Guided Reading #4

Plot-Sequence of events or incidents through which an author constructs a story.

Structure-How the author arranges plot elements
Conflict-A clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills.
Protagonist-The central character in a conflict
Antagonist-Any force arranged against the protagonist
Suspense-Quality in a story that makes readers ask Whats going to happen next? or How will
this turn out?
Mystery-An unusual set of circumstances for which the reader craves an explanation.
Surprise Ending-Endings that feature a sudden, unexpected turn or twist.
Indeterminate Ending-An ending where no definitive conclusion is reached
Artistic Unity-The condition of a successful literary work whereby all of its elements work
together for the achievement of its central purpose.
Plot Manipulation-When an author includes a turn in plot that is unjustified by the situation or
the characters
Deus Ex Machina-When a plot relies too heavily on chance or coincidence to provide a
resolution to a story.
Chance-Occurrence of an event that has no apparent cause in previous events or in
predisposition of character
Coincidence-Chance occurrence of two events that may have a peculiar correspondence
Rising Action-Series of events that begin immediately after the introduction of the story and
builds up to the climax.
Climax-The most intense, exciting, or important point of a story.
Falling Action-Series of events after the climax and before the very end where everything begins
to calm down.
Allusion-Making a casual or indirect reference to something
The Destructors Questions
1. Trevor is the protagonist in the story. The conflicts against him are the goal of being seen as dominant
in the gang, Old Miserys house, and Old Misery.
2. Suspense is created when Mike runs to Old Miserys house during the deconstruction and reveals that
he is on his way home early.
3. The story differs from commercial fiction, which is usually pictured as something more positive and
entertaining to take the reader away from reality, by making it a story about rebellious kids ruining a
mans life. The story has no happy ending.
4. The gangs overall motivations were to do something so big that it would gain notoriety and have
them be known for being The Destructors, which is why T and Blackie burned the money instead of
stealing it. The similarity between them pinching free rides and destroying the house was to act out
against adult society.
5. The setting being blitzed London is significant because it would make sense that all these boys band
together to make a gang with little adult supervision and wreak havoc without consequence because
London would still be trying to rebuild. The story has to do with the consequences of war more than the
causes because Old Miserys house could be London, old and beautiful, and the gang could be war,
destroying the city from the inside whilst still putting on a faade of beauty until the outside finally
collapses into rubble.
6. The causes of the gangs delinquency is the desire to reject the mannerisms and proper qualities of
society around them.
7. The good qualities of the delinquents are that they can properly organize under circumstances when
it is needed and show a glimmer of mercy (eg. Taking care of Old Misery). They differ from other gangs
who would have simply killed Old Misery and tore his house apart from the outside in a less cunning
manner.
8.The story reflects that humans want power, Old Misery thought he had power over the boys because
he was old, and Trevor wanted power over the gang. Through his delinquency, T wagered a war on
Old Misery to show he was worthy of power through his delinquency. He destroyed not only Old
Miserys home, but Old Misery himself from the inside, winning the war for power.


















Guided Reading #5
1. 1.Maladies-A disease or ailment
2.Exorbitant-Unreasonably high
3. Unencumbered- Not having any burden or impediment.
4. Petticoat- A woman's light, loose undergarment hanging from the shoulders or the waist,
worn under a skirt or dress.
5. Arcade- A covered passageway with arches along one or both sides.
2. A central truth revealed about life through this story is that humans are weak creatures. We are
weak because we make mistakes and we are weak because we dont correct them by telling the
truth to others or to ourselves, like Mr. Kapasi concerning his relationship with his wife and
Mrs.Dass relationship with her past mistakes and her family now.
3. 1.The central conflict is the attraction Mr.Kapasi holds for Mrs.Das. This is resolved at the
conclusion
2.The plot illuminates the differing cultural viewpoints between the Dass and Mr.Kapasi by
highlighting their differences in accents and gestures (e.g shaking hands). The cultural viewpoint
presented with the most sympathy is the differences in their relationships with their spouses
and how they are handled.
3.Mr.Kapasis job as an interpreter of maladies serves the story towards the end when Mrs.Das
asks him to interpret her situation.
4. Mrs.Das requested Mr.Kapasis address to send him pictures where they pose at the
restaurant. The significance of the address being lost relates to the last sentence of how
Mr.Kapasi views the family in the last scene after all is done.
5. The reader is encouraged to view the characters as a family where the parents dont really
care and Mr.Kapasi as a simple,kind tour guide with no intentions. The irony of Mr.Kapasi
actually falling for Mrs.Das creates suspense because the reader wonders what happens next?
between the two.
6. The monkeys on the hill were devious when they came and messed with Bobby, who was
later revealed to have been conceived by an act that was devious between Mrs.Das and
Mr.Dass friend. During this time, Bobby was isolated from his family, serving to symbolize that
because of Mrs.Dass secret, Bobby is an isolated figure and she is the only one who knows.
7. The function of Mrs.Dass secret to Mr.Kapasi was to attempt to gain some type of closure
from him because of his profession as the interpreter of maladies.The scene makes Mrs.Das look
less like a frigid mother and more like someone who made a mistake at a young age and is
paying for it by being with a husband and children she doesnt love.
8. The ending suggests Mr.Kapasis future will continue to be the same:with a frigid wife he
settles for and no letters from Mrs.Das. His encounter could have left an impact on how he
views life from a different perspective such as American practices vs his own. The ending is
unhappy because Mr.Kapasi doesnt get what he wants, but happy because he serves to help
Mrs.Das realize her guilt and she makes an effort to be with her family.





