Third Marking Period

Literary Terms:

• Static Character: A literary character who remains basically unchanged throughout a work.

Ex.) The static character that remains unchanged is IT(Andy Evans) who doesn't even change at all.

• Developing character: In literature or drama, a character who undergoes a permanent change in outlook or character during the story.

Ex.) An example of a developing character is when Heather changes and decides to go hang out with the marthas after that Melinda was with her when she knew no one.

• Flat Character: An easily recognized character type in fiction who may not be fully delineated but is useful in carrying out some narrative purpose of the author.

Ex.) The flat character in the story is David Petrakis who is not really described alot in the story.

• Round Character: A character in fiction whose personality, background, motives, and other features are fully delineated by the author.

Ex.) Heather is a round character because the author fully describes Heather when Melinda berly sees her.

• Symbol: Using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning.

Ex.) An example of a symbol is when Melinda falls backwards to make a snow angel and the scarf falls over her mouth. Then the scarf tightens on her mouth and she can't breathe.

• Symbolism: A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

Ex.) An example of symbolism is Melinda's fixes her turkry-bone sculpture and plucks out the barbie head. Then she sets it on top of the bony carcass and tosses the palm tree asside. She puts the knife and fork like legs and places a piece of tape over barbie's mouth."(P.64)

Vocabulary Terms:

• Conundrum: a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words.

"Conundrum-a three-point vocab word."(P.98)

• Asylum: an institution for the maintenance and care of the mentally ill, orphans, or other persons requiring specialized assistance.

"It is supposed to bore us into submission or prepare us for insane asylum."(P.117)

• Gargoyle: A grotesquely carved figure of a human

"The moon is asleep and I'm sitting on my porch roof like a frozen gargoyle, wondering if the sun is going to bloww off the world today and sleep in."(P.136)

• Imbecile: dunce; blockhead; dolt.

"It's the blood of imbeciles."(P.103)

• Vulnerable: Capable or suspectible to being wounded or hurt, as by a weapon.

"First off, I don't go through the line for anything, to avoid that vulnerable moment of coming out into the lunchroom, that moment when every head lifts and evaluates: friend, enemy, or loser."(P.127)

Discussion Questions:

• Was being a child better than being a teenager for Melinda? In your answer, discuss what ways it is better to be older, and why it's hard to be between adulthood and childhood. For Melinda it is better being a teenager because they dn't treat her like a child, what to do, or what to say and that she can do what she wants. It is better to be older because you are bigger and old enough to do what you couldn't do when you were a child and you can make your own choices and not let others make them for you.

"The first hour of blowing off school is great. No one to tell me what to do, what to read, what to say. it's like living in an MTV video-not with the stupid costumes, but wearing that butt-strutting, I-do-what-I-want additood."(P.97-98) This quote supports my answer because it shows that Melinda's teenage time is better than when she was a child.

• Melinda wishes her science teacher would teach them about love and betrayal instead of about the birds and the bees. In your answer, discuss where we learn about things like and whether or not we can learn about love from a book. Love and betrayal is not learned from a book because in a book it is usually something made up or something that doesn't fit what someone is experiencing and it's better to hear it from someones peronal experience.

"Ms.Keen decided it would be cute to review birds and bees in honor of Valentine's Day. Nothing practical, of course, no information about why hormones can make you crazy, or why your face only breaks out at the worst time, or how to tell if somebody really gave you a Valentine's card on your locker. No, she really teaches us about the birds and the bees. Notes of love and betrayal are passed hand over hand as if the lab tables were lanes on Cupid's Highway."(P.109) This quote supports my answer because Melinda wants the advise from another person of what she is experiencing and if there are ways to solve it.

• Mr.Freeman tells his class, "You must walk alone to find your soul." In your answer, discuss what this means, if you think it's true, and what a soul is. What Mr.Freeman means about the phrase, you must walk alone to find your soul is that a person by there own need to fing there way in life and do what they have to do in order to fulfill there own goal. I think it's true, and a soul is what you are and what you make yourself be not what other make you to be.

"' I can't do everything for you. You must walk alone to find your soul.'"(P.118) This quote supports my answer because it explains that you have to do things on your own and that you have to not rely on others to do things alot for you but you have to do things for youself as well.

• Mr.Freeman also says, "Art is about making mistakes and learning from them." In your answer, discuss what else might be like this. What might be similar to art being about making mistakes and learning from them because if you make mistakes and don't learn from them you will keep making that same mistake and refuse that you made a mistake and it can sometimes be worse not knowing from the mistakes.

"'Don't be so hard on yourself. Art is about making mistakes and learning from them.'"(P.122) This quote supports my answer because there are no perfects in the world and everybody makes mistakes.

Journal Topics:

• What do report cards really say about people?

Ex.) An example is when Melinda and her parents are with the guidance counselor they say that her grades were good at first and then dropped a lot and is wondering if theres something wrong.

What report cards really show about people is that when the report card starts out good and then starts getting worse it shows that the student has problems or there is something going on that is bothering them making there grades slip.