mcdougal littell literature, grade 9 – student textbook (2008)

Clues Discovered

X-rays reveal an arrowhead buried deep in the Icemans left shoulderan injury that could not possibly have been self-inflicted. This discoveryconsequently led archaeologists to believe that the Iceman had been killed.The wound, visible as a small dark smudge beneath the mummys leatheryskin, had been overlooked in all previous examinations. Though no arrowshaft protrudes from the wound and no blood marks the arrows entrance,its now clear that the Iceman was shot in the back. But who did it? And why?

Differing Theories d

Theres no way anyone can ever really know, says archaeologist JohanReinhard, a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence. It mighthave been murder. Or it might have been ritual sacrifice.1

Reinhard knows mummies. Among the many he has discovered is theInca ice maiden, a victim of sacrifice, on the frozen slopes of Perus NevadoAmpato2 in 1995. His experience studying mountain cultures in the Andes,the Himalayas, and elsewhere has convinced him that the Icemans death wasnot a random killing.

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c TEXT FEATURESHow do these photographs support the main idea of the Clues Discovered section? Explain, citing details from the text and the photos.

d TAKE NOTESAs you begin reading the section about the controversy surrounding tzis death, take careful notes to keep track of the differing theories.

1. ritual sacrifice: a sacrifice that is part of a religious ceremony. 2. Nevado Ampato (nE-vPdI m-pPtI): a volcano in the Central Andes.

X-Ray Vision It was not until scientists performed a CT scana type of 3-D X-raythat they saw the arrowhead buried in the Icemans shoulder blade.

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who killed the iceman? 537

Look at where he died, Reinhard says. Its a prominent pass, betweentwo of the highest peaks in the tztal Alps. This is the kind of placewhere people from mountain cultures have traditionally made offeringsto their mountain gods. We know that mountain worship was importantin prehistoric Europe during the Bronze Age, he says. And there is goodevidence that it may also have played a role earlier, in the Copper Age.3

Reinhards interpretation seems to answer questions about artifacts foundwith the mummy that have long puzzled experts. For example, breakingobjects was a ceremonial practice in Neolithic4 Europe. This might explainthe broken arrows lying near the mummy. The Icemans copper axtheoldest prehistoric ax in Europe with its bindings and handle intactis alsosignificant. Its copper had to have been mined, and mountains, as the sourceof valuable metals used to make tools, were worshiped by miners throughoutthe world, says Reinhard. This helps explain why the ax was left with thebody after the killing. Murderers would likely have taken something souseful with them. But people performing a ritual might have left it for theIcemans use in the afterlife or as a tribute to the gods.

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e TEXT FEATURESExamine the map that accompanies this article. What information does it convey? List two details you can learn from this graphic aid.

artifact (rPtE-fBktQ) n.something created by humans, usually for a practical purpose

e

3. Bronze Age . . . Copper Age: The Bronze Age in Europe, when bronze tools began to be used, lasted roughly from 3500 b.c. to 1000 b.c. The Copper Age overlaps with the earliest part of the Bronze Age.

4. Neolithic (nCQE-lGthPGk): having to do with the prehistoric period when food growing began, but before metal tools were usedabout 4000 b.c. in Europe.

tzi was found at approximately 10, 500 feet in the tztal Alps on the border between Austria and Italy. After closely examining tzis clothing and possessionsincluding a sheath and dagger (shown at right)archaeologists realized they had uncovered a 5, 300-year-old find.

italy

austria Innsbruck

tztal Alps

Venice

switzerland

Where tzi Died

538 unit 5: authors purpose

Another clue: The Icemans body was found in a naturally formed trench along the pass. Prior explanations had him taking shelter there from sudden bad weather. But the trench is not deep and is at a high point of the pass. It would have been a poor place to sit out a storm, explains Reinhard. Perhaps, instead, the Iceman was buried there by whoever killed him, which would account for the bodys being so well preserved. f

Reinhards ideas have not been met with enthusiasm by European experts. In contrast with his beliefs, the mummys caretaker, pathologist Eduard Egarter Vigl of South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, believes that tzi may have been fleeing from an attacker, saying, The Iceman was hit by an arrow from behind. Others maintain that arrows arent efficient means of ritual killing and that no clear evidence of any other Copper Age sacrifice exists.

So Who Killed the Iceman?

They view the idea of human sacrifice as too sensational, says Reinhard. But they cant refute what Ive pointed out, and I believe my theory better explains the known facts.

I know its controversial, he admits. But its time to compile all the evidence and reexamine it from a different perspective. Lets look at these artifacts not only relative to each other but also within social, sacred, and geographical contexts.

A scientist examines the skeletal remainsof the Iceman.

f MONITOROne important part of monitoring your reading is evaluating the information thats provided. Do you find Reinhards theory convincing? Why or why not?

refute (rG-fyLtP) v.to prove false by argument or evidence

compile (kEm-pFlP) v.to put together by gathering frommany sources

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who killed the iceman? 539

g MONITORAs you read, stop to clarify: why does Dr. Charney call facial reconstruction a last resort at identification?

anthropology (BnQthrE-pJlPE-jC) n. the science or study of human beings, including their physical characteristicsand cultures

Dr. Michael Charney is an expert in forensic1 anthropology. His expertise has enabled him to take a few pieces of a skeleton found in Missouri and compile a portrait of a five-foot, 120-pound Asian woman in her mid-twenties. Still, that isnt enough to identify her.

The dead womans face needs to be brought back to life.

Reconstructing the likeness of a person in clay, using the skull as a guide, is a last resort at identification, Dr. Charney says. It gives police a new lead to follow, a visual clue that can be photographed and displayed in the media.

Facial reconstruction is not an identifying tool, he warns. The goal is to trigger someone to recognize the model and to identify the person through scientific means.

All thats needed is a general recognition that it looks like so-and-so, he says. g

Before re-creating a face, Dr. Charney and forensic sculptor Nita Bitner search the skull for signs of disease, injury, and structural defects.

We look for things that shouldnt be there, Bitner says. Sometimes we find broken noses, cuts, or dentures. These

affect the faces appearance and aid in the identification process. If the nose bone is curved to one side, for example, its important to show it in the face because its a distinguishing feature.

We have to be careful, how-ever, not to include anything that happened at the time of death, Bitner notes, because it wouldnt be recognizable to others.

Age also influences how a face is built. Wrinkled skin, which might help illustrate an older person, is often incorporated into a sculpture for accuracy.

After studying the Missouri womans skull, Bitner makes a latex mold and pours a plaster cast. Now shes ready to sculpt the face.

Dr. Michael Charney measures a skull with spreading calipers.

SkeletalSCULPTURES

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1. forensic: having to do with applying scientific methods to crime investigation.


h TAKE NOTESAs you read the numbered items in this section, record the steps of the process in your notes. For each step, include only the details that aremost important.

2. She then glues the rubber pegs to the skull cast.

3. Bitner connects the dots with strips of modeling clay. When attaching the strips of clay, she begins at the forehead and works her way down to the cheekbones, nasal area, chin, and mouth.

4. Once the dots are connected, Bitner fills in the spaces with clay and fleshes out the face. Now the prominent cheekbones of the Missouri woman become strikingly clear. Suddenly her broad face and delicate nose emerge.

1. Forensic sculptor Nita Bitner begins a facial restoration by cutting round rubber pegs into different lengths. The pegs, called landmarks, represent the thickness of the soft tissue (muscle, fat, and skin) at different points on the face. These tissue depths, which vary for men and women of varying ages, were first calculated from corpses by nineteenth-century scientists and later updated. h

skeletal sculptures 541

5. As Bitner smooths the clay with her thumb and fingers, the face develops like a photograph.

6. Bitner sets the plastic brown eyes in their sockets.

7. Next come the eyelids.

8. Bitner then sculpts the sides of the nose.

9. She measures the nose with a ruler to ensure it is the correct width.


10. Now its time to mold the upper lip.

11. The face is nearly complete. Because the Missouri woman is presumed to be Asian, Bitner will add a black wig. She will then add a scarf for a finishing touch.