Guided Reading #6
Characterization-The process in writer reveals the personality of a character.
Direct presentation/characterization-When the author tells the reader directly what to think of a
character.
Indirect presentation/characterization-When the author reveals things to reveal the personality
of a character.
Dramatized- When characters are shown speaking and behaving, as if they are in a stage play.
Motivations- The reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
Flat characters-Characters with only one or two predominant traits that can be summed up
quickly.
Round characters-Characters that are complex and many-sided, with the three-dimensional
quality of a real person
Stock character-Characters who have occurred so often in fiction that we recognize them at
once.
Static character-Person who remains the same in a story from beginning to end.
Developing(dynamic character)-Character that undergoes some distinct change of
character,personality,or outlook.
Epiphany-A characters moment of spiritual insight into life or the characters personal
circumstances.
2. The universal truth that the story reveals about family and progress is that the more a person
progresses in life, the more likely they are to forget where they come from and think of themselves as
better than their own kin.
3. Not willing to tell people about things.
4. 1) The speaker, Maggie and Dees mother, is a large woman who considers herself not to bright and is
talented at doing a mans work. She refrains from passing judgement when Dee brings in Asalamalikim
by not questioning whether or not she married him. She presents less than the full truth when Dee
started asking how far that she could trace back her name, for the sake of Dee.These examples dont
make her any more or less reliable.
2) The mother, Dee, and Maggies lives were impoverished due to their race and Dee often showed
more promise than mother and Maggie. Maggie was burned in a house fire, scarring her for life. Dee
eventually left her mothers house to go off and live a more privileged life. Dees hatred of the old house
comes from her want for better, more elegant things in the present. Dees ability to stare down any
disaster leads her to be persistent in situations, such as trying to talk the quilts out of her mothers
possession. Maggies burns from the fire led her to become an insecure person in the present.
3) Situations such as Dees transition and Hakims demeanor are the result of an African American social
change where they want to break away from the oppressive lifestyle they live and connect to their
roots.
4) Mothers refusal of Dee indicates a permanent change of character where she learns to say no to Dee.
She has never done this before because of a feeling of inferiority to her daughter. She does this now
because of a sudden need to protect Maggie. The details in the story that foreshadow this are the pitiful
look Maggie gives her mother right before this and how the mother tells the reader in the beginning
that no is a word the world never learned to say to Dee.
5) The physical setting, a rural home contrasts mother and Dee because mother blends into her
surroundings, working in the field and doing yard work while Dee seems more like a privileged city girl
who doesnt want to live her life like her mother. The author seems neutral about the yard, not really
indicating if anyone is correct about their feelings on the yard.
6) Dee is not wholly unsympathetic. She feels sympathy towards her sister, feeling like she needs to
discover her heritage. The mothers victory over Dee is not totally positive because she might have
broken her relationship with Dee by denying her the quilts when she has never really denied Dee before.
The emotions between Maggie and her mother in the final scene in the yard is relief that Dee is gone
and content in the way they live.
5. The significance of the title is that it relates to how Dee protested Maggie receiving a quilt because
she thought her sister would be backwards enough to put them *the quilts+ to everyday use(pg
172,line 66-67) instead of hanging them up for display like she planned to do. Its relationship to the
story is along with the quilt, Dee wanted other items like the top and dasher of a churner, items meant
for everyday use, to be ornaments in her house. She treats her heritage like decoration instead of
something useful.