Teacher Guide

Novel
Companion
My Ántonia Our Town
Willa Cather Thornton Wilder

Narrative of the Life of The Way to Rainy

Frederick Douglass Mountain
Frederick Douglass N. Scott Momaday

A Separate Peace Frankenstein

John Knowles Mary Shelley
Photo Credits
10 Getty Images; 18 CORBIS; 26 Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS; 35 G.E. Kidder Smith/
CORBIS; 43 Bettmann/CORBIS; 52 E.O. Hoppé/CORBIS.

Acknowledgments
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has been made to determine copyright owners. In case of any omissions, the Publisher
will be pleased to make suitable acknowledgments in future editions.

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database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the publisher.

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Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
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Columbus, OH 43240-4027

ISBN: 978-0-07-889162-5
MHID: 0-07-889162-0

Printed in the United States of America.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 047 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Novel Companion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Connection to the Glencoe Literature Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Connection to Glencoe’s Literature Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Overview of the Structure of the Novel Companion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Interacting with Excerpts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using Excerpts to Compare and Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Interactive Reading Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Note-Taking Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Note-Taking Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Outline of the Novel Companion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Unit 1

My Antonia by Willa Cather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

About the Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Options for Motivating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Options for Using Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Unit 2

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

by Frederick Douglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
About the Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Options for Motivating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Options for Using Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

iii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Unit 3

A Separate Peace by John Knowles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

About the Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Options for Motivating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Options for Using Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Unit 4

Our Town by Thornton Wilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

About the Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Options for Motivating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Options for Using Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Unit 5

The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday . . . . . . . . . . 43

About the Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Options for Motivating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Options for Using Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Unit 6

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

About the Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Options for Motivating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Options for Using Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

iv
 ABOU T THE NOVEL COMPANION
The Novel Companion is the advanced
level of Glencoe’s interactive reading
workbooks, Interactive Read and Write,
which accompany the literature program,
Glencoe Literature. Students will study six
novels, autobiographies, and plays as they
complete the Novel Companion workbook.
Each title they study is paired with one
unit of Glencoe Literature. The titles, chosen
from those offered in Glencoe’s Literature
Library, represent well-known and much-
loved literature both from the literary
canon and from award-winning modern
works. They challenge advanced students
by offering readabilities that are either at
grade level or one grade above level.
The Novel Companion workbook does not
include the full text of the novels (and the
other longer works). Each student should
have easy access to their own copies of
the novels. The Novel Companion does
include numerous excerpts from the
novels. These excerpts allow students to
do close readings of the text as they study
key aspects of the novel that reflect
important concepts already covered in
Glencoe Literature.
Connection to the Glencoe
Literature Program
The major themes and concepts represented
by the literary works featured in the Novel
Companion have been carefully matched to
Glencoe Literature’s Big Ideas, the major
themes and concepts that appear in each
unit of the Glencoe Literature program. The
Novel Companion’s approach to teaching
literature and reading is also modeled after
that of Glencoe Literature: students study
literary elements, apply reading
strategies, learn new vocabulary, write
about literature, and engage in other
activities related to the literature. The
Novel Companion, however, additionally
teaches students note-taking techniques to
help them make connections between the
Novel Companion’s longer works and
Glencoe Literature’s shorter works.
Although the Novel Companion is
designed to be used in conjunction with
Glencoe Literature, it can easily be used
independently. For example, students
may wish to delay beginning their novels
until after they’ve finished their unit work
in Glencoe Literature. (Note that the
literary elements paired with a novel
draw from literary elements taught in
units up to and including the unit to
which the novel has been assigned,
whereas the Big Ideas and reading
strategies draw only from the unit to
which the novel has been assigned.)
Connection to Glencoe’s
Literature Library
Students may use any published version
of the novel in their work with the Novel
Companion. Library editions of the titles are
offered by Glencoe in its Literature Library
series. These editions include related
readings, for which the Novel Companion
offeres activities that give students the
opportunity to relate themes and concepts
from the novel to other types of literature.
A bout the N ovel Compani on 1
 ABOUT T H E NOVEL COMPANION
Overview of the Structure
of the Novel Companion
The Novel Companion has students practice
applying advanced-level skills, first taught
in Glencoe Literature, to excerpts from novels
and other longer works. The workbook
begins by introducing each novel and its
author. It then breaks down the literary
work into sets consisting of several chapters
each. The teaching apparatus for the
chapter sets mirrors that for the literature
selections in Glencoe Literature: each has
an assigned literary element, a reading
strategy, accompanying vocabulary words,
and writing and extension activities.
Students study the literary element,
reading strategy, and the Big Idea as
reflected in the excerpts.
The Novel Companion includes two general
types of lessons:
• Interactive Reading Lessons are lessons
based on the sequential chapter
groupings (chapter sets) in each novel.
In this part of the workbook, students
practice identifying important ideas and
themes, analyzing literary elements,
applying reading strategies, completing
graphic organizers, and mastering
vocabulary—all skills that expert readers
use to help them comprehend novels
and other lengthy works of literature.
(See pages 4–5.)
• Note-Taking Lessons present two
methods of note-taking to help students
connect the major themes in Glencoe
Literature to the novels and other works
they will be reading. Learning these
valuable methods will help students take
effective notes whenever they study. (See
pages 6–7.)
2
For an annotated outline of the Novel
Companion structure, see pages 8–9.
Interacting with Excerpts
For each novel, students interact with 9–15
excerpts, each one or two pages long. The
excerpts allow students to use targeted
skills to work with targeted text. These
targeted skills include 1) analyzing and
evaluating literary elements inherent in
the text, 2) applying advanced-level reading
strategies, and 3) utilizing specialized
methods of note-taking.
Interacting with Excerpts: Literary Elements
Great works of literature are ideal for
studying the application of literary
techniques, such as satire, and literary
devices, such as hyperbole, as well as
for identifying literary elements, such
as diction. In both Glencoe Literature and
the Novel Companion, literary techniques,
devices, and elements are all referred to
as literary elements because they are present
in the literature and help to define the
literature and create effects. In the Novel
Companion, students study the particular
literary elements of an excerpt by
answering two literary element questions
that address specific highlighted sections
of that excerpt. (See page 4.)
Interacting with Excerpts: Reading
Strategies Literary works are sometimes
difficult to read and understand, even for
advanced-level students. To help students
read such works more easily and effectively,
the Novel Companion re-teaches certain
reading strategies already taught in Glencoe
Literature. The specific strategies are
determined by the complexity of the
literature as well as by whether the literary
elements require a review of certain reading
 ABOU T THE NOVEL COMPANION
strategies. For example, to help students
understand an author’s style, it may be
necessary to first teach how to recognize
and analyze an author’s style as you read.
Just as with the literary elements lessons,
students study and apply particular reading
strategies to an excerpt by answering two
questions that address specific highlighted
sections of that excerpt. (See page 4.)
Interacting with Excerpts: Note-Taking To
help students retain what they have read,
the Novel Companion introduces two note-
taking systems and demonstrates the value
of these systems by applying them to
targeted areas of literary study: the study
of themes and concepts. These themes and
concepts appear in the form of Big Ideas
that occur in each unit of Glencoe Literature.
By applying both note-taking approaches
to a specific excerpt, students get the most
out of what they’ve read. (See page 7).
Using Excerpts to Compare
and Contrast
In addition to including excerpts from
novels and other longer works, the Novel
Companion also includes excerpts from
selections that appear in Glencoe Literature.
Students compare and contrast three or
four of the longer work’s literary elements
with those of the Glencoe Literature excerpt.
A bout the N ovel Compani on 3
 ABOUT THE NOVEL COMPANION

Interactive Reading Lessons

The questions that appear in the interactive reading lessons help direct
students through the process of reading and extracting meaning from the
excerpts. The diagrams on the following pages also appear on pages 2–3 of the
Novel Companion’s student edition and serve to introduce students to these
types of lessons. You may wish to review that section of the student edition
with your students before having them work on the Novel Companion.

Book 1
: Introd uction and
Get Set to Read BEFOR E YOU READ

NOVEL NOTEBOOK
to record
ture Keep a special notebook
Conne ct to the Litera you remember most clearly? entries about the novels
that you read
from your childhood do
What people and places this year.

After reading about the novel and the author, you Why did they leave such

Write a Journal Entry

a strong impression on
you?

place from your

WRITE THE CAPTION
Write a caption for the
image below, in
a memorable person or information in
In your journal, write about What importance does the present tense, using

will begin to read the novel. You will study it in childhood. Describe the
the person or place have
person or place in detail.
to you today?
Build Background.

Build Backg round

groupings of chapters, or chapter sets, in the Challenges Faced by Immigran
In the settling of frontier
ts
land, immigrant families
often faced greater challenges
many immigrants left their
countries under
BEFORE Y
OU READ:
Introduction
and Book 1
than U.S.-born settlers. Because deal of money with
often did not have a great

Novel Companion. Each chapter set begins with difficult circumstances, they
which to begin their
with a language barrier
difficult. Many immigran
new lives. Once in the United
that made meeting people
ts also experienced prejudice
States, some struggled
and conducting business
against their customs
were resentful of having
to
Set Pur pos
왘 BIG
es for Rea ding
Idea Making
Everyday peopl
Choic es
e are faced with Vocabulary
Some U.S.-born settlers choices have the choices, large
and religious practices. and small. Some

an activity to connect your personal experience to

power to chang of these
ts for land or work. meet two familie e who we are. decorum [di
compete with immigran s who have made In Book 1 of My
Ántonia, we
kor´ əm]
n. formality; etique
Nebraska. significant choice tte
: to settle in rural
The guests, dresse
d in gowns and
As you read Book tuxedos, behav
1, notice the chang ed with great

the literature. You will also read background

yourself, How es the characters decorum at the
do the choice experience. Then formal dinner
s you make chang party.
e who you are? ask interminable
[in tur´mi nə
adj. endless bəl]
Literary Eleme
nt Plot and Every year the
Setting geese come back

material to provide context for the chapter set

Plot is the seque the pond and
we must listen
to
nce of events to their
place in which in a narrative work. loud and interm
the events occur. Setting is the inable honkin
surroundings, Setting includes time g.
but also the ideas, not only the physic and meritorious
time and place. customs, values al [mer´ə tor ē
´ əs]
, and beliefs of adj. noble
a particular

content.
Risking his life
Often there is to save the childre
a close relatio from the fire n
literary work. Most nship between the plot was a merito
rious act.
plots begin with and the setting
setting, along the exposition, in a portentous [por
with the charac which introduces ten´təs]
relationship betwe ters and conflic the adj. threatening
en plot and setting ts. When there
particular events , the reader gets is a close The villain sudde
of this plot could the sense that nly pulled out
a
the graphic organi only happen in the dagger and the
zer on the next this particular audience gaspe
seasons relate page to help you setting. Use at this porten d
to the plot and keep track of how tous act.
setting. the
undulating [un
As you read, notice adj. having a
´ jə lɑ̄t´ in]
how the autho

You’re invited to interact with the information in of the novel. r introduces the wavy outline
setting in the appearance or
exposition
The undulating
flags moved
flapped in the and
Reading Strate wind as if they
gy Analy living creatures. were
ze Cultural and

Build Background by summarizing content or

When you analy Historical Conte
the cultural and
ze, you think
critically about xt
historical conte something. To
to the details xt of a novel, analyze
that reveal setting you pay attent
behaviors charac , dress, speech, ion
teristic of a particu mannerisms, and
in history Book 1 11
lar culture at a particu

writing a caption for an image related to the

. tion and
My Ántonia: Introduc lar time
Understanding Context
the experiences Jim Ántonia
time period helps of the characters Details
you comprehen during a certain Burden Shimerdas
they do. d why theyPMfeel
1/23/08 4:49:20 and act as

content.
Setting
.indd 11
As you read, look
011-022_U1_Antonia_889154 for details that
experience of help you better Dress
establishing a understand the
Keep in mind homestead in
that although Nebraska in the
Ántonia Shime the characters 1880s.
rdas live during of Jim Burden Speech
have very differe the same histori and
nt cultural backg cal period, they
use a graphic rounds. You may Mannerisms
organizer like find it helpful
the details you the one at the to
notice about each right to keep track and
character. of
Behaviors

You are then introduced to the targeted skills for 12 N OV E L C O

M PA N I O N: Unit 1

the chapter set: the Big Idea, the literary element, 011-022_U1_Anton
ia_889154.indd
12

and the reading skill or strategy. You will also get 2/5/08 6:49:42
PM

vocabulary for the chapter set. ACTIVE READING: Introduction and Book 1

Throughout the novel, the characters are sensitive to of Jim’s first year on his grandparents’ farm. Then
the change of seasons. On the chart below, record review your chart and think about how the seasons
important events and activities that mark each season relate to the plot and setting.

1. Autumn 2. Winter
Read, Respond, Interpret * harvest season
* Jim gets to

Every lesson includes an active reading *

know the farm

graphic organizer to fill in as you read. *

*

This graphic organizer is related to lement

ADING: Literar y E
INTERACTIVE RE
either the literary element or the reading and his two
he’s sold ’em his oxen 3. Spring
Literary Element
INTERAC
TIVE REA
DING : Reading
“Yes’m,” said Otto; “and ams. I’d have Plot and Setting Which
words or 4. Summer Strategy
price of good work-te
skill or strategy for the chapter set.
give you
bony old horses for the and phrases in this description Reading Strat
the old man can underst the most vivid sense of
the Shimerdas’ egy
interfered about the horses— any good. But Analyze Cultu
’a’ thought it would do homestead?
ral and Histo NO VEL EXC
some German—if I’d s.”
Context If
the character
rical ERP T: CHA PTE
distrust of Austrian Grandfathe of the On Christma R 12
Bohemians has a natural is that, Otto?” r lived durin
men were just s morning, when I got
interested. “Now, why time period, g the curre
Grandmother looked “Well, ma’m, it’s politics.
more than nt
coming in from down to
their morning the kitchen, the
and nose. years after one hundred and pigs alwa
Fuchs wrinkled his brow My Ántonia ys had their
takes place chores—the
while to explain.” you think he
would beha , do Otto shouted breakfast befo horses
It would take me a long we were Explain. ve differently? “Merry Chri re
stmas!” to me, we did. Jake and
rougher; I was told that other when
The land was growing half of the they saw the and winked at each
which cut up the west came down, waffle-irons
approaching Squaw Creek, value for farming. on the stov

Interactive reading pages include text

wea
made the land of little Morning pray ring a white shirt and e. Grandfat
Shimerdas’ place and which indicated ers were long his Sunday her
broken, grassy clay cliffs from Saint
Matthew abou er than usual. He read
coat.
Soon we could see the the glitterin g tops of the listened, it t the birth of the chapters
and
the windings of the stream, in the ravine. Some all seemed
like somethin Christ, and as we
trees that grew down and near at
cottonwoods and ash yellow leaves hand. In his g that

excerpts from the novels that emphasize of the cottonwoods had

and shining white bark
trees in fairy tales.
already turned, and the
made them look like the
gold and silver

I could still see

Christmas,
He gave than
and for all
ks
poor and dest for our food and com
itute in grea
prayer he than had happened latel
that it had ked the Lord
meant to the
world
y,
for the first
fort, and pray ever since.
Shimerdas’ dwelling, harder than t cities, whe ed for the
As we approached the shelving banks it was here re
with us. Gran the struggle for life was
a literary element or a reading strategy. nothing but rough red
and long roots hanging
Presently, against one
hillocks, and draws with
out where the earth had
of those banks,
crumbled away.
I saw a sort of shed,
grew
often very
expression.
force; they
interesting.
Because he
were not wor
He had the
talked so little
dfather’s pray
gift of simp
, his words
ers
le and mov
were
ing
same wine-coloured grass that reflected n dull from had a pecu
liar
thatched with the that had My Ántonia: I n t ro d u c t i o n a n d Bwha
o o k t1he 13was thinking constant use.
a shattered windmill frame,
Questions in the margin help you interact
chiefly thro about at the His prayers
everywhere. Near it tilted horses, and ugh them that time
to this skeleton to tie our views abou we got to know , and it was
no wheel. We drove up the draw-bank. t things. his feelings
window sunk deep in After we sat and his
then I saw a door and and a girl of fourteen ran how pleased down to our
and a woman011-022_U1_Antonia_889154.indd along waffles and
The door stood open, girl trailed 13 the2/5/08
Shim 6:49:43 PM
erdas had been sausage, Jake

with highlighted portions of the text.

ly. A little Ambrosch
out and looked up at
us hopeful was with their pres told us
had on her head the same the Christma friendly and went to the ents; even
behind them. The woman when she s tree. It was creek with
silk fringes that she wore clouds wor a soft grey him to cut
embroidered shawl with was not old, but king across day outside,
train at Black Hawk. She There were the sky, and with heavy
had alighted from the and lively, with always odd occasional
squalls of snow
young. Her face was alert holidays, and jobs to be don
she was certainly not other’s the men were e about the .
little eyes. She shook grandm I played dom busy until after barn on
a sharp chin and shrewd mother. He
inoes, while
Otto wrote noon. Then
Jake and
hand energetically. matter whe
always wro
te to
a long lette
r home to his
re he was, and her on Christmas Day
his last lette no matter how , he said, no
r. All afternoon long it had
write for a he sat in the been since
while, then dining-room
table, his eyes sit idle, . He would
following the his clenched fist lying
and wrote pattern of the on the
his own lang oilcloth.
uage so seld
awkwardly.
His effort to om that it cam He spoke
At about four remember e to him
o’clock a visit entirely abso
wearing his or appeared: rbed him.
rabbit-skin Mr. Shimerda
had knitted. cap and colla ,
He had com r, and new
all grandmo e to thank us mittens his
ther ’s kind for the pres wife
us from the ness ents, and for
basement and to his family. Jake and
deepening we sat abou Otto joined
grey of the t the stove,
comfort and winter after enjo ying the
security in noon and the
duction and Book
1 15 seemed com my grandfat atmosphere
of
M y Á n t o n i a : I n t ro pletely to take her’s house.
suppose, in possession This feeling

4
the crowded of
16 N OV E L C
clutter of their Mr. Shimerda. I
O M PA N ION: Uni
cave, the old
t 1 man
1/23/08 4:49:25 PM

.indd 15
011-022_U1_Antonia_889154 011-022_U1_An
tonia_889154.i
ndd 16

1/23/08 4:49:27
PM
 ABOU T THE NOVEL COMPANION

Show What You Know AFTER YOU READ

: Introd uction and
Book 1

APPLY BACKGROUND
Critica lly
Respo nd and Think and the Shimerda family.
Reread Introduction to
the Novel on
information

After you read the chapters in the chapter set, 1. Contrast the ways of
life of the Burden family
Why does Mrs. Shimerda
resent the Burdens at times?
[Compare] pages 8–9. How did that
help you understand
what you read in the
or appreciate
novel?

you will answer questions about the content,

’s character and

including how the background information helped 2. What happens to Ántonia’s

father? Describe Mr. Shimerda
his relationship with Ántonia.
[Analyze]

you as you read.