12. The model is now ready to be photographed and publicized in the media so that millions of amateur detectives can help solve the riddle of her identity.

presumed (prG-zLmdP) adj. thought to be true presume v.

i TEXT FEATURESReview the photographs illustrating the process. Which step do you think is the most critical for transforming a skull into a recognizable human face? Explain your answer.

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skeletal sculptures 543


Comprehension 1. Recall Why is the Iceman nicknamed tzi?

2. Summarize What is Johan Reinhards theory about how the Iceman died?

3. Clarify What is facial reconstruction, and for what is it used?

Critical Analysis 4. Summarize Notes Review the notes you took as you read Skeletal

Sculptures. Using your notes, write one or two paragraphs summarizing the process of facial reconstruction.

5. Draw Conclusions In your opinion, is disagreement between scientists helpful or harmful to further investigation? Use evidence from Who Killed the Iceman? to support your conclusion.

6. Analyze Text Features Think about the information communicated by the text features in Who Killed the Iceman? If you had simply scanned the title, subheads, and graphic aids, would you have had an accurate idea of what the article was about? What information would you have missed? Explain.

7. Evaluate Examine the methods of investigation listed in the chart shown. Complete the chart, noting the information each method provided to the scientists studying the Iceman. In your opinion, which method yielded the most crucial information? Cite details to support your answer.

Method of Investigation Information Provided

X-rays of Otzi s shoulder

Analysis of where the body was found

Evaluation of artifacts found with the Icemans body

Reading-Writing Connection

Short Response: Compare and ContrastHow do Reinhards theories about the mummys death differ from those of the other scientists mentioned in Who Killed the Iceman? Using your notes and examples from the text, write one or two paragraphs comparing and contrasting Reinhards theories with the other scientists beliefs.

A successful comparisonwill . . . clearly explain each of the

differing theories offer specific details from

the text to support yourcomparison

writing prompt self-check

. .

After Reading

who killed the iceman? / skeletal sculptures 545

Vocabulary in Contextvocabulary practice

Decide whether these statements are true or false.

1. A wildflower originally identified centuries ago is an ancient artifact. 2. If I refute an argument, I make a convincing case against it. 3. To write a good report, you should compile information from

several sources. 4. A person interested in animal behavior might want to study anthropology. 5. Someone presumed to be at fault has already been proved wrong.

vocabulary in writingImagine you were the first scientist to reach the scene when the Iceman was discovered. Write four sentences you might have used if you had had to file a report about the discovery. Use at least three vocabulary words in your sentences.

vocabulary strategy: specialized fields, or ologiesThe words for many fields of study, such as anthropology, end with the Greek suffix -ology, meaning study of. The word for the person doing the studying often ends in -ologist, as in anthropologist. Many of these words, such as toxicology (the study of poisons), are recognizable because they have a familiar root. Others, like penology (the study of prisons), have a Greek or Latin root you may have to learn.

PRACTICE Choose the word in parentheses that fits each sentence. Use context clues, your knowledge of roots, or, if necessary, a dictionary.

1. Because his grandfather had Alzheimers disease, Jeremy decided to specialize in (gerontology, geology).

2. A (cosmetologist, criminologist) was brought in to examine the murder scene.

3. If you study (ornithology, psychology), you will become an expert on birds.

4. Please have your hearing checked by an (audiologist, ecologist). 5. Ed, an amateur (cytologist, herpetologist), viewed lizards, snakes,

and turtles near the beach. 6. Learning a little about (meteorology, oncology) helped me

anticipate thunderstorms.

word listanthropologyartifact compile presumedrefute

example sentence

The Icemans copper axe is an artifact that will help me determine just how old this mummy is.

vocabulary practiceFor more practice, go to the Vocabulary Center at ClassZone.com.

Before Reading

546

The Lost BoysMagazine Article by Sara Corbett

How far would you go to find

KEY IDEA Its impossible for most of us to imagine what it would be like to be a refugeesomeone who faces terrible danger in his or her home country and flees in search of freedom and protection. What would you do if you were imprisoned for your religious or political beliefs or harassed about the color of your skin? What would it take to make you leave your home and seek refuge in a strange, new place?

DISCUSS With a partner, discuss what it might be like to be forced to leave your home, your friends, your family, and everything familiar to you. Describe the one thing you would take with you if you had to leave quickly, and explain what you think you would miss most.

freedom ?

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the lost boys 547

elements of nonfiction: authors purposeAn authors purpose is what he or she hopes to achieve by writing a particular work. An author might write for any of several purposes:

to persuade to inform or explain to entertain to express thoughts and feelings

In fact, an author may have more than one purpose for writing a given piece. For example, an author could be attempting to persuade you to register to vote while also expressing feelings about democracy. Understanding the purpose of a text is essential to getting the most out of what you read. As you read The Lost Boys, use a chart to identify the purpose of key passages in the text.

reading skill: interpret graphic aidsMagazine articles like The Lost Boys often include graphic aidssuch as charts, maps, and photographsthat present key information.

As you read, examine the photographs in this article. Consider the subjects body language and facial expressions. What do they tell you about the subjects feelings or experiences?

As you study the map in this article, note details about Sudan. Where is this country? What features appear on the map? What else does the map communicate?

Review: Connect

vocabulary in contextThe words listed here are crucial to understanding the Lost Boys journey to freedom. Place each word in the column where it belongs. Define each word you know.

BackgroundA Devastating Division The young refugees profiled in this article are from Sudan, the largest country in Africa. Sudan has been torn apart by Africas longest-running civil war. Their country devastated by war and ravaged by religious conflicts, over 4 million Sudanese people have been driven from their homes, 2 million have died, and thousands more have been forced into slavery. Since 1955, Sudans Islamic fundamentalist government has fought against groups of rebels from southern Sudan. The government is intent on imposing Islamic law on the people of Sudan, while the southern Sudanese groups demand religious freedom and economic power. Peace talks aimed at ending the war have produced glimmers of hope, and on May 26, 2004, a power-sharing agreement was signed by both sides. However, further crisis broke out in western Sudan shortly thereafter, plunging the country back into chaos and creating more orphans and refugees.

building background To learn more about the Lost Boys

of Sudan, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

Sudan

africa

word list

boonexodus

fractiousmarauding

possesubsist

Passage

According to U.S. State Department estimates, some 17,000 boys were separated from their families. . . . (lines 2729)

Purpose

inform

Know Well Think I Know Dont Know

1. Nairobi (nF-rIPbC): the capital city of Kenya, a country in Africa. 2. Sudan: a country in eastern Africa northwest of Kenya. 3. Kakuma (kE-kLPm).

these young african refugees survived lions, crocodiles, and starvation. now theyre starting life over in america.

One evening in late January, Peter Dut, 21, leads his two teenage brothers through the brightly lit corridors of the Minneapolis airport, trying to mask his confusion. Two days earlier, the brothers, refugees from Africa, had encountered their first light switch and their first set of stairs. An aid worker in Nairobi1 had demonstrated the flush toilet to themalso the seat belt, the shoelace, the fork. And now they find themselves alone in Minneapolis, three bone-thin African boys confronted by a swirling river of white faces and rolling suitcases.

Finally, a traveling businessman recognizes their uncertainty. Where are you flying to? he asks kindly, and the eldest brother tells him in halting, bookish English. A few days earlier, they left a small mud hut in a blistering-hot Kenyan refugee camp, where they had lived as orphans for nine years after walking for hundreds of miles across Sudan.2 They are now headed to a new home in the U.S.A. Where? the man asks in disbelief when Peter Dut says the citys name. Fargo? North Dakota? You gotta be kidding me. Its too cold there. Youll never survive it!

And then he laughs. Peter Dut has no idea why. bIn the meantime, the temperature in Fargo has dropped to 15 below. The

boys tell me that, until now, all they have ever known about cold is what they felt grasping a bottle of frozen water. An aid worker handed it to them one day during a cultural orientation session at the Kakuma3 Refugee Camp, a place where the temperature hovers around 100 degrees.

