Halloween Safety Message, Pigman Essay

Essay Outline – Choose ONE only

1. Below are some ideas presented in the novel that we might infer that the author believes to be true. Which of these, from your experience, do you believe to be true?
A. Each person’s life becomes what that person makes of it, e.g., a person who finds new experiences exciting will appreciate life more than someone who finds new things frightening.
B. People should never lose their child-like innocence.
C. Parents need to allow their children to associate with people other than family members.
D. Being an elderly person in today’s society may lead to extreme loneliness.
E. Compassion for others is vital to personal fulfillment.

2. Write a short essay in which you explain how foreshadowing is used in this novel to build interest and suspense.

Review Questions

We are finishing the reading of “The Pigman” today, so we can now look at some of the details of the story. What do we know about why the characters act the way they do? What does it say about life, family, society?

CH 9-11 Cause and Effect
Cause
When Norton was a child, other children made fun of him because . . .he liked to play with dolls
Effect
As a result of this experience, Norton now . . .is a tough guy

Cause
When John was ten years old, his father gave him . . .
Effect
As a result of this experience, John now . . .

Cause
When Mrs. Jensen was expecting Lorraine, Mr. Jensen . . .
Effect
As a result of this experience, Mrs. Jensen now . . .

Cause
Mr. Pignati’s wife has . . .
Effect
As a result of this experience, Mr. Pignati now . . .

Chapter 12 – 15
Vocabulary
hors d’oeuvres – n. foods served as appetizers (p. 75)
hovel – n. small, often dirty house; shack (p. 73)
incongruous – adj. dissimilar; not belonging together (p. 81)
infantile – adj. childish (p. 72)
proficiency – n. skill (p. 86)

1. In chapter 12, John starts to care about how his hair and clothes look. Whom does he want to impress? Why?
2. When Lorraine recalls her candlelight dinner with John, she says, “it was as if I was being told about . . . something beautiful waiting just for me.” What do you think that “something beautiful” is?
3. Briefly describe Lorraine’s nightmare about Mr. Pignati’s “pig room.” What incident does the dream foreshadow?
4. Why is John so upset when Norton breaks Mr. Pignati’s porcelain pigs? What do the pigs represent, or symbolize, to Mr. Pignati?
5. Why are John and Lorraine arrested? How do their parents react?
6. Why does John think about his father when Mr. Pignati dies?

Character Sketches

A character sketch is a description of a character. It covers aspects of that character such as their behavior, their values, and their morals. Very little emphasis is placed on the appearance of the character.

Using the information gathered on your Venn diagram, write a character sketch of either John or Lorraine. It should be no less than 6 sentences in length. It must have a good topic sentence and a conclusion. Try to make it as interesting as possible.

Questions

1. What happens to Mr. Pignati while he is roller-skating? How does Lorraine react to the incident? How does John react? Are their reactions what you expected? Explain.
2. When and why do John and Lorraine pretend to be Mr. Pignati’s children? Do you think that they would actually like to be his children? Why or why not?
3. What do you think will happen to John and Lorraine? to Mr. Pignati? In a paragraph or two, predict how the novel will end. Be sure to base your predictions on clues in the novel.

Thursday, October 24th

We had a shorten block today, as STUDENTS RECEIVED THEIR TERM ONE REPORT CARDS.

After reviewing the chapter 9 and 10 questions, we read chapter 11 and 12.

We also made sure our vocabulary lists from the start of semester were up to date, added our Pigman vocabulary, and made sure to note that WE HAVE A QUIZ ON TUESDAY on “The Pigman”.

Wednesday – Chapters 9 and 10

1. Why would John have anything to do with Norton?
2. Explain what Lorraine means when she says that her mother is “fixated on the subject of men.”
3. How does Lorraine lie about the stockings?
4. Why did John and Lorraine decide to tell Mr. Pignati the truth – that they were not collecting for charity?

Vocabulary (page, context, define)
1. obstacles –
2. interrogating –
3. assassin –
4. fixated –
5. realist –

Tuesday, Oct 22

Have the following questions completed before Wednesday’s class.

Chapters 7-8

1. Why do you think John liked going to the cemetery?
2. What is the difference between the way John’s father and Mr. Pignati treat John?
3. Why do you think Mr. Pignati said Conchetta was in California?
4. Why did Lorraine accept the stockings and other gifts from Mr. Pignati?
5. Why did John want to wear the roller skates in the store?

Vocabulary
1. ritual –
2. arsenal –
3. absurd –
4. suspicious –
5. voluptuous –
6. sanitation –

Chapter 5 & 6

Chapter 5

1. Why didn’t John want Norton to know about the L&J fund?
2. What is said by John that foreshadows that Norton is involved in the death of the Pigman?
3. What is John’s relationship with his parents like?
4. How does John convince Lorraine to go to Mr. Pignati’s to collect the money?
5. Why is the book entitled, The Pigman? What does Mr. Pignati collect and why?
6. When mentioning his wife, what does Mr. Pignati say and how does he react?

