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Introducing for one more day
Before you begin for one more day, have students brainstorm about the meaning behind the title, and what value they place on one day, 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes in their own lives. Students should read the end papers, front and back inside flaps, which will give them a synopsis of for one more day.
Ask your students if they have ever read another book by Mitch Albom, and if they did were there common themes and tones that ran through them?
Ask your students if they ever wished they could have more time with someone that they cared about that is no longer living?
Students should think about if they have ever wished for something and then were sorry when it actually came true; their expectations may not have been congruent with reality?
This story takes place in the 1950’s. It is important to pay close attention to the values of that time period and how it affects the point of view of Chick/Charley who is telling his life story.
What connotations (emotional connections) do divorce, alcoholism, nostalgia, redemption, and appreciation bring to mind? What do you think about when you hear or read the phrases “the power of love,” and “life and death”?
Figurative language is embedded in this narrative fiction book. To increase comprehension and appreciation of this story, it would be advantageous to understand types of figurative expressions as idioms, metaphors, smiles, and aphorisms. As you read for one more day try to identify those words or phrases in the story.
Visual imagery is key to absorbing the essence of this story. Throughout the book encourage students to picture what they are reading (like an ongoing movie) involving the emotions, behaviors, and conversations of the characters.
There are vignettes throughout for one more day titled Times My Mother Stood Up for Me and
Times I Did Not Stand Up for My Mother. While reading each one think about the relationship and communication between Chick/Charley, his mother Pauline/Posey and how the narrative structure directs you to respond in a sad, angry, sympathetic, suspicious, happy, positive, or negative way.
*Note- for one more day is the book that was chosen college-wide by Metropolitan Community College to be the book of choice for the 2007-2008 school year. Metro Community College has a college-wide book club, Metro Reads. Every student, staff, and faculty member is encouraged to read this heartwarming and insightful story and become part of the Metro family learning community. Instructors might be using for one more day in their classes, and there will be activities related to this book throughout the year.
Main Characters
Leonard “Len” (Chick’s/Charley’s father)
Pauline “Posey” (Chick’s/Charley’s mother)
Charley “Chick” Benetto (son of Len and Posey) (Catherine’s husband) (brother of Roberta)
Roberta (daughter of Len and Posey) (Chick’s/Charley’s sister)
Catherine Benetto (Chick’s/Charley’s wife) (mother of Maria)
Maria (daughter of Chick/Charley’s and Catherine)
Gianna (“the Italian woman”)
Miss Thelma (hair and make-up appointment with Posey)
Rose Templeton (hair and make-up appointment with Posey)
Foreword
What does a ghost story mean to you? Think about the denotative and connotative representation of those two words. Why did the foreword state, “But every family is a ghost story.”?
What does Mitch Albom mean as he informs the reader that Maria Benetto is narrating this story in Charles’ Benetto’s (Chick Benetto’s) voice?
I. MIDNIGHT
Chick’s Story
Page 3 What do you think Chick meant when he said, “People figure I crossed the line.”?
Page 3 What emotions do you feel when Chick explains, “Looking back, I began to unravel the day my mother died, around ten years ago.”?
Page 4 Why does Chick say, “one day can bend your life, and that day seemed to bend mine inexorably downward.”? Does this statement give the impression that he is the type of person that takes control of his life or life takes control of him?
Page 4 How does Chick’s wish as a child for his mother to leave him alone tie into the old saying,
“Be careful what you wish for.”? Chick then says, “But then she did. She died.”
Page 4 What does Chick mean when he says, “I began to drift, as if my roots had been pulled, as if I were floating down some side branch of a river.”? What is he trying to say about his life?
Page 5 Chick went through a traumatic series of events involving drinking. Explain the cause and effect relationships that took place. Do you think Chick realized his behavior was causing the chain of events were occurring at that time? Why or why not?
Page 5 Chick stated the aphorism, “When you’re rotten about yourself, you become rotten to everyone else, even those you love.” Do you think Chick realized this when the original incidents occurred? Why or why not?
Page 6 Why does Chick share his thought, “Maybe you figure men like me who play in a World Series would never sink as low as suicide because they always have, at the very least, that ‘dream came true’ thing.”? What has he learned about dreams that come true?
Page 6 How does Chick describe the final episode that brought his suicidal goals to the surface?
What does he mean when he explained, “What finished me, what pushed me over the edge, strange as it sounds, was my daughter’s wedding.”? How did you feel when you read this passage?
