Figurative Language
“… his long twisted hair like wings carrying him high above the rim…” What type of figurative language is this and why?
This is an example of a simile because the Josh is comparing hair to wings using like.
“I am no Pythagoras.” What is this?
This is an allusion because they are using someone well known to be compared with Josh.
“Because every year
Grandma makes
a big delicious dinner but this year two days before
Thanksgiving she fell off her front stoop on the way to buy groceries so Uncle Bob my mom's younger brother decided he would prepare a feast for the whole family which consisted of macaroni with no cheese concrete-hard cornbread and a greenish-looking ham that prompted Mom to ask if he had any eggs to go along with it…”
This is an example of enjambment.
What is the main idea of this section? “JB and I are almost thirteen. Twins. Two basketball goals at opposite ends of the court. Identical. It's easy to tell us apart though. I'm an inch taller, with dreads to my neck. He gets his head shaved once a month. I want to go to Duke, he flaunts Carolina Blue.”
This sections main idea is that JB and Josh are easy to tell apart because there are many differences between them, even though they’re twins.
“If my hair were a tree I'd climb it.
I'd kneel down beneath and enshrine it.
I'd treat it like gold and then mine it.
Each day before school I unwind it.
And right before games I entwine it.
These locks on my head, I designed it.” What type of poem is this?
This type of poem is called an ode to poem.
“JB’s a shooter, but I’m sneaky and silky as a snake.” What type of figurative language is this and why?
This is a simile because Josh is being compared to a snake by using the words “as”.
What are Josh’s locks in the book a symbol of?
Josh’s locks represent his talent for basketball, and without them, he isn’t as good of a player.
“… my hair like wings, each lock lifting me higher and higher like a 747 ZOOM ZOOM!” What sound device does this use and why?
This uses onomatopoeia because “ZOOM ZOOM” is a sound.
What is the main idea of this excerpt? “Jordan insists that everyone call him JB. His favorite player is Michael Jordan, but he doesn't want people to think he's sweating him. Even though he is. Evidence: He has one pair of Air Jordan sneakers for every month of the year including Air Jordan 1 Low Barack Obama Limited Editions, which he never wears. Plus he has MJ sheets, pillowcases, slippers, socks, underwear, notebooks, pencils, cups, hats, wristbands, and sunglasses.
The main idea of this excerpt is that JB is obsessed with Michael Jordan, even though he says that he isn’t.
“…now he's took.
Number 14 joins in ...
Now he's on the HOOK
I got TWO in my kitchen and I'm fixing to COOK.
Preppin' my meal, ready for glass...
Nobody's expecting Filthy to pass
I see Vondie under the hoop
so l serve him up my
Alley-OOP.” What type of poem is this?
This is a narrative poem because he is showing part of his basketball game through a poem.
“In this game of life your family is the court and the ball is your heart.” What type of figurative language is this and why?
This is an example of a metaphor because family is being compared to a basketball court and the ball is being compared to your heart and they aren’t using like or as.
“…which made grandma laugh so hard she fell again, this time right out of her wheelchair.” What is the irony in this?
The irony is that her wheelchair is supposed to help her and let her not fall or even walk, but she still fell out of it.
What is the rhyme scheme of this?
“If my hair were a tree
I'd climb it.
I'd kneel down beneath
and enshrine it.
I'd treat it like gold
and then mine it.
Each day before school
I unwind it.
And right before games
I entwine it.”
ABCBDBEBFB
What is the main idea of this section? “He opens the scissors, grabs my hair to slash a strand. I don't hear my golden lock hit the floor, but I do hear the sound of calamity when Vondie hollers OH, SNAP!”
The main idea of this section is that Josh’s hair is getting cut off. Also, we can guess that something bad has happened since Vondie says “OH, SNAP!”
What type of poem is this?
“I'd hate to see you
F
A
L
L”
This is a concrete poem.
“The crowd stills… mouths drop…” What type of figurative language is this and why.
This is an idiom because mouths don’t actually drop. It is just a saying that people say.
“And I asked him if a deaf person could write music.” What is the irony in this?
The irony is that even though Beethoven was deaf and couldn’t hear music, he was still able to write music.
What is the refrain in this excerpt of Crossover? “If the score gets tied, he says, and if it comes down to the last shot, he says, and if I get the ball, he says, and if I don't miss, he says, I get to cut off your hair.”
The refrain is the word “if”.
What is the main idea of this excerpt? “JB likes to taunt and trash talk during games like Dad used to do when he played. When I walk onto the court I prefer silence so I can Watch React Surprise. I talk too, but mostly to myself, like sometimes when I do my own play-by-play in my head.”
The main idea of this excerpt is that even though JB likes to talk during games, Josh likes to stay silent, although he does sometimes talk in his head.
What type of poem is this?
“and my dipping will leave you
S
L
I
P
P
I
N
G on the floor…”
This type of poem is a concrete because concrete poems are shaped to look like their subjects.
“Dad’s small silver safety box with the key in the lock and practically begging me to open it…” What type of figurative language is this and why?
This is an example of personification because they are giving human characteristics to the safety box.
“JB’s eyes are ocean wide, his mouth swimming on the floor, his clownish grin embarrassing.” What element and/or device is this an example of?
This is an example of imagery.
What is the rhyme scheme of this excerpt?
“Your dad's old school,
like an ol' Chevette.
You're fresh and new,
like a red Corvette.
Your game so sweet,
it's a crêpes suzette.
Each time you play
it's ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL net.
ABCBDBEB
What is the main idea of this part? “Be careful though, ‘cause now I’m CRUNKing CrissCROSSING FLOSSING flipping and my dipping will leave you SLIPPING on the floor while I SWOOP in to the finish with a fierce finger roll… Straight in the hole:
Swoooooooooooosh.”
The main idea of this part of the story is that Josh is very good at basketball and the author is showing what is going on and that you should beware of Josh when he’s playing basketball because he’s very good at it.
What type of poem is this?
“So when she says, Is it true that twins know what each other are thinking?
I tell her
you don't have to be his twin to know what he's thinking.”
This is a free verse poem.