touch the rose on the carpet with a pointed foot, sweep to the side, left leg bends, look up and smile. f THEME Why does the narrator intentionally do poorly in her piano lessons? g discordant (dg-skôrpdnt) adj. having a disagreeable or clashing sound lament (le-mdntp) v. to express grief or deep regret DRAW CONCLUSIONS After overhearing her mother s conversation with Auntie Lindo in lines , the narrator concludes that foolish pride motivates her mother. Based on what you know about the mother so far, do you agree? Explain your answer. 11. preludes (prdlpyldzq): short piano compositions, each usually based on a single musical theme. 12. Jing-mei (jgngpmap). 13. Wurlitzer spinet: Wurlitzer was a well-known manuracturer of organs and pianos, including the small upright piano known as a spinet. 14. Schumann s (shlpmänzq): composed by Robert Schumann ( ), a German composer famous for his piano works. 514 unit 4: theme and symbol

85 Comparing Across Genres My parents invited all the couples from the Joy Luck Club 15 to witness my debut. Auntie Lindo and Uncle Tin were there. Waverly and her two older brothers had also come. The first two rows were filled with children both younger and older than I was. The littlest ones got to go first. They recited simple nursery rhymes, squawked out tunes on miniature violins, twirled Hula-Hoops, 16 pranced in pink ballet tutus, and when they bowed or curtsied, the audience would sigh in unison, Awww, and then clap enthusiastically. When my turn came, I was very confident. I remember my childish excitement. It was as if I knew, without a doubt, that the prodigy side of me really did exist. I had no fear whatsoever, no nervousness. I remember thinking to myself, This is it! This is it! I looked out over the audience, at my mother s blank face, my father s yawn, Auntie Lindo s stiff-lipped smile, Waverly s sulky expression. I had on a white dress layered with sheets of lace, and a pink bow in my Peter Pan haircut. As I sat down I envisioned people jumping to their feet and Ed Sullivan rushing up to introduce me to everyone on TV. h And I started to play. It was so beautiful. I was so caught up in how lovely I looked that at first I didn t worry how I would sound. So it was a surprise to me when I hit the first wrong note and I realized something didn t sound quite right. And then I hit another and another followed that. A chill started at the top of my head and began to trickle down. Yet I couldn t stop playing, as though my hands were bewitched. I kept thinking my fingers would adjust themselves back, like a train switching to the right track. I played this strange jumble through two repeats, the sour notes staying with me all the way to the end. debut (da-bylp) n. first public performance or showing h THEME Reread lines What internal conflict is revealed by the narrator s expectations of her own performance? 15. Joy Luck Club: the social group to which the family in this story belongs. 16. Hula-Hoops: plastic hoops that are whirled around the body by means of hip movements. two kinds 515

86 When I stood up, I discovered my legs were shaking. Maybe I had just been nervous and the audience, like Old Chong, had seen me go through the right motions and had not heard anything wrong at all. I swept my right foot out, went down on my knee, looked up and smiled. The room was quiet, except for Old Chong, who was beaming and shouting, Bravo! Bravo! Well done! But then I saw my mother s face, her stricken face. The audience clapped weakly, and as I walked back to my chair, with my whole face quivering as I tried not to cry, I heard a little boy whisper loudly to his mother, That was awful, and the mother whispered back, Well, she certainly tried. And now I realized how many people were in the audience, the whole world it seemed. I was aware of eyes burning into my back. I felt the shame of my mother and father as they sat stiffly throughout the rest of the show. We could have escaped during intermission. Pride and some strange sense of honor must have anchored my parents to their chairs. And so we watched it all: the eighteen-year-old boy with a fake mustache who did a magic show and juggled flaming hoops while riding a unicycle. The breasted girl with white makeup who sang from Madama Butterfly 17 and got honorable mention. And the eleven-year-old boy who won first prize playing a tricky violin song that sounded like a busy bee. After the show, the Hsus, 18 the Jongs, and the St. Clairs from the Joy Luck Club came up to my mother and father. Lots of talented kids, Auntie Lindo said vaguely, smiling broadly. That was somethin else, said my father, and I wondered if he was referring to me in a humorous way, or whether he even remembered what I had done. Waverly looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. You aren t a genius like me, she said matter-of-factly. And if I hadn t felt so bad, I would have pulled her braids and punched her stomach. But my mother s expression was what devastated me: a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything. I felt the same way, and it seemed as if everybody were now coming up, like gawkers at the scene of an accident, to see what parts were actually missing. When we got on the bus to go home, my father was humming the busy-bee tune and my mother was silent. I kept thinking she wanted to wait until we got home before shouting at me. But when my father unlocked the door to our apartment, my mother walked in and then went to the back, into the bedroom. No accusations. No blame. And in a way, I felt disappointed. I had been waiting for her to start shouting, so I could shout back and cry and blame her for all my misery. I assumed my talent-show fiasco meant I never had to play the piano again. But two days later, after school, my mother came out of the kitchen and saw me watching TV. 9.3 Language Coach Fixed Expressions A preposition at the end of a verb can change its meaning. Reread line 261. The phrase eyes burning usually refers to itchy or irritated eyes, but eyes burning into my back means something else. How does the narrator feel here? fiasco (fc-bspki) n. a complete failure 17. Madama Butterfly: a famous opera by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. 18. Hsus (shüz). 516 unit 4: theme and symbol

87 Comparing Across Genres Four clock, she reminded me as if it were any other day. I was stunned, as though she were asking me to go through the talent-show torture again. I wedged myself more tightly in front of the TV. Turn off TV, she called from the kitchen five minutes later. I didn t budge. And then I decided. I didn t have to do what my mother said anymore. I wasn t her slave. This wasn t China. I had listened to her before and look what happened. She was the stupid one. She came out from the kitchen and stood in the arched entryway of the living room. Four clock, she said once again, louder. I m not going to play anymore, I said nonchalantly. Why should I? I m not a genius. She walked over and stood in front of the TV. I saw her chest was heaving up and down in an angry way. No! I said, and I now felt stronger, as if my true self had finally emerged. So this was what had been inside me all along. No! I won t! I screamed. She yanked me by the arm, pulled me off the floor, snapped off the TV. She was frighteningly strong, half pulling, half carrying me toward the piano as I kicked the throw rugs under my feet. She lifted me up and onto the hard bench. I was sobbing by now, looking at her bitterly. Her chest was heaving even more and her mouth was open, smiling crazily as if she were pleased I was crying. You want me to be someone that I m not! I sobbed. I ll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be! Only two kinds of daughters, she shouted in Chinese. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter! i Then I wish I wasn t your daughter. I wish you weren t my mother, I shouted. As I said these things I got scared. It felt like worms and toads and slimy things crawling out of my chest, but it also felt good, as if this awful side of me had surfaced, at last. Too late change this, said my mother shrilly. And I could sense her anger rising to its breaking point. I wanted to see it spill over. And that s when I remembered the babies she had lost in China, the ones we never talked about. Then I wish I d never been born! I shouted. I wish I were dead! Like them. It was as if I had said the magic words. Alakazam! and her face went blank, her mouth closed, her arms went slack, and she backed out of the room, stunned, as if she were blowing away like a small brown leaf, thin, brittle, lifeless. i THEME The title of a story is often a clue to its theme. The title of this story comes from the exchange between mother and daughter in lines How do the narrator s values differ from her mother s? Cite examples in your answer. two kinds 517

