Literary Terms
The narrator's point of view in Pax is....
I know this because...
Third person limited
The pronouns he, him, they and the narrator only knows one character's thoughts and feelings.
What is an idiom?
Give one example.
When the literal language meaning does not match the words being used.
Ex possible: you've got ants in your pants
What is a synonym for "muzzle" as used in Pax?
nose or snout
In the beginning of the story, what "slivered through the air like blades?"
The distinct aroma of "the sharp odors of pine" of the woodlands.
Which one of the 5 senses is repeatedly referred to throughout the passage?
sense of smell
What does "mood" mean in literary terms?
What is the mood of Pax?
Mood is how the author intends to make you feel through the story.
The mood of Pax is sad, heart wrenching, and intense.
"I am freezing to death in here!" is an example of hyperbole.
What does hyperbole mean?
A figurative language term that mean to exaggerate or emphasize something.
In the story PAX what word the author used to describe the knotty root of the butternut tree?
burled
How did Pax know his boy was feeling anxious?
From the boys actions:
"the boy gripping his baseball glove more tightly"
"the boy buried his face in the fox's white ruff"
"the boy was crying without a sound"
What is the important memory Pax recalls that does not include the boy?
watching the birds from his pen
What is the setting of the story?
car, rural area, woodlands
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
A simile is a comparison using like or as, and a metaphor is a comparison that does not use like or as.
True or False
Rumbling and vulnerable are synonyms.
False
Why was Pax confused and concerned over Peter crying?
In the past, Peter only cried loudly and when he wanted to be noticed for it. This often correlated with the scent of blood, of which there was none that day.
Why was Pax relieved when the boy brought the toy soldier out of his pocket?
What did his relief cause?
Pax was relieved he was there to play a game but this caused him to be careless, which then led him to missing the boy becoming more upset again, followed by the man and boy getting back into the car.
What is Pax's conflict(s) in the passage?
Pax is conflicted about how the father and boy are behaving in the car compared to the scents and his instincts.
Pax is conflicted about being with his boy or following the birds into the wild.
Identify the simile in the quote below.
Hours upon hours he had watched birds from his pen, quivering at the sight of them slicing the sky as recklessly as the lightning he often saw on summer evening.
What does the word sensitive mean as it is used in the following sentence:
The fox felt the car slow before the boy did, as he felt everything first. Through the pads of his paws, along his spine, in the sensitive whiskers at his wrists.
The ability to sense small changes in the environment and/or feel things intensely.
What did the father do after "saying something to his son in a soft voice that didn't match his lie-scent?"
"...he grasped the fox by the scruff of the neck" and took him from the car to the woodline.
What does the "Birds!" memory moment tells you about Pax's loyalties and life?
Pax is not free to be in his natural state/wild and is momentarily torn between the call of nature and going back to his boy.
What is the climax of the passage?
Pax was torn between going back to his boy or following the birds?
What does the figurative language in the following sentence emphasizes about the fox's abilities?
He stretched up from the boy's lap and sniffed at threads of scent leaking in through the window, which told him they were now traveling into the woodlands.
The fox is able to tell where they are based on the scent of the environment.
What does the following sentence tells you about the fox?
He would not displease his humans today.
The fox is loyal to his humans and would not make them unhappy.
What did Pax do after he nudged the toy soldier free and took it between his teeth?
"...he rose on his haunches to allow the boy to find him."
What effect does the 3 person limited point of view have on the reader?
The 3 person limited point of view builds a connection between the character that the narrator knows best with the reader.