1. demented –
2. phenomenal –
3. juvenile delinquent –
4. subconscious –

Chapter 6

1. How does Lorraine’s mother make ends meet?
2. Why does Lorraine wear Ben Franklin glasses?
3. What were the “bad omens” at the zoo?
4. What is so unusual about Mr. Pignati’s best friend? What does Mr. Pignati’s choice of friend suggest about his life?
5. How do John and Lorraine feel about zoos?
6. Do John and Lorraine like Mr. Pignati? Why or why not? List three reasons.
7. What happens at their adventure at the zoo. List three things.

1. omens –
2. antagonist –
3. terminal –
4. dentures –
5. anxiety –

Independent Novel Study

Here are some more novels for young adults, recommended by the Coquiltam Public Library’s Y.A. librarian, Chris Miller:

Divergent / Insurgent / Allegiant by Veronica Roth (dystopian fiction; shares some similarities with the Hunger Games, but forges its own place in the dark future genre)
The Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (dystopian fiction; likely to remain popular with the release of the second movie in November)
Graceling / Fire / Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (fantasy fiction; gritty, philosophical; the first book is the best)
The Alchemyst series by Michael Scott (fantasy fiction set in the modern day, incorporating lots of mythological and historical allusions; not too challenging a read, but encourages additional research to learn the backgrounds of its various historical and mythological figures)
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (fantasy fiction; first book of the Ranger’s Apprentice series; easy but engaging read with likeable characters and a well-rendered world)
Rot and Ruin / Dust and Decay / Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry (zombie fiction, combining action, horror and a bit of philosophy)
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (science fiction; raises many ethical questions about warfare and childhood; movie release this fall)
World War Z by Maxwell Brooks (zombie fiction; explores a worldwide zombie apocalypse from personal, political and sociological perspectives; surprisingly thought-provoking)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a mainstay of many reading lists (realistic fiction; personal trauma causes a girl to go silent)
Little Brother / For the Win / Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow (hi-tech teens vs. The Man; Doctorow is a futurist who considers the sociological implications of technological change)
Spud by John Van de Ruit (diary-style tale of a boy entering private school in South Africa; mostly funny, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes rude)
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (dated in some respects, but still a powerful look at conformity and peer pressure in high school)
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (historical fiction; a girl and her family are transferred to a Siberian prison in Stalinist Russia; not to be confused with Fifty Shades of Grey)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (war fiction; a captured spy reveals her story to Nazi captors during the Second World War)
The Diviners by Libba Bray (historical/horror fiction; a girl with psychic powers begins tracking a ritualistic killer; set in 1920s New York; a long, challenging read with an exceptionally vivid setting)
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (science fiction; an oldie but goodie about a pizza deliveryman / samurai in a corporate-ruled version of America; action splits between the real world and a virtual reality version of Earth featuring electronic avatars; written for adults, but accessible to teens who are good readers; features a fair bit of violence, action, mystery, cool characters, and yes, a bit of sex)

For thoughtfully written relationship fiction, Sarah Dessen is a good bet.

More literary YA works:

The Pox Party / The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson (historical fiction set near the beginning of the American Revolution, exploring themes of freedom, power and personal choice)
The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey (horror fiction that avoids veering into the absurd; literate, gothic, philosophical and disturbing)

Chapters 3 and 4

1. Would you say that John is conceited? Why or why not?
2. What are Lorraine’s impressions of Dennis and Norton?
3. According to Lorraine, why did Mr. Pignati stay on the line?
4. Why did John become interested in Mr. Pignati?

Vocabulary – record the page and sentence in which it was used, and provide a definition in your own words

1. sanitarium –
2. marathon –
3. syndrome –
4. disinfectant –
5. philanthropy

New Novel – “The Pigman” by Paul Zindel

Today we started our new novel, “The Pigman” by Paul Zindel.

Chapter 1 and 2 Questions:

1. Why are John and Lorraine writing this story?
2. How does John feel about school? How did he act on his feelings when he was a freshman? How does he act on them now? What does this change in his behaviour tell you about him?
3. Why was John known as the “Bathroom Bomber?” What was the “supercolossal fruit roll?” How do you feel about this behaviour? Why?
4. How does Lorraine seem to feel about John?
5. What is Lorraine’s mother like?
6. Why does Lorraine feel sorry for Miss Stewart, the typing teacher?
7. In your opinion, who tells the story more accurately? Who do you prefer? Why?

Vocabulary – Record the page and sentence in which it was used, and provide a definition in your own words

avocation

paranoia

compulsive

commemorative

compassion