88 It was not the only disappointment my mother felt in me. In the years that followed, I failed her so many times, each time asserting my own will, my right to fall short of expectations. I didn t get straight A s. I didn t become class president. I didn t get into Stanford. I dropped out of college. For unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be. I could only be me. And for all those years, we never talked about the disaster at the recital or my terrible accusations afterward at the piano bench. All that remained 340 unchecked, like a betrayal that was now unspeakable. So I never found a way to ask her why she had hoped for something so large that failure was inevitable. And even worse, I never asked her what frightened me the most: Why had she given up hope? 518 unit 4: theme and symbol

89 Comparing Across Genres For after our struggle at the piano, she never mentioned my playing again. The lessons stopped. The lid to the piano was closed, shutting out the dust, my misery, and her dreams. So she surprised me. A few years ago, she offered to give me the piano, for my thirtieth birthday. I had not played in all those years. I saw the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed. Are you sure? I asked shyly. I mean, won t you and Dad miss it? No, this your piano, she said firmly. Always your piano. You only one can play. Well, I probably can t play anymore, I said. It s been years. You pick up fast, said my mother, as if she knew this was certain. You have natural talent. You could been genius if you want to. No I couldn t. You just not trying, said my mother. And she was neither angry nor sad. She said it as if to announce a fact that could never be disproved. Take it, she said. j But I didn t at first. It was enough that she had offered it to me. And after that, every time I saw it in my parents living room, standing in front of the bay windows, it made me feel proud, as if it were a shiny trophy I had won back. Last week I sent a tuner over to my parents apartment and had the piano reconditioned, for purely sentimental reasons. My mother had died a few months before and I had been getting things in order for my father, a little bit at a time. I put the jewelry in special silk pouches. The sweaters she had knitted in yellow, pink, bright orange all the colors I hated I put those in mothproof boxes. I found some old Chinese silk dresses, the kind with little slits up the sides. I rubbed the old silk against my skin, then wrapped them in tissue and decided to take them home with me. After I had the piano tuned, I opened the lid and touched the keys. It sounded even richer than I remembered. Really, it was a very good piano. Inside the bench were the same exercise notes with handwritten scales, the same secondhand music books with their covers held together with yellow tape. I opened up the Schumann book to the dark little piece I had played at the recital. It was on the left-hand side of the page, Pleading Child. It looked more difficult than I remembered. I played a few bars, surprised at how easily the notes came back to me. And for the first time, or so it seemed, I noticed the piece on the right-hand side. It was called Perfectly Contented. I tried to play this one as well. It had a lighter melody but the same flowing rhythm and turned out to be quite easy. Pleading Child was shorter but slower; Perfectly Contented was longer, but faster. And after I played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song. k j k DRAW CONCLUSIONS In fiction, some characters remain static, or don t change, while others are dynamic, or change through the course of the story. Reread lines Has the mother changed? Explain your answer. 9.3g DRAW CONCLUSIONS A paradox is a statement that appears to be a contradiction but reveals some truth. What paradox is expressed in the story s final paragraph? What truth do you find in it? two kinds 519

90 rice and r o s e bowl blues Diane Mei Lin Mark I remember the day Mama called me in from the football game with brothers and neighbor boys in our front yard said it was time I learned to wash rice for dinner glancing out the window I watched a pass interception setting the other team up on our 20 Pour some water into the pot, she said pleasantly, turning on the tap Rub the rice between your hands, pour out the clouds, fill it again (I secretly traced an end run through the grains in between pourings) l with the rice settled into a simmer I started out the door but was called back the next day Roland from across the street sneeringly said he heard I couldn t play football anymore l THEME Reread lines What does the text in parentheses tell you about the speaker s feelings and interests? Why do you think the poet used parentheses here? 35 I laughed loudly, asking him where he d heard such a thing m m THEME What can you tell about the speaker s feelings from her reaction to Roland? 520 unit 4: theme and symbol

91 After Reading Comparing Across Genres Comprehension 1. Recall In Two Kinds, what does the narrator s mother want her to become? 2. Recall What does the narrator s mother offer her on her 30th birthday? 3. Summarize What can you tell about the character of the speaker in Rice and Rose Bowl Blues? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4j Compare and contrast author s use of literary elements within a variety of genres. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. Text Analysis 4. Make Inferences In lines 18 19, Jing-mei s mother says, You already know how. Don t need talent for crying! What does her comment reveal about Jing-mei? 5. Analyze Conflict In Two Kinds, why does the narrator s conflict with her mother last so long and become so bitter? Is it ever resolved? Cite evidence from the story to support your answer. 6. Evaluate Characters Just like people in real life, characters in fiction can behave in ways that surprise you. However, authors still attempt to create credible, or believable, characters. Do you find the characters of Jing-mei and her mother to be credible? Why or why not? Support your answers with details from the text. 7. Analyze Gender Roles In Rice and Rose Bowl Blues, how does gender play a role in the tension between the speaker and her mother? Use evidence from the poem to support your answer. Comparing Across Genres Now that you have read both selections about parental expectations, you are ready to identify each writer s theme, or message. The Points of Comparison chart will help you get started. Points of Comparison In the Short Story In the Poem How would you describe the main conflict? What lesson does the narrator or the speaker learn? What idea does the title emphasize? Write a sentence stating the theme as you interpret it. Which techniques are important in conveying the theme? How do EXPECTATIONS affect performance? What best motivates you to succeed? two kinds / rice and rose bowl blues 521

92 Vocabulary in Context vocabulary practice Answer the questions to show your understanding of the vocabulary words. 1. Is a prodigy considered a late bloomer? 2. Which would you be more likely to lament your dog s death or an A on a test? 3. Which might be a fiasco enjoying a vacation or knocking over a bookcase? 4. Would a reproach cause someone to rejoice or feel bad? 5. If a television show is an encore presentation, is it a new program or a rerun? 6. Which are discordant sounds blaring car horns or softly rippling waves? 7. Which might be mesmerizing to a child a newspaper or a shiny toy? 8. If someone is making a debut, is he or she likely to be excited or bored? word list debut discordant encore fiasco lament mesmerizing prodigy reproach academic vocabulary in writing context interpret reveal significant tradition The narrator interprets her mother s expectations in a negative way, thinking her mother expects too much. Write a paragraph in which you discuss whether you think the narrator s interpretation is correct or incorrect. Use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your response. vocabulary strategy: word origins Words that derive from the names of people or places are called eponyms. For example, the vocabulary word mesmerizing (the present participle of mesmerize) comes from the name Franz Mesmer, an Austrian doctor who popularized hypnotism. The etymology in the dictionary entry of an eponym will help you understand the term s origin. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.3 The student will apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, and figurative language to extend vocabulary development in authentic texts. mes mer ize (mdz me-rfz ) tr.v. -ized, -iz ing, -iz es 1. To spellbind; enthrall. 2. To hypnotize. [After Franz Mesmer, Austrian physician, ] PRACTICE Use an unabridged dictionary to identify the person or place from which each word derives. Then write a brief explanation of the connection. 1. saxophone 2. boycott 3. poinsettia 4. frankfurter 5. bedlam 6. shrapnel 7. tangerine 8. Ferris wheel Interactive Vocabulary Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML unit 4: theme and symbol

