Monster
In Monster, Walter Dean Myers weaves a tale that causes us to question what we know and believe about race, justice, and truth in American society today.
The author was curious about what leads a person from innocence to committing criminal acts and, eventually, entering prison. He spent many months interviewing killers, robbers, prostitutes, and drug dealers, and that extensive research infuses Monster with a gritty realism that is at once riveting and frightening.
Presented as a screenplay that the protagonist writes while on trial for felony murder, the story that unfolds in wrenching and provocative, and the reader is invited to draw his or her own conclusions about the events and participants surrounding a brutal crime.
Questions for Discussion, Pages 1-58
1. In the first five pages of he novel, the protagonist paints a stark and frightening picture of life in prison. What is he most afraid of?
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2. Based on the evidence, what was Steve’s role during the robbery?
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3. Should he have been charged with felony murder? Explain.
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4. In the opening credits to his movie, Steve writes that this is “the incredible story of how one guy’s life was turned around by a few events.” When does Steve lose control of his own fate? What could he have done differently to avoid the situation he finds himself in?
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5. Steve also writes that the story is “told as it actually happened.” Is that true?
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6. How does the fact that the story is told from Steve’s point of view influence what the reader knows about the events surrounding the robbery?
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7. How does the Petrocelli try to create an “us vs. them” scenario?
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8. What type of defense does O’Brien present on Steve’s behalf?
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9. What argument does Briggs present?
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10. Who is Jose Zinzi?
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11. What is the purpose of the Flashback with Tony?
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12. Who is Bolden? What is story?
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13. Prior to Steve being arrested, how does his little brother Jerry see him
How do you think this fact affects Steve?
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Assignment One: Monster
“One bad decision can leave to lasting scars”
Steve Harmon made the decisions participate in a robbery without really thinking about the consequences of his behavior. Everyday teens are faced with decision that could ultimately change the course of their lives. Write a response to one of the following quotes
Choices are the hinges of destiny.
“Everything is something you decide to do, and there is nothing you have to do”. ~Denis Waitley
“Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over, remembering them for the rest of our lives” anonymous
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MONSTER
Pgs 59-114
1. What does it mean when Steve states” “I guess making you live is part of the punishment”?
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2. Describe Steve’s courtroom dream. On a deeper level, what do you think it means?
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2. What is the significance of all the trivial banter that takes place between the guards?
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3. How does Briggs try to discredit Bolden’s story?
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4. What kind of relationship did Steve and Jerry have?
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5. How would the pictures of the crime scene sway the jurors?
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6. Why did King say that Steve pulled the trigger?
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7. What does the prisoner mean when he says, “How’s he gonna say he’s innocent? That’s why they holding the trial—so the jury can say if he’s innocent or not. What he says don’t even count.”?
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8. How does O’Brien believe that the jury sees Steve’s case?
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9. How does Osvaldo change from out in the street to in the courtroom
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10. Why did Osvaldo say he was afraid of Steve?
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11. Why does Steve think that O’Brien wants him to look at the pictures of Mr. Nesbitt?
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12. Why did Steve ask Miss O’Brien about herself?
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13.Why is Osvaldo’s testimony weak?
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14. What did Osvaldo have to do to get into his gang?
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15. What does Steve’s father say that makes him weep?
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16. Does Mr. Harmon believe his son is innocent or guilty? Why?
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MONSTER
Pages 115-151
1. Provide two adjectives that describe how Steve is feeling at the beginning of this section. Why does he feel this way?
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2. Why does the women’s conversation make Steve want to run?
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3. What does the basketball lying in the gutter symbolize?
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4. How does Steve react to seeing the crime on the news?
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5. How is Steve apprehended? How does his mother react? ______
6. What trick does Petrocelli pull during the trial on Friday, July10th?
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7. Where was Steve when Mr. Nesbitt was shot? What was he doing at that moment?
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8. What image does Steve paint about jail? On pages 128-130?
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9. How do Steve and King react when the Medical examiner explains how Nesbitt died?
Steve: ______
King:
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10. How might their reactions to the medical examiners testimony affect the jurors?
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11. Why shouldn’t Steve write anything in his notebook that he wouldn’t want the prosecutor to see?
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12. Why does Steve think Miss O’Brien believes he is guilty? Why does he care what she thinks?
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13. How does “Sunset” react to his guilt sentence?
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14. What does Steve compare his fear to?
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15. Although they are both in the same place, Steve does not see any similarities between himself and sunset. In his mind, what makes them different?
Sunset / Steve16. Why did it take Steve’s mama so long to come visit him in jail?
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17. When he guards searched his mother’s Bible, what was he hoping they might find?
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18. How did King convince Steve to be a part of the robbery? Do you thing this a technique that works in real life?
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Monster
Assignment 2
Gang violence shatters lives. Every day you see stories on TV news and read in newspapers about how gang violence disrupts lives and leaves a trail of brutality and blood. Yet everyday adolescents and teen’s allover North America are initiated into this lifestyle. Some are forced into gang life but many seemingly go willingly.
Explore the attraction of Gang life on the internet
In a well written opinion piece, explain why you feel some young people turn to a life of violent gang membership. (provide sources)
GANGS
Reality of Gang lifePossible reasons why y someone would join a gang
Monster
Pages 153-200
1. What is significant about the two men getting into a vicious fight in “church”?
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2. How does Steve explain the frequent number of fights that break out in the jail?
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3. What is ironic about “the no-kids in the visiting” area rule?
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4. What does Steve mean when he says “: They left and there was still too much Sunday left in my life”?
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4. Who is Lorelle Henry?
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5. How does Briggs try to discredit Ms. Henry’s testimony?
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6. Why does Briggs want King to write down questions for Bobo?
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7. Why did Bobo come to court in his prison uniform? Why does this concern Briggs?
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8. What did Bobo and King do after the murder? Why is this significant?
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9. How does Bobo describe Steve’s role in the murder?
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10. What happens when Briggs questions Bobo?
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11. How does O’Brien try to discredit Bobo’s testimony?
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12. If you were one of the jurors on this trial, at this point how would you see Steve Harmon? Explain
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MONSTER
(Pages 201-244)
1. When Steve says he understands why they take your shoelaces and belt, what does this tell us about how he feels?
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2. Why did Miss O’Brien have Steve write a list of people he loves and who love him?
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3. Who is Dorothy Moore?
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4. How does her testimony affect the case?
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5. What does Briggs try to prove with Nipping’s testimony? Is he effective?
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6. Why does Steve have to testify?
______7.What is the point of the cup game that O’Brien plays with Steve?
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8. What does Steve say he was doing on the day of the murder?
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9. What is the point of Mr. Mr. Sawicki’s testimony?
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10. What is the main thrust of Brigg’s closing argument?
Assignment Three FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
What are your family relationships like? How important is family to you? How important is family when you grow up in a disadvantaged situation? What do you think family means to Steve? Describe his relationships with his different family members.
Monster
Pages 244-End
1. What five things does O’Brien say in her closing arguments to try to prove Steve’s innocence?
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2. How does Petrocelli try to debunk what O’Brien has said about her client?
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3 What is the effect or repeating the lines “then you must return a verdict of felony murder?”
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4. What does the fact that the guards are betting on whether or not the boys will get life in prison suggest?
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5. What is meant by the term bravado?
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6. What does Petrocelli mean when she said Steve Harmon made a moral decision?
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7. What is the verdict?
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8. How doe Steve explain the distance between him and his father after the trial?
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9. Why does Steve continue to film himself?
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Assignment Four
Truth
Reread the prisoners’ debate on truth (pages 220-222). Who is right? What happens to truth in our legal system? Are people always encouraged to tell the truth? Are lawyers always most concerned with the truth? Are fact and non-fact the same as truth and non-truth? How might the characters in Monster answer this question?
MONSTER
Read the following quotations and explain what the words mean in context and discuss how they feel about the ideas expressed. (Unless otherwise indicated, the speaker is Steve.)
“This is not a movie about bars and locked doors. It is about being alone when you are not really alone and about being scared all the time” (p. 3-4)_ “Most people in our communities are decent, hardworking citizens who pursue their own interests legally and without infringing on the rights of others. But there are also monsters in our communities—people who are willing to steal and to kill, people who disregard the rights of others” (Petrocelli, p. 21).
“It’s funny, but when I’m sitting in the courtroom, I don’t feel like I'm involved in the case. It’s like the lawyers and the judge and everybody are doing a job that involves me, but I don't have a role. It’s only when I go back to the cells that I know I’m involved” (p. 59).
“Half of those jurors, no matter what they said when we questioned them when we picked the jury, believed you were guilty the moment they laid eyes on you. You're young, you’re Black, and you're on trial. What else do they need to know?” (p. 78–79).
“‘All they can do is put me in jail,’ he said. ‘They can’t touch my soul’ ” ( p. 89).
“I think about myself so much, about what’s going to happen to me and all, that I don’t think about my folks that much. I know [Mama] loves me, but I wonder what she’s thinking” (p. 91).
Seeing my dad cry like that was just so terrible. What was going on between us, me being his son and him being my dad, is pushed down and something else is moving up in its place. It’s like a man looking down to see his son and seeing a monster instead” (pp. 115–116).
“What did I do? I walked into a drugstore to look for some mints, and then I walked out. What was wrong with that? I didn’t kill Mr. Nesbitt… Sunset said he committed the crime. Isn’t that what being guilty is all about? You actually do something?” (p. 140).
“His film footage shows me what he’s seeing and, to a large extent, what he’s thinking. And what he sees, the humanity of it, speaks of a very deep character.... It is my belief that to make an honest film, one has to be an honest person” (Sawicki, p. 237).
“They are all equally guilty. The one who grabbed the cigarettes, the one who wrestled for the gun, the one who checked the place to see if the coast was clear”
(Petrocelli, p. 261).
MONSTER
Contemplative Questions
1. Steve imagines the defense attorney is looking at him and wondering “who the real Steve Harmon was.” Who is the real Steve Harmon? Is he a “monster,” as the prosecutor calls him? Why is it so important to Steve to have a better understanding of who he is?
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2. After a visit from his mother, Steve says, “I knew she felt that I didn’t do anything wrong. It was me who wasn’t sure. It was me who lay on the cot wondering if I was fooling myself.” Why does Steve begin to doubt himself? ______
3. The book’s characters are diverse in many ways, including race, background, and age. What makes the characters so realistic? How do they make the story and life in jail seem real? One of the prisoners, Acie, says, “All they can do is put me in jail. They can’t touch my soul.” What does he mean by this? Is he right?