Peter Dut and his two brothers belong to an unusual group of refugees referred to by aid organizations as the Lost Boys of Sudan, a group of roughly 10,000 boys who arrived in Kenya in 1992 seeking refuge from their countrys

The

a GR APHIC AIDSThis photograph was taken shortly after the Dut brothers arrived in North Dakota. What do their facial expressions and body language suggest about their comfort level in their new surroundings?

b AUTHORS PURPOSEThe writer begins this article with an anecdote instead of immediately presenting statistics about Sudan. How does this choice affect your perception of the subject matter?

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sara corbettLost Boys


fractious civil war. The fighting pits a northern Islamic government againstrebels in the south who practice Christianity and tribal religions.

The Lost Boys were named after Peter Pans posse of orphans. According toU.S. State Department estimates, some 17,000 boys were separated from theirfamilies and fled southern Sudan in an exodus of biblical proportions afterfighting intensified in 1987. They arrived in throngs, homeless and parentless,having trekked about 1,000 miles from Sudan to Ethiopia, back to Sudan,and finally to Kenya. The majority of the boys belonged to the Dinka or Nuertribes, and most were between the ages of 8 and 18. (Most of the boys dontknow for sure how old they are; aid workers assigned them approximate agesafter they arrived in 1992.)

Along the way, the boys endured attacks from the northern army andmarauding bandits, as well as lions who preyed on the slowest and weakestamong them. Many died from starvation or thirst. Others drowned or wereeaten by crocodiles as they tried to cross a swollen Ethiopian river. By the timethe Lost Boys reached the Kakuma Refugee Camp, their numbers had beencut nearly in half.

To U.S.

sudan

central africanrepublic

democratic republic of congo

uganda

kenya

ethiopia

posse (pJsPC) n. a band

exodus (DkPsE-dEs) n. a mass departure

marauding (mE-rPdGng) adj. roaming aboutin search of plunder maraud v.

c GR APHIC AIDSList two details included on the map that are not provided in the article. What do you think is the most important piece of information communicated by this map?

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Kakuma Refugee Camp

250 km

250 miles

the lost boys perilous journey to freedom

Sudan

africa

c

fractious (frBkPshEs) adj. hard to manage or hold together; unruly


In 1992, roughly 10,000 boys from Sudan poured into a refugee camp in Kenya.

subsist (sEb-sGstP) v. to support oneself at a minimal level

Now, after nine years of subsisting on rationed corn mush and lentils and living largely ungoverned by adults, the Lost Boys of Sudan are coming to America. In 1999, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which handles refugee cases around the world, and the U.S. government agreed to send 3,600 of the boys to the U.S.since going back to Sudan was out of the question. About 500 of the Lost Boys still under the age of 18 will be living in apartments or foster homes across the U.S. by the end of this year. The boys will start school at a grade level normal for their age, thanks to a tough English-language program at their refugee camp. The remaining 3,100 Lost Boys will be resettled as adults. After five years, each boy will be eligible for citizenship, provided he has turned 21.

nighttime in america?On the night that I stand waiting for Peter Dut and his brothers to land in Fargo, tendrils of snow are snaking across the tarmac. The three boys file through the gate without money or coats or luggage beyond their small backpacks. The younger brothers, Maduk, 17, and Riak, 15, appear petrified. As a social worker passes out coats, Peter Dut studies the black night through the airport window. Excuse me, he says worriedly. Can you tell me, please, is it now night or day?

This is a stove burner. This is a can opener. This is a brush for your teeth. The new things come in a tumble. The brothers home is a sparsely furnished, two-bedroom apartment in a complex on Fargos south side. Rent is $445 a month. It has been stocked with donations from area churches and businesses: toothpaste, bread, beans, bananas.

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the lost boys 551

A caseworker empties a garbage bag full of donated clothing, which looks to have come straight from the closet of an elderly man. I know how lucky the boys are: The State Department estimates that war, famine, and disease in southern Sudan have killed more than 2 million people and displaced another 4 million. Still I cringe to think of the boys showing up for school in these clothes.

The next day, when I return to the apartment at noon, the boys have been up since 5 and are terribly hungry. What about your food? I ask, gesturing to the bread and bananas and the box of cereal sitting on the counter.

Peter grins sheepishly. I suddenly realize that the boys, in a lifetime of cooking maize and beans over a fire pit, have never opened a box. I am placed in the role of teacher. And so begins an opening spree. We open potato chips. We open a can of beans. We untwist the tie on the bagged loaf of bread. Soon, the boys are seated and eating a hot meal. d

living on leaves and berriesThe three brothers have come a long way since they fled their village in Sudan with their parents and three sistersall of whom were later killed by Sudanese army soldiers. The Lost Boys first survived a 6- to 10-week walk to Ethiopia, often subsisting on leaves and berries and the occasional boon of a warthog carcass. Some boys staved off dehydration by drinking their own urine. Many fell behind; some were devoured by lions or trampled by buffalo.

The Lost Boys lived for three years in Ethiopia, in UN-supported camps, before they were forced back into Sudan by a new Ethiopian government no longer sympathetic to their plight. Somehow, more than 10,000 of the boys miraculously trailed into Kenyas UN camps in the summer of 1992as Sudanese government planes bombed the rear of their procession.

For the Lost Boys, then, a new life in America might easily seem to be the answer to every dream. But the real world has been more complicated than that. Within weeks of arriving, Riak is placed in a local junior high; Maduk starts high school classes; and Peter begins adult-education classes.

refugee bluesFive weeks later, Riak listens quietly through a lesson on Elizabethan history at school, all but ignored by white students around him.

Nearby at Fargo South High School, Maduk is frequently alone as well, copying passages from his geography textbook, trying not to look at the short skirts worn by many of the girls.

Peter Dut worries about money. The three brothers say they receive just $107 in food stamps each month and spend most of their $510 monthly cash assistance on rent and utilities.

Resettlement workers say the brothers are just undergoing the normal transition. Scott Burtsfield, who coordinates resettlement efforts in Fargo through Lutheran Social Services, says: The first three months are always the toughest. It really does get better.

d AUTHORS PURPOSEWhat is Corbetts purpose in lines 7077? Explain, citing specific details from the passage.

boon (bLn) n. a benefit; blessing

70

80

90

100


The Lost Boys can only hope so; they have few other options. A return tosouthern Sudan could be fatal. There is nothing left for the Lost Boys to gohome toits a war zone, says Mary Anne Fitzgerald, a Nairobi-basedrelief consultant.

Some Sudanese elders have criticized sending boys to the U.S. They worrytheir children will lose their African identity. One afternoon, an 18-year-oldLost Boy translated a part of a tape an elder had sent along with many boys:He is saying: Dont drink. Dont smoke. Dont kill. Go to school every day,and remember, America is not your home. f

But if adjustment is hard, the boys also experience consoling moments.One of these comes on a quiet Friday night last winter. As the boys make a

dinner of rice and lentils, Peter changes into an African outfit, a finely wovengreen tunic, with a skullcap to match, bought with precious food rationsat Kakuma.

Just then, the doorbell rings unexpectedly. And out of the cold tumble fourSudanese boysall of whom have resettled as refugees over the last severalyears. I watch one, an 18-year-old named Sunday, wrap his arms encouraginglyaround Peter Dut. Its a hard life here, Sunday whispers to the older boy,but its a free life, too.

e GR APHIC AIDSWhat can you infer about Riaks experiences at his junior high in North Dakota based on this photograph? Explain your answer.

f CONNECTThink about what its like to receive instructions from a parent or other adult. Do you think these taped messages will influence the boys? Explain.

Riak Dut, shown here in his school lunch line, eats alone most days.

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the lost boys 553

Comprehension 1. Recall Why did the Lost Boys leave Sudan?

2. Summarize What hardships did the boys endure as they fled from their homes in Sudan to the refugee camp in Kenya?

3. Clarify How did Peter Duts friend comfort him at the end of the article?

Critical Analysis 4. Connect Think back to the discussion you had about what it might be like to

be forced from your home. Did reading about these young refugees change your feelings at all? Explain why or why not, citing details from the selection.

5. Analyze Characterization How would you describe the Dut brothers? What details caused you to form this impression? Use a spider map like the one shown to record the detailssuch as the boys words, or statements about themthat influenced your opinion. Then describe the brothers in one or two sentences.