93 Comparing Across Genres Writing for Assessment 9.6a, b, f, g 1. read the prompt In writing assessments, you will often be asked to compare and contrast the themes in works of different genres. You are now going to practice writing an essay that requires this type of focus. The conflict between parents and children is an age-old problem, explored here by Amy Tan and Diane Mei Lin Mark. In Tan s story Two Kinds, what is the theme expressed by the mother-daughter struggle? What is the theme of Mark s poem Rice and Rose Bowl Blues? In a three- or four-paragraph essay, explore how their messages are similar or different. Do you think the similarities have anything to do with culture? Support your analysis with evidence. strategies in action 1. I have to state the theme of each work. 2. I need to compare and contrast the themes. 3. I need to consider the genre of each work as I look for evidence of the themes I ve identified. 4. I need to include details and quotations from each work. 2. plan your writing Review the Points of Comparison chart you created on page 521. Decide whether the themes are basically similar or markedly different. Using your chart, find examples to use as evidence for the points you develop in your essay. If necessary, review the texts again to identify more examples. Create an outline to organize your ideas. You may want to discuss each text separately and then compare them, or you may choose to discuss each point of comparison in its own paragraph. I. Conflict A. Tan piece B. Mark piece II. Lesson learned A. Tan piece B. Mark piece 3. draft your response Introduction Introduce the topic parental expectations and then explain that you will discuss what the two works say about it. Include the titles and authors of the texts. Body State and explain Amy Tan s theme in the second paragraph and Diane Mei Lin Mark s in the third. In a fourth paragraph, compare the two themes. Conclusion Wrap up your essay with a final thought about parental expectations. Revision Check your use of transitional words and phrases to connect ideas within and between paragraphs. Words and phrases such as likewise, both, and in the same way signal similarities. On the other hand, however, in contrast, and nevertheless signal differences. two kinds / rice and rose bowl blues 523

94 Writing Workshop informative text Analysis of Literary Nonfiction Every author whether writing truth or fiction makes choices about the way he or she conveys information. These style choices affect the meaning of the text and the understanding of readers. In this workshop, you will write an analysis of literary nonfiction as a way of understanding the effects of an author s choices. Complete the workshop activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. write with a purpose writing task Choose an essay, and write a literary analysis. Your analysis should help the audience understand one element of the author s style and its effects on readers. Idea Starters Edwidge Danticat s sentence structure in The Future in My Arms Lensey Namioka s word choice in Math and After Math an author s tone in an essay you find inspiring, funny, or sad the essentials Here are some common purposes, audiences, and formats for literary analysis. purposes audiences formats to better understand a work of literary nonfiction and explain it to others to examine how a writer uses language to affect readers classmates and teacher author Internet users essay for class to an author blog for people interested in the author or the subject matter of essay message-board posting key traits 1. development of ideas presents an engaging introduction develops a controlling idea that offers an analysis of the author s style supports main points of analysis with relevant details and quotations from the text concludes with a summary of main points and insights 2. organization of ideas organizes ideas in a logical way uses varied transitions to create cohesion and connect ideas 3. language facility and conventions establishes and maintains a formal style and objective tone includes precise language uses commas correctly employs correct grammar, mechanics, and spelling Writing Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9N unit 4: theme and symbol

95 Writing Workshop Planning/Prewriting 9.6a c The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writings for a variety of audiences and purposes. Getting Started choose an essay for analysis Choose an essay for analysis. Once you define the purpose of the essay, you can better examine how a writer achieves a particular effect through style his or her unique way of expressing ideas. To begin, use a graphic organizer to identify your overall impression of the essay, as well as its effect on you as a reader. This step enables you to understand what the writer has done before discussing how he or she does it. what does it look like? Essay: The Future in My Arms Purpose: to describe the impact of her niece Nadira s birth on Danticat s life and family My Overall Impression Danticat wants to protect her niece. Danticat feels responsible for her niece. Effect on Reader For Danticat, past, present, and future are combined in caring for and protecting one s family. think about audience and purpose As you begin to analyze the essay, keep in mind your own purpose for writing. In this case, it is to help your audience understand the effects of the author s style. Identify a specific audience for your writing, such as the writer, fans of the writer, or people interested in the subject matter of the essay. Understanding your audience will in turn help you form appropriate ideas for your essay. identify stylistic elements Now, consider how the writer uses stylistic elements, such as repetition or allusion, to achieve particular effects on readers. Use another graphic organizer to list examples of stylistic elements that you noticed as you read the essay. Then, choose the element that affected you most. Ask yourself: How does the author s use of this element affect the meaning or message of the essay? Jot down your thoughts in your graphic organizer. ask yourself: Who is my audience? What do I want people to understand about the essay? What stylistic elements might have the strongest impact on my audience? What domain-specific, or specialized, vocabulary will my audience need to know in order to understand my analysis? what does it look like? Element Listing Allusions Examples new sounds around her, all the laughter, the wild comparisons with relatives to hold her, to cradle her... to watch her... to read her lines wars, a depression, a holocaust, a new civil rights struggle repozwa, Sonia Sanchez, African proverb Effect of Listing: Combines past (family history), present (birth) and future (wars, depression, and so on)-stopping time to protect niece. writing workshop 525

96 Planning/Prewriting continued Getting Started develop a controlling idea Your controlling idea, or thesis statement, should identify the effect of the author s stylistic element. Continue modifying or reworking this statement as you draft. organize your ideas Think about how you can present your ideas to achieve your purpose and make your analysis clear to the audience. You will want to organize your ideas in a logical and cohesive way. For example, you can discuss examples of a single stylistic element in the sequence in which they appear in the essay. what does it look like? In The Future in My Arms, Danticat s lists have the effect of suspending time. what does it look like? Sequential Order 1. Past becomes the present family s past and birth of niece happen at same time 2. Future becomes the present Nadira s birth and future happen at the same time provide evidence from the text Every point you make about the author s style must be supported with well-chosen evidence, including concrete details and quotations from the text. Your evidence should be relevant, or related, to your controlling idea and sufficient enough to help your audience understand your analysis. what does it look like? 1. Past becomes the present relatives living and gone, all so very present in her face 2. Future becomes the present wars, a depression, a holocaust, a new civil rights struggle PEER REVIEW Describe to a peer the purpose and audience for your analysis. Then, ask: What is my main point? Which statements should be supported with more evidence from the text? If your statements cannot be sufficiently supported, revisit and rework them. YOUR TURN In your Reader/Writer Notebook, develop your writing plan. Create charts and outlines such as those on pages to choose and then analyze an element of style. Consider the following questions as you analyze the effect of this stylistic element: Why does the author choose to use this particular element? How does this element affect readers? How does this element relate to the purpose and structure of the work? 526 unit 4: theme and symbol

