"My Brother's Keeper"
In the story, what is the conflict?
Jamie is conflicted about whether to tell the truth or not.
In the excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, what rite of passage is Marguerite experiencing?
Her 8th grade graduation
What type of figurative language is this? "Pride is a terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines."
Metaphor
The speaker of the poem is a child who doesn't want to turn ten years old.
What does the word prestigious mean?
Highly respected
What is ironic about Jamie being the one that takes care of his brother?
What happens at the graduation that puts a damper on the celebratory mood?
The speaker at the graduation program made her feel that the only way she and her classmates could be successful was to become athletes (prejudice against her race).
Why is the scarlet ibis a good symbol for Doodle?
Because both the ibis and Doodle are unique and awkward.
What point of view is used in the poem "On Turning Ten"?
First person point of view... "This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself" (24).
What does the word lithe mean?
What is one of the ways that the author contrasts Ted and Jamie?
They are very different in the way they respond to things. For example, when their parents died, Ted cried, and Jamie stood still and silent.
What happens to shift Marguerite's mood back to one of feeling victorious?
What foreshadows Doodle's death?
When the family watches the scarlet ibis die under the "bleeding" tree in their yard (107).
What is the poem "First Lesson" about?
This poem is about a father teaching his young daughter to swim.
What does the word bleak mean?
hopeless, depressing
True or False: Jamie is very tired of cleaning up his brother's messes.
True
Textual Evidence: We know this because it says that Jamie was bitter (147).
What is an autobiography?
An account of a person's life that is written by that person.
Why did Brother want to teach Doodle to walk?
He wanted to teach Doodle to walk because he was embarrassed.
In poetry, what is considered to be "free verse"?
Free verse is when there is no regular meter or rhyme.
What does the word menacing mean?
threatening
What is the surprise ending?
Even though Jamie has "saved" his brother Ted from many scrapes in the past, he chooses not to do so this time. He chooses to tell the truth.
What keeps the guards from killing Narguesse in "My Forbidden Face"?
The other women take off their chadris also and refuse to leave.
What type of figurative language is this? "... his eyes popped round like two blue buttons"
a simile
What line is repeated at the end of each stanza in the poem "Hanging Fire"?
"and Momma's in the bedroom with the door closed"
What does the word entrails mean?