6. Interpret Graphic Aids Examine the map on page 550 and the photographs on pages 549, 551, and 553. Which was most effective at helping you under-stand the Lost Boys experiences? Which had the strongest effect on you? Explain, describing the type of information conveyed by each graphic aid.

7. Evaluate Authors Purpose Review the chart you filled in as you read. What do you think is Corbetts primary purpose? Which purpose does she achieve most effectively? Explain your answers, citing evidence from the text.

Reading-Writing Connection

My Impression of the Dut Brothers

Detail

Detail Detail

Detail


After Reading

Short Response: Analyze a ProblemOf all the struggles these refugees faced in America, which do you think must have been the most difficult? Consider the alienation caused by culture shock, financial hardship, loneliness, and the new climate. Write one or two paragraphs explaining your view, citing evidence.

A strong analysis will . . . demonstrate a thorough

understanding of the boys ordeal

incorporate relevant and convincing examples from the text to support your opinion

writing prompt self-check

the lost boys 555

word listboonexodusfractiousmaraudingpossesubsisting

Vocabulary in Contextvocabulary practice

Choose the word that is not related in meaning to the other words. 1. migration, exodus, consolation, flight 2. boon, building, structure, edifice 3. conspiring, ravaging, plundering, marauding 4. amusement, posse, recreation, entertainment 5. subsist, survive, manage, reconsider 6. irritable, divisive, fractious, connected

vocabulary in writingImagine you are a journalist writing about the conflict in Sudan. Write headlines that could appear above your story, using each vocabulary word at least once.

vocabulary strategy: the latin root fractThe vocabulary word fractious contains the Latin root fract, which means to break. This root may also appear as frag and fring. To understand the meaning of words with these root forms, use context clues and your knowledge of the root.

PRACTICE Choose the word from the word web that best completes each sentence. Use context clues to help you or, if necessary, check a dictionary.

1. Dont put _____ objects where children can reach them. 2. _____ of the shattered glass still lay on the floor. 3. The protesters feared that the police would _____ on their rights. 4. Because water will _____ light, a pencil in a glass of water will look broken. 5. Any serious _____ of the rules will be punished by a two-day suspension. 6. He suffered a hairline _____ of his collarbone.

example headline

Civil War Causes Exodus as Refugees Flee for Their Lives

fragments fragilefract

(frag, fring)

infringe

fracture

refract

infraction

vocabulary practiceFor more practice, go to the Vocabulary Center at ClassZone.com.

556 unit 5: narrative structure

MediaStudy

News Reports TV Newscast Clip / Web News Report on MediaSmart DVD

How do you get the news?KEY IDEA When you need to know the latest news, where do you turn? To the nearest TV or radio? To the Internet? To the nearest friend? Some people get their news through brief summaries, while others seek forms that are chock-full of details. The two news formats youll explore, a segment of a TV newscast and an article from a news Web site, will shed light on the different ways the news media can cover the same event and the advantages and disadvantages of news formats.

BackgroundDigging for News The news event youll investigate took place in Somerset, Pennsylvania, in 2002. Nine coal miners were trapped nearly 240 feet underground in a mineshaft that was filling up rapidly with icy water. Mining crews worked frantically to drill a rescue shaft and construct a basket of steel-wire mesh to transport each miner. During four very tense days, new developments about the rescue effort flowed from a variety of news sources, including TV- and radio-network newscasts, newspaper reports, and Internet news services.

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media study 557

Media Literacy: News FormatsNews formats are packaged in a variety of ways, not only to deliver information but to get and keep an audiences attention. Shown below are features of two electronic news sources.

The anchor introduces the news story with a lead-in. Then the scene cuts to video footage, which is shot and edited to illustrate the events of the news story. As the footage plays, the anchor or a field reporter describes the details.

The voice-over is the unseen reporters voice that plays over the images. A voice-over makes a news story easy to follow.Sound bites, brief statements from interviews with experts or witnesses, can provide details and stir emotions.

Advantages TV news stories can be aired as

soon as the event is known. A typical news segment lasts

30 seconds to 2 minutes. This allows more news stories to be reported in a short period of time.

Video and audio give a story immediacy and drama.

Disadvantages Because a news segment is

short, it may not cover an event thoroughly enough.

Sometimes stations go live, or air a story, before all the facts are gathered.

features of a tv newscast

Menus on the page help users to navigate the site.The lead, the first sentence (or first few sentences), starts the report.Captions explain the photographs or other visuals.Hyperlinkstypically, highlighted words, phrases, or imagesallow users to jump directly to updates or more information.Quotations from those involved add human interest.

Advantages Breaking stories can be posted

and updated at any time. Space is usually not a limitation.

A Web news report can run for an indefinite length.

Streaming video or animations bring the scene to life.

Disadvantages Web articles may not be

accessible to everyone. Sometimes stories are posted

so quickly that the facts may be inaccurate.

features of a web news report

in depthreport

1

2

3

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strategies for viewing In any news format, look for answers to the 5 Ws and the H questions: Who? What?

Where? When? Why? and How? Be sure you can spot the lead. Try restating the lead in your own words to be sure it

covers all the essential details.

Viewing Guide for News ReportsBoth the NBC video clip and the CNN.com news report were originally presented the day after the rescue. The video clip, as an in-depth news feature, lasts longer than a typical news segment.

View the clip several times and take as much time as you need to look over the Web report. As you explore these two news formats, consider how each delivers the facts and take note of the specific techniques each uses to capture attention.

1. Summarize In a brief statement, describe how the coal miners were rescued. Base the statement on the TV newscast.

2. Clarify In using the Web news site, what would you need to do to find additional information about Randy Fogle?

FIRST VIEWING: Comprehension

now view

TV News Segment Web News Report

3. Draw Conclusions By TV news standards, the newscast youve viewed is much longer than a typical news story. Basic news stories range in length from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Why do you think so much time is devoted to this story?

4. Analyze Techniques The TV newscast includes sound bites from two rescued miners and from certain officials. The Web news report includes quotations from similar sources. Why do you think both news formats included such information?

5. Compare Formats Youve examined how two news formats covered the same event. Use a Venn diagram to compare how the TV news segment and the Web news report are alike and different.

CLOSE VIEWING: Media Literacy

Both

MediaSmart DVD News Format 1: Nine Coal Miners

Brought Up Safely Genre: TV newscast Running Time: 4.5 minutes

News Format 2: All Nine Pulled Alive from Mine

Genre: Web news report

Media Study

media study 559

Write or DiscussCompare the News Formats Which news formatthe TV news segment or the Web news reportis more effective at covering the rescue? Explain your opinion. Keep the following criteria in mind:

the effectiveness of the lead in each format in delivering the important facts about the rescue

the techniques used to capture and keep your interest the time or space limitations of each format

Produce Your Own MediaCreate a News Segment Select an article from your school newspaper or from a community newspaper. Determine how you would create an update to the article in the form of a TV news segment. Then divide into teams to draft a script, conduct interviews, and plan to shoot the video footage of the segment.

HERES HOW Work in the assigned planning groups to address these questions: Who would be the anchor and the on-camera reporter? Whom would you interview for sound bites? What lead-in would your anchor provide? What voice-over would you need to include to structure the story? What video footage would you shoot?

student modelwhat viewers see

ON-CAMERAREPORTER BIANCA

EXTDAY

1. LS of reporterstanding with a groupof student protestersin a parking lot.

CUT TO:

MS of BIANCA

2. Quickly zoom out to aVWS that reveals thepotholessome ratherdeepdotting the lot.

what viewers hear

BIANCA:

Since the start of theschool year, a growinggroup of students atOptima High believethe school parkinglot to be in need ofa makeover. . . .

BIANCA:. . . an extrememakeover.

in depthreporta lot of trouble

Tech TipYou might use a design program to create a graphic for the report.

shot key

LS Long Shot

MS Medium Shot

VWS Very WideShot

EXT Exterior

what viewers see what viewers hear shot key

media toolsFor help with creating a news segment, visit the Media Center at ClassZone.com.

