Name:__________________________________ Date:__________________ Period________

Hole in my Life Socratic Seminar Preparation

Directions: The following questions will be discussed during our socratic seminars. Answer
them finding as many examples in the text as possible. Be sure to include page numbers when
citing information from the text.


1. Throughout the story Jack reads continuously: in high school, on the boat, in prison. What
role did books play in his life?










2. While on the boat, Jack said he wasnt doing anything wrong by smuggling drugs; he was just
afraid of the punishment. He planned to use the $10,000 to pay for college. Is he justified? Does
he feel the same way at the end of the story?










3. The motel room at Kings Court where Jack stayed was entirely yellow, as was his cell later in
the book. How did Gantos mean to connect these two rooms? What did the color yellow
symbolize in his story?





4. The story is divided into three sections. Why do you think the author decided to separate
parts of the story? What important event occurs in each part? How do the three divided
sections relate back to the idea of a quest?









5. I have learned this: it is not what one does that is wrong, but what one becomes as a
consequence of it. How does this quote from Oscar Wilde (found on the epigraph page) reect
the major theme of this book? How does Gantos change as a result of what he has done
wrong? What does he become that might not have happened without his experiences in
prison?










6. Based off of the story, write whether you agree or disagree with the statement It is always
wrong to commit a crime.