97 Writing Workshop Drafting The following chart shows a structure for organizing a clear and coherent literary analysis. 9.6d Write clear, varied sentences using specific vocabulary and information. 9.6e Elaborate ideas clearly through word choice and vivid description. 9.6f Arrange paragraphs into a logical progression. 9.6g Use transitions between paragraphs and ideas. 9.7c Use appositives, main clauses, and subordinate clauses. 9.7d Use commas and semicolons to distinguish and divide main and subordinate clauses. Organizing Your Literary Analysis introduction Begin with an engaging question or a comment to help the audience connect to the topic. Identify the author and title of the essay. Provide a controlling idea that describes the effects of a stylistic element. body Introduce relevant textual evidence, such as quotations and concrete details, to illustrate the controlling idea. Use precise language to explain the effect of each example from the text. If necessary, define any domain-specific vocabulary, such as literary terms. Organize your essay in a logical sequence, and use varied transitions to connect related ideas. Maintain a formal style and objective tone by avoiding contractions and biased language. concluding section Summarize the main ideas of your analysis. Offer an overall insight about the author s style and its effects on readers. grammar in context: restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clauses To provide readers with additional information, you can insert a relative clause. Relative clauses begin with relative pronouns: that, when, where, which, who, whom, whose, and why. Use a restrictive relative clause to state information that is essential to sentence meaning. Use a nonrestrictive relative clause to state information that is not essential to sentence meaning. Type of Relative Clause Restrictive Relative Clause Nonrestrictive Relative Clause Example It begins to seem as if all of these actions are possible in this one moment for this little girl who brings the past into the present with her face: relatives living and gone, all so very present in her face. This listing creates momentum, which stops the flow of time. YOUR TURN Develop a draft of your analysis by following the structure above. Use restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clauses to add information to your sentences. writing workshop 527

98 Revising As you revise, determine whether you ve achieved your purpose and effectively communicated your ideas to the intended audience. The questions, tips, and strategies in the following chart will help you revise, rewrite, and improve your draft. literary analysis Ask Yourself Tips Revision Strategies 1. Does the introduction grab readers interest? 2. Does the controlling idea identify the effect of one specific stylistic element? 3. Are examples presented in sequential order with clear and varied transitions between related ideas? 4. Is each idea supported by relevant and sufficient textual evidence? 5. Do I maintain a formal style throughout the analysis? 6. Does the concluding section summarize key ideas and provide an insight into the effect of the author s style? Underline the opening question or comment. Put check marks above the element and its overall effect. Number the examples in the order in which they appear in the essay. Circle the transitional words that clarify relationships among ideas. Draw a line from each quotation or detail to the idea it supports. Bracket contractions, casual slang, or informal language. Place stars above each key idea listed in the concluding section. Circle the insight. Add a question or comment about the subject of the essay to engage the audience. Elaborate on your controlling idea by describing a stylistic element and interpreting its effect. Rearrange examples as necessary to achieve sequential order. Add varied transitions to connect ideas as needed. Add quotations or details as necessary so that you have at least one piece of supporting evidence per idea. Reword text to avoid contractions. Replace instances of informal language with precise, formal words. Add a summary of main ideas or a statement that articulates the connection between the author s style and its effect. YOUR TURN PEER REVIEW Exchange your analysis with a partner, or read it aloud to your partner. As you read and comment on the essays, make sure to focus on textual evidence and quotations. Discuss whether the writer effectively supports his or her controlling idea. If necessary, provide concrete suggestions for improvement or reworking, using the revision strategies in the chart. 528 unit 4: theme and symbol

99 Writing Workshop analyze a student draft Read this draft; notice the comments on its strengths as well as suggestions for improvement. 9.6d Write clear, varied sentences using specific vocabulary and information. 9.6h Revise writing for clarity of content, accuracy and depth of information. Listing in Edwidge Danticat s The Future in My Arms by Malik Smith, Kingwood High School 1 2 Do you ever make lists? Of course you do! What is the purpose of these lists? Often, people make lists because they want to remember things. In The Future in My Arms, writer Edwidge Danticat makes lists as she describes meeting her newborn niece for the first time. Danticat s lists may help her remember that moment, but they also have the effect of suspending time. It is as if all aspects of Nadira s past, present, and future are captured in the moment of her birth. When she holds her niece for the first time, Danticat is overwhelmed by the emotion of a bridegroom who waits to hold his bride. She wants to perform many actions during this one moment in time as she meets her niece for the first time: to hold her, to cradle her... let her tiny head rest... to watch her... to read her lines... a glance, a touch, a picture.... This listing creates momentum, which stops the flow of time. It begins to seem as if all of these actions are possible in this one moment for this little girl who brings the past into the present with her face: relatives living and gone, all so very present in her face. The introduction includes an unexpected question and identifies the author and the work. The controlling idea identifies the effect of a style element. Malik supports a main idea about the effect of author s style with relevant quotations from the text. However, his essay will be more compelling if he eliminates wordiness. LEARN HOW Eliminate Wordiness The goal of analytical writing is to make ideas clear for readers. However, writers can sometimes over-explain a point, resulting in wordiness. As Malik edits his essay, he finds a place where he can revise his style to make his ideas clearer. malik s revision to paragraph 2 When she holds her niece for the first time, Danticat is overwhelmed by the She wants many things at once: emotion of a bridegroom who waits to hold his bride. She wants to perform many actions during this one moment in time as she meets her niece for the first time: to hold her, to cradle her... let her tiny head rest... to watch her... to read her lines... a glance, a touch, a picture.... writing workshop 529

100 analyze a student draft continued Danticat who serves as a representative of the family adds things to her list that the family will give Nadira: baby-sitting favors... giant teddy bears... handfuls of flowers... the crooks of our arms and necks and laps... a refuge. With these gifts, Danticat imagine[s] a life for Nadira, creating the future in the present. These items represent not a mere list of things, but the keys to that future. Danticat finishes her list: wars, a depression, a holocaust, a new civilrights struggle... colonization of new planets, genetic cloning, new forms of slavery. Again, Danticat uses the list to make the future part of the present. This list, however, reflects the negative possibilities that might one day dim the brightness of this moment. As Danticat hands Nadira back to her parents, the list ends, and the normal flow of time resumes. Nadira is left with years rather than moments to grow through the items on Danticat s list. Danticat s essay The Future in My Arms now takes on the function of a traditional list something that will remind both Danticat and Nadira of Danticat s promises. Malik offers an analysis of the author s style. Malik uses restrictive clauses to add information to his sentences. He can also add prepositional phrases to provide the audience with details. Malik concludes with an insightful observation regarding the effect of the author s style. LEARN HOW Add Prepositional Phrases Prepositions are combined with other words to form prepositional phrases. These phrases show relationships between words in a sentence. Use prepositional phrases to add important details that will help your audience better understand your analysis. Preposition Word Bank about, across, after, along, among, around, at, before, between, beyond, but, by, despite, during, except, for, from, in, into, like, near, of, on, out, outside, over, past, since, throughout, to, toward, until, upon, with, within malik s revision to paragraph 4 with her worries for Nadira s future Danticat finishes her list: wars, a depression, a holocaust, a new civil-rights struggle... colonization of new planets, genetic cloning, new forms of slavery. YOUR TURN Use the feedback from your peers and teacher as well as the two Learn How lessons to revise your essay. Evaluate how well you have analyzed the effect of the author s style and addressed the audience by examining your controlling idea, evidence, and quotations. 530 unit 4: theme and symbol