United AFT ER YO
ty have emigrated to the U REA D:
in the prairie communi Intr odu ctio
3. Many of the people to understand n and Boo
s make it difficult for them k 1
States. What cultural difference them together as
What common bonds bring Literary Elem
each other and get along? ent Plot
a community? [Conclude
] The death of
and Setting

You will then demonstrate what you learned from plot of the nove
novel relate
Mr. Shimerda

d to Mr. Shim
is a significant
l. In what ways
is the settin
erda’s death
event in the
g of the
? [Evaluate]
Identify whet
same or oppo
Vocabulary
her each set
Practice
of paired word
site meaning. s have the

your interactive reading of the excerpts. You will the friendship between
Jim and Ántonia? In what
1. decorum
and formality

4. How would you describe

other? [Evaluate] 2. intermina
ways do they benefit each

also practice using the vocabulary words you

ble and limited

3. meritorio
us and worthless

were introduced to and learn a new vocabulary about the history of your
own family. Have any of
4. portentou
s and pleasant
5. Making Choices Think like the choices
had to make difficult choices,

word that can be used in your academic writing. your family members ever
the Burdens and the Shimerda
Nebraska? Explain. [Connect]
s made when they decided
to settle in
5. undulating
and swirling

Reading Strat Academic

egy Analyze Cultu Vocabulary
ral Jim stood near
Based on the
Historical Cont and waiting for
the door, sunk
ext Antonia to eme deep in the
actions and drawbank,

In addition, you will complete a short writing 20 NOVEL COMPAN ION:

Unit 1
conclusions
beliefs abou
can you make
t suicide? [Con
dialogue in

clude]
the novel, what
about the chara
cters’
preceding sente
forth.” Think
imagine her
emerge espe
nce, emerge
about the struc
coming out
rge from her
means “to rise
ture of Anto
of her
home. In the
and come
nia’s home
and
cially appropriate door. Why is the word
k 1
assignment and other activities related to what n and Boo
2/5/08 6:49:51 PM in this conte
xt?
Intr odu ctio
U REA D:
AFT ER YO
.indd 20
011-022_U1_Antonia_889154

as
Con ten t Are
Con nec t to
you read in the chapter set content. These Wr itin g
onse Which even
ts did you find
most Science
Assignment
Research what
area where
types of land
you live. Is there
naturally
marsh?
s
Personal Resp occur in the area that show
map of the
Why? s? Create a

activities will draw on what you studied in your memorable? Forest? Plain
these different

Investiga te
types of

First
land.

make a list
Inclu de a map key.

of possible
s them, and
sources of
their likely
how to acces
information, the one below
.

interactive work on the excerpts from the reliability. Use

a chart like

Access
Reliability
Source

chapters. My Ánto nia:

Intro duct
ion and Book
011-022_U1_An
tonia_889154.i 1 21
ndd 21

After you read the entire novel, you will work with what you learn
from each sourc
e. If
you found
1/23/08 4:49:33
PM

Take notes on ation, use what

adictory inform

related readings, connect the novel to an excerpt there is contr

in the most
reliable sourc

If you are unfam

iliar with
tigate further
e.
the scientific
to clarify the
terms used
meanings of
on

maps, inves

from Glencoe Literature, and finally, write an those terms.

Create Use
tools to help
rulers, stenc
you create an
ils, and other map-maki
accurate and
a map key.
ng
attractive
If map-maki
ng
er to include e your
map. Rememb choose to creat

essay or story that draws upon what you learned software is availa
map on a comp
ble, you may
uter. Rememb

an introductio
er to include

n to your map,
a map key.

describing
in your
Report Write ation included

by reading. g the inform citations

and summarizin ate and correctly formatted
accur consulted.
map. Include resources you
sites and print
for the Web

1
PAN ION: Unit
22 NOV EL COM 1/23/08 4:49:34
PM

ndd 22
tonia_889154.i
011-022_U1_An

CON NEC T
LITE RAT URE TO OTH ER
TO OTH ER LITE RAT URE
CON NEC T
RE SP ON
aby D TH RO
AD IN GS EXC ERP T: Lull Compare the
novel you have UG H W RI
LA TED RE LITE RAT URE en loom set which is excerp just read to the Sh or t Sto
ry TIN G
WI TH RE the tall wood ted from Lullab literature select
WO RK had done it. On r a tamarack tree for Then answer the y by Leslie Marm ion at the left,
on Silko in Glenc
the snow in unde quest
support your answe ions below. Provide details oe Literature. TALK ABOUT ITApply
gone down but into the sand
see it clearly.
She had been Mood Writ
e a short
The sun had . It came in rs. from the select
ions to
With a small be bas
group, talk edabout story abo
off its own light shade. She could dma gave her both My Ántonima on you howr own exp ut an incid UNDERSTAN
the wind gave before when her gran gineLullab
ia and erience as ent in the D THE TAS
a shed girl . Creaytedescri

My Ántoni
s new wool —wa only a little s and the culture of stro eitherbean a young life of a child • A short K
ings in Glen
coe’
thick tufts like ed out for it s to pull the twig Com par e & the charac
ng senters. elegiac or child or it
can be som . It can
story is
the wooden comb freshly washed wool. se ofDiscuss a brief fictio
Related Read answers with it. Ayah reach Con tras t how the Bohem
ian traditions setting.
nostalgic narrative nal
refer to the your the weaver spins s had, and she smiled the raw, 1. Plot and Settin of
mood by
giving you
ething you in prose
that usu
wing questions nove l. Support shee t of burrs from , her g What is the
Ántonia’s family
Precompa
writereDra r story a
on a sing
le event ally focu
The follo on of this a separate babie laughed ed the wool ses
Library editi answers on like her own ed how she had while she comb a silvery compare to the setting of Lullab
y? How does this
Navajo traditi
ons
braiof
to wtheidea
s for you characte and
rs. Elements has only a few
Literature Write your prov ided . reme mber And spinn ing rural Nebraska nstoAyah’s
rmin family r stor
the texts. on the lines la Cathshe
when er an now, and grandma sat
beside her, th cedar
landscape of My setting Jot down some .
g lists, jour y from mul stor y include of the
setting, cha short
details from n som e notes first Talk s of Work / Wil them. She was an old wom sat dow n nd the smoo Ántonia? with othehere
notes r studfirst.
naling
ents, or rese about childhood
tiple sources
. You can plot, poin ract
jot dow er at ories. She arou t of view ers,
paper, but Willa Cath had become mem d strand of yarn work ed at the loom arching sim memorie
s, discussi
try
• Mood , and them
e.
an her life
t you cotto nwoo moth er Choose a ilar short ng is the
land Eleanor Hinm have read
, how migh
her back against
the wide spindle. Her t yellow and
red and setting, cha stories at
the library.
ideas literary wor
emotion
al quality
ces Sam t you with her back brigh chart like ract k. of a
Letter to Fran Based on
wha
sophy of writi ng?
rough bark on with yarn s dyed
the yarn in the one belo ers, and actions to the moo Elements that con
Cather’s philo tree, feeling the ed to the hed them dye every deta w to brai for your stor d of a liter tribute
Annie Pave
lka and contrast summarize east and listen gold. She watc eed petals, il you thin nstorm sen y. As you language, ary work
r, compare you bones; she faced hed pots full of beew mood for k of, but sory deta prewrite, sub
diction, and ject matter, sett
are
Pavelka’s lette erda. Can sing a high-pitc boiling black blankets her your read imagining ils. You do use a
Based on Ántonia Shim wind and snow she felt and sage. The ers. the scene not have tone, as ing,
with that of juniper berries,
will help to use and rhyt well as rhym
Pavelka’s life . Out of the wind wide fluffy soft and wove
n so tight Scene: Lea you capture hm. e
es? Explain. Yeibechei song watch the er made were ’ feathers. rning to ride the • An eleg
see similariti and she could moth like birds Setting: two-wheel iac literary
warmer, until the off them The
Mood: Nos neighborhood whe
bike has the work is one
fill in her tracks, steadily, . By that rain rolled sleep ing warm on cold talgic re the child An elegy
mood or
tone of an that
snow was gone ed elegy.
had come from Ayah remember in her mother’s ’s family
used to live. death or
is a sad
poem that
direction she see the dark ts, wrap ped loss. laments
snow she could windy nigh n’s sandy floor
. Category • A nostalg
the light of the a few feet away . She
on the hoga north2.west ic literary
big arroyo blankets d now, with the
Character How expresse work is one
nd outline of the lleta Creek, The snow drifte nd is the character
Sensory De s nostalg that
Atop the Mou t-Moon g on ie the edge of Cebo d drifted up arouof Jim’s grandmother in My of Ayah in Lullab Sights longing ia. Nostalg
it in gusts. It y similar to the tai for one’s ia is a
t Hea wasnssittin
of the prair thin cows woul wind hurling
Ántonia? How character ls home or
William Leas impressio springtime the
e in the their the ones with little are they differe Fence the
child helped past.
Burden’s first on. What do
wher dy chewed flat to black overshoes—old which nt?
neighbors
se on Man
go Stre et Com pare Jim
Least Hea t-Mo
graze on grass
alrea where her smiled at the snow working in her parents paint;
from The Hou
of William deep creek bed l buckles. She . She their yar
with those
have in com
mon ?
ground. In the wide
ed in the summ
er, meta
cover her little by little Smells d; family friendly Grammar
Tip
Sandra Cisn
eros
man
ate
y factors alien rs descriptions a trick le of water flow ng for was trying to they had no black
Mo wn gra
ss; sun on
dog
Colon
e,” only looki when
In “Geraldo
No Last Nam
ng culture.
What facto would wander, could remember only the high buckskin Sounds pavement A colon
the surroundi family to feel isolated the skinny cows s splashed ; Mom che is used to
Geraldo from winding path rubber overshoes wrapped over their ering the and to intro introduc
e a list
ed Ántonia
and her new grass along they child on; duce mat
have caus leggings that was dry or Tastes cars passing explains
, restates
erial that
novel? with manure. blanket over asins. If the snow , or illustrate
the old Army and not previous
in Cather’s elkhide mocc walk all day materials: s
Ayah pulled Jimm ie’s blanket—t
he
n, a person could s of Touch Fuchs told
a shaw l. froze ings the beam me ever
her head like her. That was a long
time
wet; and in the even hs of pale
hot handle
bar
to know:
how he
ything I
wanted
sent to get lengt had
one he had , and it d hang with Draft Mak in a Wyo lost his ear
the green wool was faded not the ceiling woul drying out slowly. e a plan was a stag
ming blizz
ard whe
ago and s. She did ngs, Then beg for how you e-driver, n he
unra velin g on the edge ght buckskin leggi 3. Mood What in writing
the draft
will present throw a
lasso.
and how
to
was So she thou is the mood of incidents of your stor the actio
about Jimmie. mood compare this excerpt from in specific y. As you ns in a logi
want to think her mother to the primary Lullaby? How to describ places. Use write, loca cal sequen
ing and the way mood of My Ánton does this e the sigh
ts, sounds
the concret te scenes ce. In descripti
ve writing,
Interview about the weav ia? , smells, e sensory
and tastes details you and be used
to elaborat a colon can
Bonacorsi Revise Exch of the scen brainstorme e upon a
Interview/ ange pap d with furth
point
McNamara work ans ers with e. er descripti
wers the a classma She kne on:
ias some of the nostalgic. assignment te. Decide w every
June Nam ing discuss Also decide by creating whether about: how farmer for
ts in this read opinion, did classmate whether a mood your clas
sma much land miles
The immigran ed. In your feedback, the that is either te’s under culti he had
they experienc experience
any
classmate and be sure writing is clear and elegiac or vation, how
discrimination
cattle he
My Ántonia makes on you underst focused. was feed many
t farmers in your own and the com Give you liabilities ing, wha
the immigran Explain. Edit and
work. ments you r were. t his
s? r
discrimination and is wel
Proofread
Edit your
l organize writing so
spelling erro d. Carefully that it expr
proofread esse
rs. for grammar s your ideas effective
, punctua ly
tion, and

50 NO VEL
N: Unit 1
ANIO 47 COM PAN
COMP
NOVE LMy Ánt onia ION : Uni
48 t 1
PM
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A bout the N ovel Compani on 5

 ABOUT T H E NOVEL COMPANION

Note-Taking Systems
Pages 4–5 of the Novel Companion’s student edition introduce students to the
two note-taking systems (described below) taught in the workbook. You may
wish to review those pages of the student edition with your students before
having them having them complete lessons in the workbook.

On-Page Note-Taking To help students connect to the Big Idea, the On-Page
Note-Taking lessons have students use symbols to mark up an excerpt directly
on the page.

The Cornell Note-Taking System The Novel Companion also trains students on the
Cornell Note-Taking System, developed at Cornell University to help students
take more effective notes. In this system, the page is divided into two
columns, one wide and one narrow. This format allows students to effectively
organize their thinking by having them record, reduce, and then recap their
notes. Students take notes on excerpts from the novels and relate the excerpts
to the Big Idea. The following summarizes the steps of the system:

Record First, students will record notes in the wide column as they read.
Their notes may include summaries, bulleted lists, and graphic organizers.

Reduce Next, students will reduce, or condense, their notes into key words,
phrases, questions, and comments in the narrow column. This step will help
them clarify meaning, find information within their notes, and trigger their
memories when they study.

Recap Finally, students use the bottom portion of the page to recap,
or summarize, what they have learned from their notes. This step helps
strengthen their grasp of what they just read before they move on to the
next section of text.

6
 ABOU T THE NOVEL COMPANION
Note-Taking Lessons
The Novel Companion’s note-taking lessons teach students how to record important
information in their own words, reduce the information to key words they will
remember, and recap their notes in a summary. Questions and activities in pages
that follow allow students to apply the information from their notes.
The information below also appears on page 6 of the Novel Companion’s
student edition and serves to introduce students to these types of lesson
pages. You may wish to review that page of the student edition with your
students before having them complete lessons in the workbook.
Read, Question, and Mark-Up
Not only will you be interacting with excerpts from
the novels as you work with the literary elements
and reading strategies assigned to a chapter set,
but you will also be working with excerpts that
relate to the Big Idea assigned to each
chapter set.
You will take notes on the excerpt—right on the
page. With practice, you will devise a short-hand
system that works for you. In the meantime, you
can use the suggested on-page mark-up system.
Record, Reduce, and Recap
You will also learn the Cornell Note-Taking
System, described on the previous page.
Here you will take notes on the excerpt you
marked-up on the On-Page Note-Taking page.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING: B IG Id ea
MARK IT UP
Are you allowed to write in your novel?
If so, then mark up the pages as you
read, or reread, to help with your
note-taking. Develop a shorthand
system, including symbols, that works
for you. Here are some ideas:
Underline = important idea
Bracket = text to quote
Asterisk = just what you were
looking for
Checkmark = might be useful
Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to
look up
왘 BIG Idea
Making Choices How does reading
about the Burden family and the
Shimerda family help you to understand
the choices people make?
Mark up the excerpt, looking for
evidence of how it expresses the
Big Idea.
18 NOVEL COMPANION: U nit 1
011-022_U1_Antonia_889154.indd 18
CORNELL NOTE -TAKING: B IG Idea
Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left.
Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.
Record
Recap
011-022_U1_Antonia_889154.indd 19
A bout the N ovel Compani on
NOVEL EXCERPT: CHAPTER 14
No wagon could be got to the Shimerdas’ until a road was
broken, and that would be a day’s job. Grandfather came
from the barn on one of our big black horses, and Jake lifted
grandmother up behind him. She wore her black hood and was
bundled up in shawls. Grandfather tucked his bushy white
beard inside his overcoat. They looked very Biblical as they set
off, I thought. Jake and Ambrosch followed them, riding the
other black and my pony, carrying bundles of clothes that we
had got together for Mrs. Shimerda. I watched them go past the
pond and over the hill by the drifted cornfield. Then, for the first
time, I realized that I was alone in the house.
I felt a considerable extension of power and authority, and was
anxious to acquit myself creditably. I carried in cobs and wood
from the long cellar, and filled both the stoves. I remembered
that in the hurry and excitement of the morning nobody had
thought of the chickens, and the eggs had not been gathered.
Going out through the tunnel, I gave the hens their corn, emptied
the ice from their drinking-pan, and filled it with water. After
the cat had had his milk, I could think of nothing else to do,
and I sat down to get warm. The quiet was delightful, and
the ticking clock was the most pleasant of companions. I got
Robinson Crusoe and tried to read, but his life on the island
seemed dull compared with ours. Presently, as I looked with
satisfaction about our comfortable sitting-room, it flashed upon
me that if Mr. Shimerda’s soul were lingering about in this
world at all, it would be here, in our house, which had been
more to his liking than any other in the neighbourhood. I
remembered his contented face when he was with us on
Christmas Day. If he could have lived with us, this terrible
thing would never have happened.
I knew it was homesickness that had killed Mr. Shimerda,
and I wondered whether his released spirit would not
eventually find its way back to his own country. I thought of
how far it was to Chicago, and then to Virginia, to Baltimore—
and then the great wintry ocean. No, he would not at once set
out upon that long journey. Surely, his exhausted spirit, so tired
of cold and crowding and the struggle with the ever-falling
snow, was resting now in this quiet house.
1/23/08 4:49:29 PM
Reduce
Try the following approach as you
reduce your notes.
ASK QUESTIONS
Write any questions you have about
the novel. Do you have to go to an
outside source to find the answers?
M y Ántoni a: I nt roduct i on and B ook 1 19
1/23/08 4:49:30 PM
7
 ABOUT T H E NOVEL COMPANION

Outline of the Novel Companion

The following is an annotated outline of the lesson structure of the Novel Companion:

Novel Title Page

I. Introduction to the Novel
Students read about the novel and its place in literary history, including details
about its themes and how and when it was written and published.
II. Meet the Author
Students read about the author’s background and the historical, cultural,
and literary context of his or her work.
III. Chapter Set
A. Before You Read
1. Connect to the Literature
Students identify with the selection in a brief activity that links the novel
with the student’s own experience.
2. Build Background
Students are provided with any context they will need to fully understand
and appreciate the chapter set content. An accompanying activity asks
students either to summarize the ideas in the background text or write
a caption for a related image.
3. Big Idea
This links the chapter set content to the Big Idea that appears in the unit the
novel accompanies.
4. Literary Element
Students are introduced to the targeted literary element for the chapter set.
5. Reading Strategy
This introduces students to the targeted reading strategy for the chapter set
and also includes a model of a graphic organizer that students might re-create
for themselves as they read.
6. Vocabulary
Students are introduced to the targeted vocabulary for the chapter.
A sample sentence shows use of each word.
7. Active Reading Graphic Organizer
A graphic organizer shows students how to record literary element
or reading skill or strategy information as they read.
B. Interactive Reading
1. Literary Element excerpt
Students interact with an excerpt that relates to the targeted literary element.
2. Reading Strategy excerpt
Students interact with an excerpt that relates to the targeted reading
strategy.

8
 ABOU T THE NOVEL COMPANION

C. Note-Taking Systems
1. Big Idea excerpt
Students interact with an excerpt that relates to the targeted Big Idea.
D. After You Read
1. Respond and Think Critically
Students answer questions about the chapter set content; at least one
item addresses the Big Idea.
2. Literary Element
Students answer questions that review the targeted literary element for
the chapter set.
3. Reading Strategy
Students answer questions that review the targeted reading strategy for the
chapter set.
4. Vocabulary
Students review the targeted vocabulary for the chapter, using exercises
that test their comprehension of the words.
5. Academic Vocabulary
Students learn a new academic vocabulary word and apply it, using
an activity related to the chapter set content.
6. Writing: Personal Response, Write with Style, Write a …
Students write in a variety of modes and produce a range of writing
products as they address the content of the chapter set. In some exercises,
they try out literary techniques demonstrated by the author in the
chapter set.
7. Connect to Content Areas, Research and Report, Speaking and Listening
Students respond to the chapter set content through speeches, oral
interpretation, research presentations, and other activities that often extend
their knowledge beyond the novel itself.
IV. Work with Related Readings
Students answer questions that connect the novel with the related readings
that appear in Glencoe’s Literature Library edition of the novel.
V. Connect to Other Literature
Students answer questions that connect the novel with an excerpt from
another Glencoe Literature title.
VI. Respond Through Writing
Students write a longer piece—either narrative, persuasive, or expository—in
response to the novel. The assignment guides students through the writing
process, and at least one assignment in the Novel Companion will have students
directly compare and contrast the novel to a selection in Glencoe Literature.

