The Knife of Never Letting Go

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO Complete each section of the booklet as you closely read this novel. The notes you write will serve as focus points for class and group discussions. You will also submit this booklet when you have finished reading.

As you read p 3-28, take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read:

Describe setting, character and initial conflict:

Your thoughts on the unique dialect:

Your feelings about the importance of Manchee and his role in this novel:

Is there any evidence yet that this is a cautionary tale?

Is there any evidence yet of dystopia?

What are your first impressions when you read: “there’s a hole in the Noise” (p.13)

The characters of this book often confuse imagined enemies with very real enemies. Comment on this- why does it happen? What are the results?

What do you think this quote means? “…in a town of 146 men that dies a little more with every day that passes” - p.20,

What does the narrator mean when he says “…Noise ain’t truth…” Jot down the word ’Prentisstown’ and add any information that you read about the town.

What can you tell about the town’s people from the wording on pages 22 and 23?

Why is Mr. Turner in jail? What does this tell you about this society?

Describe Aaron and Mayor Prentiss and judge them.

Determine who the protagonist and the antagonist are explain how you know that these two individuals are the protagonist and antagonist

Describe Todd’s personality in your own words. Do you like him? Why/why not?

Describe “Noise”

On p.30 –the statement is made that “the town can’t grow” What is the double meaning and irony of this statement?

Think symbolically: why is Todd described as blue/green, while Cillian is described as red?

Find evidence that Cillian is not as awful as Todd thinks he is. Predict: Why does Ben want to get Todd out of Prentisstown so suddenly? What is happening?

The author keeps the tension high, even when you think it will subside – how?

What does Ben mean when he says, “that’s evolushun’ (58)

How does this quote help you to understand the character? : “His breath smelling like meat” (61)

Think of dystopia- what is the significance of Aaron saying, “Smart boys make useless men” (61) and what is the symbolic significance of Aaron being attacked by this croc (especially if you rethink Ben’s comment that’s evolushun’)?

How does the author show that Manchee and Todd’s relationship is changing? Why is the author creating this relationship?

Note Todd’s inability to use the knife – how does this make you feel about him?

What do you learn about Todd’s character from his thoughts on p 79-80?

In your own words, explain Todd’s description of a knife at the top of page 84- what does he mean?

Note the difference in knowledge between the girl and the boy- why does she have so many more advanced technologies than he has ever seen? Note the last sentence on p103 –predict - why is this important?

Find another example of dystopia on p 99+100

Why doesn’t Todd just read the book and get some answers?

As you read p 114-140, take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read

Find an example of foreshadowing on p.119

Why is it important that Todd uses the knife, but fails? (121) and (127). How does this help the reader to understand his character?

Look for a repetition of a certain colour in this section. Think about why the author has chosen this colour as a motif. What does it signify?

Define alien + Note the irony in calling the Spackles aliens. What does Todd suddenly realize on p.115?

“Power at the end of my arm” (120) why is this quote so important?

Describe how hearing the “Noise” of all the animals can be useful.

Determine why the “Noise” can be a killer disease for humans.

What indication is there that Viola is from a more advanced society?

Find evidence that Todd is quite insecure. As you read p 141-172, take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read

Note your first impressions of Hildy and the quote, “The world’s a dangerous place when you don’t know enough” (142) What do you think of her? What/who does she make you think about? Why have you made this conncetion?

Note the concept of history repeating itself – and why this happens- think of Hildy’s comments about history on p.166

Note the importance of names, naming and changing names – why is naming things so important to humans?

Manchee has very few words, yet his comments are extremely important- what do his words do for Todd?

What does Todd learn about the Noise from Hildy?

What happened to the men from Prentisstown who disappeared (top of p. 157) if they didn’t cross the bridge?

What do we learn about space and time travel in this section?

Why did people try to settle in this “New World”?

Why is Todd so stubborn about everything?

As you read p 173-198 take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read

Note « No one says anything to this and I get the feeling they’re being polite. » (179) What does this mean? « I never seen arms so crossed » (183) What does this mean?

« Prenitsstown’s still got allies » (194) What does this mean?

*Why might this man be both angry and hurt that Hildy has brought Todd and Viola to their town? (173)

*Why does the author choose to use this dialect and spelling for all of the characters who have been introduced so far?

*How can you tell when Todd is talking to himself? What signal does the author use to show this?

*What information do you discover about the Old and New World on p.188?

*All she does is look back. Which is enough » What does Todd mean when he says this?