Media Study

Before Reading

560 unit #, unit title

The Open WindowShort Story by Saki

How should you treat a guest ?KEY IDEA Youre sitting at home when the doorbell rings. Instead of the pizza-delivery guy you were expecting, its an uninvited guest. If that guest happens to be your best friend, you now have someone fun to share your pizza with. If, however, that guest is someone you would rather not hang out with, what should you do?

DISCUSS In your opinion, do you have an obligation to treat a guest, invited or not, with hospitality? Discuss your opinion with a small group of classmates. Talk about the obligations you have as a hostespecially to a guest you would rather not spend time with. Are there minimum standards you have to meet in order not to be rude? After youve discussed these questions, think about whether or not your opinion has changed and, if so, why.

560

literary analysis: tone and authors purposeA writers tone, or attitude toward a subject, can often reveal his or her purpose. Just as you might use one tone of voice to make a joke and another to criticize someone, writers use different tones to accomplish different purposes. A writers tone may be playful or solemn, sarcastic or admiring. Figuring out the writers tone can help you decide what his or her purpose might be. As you read Sakis famous short story The Open Window, ask yourself

Does the narrators description of other characters reveal whether Saki is portraying them in a favorable or an unfavorable light?

Does Saki use formal or informal language? What effectdoes this create?

Review: Point of View

reading strategy: predictTo make predictions about characters, try the following strategies:

Think about each characters personality. How might someone with these traits respond to conflict or to new situations?

Consider different characters actions. What might happenas a result of these actions?

Use your own experience. If you were ever in a situation similar to the one in the story, how did it turn out?

As you read The Open Window, stop occasionally to predict what might happen next. Record text clues that help you make reasonable guesses, and check your predictions against what actually happens.

the open window 561

Text Clues

Mrs. Sappleton has had a great tragedy. (line 26)

My Prediction

She will still be very sad, even though it happened years ago.

Actual Outcome

Also Known As . . . Saki is the pen name of Hector Hugo Munro, a British author best known for his satirical short stories. Munro was born in Burma, a country in Asia then controlled by the British. When he was very young, his mother was killed in an accident. His father sent Munro and his siblings to England to be raised by their aunts, two old women who believed in old-fashioned discipline.

Sakis Saga When he was 23, Munro returned to Burma to join the military police. Stricken with malaria a year later, he gave up his badge and his pet tiger cub and returned to England to try his hand at writing. As he embarked on his literary career, he picked up the name Saki from the Rubiyt, a long poem by 12th-century Persian writer Omar Khayym. Although he wrote nonfiction, political cartoons, novels, and plays, Saki is most famous for his short stories, which are praised for their whimsical humor and shrewd social criticism. When World War I began, the writer rushed to enlist. During a night march through France in 1916, he was shot and killed by a German sniper.

BackgroundRidiculing the Rich The Open Window depicts the world of the British upper class in the early 1900s. Saki, himself a member of the upper class, often ridiculed the customs of high society. For instance, he made fun of the fact that people were expected to present formal letters of introduction when visiting strangers and poked fun at the nerve cure, a trip to the countryside to treat anxiety.

more about the author For more on Saki, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

Saki18701916

My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel, said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; in the mean-time you must try and put up with me.

Framton Nuttel endeavored to say the correct something that should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come. Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much toward helping the nerve cure1

which he was supposed to be undergoing. aI know how it will be, his sister had said when he was preparing to

migrate to this rural retreat; you will bury yourself down there and not speak to a living soul, and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there. Some of them, as far as I can remember, were quite nice.

Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was presenting one of the letters of introduction, came into the nice division.

Do you know many of the people round here? asked the niece, when she judged that they had had sufficient silent communion.

Hardly a soul, said Framton. My sister was staying here, at the rectory,2

you know, some four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here.

He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.Then you know practically nothing about my aunt? pursued the self-

possessed young lady.Only her name and address, admitted the caller. He was wondering

whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the married or widowed state. An undefinable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.3

1. nerve cure: a treatment for nervousness or anxiety. 2. the rectory (rDkPtE-rC): the parish priests house. 3. masculine habitation: that men lived there.

The Open Windows a k i

a TONE AND AUTHORS PURPOSE Paraphrase lines 37. So far, how would you describe Sakis tone, or his attitude toward this character? Explain your answer, citing evidence.

ANALYZE VISUALSThe narrator describes the niece as self-possessed, or confident and in control. In your opinion, does the young woman in this painting look self-possessed? Explain, citing the details that influenced your opinion.

Veil of Elegance, Peter Miller. Private Collection. The Bridgeman Art Library.

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Her great tragedy happened just three years ago, said the child; that would be since your sisters time.

Her tragedy? asked Framton; somehow in this restful country spot tragedies seemed out of place.

You may wonder why we keep that window wide open on an October afternoon, said the niece, indicating a large French window4 that opened on to a lawn.

It is quite warm for the time of the year, said Framton; but has that window got anything to do with the tragedy? b

Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their days shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to their favorite snipe-shooting ground they were all three engulfed by a treacherous piece of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered. That was the dreadful part of it. Here the childs voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human. Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back some day, they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in that window just as they used to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt, she has often told me how they went out, her husband with his white waterproof coat over his arm, and Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing Bertie, why do you bound? as he always did to tease her, because she said it got on her nerves. Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walkin through that window

She broke off with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when theaunt bustled into the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in making her appearance.

I hope Vera has been amusing you? she said.She has been very interesting, said Framton. cI hope you dont mind the open window, said Mrs. Sappleton briskly;

my husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting, and they always come in this way. Theyve been out for snipe in the marshes today, so theyll make a fine mess over my poor carpets. So like you menfolk, isnt it?

She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds, and the prospects for duck in the winter. To Framton it was all purely horrible. He made a desperate but only partially successful effort to turn the talk on to a less ghastly topic; he was conscious that his hostess was giving him only a fragment of her attention, and her eyes were constantly straying past him to the open window and the lawn beyond. It was certainly an unfortunate coincidence that he should have paid his visit on this tragic anniversary.

4. French window: a pair of windows that extend to the floor and open like doors.

b POINT OF VIEW Is this story told from the first-person or the third-person point of view? Explain how you determined this, citing evidence.

c PREDICTWill Nuttel say anything to Mrs. Sappleton about her great tragedy? Give reasons for your prediction.

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The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise, announced Framton, who labored under the tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of ones ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure. On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement, he continued. d

No? said Mrs. Sappleton, in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment. Then she suddenly brightened into alert attentionbut not to what Framton was saying.

Here they are at last! she cried. Just in time for tea, and dont they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes!

Framton shivered slightly, and turned toward the niece with a look intended to convey sympathetic comprehension. The child was staring out through the open window with dazed horror in her eyes. In a chill shock of nameless fear Framton swung round in his seat and looked in the same direction.

In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn toward the window; they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk:

I said, Bertie, why do you bound?Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and

the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision. e

Here we are, my dear, said the bearer of the white mackintosh, coming in through the window; fairly muddy, but most of its dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?

A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel, said Mrs. Sappleton; could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of goodbye or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost.

I expect it was the spaniel, said the niece calmly; he told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges5 by a pack of pariah dogs6, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him. Enough to make anyone lose his nerve.

Romance7 at short notice was her specialty.

5. Ganges (gBnPjCz): a large river in northern India. 6. pariah (pE-rFPE) dogs: dogs that have escaped from their owners and become wild. 7. romance: highly imaginative fiction.

d TONE AND AUTHORS PURPOSE Is the language Saki uses to describe Nuttels endless discussion of his health formal or informal? Explain the tone this languagehelps convey.

e GRAMMAR AND STYLEReread lines 8991. Saki uses the adverbs wildly and dimly to emphasize Nuttels desperate flight from the house.

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the open window 565

Comprehension 1. Recall Describe the great tragedy that Vera relates to Mr. Nuttel. According

to Vera, why does her aunt keep the window open?

