Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963

CHAPTERS 1-3 Comprehension Questions

  1. What shows that the Watsons are not well off financially?
  1. Why does Momma get angry at Dad when the weather turns cold?
  1. Why doesn’t Kenny respond immediately to his older brother’s appeals for help as they remove ice from the car?
  1. How do the two brothers show that they care for one another?
  1. How does Kenny earn the nickname Poindexter?
  1. Why does Kenny think the new boy on the bus will be his personal savior?
  1. Why does Kenny let Rufus play at his house after school? Why won’t Rufus come to Kenny’s house?

CHAPTERS 1-3 Questions for Discussion

  1. Do you think the Watsons would have considered themselves poor?
  2. Do you think Momma should have such fond memories of Birmingham?
  3. Do you agree with Kenny that being very smart in school can make someone enemies?
  4. Why do you think so many boys in school teased Kenny as well as the new boy and his brother?
  5. Do you think Momma was a good judge of character?
  6. What lesson do you think Kenny learned from Rufus?

CHAPTERS 1-3 Literary Devices

  1. Hook – In literature, a hook is an interesting first sentence or paragraph in a novel that entices a reader into the story. Reread the first paragraph of TWGTB-1963. How does this hook draw you into the novel?

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  1. Point of View – Point of view refers to the person telling the story. There are three possible points of view in a novel:

First-person narrator who, as a character, tells the story as he or she experienced it.

Third-person limited narrator who knows what one character is doing and thinking.

Third-person omniscient narrator who knows what all the characters are doing thinking.

Which point of view has the author chosen? ______

What are the advantages and limitations of this point of view?

Advantages: ______

Limitations: ______

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  1. Allusion – An allusion is a reference to a famous historical, mythological, religious, or literary person or event.

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a handsome young man who was doomed because he fell in love with his own reflection. When Byron was frozen to the car mirror, Joey said it reminded her of the story of “Nar-sissy.” How does this allusion add to your understanding of Byron’s character?

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  1. Metaphor – A metaphor is a suggested comparison between two unlike objects. For example:

She [Momma] always blamed him [Dad] for bringing her all the way from Alabama to Michigan, a state she called a giant icebox.

What is Michigan being compared to? ______

What does this metaphor reveal about Momma’s feelings?

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