Why do they choose the right path at the fork? (218) READ THIS POEM : http://www.poetry-archive.com/f/the_road_not_taken.html What connections can you make to this part of the story?

In your opinion, why does Todd continually describe Viola’s quiet as sadness?

What new information is discovered about the Prentisstown men’s plan through Ben’s writings?

How has Todd changed from when he first met Viola to now? *(226) How can you tell that a lot of him is still the same? (229) *What is the significance of Todd stating that they are putting a whole lot of faith into the word « Haven » - 235) Why might the author have chosen to name this place “Haven”

How does the author’s build intensity at the end of every chapter?

*What is so mesmerizing about this herd? How might the people of Prentisstown be similar to this herd?

”Stories in voices” p. 250-what does Todd mean by this- why makes him think about this?

Why is it important for the author to be pointing out on p.257 that Mr. Prentiss Jr is saying these things about women but is still so young? What does this say about Prentisstown? Again, how is this like the herd?

*Why does Todd hesitate? What does it tell you about him?

As you read p p271-306 take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read

Find the pathetic fallacy in this section

Note the irony of Todd saying he is trying not to think (296-297)

Note how and when the author uses brackets

Who might the Spackle represent in our society?

*Why does the author make the Spackle look so frail? Why does Todd keep saying, “They bleed red?” How does this grasp the reader’s emotions?

What is happening on p.283?

*How has Todd’s relationship with Manchee changed?

“…the lesson of forever and ever is knowing a man’s mind ain’t knowing the man.” (308) What are your thought son this quote? What does Todd mean by his? Is a greater theme developing here?

How can the army be ‘growing as it comes’? What is happening on pages 319-325?

How does the text help you to understand Todd’s confusion (326-328)

Who is the boy on p329-333?

Note how close Todd has become to Manchee and how he talks about this on p.333 How does the author make Manchee even more endearing on the next few pages?

What is the significance of Todd leaving ‘the boy’ behind (p.338)

As you read p 339- 368 take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read “The knife is alive”, “The knife is just a knife again” What is happening to Todd in this section? (341)

*Why is the description of Manchee in the last section so much more important in this section?

*Who would you have chosen? Explain your answer.

*How does the author balance the intensity of the last chapter on pages 356-357? *How does the author make Todd’s loss realistic?

*How can you tell that Todd is truly growing up on p.365?

As you read p 369-400take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read *Note what Ben explains about the ‘Noise germ’, Spackle, the women and ‘the law’

*Doing what’s right should be easy” (396) Do you agree with this statement? How does this connect to Julius Caesar?

*How have Ben and Todd had a very similar experience?

*What is Ben’s most important message to Todd?

*What are you learning about how people act when they are afraid of what they don’t know?

*Note Viola’s views on burial- is she right? Do some research on ancient burial- when did people start cremating? Why? When and why did people start burials?

*Look at Ben’s description of New world at the top of page 391- how is that like our society?

Note when the preaching began (391) –what is the irony in the result of this preaching- what is preaching supposed to do? What did it result in in New World? Can you make a similar connection to our current society?

*”I was wilfully blind” (394) – think of other places where people have been wilfully blind in current society

*Find another hint on p. 399 which shows that Todd has grown.

Note that Todd begins to realize that body language is as important as words and Noise

Find examples where the author constantly mixes the good with the bad

How does Viola help Todd to move forward? What is happening between Todd and Viola- how can you tell?

Can you find hints in Todd’s mother’s writing that show that the New World was about to have a lot of trouble?

As you read p432-479 take notes on the following and add you personal comments/thoughts feelings about each aspect of the novel. Feel free to be critical and honest about your ideas and impressions as you read

What is the irony in the following statements about the church, “It’s beautiful. It’s abandoned.” (439)

How does the author use the text to show Aaron is approaching?

Note Aaron’s manipulation of religion for his own power – think of connections to current society.

Note that the ‘everybody falls’ speech takes place at the edge of the falls…importance?

Todd notes, “…it would have felt like we’d somehow walked into a church anyway, like it’s be holy even if no man had ever seen it” (440) What does this statement imply about nature and religion?

How do Prentisstown boys become men?

If you wrote the story, would you have had Viola kill Aaron, or Todd kill Aaron? Why did the author choose Viola? Why is this the best choice for this story?

What do you predict will happen in the next book?

”I can see faces , faces, peering outta windows, outta doors.” (478) How is this ending similar to the situation occurring in the Nazi war camps? Can you develop a theme having to do with standing by and watching? Can you develop a different theme statement based on other items we discussed? Try to write out 2.