2. Recall Why does Nuttel leave so abruptly, and how does Vera explain his frantic departure?

3. Paraphrase Reread the storys final line. Then restate it in your own words.

Literary Analysis 4. Draw Conclusions A surprise ending is an unexpected twist at the end of

a story. Reread lines 1525 and think about Veras behavior. Now that you know how The Open Window ends, what would you say was Veras motive for asking Nuttel each question listed in the chart shown?

5. Evaluate Predictions Review the chart you created as you read. How accurate were your predictions? If they were very accurate, describe the clues that allowed you to make such on-target guesses. If your predictions were off, explain how Saki caught you by surprise.

6. Analyze Point of View Saki uses a third-person omniscient narrator in The Open Window. The narrator is an outside voice that gives you access to the thoughts and feelings of all the characters and relates events that may be happening simultaneously. How would the end of this story be different if it were told exclusively from Nuttels point of view? Explain your answer.

7. Analyze Tone and Authors Purpose Think about Sakis use of formal language to describe silly situations, as well as his depiction of Mr. Nuttel. From Sakis tone, what can you infer about his purpose? Explain what he might be trying to tell his readers about people like Mr. Nuttel. Cite evidence from the text to support your analysis.

Literary Criticism 8. Critical Interpretations According to critic Rena Corb, the successful ending

of this story depends on the readers belief, along with Nuttels, that Vera is telling the truth. Whether you, like Nuttel, fell for Veras story or you knew she was lying to her guest all along, explain why you agree or disagree with Corbs assertion. Support your opinion with evidence from the selection.

Veras Question

Do you know many of the people round here? (line 15)

Then you know practically nothing about my aunt? (line 21)

Motive


After Reading

Reading-Writing ConnectionExtend your interaction with The Open Window by responding to these prompts. Then use Revision: Grammar and Style to improve your writing.

revision: grammar and styleADD DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS Review the Grammar and Style note on page 565. Through his use of descriptive adverbs, Saki gives the reader a greater sense of the urgency with which Nuttel flees the scene. Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs should accurately and descriptively convey where, when, how, or to what extent something is happening. In the following excerpts, notice how the adverbs Saki uses reveal important details about Veras character:

That was the dreadful part of it. Here the childs voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human. (lines 4042)I expect it was the spaniel, said the niece calmly; he told me he had a horror of dogs. (lines 9899)

Notice how the revisions in red make this first draft more descriptive. Revise your responses to the prompts by using similar techniques.

A. Short Response: Predict Nuttels ReactionImagine that Framton Nuttel learned the truth about the Sappleton tragedy. How might he respond to the news? Write one or two paragraphs describing how Nuttel might feel and act upon learning that he had been tricked.

A successful response will . . . describe in clear detail how

Nuttel might act when he learns Vera has tricked him

convey what Nuttel might be thinking, based on the traits he exhibits in the story

B. Extended Response: Analyze CharactersHow would you describe the characters of Vera and her guest, Framton Nuttel? Is Vera deceitful or just imaginative? Is Nuttel stupidly gullible, or is he simply a trusting person? Write a three-to-five-paragraph response, citing evidence.

A strong analysis will . . . discuss three features of each

characters personality use examples from the story

to support your ideas

writing prompts selfcheck

Vera is clever. She knows she will have a few minutes alone with Mr. Nuttel,

so she decides to toy with him. She has made up stories like this before, since

it takes her very little time to describe the events to Mr. Nuttel.

student model

clearly

cunningly

spontaneously

elaborately

writing toolsFor prewriting, revision, and editing tools, visit the Writing Center at ClassZone.com.

the open window 567

Before Reading

568 unit #, unit title

from The House on Mango StreetFiction by Sandra Cisneros

What storieswill you tell your children?KEY IDEA Whether its a tale about the sweet taste of victory or a description of a devastating loss, you have important stories to tell. These stories, if you choose to tell them, will someday be the next generations legacystories, beliefs, and traditions passed on from one generation to the next.

PRESENT With a classmate, share a few stories you might want to tell your kids someday. Then pick your favoritemaybe its the funniest, or the most outrageous, or the one that says the most about you. With a small group, take turns telling your chosen tales. Explain why these are the stories you would pass on to the next generation.

568

literary analysis: authors perspectiveJust as your own experiences influence the way you think about different issues, a writers personal experiences affect the way he or she approaches a topic. When you analyze an authors perspective, you work to figure out how the writer looks at his or her subject. As you read this excerpt from The House on Mango Street, think about Sandra Cisneross perspective on the narrators circumstances.

Pay attention to the writers choice of details. In these vignettes, Cisneros describes a rundown house in vivid detail. What do her descriptions of its small windows, crumbling bricks, and tiny yard help emphasize?

Consider direct statements of the narrators thoughts or feelings. What kind of person is she?

As you read, consider what these details and statements reveal about Cisneross ideas, as well as her feelings about what its like to grow up in a place like the house on Mango Street.

Review: Tone

reading skill: make inferences about characterWriters dont usually spell out every single thing their characters are thinking and feeling. They often leave it up to the reader to make inferences about what isnt directly stated. As you read the following vignettes, keep track of significant details that tell you something about the narrators background, personality, and feelings. Then record what you can infer from these details.

the house on mango street 569

Defining Her Destiny Sandra Cisneros grew up in a male-dominated household where her father and six brothers were the authority figures. She quietly rebelled against the traditional role she was expected to play as a Mexican-American female, writing in secret until she went away to college. The author now uses her work to give voice to the experiences of Mexican-American women. Im trying to write the stories that havent been written, Cisneros explains. Im determined to fill a literary void.

Latina Power Much of Cisneross writing deals with the shame of poverty and the guilt that comes with rejecting certain aspects of ones culture. Her poetry and prose have received critical acclaim. I am a woman and I am a Latina, the author says proudly. Those are the things that make my writing distinctive. Those are the things that give my writing power.

BackgroundNo Place Like Home When Cisneros was young, her family moved frequently from Chicago to Mexico City and back again. She never remained in one place long enough to make close friends, and she longed for a perfect house like the ones she read about and saw on TV. When she was 11, Cisneros and her family finally moved into a shabby house in a poor Chicago neighborhood. The rundown house was not the dream home she had longed for. Esperanza Cordero,the narrator of The House on Mango Street,faces similar issues.

more about the author For more on Sandra Cisneros, visit the

Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

Sandra Cisnerosborn 1954

Details from the Text

Esperanzas family has moved around a lot, and she doesnt sound very happy about that. (lines 13)

When the family moves to Mango Street, they finally get their own house. But Esperanza says that it s not the house wed thought wed get. (line 9)

My Inferences

Esperanza probably wishes her family could just stay in one place and not move around so much.

The ouse on ango treet We didnt always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I cant remember. But what I remember most is moving a lot. Each time it seemed thered be one more of us. By the time we got to Mango Street we were sixMama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, my sister Nenny and me.

The house on Mango Street is ours, and we dont have to pay rent to anybody, or share the yard with the people downstairs, or be careful not to make too much noise, and there isnt a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom. But even so, its not the house wed thought wed get.

We had to leave the flat1 on Loomis quick. The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldnt fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons. Thats why Mama and Papa looked for a house, and thats why we moved into the house on Mango Street, far away, on the other side of town. a

They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldnt have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked. And inside it would have real stairs, not hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on TV. And

1. flat: an apartment on one floor of a building.

angotreetThe ouse on

Sandra Cisneros

ANALYZE VISUALSWhat effect is created by the heightened colors and blurred lines in this image? Explain your answer.

a MAKE INFERENCES ABOUT CHAR ACTER Reread lines 614. What can you infer about the familys economic circumstances? Explain your answer.

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wed have a basement and at least three washrooms so when we took a bath we wouldnt have to tell everybody. Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed.

But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. Its small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small youd think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in. There is no front yard, only four little elms the city planted by the curb. Out back is a small garage for the car we dont own yet and a small yard that looks smaller between the two buildings on either side. There are stairs in our house, but theyre ordinary hallway stairs, and the house has only one washroom. Everybody has to share a bedroomMama and Papa, Carlos and Kiki, me and Nenny.

Once when we were living on Loomis, a nun from my school passed by and saw me playing out front. The laundromat downstairs had been boarded up because it had been robbed two days before and the owner had painted on the wood YES WERE OPEN so as not to lose business.

