A Walk to the Jetty

Name Date Period

A Walk to the Jetty

Close Read Questions

Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Text support is required and it must be integrated. You need to cite your evidence (you can use line numbers or page numbers). Make sure you explain everything thoroughly.

1. The author’s use of language in a fictional text creates a distinctive voice for the narrator. Annie John’s way of speaking reveals her personality, feelings, and opinions. Her syntax, or arrangement of words in sentences, is appropriate for an intelligent, well-educated teenager. Reread lines 1-10. In what ways do the sentence structure and the choice of words sound like a teenage girl telling about her own life? Explain.
   
2. Annie’s words often reflect her tone, or attitude, toward her situation and the people around her. Reread the sentence in lines 11-13. What is Annie’s attitude toward her life in Antigua? Explain.
   
3. Important ideas about characters and events are not always stated directly in a fictional text. Readers must draw inferences, or logical conclusions based on details in the text. Valid inferences must be supported by strong and specific textual evidence. Reread lines 23-39. What inferences can you draw about Annie’s childhood and about her current feelings? Cite evidence in the paragraph to support your inferences.
   
4. When an author repeats a word or phrase several times, he/she may be emphasizing an idea or pointing out similarities between different things. Reread lines 52-62 and identify the repeated phrase (“with his/her/their own hands”). Explain what overall meaning is conveyed by this repetition, and what does it reveal about Annie’s attitude toward her life? Explain.
   
5. You can use details in the text to draw inferences about the characters in a novel, including what the characters are like, how they feel, and what is important to them. Reread Annie’s description of the start of her last day in her parents’ home (lines 95-131). What inferences can you draw about Annie’s parents, especially her mother? Support your inferences with textual evidence. Explain your answer.
   
6. Dialogue in a novel often reveals information about the relationships between characters. What can you infer about Annie’s relationship with her mother from their conversation in lines 139-149? Explain.
   
7. A simile is a figure of speech that compares two fundamentally dissimilar things. An author uses a simile to describe something in a fresh, often surprising way. Identify the simile in lines 169-176. What two things are compared, and what does this comparison reveal about Annie? Explain.
   
8. A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two dissimilar things without using the words like or as. Authors use metaphors to create fresh, imaginative descriptions. Read the sentences in lines 200-203 and identify the metaphor. Explain why Annie makes this comparison and what it means in the context of her present situation.
   
9. The character of Annie’s mother is developed mainly through Annie’s descriptions of her. As the narrator, Annie presents selected memories of her mother’s actions. Readers do not get a complete or unbiased picture of the mother’s character, but they can draw their own conclusions about her based on what Annie shares. Reread Annie’s account of her first independent shopping trip in lines 204-230. What details reveal the character of Annie’s mother? How as the relationship between mother and daughter changed over time? Explain.
   
10. Annie’s feelings about her mother are complex and sometimes contradictory. Some of her memories show her closeness to her mother, while others suggest conflict between them. Reread the memory Annie shares in lines 232-239. What can readers infer about Annie’s relationship with her mother from this story? Cite specific evidence for your inferences and explain your answer.
    
11. Authors choose words carefully so that their writing will convey their intended meaning. An author might choose to use concrete details and sensory language, or words that appeal to readers’ senses. Or an author might choose to use abstract words that name ideas and concepts. Reread lines 260-287. Does Kincaid use mostly concrete or abstract language in this passage? Cite specific words/phrases to support your answer and explain.
    
12. Authors often communicate meaning through symbols, or objects that play a role in the story but also represent something beyond themselves. Think about the sunglasses that Annie’s mother finally gets for her. What aspect of Annie’s character might the sunglasses symbolize? Explain.
    
13. The author develops the character of Annie’s mother through the details in Annie’s stories about her. Reread lines 287-303. What does this passage reveal about Annie’s mother? What traits do Annie and her mother share? Cite specific details in the text and explain.
    
14. You must often make inferences about why characters react to situations the way they do. You should draw upon your understanding of a character’s personality and feelings, as well as your own knowledge about people in the real world. Reread lines 304-315. Why does Annie experience her “old fear” about the jetty in this situation? Cite evidence from the story to support your answers and explain.
    
15. Parallelism is the repetition of a grammatical structure to show that two or more things are similar or equally important. An example is “I was leaving them/it forever” in lines 332-333. Find at least two more examples of parallelism in lines 331-368 and explain the effect of each instance.
    
16. Descriptions of a novel’s setting can provide insights into a character’s feelings. Reread lines 359-368. What do all these details about the setting reveal about Annie’s feeling? Explain.
    
17. A well-written story has appropriate pacing throughout. In other words, scenes with a lot of action or intense emotion move along quickly, while sections that feature description or reflect move more slowly. Reread lines 378-384. Is the pacing of this scene fast or slow? How does the author create this pace for reader? Explain.
    
18. Authors choose words with particular connotations, or associated feelings, to convey the precise meaning and tone that they intend. For example, “She stormed into the room” conveys a different meaning than “She walked into the room” because stormed has connotations of anger. Reread lines 389-404, in which Annie says goodbye to her mother. Note words with strong connotations. What do these word choices reveal about Annie’s relationship with her mother? Explain.
    
19. Authors use sensory language to create vivid descriptions. These descriptions may also reveal the narrator’s thoughts and feelings. Reread Annie’s description of lying down in her cabin after waving goodbye to her parents (lines 413-414). What sensations are readers invited to share with Annie? How do these sensations match her emotions at this moment? Explain.
    
20. What is a theme from this story? What is it really about? Explain your theme without using clichés or 1st/2nd person. Text support is optional.