Smoky Nights

Character

100

How does Daniel feel in the beginning of the story? How do you know?

Daniel feels confused and scared in the beginning of the story. When they watch the riots in the street, he stands back, behind his Mama and asks about what the people are doing. He asks if they are stealing the television and if they will come to their building. It also says that he can’t sleep. This must be because he is scared of what is happening in the streets.

200

How do Mama's feelings towards Ms. Kim change throughout the story? Use text evidence to support your answer.

Mama's feelings change throughout the story. At first, she avoids Mrs. Kim, instead of going to Mrs. Kim’s market, she tells Daniel, "Its better if we stick to our own people.” Later, she realizes that even though they are different on the outside, that doesn’t mean they can’t get to know each other.

300

At the end of the story, Daniel holds back from saying two things. What doesn’t he say? Why does he hold himself back from speaking?

Daniel doesn’t say that Mrs. Kim’s cat is “fat and mean” because he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings since the cat is missing in the fire. He probably knows that Mrs. Kim is worried about her cat, just the way he is worried about Jasmine. Later, Daniel doesn’t say that it is bad for cats to drink milk because he realizes that it is more important that the cats have been found and that they are getting along. He is also probably grateful for the woman to offer any kind of food to the cats.

400

Why is Mama nervous at the end of the story?

Mama is nervous at the end of the story because she realizes that she has made a mistake by avoiding Mrs. Kim and she wants to reach out to Mrs. Kim. She pulls on her fingers right before she says to Mrs. Kim, “My name is Gena,” she tells Mrs. Kim. “Perhaps when things settle down you and your cat will come over and share a dish of milk with us.” This shows that she was nervous to speak up and reach out to Mrs. Kim.

Theme

100

What do the characters learn in the story?

The characters learn that even though they are different on the outside, they care about the same things. Both families were concerned about their cats. Daniel was worried about Jasmine and Mrs. Kim was worried about her big orange tabby cat. When the cats bonded during the fire, sticking together, and then later drinking from the same bowl they taught Daniel’s and his mother and Mrs. Kim that they could be friends, too.

200

What line in the story best represents the theme of the story?

“They probably didn’t know each other before,” I explain. “Now they do.” When Daniel says this about the cats as they drink from the same bowl of milk, everyone gets quiet. Daniel thinks he has said something wrong, but it the exact opposite, he has taught everyone to remember that they need to get to know one another before making judgments about each other.

300

Some people say, “Positive things can come from negative situations.” Describe how this message could be applied to the story, Smoky Night.

While the riot was terrible because of all of the destruction of property and the fire that could have wounded or killed Daniel and his neighbors, in the end of the story, Daniel’s mother realized that she could and should reach out to Mrs. Kim. The characters in the story learned that they should not be afraid of or stay away from people because they are different. Instead, they learned to reach out and get to know one another. This is a positive thing that came from a negative situation.

400

Name a theme of the story and use text evidence to support your thinking.

The story Smoky Night teaches readers to reach out to others, even if they seem different. When Daniel watches the cats drinking from the same bowl in the shelter and says, “They probably didn’t know each other before…now they do,” he names one of the themes in the story. The characters learn that they can get to know one another and perhaps form friendships even though they may be culturally different.

Author’s Craft

100

Whose perspective is the story told through?

Daniel is telling this story. We know because he explains everything that happens in the story.

200

Why might the author have chosen to tell the story from Daniel’s perspective?

This is a book written for kids, so it makes sense that the narrator would be a child. This way the reader can feel as though he or she is right there with the narrator, with Daniel. Also, the reader may have some of the same questions Daniel has and this way those questions can be answered. For example, when they watch the riots, Daniel asks his mom about what is going on and readers might be wondering, too.

300

Name a symbol in this story. Talk about how that symbol supports the theme of the story.

The two cats are symbolic of the relationship between Daniel’s mother and Mrs. Kim. The cats used to fight all the time, but during the fire, they huddled together and held paws, and later they drank from the same bowl. Similarly, Daniel’s mother and Mrs. Kim kept to themselves. The mother tells Daniel that it’s better if they buy from their own people. But after experiencing the riots, fire, and seeing the cats drinking from the same bowl, Daniel reminds people that it wasn’t that the cats didn’t get along, it was that they didn’t know each other. This prompts his mother to reach out to Mrs. Kim in order to get to know her even though they are different.

400

“I reach out and stroke Mrs. Kim’s big old orange cat, too. ‘Can you hear him, Mrs. Kim?’ I ask. ‘He’s purring!’” These are the last lines of the story. Why did the author probably choose to end the story this way?

Eve Bunting probably chose to end the story this way because it shows that everything is calm now. Everyone has survived the fire and they are safe in the shelter. With the cat purring it shows that the cat feels safe. It’s also important that Daniel is talking to Mrs. Kim about her cat because they never spoke to each other before, but the cats brought them together. 

Plot

100

Describe the setting after the rioting. Use at least two details from the text to support your answer.

Possible Answers: The streets were messy, were a disaster, or were unsafe after the riots. The streets were littered with broken glass, there were empty cartons, and street signs were on the ground.  There were flames in the distance, or the buildings were on fire.

200

How much time passes in this story? How do you know?

The story probably takes place in 12 hours or less. When the story begins, it is almost dark outside. Then, Daniel and his mother go to bed, but are woken in the night by the fire. They flee their building and go to a shelter where they are reunited with Jasmine the cat – all of this happens in a matter of hours. It is probably not yet morning when they are at the shelter.

300

Why is it important that the cats drink out of the same bowl?

It is important that the cats drink from the same bowl because this shows a big change. Before the fire, the cats used to fight all of the time. Now, since they have faced the fire together they realize that they can get along. The people in the story realize that even though they are different, they can get along, too – just like the cats.

400

What event changes the mood of the story?

When the firefighter finds the cats, the mood of the story changes from one of desperation or fear, to one of relief. In the beginning of the story, Daniel holds on to his cat, Jasmine, tightly as they watch the rioters in the street. In the middle when they escape the fire, Daniel is worried that Jasmine will not escape the fire. He keeps asking if anyone has seen his cat. At the end, he says, “Thank you. Thank you for finding her!" Daniel showed his gratitude toward the firemen, he was relieved that Jasmine had been found. Daniel said, "I like him so much. I wish I had a whole barrel of sugar for his drink." This shows the change in the mood of the story.