The Group
Vocabulary
placid - spell t- o dissemble- seasoned - helve - to regard - gnomes - rick - gravity - intensity - vowing - to crystallize - verge - co-operative - to stir up - dissent - able-bodied - to harry - to contain (2x) - rallying points - a bustling - uncannily - to jolt - to beckon - temperament - acquisition - corrupt - immoral - incentive - awkward - public apology - confirmatory - bigots - searing - sullied - peroration - scathed - hireling - pulpit - trenchant - authority - religious mania - slander - to waive - oblivion - strands - Newf - traps - deceits - ecclesiastical - penance - restoration - pestilence - unrevealed - precedent - irreligious - sub judice - spinney - pedant - demise - rectitude - attested pedigrees
Analysis
- In Chapter Four, a series of successive crises temporarily relieve David of his concern for Sophie. List these crises.
- Why does Uncle Axel warn David about his gift?
- David never asks his father about the Spider Man from the Fringes. Who do you guess he was? Does it explain in some way Mr. Strorm's efforts to rid the region of deviations?
- What does the incident about Angus Morton's great horses tell you about the people's general attitude towards deviations?
- In what ways has the climate of Labrador changed since Tribulation? Why doesn't the author give you this information in a straight forward manner, and instead lets in come out, during David's talk with Sophie?
PREPARE
Making New Year's resolutions is one way many people prepare themselves for a new year. Prepare means "to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity." It comes from the Latin word parare, meaning "to set in order; get ready". Below are ten words spawned by parare. Can you use them correctly in the sentences that follow?
inseparable - irreparable - preparation - preparatory - separate - reparable - reparation - separable - separation - repair
1. The people from Waknuk failed to _______________ themselves properly for an attack by the people from the Fringes. (process of making ready)
2. _______________ from civilization and banishment to the Fringes was a punishment for all mutants. (a parting of company)
3. The crises David encounters in this chapter are just _______________ trials for what is to follow. (characterized as preliminary to something else)
4. Mr. Strorm had to pay _______________ for the damage he had done to Ben Daker's wife in connection with the tailless cat. (paying of compensation)
5. There were few manuals in Waknuk explaining how to _______________ anything because the farmers had learned by watching their fathers. (restore or make good)
6. Equipment in Waknuk was so simple that everything was _______________. (capable of being repaired)
7. Stating that all mutations should be destroyed and really doing so were two ____________ issues in Waknuk. (not associated or connected with)
8. The math problem is _______________ into three different questions. (capable of being taken apart)
9. If David hadn't been warned by his uncle, _______________ damage would have been done. (that cannot be repaired or mended)
10. David's gift and his whole attitude towards the society he lived in were _______________. (that cannot be parted)
YOUR TURN
Mastering a Skill
As David uses his E.S.P. talent, he is mastering the skill of communicating with it. Think of a skill you have mastered. Skate-boarding, swimming, a video-game, ping-pong, photography, drawing, dancing, diving, knitting, gardening, riding a bike, building a campfire, cooking, ice- skating, sewing, flying a paper aeroplane, typing, and delivering a speech are a few examples out of many more. Write an essay about "conquering" your skill.
You might begin by explaining how and why you were attracted to this skill. Then outline the steps you took in becoming proficient at it. If you had setbacks - and most people do - mention them. At the end, describe your moment of personal conquest. Be sure to include:
* the objective or goal
* an indication of the setting
* a description of any obstacle that occurred
* how the obstacle was overcome
* your feelings about it
REVISING
* Read your essay over and cross out any details that seem unimportant
* Make certain the steps are presented in chronological order.
* Ask yourself if your imagery is vivid enough. If not, you might want to substitute more descriptive words and phrases.
* Use a figure of speech to make at least one point. For example, instead of saying how good you feel about mastering your skateboard, you could say: "...it came to me that a ghost or a spirit was controlling the board's movements as I ..."