Where do you live? she asked.There, I said pointing up to the third floor.You live there?There. I had to look to where she pointedthe third floor, the paint

peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldnt fall out. You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded. b

I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isnt it. The house on Mango Street isnt it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.

y ameIn English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing. c

It was my great-grandmothers name and now it is mine. She was a horse woman too, born like me in the Chinese year of the horse2which is supposed to be bad luck if youre born femalebut I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, dont like their women strong.

My great-grandmother. I wouldve liked to have known her, a wild horse of a woman, so wild she wouldnt marry. Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. Just like that, as if she were a fancy chandelier. Thats the way he did it.

2. Chinese year of the horse: In the traditional Chinese calendar, each succeeding year is named after 1 of 12 animals. People born in the year of the horse are thought to be energetic and quick-witted.

b MAKE INFERENCES ABOUT CHAR ACTERReread lines 3343. Consider the narrators reaction to the nuns remark. What do these lines reveal about the narrators feelings?

c TONE Reread lines 4750. Identify striking words or phrases in this paragraph. What tone does Cisneross word choice convey? Explain your answer.

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d AUTHORS PERSPECTIVEReread lines 5163. What cultural expectations and values does Cisneros reveal in these paragraphs?

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And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldnt be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I dont want to inherit her place by the window. d


At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is made out of a softer something, like silver, not quite as thick as sisters nameMagdalenawhich is uglier than mine. Magdalena who at least can come home and become Nenny. But I am always Esperanza.

I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do.

ango ays oodbye ometimes I like to tell stories. I tell them inside my head. I tell them after the mailman says, Heres your mail. Heres your mail he said.

I make a story for my life, for each step my brown shoe takes. I say, And so she trudged up the wooden stairs, her sad brown shoes taking her to the house she never liked.

I like to tell stories. I am going to tell you a story about a girl who didnt want to belong.

We didnt always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, but what I remember most is Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong but do not belong to.

I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free. e

One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away.

Friends and neighbors will say, What happened to that Esperanza? Where did she go with all those books and paper? Why did she march so far away?

They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out.

e AUTHORS PERSPECTIVE Reread lines 8385. What might the author be saying about the power of writing? Explain your answer.

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Comprehension 1. Recall Describe Esperanzas house on Mango Street.

2. Recall What does Esperanzas name mean in English?

3. Clarify What does Esperanza mean when she refers to her home as the house I belong but do not belong to?

Literary Analysis 4. Make Inferences About Character Review the inferences you made about

Esperanza as you read. Based on your inferences, what conclusions can you draw about this character? List the adjectives you would use to describe Esperanza, and then explain why you chose each. Cite evidence to support your conclusions.

5. Understand Tone How would you describe Cisneross tone in these vignettes? Jot down words and phrases that stood out to you, and think about the tone they help create. Describe Cisneross tone in a sentence or two.

6. Interpret Text Reread lines 5163 and consider Esperanzas feelings about her legacy. She says she doesnt want to inherit her great-grandmothers place by the window. What does she mean? What else doesnt she want to inherit? Explain your answer.

7. Draw Conclusions Consider Cisneross statement on page 569 that she strives to write the stories that havent been written. On the basis of what you know about her, why do you think Cisneros chose to tell Esperanzas story? Explain your answer, citing evidence.

8. Analyze Authors Perspective Think about the details Cisneros includes in these vignettes, as well as Esperanzas feelings about her life. Then consider what you learned about Cisneros in the biography and background on page 569. What do you think is Cisneross perspective on growing up poor? Use evidence from the selection as well as details from the biography to support your answer.

Literary Criticism 9. Authors Style Cisneros says that in writing The House on Mango Street

she was trying to write something that was a cross between fiction and poetry. In your opinion, are these vignettes more like verse or more like fiction? Consider the authors choice of words and details as well as what she communicates with each vignette. Defend your answer with evidence from the selection.


After Reading

writing prompt 1Writing for the Real World Problems exist at school, at home, in your community, and in the world at-large. Sometimes writing about a problem can help you find a solution. Choose a problem that deeply interests you, and write an essay in which you define the problem, examine its causes, and explore possible solutions. Problems to Explore environmental issues, such as acid rain or noise

pollution issues at school, such as video cameras in the

hallways, locker searches, or metal detectors

writing prompt 2Writing from Literature Sometimes, something you read makes you think about a problem in a new way. Choose a problem you found in a literary work that you want to explore. Write an essay in which you describe the problem and identify a possible solution. Selections to Explore Island Morning (homesickness) The Lost Boys (adjusting to a new life)

Problem-Solution Essay writers road map

key traits1. ideas

States the problem in a clearly worded thesis statement

Explores the causes and effectsof the problem

Addresses different solutions Chooses the best solution and

supports it with relevant details2. organization

Shows the significance of the problem in the introduction

Uses transitions to connect ideas Follows a consistent organizational

pattern Concludes with a strongly stated

call to action3. voice

Tone is suited to topic, audience,and purpose

4. word choice Uses precise words to convey the

problem and solution 5. sentence fluency

Uses a variety of sentence types6. conventions

Employs correct grammar and usage

writing toolsFor prewriting, revision, and editing tools, visit the Writing Center at ClassZone.com.

Problem-Solution EssayWhat problems have you encountered in your life? How did you solve them? Writing about a problem can help you clarify possible solutions and persuade others to take action. To learn how to write about problems and solutions that matter to you, consult the Writers Road Map.

WritingWorkshop


Part 1: Analyze a Student Model

Karen ConboyBelleplaine Academy

The Disappearing Arts

Walking down the halls at Belleplaine Academy isnt like it used

to be. No new artwork decorates our school, and the paintings and

sculptures from years past are becoming dusty. Instead of the sweet

sounds of the swing choir or the sharps and flats of an orchestra tuning

up, there are only slamming doors and shuffling feet. Why? After the

state legislature reduced funding for education, our local school board

eliminated arts classes. Students must have a chance to learn about and

practice fine arts, or we will miss out on a vital part of our education.

The two major causes of eliminating arts classes are money and

priorities. Our state has serious budget problems, and the first programs

to get cut are so-called nonessential subjects, such as the arts and

physical education. Many administrators and teachers believe that

schools have to concentrate on traditional subjects, such as reading,

history, math, and writing, so that students can get into college

and compete for jobs. As a result, the arts are a low priority; theyre

considered extras.

However, the arts deserve to be a higher priority. Participating in the

arts can help motivate and focus students. A Stanford University study

showed that young people who participate in the arts are four times as

likely as nonparticipants to be recognized for academic achievement and

more than four times as likely to perform community service. Learning

to draw, paint, act, dance, sing, or play an instrument can build

confidence. A chance to create or perform can encourage a reluctant

student to keep attending school. Also, learning about the arts can give

Transitions connect ideas.

The writer provides relevant statistics and reasons to explain why her position is valid. Tone is appropriate to her audienceanyone who cares about education.

The writer explores the causes and effects of the problem.

Vivid description in the introduction hooks the reader. Thesis statement explains the problem and its significance.

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key traits in action

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writing workshop 577

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us new ideas about what careers to pursue after graduation.

How can we solve this problem? Some people want to pressure

the state legislature to increase the amount of money it provides for

education. They suggest letter-writing campaigns and even marching

to the capitol. With more money, they argue, local school boards could

restore the programs and classes theyve had to cut. The legislature has

made it clear, however, that it cant provide money that it doesnt have.

We cant count on financial help from the state, so the best solution

is to start thinking creatively and provide our own arts education. For

example, students could start our own after-school and weekend arts

activities. We could plan visits to local art museums and galleries. We

might also start student-run arts clubs, such as a photography club for

students interested in learning how to shoot and print photos, or a

theater club for those who want to see locally produced plays. Teachers

can also get involved, sponsoring clubs and using online resources from

organizations such as Americans for the Arts to bring arts education

into their classes. Furthermore, community members can be a valuable

resource. Local artists, actors, and musicians might be persuaded to

donate some time to teach young people about their particular crafts.