A bout the N ovel Compani on 9

 My Ántonia
Willa Cather

10
 ABOUT THE WORK
My Ántonia by Willa Cather
Published in 1918, My Ántonia is one of
Willa Cather’s best-known works and is
considered by many to be her greatest
literary achievement. Narrator Jim Burden,
in reminiscing about his life on the
Nebraska frontier in the late 1800s, shares
the history of his lifelong friend, Ántonia
Shimerda. The novel, based on some of
Cather’s own experiences, is a vivid
portrait of the landscape of the Great
Plains, the transition from the Old West to
the new, the enduring bonds of friendship,
and the strength and values of frontier
people. It includes the struggle of a young
woman to provide for herself and her child.
Note that the novel includes a graphic
description of a suicide. Before assigning
students to read the work, you may wish
to prepare them for this scene.
Synopsis
The novel is presented as a collection of
memories written by Jim Burden, a New
York lawyer nostalgic for his youth in rural
Nebraska. He is inspired by his feelings for
Ántonia Shimerda, a close childhood friend.
Jim Burden’s tale begins in the late 1800s,
when he is a ten-year-old orphan living
on his grandparents’ farm in Nebraska.
Jim develops a special friendship with
Ántonia, the spirited daughter of
Bohemian immigrants who live near the
Burden farm. Jim helps Ántonia learn
English, and together they enjoy exploring
the landscape of their surroundings. Jim
notices Ántonia’s personal strength as she
deals with her family’s struggle to survive
and with the tragic death of her father.
After living on his grandparents’ farm for
three years, Jim moves to the Nebraska
town of Black Hawk. Ántonia eventually
moves to Black Hawk as well, taking a job
as a domestic servant. She enjoys urban
life, regularly attending dances with other
immigrant farm girls who work in Black
Hawk. Although Jim dislikes the town of
Black Hawk, he is drawn to the social
activities of Ántonia and her friends.
Ántonia respects and values him like a
close younger brother. The family that
employs Ántonia, like many people in
the town, disapproves of her social life.
Eventually, Ántonia takes a job with a
new employer. After he tries to attack
her, however, Ántonia decides to return
to her family’s farm.
When Jim attends college, he loses contact
with Ántonia. After graduating, he returns
home to find that she is pregnant and has
been abandoned by the man she loved.
When Jim pays her a visit, he finds Ántonia
doing strenuous farm work and standing
firm in her wish to build a good life for
herself and her child. During the brief time
they spend together, they reconnect as
friends and promise always to be together
in spirit. Jim leaves for law school and
avoids visiting Ántonia for twenty years,
afraid to see her aged and unhappy. When
he finally meets her again, he finds her
happily married to a Bohemian man,
raising many children, and running a
successful farm. Jim is moved by her
strong spirit and believes that she has
found true fulfillment in the land and
her family. He feels it is his destiny to be
forever connected with Ántonia, her close
family, and the land of his youth.
My Án to n ia 11
 OP TIONS FOR MOTIVATI N G STU DE NTS
Setting the Stage
Have students explain how setting can be
used to create a mood in a novel.
• Display images of a variety of settings,
including urban and rural scenes and
natural landscapes in different seasons.
Ask students to describe what ideas
or emotions they associate with each
image. Ask students to explain why
each image evokes a particular feeling
or idea.
• Have students identify the setting of
movies or TV shows and speculate on
how the setting supports the stories.
Ask students to propose changes in the
stories that might become necessary if
the settings changed.
Friends Forever
Students can explore the concept of
friendship.
• Ask students what characteristics they
believe are important in friendships.
What kinds of experiences can change
friendships or put them in jeopardy? Do
students think these characteristics and
experiences are fixed, or can they change
with time, place, and cultural influences?
• Divide the class into pairs or small
groups. Ask each group to present a
brief enactment of one of the following
scenarios:
– Two children have an adventure that
deepens their friendship.
– Someone reaches out to help a neighbor
through a difficult experience.
– A person defends an unpopular
decision or way of life.
12
Forging a New Life
Have students explore the westward
migration in the 1800s and the
motivations of pioneers and settlers.
• Ask students to describe images they
have seen of settling the American
frontier or immigrating to a new
country.
• Ask students why someone would
initiate a dramatic life change such as
moving to an unknown, undeveloped
place. What goals would make the
struggle worthwhile? What values,
skills, and personality traits might help
people endure difficult adjustment
periods and strenuous work?
• What values, skills, and personality
traits might help people endure this
adjustment?
Romantic Style
Have students analyze Cather’s style and
the influences that shaped it.
• Explain that Cather’s descriptions of
characters have been labeled by some
critics as Romantic in style. Romanticism
began as a literary and artistic movement
in Europe in the eighteenth century.
Works created in this style are often
characterized by an emphasis on the
imaginative, emotional, and subjective
experiences of individuals, as well as on
celebrating nature.
• Help students find art books that contain
examples of the work of Romantic artists.
Ask students to compare the style of one
of these artists to Cather’s writing style.
Then have students present a brief
report to the class.
 O P TI O NS FOR US I N G R E L ATE D R E A D I N GS

RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO My Ántonia

Letter to Frances This reading provides background on the origins of the writing of My Ántonia.
Samland • Ask students to list some of their favorite novels or movies.
by Annie Pavelka • Have students discuss how the writers might have come up with the ideas for
the stories.
(Glencoe’s Literature
• Discuss how the setting is important to each plot.
Library, BLM page 25)

from The House on Sandra Cisneros skillfully portrays some of the emotions of present-day immigrants
Mango Street to the United States.
by Sandra Cisneros • Ask students to list some of the challenges and adjustments faced by immigrants to
our country.
(Glencoe’s Literature
• Have students rank each item on the list between 1 and 5, with 5 being the most
Library, BLM page 26) difficult adjustment and 1 being the least difficult.
• Brainstorm ways in which long-time residents can make the adjustment easier for
new arrivals.

McNamara Interview/ These readings describe life for immigrants who chose to live in the city rather
Bonacorsi Interview than become farmers.
by June Namias • Ask students to imagine that they work for the department of immigration. Their job
is to help immigrants find new homes.
(Glencoe’s Literature
• Have students list questions that they would ask new immigrants to help them
Library, BLM page 27) decide whether they would prefer life in the city or in the country.

• Willa Cather Talks of Interviews with Cather reveal the novelist’s dedication to her work as a writer.
Work • Ask students to name their favorite authors.
by F. H. • Ask how they imagine the author spends a typical day.
• Have them think of three questions they would like to ask the authors if they had
the chance.
• Willa Cather
• Speculate with students how people become authors. What inspires them to write?
by Eleanor Hinman Compare the field of writing to other fields such as medicine, computer science,
(Glencoe’s Literature fine arts, law, etc. What preparation is necessary to become a writer? What is the
pay like?
Library, BLM page 28)

Atop the Mound William Least Heat-Moon describes the Kansas prairie.
by William Least • Ask students to write in their journals about hikes they have taken in the country,
Heat-Moon walks along a lake or in the park, or other experiences communing with nature.
What did they see? How did they feel?
(Glencoe’s Literature
• After students read, have them compare their feelings to those of William Least
Library, BLM page 29) Heat-Moon in “Atop the Mound.”

My Án to n ia 13
 ANSWER KEY
All answers are sample answers except those
for Vocabulary Practice.
INTRODUCTION AND BOOK 1
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
In this photograph, an immigrant farmer and his wife
pause in their work and stand in front of their homestead.
ACTIVE READING
Autumn: Jim meets Ántonia; Jim rides his pony around
the countryside; Jim eats watermelons from the patch;
Winter: Jim kills a rattlesnake; Jim drives Ántonia and
Yulka around in a sled; Shimerdas don’t have warm
clothing or enough to eat; snowstorm prevents Jake from
buying Christmas gifts; Mr. Shimerda and Burdens get
together for Christmas; Mr. Shimerda kills himself; friends
and family bury Mr. Shimerda and must use axes to chop
frozen ground; Spring: Ambrosch and Jake fight;
Grandfather sells Mrs. Shimerda a cow; Summer:
harvest; Ántonia and Jim watch a thunderstorm.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Plot and Setting
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
description of the setting suggests that wild,
unpredictable things can happen in a place where
sunflowers grow as big as trees.
Literary Element: Plot and Setting
Answers will vary. Students may suggest that using a
word like “skeleton” to describe an old windmill gives
the setting a glooming or sinister quality.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Cultural and
Historical Context
Answers will vary. Students may assert that the
Grandfather would behave in a very similar way if he
were alive today, since having a quiet and reserved
personality is possible during any time period.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Cultural and
Historical Context
Answers will vary. Students may conclude that in
Mr. Shimerda’s culture, a Christmas tree is more
sacred than in Grandfather’s culture.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Making Choices
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
Burden and Shimerda families made difficult choices
14
about where to live, choices that had some unexpected
consequences.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. The Burden family home is comfortable, warm, and
cheerful, while the Shimerdas live in a dugout and do
not have enough food. Mrs. Shimerda resents her
way of life at times and doesn’t want people to
believe she is inferior.
2. He kills himself. He was a quiet man who preferred
life in his native country, a musician who was very
religious, and a concerned father. Ántonia was
especially close to him.
3. Differences in language, religion, and customs
(preferred food, clothing, and so on) are among
the cultural barriers. Rituals such as welcoming
newcomers and performing funeral rites for the
dead bring the people closer together, as does
the need to cooperate in order to survive in a
hostile environment.
4. They have fun together. Jim helps Ántonia to learn
new English words and provides an escape from
her difficult circumstances, and Ántonia praises
Jim to others when he kills the snake, making him
feel worthwhile.
5. Answers will vary, but students may mention that
their ancestors had to decide to come to the United
States from another country or that their family once
moved from another place within the country.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
information helped them understand that the novel
takes place during a unique and important time in
American history.
Literary Element: Plot and Setting
Answers will vary. Students may find that the bleakness
of the prairie contributed to Mr. Shimerda’s despair and
his decision to commit suicide.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Cultural and
Historical Context
Answers will vary. Students may conclude that the
Bohemians view suicide as a sin, while the Burden
family, especially the Grandmother, see it in more
practical terms, as an unwise decision that will be a
hardship for the Shimerda family.
Vocabulary Practice
1. same, 2. different, 3. different, 4. different, 5. same
 ANSWER KEY
Academic Vocabulary
Answers will vary. Students may note that since
Antonia’s home is partly underground, the word emerge
seems more appropriate than a simpler word choice,
such as “come out.”
Writing
Personal Response
Answers will vary. Students may respond that they
found Mr. Shimerda’s suicide most memorable because
it was shocking and tragic.
Connect to Content Areas
Science
Students’ performances should
• be neatly completed
• include a map key
• show evidence of research
• be detailed
BOOKS 2 AND 3
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
Virgil’s pastoral poetry describes the same innocence
and simplicity of country life that Jim observes in his
rural Nebraska surroundings.
ACTIVE READING
Jim: spends time with the “hired girls”; sneaks off to
dances until his grandmother stops him; stops speaking
to Ántonia after Cutter attacks him; graduates and gives
a speech; goes to college in Lincoln; becomes involved
with Lena and stops studying; prepares to go to Harvard;
Ántonia: begins working for Harlings; spends time with
other immigrant women; goes to dances and spends time
with boys; leaves job with Harlings when they criticize
her social life; takes job with Cutter; saved from Cutter by
Jim; angers Jim with her way of life; moves back to her
family’s farm
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Character
Answers will vary. Students may find that the many
details describing Mrs. Harling make her a round
character. Others may find that the details place
Mrs. Harling in the category of a stock character in
the role of the sturdy housewife.
Literary Element: Character
Answers will vary. Frances and her father talk “like
two men,” indicating that women of this time were not
expected to have knowledge or interest in farming and
business.
Reading Strategy: Make Inferences about
Characters
Answers will vary. Students may infer that Lena is
very easy to be with, pleasant, and also very natural,
not artificial.
Reading Strategy: Make Inferences about
Characters
Answers will vary. Students may infer that Jim’s
feelings for Ántonia are deeper and more complicated
than the feelings he has for Lena. Others may infer that
Jim truly prefers Lena over Ántonia.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Life Transitions
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Jim feels
sadness and regret when it comes time for him to leave
Nebraska.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. They are daughters of immigrant farmers who find
work in town. They are animated, social, and attend
dances, behaviors that most women in the
community find unladylike.
2. He is attacked by Wick, who comes home hoping
to find Ántonia alone. Jim is disgusted with her—
angry that she has put the two of them in such a
situation.
3. Cather provides contrast between Lena and Ántonia.
The chapter gives readers a chance to see Jim grow
and change in his first two years of college.
4. The women represent freedom, emotion, and an
openness of expression that is not found among
other townspeople.
5. Answers will vary. Students may find that the literal
meaning is related to Lena’s appearance in Lincoln
while the figurative meaning is related to Jim’s
strong feelings for Ántonia that he always carries
with him.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
information helped them understand that many other
authors have also written works that glorify the rural
lifestyle.
My Án to n ia 15
 ANSWER KEY
Literary Element: Character
Answers will vary. Students may observe that Jim has
grown up from a boy to a man. He now has ambitions
and interests that take him away from his family. Also,
his reasons for wanting to spend time with Ántonia and
“the hired girls” are now more romantic than playful.
Reading Strategy: Make Inferences about
Characters
Answers will vary. Students may infer that Ántonia
refuses to see herself as just a hired girl and that she
wants to make independent decisions. Ántonia also
highly values the time she spends dancing; it seems to
touch a part of her that she is not able to access
through duty and work.
Vocabulary Practice
1. a week spent on vacation, 2. “Please, may I?”,
3. matches and babies, 4. a person who reuses an
old teapot, 5. delicious meal
Academic Vocabulary
It means a person who is associated with another in
some activity or endeavor. One meaning is informal and
the other is formal.
Writing
Personal Response
Answers will vary. Students may say that they hope Jim
and Ántonia stay close because they have been such
good friends for such a long time.
Speaking and Listening
Literature Groups
Students’ literature groups should
• listen attentively to each other
• take turns expressing their opinions
• use examples from the text to support their opinions
• do their best to reach a consensus
BOOKS 4 AND 5
BEFORE YOU READ
Summarize
Some critics say My Ántonia is primarily elegiac, a sad
lament for what has been lost, while others say it is
primarily nostalgic, a longing for what was good in
the past.
ACTIVE READING
The Cuzak Farm: ducks and geese; barefooted boys;
Leo butting his mother playfully; kolaches; Bohemian
16
language; orchards; pictures from the old country; sons
standing tall and straight; Ambrosch and Leo giggling and
whispering; Cuzak watching his family with amusement
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Mood
The phrase “Happy children, contented women, and
men who saw their lives coming to a fortunate issue”
contributes to the warm and nostalgic mood.
Literary Element: Mood
The details about Ántonia’s hard work and the generous
support of her friends and family create an optimistic
and hopeful mood.
Reading Strategy: Interpret Imagery
Answers will vary. Some students may comment that
the dead dog is a reminder that even though Jim has
such fond memories of rural Nebraska, it is still a place
of loss and death. Other students may comment that the
death of the dog is meant to contrast the far more tragic
death of Mr. Shimerda from Ántonia’s childhood,
showing the reader that the life Ántonia has now with
her own children is much happier than her own
childhood.
Reading Strategy: Interpret Imagery
Answers will vary. Some students may comment that
over time a person’s eyes usually do not change as
much as other parts of the body. Others may remark
that sometimes the eyes are seen as spiritually
significant, a window to the soul.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Encountering the Unexpected
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Jim was
surprised that Nebraska had changed so little. Ántonia
was surprised when her engagement was broken
but she coped by building a family with a more
trustworthy man.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. She is pregnant and has been abandoned by Larry,
the man she was planning to marry. Jim does not like
to think of Ántonia as weak or broken in spirit, but
rather as someone who has strength of character.
2. She wants to give the child the best life she can. She
is positive and strong—able to stand up to challenges.
3. She has a successful farm, a husband, and several
happy children. The house is full of laughter and
activity. They spend a great deal of time outdoors.
Jim realizes that she has found true happiness.
 ANSWER KEY
4. Students may say that because Jim and Ántonia
grew up together, they are like close siblings and
know each other too well. At the time in their lives
when they might have considered entering into such
a relationship, they were pursuing other interests.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that Jim
expected or feared that Ántonia would have become
bitter or worn out from the hardships in her life. He
was surprised and pleased to find that she was happy.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
information helped them understand that Cather’s own
experiences living on the Nebraska prairie were very
similar to the life of the character of Jim in the novel.
Literary Element: Mood
Answer will vary, but students may describe the
principal mood of My Ántonia using words like hopeful,
nostalgic, melancholy, or sad.
Reading Strategy: Interpret Imagery
Answers will vary. The images that reoccur have to do
with the rural landscape and the spirit and energy of
the “hired girls” who represent all that Jim sees as
fresh and good in the immigrant farm families.
Vocabulary Practice
1. jaunty, 2. none, 3. duplicity, 4. unabashed, 5. none,
6. conformation, 7. droll
Academic Vocabulary
Students may mention their siblings and cousins of
similar ages.
Write with Style
Apply Imagery
Student’s paragraphs should
• use imagery in the style of My Ántonia
• be organized in a logical pattern
• use images that appeal to the senses
Research and Report
Visual/Media Presentation
Students’ presentations should
• incorporate a variety of mediums
• include clear diction so that the audience can
understand
• be presented loudly enough for the entire audience
to hear
NOVEL AFTER YOU READ
WORK WITH RELATED READINGS
Letter to Frances Samland
Both are immigrants to Nebraska in the late 1800s. Their
fathers both die by suicide. Both seem to have had
difficult lives filled with hard work but also laughter and
loving memories.
The House on Mango Street
Students should conclude that the language barriers
and cultural differences alienated the immigrants as
much as the vast distances of prairie life.
McNamara Interview/Bonacorsi Interview
They may mention that in My Ántonia people made fun
of the immigrants’ foreign ways and inability to speak
English well.
Willa Cather Talks of Work/Willa Cather
Students may say that Cather prefers to concentrate on
the simple, everyday aspects of life rather than grand,
melodramatic events. She is obsessed with telling
things truthfully, without romanticizing them.
Atop the Mound
Jim Burden’s impressions of the prairie are remarkably
similar to Heat-Moon’s. Burden recalls feeling as if “the
world was left behind, that we had got over the edge of
it, and were outside man’s jurisdiction.”
CONNECT TO OTHER LITERATURE
1. Answers will vary. The story takes place outdoors, in
winter, along Ceboletta Creek. This setting is similar
to the rural Nebraska landscape because it is open
and bleak.
2. Answers will vary. Both characters are older women
who have cared for their families. The character of
Ayah seems more sorrowful. Ayah is also a more
complex, rounded character than Jim’s grandmother.
3. Answers will vary. Students may describe the mood
of the Silko excerpt as sadder than Cather’s novel.
Talk About It
Discussions will vary.
RESPOND THROUGH WRITING
Short Story
Students’ stories should
• communicate an elegiac or nostalgic tone
• contain sensory details
My Án to n ia 17
 Narrative of the
Life of
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass

18
 ABOUT THE WORK
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
by Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was
the first of Douglass’s three autobiographies.
He wrote this autobiography only seven
years after he escaped from enslavement
in Maryland, partially to answer criticism
he received while on the abolition lecture
circuit. Although this narrative was a
bestseller, its appeal was based on the
thrill of the plot; the public was generally
slow to acknowledge its literary worth.
Even most well-meaning and favorable
reviewers saw its value mainly as an
abolitionist tool. Thus, Douglass was
known as an orator rather than as a writer.
It was not until the 1970s that Douglass’s
narrative was viewed as a great literary
achievement. Today the work is considered
by many to be the best piece of writing in
its genre.
Sensitivity Note: This autobiography
includes language and descriptions of
brutality that many students will find
disturbing. You may want to point out that
the inclusion of these elements accurately
portrays plantation conditions as they were
in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Synopsis
Douglass describes his early years—
including his faint memories of his mother,
who was separated from him when he
was an infant. At an undisclosed age, he
is sent to live at Col. Lloyd’s house with
other children. There for the first time he
witnesses a slave—his aunt Hester—being
whipped. Afterward, the child Frederick
hides for hours in a closet, afraid his turn
will be next.
Douglass describes the conglomeration
of plantations and out-farms that made
up the Lloyd property and the system
of sending enslaved people to work at
different localities. His vivid descriptions
of enslaved children going without beds,
clothing, or food are heartrending.
When he is about seven years old,
Frederick is sent to Baltimore, where he
teaches himself to read. Douglass describes
the differences between city slaves and
plantation slaves: As a rule, slaves in the
city fared much better than those on the
plantations.
After five years in Baltimore, Douglass
is returned to the country, where he is
whipped for the first time. The new owner
declares that city life has made Douglass
unfit for fieldwork and sends him to
Edward Covey’s farm to be broken in.
There he stands up to the merciless Covey
and prevails over him.
Believing he has claimed his manhood,
Douglass begins to teach other slaves to
read and makes one failed attempt to lead
others in an escape. After a time spent in
jail, he is sent back to Baltimore, where he
learns a trade in shipbuilding and survives
a gang assault. He finally plans a second
escape—and succeeds.
Narrative of the L if e of Fre d e r ic k D o u g la ss 19
 OP TIONS FOR MOTIVATI N G STU DE NTS
Bringing Characters to Life
Help students appreciate the writer’s
ability to depict believable characters.
• Ask students to think about the physical
activity of a person who is nervous.
Explain that writers often describe
actions of a character, allowing the
reader to draw conclusions about that
character. Guide students to recognize
that there are some common indications
of nervousness, such as drumming
fingers, excessive swallowing, pacing,
laughing, or wringing hands. Have
students choose a specific emotion or
frame of mind and demonstrate the
behaviors associated with it. Then
have the class guess the emotion.
• Have students describe (rather than
demonstrate) a person’s behavior and
have the class identify the emotion. For
example, if a person is described as
slouching in his or her chair, directing
eyes to the floor, and glancing around
furtively without lifting his or her head,
students might guess that the character
is guarding a secret.
• Ask students to explain the difference
between description through actions and
direct description. As an example of
direct description, read the following
sentence to the class: “Tyesah was
permanently perky. She bounced into
every room, jingling her long earrings.”
Guide students to see that in using
this technique, the author draws the
conclusion for the reader. As they read
Douglass’s narrative, have students
pay attention to the ways in which the
author uses description to portray
characters.
20
Human Dignity
Encourage students to consider the worth
of individuals.
• Point out that throughout the book,
Douglass emphasizes the idea of human
dignity. Ask students if they know of
anyone, student or adult, whom they
consider to be dignified. Have them
describe the bearing and demeanor of
this person. Does dignity only come
with age? Is this quality conferred,
earned, or intrinsic to all humans?
• Have students brainstorm to list actions
or behaviors that serve to demean
another human being (for example,
name calling or interrupting). Then, for
each demeaning behavior, have students
identify an opposite action that would
serve to acknowledge a person’s worth.
The Value of Education
Help students see how education changes
the student and is a lifelong process.
• Have the class consider whether any
book they read during their high school
years (not necessarily one they read for
school) significantly changed the way
they think about certain life issues. Did
they take any action as a result of this
change in thinking?
• Have students consider the differences
between education and training. Guide
the class to develop a definition for each
term. Make a chart on the board and
have students classify different learning
activities they engage in as either
education or training.
 O P TI O NS FOR US I N G R E L ATE D R E A D I N GS

RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

The Escape of This account elaborates on the details of a successful escape from slaveholders.
Hezekiah Hill • This short narrative would work well as a postreading activity for Narrative of the
by William Still Life of Frederick Douglass.
(Glencoe’s Literature • Explain that underground resistance movements have occurred throughout history.
Library, BLM page 24) As an example, discuss with the class some of the efforts to save Jews during
World War II.
• After students read, ask if they think any enslaved persons, including Douglass,
would have successfully escaped without help. Emphasize that the enslaved
person was the one who would have had to initiate the flight.

Second Inaugural This speech demonstrates the need for the nation to recover from a devastating
Address civil war.
by Abraham Lincoln • This short speech would work well as a postreading activity for Narrative of the Life
of Frederick Douglass.
(Glencoe’s Literature
Library, BLM page 25) • Before students read, explain that more than 600,000 men died in the Civil War,
more than in all other U.S. wars combined.
• After they read, have students look for ideals expressed by Lincoln that coincide
with those of Douglass.

Healing Africa’s This report tells of a ceremony of atonement in Ghana.

Children • This report would work well as a postreading activity for Narrative of the Life of
by Renee Kemp Frederick Douglass.
(Glencoe’s Literature • Before they read, remind students that the trade of enslaved people served the
Library, BLM page 26) Caribbean islands as well as the United States.
• After students read, ask whether they think Douglass would have been satisfied
with the ceremony.

Freedom’s Plow This poem encourages hope as an active force for supporting freedom.
by Langston Hughes • This poem would work well as a postreading activity for Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass.
(Glencoe’s Literature
Library, BLM page 27) • Before students read, review the meanings of apostrophe and metaphor.
• As they read, have students look for examples of these literary devices in the poem.
• After they read, ask students how they think Douglass might have been an
inspiration to the poet.

The Sky Is Gray This story tells a poignant tale of kindness and human dignity in the segregated
South of the 1940s.
by Ernest J. Gaines
• This story would work well as a postreading activity for Narrative of the Life of
(Glencoe’s Literature
Frederick Douglass.
Library, BLM page 28)
• Before students read, explain the term dialect and discuss the nature of language
as a means of communication, not as a system of linguistic rules. Allow time for
students to share phrases they may have used or heard in various parts of the
United States.
• After they read, ask students to consider in what ways the South has changed from
Douglass’s time period to the present.

Narrative of the L if e of Fre d e r ic k D o u g la ss 21

 ANSWER KEY
All answers are sample answers except those
for Vocabulary Practice.
CHAPTERS I–VIII
BEFORE YOU READ
Summarize
The winters in Maryland are cold, though milder than in
other parts of the United States, and the topography is
quite varied.
ACTIVE READING
Douglass’s father: slaveholder (possibly Capt. Anthony),
aloof, cruel; he wonders if this is true; otherwise has no
feelings for him. Mr. Plummer: overseer, an alcoholic,
cruel; he was afraid of him. Master Daniel Lloyd: son of
the Colonel, protective of Frederick; he felt safe around
him. Hester: his aunt, beautiful, proud; he admired her.
Col. Lloyd: wealthy slaveholder, aloof, cruel, cunning;
he was afraid of him. Mr. Austin Gore: overseer, proud,
ambitious, persevering; he was afraid of him. Sophia
Auld: wife of his Baltimore master, extremely kind, then
turned cruel; he was at first happy and hopeful around
her but soon became fearful of her.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Voice
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Douglass
writes as both the child who was separated from his
mother and as the adult reflecting on what that meant.
Literary Element: Voice
Answers will vary. Students may note that Douglass’s
formal phrases such as “death soon ended what little
we could have” helps convey a sense of depth and a
tone of solemnity.
Reading Strategy: Summarize
Answers will vary. A sample summary might be:
“Douglass was not upset about leaving his home
because he had no family there and he knew he would
probably suffer no matter where we went.”
Reading Strategy: Summarize
Answers will vary. A sample summary might be:
“Douglass met Sophia Auld and was very much
influenced by the kindness she showed him.”
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: The Power of Memory
Answers will vary. Douglass’s childhood memories
illustrate that white people deprived the enslaved
people of education to keep the enslaved powerless.
22
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. He saw his aunt Hester whipped when he was a
young child. He calls this experience the “blood-
stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery,”
meaning that it was the horrible initiation, his first
awareness of what his future held.
2. The enslaved people received pork and corn meal
each month. The children wore shirts and no pants
or shoes, no one had a bed. The men and women
had one coarse blanket. The slaveholders in many
cases treated the enslaved people worse than they
did their animals.
3. They were always afraid they might be talking to a
spy or to the master himself. They were intelligent
and wary, protecting themselves from retaliation
however possible.
4. In Chapter V, Douglass writes, “The ties that
ordinarily bind children to their homes were all
suspended in my case. I found no severe trial in my
departure.” As a child he knew only that he was not
sorry to leave his home; only as an adult does he
realize this was because his ties to his mother had
been broken. The dual narrative voice shows the
dramatic irony in the child’s situation.
5. Answers will vary, but most students will agree that
it was the strong emotions felt at the time that
caused the memory to be preserved.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that reading
Introduction to the Autobiography helped them to
understand why slavery existed in the South and why
Douglass did not have a choice about becoming a slave.
Literary Element: Voice
Answers will vary. Students may find that Douglass’s
voice reveals that he is intelligent, determined,
and devout.
Reading Strategy: Summarize
Answers will vary. Students may summarize the main
events as being Douglass’s birth, the death of his
mother, and learning to read from Sophia Auld.
Vocabulary Practice
1. packed up, 2. great, master, 3. harsh feelings, 4. skin,
itchy, uncomfortable, 5. frustrated, refused
Academic Vocabulary
Answers will vary. Students may respond that fair rules
and laws help people live safely and treat each other
with respect.
 ANSWER KEY
Writing
Personal Response
Answers will vary. Students should support their
response with information from the text.
Connect to Content Areas
Art and Social Studies
Students’ presentations should
• include a combination of words, images, and music
• incorporate technology in the creation of the report
• be well organized and present an overview of the
spiritual origins of the blues
• be presented with appropriate eye contact, tone of
voice, and body language
CHAPTERS IX–X
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
A machine was used to separate the wheat from
the chaff.
ACTIVE READING
Answers will vary. Possible responses:
Cause = Douglass is mistreated by Covey.
Effect = Douglass loses his spirit.
Cause = Sandy gives Douglass a root.
Effect = Douglass gains new confidence.
Cause = Douglass fights Covey.
Effect = Douglass’s desire for freedom is renewed.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Tone
Answers will vary. Students may describe the tone of
this passage as “weary,” “sad,” or “hopeless.” They
may base their descriptions of Douglass’s repetition of
the word “work” or the phrase “broken in body, soul,
and spirit.”
Literary Element: Tone
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the short
sentences followed by exclamation points help create
the desperate tone of the passage.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Cause-and-Effect
Relationships
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Douglass
is an educated man and does not seem to believe in
superstition.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Cause-and-Effect
Relationships
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Covey
was afraid of Douglass and did not want anyone else to
know that Douglass had beat him in a fight.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Quests and Encounters
Answers will vary. Douglass learned that he was willing
to risk his life in order to be free.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. He whipped her and tried to give her away because
she was physically disabled and helpless. This made
Frederick indignant and angry that he could not be
more protective.
2. Auld experienced a religious conversion. Frederick
became adamant that all men ought to have integrity.
3. He had no legal recourse, unless a white man were
to testify on his behalf. With both the church and the
law organized against enslaved people, his only
chance for freedom is flight.
4. Ships on the bay inspire him with both sorrow and
determination. With white sails unfurled, they head
for the open sea; their journey symbolizes freedom
and fulfillment.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that from
that day forward, Douglass believed that he had the
power to defend himself and protect himself.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
information in Build Background helped them to
understand that Maryland was part of the southern
slave states but still had a climate more similar to the
northern states.
Literary Element: Tone
Answer will vary. Students may note that there is not a
significant contrast in tone, but that the tone at the end
of the chapter is much more hopeful. This hopefulness
is demonstrated in the more frequent use of declarative
sentences beginning with “I”, such as “I earned it.”
Reading Strategy: Analyze Cause-and-Effect
Relationships
Answers will vary. Students may respond that
Douglass’s intelligence and his education played an
important role. They may also feel that Douglass
exhibited exceptional courage and physical stamina
during his experiences at the Covey farm.
Narrative of the L if e of Fre d e r ic k D o u g la ss 23
 ANSWER KEY
Vocabulary Practice
1. f, 2. b, 3. d, 4. a, 5. e
Academic Vocabulary
Context clue: earlier
Write with Style
Apply Tone
Students’ speeches should
• be written from Covey’s point of view
• communicate a main idea or thesis
• convey tone through word choice, punctuation,
sentence structure, and/or figures of speech.
Research and Report
Visual/Media Presentation
Print ads should
• include a combination of words and images
• communicate a persuasive message
• be presented using appropriate eye contact, tone
of voice, and body language.
CHAPTERS XI–APPENDIX
BEFORE YOU READ
Summarize
Shipbuilding was an important industry in the region
where Douglass lived.
ACTIVE READING
Answers may vary. Sample answer: South: non-
slaveholders were very poor; many slaveholders lived
in luxury; other slaveholders were poor or had only
moderate means; the shipyard was filled with yelling
and the sounds of whipping; half-naked children and
barefoot women were commonly seen; many houses
dilapidated. North: generally a higher standard of living
for everyone; ships in New Bedford were of highest
quality; warehouses filled to capacity; workers in
shipyard moved about quietly on their own; people
were generally happier; houses well-kept; formerly
enslaved people lived better than many southern
slaveholders.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Historical Narrative
Douglass felt insecure and frightened in New York
because he knew that kidnappers might bring him
back to slavery.
24
Literary Element: Historical Narrative
Answers will vary. Students may respond that
abolitionists during this time met a very significant
need and that they were constantly under pressure.
Reading Strategy: Recognize Author’s Purpose
Douglass wants to be sure that the reader does not
think he is an opponent of all religion.
Reading Strategy: Recognize Author’s Purpose
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Douglass
is using the pairings to show that any religion that
condones slavery is a hypocritical religion.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Keeping Freedom Alive
Answers will vary. With freedom, Douglass discovered
a new dignity in hard work, no matter how dirty it might
be. He found a great thirst for knowledge and a sense
of purpose through the anti-slavery movement. One
might say that he lost his sense of isolation.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Auld urged Frederick to stop thinking; this was
impossible for Frederick to do. Frederick was highly
agitated, anxious, and hopeful.
2. He was surprised at the general wealth, supported
without the need for enslaved workers. He was
shocked by the gulf that existed between his
perceptions and reality. He saw how hideously
unnecessary the system of enslavement was.
3. April 28, 1845. Seven years. Douglass worked for
another eighteen years before Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation.
4. Answers may vary. Students may cite examples
such as school club procedures, rules governing
local parks, or state laws governing drivers’ permits
and licenses.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that
Douglass was so frightened by the idea of speaking
in front of the group that he suffered greatly to do
so. They may also note that the cross is a reference
to Christ and that Douglass is connecting his
anti-slavery work to his Christian faith.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that reading
the information about Douglass helped them understand
that learning to read and write played an important role
in Douglass’s journey to freedom.
 ANSWER KEY
Literary Element: Historical Narrative
Answers will vary. Some students may respond that
reading an autobiography makes the information
seem more vivid or more personal. Other students may
respond that an autobiography may be biased because
it is written from one person’s point of view while a
textbook is more objective.
Reading Strategy: Recognize Author’s Purpose
Answers will vary. Students will probably conclude that
the author wanted others to know about the horrors of
slavery so that more people would stand up against it.
Vocabulary Practice
1. opposite, 2. opposite, 3. different, 4. same, 5. same
Academic Vocabulary
Answers will vary. Students may suggest that they can
spend time volunteering for an organization they think
is important, or donate money to a charity they feel is
worthwhile.
Writing
Personal Response
Personal responses will vary. Students should support
their response with information from the text.
Speaking and Listening
Literature Groups
During discussion the students should
• respect others’ viewpoints by listening attentively
• provide specific examples to support opinions
NOVEL AFTER YOU READ
WORK WITH RELATED READINGS
The Escape of Hezekiah Hill
The narrator relates that Hezekiah had decided, just as
Frederick had, that he would rather die than continue to
be an enslaved person. He was proud to work on his
own and earn wages, just as Frederick had done.
Second Inaugural Address
Lincoln recognizes the paradox of both sides’ praying
to the same God for victory. Though Lincoln condemns
slavery, he does not want to judge those religious
individuals who fight to uphold it. Douglass paints a
more negative picture of religious slaveholders and
argues that they use religion to justify owning and
mistreating enslaved people.
Healing Africa’s Children
Douglass might feel betrayed and hurt.
Freedom’s Plow
Douglass as a young illiterate man struggled with
the inability to articulate his urge to claim his right
to freedom. He developed an ability to express his
desires and had the courage to claim them.
The Sky Is Gray
Both have to claim their dignity in the face of a society
that is organized against them as individuals and
against the principle that all of humanity have rights.
CONNECT TO OTHER LITERATURE
1. Answers will vary. Students may note that Gomez
explicitly informs the reader of her dual voice when
she writes in the very first line, “I didn’t realize…
[we]… were doing an extraordinary thing.”
2. Answers will vary. Students may comment that the
tone of A Swimming Lesson is much more informal
and humorous than Narrative.
3. Answers will vary. Students may respond that
both works address issues of prejudice and
discrimination against people of color.
Talk About It
Discussions will vary. Students should be respectful of
one another and should be able to refer to the text to
support their opinions.
RESPOND THROUGH WRITING
Autobiographical Narrative
Students’ narratives should
• be written in using a dual narrative voice
• be well organized and follow a logical sequence
• include few errors in grammar and spelling
Narrative of the L if e of Fre d e r ic k D o u g la ss 25
 A Separate Peace
John Knowles

26
 ABOUT THE WORK
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
John Knowles’s first novel, A Separate
Peace, is a modern classic about a young
man’s coming of age. Set in a tradition-
bound New England boarding school
during World War II, Knowles’s book
presents the inner struggles of sixteen-
year-old Gene Forrester as he deals
with a complicated friendship and the
consequences of an impulsive act.
Through Gene and his classmates, the
novel explores social pressures, the
transition to adulthood, and the dark
side of human nature.
Synopsis
The story of A Separate Peace is narrated by
Gene Forrester, the novel’s main character.
When the novel begins, thirty-one-year-old
Gene is visiting Devon, the boarding
school he attended. The story then flashes
back to the summer of 1942. Gene is taking
summer classes and preparing for his final
year at school. World War II is intensifying,
but it seems far away to Gene and his best
friend, Phineas (Finny), an outstanding
athlete. In what could be their last carefree
summer before they graduate, they
dedicate themselves to sports, friends, and
breaking school rules. Always craving
excitement, the popular and inventive
Finny organizes the Super Suicide Society.
Members must brave a hazardous leap
into a river from a high tree limb. Gene
fears climbing the tree, but he admires
Finny and feels obligated to meet the
challenge. As the friendship between Gene
and Finny develops, Gene, who is a good
student, sees that the far less-studious
Finny can “get away with anything.” Envy
begins to taint Gene’s admiration for his
friend. Gene even begins to believe that
Finny is envious of him and is sabotaging
his chances to become valedictorian. One
day, high in the tree, Gene is consumed
with jealousy when he realizes that he is
“not of the same quality” as Finny. As he
and Finny prepare to jump, Gene jounces
the limb. Finny falls, shattering his leg, and
Gene is, for the first time, able to jump
from the limb without fear.
Finny’s injury ends his athletic career.
Overcome with guilt, Gene tries to confess,
but Finny refuses to believe that his friend
would deliberately hurt him. When Finny
recovers and returns to Devon, he tries to
enjoy sports vicariously through Gene.
He also faces the fact that he cannot enlist
in the armed forces. Finny reacts by
pretending that the war is not real. The
war becomes all too real for Leper, the first
student to enlist: he suffers an emotional
breakdown at boot camp.
When rumors grow that Finny’s fall may
not have been accidental, Brinker Hadley
holds a mock trial to find out if Gene
intentionally caused the “accident.” The
trial so upsets Finny that in his haste to
leave he falls and breaks his leg again.
Later Finny reveals that he knows Gene
caused his accident. The two make peace
before Finny dies during an operation.
Gene eventually finishes school and
enlists. As the novel comes to a close,
readers come to realize that Gene is
reliving the events of his youth in order
to find the “separate peace” that he knew
in the summer of 1942.
A S e p a r a te Pea c e 27
 OP TIONS FOR MOTIVATI N G STU DE NTS
Word Pictures
Show students that imagery can
communicate ideas and emotions.
• Remind students that writers use words
to create images that express emotions.
Ask students to identify the emotion
expressed in the following example:
“The empty house moaned in the night
wind, wishing for a face in its dark,
broken windows; carpet on its cold
floor; children to fill its empty rooms
with laughter.” (Students might say that
the image expresses loneliness,
unhappiness, or longing.)
• Tell students that John Knowles uses
images throughout A Separate Peace to
convey emotions. Alert students to pay
special attention to images of school
buildings and school grounds.
The Home Front
Discuss the effects of World War II
on people in the United States.
• Tell students that the main events of
A Separate Peace take place in 1942, the
year after the United States officially
entered World War II. Explain that the
government and the media attempted to
generate public support for the war with
movies, posters, and news coverage.
• Show students articles or photographs
that reveal something about life in the
United States during the 1940s.
• After reviewing the materials, students
should be able to identify the country’s
general attitude toward the war. (They
should notice that people seemed
supportive and willing to make sacrifices
28
and that soldiers were seen as heroes.)
Tell students that most of the characters
in the novel are not directly involved in
the war, but they are deeply affected by
wartime attitudes.
On the Road to Adulthood
Help students recognize literary themes
related to adolescence, or coming-of-age.
• Adolescence—the period between
childhood and adulthood—is the time
frame of novels known as coming-of-age
novels. In these novels, the main
character goes through a time of rapid
physical and emotional change and must
make choices that can affect the rest of
his or her life.
• Ask students to name novels in which
a young character had to make choices
that had a far-reaching impact.
Peer Pressure
Prepare students for the novel’s focus on
peer and social pressures.
• Ask students to give examples of peer
and social pressures that they sometimes
face. If students are reluctant to make
their experiences public, you might ask
them to write a journal entry about their
experiences.
• Explain that A Separate Peace is set at
an exclusive and highly competitive
all-boys’ boarding school during a time
in which eighteen-year-old males were
subject to the draft. Ask students to
predict the kinds of peer and social
pressures that the teenagers in the
novel might face.
 O P TI O NS FOR US I N G R E L ATE D R E A D I N GS

RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO A Separate Peace

Envy: Is It Hurting Envy is a major theme in this reading and in the novel.
or (Surprise) • Before students read, ask them how people act when they are secretly jealous
Helping You? of someone. Do they use body language to convey unspoken feelings? Encourage
students to describe or act out a jealous encounter.
by Julie Taylor
• After students read, discuss how the novel might have changed if Gene had
(Glencoe’s Literature
followed the article’s advice. Do students think that the advice is worth following?
Library, BLM page 25)

Selected Poems Like John Knowles, these poets use imagery and symbolism to set moods and
by Lillian Morrison, express emotions about athletes.
Shiro Murano, George • Ask students to identify specific emotions associated with sports. Write their
Abbe, Robert Wallace, responses on the board.
and Constance Carrier • Ask students to identify examples of imagery and symbolism as they read.
(Glencoe’s Literature • Have the class compare the emotions they listed with the emotions, images, and
Library, BLM page 26) symbols described in the poems. In what ways are the students’ emotions similar
to the poets’? different? Which images and symbols did the students find the most
powerful or memorable? Why?