Page 7 Explain the comment, “This time, my little girl would not take my hand and comfort me; she belonged to someone else.” How does the power between Chick and Maria and the complexity of this father/daughter relationship become evident as Chick says “I was not being asked. I was being notified.”?
Page 7 Do you agree or disagree with Chick’s daughter’s not to invite her father to the wedding?
Why or why not?
Chick Tries to End It All
Page 8 What is this poem trying to say? “Why couldst thou not remain at school?” What school is Charles Hanson Towne referring to? Why do you think Chick had this poem with his belongings?
Page 9 How does Chick’s point of view about his job reflect his self-concept, and how does his self -concept reflect how he looks at his job? How does he look at the world?
Page 10 “At that moment, I felt lonelier than I’d ever felt before, and that loneliness seemed to squat in my lungs and crush all but my most minimal breathing.” What is Chick trying to say? Is Chick’s reaction about what is right or what is appropriate?
Page 11 Why do you think Chick wanted to go home to Pepperville Beach where he grew up? What do you think returning home meant for Chick?
Page 11 What do you predict will happen as a result of his decision? How do you interpret the euphemistic phrase “preparing for the journey” and reference to this as a “good-bye trip”? Do these statements have negative or positive connotations? Why or why not?
Page 12Chick’s birth certificate represents life. Why would that be displayed?
Page 13 What can you infer about Chick’s state of mind? Why do you think he might be trying to justify his alcoholism?
Page 14 Visualize the chain of events that occurred. What emotions do you feel as Chick analyzes the accident, “…I must have been thrown from the vehicle before its final impact.”?
Page 15 How does your perspective about death influence your reaction to Chick’s statement “When you want to die, you are spared.”? How would cultural perspectives pertaining to death affect peoples’ reactions to this comment?
Page 15 What consciousness is evident by Chick’s concern where the driver was and was he alive? Does his personal acceptance of his lack of courage allow for acceptance of his decision? Why do you think he heard “crickets laughing”?
Page 16 How does death defy Chick? Why is Chick thinking about Maria at this crossroad
Page 17 of life and death?
II. MORNING
Chick’s Mom
Page 21 Do you agree or disagree with the statement Chick’s father declared, “‘You can be a mama’s boy or a daddy’s boy. But you can’t be both.’”? Why do you think Chick’s father made that ultimatum? What connotations do you have about a mama’s boy and daddy’s boy? How is Chick’s father using language and ownership of Chick’s self-concept as power?
Page 21 What do you glean from Chick’s comment that his father threw hardballs “…even the ones that stung my hands so badly I thought I would scream.” What insight does this give you about Chick’s emotional relationship with his father?
Page 22 What inferences relating to the mood of the dialogue enabled you to conclude that Chick’s mom was dealing with a serious emotional situation?
Page 23 What does Chick’s comment, “I was a mama’s day from that day on” mean to him? Was this decision on a literal level or figurative level or both?
Page 24 How does the vision of his mother communicate that her life is on the forefront of Chick’s thoughts? What emotions does Chick experience?
How Mother Met Father
Page 26 In what way is Chick’s mother conveying her values, attitude, and feelings towards Chick
Page 27by writing him notes?
Page 27 What does Chick’s mother mean when she says to her son, “‘You can’t lose your mother, Charley.’”? Think about the connection to the overall theme of for one more day.
Page 28 Chick describes the scene how his parents met; Len was throwing a baseball with his friend and when Posey went to retrieve it, they bumped heads. “‘And we never stopped,’ she would say” gives what clues about their relationship? What does this symbolize?
Page 28 In what ways are Leonard’s attitudes and feelings revealed when he told Posey that “‘he’d like to ‘kill more of the enemy than anyone in our town.’”? Note: (Keep in mind that Chick’s father was shipped overseas to Italy. There are important connections later in this story.)
Page 29 What affect does Leonard portray when he proposed to Posey in a letter by writing “‘Be my wife,…’”?
Page 29 Visualize what Posey looks like. Visualize what Len looks like. What physical
Page 30 characteristics allude to their personalities?
Page 30 How did Chick’s description of one parent leaning toward him and the other leaning away give figurative and literal meaning to understanding his relationship with them?
Page 30 Howdoes Chick’s comment, “They were a blend of backgrounds and cultures, but if my family was a democracy, my father’s vote counted twice.” represent his interpretation of power in his family?
Page 31 Chick’s future as a major league baseball player were wrapped around his father’s expectations. What evidence does Chick share to support his perspective?
