Al-Oruba International Schools _ Grade 7

Dept.: English Department

Section: Boys’ Section
Title: Literature _ Dirk the Protector
_____________________________________________________________

Author: Gary Paulsen

Summary:
Setting: a city in the United States, 1950s

In this memoir, Gary Paulsen looks back on his life as a street kid. He lives alone in the basement of a house and
works many jobs to support himself. At night he works in the bowling alley and on his way home street gangs often
beat him up and steal his money. One night Gary tries a new route home. He climbs over the roof of the bowling
alley and down the fire escape that leads to an alley behind the hardware store. There, he hears a dog growl.
Frightened, he throws half his burger at the dog and runs off, straight into the gang. The gang members beat him
viciously, but the dog comes to his rescue. Gary gratefully gives the dog the rest of the burger, and the dog follows
Gary home. Gary names the dog Dirk, and Dirk becomes Gary’s protector. When school is over, Gary takes Dirk
along to the farm where he works for the summer.

Text Analysis
Point Of View In A Memoir
The point of view is the vantage point from which a story is told. In a memoir, the writer gives a true account of
his or her life. Because the writer is a participant in the events, he or she writes from the first-person point of
view, using the pronouns I, me, we, and us.

What I Know About Paulsen Questions I Have About Paulsen

• He lived by himself in a basement. Did his parents know where he was?

• For a time, he was a street kid. How long was he on his own?

• He hunts and fishes for food. How old was he when the events in this story took place?

• He buys clothes but they are never the right Why didn’t a teacher or the parent of a classmate notice his
kind.

1
 problems and help him?

• He works at night in bowling alleys. Didn’t the owners or bowlers worry about a kid working so
hard and so late on a school night?

• He brings the dog home with him. Isn’t he afraid that the dog will be vicious or sick?

Reading Skill
Identify Cause and Effect
In order to understand what you read, you need to know why one event (the cause) makes another event (the
effect) happen. Sometimes, the writer states directly that one event causes another, as when Paulsen explains
the effects of Dirk’s becoming his protector.

They [the gang] not only stopped hunting me but went out of their way to avoid
me, or more specifically, Dirk. In fact after that winter and spring they never
bothered me again, even after Dirk was gone.

Other times, you must infer the cause-and-effect relationship based on clues in the text and what you know.
Directions: Complete this chart to identify cause-and-effect relationships in the memoir. One example has been
filled in for you.
Cause Effect

• Trouble with parents at home • ………………………………………………..

• Paulsen needs money for clothes, food, and • ………………………………………………...

school supplies.
• He cannot afford stylish clothes. • ………………………………………………..

• All the good jobs are taken by the boys who • …………………………………………………..
stayed in town during the summer.
• The job does not pay enough money. • ………………………………………………….

• Paulsen is out late selling newspapers. • ………………………………………………...

• Paulsen shares his burger with the dog. • ………………………………………………..

• Paulsen brings Dirk with him to Olaf’s farm. • …………………………………………………

2
Reading Check

Directions: Recall the ideas and events from the memoir by Gary Paulsen. Then answer the questions in phrases
or sentences.
1. Where did the author work when he was younger?
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Why did the author think the authorities wouldn’t help him?
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. How did Dirk save the author?
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. How did Dirk respond each time the author tried to pet him?
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. What happened to Dirk at the end of the story?

• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Question Support: Text Analysis

Directions: Answer the questions.

1. Analyze Point of View Circle all the information that Paulsen states directly.
a. He hunts and fishes for food.
b. He has brothers and sisters.
c. He works at night in bowling alleys.
d. He brings Dirk home with him.
e. He is fifteen when the story begins.
f. He is an excellent student.
I would like to ask Paulsen these two questions: …………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. Analyze Cause and Effect

3
The cause-and-effect relationship that most influenced Paulsen is …………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Analyze Character

Circle the words that describe Dirk’s personality.

a. protective c. affectionate e. kind

b. loyal d. fierce f. strong

4. Compare and Contrast:

Reread the first two paragraphs. Then complete the sentences.
• One way in which Gary’s life is the same at the end of the story is ……………………..…………
............................................................................................................................. ................................
• One way in which Gary’s life is different at the end of the story is …………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Draw Conclusions:

Complete the sentence.

The attacks against Paulsen stop forever because ……………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Comprehension

Read each of the following questions. Then choose the letter of the best answer.

1. Which pronoun shows that “Dirk the Protector” is told in first-person point of view?
A. I B. you
C. he D. they
2. The author needed money for clothes, food, and school supplies. One effect of this need was that he
A. asked a nice teacher for help B. got a dog that could protect him
C. worked on farms in the summer D. had jobs at the market and drugstore
3. Which of the following was the cause of Dirk rescuing the author?
A. The author shared his burger with Dirk. B. Dirk had been abused by the gang.

4
C. The author took Dirk to a farm. D. Dirk felt sorry for the author.
4. Which effect did Dirk have on Happy and the gang?
A. The gang throws Happy out. B. They were arrested for cruelty to dogs.
C. Happy got a bigger, meaner dog. D. The gang never bothered the author again.
5. About how old was the author when the events in this memoir took place?
A. school age B. old enough for college
C. too young to work D. an old man
6. What does conventional mean?
A. traditional B. wealthy
C. popular D. older
7. A puny child is
A. unappreciated B. weak
C. intense D. satisfied
8. A decoy is used to
A. relieve a major illness or injury B. lead others in a different direction
C. demand payment for a large debt D. keep track of inventory in a store
9. To hustle means to
A. learn to dance B. share generously with others
C. gain by energetic effort D. keep clean and neat
10. What is a cohort ?
A. a buddy B. a shrub
C. an animal D. a relative
11. Which statement reveals that “Dirk the Protector” is told from the first-person point of view?
A. “There weren’t many boys willing to do the work but with so few alleys, it was still very hard to earn much
money.”
B. “Because I was from ‘the wrong side of the tracks’ I didn’t think I could go to the authorities.”
C. “There bowling alley was on the second floor and had windows in the back of the pit area.”
D. “There were four of them, led by a thug—he and two of the others would ultimately land in prison—named,
absurdly, ‘Happy’ Santun.”
12. Which of the following was the effect of Paulsen staying out late selling newspapers?
A. He made enough money to buy the dog Dirk.

5
B. He was too tired to study, so his grades in school went down.
C. He was on the street with the gangs, who attacked him.
D. He looked all over for odd jobs, but the good ones were all taken.
13. Which cause has more than one effect in this memoir?
A. There was drinking at Paulsen’s home. B. Paulsen hunted and fished in the woods.
C. Paulsen was able to buy the clothes he needed. D. Dirk was a mixed-breed dog.
14. What caused Paulsen to leave Dirk on the farm?
A. He did not need the dog anymore. B. He knew that Dirk was happy on the farm.
C. He did not have the money to feed Dirk. D. He and Dirk were not getting along well.
15. Based on the events in this memoir, readers can conclude that Paulsen is
A. very fond of animals B. able to defend himself
C. solitary and lonely D. determined and street-smart

Written Response
Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the story.
1. Explain what the title means. Provide an example from the memoir to illustrate your point.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..:
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. The author became a street kid because of problems at home. Give two effects of this cause.

• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………….
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Describe two challenges that Paulsen faced and tell how he met each one.
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4. Explain how “Dirk the Protector” would change if told from a different point of view.

6
 • ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. Paulsen was attacked by the gang several times. Give two causes for these attacks.

• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. What evidence supports the idea that the author might have been fine even without Dirk to protect him? List two
examples from the memoir to support your answer.
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………