• from In Search of These two readings about World War II give more information about the historical
Light: The Broadcasts backdrop of the novel.
of Edward R. Murrow, • Before students read, have them imagine that they are reporters who will be
1938–1961 interviewing Murrow and Case for a feature article on World War II.
• As a class, come up with a list of interview questions. Students should attempt to
edited by Edward
answer these questions as they read.
Bliss Jr.
• After they read, see how many questions they were able to answer. Discuss any
• The Home Front in unanswered questions with the class.
Upstate New York
by Josephine E. Case
(Glencoe’s Literature
Library, BLM page 27)

D-Day: June 6, 1944 This first-person account of the preparations for battle conveys a sense of what
Gene and other boys may have had to face in the war.
by Robert Mason
• Ask students to keep Leper and the other Devon boys in mind as they read.
(Glencoe’s Literature
Library, BLM page 28) • Clear up any confusion students have about historical details in the reading.
• Using information from the reading, lead a discussion on Leper’s decision to
enlist and on his experiences in the war. Because the novel is told from Gene’s
perspective, you may need to guide students in making inferences about Leper’s
perspective and experiences.

There Really Was a This article, about the movie version of A Separate Peace, explores the places,
Super Suicide Society people, and events that inspired the novel.
by Bernard Carragher • Ask students to discuss how attending other types of high schools might have
affected Gene’s coming-of-age experiences. Review the many types of high
(Glencoe’s Literature schools.
Library, BLM page 29)
• After students read, have them compare Knowles’s interpretation of Gene’s
transformation at the end of the novel with their own interpretations.

A S e p a r a te Pea c e 29
 ANSWER KEY
All answers are sample answers except those
for Vocabulary Practice.
CHAPTERS 1–5
BEFORE YOU READ
Summarize
Many prep schools and colleges have exclusive groups
called secret societies that sometimes practice unusual
rituals.
ACTIVE READING
Sports: Gene: solid athlete, but not a natural;
Studies: Finny: weak student, tries casually, needs
tutoring, unconcerned, assumes good students perform
effortlessly; Gene: hard worker, aspires to the top,
worries about goals, resents Finny’s interruptions;
Rules: Finny: tries to be good, but largely ignores school
rules in pursuit of his own goals; has a set of personal
rules of conduct; Gene: weighs consequences of rules
violations; amazed by Finny’s ability to “get away with”
things, observes Finny’s personal rules closely;
Outlook on life: Finny: assumes the world is a place
to be enjoyed; regards what comes to him easily as
normal, assumes same for others; seems not to focus
on difficult or unpleasant things; Gene: constant brooder,
turning over almost every possibility; analytical and
worrier, has deep feelings
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Reliable/Unreliable Narrator
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
narrator was afraid to say that he and Finny would not
be friends anymore if the narrator was head of the class.
Literary Element: Reliable/Unreliable Narrator
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Finny
really was joking and that Finny really doesn’t care
whether or not the narrator becomes head of the class.
Reading Strategy: Apply Background Knowledge
Answers will vary. Students may respond that these
words reflect the attitude of many young people at that
point in history. The narrator is young and can’t
remember knowing anything else about war, so he
assumes things will always stay the same.
Reading Strategy: Apply Background Knowledge
Answers will vary. Students may respond that they
know that most people are not able to swim as easily as
Finny and that it is very unusual for someone to break a
school record on a first try.
30
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: The Energy of Everyday
Answers will vary. Students may say that Finny’s
outlook on life is a positive one, as when he says,
“You always win at sports,” meaning everyone wins
at sports. This shows that he thinks playing sports is
a winning experience, a “perfect beauty.”
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Gene returns in late fall, near the end of November.
The atmosphere is gloomy and depressing.
Descriptions such as “It was . . . the kind of wet,
self-pitying November day when every speck of dirt
stands out clearly” and “this day [the wind] blew
wet, moody gusts all around” (Chapter 1) suggest
that Gene feels self-pity, is keenly aware of the “dirt”
in his own past, and experiences a variety of moods
as he revisits the past.
2. Although Finny is a poor student who rarely studies,
he has a good relationship with his teachers, who
seem disarmed and amused by his self-confidence,
candor, and easy grace. The teachers’ attitude
suggests that Finny is as charming as Gene
describes him to be.
3. Blitzball is a free-form type of football or rugby,
played in a group but without teams. The game
reflects Finny’s individuality, endurance, playfulness,
speed, and cleverness, as do the few and ever-
changing rules.
4. Although some students may feel that no one who
has suffered such a profound loss could possibly
respond with such grace, generosity, and
innocence, most students will probably agree that
Finny’s response is consistent with his personality
and character. Knowles carefully prepares readers
for the response by showing Finny to be a true
sportsman who, unlike the other students at Devon,
is extraordinarily free of feelings of rivalry and might
therefore find it difficult to detect such feelings in
others. Students may also point out that Finny’s
affection for Gene may blind him to the truth or that
Fiinny is so free of evil intent that he cannot admit
evil in others.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that
summer was much more relaxed and, in some ways,
more exciting than the regular school year.
 ANSWER KEY
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
background information helped them understand the
exclusive and secretive nature of the students’
meetings.
Literary Element: Reliable/Unreliable Narrator
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
narrator’s questionable role in Finny’s accident makes
the reader especially suspicious of the reliability of
his voice.
Reading Strategy: Apply Background Knowledge
Answers will vary. Students may respond that this
knowledge helps the reader feel that the setting and
descriptions of school life are accurate and realistic.
Vocabulary Practice
1. anarchy, 2. indulgent, 3. nondescript, 4. sedate,
5. muted
Academic Vocabulary
academy
a school, usually above the elementary level, especially
a private school
Writing
Write an Incident Report
Incident reports should
• include the kinds of information usually included on
a real incident report
• be based upon specific information and events from
the text
• be written from the point of view of Finny.
Speaking and Listening
Literature Groups
During discussion the students should
• respect others’ viewpoints
• listen attentively to each other
• take turns expressing their opinions
• use examples from the text to support their opinions
• do their best to reach a consensus
CHAPTERS 6–10
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
This World War II poster reminded the public that
everyone’s help was needed during the war.
ACTIVE READING
Answers will vary. Possible responses:
Sight: “it was ugly, saline, fringed with marsh, mud,
and seaweed”
Sound: “the sharp groupings of noises sounded to my
ears like rifles being fired in the distance”
Touch: “In the air there was only an edge of coolness”
Taste: “. . . I got one of the jugs . . . opened it, sampled it,
choked”
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Setting
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
description reinforces the idea that the school is place
where there is a false sense of propriety.
Literary Element: Setting
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the cold
weather has also chilled the mood of the novel.
Reading Strategy: Visualize
Answers will vary. Students may respond that phrases
like “battleship gray” and “rattling up and down the
staircase” give sensory details that help the reader
imagine the scene.
Reading Strategy: Visualize
Answers will vary. Students may respond “heavily
carved, “ “black walnut,” or “arms ended in two
lions’ heads.”
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Loves and Losses
Answers will vary. Students may say that Leper’s
experience of becoming a soldier causes him to lose
his sense of self and his friendships. Leper’s sense of
loss is visible through his sobbing and his rejection of
Brinker and his former friendships.
A S e p a r a te Pea c e 31
 ANSWER KEY
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Gene beomes angry and hits Quackenbush in the
face. Gene says that “the realization that there
was someone who was [maimed] flashed over me”
and that the fight with Quackenbush was the “first
skirmish of a long campaign, for Finny” (Chapter 6).
Students may also feel that Gene becomes angry
because Quackenbush’s comment cuts too close
to the truth. Although physically healthy, Gene is
spiritually maimed by the realization that he caused
Finny’s accident.
2. Finny thinks that the war is not real, but rather a lie
concocted by leaders. He might be trying to
convince himself and others that the war is
insignificant because he can’t participate.
3. Leper always seems lost in his own world and
uninterested in fighting. Other boys talk of enlisting,
but Leper actually does it on impulse.
4. Students might mention the parachute riggers on
campus, the talk of enlisting, and the recruiting
videos.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that Gene
didn’t want to acknowledge the loss of innocence
that occurs when a young man enrolls in the military.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
background information helped them understand how
insulated the Devon School students were from the
reality of war all around them.
Literary Element: Setting
Answer will vary. Students may respond that the
narrator refers to death because his visit to Leper’s
house is Gene’s first significant encounter with the
reality of war.
Reading Strategy: Visualize
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Gene
doesn’t want to hear about Leper’s visions of a man
holding a leg that had been cut off and “arms and legs
and heads everywhere.”
Vocabulary Practice
1. none, 2. idiosyncratic, 3. none, 4. gullible, 5. extrovert,
6. sultriness, 7. implausible
Academic Vocabulary
draft
Definition: a first or preliminary form of any writing,
subject to revision
32
Difference: one has to do with people while the other
has to do with words on a page
Write with Style
Apply Description
Students’ descriptions should
• describe their school
• convey a specific mood
• be organized
• show careful attention to word choice
Speaking and Listening
Performance
Performances should
• show the emotions of the characters through body
language and/or tone of voice
• be performed in a voice loud enough for everyone
to hear
CHAPTERS 11–13
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
Roosevelt and Churchill were both important leaders
during World War II.
ACTIVE READING
Brinker’s leadership: Brinker convenes the “kangaroo
court” as a prank that fails; Lepellier: his army experience
makes him deadly serious about harm in the world;
School rules: frequent practice of students going where
they shouldn’t when they shouldn’t; Finny’s personality:
refuses to hold Gene responsible for his injury; when
forced to confront Gene’s actions, he becomes upset
and bolts; What happens: the fun of the mock trial fails
miserably; Gene is unable to treat it lightly; Leper’s
testimony upsets Finny, who has refused to blame his
friend; Finny walks out, falls, rebreaks his leg, then
dies in surgery to reset the shattered limb
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Diction
“Hot air” means words that don’t have any significance.
Literary Element: Diction
Answers will vary. Phineas has a joking, sarcastic
manner, as illustrated by his flippant “Thanks a lot.”
Brinker is quite serious, like a lawyer questioning a
witness, as illustrated by direct and matter-of-fact
questions and comments.
 ANSWER KEY
Reading Strategy: Analyze Text Structure
In this passage, “now” refers to the time of Gene’s
graduation, so this passage is still part of the flashback.
At the same time, the narrator hints at what will soon
come.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Text Structure
Gene’s military service came after graduation but
before his visit to Devon School. In the final chapter of
the novel there are numerous references to his military
service that place it as having occurred soon after his
high school graduation.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Issues of Identity
Answers will vary. Students may say that Gene has
become a strong enough person to speak the truth and
that his friendship with Finny can still go on in spite of
what he had done to him. This is the point where it
becomes clear that Gene is his own person and no
longer dependent on Finny to define himself. The fact
that he can describe Finny’s personality as different
from his own—”You’d make a terrible mess, Finny, out
of the war,” because he would get the two sides to get
along—shows that he accepts these differences.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Brinker has friends sneak into their room late at
night. Students will probably say he wants to hurt the
friendship between Finny and Gene out of jealousy.
2. Leper says he saw the boys move up and down like
a set of pistons. Finny does not want to face the fact
that Gene might have hurt him.
3. Gene believes that Finny would have trouble taking
the fighting seriously. He would be off socializing
with the enemy troops. Finny is too bound by his own
rules to exist under military rules. He is also too fond
of people to build hatred toward an enemy.
4. Some students will feel that Gene started the chain
of events that lead to his friend’s death. Others may
feel that Gene is only really responsible for the
original injury.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that because
Gene feels responsible for Finny’s death, he feels like
what is good or strong in him is dying as well.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
author information helped them recognize that much of
the story was based on the author’s actual experience
as a student during World War II.
Literary Element: Diction
Answer will vary. Students may find similarities between
the sarcasm and humor in the language of the Devon
students and the language that students use today.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Text Structure
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Gene, the
narrator had to be looking back and reflecting on what
happened in order to be able to understand it.
Vocabulary Practice
1. forlornly forbid: Forbid means to exclude. Both
words have to do with keeping away.
2. impervious pervade: Pervade means to spread out.
Both words have to do with the outward movement
of things.
3. incomprehensible compare: Compare means to
consider the similarities. Both words have to do with
understanding.
4. incongruity and abnormality: Abnormality means a
deviation. Both words have to do with the condition
of things.
5. latent potential: Potential means capable of being.
Both words have to do with a state of being.
Academic Vocabulary
justify
Answers will vary.
Write with Style
Apply Diction
Reflections should
• include dialogue
• be organized in a logical pattern
• show careful consideration of word choice
Speaking and Listening
Oral Report
During discussion the students should
• respect others’ viewpoints by listening attentively
• provide specific examples to support opinions
A S e p a r a te Pea c e 33
 ANSWER KEY
NOVEL AFTER YOU READ
WORK WITH RELATED READINGS
Envy: Is It Hurting or (Surprise) Helping You?
Gene internalized his feelings, didn’t speak of them,
didn’t use them to change his life, and let his feelings
against Finny grow. Students should use examples from
the text to support their opinions.
The Sprinters/Pole Vault/The Passer/A Snapshot
for Miss Bricka . . ./Black Water and Bright Air
Students should use their knowledge of Knowles’s
characters and their understanding of the poems to
make their choices.
In Search of Light/The Home Front in
Upstate New York
Students may respond that the reader learns of the
profound effect the war had at home on young men
who tried to decide whether to enlist, men who did
enlist and were changed, school curriculum, and other
aspects of life.
D-Day: June 6, 1944
Students may respond that Leper was testing himself
(if he had been “evolving in the right way” he would
“survive”). He did not know what to expect, as shown
in his naïve belief in the recruiter’s movie and his
terrible disillusionment after he deserts the army.
There Really Was a Super Suicide Society
Students may respond that Knowles’s history and
interpretation of his novel provided insight into the text.
34
CONNECT TO OTHER LITERATURE
1. Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
narrator of Creatures is unreliable because he
seems to see things that are not there and that this
is somewhat similar to Gene in A Separate Peace
because Gene saw jealousy in Finny when there
was none.
2. Answers will vary. Students may respond that both
literary works take place in two time periods, the
present and the narrator’s childhood.
3. Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
dialogue in creatures is unnaturally formal, using
words like “fissure” and “twisted beak.” This is, for
the most part, different from the casual language of
the Devon students, with the exception of Brinker,
who tended to be more formal.
Talk About It
Discussions will vary.
RESPOND THROUGH WRITING
Expository Essay
Students’ essays should
• support viewpoints with detailed references to
the text
• be well organized and follow a logical sequence
• include few errors in grammar and spelling
Our Town
Thornton Wilder

Ou r To wn 35
 ABOUT THE WORK
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Our Town was first performed in Princeton,
New Jersey, on January 22, 1938, and
followed with a brief run in Boston,
Massachusetts. The play’s tryout
performances met with negative reviews.
But Our Town opened in New York to rave
reviews and won the 1938 Pulitzer Prize
for drama.
Our Town follows the age-old cycle of
birth, love, and death. The play employs
a number of theatrical innovations
considered experimental in the 1930s.
Our Town has few props, no scenery,
and shifts in chronology, and a narrator
addresses the audience directly.
Our Town has been widely performed
in high chools and by theater groups
worldwide. A film version appeared in
1940. A television version aired in 1977,
and in 1987 the play was adapted as the
musical Grover’s Corners. The timeless
message of Wilder’s play has made it
a classic.
The play presents one character who is
an alcoholic and commits suicide; another
character dies in childbirth. Teachers can
remind students that Wilder creates a
model of life that includes both joy
and tragedy.
Synopsis
Our Town is set in Grover’s Corners, a
fictional New Hampshire town. Act I
opens on May 7, 1901. The Stage Manager
describes a few landmarks in town and
introduces the Webb and Gibbs families.
36
The Stage Manager asks Professor Willard
and Charles Webb, the editor of the
Sentinel, to relate information about
the town. Emily Webb and George Gibbs
come home after school. Emily helps
George with his homework that evening,
while their mothers attend choir practice.
On their way home, Mrs. Gibbs,
Mrs. Webb, and Mrs. Soames gossip
about Mr. Stimson’s drinking problem.
The constable makes his rounds, and
Mr. Webb returns home after work.
Act II takes place on July 7, 1904. The
Webb and Gibbs families prepare for
George and Emily’s wedding. George tries
to see Emily, but Mrs. Webb reminds him
that the groom may not see his bride
before the ceremony. Mr. Webb shares
marital advice he got from his own father
but then tells George to ignore it. The
Stage Manager interrupts the action to
explain how Emily and George discovered
their love for one another. Then, the Stage
Manager, acting as the minister, performs
the ceremony.
Act III is set in the cemetery at Emily’s
funeral in 1913. Emily has died in
childbirth. Sam Craig, Emily’s cousin,
learns what happened to other townspeople
who have died. Emily joins the dead,
including Mrs. Gibbs, Mrs. Soames, and
Simon Stimson. When the Stage Manager
allows Emily to relive her twelfth birthday,
she realizes that most people live without
fully appreciating life. Distressed, she
returns to her new place among the dead.
 OP TIONS FOR MOTIVATI N G STU DE NTS
In the Granite State
Help students understand the setting of
Our Town.
• Tell students that Our Town is set in
Grover’s Corners, a fictional town in
New Hampshire. Display a U.S. map
and ask students to find New Hampshire.
• Ask students to use print or online
resources to find out more about New
Hampshire. Have them research the state’s
history, culture, politics, and so forth.
• Encourage students who live in or may
have visited a small New England town
to share their impressions with the class.
Now and Then
Help students appreciate the historical
context of the play.
• Explain to students that Our Town takes
place from 1901 to 1913. Have the class
create a bulletin board display to show
what American life was like at the
beginning of the twentieth century.
Tell students to include photographs,
illustrations, and cartoons depicting
everyday life.
• Have students research what life was
like 100 years ago. Have them use a
variety of resources to gather information
about fashion, technology, family
relationships, jobs, education, and so on.
• Ask students to compare life today
with life in the early 1900s. Have them
hold a discussion about similarities and
differences between life now and then.
What’s Important?
Introduce students to a major theme
introduced in the play: learning to value
the commonplace aspects of life.
• Write the question “What’s important
in life?” on the board. Invite students to
create a web of words and phrases that
identify what they think is important in
life. As they read Our Town, have them
compare and contrast the web words
and phrases with things the different
characters value most in life.
• Read this quote from Emily in the last
act of Our Town:
Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s
Corners . . . Mama and Papa. Good-by to
clocks ticking . . . and Mama’s sunflowers.
And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses
and hot baths . . . and sleeping and waking up.
Have students list five people, places, or
things that are important to them. Then
have the class work together to make a
collage illustrating some of the items on
their lists.
The Play’s the Thing
Prepare students to read the script of
a play.
• Write the following terms on the board:
act, scene, dialogue, stage directions, scenery,
props, costumes, music, and sound effects.
Discuss the meaning of each term with
students. Make sure they understand
how a playwright and actors bring a
play script to life.
• Invite small groups of students to write
and perform a skit called “My Town.”
Tell them to dramatize an important
event in their community. Have them
create fictional characters and use
dialogue, costumes, and props to show
how these characters act, speak, and look.
Ou r To wn 37
 O P TI O NS FOR US I N G R E L ATE D R E A D I N GS

RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO Our Town

from White Lilacs This novel excerpt depicts a fictional African American community in 1921.
by Carolyn Meyer • Before students read, discuss the causes and effects of these historical and
political issues: slavery, the Civil War, and segregation. Explain that many African
(Glencoe’s Literature
Americans in the 1920s faced racial prejudice.
Library, BLM page 24)
• As students read, have them jot down specific details the author uses to bring the
community of Freedomtown to life. Have them create a chart of sensory details,
using the headings Sight, Sound, Taste, Touch, and Smell.
• After students finish reading, have them think about the ways in which
Freedomtown and Grover’s Corners are alike and different.