101 Writing Workshop Editing and Publishing In the editing stage, you proofread your essay to rid it of grammar, usage, and punctuation errors. You also should read your essay slowly and carefully to correct any lingering misspelled words that your wordprocessing spell-check did not catch. With these final steps, you prepare your essay for public appearance. 9.6i Use computer technology to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writing. 9.7c Use appositives, main clauses, and subordinate clauses. 9.7d Use commas and semicolons to distinguish and divide main and subordinate clauses. grammar in context: commas with nonrestrictive phrases and clauses When you use a nonrestrictive phrase or clause to add nonessential information to a sentence, use commas to set off the phrase or clause from the rest of the sentence. The commas provide a cue for the reader that what comes after the comma is additional information. If you are not sure whether the phrase or clause is nonrestrictive, read the sentence aloud without it. If the shortened version of the sentence doesn t make sense, then the information is essential and should not be set off from the rest of the sentence by commas. If the shorter version maintains its basic meaning, though, the information is not essential and should be set off from the rest of the sentence by commas. This listing creates momentum, which stops the flow of time. As Malik edits his essay, he realizes he has incorrectly punctuated a nonrestrictive clause. Danticat, who serves as a representative of the family, adds things to her list that the family will give Nadira: baby-sitting favors... giant teddy bears... handfuls of flowers... the crooks of our arms and necks and laps... a refuge. publish your writing Share your analysis with others in one of the following ways: Organize a panel discussion in which you and a group of classmates talk about your interpretations of the essay. Submit your essay as part of an application to an academic program. Post a blog for people interested in the subject matter of the essay. Send your essay to a school newspaper or Web site. YOUR TURN Correct any errors in your essay. Check your use of restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clauses, and make sure that all nonrestrictive phrases and clauses are set off with commas. Then, publish your final essay for your audience. writing workshop 531

102 Scoring Rubric Use the rubric below to evaluate your literary analysis from the Writing Workshop or your response to the on-demand task on the next page. literary analysis score key traits Development Has an engaging introduction; includes a controlling idea with an insightful analysis of the author s style; supports main points with relevant evidence; ends powerfully Organization Arranges ideas in an effective, logical order; uses varied transitions to create cohesion and link ideas Language Consistently maintains a formal style; uses precise language; shows a strong command of conventions Development Has an introduction that could be more engaging; includes a controlling idea that states an analysis of the author s style; could use some more evidence; has an adequate concluding section Organization Arranges ideas logically; could vary transitions more Language Mostly maintains a formal style; needs more precise language at times; has a few distracting errors in conventions Development Has a weak introduction and a controlling idea that does not relate to the writing task; lacks specific evidence; has a weak concluding section Organization Has organizational flaws; lacks transitions throughout Language Uses an informal style and vague language; has many errors in conventions Development Has no introduction or controlling idea; offers unrelated evidence; ends abruptly Organization Includes a string of disconnected ideas with no overall organization Language Uses an inappropriate style and vague, tired language; has major problems with grammar, mechanics, and spelling 532 unit 4: theme and symbol

103 Writing Workshop Preparing for Timed Writing 9.6 The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writings for a variety of audiences and purposes. 1. analyze the task 5 min Read the task carefully. Then, read it again, noting the words in the task that tell the type of writing, the topic, the audience, and the purpose. writing task It takes a village to raise a child. ~African Proverb Type of writing/topic Purpose Write an analysis of this quotation by explaining the meaning of the quotation and offering specific examples from works you have read or experiences from your life that illustrate the idea presented in the quotation. You will give your essay as a gift to a parent, guardian, or another important adult in your life. Audience 2. plan your response 10 min First, paraphrase the quotation by stating it in your own words. A paraphrase is generally longer than the original text. Then, list examples from your reading or experiences that support or explain the paraphrase. Paraphrase of Quotation Supporting Example #1 Supporting Example #2 Supporting Example #3 3. respond to the task 20 min Begin drafting your analysis of the quotation. Start with an engaging question or comment to grab your audience s attention. As you write, keep these points in mind: In the introduction, include a controlling idea, or thesis statement, that explains your overarching analysis of the quotation. In the body, present concrete details from your reading or your own experiences that support the controlling idea. In the concluding section, provide an insightful comment regarding the responsibility of a community in raising its children. 4. improve your response 5 10 min Revising Check your draft against the writing task. Do you offer an analysis of the quotation? Do you support that analysis with concrete details? Do you end with an insightful comment about the subject matter? Proofreading Find and correct any errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Make sure that your analysis and any edits are neatly written and legible. Checking Your Final Copy Before you submit your analysis, examine it once more to make sure that you are presenting your best work. writing workshop 533

104 Speaking & Listening Workshop Participating in a Panel Discussion If you wrote about the same essay as some of your classmates, you might have chatted about your analysis and even quoted evidence from the text to bolster your ideas. That s an example of an informal panel discussion, in which well-informed participants thoroughly analyze a topic. In fact, you join a panel discussion each time you talk with friends about a book, movie, or sporting event. When you have a group conversation on a topic of interest, you are participating in a panel discussion. Complete the workshop activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. speak with a purpose task Participate in a panel discussion based on an analysis of a recent school or community event. (This may require some research.) key traits participants in a strong panel discussion... follow rules that result from peer discussion present relevant information supported by evidence or logical inferences respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives and justify their own views speak clearly with appropriate speed, volume, and pronunciation listen, take notes, ask questions, and evaluate ideas Virginia Standards of Learning 9.1b Use relevant details to support main ideas. 9.1h Give impromptu responses to questions about presentation. 9.1i Give and follow spoken directions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems. 9.1j Use a variety of strategies to listen actively. 9.1k Summarize and evaluate information presented orally by others. 9.1l Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work. Speaking & Listening Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9-534 Planning the Discussion Informal discussions are governed by rules of politeness. While these same rules may guide a formal discussion, participants in a formal setting also need formal rules to keep the discussion on track. Keeping in mind the purpose, audience, and context for this panel discussion, follow these suggestions to plan the discussion. Identify Panel Members Form groups of about five members based on the events you want to analyze. As a group, select a date and time for your panel discussion and decide on the specific information that participants must gather or research for the discussion. Appoint a Moderator Panel members should ask for a volunteer or appoint one student from another panel to moderate each discussion. The moderator will propel the conversation by posing, redirecting, and clarifying questions; making connections among stated ideas; summarizing important points; and enforcing the rules. Set Goals for the Discussion Discuss with the moderator the goals for your discussion. Does your panel wish to reach some consensus as a result of its discussion, such as a decision or a statement of the panel s position? Or does your panel want to summarize points of agreement and disagreement? Decide as a group how the panel will achieve these goals, such as by taking a vote or by giving each member the chance to voice a final opinion. 534 unit 4: theme and symbol

105 Create Rules for the Discussion Participants should come to a consensus on rules such as the following: speak clearly and concisely; listen respectfully without interrupting; ask thoughtful questions; and avoid arguing or going off on tangents. Prepare Discussion Notes After you complete your research, jot down your main ideas and supporting evidence regarding your analysis of the current event. Use these notes during the discussion. Holding the Discussion let s get talking A well-run discussion is an excellent forum for participants to build on each other s ideas. This process helps all participants clarify and elaborate their understandings of the topic. Get Started The moderator should identify the topic, introduce the panelists, and state the goals for the discussion. For example, he or she might say, Our goal today is to identify and analyze the effects of the new school rules. State Your Ideas Respond to the questions posed by the moderator with appropriate speaking volume, speed, and enunciation. Present your claim first, followed by your most compelling and logical reasons and evidence. You want to make sure listeners can follow your points. Give Others the Opportunity to Respond Listen while another speaker summarizes your ideas and adds his or her own viewpoint. Evaluate the reasons and evidence presented, and then decide whether this new information changes or modifies your opinion. Be Respectful Take notes that summarize, synthesize, or highlight other participants ideas, and wait for your turn to share the comments you ve jotted down. Respond thoughtfully to other perspectives. s. Wrap It Up Summarize your points of agreement and disagreement for the panelists and the audience. YOUR TURN As a Panel Speaker Make sure to speak clearly and pointedly. Use questions posed by the moderator r and other panelists to make adjustments to your argument. As a Listener As a member of the panel, pay attention tion to each speaker s analysis. Listen carefully to make sure you can follow the ideas and evidence, and ask questions for clarification and elaboration. speaking and listening workshop 535

