Josh's Emotional Progression
Josh refers to his locks as these to symbolize his growing up.
What are 'strands of his past?'
Josh's nickname "Filthy McNasty" comes from the title of what?
What is "A Jazz song"?
Capitalizing words or sections of words such as "POPping and "SWOOSH" emphasize what poetic technique?
What is "onamatopoeia"
This scene could metaphorically be called 'Josh losing his ability to fly'.
The meaning of Basketball Rule #1
In this game of life,
your family is the court
and the ball is your heart.
No matter how good you are,
No matter how down you get,
Always leave your heart
on the court.
What is "Don't give up when times are tough. Always act with your love in mind."
Josh chooses to intentionally lose to Vondie in a race for this reason.
What is "to practice even more?"
Crystal Bell values this concept over everything else for her two boys.
What is "Education"?
This poem changes the font to emphasize these kinds of words.
What are "action words"?
The first moment when Josh hates to hear his nickname.
What is "when JB calls him Filthy McNasty in front of Alexis."
The meaning of Basketball rule #4:
If you miss
enough of life's
free throws
you will pay
in the end.
What is "take advantage of the chances put right in front of you."
Josh tells the reader this decision was made from a mix of friendship and stupidity.
What is "Passing a note during the vocabulary test?"
What is 'an umbrella'?
This poem makes use of timestamps to show what trait of Josh's?
What is 'his anxiety / nervousness?'
The reason why Chuck Bell ignores his symptoms of hypertension.
What is "fear"?
The meaning of Basketball Rule #9
When the game is on
the line,
don't fear.
Take it
to the hoop.
What is "In important / tough moments, don't stop, go for victory."
Because of personal and physical flaws, Josh realizes his dad is this.
What is 'Human'?
'We look and sometimes sound alike' is the exception to this rule.
This poem uses short, repetitive structures to build this story-telling technique.
What is 'tension'?
Josh asks himself this intense question after hearing his father is suffering from the same illness as his grandfather.
What is 'what does this mean for me and JB?'
The meaning of Basketball Rule #6
A great team
has a good scorer
with a teammate
who's on point
and ready
to assist.
What is "You can't do everything by yourself. You need the help of those around you."
The reason why Josh chose to play in the finals rather than go to the hospital after Chuck's second heart attack.
What is 'what his dad would want him to do.'
Josh considers this title to be a symbol of leadership and respect.
What is "Da Man"?
This poem uses the second person point of view as a metaphor for this
What is "Josh's loneliness / lack of having someone else around / put the reader in Josh's shoes?"
The section that Chuck needs to sit in at the boy's basketball games for being too confrontational.
The meaning of Basketball Rule #7
Rebounding
is the art of anticipating,
of always being prepared
to grab it.
But you can't
drop the ball.
What is "to make a comeback, you need to both be ready and able to follow through."