Because I could not These poems present different views of life and death.
stop for Death • Before students read, review the literary concept of personification. Point out that
by Emily Dickinson and Dickinson personifies death in “Because I could not stop for Death.”
• As they read the poems, have students make inferences about the attitude toward
Lucinda Matlock
death of the speaker in Dickinson’s poem and about Lucinda Matlock’s approach to life.
by Edgar Lee Masters • After students read, have them discuss which characters in Our Town hold similar
(Glencoe’s Literature attitudes to those expressed by the speaker in Dickinson’s poem and by Lucinda
Library, BLM page 25) Matlock.

from Main Street This novel excerpt depicts two contrasting views of daily life on Main Street in a
small Midwestern town in the early 1900s.
by Sinclair Lewis
• Before students read, invite them to name different kinds of businesses that might
(Glencoe’s Literature
be found on Main Street in an American town today.
Library, BLM page 26)
• Have students reread Act I of Our Town. Then have them read this novel excerpt,
noting similarities and differences between Main Street in Grover’s Corners and
Main Street in Gopher Prairie.
• After students finish reading, have them create Venn diagrams to compare Carol
Kennicott’s view of Main Street with that of Bea Sorenson. Ask them what might
account for the characters’ vastly different points of view.

Review of Our Town This review of Our Town appeared the day after the play opened in New York
by Brooks Atkinson on February 4, 1938.
(Glencoe’s Literature • You may wish to use this review as a prereading activity.
Library, BLM page 27) • As students read the review, have them note persuasive language the critic uses to
sway his readers’ opinions.
• After students read, ask them to summarize how the critic responded to the play
and why he felt this way.

Prologue for The In this novel excerpt, a character shares bittersweet childhood memories of her
Comstock Journals Texas hometown.
(or Sotol City Blues) • Before students read, help them understand the setting. Point out Comstock on a
map of Texas, and invite students to share any impressions they may have of the
by Olivia Castellano
people, places, and customs in this borderland region.
(Glencoe’s Literature
• As students read, ask them to make a web of words that help them picture
Library, BLM page 28)
Comstock in their minds.
• After they read, have students make comparisons between Odilia in The Comstock
Journals and Simon Stimson, Rebecca Gibbs, or Emily Webb in Our Town and
between Comstock and Grover’s Corners.

38
 ANSWER KEY
All answers are sample answers except those
for Vocabulary Practice.
ACT I
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
Thornton Wilder borrowed elements of Japanese
theater, which uses few props and simple scenery.
ACTIVE READING
Possible answers include: “Mr. Morgan’s drugstore,”
“big butternut tree,” “sound of clinking milk bottles,”
“strawberry phosphates,” “eighty-six percent
Republicans,” “eighty-five percent Protestants,”
“chopping wood,” “sound of crickets,” “smell of
Mrs. Gibbs’ heliotrope”
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Plot
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
information about the first automobile helps put the
setting in a historic context. The information about
Banker Cartwright establishes who is the wealthiest
person in Grover’s Corners.
Literary Element: Plot
Exposition; there is no suspense or development
of conflicts.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Plot and Setting
Students may respond that, on the surface, this
information does not seem significant at all. The
significance is in the contrast between the daily life of
the residents and the hundreds of millions of years of
history of this land. The effect on the plot is that it
makes the actions of the current residents seem small
and insignificant.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Plot and Setting
Students may respond that the town is run by men and
men have more influence and power in the community
than do the women.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Portraits of Real Life
Answers will vary. Students may suggest that the
conversation between George and Emily as children
seems realistic.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Act I is set in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, on
May 7, 1901. Students might say that the sounds of
daily life, the Stage Manager’s description of the
town buildings, and Wilder’s use of dialect help them
picture the setting.
2. The families live next door to one another, are
middle-class, and each have a son and daughter.
Dr. Gibbs, whose older child is a boy, is the town’s
doctor, while Mr. Webb, whose older child is a girl,
edits the town’s newspaper.
3. Two activities that signify routine and domesticity
are Howie’s delivering milk and the children’s getting
ready for school. These activities establish the
setting, show audiences what daily life is like in a
small town, and illustrate the theme that even trivial
events are important.
4. Wilder creates a calm, peaceful mood with ordinary
conversation between Howie and Dr. Gibbs and the
idyllic sound effects, such as a distant train whistle
and crickets.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that
Stimson’s joke about “leave loudness to the
Methodists” tells us that there is a good-natured
competition between the different church
congregations.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the fact
that Wilder once played the part of the Stage Manager
gives them a better understanding of the ways that role
reflects the author’s own opinions and views.
Literary Element: Plot
Answers will vary. Students may respond that there
is rising action in the developing relationship between
Emily and George.
Reading Strategy: Analyze Plot and Setting
Answers will vary. Students may respond that since the
address ends with “the Mind of God,” the author may
be trying to communicate a spiritual or religious
message.
Vocabulary Practice
1. B, 2. A, 3. A, 4. B, 5. A
Academic Vocabulary
cycle
Definition: any complete round or series of occurrences
that repeats
Ou r To wn 39
 ANSWER KEY
Writing
Write a Guidebook Entry
Students’ guidebooks should
• be based on information about Grover’s Corners
found in the text of Our Town
• follow the style of a conventional guidebook, based on
research
• establish a thesis or main idea
• include supporting details
• use language that creates interest
Speaking and Listening
Literature Groups
During discussion students should
• respect others’ viewpoints by listening attentively
• provide specific examples to support opinions
ACT II
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
A young bride and groom are married in an outdoor
wedding ceremony.
ACTIVE READING
Answers will vary. Possible responses include:
George Gibbs: wishes he could keep playing baseball,
wonders about going away to school
Emily Webb: afraid that George doesn’t love her, wants
to stay with her father
Both: want to stay young, wish things could stay
the same
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Conflict
Answers will vary. Students may respond that George
wants to stay a teenager who hangs around with his
friends and plays baseball.
Literary Element: Conflict
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Emily
thinks she will change into a wife and mother like her
own mother; Both: an internal conflict—her desire to
stay young—and an external conflict—society’s
expectations for her to grow up and get married.
Reading Strategy: Make and Verify Predictions
Answers will vary. Students may say they expect
George to be happy but nervous at the wedding.
40
Reading Strategy: Make and Verify Predictions
Answers will vary. Students may predict that George
and Emily will have troubles similar to their parents’,
such as worries about how to get their children to
behave and stay safe.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Portraits of Real Life
Answers will vary. Students might suggest that Wilder
makes weddings seem realistic by portraying a mix of
emotions, such as joy, sadness, and confusion.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Act II takes place on July 7, 1904. Two repeated
activities, the milk and paper deliveries, provide
continuity and demonstrate how little life in a small
town changes over time.
2. Emily tells George he has become conceited.
George acts grateful for her candor and uses their
discussion as an opportunity to reveal his deep
feelings for her.
3. George decides not to attend Agricultural School
because he realizes that he loves Emily and does not
want to leave her behind in Grover’s Corners.
4. Despite fears, Emily and George feel obligated to
go through with their wedding. Some students
might say that they will have a successful marriage
because they have known and loved each other a
long time. Others might say that they are too young
to handle the responsibilities of marriage.
5. Answers will vary. Students may infer that George
and Emily probably started dating and had a quiet,
uneventful courtship.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
background information helped them understand that it
was not unusual for people as young as George and
Emily to get married in the early 1900s.
Literary Element: Conflict
Answer will vary. Students may respond that George
and Emily truly love each other and that it is normal to
have last-minute doubts before a big event like a
wedding. Students should identify a monologue,
soliloquy, or aside that expresses doubts.
Reading Strategy: Make and Verify Predictions
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the Stage
Manager is trying to engage the audience and
emphasize that each act of the play is about an
 ANSWER KEY

important part of the life cycle. He may be implying that about life, one that we all try to resist and turn away
the final act of the play will be about death. from but is always there.
Vocabulary Practice Literary Element: Allegory
1. f, 2. g, 3. b, 4. c, 5. d Answers will vary. Students may respond that the stars
represent God. The effect is to add to the somber mood.
Academic Vocabulary
normal Reading Strategy: Make Inferences About
Characters
definition: conforming to the standard; usual
Answers will vary. Students may respond that
synonyms: average, commonplace, ordinary, typical
Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Soames have a very practical
antonyms: unusual, abnormal, odd, unexpected and objective attitude toward death.
sentence/image: On a normal day, I take the bus
to school. Reading Strategy: Make Inferences About
Characters
Writing Answers will vary. Students may respond that Emily
Write a Diary Entry feels uncomfortable but not all that upset.
Students’ diary entries should
• describe the character’s internal conflicts ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
• include words and phrases that re-create the BIG Idea: Loyalty and Betrayal
character’s voice Answers will vary. Students may suggest that Emily still
has attachments to her life, and so her loyalties are
Speaking and Listening with an existence she no longer has.
Performance
Performances should AFTER YOU READ
• show the emotions of the characters through tone of Respond and Think Critically
voice of voice, expressions, and gestures 1. Act III is set in the cemetery in the summer of 1913,
• be performed in a voice loud enough for everyone a logical place for the play to end because death
to hear ends the cycle of life.
2. Mrs. Gibbs, Simon Stimson, and Mrs. Soames have
ACT III died. Bewildered, Emily feels out of place when she
joins them. The dead respond calmly, some
BEFORE YOU READ comforting her, others indifferent to her.
Summarize 3. Emily wants to return to the living world. The dead
In the early 1900s, many women died during childbirth, warn her that it will be painful to watch her life
due to factors such as the lack of effective sterilization unfold knowing what will happen.
techniques. 4. After observing her family, Emily realizes people do
not fully “realize life while they live it” because they
ACTIVE READING are too preoccupied to appreciate it.
Character: Emily 5. Answers will vary. Emily responds by saying, “They
Stands for: love don’t understand, do they?” Students may respond
Place or object: Grover’s Corners that Emily does not react with compassion to George
Stands for: all of the earth because she now understands that regret and grief
are just a waste of energy.
Event: Emily’s visit to her childhood
Stands for: regret Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
INTERACTIVE READING introduction to the play helped them understand that
Literary Element: Allegory the story is an allegory.
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Simon
Stimson represents a dark and pessimistic attitude

Ou r To wn 41
 ANSWER KEY
Literary Element: Allegory
Answer will vary. Students may respond that Wilder is
trying to teach the audience that each human being is a
small and unimportant part of the broad universe.
Reading Strategy: Make Inferences About
Characters
Answers will vary. Students may respond that in a
novel, the reader would probably find out many more
details about each character from the narrator and this
would result in the reader’s having to make fewer
inferences.
Vocabulary Practice
1. mowing a lawn, 2. weeping, 3. official,
4. on a sidewalk, 5. villain
Academic Vocabulary
The differences between the two meanings of stress:
One is a verb and one is a noun; one means “to
emphasize” and the other means “pressure” or
“tension.”
Writing
Write Slogans
Students’ slogans should
• be based upon the characterizations in Our Town
• capture a particular view of life
Research and Report
Literary Criticism
Students’ paragraphs should
• include a thesis statement
• include details from the play that support the thesis
PLAY AFTER YOU READ
WORK WITH RELATED READINGS
from White Lilacs
Students might list specific people, places, and events
reminiscent of both works, such as the undertakers
Mr. Morgan and Joe Stoddard, Pastor Mobley and the
Stage Manager/ Clergyman, the buildings and gardens
in Freedomtown and Grover’s Corners, and the joys and
sorrows of daily life—working, moving to a new
location, births, marriages, deaths.
Because I could not stop for Death;
Lucinda Matlock
These poems and the play express the ideas that death
is an inevitable part of life and that life is full of precious
moments and passes by quickly. Dickinson’s poem
42
focuses on the passage from life to death, while
Masters’s poem and the play focus on the daily
events that make up life.
from Main Street
Students might mention that both are small towns with
busy Main Streets, although Gopher Prairie is in the
Midwest, and Grover’s Corners is located in New
England. Gopher Prairie seems to be the more
developed town.
The Play: A Review of Our Town
Students might say the review would definitely have
convinced audiences to see the play because it is full of
boundless praise. They may find Atkinson’s language
insincere or his viewpoint too one-sided.
Prologue for The Comstock Journals
(or Sotol City Blues)
In Act III, Emily seeks comfort in her childhood memories.
Though she finds some comfort, her memories also bring
home sharply how she failed to appreciate her life.
CONNECT TO OTHER LITERATURE
1. Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
two plays are quite different because Our Town
opens with ordinary, everyday events while
A Marriage Proposal opens with a special and
unusual conversation.
2. Answers will vary. Students may respond that both
Lomov and George have doubts about marriage, but
George, unlike Lomov, seems to truly love his bride.
3. Answers will vary. Students may respond that there
are no clear indications that A Marriage Proposal is
an allegory because the characters seem to have
unique voices and characteristics.
Talk About It
Discussions will vary.
RESPOND THROUGH WRITING
Expository Essay
Students’ essays should
• document Emily’s internal conflicts in her significant
relationships
• identify similarities between the conflicts in the
relationships
• include references to the text that support the
viewpoints
• identify complexities in the text
 The Way to
Rainy Mountain
N. Scott Momaday

The Way to R a in y Mo u n ta in 43
 ABOUT THE WORK
The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday
The Way to Rainy Mountain is not an easy
book to classify. It tells of a long journey
taken by the Kiowa people: their
emergence from the Rocky Mountains
around 1700; their golden age on the
Great Plains, centered around Rainy
Mountain in Oklahoma; and their decline
in the mid-1800s. Momaday weaves his
story from myths, historical accounts,
reminiscences, illustrations, and poetry.
This rich, imaginative mixture suggests
other journeys—a journey of self-discovery,
a journey of creativity, and a journey
through life itself, from birth to death.
The Way to Rainy Mountain tells of an epic
journey, yet it is less than ninety pages
long, with many pages left half blank.
An average student will take no more than
two hours to read the book. Most will put
the book down interested but puzzled, for
this is a work that requires rereading.
Students will have immediate questions.
Why does the book consist of so many
short passages? Why does it jump around
in time? Why does the author change the
tone so abruptly?
Note that the book contains a brief account
of domestic violence and a description of a
peyote ritual. Before assigning your class
to read the book, you may wish to explain
that the Kiowas ingested peyote only as
part of a religious ceremony.
Synopsis
The Way to Rainy Mountain does not have
a conventional plot; the story it tells
unfolds indirectly. The Kiowa people,
Momaday’s paternal ancestors, once
44
lived in the mountains near Yellowstone.
Beginning around 1700, they descended to
the Great Plains, where exposure to other
Native American groups and the acquisition
of horses transformed them into nomadic
buffalo hunters. For nearly a hundred
years, they experienced their great days
as proud horsemen and joyous participants
in the annual Sun Dance. Then decline set
in. As settlers of European descent rolled
steadily westward, disputes erupted and
buffalo stocks declined. Along with their
fellow Plains Indians, the Kiowas were
left with fading memories to sustain them
after they lost their independence. This
was the world into which the author was
born, near the slopes of Rainy Mountain
in Oklahoma.
Momaday frames his book with poems,
the first entitled “Headwaters” and the
second “Rainy Mountain Cemetery.”
A Prologue and an Introduction provide
enough information to help readers make
sense of the multifaceted narrative that
follows. Twenty-four numbered sections
make up the bulk of the book. Each section
covers two facing pages and consists of
three passages set in different typefaces.
The first passage is a myth, legend, or
family story; the second usually represents
a detached, historical voice;
and the third relates Momaday’s own
experience or reflection. A common
theme or subject links the three passages—
dogs, tornadoes, or the Sun Dance, for
instance. The sections are grouped into
three parts arranged chronologically.
Eleven illustrations by Al Momaday, the
author’s father, accompany the text.
 OP TIONS FOR MOTIVATI N G STU DE NTS
The Way I See It
Prepare students to look at life from
different viewpoints.
• Suggest to students that how we
describe something depends not just
on what we see but also on who we are.
Our experiences and preconceptions
affect our point of view.
• Ask students to imagine how they
might appear to others. How would
the following people describe them:
a parent, a stranger on the bus, the
school principal, a younger sibling?
• Have students share their points of view.
Ask them which descriptions they
believe to be more accurate. Lead them
to understand that reality is often too
complex to be understood completely
from a single point of view.
Myth Making
Invite students to examine and
experience the process of myth making.
• Ask students what the word myth means
to them. Point out that to the people
who created them, myths served a
purpose—instruction, warning, or
information. They were more than just
colorful tales; they represented the truth.
• Have students recall and retell myths
that they have encountered in their
reading or schoolwork. Remind them
that they have probably heard stories
from Native American, African, Greek,
Roman, or Scandinavian mythology.
• Have students speculate why it might be
possible for someone who doesn’t
believe in certain myths to find them
enjoyable and meaningful.
When I Was Your Age . . .
Encourage students to consider the role of
older generations in sharing experiences.
• Ask students how well they know older
members of their families. Encourage
them to describe the experiences of
family members who have lived through
difficult or interesting times.
• Invite students to share with the class
the recollections of their grandparents
or other people they know from older
generations. Ask them how they
respond to this information.
• Point out that in some cultures, the
elderly are greatly respected and
esteemed simply because of their age.
Encourage the class to discuss this idea.
The Silent Treatment
Encourage students to assess the merits of
silent observation.
• Point out that when a public speaker
calls for a minute of silence, the time
elapsed rarely exceeds thirty seconds.
Ask students when they last experienced
a full waking minute of silence.
• Have students experience a minute of
silence with their eyes closed. Urge them
to let go of conscious thoughts. Afterward,
invite them to share their thoughts and
feelings. Was it restful? Stressful?
Boring? Enlightening?
• Suggest that by spending so much
of our lives in confusion and noise,
we lose an opportunity to gain an
intimate knowledge of our surroundings
and ourselves. Point out that silent
observation is one of the techniques
employed by N. Scott Momaday in The
Way to Rainy Mountain.
The Way to R a in y Mo u n ta in 45
 O P TI O NS FOR US I N G R E L ATE D R E A D I N GS

RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO The Way To Rainy Mountain

Stairway to Heaven • To pique students’ interest before they read, you might mention that Devils Tower was
the site of an alien landing in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
by Karen J. Coates
• Before students read, ask them what they know about current conflicts between
(Glencoe’s Literature
Native Americans and other ethnic groups. Lead them to understand that the issue
Library, BLM page 24)
of land use, which led to warfare more than a century ago, still causes friction today.
• Ask students to shut their eyes and visualize a natural scene that is special to
them—perhaps a lake, mountain, or urban park. Invite volunteers to describe their
landscapes and to explain what makes them special.
• After students read, discuss the different attitudes toward land characteristic of
Native Americans and those who took land from them.