106 virginia standards of learning assess Taking this practice test will help you assess your knowledge of these skills and determine your readiness for the Unit Test. review After you take the practice test, your teacher can help you identify any standards you need to review. Virginia Standards of Learning 9.2b Determine the purpose of the media message and its effect on the audience. 9.3b Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases. 9.4a Identify author s main idea and purpose. 9.4e Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme. 9.4k Analyze how an author s specific word choices and syntax achieve special effects and support the author s purpose. 9.4l Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension. 9.5a Recognize an author s intended purpose for writing and identify the main idea. 9.5h Draw conclusions and make inferences on explicit and implied information using textual support as evidence. 9.7 The student will selfand peer-edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing. Assessment Practice DIRECTIONS Read the two texts and the poster. Then, answer the questions that follow. The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind by Ray Bradbury In the shape of a pig? cried the Mandarin. 1 In the shape of a pig, said the messenger, and departed. Oh, what an evil day in an evil year, cried the Mandarin. The town of Kwan-Si, beyond the hill, was very small in my childhood. Now it has grown so large that at last they are building a wall. But why should a wall two miles away make my good father sad and angry all within the hour? asked his daughter quietly. They build their wall, said the Mandarin, in the shape of a pig! Do you see? Our own city wall is built in the shape of an orange. That pig will devour us, greedily! Ah. They both sat thinking. Life was full of symbols and omens. 2 Demons lurked everywhere, Death swam in the wetness of an eye, the turn of a gull s wing meant rain, a fan held so, the tilt of a roof, and, yes, even a city wall was of immense importance. Travelers and tourists, caravans, musicians, artists, coming upon these two towns, equally judging the portents, 3 would say, The city shaped like an orange? No! I will enter the city shaped like a pig and prosper, eating all, growing fat with good luck and prosperity! The Mandarin wept. All is lost! These symbols and signs terrify. Our city will come on evil days. Then, said the daughter, call in your stonemasons 4 and temple builders. I will whisper from behind the silken screen and you will know the words. The old man clapped his hands despairingly. Ho, stonemasons! Ho, builders of towns and places! Practice Test Take it at thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML9N Mandarin (mbnpde rgn) n.: high-ranking government official in the Chinese empire. 2. omens (IPmEnz) n.: things or events believed to be signs of future occurrences. 3. portents (pôrptdnts) n.: things that warn of events about to occur. 4. stonemasons (stin mapsenz) n.: people who build with stones. 536 unit 4: theme and symbol

107 The men who knew marble and granite and onyx and quartz 5 came quickly. The Mandarin faced them most uneasily, himself waiting for a whisper from the silken screen behind his throne. At last the whisper came. I have called you here, said the whisper. I have called you here, said the Mandarin aloud, because our city is shaped like an orange, and the vile city of Kwan-Si has this day shaped theirs like a ravenous pig Here the stonemasons groaned and wept. Death rattled his cane in the outer courtyard. Poverty made a sound like a wet cough in the shadows of the room. And so, said the whisper, said the Mandarin, you raisers of walls must go bearing trowels 6 and rocks and change the shape of our city! The architects and masons gasped. The Mandarin himself gasped at what he had said. The whisper whispered. The Mandarin went on: And you will change our walls into a club which may beat the pig and drive it off! The stonemasons rose up, shouting. Even the Mandarin, delighted at the words from his mouth, applauded, stood down from his throne. Quick! he cried. To work! When his men had gone, smiling and bustling, the Mandarin turned with great love to the silken screen. Daughter, he whispered, I will embrace you. There was no reply. He stepped around the screen, and she was gone. Such modesty, he thought. She has slipped away and left me with a triumph, as if it were mine. The news spread through the city; the Mandarin was acclaimed. Everyone carried stone to the walls. Fireworks were set off and the demons of death and poverty did not linger, as all worked together. At the end of the month the wall had been changed. It was now a mighty bludgeon 7 with which to drive pigs, boars, even lions, far away. The Mandarin slept like a happy fox every night. I would like to see the Mandarin of Kwan-Si when the news is learned. Such pandemonium 8 and hysteria; he will likely throw himself from a mountain! A little more of that wine, oh Daughter-who-thinks-like-a-son. But the pleasure was like a winter flower; it died swiftly. That very afternoon the messenger rushed into the courtroom. Oh Mandarin, disease, early sorrow, avalanches, grasshopper plagues, and poisoned well water! CC 5. marble and granite and onyx (JnPGks) and quartz n.: high-quality stones. 6. trowels (troupelz) n.: tools for laying plaster or mortar. 7. bludgeon (blojpen) n.: short club. 8. pandemonium (pbnqde mipnc Em) n.: great confusion; chaos. go on assessment practice 537

108 The Mandarin trembled. The town of Kwan-Si, said the messenger, which was built like a pig and which animal we drove away by changing our walls to a mighty stick, has now turned triumph to winter ashes. They have built their city s walls like a great bonfire to burn our stick! The Mandarin s heart sickened within him, like an autumn fruit upon the ancient tree. Oh, gods! Travelers will spurn 9 us. Tradesmen, reading the symbols, will turn from the stick, so easily destroyed, to the fire, which conquers all! No, said a whisper like a snowflake from behind the silken screen. No, said the startled Mandarin. Tell my stonemasons, said the whisper that was a falling drop of rain, to build our walls in the shape of a shining lake. The Mandarin said this aloud, his heart warmed. And with this lake of water, said the whisper and the old man, we will quench the fire and put it out forever! The city turned out in joy to learn that once again they had been saved by the magnificent Emperor of ideas. They ran to the walls and built them nearer to this new vision, singing, not as loudly as before, of course, for they were tired, and not as quickly, for since it had taken a month to rebuild the wall the first time, they had had to neglect business and crops and therefore were somewhat weaker and poorer. There then followed a succession of horrible and wonderful days, one in another like a nest of frightening boxes. Oh, Emperor, cried the messenger, Kwan-Si has rebuilt their walls to resemble a mouth with which to drink all our lake! Then, said the Emperor, standing very close to his silken screen, build our walls like a needle to sew up that mouth! Emperor! screamed the messenger. They make their walls like a sword to break your needle! The Emperor held, trembling, to the silken screen. Then shift the stones to form a scabbard to sheathe that sword! 10 Mercy, wept the messenger the following morn, they have worked all night and shaped their walls like lightning which will explode and destroy that sheath! Sickness spread in the city like a pack of evil dogs. Shops closed. The population, working now steadily for endless months upon the changing of spurn (spûrn) v.: reject someone or something for being unworthy; scorn. 10. scabbard... sword n.: a scabbard is a case for a sword s blade. To sheathe a sword means to put it in a case.

