Themes
This is the message or lesson an author wants readers to understand, either stated directly or implied.
What is a theme.
A character trait describes this about a character and how they think, act, or feel consistently.
What is their personality.
To paraphrase means to do this to a text, like putting it in your own words while keeping the meaning.
What is restate the text in your own words.
This type of figurative language compares two things using “like” or “as.”
What is a simile.
What specific event in the opening chapters sets the conflict into motion?
Ulysses is sucked into the vacuum, which leads Flora to rescue him and discover his powers.
This theme is shown when Flora and Ulysses learn to trust each other and open up emotionally.
What is the theme of friendship or trust.
Flora is described as “cynical.” Name one piece of evidence that supports this trait.
She constantly expects the worst and repeats “Do not hope. Instead, observe.”
Paraphrase this idea: Flora believes “nothing good ever happens.”
She thinks life usually turns out badly.
Identify the figurative language: “The vacuum roared like a hungry beast.”
What is a simile.
After Ulysses writes his first poem, how does this event move the plot forward?
It proves he is intelligent and can communicate, deepening Flora’s desire to protect him and escalating the conflict with her mother.
Flora calls herself a “cynic,” but her relationship with Ulysses challenges this belief. What theme is being developed?
What is the theme of hope or learning to believe in others.
Ulysses shows bravery throughout the novel. Identify one moment that proves this trait.
He bravely types poetry even when Flora’s mother tries to get rid of him.
Paraphrase two main ideas from the chapter where Ulysses learns to type.
He discovers he can communicate, and he realizes how much he loves Flora.
Flora often says she is a “natural-born cynic.” What figurative language device is this, and how does it shape the tone?
Metaphor because it creates a humorous but dramatic tone by exaggerating her negativity.
Identify a rising action event where Flora’s mother tries to interfere with Ulysses. How does this event increase the stakes?
She attempts to get rid of Ulysses which intensifies Flora’s determination and raises the emotional stakes.
Ulysses’ poetry about connection and hope helps develop this implied theme about creativity.
What is the theme that creativity can bring people together.
William Spiver’s dramatic personality affects the central conflict. How does his motivation connect to the conflict?
His desire for attention and validation complicates situations and adds tension to the main conflict, like when he was hanging out with Flora's mother.
If one student paraphrases and keeps the meaning while using different wording without copying, and another uses the same meaning but changes certain words around, which one paraphrased correctly?
The accurate one keeps the meaning but uses different wording without copying.
In Chapter 4, the narrator describes Flora’s thoughts “spinning like a tornado.” What effect does this simile have on the tone of the moment?
It creates a frantic, chaotic tone, showing how overwhelmed Flora feels.
When Flora decides to confront her mother about Ulysses, how does this decision shift the direction of the plot, and what new tension does it introduce?
Her decision forces the conflict between Flora and her mother into the open, creating more drama about whether Flora will be allowed to keep Ulysses and pushing the story toward its emotional climax.
Explain how the plot events involving Flora’s mother contribute to the theme of understanding others’ motivations.
Her mother’s actions show that people may act out of fear or misunderstanding, helping develop the theme that empathy leads to better relationships.
Choose any character and explain three traits they show, each supported with text evidence.
Example: Flora is observant, loyal, and determined seen through her constant note‑taking, her protection of Ulysses, and her refusal to give up on him.
Flora’s relationship with her mother is complicated. Paraphrase three key details from the text that show this.
Answers will vary but must restate three main ideas of this prompt with new wording.
Flora’s mother says Ulysses is “a danger waiting to happen.” What figurative language is used here, and how does it contribute to the conflict’s tone?
Hyperbole, it exaggerates the threat, creating a tense and dramatic tone that heightens the conflict between Flora and her mother.
At the end of the novel, how does Ulysses’ final poem help resolve the central conflict?
The poem reveals his understanding of love and connection, helping Flora and her mother make up and resolve the emotional conflict.