1.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
A Short Digest of a Long Novel

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
"I believe that the seasons of success
and failure are more violent in America
than anywhere else on earth."

3.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Innocence
Purity of Heart

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Muscial Example: “Innocence”
by Avril Lavigne
• began singing at 5
• first album at 16
• named Best New Artist in 2002
• 2007 third album, The Best Damn
Thing
• “Innocence”

5.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Song Excerpt
Waking up I see that everything is ok
The first time in my life and now it's so
great
Slowing down I look around and I am
so amazed
I think about the little things that make
life great
I wouldn't change a thing about it.
This is the best feeling

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
I found a place so safe, not a single
tear
The first time in my life and now it's
so clear
Feel calm, I belong, I'm so happy
here
It's so strong and now I let myself
be sincere
I wouldn't change a thing about it
This is the best feeling

7.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
This innocence is brilliant
I hope that it will stay
This moment is perfect
Please don't go away
I need you now
And I'll hold on to it
Don't you let it pass you by

8.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
New Vocabulary
Phrase
• Cynicism
• Optimism
• Pessimism
• Disillusionment
Means
• Tendency to believe
people are motivated only
by self-interest
• Tendency to see the best
• Tendency to see the
worst in things
• Disappointment when
expectations aren’t met

9.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
New Vocabulary
Phrase
• Exhilarate
• Malicious
• Extrovert
• Introvert
• Guffaws
• Bawling
Means
• Make someone happy
• Intending to harm
• Outgoing, personable
• Shy, reticent
• Loud laughter
• Loud crying

10.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
The Plot
Who? What? When?
Where? Why? How?
Main Idea?
A father watches as his daughter’s
innocence is destroyed.

11.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Plot Comprehension Questions
In the beginning, what does the father
compare his daughter to? Why?
How is the “jumping game” different
than other children’s games?
Line 73- What does “his heart wasn’t in
it” mean?

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Plot Comprehension Questions
What are the father’s complaints about
Billy?
How does his daughter react to Billy?
How does her reaction make the father
feel? Why?

13.
Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Plot Comprehension Questions
How does Billy betray the little girl?
Why does Billy betray the little girl?
What does the father compare the
betrayal too?
How is the daughter changed by her
fall?
Why does the father speak angrily with
the girl?

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
THEMES to Consider
Jealousy
Trust
Family
Growing Up
Love
Innocence / Loss of

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Literary Terms Review
Simile
explicit comparison with like or as
Examples:
... he saw a parachutist smashed like a
bug on a windshield when his chute...
(ln 95-97)

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
A Poem for Jessie
by Sonia Sanchez
your face like
summer lightning
gets caught up in my voice
and i draw you up from deep rivers
taste your face of a thousand names
see you smile
a new season
hear your voice
a wild sea pausing in the wind.

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Literary Terms Review
Metaphor
implied comparisons
Examples:
... He worries about her as a virgin
island in a lewd world... (ln 38)

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Literary Terms New
Imagery – using words to create vivid
pictures in the mind.
Uses Figurative Language
Uses Sensory Vocabulary

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
Your Thoughts
• Is the father’s jealousy reasonable?
Understandable?
• Is the father’s belief in the daughter’s
innocent perfection realistic?
Sustainable?
• Should the father have let Billy play
the game with the daughter?
• Should father’s be protective of their
daughters?

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Coleman’s Classroom www.clmn.net
For More Information
Email Mrs. C
ccoleman@clmn.net
Visit Coleman’s Classroom
www.clmn.net