109 Assessment Practice the walls, resembled Death himself, clattering his white bones like musical instruments in the wind. Funerals began to appear in the streets, though it was the middle of summer, a time when all should be tending and harvesting. The Mandarin fell so ill that he had his bed drawn up by the silken screen and there he lay, miserably giving his architectural orders. The voice behind the screen was weak now, too, and faint, like the wind in the eaves. Kwan-Si is an eagle. Then our walls must be a net for that eagle. They are a sun to burn our net. Then we build a moon to eclipse their sun! Like a rusted machine, the city ground to a halt. At last the whisper behind the screen cried out: In the name of the gods, send for Kwan-Si! Upon the last day of summer the Mandarin Kwan-Si, very ill and withered away, was carried into our Mandarin s courtroom by four starving footmen. The two mandarins were propped up, facing each other. Their breaths fluttered like winter winds in their mouths. A voice said: Let us put an end to this. The old men nodded. This cannot go on, said the faint voice. Our people do nothing but rebuild our cities to a different shape every day, every hour. They have no time to hunt, to fish, to love, to be good to their ancestors and their ancestors children. This I admit, said the mandarins of the towns of the Cage, the Moon, the Spear, the Fire, the Sword, and this, that, and other things. Carry us into the sunlight, said the voice. The old men were borne out under the sun and up a little hill. In the late summer breeze a few very thin children were flying dragon kites in all the colors of the sun, and frogs and grass, the color of the sea, and the color of coins and wheat. The first Mandarin s daughter stood by his bed. See, she said. Those are nothing but kites, said the two old men. But what is a kite on the ground? she said. It is nothing. What does it need to sustain it and make it beautiful and truly spiritual? The wind, of course! said the others. And what do the sky and the wind need to make them beautiful? A kite, of course many kites, to break the monotony, the sameness of the sky. Colored kites, flying! go on 539

110 So, said the Mandarin s daughter. You, Kwan-Si, will make a last rebuilding of your town to resemble nothing more nor less than the wind. And we shall build like a golden kite. The wind will beautify the kite and carry it to wondrous heights. And the kite will break the sameness of the wind s existence and give it purpose and meaning. One without the other is nothing. Together, all will be beauty and cooperation and a long and enduring life. Whereupon the two mandarins were so overjoyed that they took their first nourishment in days, momentarily were given strength, embraced, and lavished praise upon each other, called the Mandarin s daughter a boy, a man, a stone pillar, a warrior, and a true and unforgettable son. Almost immediately they parted and hurried to their towns, calling out and singing, weakly but happily. And so, in time, the towns became the Town of the Golden Kite and the Town of the Silver Wind. And harvestings were harvested and business tended again, and the flesh returned, and disease ran off like a frightened jackal. And on every night of the year the inhabitants of the Town of the Kite could hear the good clear wind sustaining them. And those in the Town of the Wind could hear the kite singing, whispering, rising, and beautifying them. So be it, said the Mandarin in front of his silken screen. 540

111 Assessment Practice The Arms Race by Albert Einstein from Einstein on Peace Although the United States and the former Soviet Union were allies during World War II, they later became involved in a power struggle known as the Cold War. The two superpowers engaged in an arms race a competition to develop more and more powerful nuclear weapons. In 1952, the United States successfully tested the first hydrogen bomb, a weapon much more powerful than the atomic bomb. In 1953, the Soviet Union exploded its own hydrogen bomb. The belief that it is possible to achieve security through armaments on a national scale is, in the present state of military technology, a disastrous illusion. In the United States, this illusion has been strengthened by the fact that this country was the first to succeed in producing an atomic bomb. This is why people tended to believe that this country would be able to achieve permanent and decisive military superiority which, it was hoped, would deter any potential enemy and thus bring about the security, so intensely sought by us as well as by the rest of the world. The maxim we have followed these last five years has been, in short, security through superior force, whatever the cost. This technological as well as psychological orientation in military policy has had its inevitable consequences. Every action related to foreign policy is governed by one single consideration: How should we act in order to achieve the utmost superiority over the enemy in the event of war? The answer has been: Outside the United States, we must establish military bases at every possible, strategically important point of the globe as well as arm and strengthen economically our potential allies. And inside the United States, tremendous financial power is being concentrated in the hands of the military; youth is being militarized; and the loyalty of citizens, particularly civil servants, is carefully supervised by a police force growing more powerful every day. People of independent political thought are harassed. The public is subtly indoctrinated by the radio, the press, the schools. Under the pressure of military secrecy, the range of public information is increasingly restricted. The arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, initiated originally as a preventive measure, assumes hysterical proportions. On both sides, means of mass destruction are being perfected with feverish haste and behind walls of secrecy. And now the public has been advised that the production of the hydrogen bomb is the new goal which will probably be accomplished. An accelerated development toward this end has been solemnly proclaimed by the President. If these efforts should prove successful, radioactive poisoning of the atmosphere and, hence, annihilation 1 of all life on earth will have been brought within the range of what is technically 1. annihilation (E nfqe lapshen) n.: absolute destruction. go on 541

112 4 5 possible. The weird aspect of this development lies in its apparently inexorable 2 character. Each step appears as the inevitable consequence of the one that went before. And at the end, looming ever clearer, lies general annihilation. Is there any way out of this impasse 3 created by man himself? All of us, and particularly those who are responsible for the policies of the United States and the Soviet Union, must realize that, although we have vanquished an external enemy, 4 we have proved unable to free ourselves from the war mentality. We shall never achieve real peace as long as every step is taken with a possible future conflict in view, especially since it becomes ever clearer that such a war would spell universal annihilation. The guiding thought in all political action should therefore be: What can we do in the prevailing situation to bring about peaceful coexistence among all nations? The first goal must be to do away with mutual fear and distrust. Solemn renunciation of the policy of violence, not only with respect to weapons of mass destruction, is without doubt necessary. Such renunciation, however, will be effective only if a supranational judicial and executive agency is established at the same time, with power to settle questions of immediate concern to the security of nations. Even a declaration by a number of nations that they would collaborate loyally in the realization of such a restricted world government would considerably reduce the imminent danger of war. In the last analysis the peaceful coexistence of peoples is primarily dependent upon mutual trust and, only secondarily, upon institutions such as courts of justice and the police. This holds true for nations as well as for individuals. And the basis of trust is a loyal relationship of give-and-take inexorable (Gn DkPsEr E bel) adj.: unable to be stopped. 3. impasse (GmPpBs) n.: difficult situation or problem with no obvious solution. 4. vanquished (vbngpkwgsht) an external enemy v.: defeated hostile relations. Einstein is referring to Germany, Japan, and their allies in World War II, which were defeated by the United States, Great Britain, and their allies.