Moments and Journeys • Before students read, point out that John Haines lived in rural Alaska from 1954 to
1969. Ask students to imagine what his life there was like.
by John Haines
• Invite students to share their own experiences of living simply. How did they
(Glencoe’s Literature
respond to the experience? Did they learn anything about themselves?
Library, BLM page 25)
• After students read, encourage them to make comparisons between Haines’s views
about life and Momaday’s views in The Way to Rainy Mountain.

The Names of Women • Before students read, ask them to think about the lives their ancestors lived. Invite
them to compare their own lives with those of their great-grandparents. What were
by Louise Erdrich
the advantages and disadvantages of their great-grandparents’ way of life?
(Glencoe’s Literature
• Point out that life has changed greatly for many Native Americans in the last
Library, BLM page 26)
century. Ask students how such changes might affect the way a person feels about
the history of his or her people.
• After students read, ask them to compare the attitudes of Erdrich and Momaday
toward their ancestors.

In Response to a • Point out that one of the most persistent themes in poetry is the power of nature to
Question nurture and enlighten us.
by William Stafford • Have students take a moment to write down a few words of advice or warning that
the natural world might give to human beings. Invite them to share their thoughts
Credo with the class.
by Maxine Kumin
(Glencoe’s Literature
Library, BLM page 27)

from The Trip to • Ask students how many places they have called home during their lives. How many
Bountiful homes have their parents or guardians had? Do the students still refer to
somewhere they have previously lived as home?
by Horton Foote
• Have students spend a few minutes making a word web. Ask them to write down
(Glencoe’s Literature anything they associate with the word home.
Library, BLM page 28)
• After students read, compare Momaday’s idea of home with Mrs. Watts’s in
this selection.

46
 ANSWER KEY
All answers are sample answers except those
for Vocabulary Practice.
PROLOGUE/INTRODUCTION/THE SETTING OUT
BEFORE YOU READ
Summarize
Peyote, a drug that comes from a cactus plant, was
used by Native Americans in religious rituals and is still
used today in some Native American communities.
ACTIVE READING
I. Kiowas emerge from a log; explains how the early
names of the Kiowas are related to the myth; II. Chiefs
fight over antelope; importance of antelope in Kiowa
history; III. Dogs befriend humans; Kiowa respect
for dogs; IV. Girl in tree is brought up to the sun; the
mountain landscape seems to touch the sky;
V. Sun’s wife digs through root of bush and is killed
while climbing down to earth; the root is an important
food source for the Kiowa, who didn’t farm; VI. Sun’s
child adopted by grandmother spider; prevalence of
spiders on the plains; VII. Falling ring splits sun’s child in
two; pleasure of seeing one’s own image; VIII. Twins
use word to escape giant’s cave; Kiowas appreciate the
power of words; IX. After twins kill grandfather snake,
they are honored among the Kiowas; the twins are
revered for their healing powers; X. Tai-me appears to
hungry man; detailed descriptions of Tai-me; XI. Man is
transformed into water beast after eating mysterious
meat; the Kiowas are transformed by the visions they
get from eating peyote.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Myth
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
question the Kiowa people asked was, “Where did
we come from?”
Literary Element: Myth
Answers will vary. Students may respond that both
the myth and the author’s reflections have to do with
“coming out” and arriving at a new place.
Reading Strategy: Identify Sequence
Students may respond “the years went by,” “but one
day,” “and then,” and “when she saw them.”
Reading Strategy: Identify Sequence
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
event occurred at the end of Mammedaty’s life.
They may infer the sequence based on the finality
of the language.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Acts of Courage
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the Kiowa
people showed courage in both small and large ways.
In small ways, they bravely faced daily challenges,
such as raising children. They also faced large
challenges, such as facing troops in battle.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Rainy Mountain is in Oklahoma. It is where the
author’s family lived and marks the end of the
Kiowa people’s long journey from the west.
2. The author makes a pilgrimage from Yellowstone
to Oklahoma, following the route of his ancestors.
He might have made this journey to understand his
people’s history.
3. The four pictures all include animals. This suggests
that the Kiowas had a close connection with nature.
4. Answers will vary.
5. Answers will vary. The acts of courage include the
sun’s child meeting grandmother spider, the twins
discovering a giant, and the hungry man searching
for food and encountering Tai-me. Students may
respond that these acts of courage show that the
Kiowa people believe courage is often needed in
unexpected or surprising situations.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
information about the author and his many influences
helped them understand why the book is organized in
different parts.
Literary Element: Myth
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
stories explain the contradictions and conflicts people
face in everyday life, or the conflict between good and
evil. In the myths about the twins, the two brothers make
similar choices, but in the myth of the two brothers who
searched for food, one brother makes a wise choice
and the other makes an unfortunate choice.
The Way to R a in y Mo u n ta in 47
 ANSWER KEY
Reading Strategy: Identify Sequence
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the myth
sections take place very long ago, before time was
measured. This is implied in the opening (“everything
had to begin, and this is how it was . . .”) The nonfiction,
historical section includes specific times and dates,
such as “winter of 1848.” The timing of the author’s
reflections are not identified specifically (“one
morning”), but the reader knows they must have taken
place recently, because of the information shared in the
Prologue.
Vocabulary Practice
1. two rivers, 2. a nightlight, 3. a lullaby, 4. in a box,
5. sucking their thumbs
Academic Vocabulary
emerge
Answers will vary. Students may give a factual
response, such as “a squirrel,” or “a raccoon,”
or students may give a fanciful response, such as
“a demon,” or “an elf.”
Writing
Write a Myth and a Scientific Explanation
Students’ myths and explanations should
• focus on one natural feature
• contain two contrasting explanations
• incorporate language that is appropriate for
each explanation
Connect to Content Areas
Art
Students’ art should
• include 11 sketches that correspond to the 11 myths
in “The Setting Out”
• show the influence of Native American artists
• be accompanied by a bibliography
• be presented to the class with confidence
THE GOING ON
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
This drawing is part of the huge collection of art
created by George Catlin.
48
ACTIVE READING
Student responses will vary. XII: The Kiowas are
resourceful; XIII: Old people remain productive in
Kiowa society; XIV: The Kiowas love nature even when
it turns violent; XV: Quoetotai has proved his worth to
Many Bears by roaming for so long with the Comanches;
XVI: It took courage and resourcefulness to hunt
buffalo; XVII: Although Kiowa women were generally
subservient to men, it was possible for a strong and
determined women to escape this role; XVIII: Horses
allowed the Kiowas to embark on great adventures.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Dialogue
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
dialogue reveals that the man is cool-headed, clever,
and brave.
Literary Element: Dialogue
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
author did not include dialogue because he wanted
to emphasize the reflective silence at the end of
the passage.
Reading Strategy: Clarify Meaning
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the men
were demonstrating the old way to hunt and kill a
buffalo so that the old ways would not be forgotten.
Reading Strategy: Clarify Meaning
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
author means you must have the experience of facing
danger in order to feel truly alive.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: Acts of Courage
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
bravery of the Kiowa people in the face of violent
storms parallels their bravery in the face of battle.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. The enemies promise not to kill them if they are fed.
They think that the enemies will break their promise.
2. A cow chases them away from her newborn calf.
Students may respond that the recollection of a
cow protecting her infant provides an interesting
contrast to the depictions of buffalo in the previous
two passages.
 ANSWER KEY
3. The “small men” are probably monkeys. The Kiowa
men may have traveled so far south that they have
entered a completely new environment.
4. Many students will argue that women were second-
class citizens in Kiowa society. Some will feel that
this was unfortunate but typical of the day.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that
the woman who was left outside to freeze must
have had the courage to face her fate and that
Mammedaty’s grandmother must have been
courageous to have risen from a slave to a
respected position in the tribe.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
background information helped them understand
the art and artist the author referred to in part XV.
Literary Element: Dialogue
Answer will vary. Students may respond that, in a way,
the whole book is a dialogue and that each section is
written in a different voice. In this format, additional
dialogue would be confusing or unnecessary.
Reading Strategy: Clarify Meaning
Answers will vary. Students may respond that they
drew upon previous knowledge and experience from
reading myths and folktales from other cultures or
from reading about Native American history.
Vocabulary Practice
1. balk, 2. bearing, 3. distracted, 4. loose, 5. strain
Academic Vocabulary
ethnic
definition: pertaining to a group that shares a common
and distinctive culture, religion, and language
synonyms: racial, tribal, cultural
antonyms: unconnected
sentence/image: The families in my neighborhood
represent many different ethnic groups.
Writing
Write an Anecdote
Students’ anecdotes should
• be autobiographical
• relate to one of the themes in this section of the book
• be written with a similar style to that of the book
Speaking and Listening
Oral Interpretation
Performances should
• show the emotions of the characters through tone of
voice of voice, expressions, and gestures
• be performed in a voice loud enough for everyone
to hear
THE CLOSING IN / EPILOGUE
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
The Sun Dance is a Native American ritual celebration.
ACTIVE READING
Myths and Legends: In many European fairy tales, a
special dress can have magical powers.
Native American Culture: Beadwork often has spiritual
and cultural significance.
U.S. History and Geography: U.S. policy toward Native
Americans was often not fair or generous.
Other: My mother keeps her wedding dress in a special
box in the attic.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Image Archetype
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
little boy represents innocence and the potential for
a bright future.
Literary Element: Image Archetype
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
“powerful medicine” is a circle of earth, which might
represent an understanding of nature’s ways.
Reading Strategy: Synthesize
Answers will vary. Students may respond that this
knowledge helps them understand that the boy may
have been justified in stealing the horse.
Reading Strategy: Synthesize
Answers will vary. Students may respond that people
sometimes develop close connections with animals—
particularly horses—and choose to honor them in
death as if they were human.
The Way to R a in y Mo u n ta in 49
 ANSWER KEY

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING 2. Definition: land formation with flat top

BIG Idea: Rescuing and Conquering Etymology: Spanish mensa, table
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
Sample Sentence:
conquering of the Kiowa people resulted in great
suffering. In the myth of the two brothers, however, the On our vacation we hiked across a mesa in Mexico.
captured brothers are treated with respect and allowed 3. Definition: a person who provides
an opportunity to earn their freedom. _
Etymology: Latin providére, to forsee
AFTER YOU READ Sample Sentence:
Respond and Think Critically The shopkeeper was the purveyor of supplies for the
1. They were forced to eat their horses. They valued whole town.
their horses very highly.
4. Definition: weakly
2. A spectacular meteor shower took place in 1833. _
Like these “stars,” the Kiowa society seemed strong Etymology: Latin tenuitas, thinness
and stable, but it fell suddenly. Sample Sentence:
3. The poem describes a gravestone in Rainy Mountain The very ill woman tenuously held on to life.
Cemetery. Students might respond that the book
celebrates a way of life that has died away. 5. Definition: to surpass
_
4. Students might respond that the reflections make Etymology: Latin transcendere, to surmount
the myths seem more personal and help us
understand their relevance to contemporary life. Sample Sentence:
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that Beethoven’s later symphonies transcend his
“closing in” refers to the diminishing of the Kiowa earlier works.
culture, getting smaller and smaller, after they Academic Vocabulary
surrendered at Fort Sill.
region
Apply Background The differences between the two meanings: One is an
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the area of land and the other is an area of the body.
Introduction to the Novel helped them understand the
author’s intentions when writing the book and the
Write with Style
significance of the book in American literature. Apply Imagery
Narratives should
Literary Element: Image Archetype
• include archetypal images
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
illustrations are able to evoke feelings and associations • incorporate vivid sensory details
that the text may not be able to describe. • express a strong emotion.

Reading Strategy: Synthesize Research and Report

Answers will vary. Students may respond that the reader Internet Connection
would not understand that it was not just the Kiowa Oral reports should be
tribe that was defeated, it was all Native Americans. • well organized
Vocabulary Practice • based on accurate internet research
1. Definition: to exist permanently • presented with confidence.
Etymology: Latin haerére, to stick
Sample Sentence:
Tall buildings inhere New York City.

50
 ANSWER KEY
NOVEL AFTER YOU READ
WORK WITH RELATED READINGS
Stairway to Heaven
Possible responses: the Devils Tower myth; Momaday’s
descriptions of the importance of the Sun Dance in
Native American culture; his reflections on the link
between landscape and spirituality; his account of the
government’s unfair treatment of the Kiowas.
Moments and Journeys
Students may point out the detailed and loving
descriptions of nature, the idea that our lives
rise and fall in a rhythm, and the sense of life as
a journey.
The Names of Women
Students may suggest that both Erdrich and Momaday
speak admiringly and a little sadly about their people.
Both feel a strong connection with their ancestors and
yet are also somewhat removed from the culture.
In Response to a Question; Credo
Students might mention Stafford’s advice to know a place
well and Kumin’s belief in myth or her love of horses.
from The Trip to Bountiful
Both travel back to a place where an old way of life has
largely disappeared. Both feel a strong connection to
nature and gain strength from being in touch with it.
CONNECT TO OTHER LITERATURE
Myth: Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
mythological characteristics of The Stealing of Thor’s
Hammer are the inclusion of gods and goddesses and
the transformation of humans or gods into animals.
Dialogue: Answers will vary. Students may respond
that there is much more dialogue in The Stealing of
Thor’s Hammer, it is more informal in tone, and the
dialogue incorporates humor.
Image Archetype: Answers will vary. Students may
respond that archetypes include a hammer, a feather
coat, and mountains. These archetypes are not the
same, but they represent some of the same things as
the archetypes in The Way to Rainy Mountain, such
as power, hope, and strength.
Talk About It
Discussions will vary.
RESPOND THROUGH WRITING
Research Report
Students’ reports should
• include carefully documented facts from primary and
secondary sources
• include a thesis statement that identifies the topic
• present ideas in a coherent order
• contain few grammar and spelling errors.
The Way to R a in y Mo u n ta in 51
 Frankenstein
Mary Shelley

52
 ABOUT THE WORK
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein
explores themes related to ambition,
science, moral responsibility, social
isolation, and psychological balance.
With its wild and desolate settings and
its supernatural being, Frankenstein is
an example of the gothic novel. With a
scientific fantasy at the center of its plot,
the novel is also regarded as a forerunner
of science fiction.
Parts of the novel refer to people of
various racial and religious groups in
ways that students may find offensive.
You may wish to point out that at the time
when Shelley was writing, people typically
had little access to information about other
cultures, and it was not uncommon for
people to hold negative views toward
cultures they didn’t understand.
Synopsis
Frankenstein is a frame story, a plot structure
that includes the telling of a story within
a story. The novel opens and ends with
the letters of an explorer named Robert
Walton, who is searching for the source of
magnetism in the northern polar regions.
There he finds and rescues Dr. Victor
Frankenstein. Frankenstein tells Walton
the story of his life.
Frankenstein tells of becoming obsessed
with the idea of bestowing life on inanimate
matter. Using the body parts from corpses,
Frankenstein creates a large manlike being
and brings it to life with an electric spark.
Finding the creature grotesquely ugly when
it is animated, Frankenstein runs away
from it. The creature quickly disappears.
For months afterward, Frankenstein suffers
from what he calls a “nervous fever” in
which hallucinations involving the
creature torment him.
After his recovery, Frankenstein learns
that his young brother, William, has
been murdered near the family home in
Switzerland. A young woman who lived
with the Frankenstein family is unjustly
accused and hanged for the child’s murder.
On his trip home, Frankenstein sees the
creature and realizes that he killed the
child. Frankenstein seeks solitude high
in the Alps, and there he is confronted
by his creation. The creature persuades
Frankenstein to listen to his tale of
persecution and loneliness.
The creature tells how he hid in a shed
attached to the cottage of a poor family
in the woods. Observing the family, he
learned to speak their language. The
creature also learned about what it means
to be human by reading three books
he found. He gathered his courage to
approach a blind man. He was received
sympathetically, but when the others
returned, they drove him away in fear.
From that moment, the creature vowed
revenge against humankind and especially
his creator. The creature demands that
Dr. Frankenstein make a companion for
him. Frankenstein agrees, but on the verge
of animating the female creature, he
destroys it. The creature responds by
killing Frankenstein’s closest friend and,
later, Frankenstein’s bride. Frankenstein
pursues the creature all the way to the
Arctic but then dies on Walton’s ship. The
creature comes to Frankenstein’s deathbed,
confesses his remorse, and vows he will
end his own life.
Fr a n ken stein 53
 OP TIONS FOR MOTIVATI N G STU DE NTS
A Dark and Stormy Night . . .
Help students connect the novel to
popular depictions of the monster.
• Many students will be familiar with
movie versions of Frankenstein’s
creature, such as the 1931 classic
Frankenstein, with Boris Karloff as the
monster, and Young Frankenstein (1974),
a comic parody starring Gene Wilder as
Dr. Frankenstein. Even students who
haven’t seen the movies may have
preconceived ideas about the monster.
Have students discuss what they know
about Frankenstein’s creature and
note their responses on the board. Then
ask how many students have seen a
movie about Frankenstein’s monster.
Encourage them to describe the monster,
the other main characters, and the
plot as you continue to note their
descriptions on the board.
• Point out that while Shelley’s novel has
inspired filmmakers, cartoonists, and
storytellers of all kinds, the resulting
interpretations are often very different
from the original in terms of character,
plot, and theme. Tell students that the
novel is both a spine-tingling thriller
and a serious meditation on important
issues. Would they characterize the other
interpretations of Frankenstein that
way? Why or why not?
Biological Research
Encourage students to research
contemporary issues in biological
science. (Interdisciplinary: Science)
• Ask students to list examples of recent
developments in biological research,
such as organ transplants, genetic
engineering of plants, gender selection
54
of babies, and cloning. Have students
form small groups and select one of the
listed topics to investigate. Encourage
them to look for print and Internet
sources of information that discuss
the ethical issues raised by their topic.
• Have groups present brief oral reports
based on their findings. Point out to
students that the novel they are about
to read may touch on ethical issues
similar to those raised by biological
research today.
Just Like Life
Help draw students into the story by
having them reenact everyday situations
that parallel those in the novel.
• Divide the class into pairs. Ask each pair
to devise and rehearse a skit based on
one of the following situations.
– A person becomes so caught up in a
project that he or she becomes sick and
neglects family and friends.
– A person feels that another person has
treated him or her unjustly.
– A person is feeling lonely and rejected
and wants to be liked by others.
• After each skit, discuss how each of
the characters might have been feeling,
and why. At the end of the activity, tell
students that reading Frankenstein will
require them to see an issue from
multiple points of view.
 O P TI O NS FOR US I N G R E L ATE D R E A D I N GS

RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s In this movie review, critic Roger Ebert compares a recent film version of
Frankenstein Frankenstein with both the novel and other film productions.
by Roger Ebert • Before students read, have them discuss the kinds of decisions a screenwriter and
a director have to make when turning a novel into a movie.
(Glencoe’s Literature
Library, BLM page 33) • As students read the review, ask them to note similarities that seem to exist
between the movie and the novel.
• After students read, ask them whether or not Ebert’s review makes them want to
see Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Encourage them to explain their reaction using
specific quotes from the review.