Page 31 Chick’s literal interpretation, “When they referred to church as ‘God’s house,’ I worried that the Lord did not appreciate my spikes digging into his floors.” brought a sense of innocent humor to his interpretation. What was seven-year old Chick thinking?
Page 31 Compare and contrast Chick’s father’s expectation for his future as a baseball player and
Page 32Chick’s mother’s educational expectations for his future. How do you think it affects his values and expectations of himself?
Page 32 What subliminal message was Chick’s father sending out when Chick looked towards his mother when he was up to bat and his father said, “‘Eyes on the ball, Chick! There’s nothing up there that’s gonna help you!’”? What does this tell you about Posey and Len’s relationship?
Page 33 Evaluate Chick’s relationship with his mother. What do you think about her character? How might people from other cultures evaluate her as a mother observing her personality, behavior, and appearance?
Page 33 Think about Chick’s aphoristic theory combined with the simile, “Kids chase the love that eludes them, and for me, that was my father’s love. He kept it tucked away, like papers in a briefcase. And I kept trying to get in there.” What is Chick trying to say about his father’s ability to express love and affection?
Times My Mother Stood Up for Me
Page 35 What message was Chick’s mom sending to him with her interaction with the dog? Do you think his mother’s attitude about “who’s boss” crossed over to their home life?
Chick Returns to His Old House
Page 36 Think about the symbolism of the creation of Pepperville Beach and the dialogue that took place, “‘Hey, you wanna go to the beach…--because we knew we weren’t fooling anybody.’” What do you think about Chick’s family? Were there unspoken feelings and behaviors that manifested themselves in unhealthy ways?
Page 37 How do you judge Chick’s character? How does his fugitive self-analysis connect with the life he had been leading before the accident?
Page 38 What did you predict was going to happen as Chick discovered the house seemed lived in? How would you interpret the ease of Chick’s mother’s voice asking if it was Charley?
Times I Did Not Stand Up for My Mother
Page 39 As Chick recalls the mummy costume his mom created that turned into a mortifying
Page 40 moment, what do you think about his reaction to his mother?
Page 42 Why do you think that Posey only calls her son Charley and not Chick?
Page 42 What attitudes, emotions, and feelings between Charley and his mother are being communicated?
Times My Mother Stood Up for Me
Page 43 Compare the responses from Chick’s mother and father involving his echo inquiry. Why
Page 44 do you think Chick remembered this incident so vividly?
The Melody Changes
Page 45 Why do you think Chick’s mom loved the song, “This Could Be the Start of Something Big”?
Page 45What does Chick mean when he says that his mom played this record when his dad was “still in the picture”? Have you ever ceased from an activity or goal because some unforeseen event disrupted your ambition or desire?
Page 45 What words give clues that this story is taking place in another time period? How might
Page 46this scene look differently today?
The Encounter Inside the House
Page 48 What did Charley and Roberta’s mom convey when she burst out laughing at her daughter’s inquiry to finish carving their names? Chick noted that his father “blew a gasket.” How do the reactions of Chick’s mom and dad reflect their personalities and values?
Page 49 When Chick expressed “When I lacked even the self-respect to keep myself alive, she dabbed my cuts and I fell back into being a son;…” elicited what kind of emotions about his needs as a human being? Do you think his mom’s nursing efforts projected unconditional love? Why or why not?
Page 50 “When death takes your mother, it steals that word forever.” What did Chick mean by that comment? How did this make you feel? Do you think the depth of his emotional connection and love for his mom left a permanent void in his life?
Times My Mother Stood Up for Me
Page 52Visualize the interaction of Chick’s mom and the librarian. How do you interpret her support and confidence in Chick and her personal strength as a person?
Times I Did Not Stand Up for My Mother
Page 53 What values resurface about Len’s relationship with Posey and his desire for Chick to
Page 54 be a “daddy’s boy”? Do you think he subconsciously tries to build himself up by using power to control his family?
A Fresh Start
Page 55 “So can you stay all day?” What do you predict this inquiry means at the forefront of Chick’s subconscious in terms of his relationship with his mom?
Page 57 How does the passage about “divorcing parents” show that it is important to understand the context of the situation in that time period and the values attached in that era? How will perspective taking and empathy improve comprehension? How has society changed since the 1950’s?
Page 57 What does Chick’s father mean by “buck up”? How do you think his inability to express emotion affected him as an adult?
Page 59 How does Len’s ribbed white shirt and Posey’s shiny red dress represent them? What does Chick mean when he says, “And when she looked happy, everyone took a backseat.”? Do appearances always tell the whole story?