113 Assessment Practice 543

114 Reading Comprehension Use The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind (pp ) to answer questions In paragraph 5, the author uses the pig-shaped wall to represent A. courage C. greed B. danger D. wisdom 2. Which words from paragraph 8 help the reader understand the meaning of the word caravan? A. travelers and tourists B. good luck and prosperity C. immense importance D. the portents 3. What prompts the Mandarin to have the city wall rebuilt? A. His city wall is crumbling and is in need of repair. B. He likes the idea of rebuilding it in the shape of a different animal. C. People in the community are complaining about the wall s appearance. D. He views the other city s wall as more impressive than his city s wall. 4. The word ravenous in paragraph 14 means A. extremely heavy C. very thin B. really hungry D. somewhat birdlike 5. How does the Mandarin use his daughter s advice? A. He takes the advice but pretends it was his idea. B. He thanks her but dismisses her advice. C. He thinks it is good advice but isn t the right advice. D. He can t accept her advice because she is not a man. 6. In paragraph 21, the author uses the word fox to show that the Mandarin is A. clever B. evil C. greedy D. intelligent 7. What do the seasons fall and winter symbolize in the story? A. new beginnings and life B. sickness and death C. power D. immortality and good fortune 8. In what way is this story ironic? A. The people know the shapes of the wall are not the Mandarin s idea. B. The people think the other kingdom won t change the shape of its wall. C. The Mandarin knows what the next shape of the wall will be. D. The Mandarin doesn t think the shape of the wall is important. 9. Read the following dictionary entry. eclipse \C klgpsp\ n 1. the blockage of the light of the moon by the sun or the blocking of the light of the sun by the moon 2. any blockage of light v 3. to cause an eclipse 4. to overshadow, hide from view Which definition best fits the word eclipse as it is used in paragraph 40? A. Definition 1 B. Definition 2 C. Definition 3 D. Definition 4 544

115 Assessment Practice 10. The author implies that the competition between the two kingdoms A. will make the kingdoms stronger and more wealthy B. will never end and probably destroy each kingdom C. will unite the kingdoms into one large kingdom D. will have no effect 11. Which word from paragraph 57 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word monotony? A. break B. colored C. flying D. sameness 12. The praises the mandarins give the daughter in paragraph 59 suggest that in ancient China A. women and men were treated equally B. men were more valued and respected than women C. there weren t any differences in gender roles D. women were more valued and respected than men 13. In paragraph 60, the author uses the word flesh to refer to A. the townspeople B. the skin of an animal C. the fruit of the harvest D. renewed life Use The Arms Race from Einstein on Peace (pp ) to answer questions The word inevitable in paragraph 2 means A. totally defeated B. uncontrolled C. quick D. unavoidable 15. Paragraph 3 is mainly about A. the destructive path both nations are pursuing B. different uses for the hydrogen bomb C. the President s desire to slow down the production of the hydrogen bomb D. the increased need for secrecy while developing the hydrogen bomb 16. Which word or phrase from paragraph 4 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word renunciation? A. universal annihilation B. peaceful coexistence C. achieve real peace D. do away with 17. What sort of tone does Einstein create? A. Fearful B. Humorous C. Mysterious D. Sentimental 18. The reader can conclude that Einstein was a A. political leader B. peacemaker C. revolutionary D. soldier go on 545

116 Use The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind and The Arms Race to answer questions Which of the following themes or central ideas do the texts share? A. Pride inspires confidence. B. Caution leads to failure. C. Defense creates peace. D. Cooperation promotes security. 20. Both texts suggest that peaceful coexistence is based on A. mutual trust B. treaties C. alliances D. mutual suspicion Use the poster to answer questions SHORT CONSTRUCTED RESPNOSE Write a short response to each question, using text evidence to support your response. 23. The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind focuses on the conflict between two Mandarins (rulers) from neighboring kingdoms. How do the Mandarins resolve their conflict? Support your response with evidence from the text. 24. Do you agree with Einstein s views? Support your response with evidence from the text. Write a short response to this question, using evidence from both texts to support your response. 25. How does the idea of cooperation apply to The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind and The Arms Race? Support your response with evidence from both texts. 21. The main or central message of the poster is that A. together, you can help your community B. work can be fun C. you shouldn t take work too seriously D. cooperation leads to peace 22. The designer probably chose to spell you as U in the slogan to A. repeat the shape of the recycling symbol B. emphasize the concept of service C. appeal to a teen audience using text messaging symbols D. save space and ink on the poster 546

117 Assessment Practice Revising and Editing DIRECTIONS Read this passage, and answer the questions that follow. (1) Nadia walked down the street. (2) She heard a noise behind her. (3) She considers her options. (4) But it was dark now. (5) She was in an unfamiliar part of town. (6) She decided to run. (7) Suddenly, she felt hot breathe on the back of her leg. (8) She poised herself to kick. (9) She realized it was just a dog. (10) She wondered if she had really been so afraid of a friendly little beagle. (11) Had something else been behind her too? 1. What is the most effective way to combine sentences 1 and 2 into a complex sentence? A. Nadia walked down the street, she heard a noise behind her. B. Nadia walked down the street and heard a noise behind her. C. As Nadia walked down the street, she heard a noise behind her. D. Nadia walked down the street; also, she heard a noise behind her. 2. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 3? A. Change considers to considered B. Insert one after her C. Change options to opts D. Make no change 3. Where is the best place to insert the subordinate clause because she had been visiting her cousin s new house? A. At the beginning of the paragraph B. At the end of sentence 3 C. At the end of sentence 5 D. At the end of sentence 7 4. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 7? A. Change back to backs B. Insert comma after breathe C. Change breathe to breath D. Make no change 5. Which transitional word or phrase should be added to the beginning of sentence 9? A. At first, C. In fact, B. Finally, D. Then, 6. What is the most effective way to combine sentences 10 and 11 into a complex sentence? A. She had been afraid of a friendly little beagle; however, something else had been behind her too. B. Although she wondered if she had really been afraid of a friendly little beagle, perhaps something else had been behind her too. C. She wondered if she had really been afraid of a friendly little beagle, and if something else had been behind her too. D. Wondering if she had been afraid of a friendly little beagle, something else had been behind her too. STOP 547

118 4 unit Great Reads Ideas for Independent Reading Which of the themes in this unit has the most importance in your life? Discover how these themes affect others in the following books. How do expectations affect performance? Virginia Standards of Learning 9.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze a variety of literary texts including narratives, narrative nonfiction, poetry, and drama. 9.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of nonfiction texts. Music of the Heart by Roberta Gaspari No one expected Gaspari s students to succeed at the violin. But she and her kids more than one thousand over the years proved that expectations and talent can lead to good music. Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, M.D. with Cecil Murphy Carson s mother expected him to do something worthwhile with his life. He did not disappoint her. In 1987, the surgeon helped complete the first successful separation of Siamese twins joined at the head. Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors by Marian Wright Edelman The lawyer, civil rights activist, and founder of the Children s Defense Fund honors the famous and notso-famous people in her life who kept her expectations high while she struggled to make a difference. Why do we hurt the ones we love? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir and Hassan grow up together in Afghanistan. Amir fails his friend Hassan before leaving for America. He returns years later to try to make up for his betrayal. The Once and Future King by T. H. White In this retelling of the legend of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere loves both her husband Arthur and the knight Lancelot, Arthur s best friend. Though each one loves the other two, all three suffer terribly. This Boy s Life by Tobias Wolff Divorce may be necessary for adults, but the children in the family often get hurt. The award-winning author remembers his struggle to grow up and find himself while frequently separated from his father. What are you really good at? Get Novel Wise One Writer s Beginnings by Eudora Welty In this memoir, Welty brings to life her family, her younger self, and the American South in the early 1900s. She also conveys her love for stories those she found in books as well as those she heard on long, hot summer afternoons. I d Rather Teach Peace by Colman McCarthy As a Washington Post columnist, McCarthy has written for many years on nonviolence as a way of life. Here he talks about teaching peace to students, prisoners, and others. The Other Side of the Mountain by Evans G. Valens Valens tells the inspiring true story of skier Jill Kinmont, who found a way to reshape her life after a crippling accident. Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML