Show:
Opportunities for Incisive Literary Analysis
Deep Thoughts for Analytical Minds
Tower Locations
Tower Terminology
Potpourri
100
DAILY TRIPLE: What is the significance of the broken spyglass? (Hint: Two part answer)
In Forrest's youth, it is a plaything that he and Ned share when imagining being pirate-fighting sailors/explorers; it is a symbol of their shared and rare imagination. As an adult, Ned returns the spyglass to Forrest, showing that Ned never forgot Forrest's sacrifice for him or their friendship, and Ned even became a successful sailor.
100
What is Rat's real name?
Ned
100
Where did Forrest and Rat most often meet?
Forrest's shed
100
Which vocabulary word best corresponds to the following definition?:"Owing gratitude or money for a service or favor."
Indebted
100
Which vocabulary word best corresponds to the following definition?:"A soldier stationed to keep guard or to control access to a place."
Sentry
200
What is etched on Maddy's ring, and how does it apply to the story told in this novel?
The ring is engraved with "Dree yer ain weird," which is Gaelic for "Face Up To Your Destiny." Answers may vary, but should at least discuss how this applies to Maddy and Forrest and their respective fates.
200
How is Forrest different from most kids his age?
He has greater responsibility and less dangerous work in his day-to-day job in the Tower, he exhibits imagination, he doesn't enjoy watching executions, etc.
200
DAILY DOUBLE: What is the name of the river that runs through London that most escaping prisoners escaped to?
The Thames
200
DAILY DOUBLE: Which vocabulary word best corresponds to the following definition?:"To delay leaving a place."
Tarry
200
What is it called when prisoners are allowed to freely roam The Tower?
Liberty of The Tower
300
How did Forrest handle his final encounter with the bullies? What changed that allowed Forrest to handle things this way?
Forrest essentially ignored them. His experiences with Maddy taught him about courage, and he realized that there were far more important matters in the world than dealing with those foolish goobers.
300
How does Maddy demonstrate that she is a good person?
Maddy reaches out to Forrest and Rat in friendship, she treats Tuck nicely (and Tuck responds in kind), and most of all, she gives Forrest her dead mother's ring, her only real prized possession, to free Rat from his indenture.
300
Where were prisoners publicly executed on the Tower grounds?
The Tower Green
300
Which vocabulary word best corresponds to the following definition?:"To suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it; assume."
Surmise
300
Which vocabulary word best corresponds to the following definition?:"To cajole."
Coax
400
What are some of the methods that Elvira Woodruff uses to characterize Simon Frick?
Answers must be specific! He is described as physically repulsive (appearance), no other character likes or trusts him (including Tuck and Forrest's father, two good judges of character), he mistreats children, tries to keep Rat's gold AND indenture (actions), etc.
400
In your opinion, did Forrest commit treason? Why or why not?
Answers may vary, but opinion must be supported by facts from the novel.
400
In which specific tower is Maddy held prisoner?
The Bloody Tower
400
Which vocabulary word best corresponds to the following definition?:"In low spirits from loss of hope or courage."
Despondent
400
What is the specific term for the type of Scottish rebel that Maddy and her family are accused of being?
Jacobite
500
Citing SPECIFIC examples, how is England described in the novel? How is Scotland described? What is significant about the differences between the two?
England: Grimy, sooty, accumulated human waste, rat-infested, only entertainment is public execution, etc. Scotland: Fields of flowers, bagpipes sounding through the hills, baby deer scampering around, etc. This is notable because England, particularly at the novel's beginning, are the "good guys," and yet England is so much more grim than the homeland of the "savage barbarians." This helps Forrest see that things are not necessarily as he has been told.
500
Discuss the scene where Maddy tells Forrest about her father. Focus especially on the following quote: "T'isn't killing that makes him brave...He loves as fierce as some would hate. T'is love that gives you courage, not hate."
Maddy is saying that true bravery in war comes from fighting out of love, defending what you care about most deeply, rather than out of hatred for the enemy.
500
What is the oldest location in the Tower of London?
The White Tower
500
Which vocabulary word best corresponds to the following definition?: "To beg earnestly or desperately to do something; to entreat."
Implore
500
Discuss the following quote from the novel: "My father says that war is not fair...and yet all my life he has taught me the importance of fairness in a man's character. Why is it that when people grow older, they say one thing yet do another?"
Answers may vary, but possible responses could touch on this being the moment where Forrest sees the world through adult eyes for the first time, this knowledge is enough to convince him to help Maddy, his Dad teaching Forrest a lesson on the nature of war, etc.