Budget cuts do not have to signal the end of arts education. We can

do for ourselves what the state is unable to do. With determination,

passion, and creativity, we can fill the halls of Belleplaine with art and

music once again.

The writer varies sentence types, using an occasional question to add interest to her writing. She addresses different solutions to the problem.

A strong conclusionuses precise words(determination, passion, creativity) to call audience members to action.

She offers what she considers the best solution and supports it with relevant details.

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Environment

the West Side landfill summer ozone alerts

Privacy

no lockers at school cameras in the malls food court

School

no fine arts classes security guards

Get teachers involved

Bring in local artists

More money from state

After-school activities

Protest at state capitol

Letters to representatives

No fine arts classes

*

1. Analyze the prompt.Look closely at the prompt you chose on page 576. Circle the words that tell you what to do.Think about how you will choose a problem and how you will structure your essay.

2. Consider possible problems.Think of some general categories of problems to explore. List each category on a sheet of paper and under each write whatever specific problems come to mind. Put a star next to the problem you want to write about.

3. Brainstorm possible solutions.Now that youve selected a problem to write about, you need to consider possible solutions. Create a graphic organizer, such as a cluster diagram, to write down all the ways the problem might be solved.

Dont edit as you brainstorm. Write down every possible solution you can think of.

4. Collect supporting details.Find details that support your solution. You might interview people, do research in newspapers or magazines, or check out relevant Internet sites.

Ideas for Sources

local newspaper school librarian the Internet

What Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?

Questions to Ask

What arts programs exist in our community?

What sources outside of school can help?

Writing Workshop

prewriting

Part 2: Apply the Writing Process


writing prompt Problems exist at school, at home, in your community, and in the world. Sometimes writing about a problem can help you fi nd a solution. Choose a problem that deeply interests you, and write an essay in which you defi ne the problem, examine its causes, and explore possible solutions.

Its clear from the prompt that my essay will be organized into three partsthe problem, its causes, and its solutions.


drafting

4. Address different solutions.People see problems and solutions from different points of view. Discussing a variety of solutions lets your reader know that youve looked at the issue from all sides.

For more advice as you draft, consult the key traits on page 576 and the rubric and peer-reader questions on page 582.

1. Identify the problem and its significance.Early on in your essay, let your readers know what problem you are addressing. Also, give them some sense of why the problem is important to you.

Students must have a chance to learn Problemabout and practice fine arts, or we will Significancemiss out on a vital part of our education.

What Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?

2. Decide where to state your solution.Some writers choose to state the solution right after they identify the problem. Other writers prefer to state the problem, discuss its causes, and then propose a solution.

3. Explain causes and effects.Every problem has at least one cause. Likewise, an important problem has significant effects. Be sure to provide details, such as facts, statistics, examples, and quotations, to make causes and effects clear.

(Paragraph 1) Local school board eliminated artsclasses . . . Problem

(Paragraph 2) The two major causes . . . Causes(Paragraph 4) How can we solve this problem? . . . Solution

Causes:no money in budget

arts not a priority

How can we solve this problem? Some people want to pressure the state legislature to increase the amount of money it provides for education. They suggest letter-writing campaigns and even marching to the capitol. With more money, they argue, local school boards could restore the programs and classes theyve had to cut. The legislature has made it clear, however, that it cant provide money that it doesnt have.

Effects on Students:arts classes cut

money put toward moretraditional subjects

drafting


What Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?revising and editing

1. Provide a hook. Draw a box around the first two or three

sentences of your essay. Do they capture your readers attention?

If not, add a vivid description, a bit of dialogue, or an interesting fact or statistic.

2. Add supporting details. Underline supporting details in your essay. If you have few words or phrases

underlined, add interesting facts, statistics, examples, or quotations to make your writing more informative.

3. Address different solutions thoroughly. Number the parts of your essay where

you discuss different solutions. Add additional solutions or details to

further clarify your argument.

4. Strengthen the conclusion. Ask a peer reader to draw a wavy line under

parts of your conclusion that seem weak or vague.

How well does the conclusion sum up your ideas? Strengthen your conclusion so that it reinforces what has gone before.

See page 582: Ask a Peer Reader

Budget cuts do not have to signal the end of arts education. We can do for ourselves what the state is unable to do. With determination, passion, and creativity, we can fill the halls of Belleplaine with art and music once again.

Many administrators and teachers believe that schools have to concentrate on traditional subjects so that students can get into college and compete for jobs. , such as reading, history, math, and writing,

Walking down the halls at Belleplaine Academy isnt like it used to be. No new artwork decorates our school. Instead of the sweet sounds of the swing choir, there are only slamming doors and shuffling feet. Why? After the state legislature reduced funding for education, our local school board eliminated arts classes.

For example, students could start our ownafter-school and weekend arts activities. We could plan visits to local art museums and galleries.

We might also start student-run arts clubs. such asa photography club or a theater club.

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Writing Workshop

What Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?revising and editing


Problem-Solution Essay

Apply the RubricA strong problem-solution essay . . .

clearly identifies the problemhelps the reader understand the issues involvedanalyzes the causes and effectsof the problemincludes relevant facts, statistics, examples, or quotationsexplores more than one possible solutionpersuasively supports the most suitable solutionuses language and a tone thatare appropriate to the audienceuses a variety of sentence types

Ask a Peer Reader How would you describe the

problem I wrote about? How could I explain the causes

and effects more clearly? What could I add or subtract

to improve my conclusion?

Add Transition Words

Check Your Grammar Use a comma before the conjunction that

joins the two main clauses of a compound sentence.

Our state has serious budget problems, and the first programs to get cut are so-called nonessential subjects, such as the arts and physical education.

Use a semicolon to join the parts of a compound sentence if no coordinating conjunction is used.

As a result, the arts are a low priority ; theyre considered extras.

See page R63: Compound Sentences

publishing optionsFor publishing options, visit the Writing Center at ClassZone.com.

assessment preparationFor writing and grammar assessment practice,go to the Assessment Center at ClassZone.com.

Preparingto Publish

For Introducing Causes and Effects

afteras a resultbecausebeforeconsequently

for this reasonif . . . thensincesotherefore


Producing a Video DocumentaryA video documentary can dramatize the problem you explored andthe solution you proposed. Follow these guidelines.

Planning the Documentary 1. Create a script. Use your essay as the basis for the script of your

documentary. Your script will contain narration, stage directions, camera directions, and directions for inserting interviews.

2. Create a storyboard. Use sketches to illustrate, shot by shot, what viewers will see. Think about including various shots: close-ups, medium shots, and establishing shots.

speaking and listening

Voice-over: Students are missing out on an important part of a well-rounded education.

Voice-over: Some people want to pressure the state legislature to increase education funding.

Voice-over: But without financial help from the state, the best solution is to start thinking creatively.

Producing the Documentary 1. Shoot the footage and record the voice-over. Using your completed

script and a digital camcorder, shoot the scenes that will make up your finished documentary. Get help from students and teachers who are willing to appear in your video. Record the voice-overthe narrative the viewers will hear.

2. Wrap it up. Using video-editing software, edit your documentary until youre satisfied with the sequence of scenes. Add a title screen, credits, and music if appropriate.

Reading Comprehension

DIRECTIONS Read the following selections and then answer the questions.

His Name Was PeteWilliam Faulkner

His name was Pete. He was just a dog, a fifteen-months-old pointer, stillalmost a puppy even though he had spent one hunting season learning to bethe dog he would have been in another two or three if he had lived that long.

But he was just a dog. He expected little of the world into which he camewithout past and nothing of immortality either:food (he didnt care whatnor how little just so it was given with affectiona touch of a hand, a voicehe knew even if he could not understand and answer the words it spoke); theearth to run on; air to breathe, sun and rain in their seasons and the coviedquail which were his heritage long before he knew the earth and felt the sun,whose scent he knew already from his staunch and faithful ancestry beforehe himself ever winded it. That was all he wanted. But that would have beenenough to fill the eight or ten or twelve years of his natural life because twelveyears are not very many and it doesnt take much to fill them.

Yet short as twelve years are, he should normally have outlived four of thekind of

mcdougal littell literature, grade 9 – student textbook (2008)

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