A Frankenstein In this book review, Regis summarizes how a scientific fantasy became a reality.
Monster Ended Up • Before students read, write on the chalkboard a definition of cloning (creating an
Being a Lamb individual that is a genetic copy of its parent from a single body cell of that parent).
Note that the first cloning of a mammal, a sheep named Dolly, took place in 1997
by Ed Regis
in Scotland.
(Glencoe’s Literature
• After students read, ask them if the book review made them reconsider
Library, BLM page 34)
their current attitude toward cloning. If so, how? Did the review add to their
understanding of the science of cloning?

A New Life This modern gothic short story contains many allusions, both direct and indirect,
to Frankenstein.
by Ramsey Campbell
• Lead a brief discussion about point of view. Frankenstein is told from the point of
(Glencoe’s Literature
view of three different characters: Walton, Frankenstein, and the creature. Each
Library, BLM page 35)
serves as narrator for part of the novel.
• Note that the point of view in Ramsey’s story is much more limited. In fact, the
third-person narrator’s limited point of view is the source of the story’s mystery
and suspense.
• After students read the story, have them list allusions to Frankenstein.

The Golem This retelling of an old European legend features a character with striking
similarities to Shelley’s creature.
by Isaac Bashevis
Singer • Before students read, tell them that when Mary Shelley wrote her novel, she
was probably aware of the European legend of the golem. She may have been
(Glencoe’s Literature influenced by this and similar legends of manlike giants or monsters.
Library, BLM page 36)
• Point out that the legend of the golem inspired a German silent film, The Golem
(1920), which influenced the creators of the orginal Hollywood Frankenstein film
in the 1930s.
• After students read, ask them what insights the legend and Frankenstein offer
about the strengths and weaknesses of human nature.

. . . That Thou Art In this science fiction story, two robots plot to outwit their makers. Like
Mindful of Him Frankenstein’s creature, robots are popular images in the media.
by Isaac Asimov • Remind students of the many ways the Frankenstein image is used in popular
(Glencoe’s Literature culture. With students, list on the board situations in which they have been
Library, BLM page 37) entertained by the image since their earliest schooldays (e.g., Halloween costumes,
party themes, comic strips, cartoons, games, toys).
• List some roles of humanlike robots in film and television productions. Talk about
the human attributes that often are given to robots. Discuss why Shelley’s
superhuman creature and intelligent robots might be so appealing to readers.

Fr a n ken stein 55
 ANSWER KEY
All answers are sample answers except those
for Vocabulary Practice.
LETTERS 1–4
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
More than half the surface of the Arctic Ocean is
frozen at all times.
ACTIVE READING
Setting Details:
remote, cold
Character Details:
A strange man has appeared, and he has a mysterious
story to tell.
Quotations:
“I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks,
which braces my nerves and fills me with delight.”
“It is impossible to communicate to you a conception
of the trembling sensation, half pleasurable and half
fearful, with which I am preparing to depart.”
“So strange an accident has happened to us that
I cannot forbear recording it . . .”
“. . . a being which had the shape of a man, but
apparently of gigantic stature, sat at the sledge and
guided the dogs.”
Other Observations:
Answers will vary.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Point of View
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
passage reveals the narrator’s intent to travel to
the North Pole and his excitement about going there.
Literary Element: Point of View
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
author wants to establish credibility for the story by
opening with the voice of a man familiar with hard
work and deep study.
Reading Strategy: Identify Genre
Answers will vary. Students may respond that
the ways the stranger describes his story (“wild and
mysterious”) are the same ways a reader might
describe a gothic novel.
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Reading Strategy: Identify Genre
Answers will vary. Students may respond that
the expectation is that the story will be fascinating,
exciting, and difficult to believe.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: The Extraordinary and Fantastic
Answers will vary. The page tells that a man “of gigantic
stature” has been seen on a sledge and, a short time
later, the crew rescues a mysterious stranger.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. Walton is an explorer searching for the source of
magnetism near the North Pole. He is curious,
enthusiastic, and determined. Students might say
he is intelligent and daring.
2. Walton longs for a friend. He (probably) believes the
sailors are uneducated and beneath him.
3. At first Walton is surprised that the stranger, who
is near death, questions where the ship is going.
As Walton nurses him back to health, he comes to
admire the stranger’s intelligence and gentleness.
Walton has been wishing for a friend and the
stranger shows an interest in the project.
4. The poem inspired Walton’s interest in unexplored
regions. Like the mariner, the stranger wants to warn
Walton not to follow in his path. The harsh, remote
setting and the theme of guilt suggest an ominous,
gloomy mood.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
opening is similar to old horror movies they have
seen on television because it introduces the story
as something told by a mysterious stranger.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
Introduction helped them better understand the
somewhat melodramatic tone of Gothic novels.
Literary Element: Point of View
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Shelley
creates a situation in which the narrator begins writing
down the stranger’s story, which might segue into a
first-person account by the stranger.
Reading Strategy: Identify Genre
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
setting of the Arctic Circle is indeed characteristic
of a gothic novel because it is a mysterious place
that few people have visited. But there are no ancient
castles or windblown moors.
 ANSWER KEY

Vocabulary Practice Reading Strategy: Compare and Contrast Events

1. e, 2. f, 3. b, 4. c, 5. g and Ideas
Answers will vary. Students may respond that his
Academic Vocabulary responsibilities to his family come first because of the
Answers will vary. Students may respond that they power of his love for Elizabeth and his family.
chose to undertake the task of creating a science fair
project because they wanted to learn something new. Reading Strategy: Compare and Contrast Events
and Ideas
Writing Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
Write a Letter narrator now regrets ever having left his family to study
Students’ letters should and, with hindsight, thinks that it was the power of evil
• describe a personal experience or experiences that took him away from his family.
• include details
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
• include personal reflection BIG Idea: The Extraordinary and Fantastic
Speaking and Listening Answers will vary. Based on the description of details
Literature Groups and emotions in the excerpt, readers can imagine the
haunting yellow eyes of the creature after it comes
During discussion the students should
to life.
• respect others’ viewpoints by listening attentively
• provide specific examples to support opinions AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
CHAPTERS 1–10 1. Elizabeth was adopted by Frankenstein’s parents
BEFORE YOU READ and may someday be his bride. Frankenstein seems
to love her, but he also stays away from her for a
Write a Caption
long time. He values his work more than family ties.
Alchemy, a field that speculates on natural processes
2. He imagines creating a noble new species that
with chemical experiments, is not a true science, but it
would be grateful to him. He studies chemistry,
has yielded some important discoveries.
galvanism, death, and decay. When he sees how
ugly the creature is, he is disappointed, frustrated,
ACTIVE READING and frightened.
Answers will vary. Possible responses: 3. He stays away from his family and from his
Responsibilities to family: to marry Elizabeth and fulfill schoolmates. He senses that he may be doing
his mother’s deathbed wish something evil. He could be described as single-
Responsibilities to science: to discover ideas that no minded.
one else has ever discovered 4. He feels despair and guilt. “I considered the being
Both: to solve the mystery of life whom I had cast among mankind . . . my own spirit
let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all
INTERACTIVE READING that was dear to me.”
Literary Element: Motivation 5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Victor the creature is actually much more intelligent and
doesn’t think anyone will believe him if he tells what emotional than Victor assumed he was.
he knows. Apply Background
Literary Element: Motivation Answers will vary. Students may respond that knowing
Answers will vary. Students may respond that Victor is Mary Shelley created the novel as a ghost story for
now convinced that Justine will be acquitted. friends helps them appreciate the mysterious and
frightening qualities of the work. Knowing that she lost
several children may help them understand her interest
in bringing the dead back to life.

Fr a n ken stein 57
 ANSWER KEY
Literary Element: Motivation
Answer will vary. Students may respond that
Frankenstein was seeking a peace and solitude
that he believed could be found only in a natural
environment.
Reading Strategy: Compare and Contrast Events
and Ideas
Answers will vary. Students may respond that both
Frankenstein and the creature are lonely and isolated.
Vocabulary Practice
1. liberal, 2. commiserate, 3. pity, 4. fiend, 5. omen
Academic Vocabulary
definition: to bring into existence
synonyms: create, produce, cause
antonyms: kill, end, destroy
sentence/image: The science student will generate
ideas for her science fair project.
Writing
Create a Storyboard
Students’ storyboards should
• show a scene between Frankenstein and the monster
• show a logical sequence of actions
Speaking and Listening
Interview
Students’ interview reports should
• be based on an organized list of questions
• include interesting and relevant information
• accurately represent the information shared during
the interview
CHAPTERS 11–16
BEFORE YOU READ
Summarize
Milton’s poem Paradise Lost is a retelling of the story
of Adam and Eve and a significant influence on the
character of the monster in Frankenstein.
ACTIVE READING
Characters—
Frankenstein: Victor Frankenstein and the monster
Adam and Eve: God, Adam, Eve
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Actions—
Frankenstein: Victor uses body parts to create
the monster
Adam and Eve: God uses Adam’s rib to create Eve
Images and Ideas—
Frankenstein: science
Adam and Eve: the apple, the snake
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Analogy
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
creature and Adam are similar in that they were each
the first of their kind. They are different because
Adam was “a perfect creature” and the creature is
“wretched.”
Literary Element: Analogy
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
creature tells Victor he is not really like God and is very
limited in his power to create a living thing. He used
what he could find and was perhaps more concerned
with completing his experiment than with the aesthetic
appearance of his creation.
Reading Strategy: Interpret Imagery
Answers will vary. Students may describe the mood as
hopeful, optimistic, or encouraging.
Reading Strategy: Interpret Imagery
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
imagery evokes the emotions of fear, surprise,
disappointment, or anger.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: The Extraordinary and Fantastic
Answers will vary. The excerpt tells how a creature
with a horrible appearance can actually have tender
feelings and yearn to be treated kindly.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. He hides in a small shelter attached to the family’s
cottage and observes them daily. They are loving
and attractive. The family’s fear and horror at the
sight of him make him angry. He feels hatred for
the first time.
2. He strangles William and puts evidence of the
murder on Justine. The creature knows he can
harm his enemies. He demands that Frankenstein
create a companion for him.
 ANSWER KEY
3. Both characters suffer. Students may sympathize
with the creature more because he wants to be good
and has no hope of love.
4. Students may say that it is unlikely the creature
could learn to read from such difficult books.
They might also find the sudden appearance of
Safie farfetched.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
creature’s intelligence and ability to learn are
extraordinary, as well as his emotional sensitivity.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that knowing
about Paradise Lost helped them understand the
relevance of the Adam and Eve analogy.
Literary Element: Analogy
Answer will vary. Students may respond that the
analogy helps them predict that Frankenstein will agree
to the monster’s request that he create a companion
for him.
Reading Strategy: Interpret Imagery
Answers will vary. Students may respond that some
examples of imagery include their sad faces, their
coarse food, the gift of a white flower from Felix
to Agatha. The impression these images create is
a sympathetic one. The reader likes and admires
the family.
Vocabulary Practice
1. B, 2. A, 3. A, 4. B, 5. B
Academic Vocabulary
Answers will vary. A sample answer: “to ask
for justice.”
Write with Style
Apply Figurative Language
Students’ paragraphs should
• contain a clear analogy comparing one person or
character to another
• be based on a metaphor or simile.
Speaking and Listening
Debate
Students’ debate summaries should
• evaluate the performance of each team
• include a conclusion.
CHAPTERS 17–21
BEFORE YOU READ
Summarize
Great Britain and Ireland make up the British Isles.
ACTIVE READING
Hint or clues:
1. Victor creates a lab on a barren rock of an island.
2. Victor is afraid to look up during his work.
3. The creature says “I shall be with you on your
wedding night.”
What you think might happen:
1. The creature will find him to this desolate place.
2. The creature is watching him.
3. The creature will kill Victor’s bride on their
wedding night.
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Foreshadowing
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
comment foreshadows Victor’s own suffering and
his own growing “coarseness.”
Literary Element: Foreshadowing
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
passage foreshadows the moment when Victor will
look up and see the creature.
Reading Strategy: Visualize
Answers will vary. Students may respond that they see
a dark, dreary room, a pale corpse, and Victor wailing
in agony.
Reading Strategy: Visualize
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
prison cell has filthy stone walls and one small, high
window. The air in the cell is still and foul-smelling.
There is just one thick blanket on the narrow bed.
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: The Extraordinary and Fantastic
Answers will vary. Frankenstein is terrified, but he also
firmly resolves never to create another monster again.
Fr a n ken stein 59
 ANSWER KEY
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. He says Frankenstein alone has the power to grant
him happiness. If he can be happy, he will not hate
and destroy others. Victor becomes depressed. He
postpones his wedding.
2. He fears the new creature might be more evil than
her mate, refuse to leave Europe, or help create a
“race of devils.” Students might say that Frankenstein
denied companionship to the creature, and the
creature wants to hurt Frankenstein in the same way.
3. After dumping the remains of the second creature
into the sea, he sleeps and his boat is driven off
course. He is accused of murdering a man found
strangled. He recalls that William was also
strangled. This second murder by strangulation
causes Frankenstein to connect the murder to the
creature and to himself as the creature’s creator.
4. Unlikely events include Frankenstein’s sailing
hundreds of miles in less than a day and the
creature’s ability to locate Henry and carry the body
to the place where Frankenstein landed.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
creature’s face is a made up of pieces of different
human and animal faces all stitched together.
Apply Background
Answers will vary. Students may respond that knowing
the location of the Orkney Islands helped them visualize
the setting.
Literary Element: Foreshadowing
Answer will vary. Students may respond that the
reader might feel very curious, anxious, and frightened.
The reader’s expectations might be that something
especially dreadful will happen to Victor.
Reading Strategy: Visualize
Answers will vary.
Vocabulary Practice
1. opposite, 2. same, 3. opposite, 4. opposite, 5. same
Academic Vocabulary
Answers will vary, but students might suggest when
they are ill, are in an accident, have a tooth ache, etc.
Writing
Write a Soundtrack List
Students’ lists should
• correspond to major scenes in Chapters 17–21
• include music that conveys the mood of the scene.
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Connect to Content Areas
Math
Students’ map and report should
• correspond to the travels described in the novel
• accurately represent the distances traveled.
CHAPTERS 22–24
BEFORE YOU READ
Write the Caption
The story of Frankenstein and his monster has
frequently been presented as a movie.
ACTIVE READING
Sample quotes: Frankenstein: “I was cursed by
some devil, and carried about with me my eternal hell.”
“Yet, when I am dead, if he should appear; . . . swear
that he shall not live.”
The creature: “My reign is not yet over.” “Oh,
Frankenstein! generous and self-devoted being!” “Do
you think that I was then dead to agony and remorse?”
INTERACTIVE READING
Literary Element: Moral
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the moral
is “Do not try to be more than what you really are.”
Literary Element: Moral
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the moral
is “He who creates life must destroy it.” Students may
not agree with the moral, because they may feel killing
will further perpetuate the evil and destruction.
Reading Strategy: Connect to
Contemporary Issues
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
invention of nuclear weapons was an accomplishment
that some feel did more harm than good. This issue is
related to the story because the scientists who worked
on the bombs may now be horrified by what happened
as a result of their work.
Reading Strategy: Connect to
Contemporary Issues
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the
monster’s argument is similar to arguments heard in
courtrooms today that suggest that if the defendant has
been abused in some way, he is not fully responsible for
his actions.
 ANSWER KEY
ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING
BIG Idea: The Extraordinary and Fantastic
Answers will vary. The excerpt tells how the magistrate
pretends to believe Frankenstein’s story while he
actually believes that Frankenstein is going insane.
AFTER YOU READ
Respond and Think Critically
1. He promises to tell her his terrible secret after
they are married. He pretends to be happy while
preparing himself for a conflict with the creature.
The creature has sworn to ruin his wedding night.
2. Elizabeth is murdered by the creature. Frankenstein
had thought that the creature’s threat applied to
him, not his wife. He vows to destroy the creature
or die trying.
3. Frankenstein endures cold and fatigue but never
slackens in his pursuit. The creature taunts
Frankenstein with written messages and leaves food
to draw out Frankenstein’s suffering. Neither of them
achieve the satisfation of winning. They both die.
4. After Frankenstein dies, Walton resumes the
narrative in his letters. Shelley shows both
characters through the eyes of a third person and
contrasts the ambitions of the two.
5. Answers will vary. Students may respond that
Victor Frankenstein was extraordinary because
he had the intelligence, talent, vision, and drive to
invent the monster in the first place.
Apply Background
Students may say that knowing about the many movie
versions of the story helps them comprehend its
timeless and universal qualities.
Literary Element: Moral
Answers will vary. Students may respond that the most
important moral is “Everyone deserves to be loved,”
because it was being deprived of someone to love and
love them that drove both Victor and the monster to
seek revenge and destroy themselves and others.
Reading Strategy: Connect to
Contemporary Issues
Answers will vary. Students may respond that a
contemporary issue is cloning. Frankenstein’s creation
of the monster is very similar to the creation of a living
thing through cloning. Many people believe that only
God can create life and that cloning is wrong.
Vocabulary Practice
1. consternation, 2. none, 3. adversary, 4. omnipotent,
5. pilgrimage, 6. none, 7. illustrious
Academic Vocabulary
Context Clues: skills, conduct, experiments
Definition: peculiar to or characteristic of a particular
art, science, profession, trade, etc.
Writing
Personal Response
Answers will vary.
Speaking and Listening
Performance
Students’ performances should
• reveal each character’s feelings about the other and
about himself
• accurately reflect the characterizations in the novel
• be presented with confidence
NOVEL AFTER YOU READ
WORK WITH RELATED READINGS
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Students may expect the movie’s creature to
display the same loneliness and articulate sensitivity
that the novel’s creature does. They may expect the
movie’s creature to be smaller and less violent than
the book’s creature.
A Frankenstein Monster Ended Up Being a Lamb
The reviewer seems to approve of cloning and is
excited about the possibilities. Shelley, whose novel
warns about scientific excesses, would probably be
less enthusiastic.
A New Life
In both works, a scientist has created a manlike
creature that he sees as a failure. Both are made
from corpses; in the short story, the creature retains
the memory of the brain “donor.” The mood in both is
dark and brooding, and the setting is Germany in the
late 1700s.
The Golem
The rabbi feels compassion for the golem, but his
sense of duty to God and to society makes him put
the golem to rest when his job is done. Frankenstein
rejects his creature, which has disappointed him by
being ugly. Later Frankenstein briefly sympathizes with
Fr a n ken stein 61
 ANSWER KEY

the creature and starts to create a female creature. Moral Answers will vary. Students may respond that
In the end, he becomes vengeful toward his creature. the moral is “It’s dangerous to go back in time.” This
Unlike Frankenstein’s creature, the golem finds a is similar to Frankenstein’s morals in that they both
human being who loves him. discourage going to extremes in attempts to achieve
scientific discovery.
. . . That Thou Art Mindful of Him
Students might say society should give the creatures Talk About It
an education and protect them from harrassment, while Discussions will vary.
forbidding the creatures to hurt humans or each other.
RESPOND THROUGH WRITING
CONNECT TO OTHER LITERATURE Persuasive Essay
Motivation Answers will vary. Students may respond Students’ essays should
that it seems Eckels’s motivation is simply entertainment.
• contain a clear thesis
This is very different from Frankenstein, who was
motivated by his desire to advance science. • include paragraphs with topic sentences
Foreshadowing Answers will vary. Students may • include references to the text that support
respond that Bradbury’s use of foreshadowing seems the argument
to be more subtle and less dramatic than Shelley’s. • have few grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors

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