1. What Role Does Susie Salmon Plan in Our Story?

TheThe LovelyLovely BonesBones by:by: AliceAlice SeboldSebold

SunSun ValleyValley HighHigh SchoolSchool EnglishEnglish 10B10B Essential Vocabulary: Contempt: Audacity: Anecdote: Indignity: Perpetual: Petulant: Mundane: Methodically: Chapter 1 Resolute: Solace:1. What role does Susie Salmon plan in our story? Cryptic:

2. How has Sebold characterized Susie Salmon at the beginning of the chapter?

physical description words

actions other character’s reactions 3. What does the quote, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way” foreshadow about our protagonist?

4. What details does Sebold use to set the mood of Susie’s murder?

5. Who is Franny? What is her job? Of what might she be symbolic?

6. What characterization details to we get about Mr. Harvey, before the attack, that foreshadow his crime against Susie?

7. During the sexual attack, Susie ‘dissociates’ as a defense mechanism. What is ‘dissociation’, and how do you know it is happening to her?

8. Can you infer what occurred after the last line of Chapter1?

9. How does Susie feel about her attack as she reviews the events from heaven?

Chapter 2

1. What items constitute the setting of Susie’s heaven? Why do you think these items are present?

2. What power does Susie have to reshape her heaven?

3. Ray Singh calls himself ‘the Moor’ in his love letter to Susie. What literary technique is this – and from where does the name come?

4. Susie says, “I tried to take solace in Holiday, our dog. I missed him in a way I hadn’t yet let myself miss my mother and father, my sister and brother. That way of missing would mean that I had accepted that I would never be with them again; it might sound silly but I didn’t believe it, would not believe it.” Which of the stages of Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief does this statement represent . . . and why?

5. What does Susie mean when she says, “Let Buckley pull his (the dog’s) tail and ears inside the house of locked doors.”?

6. At the bottom of page 27, we see Susie’s mom cycle quickly through three of Kubler-Ross’s grief stages. Provide evidence of each of the three stages:

7. On page 29, we start to see how Lindsey is coping with the surety of Susie’s murder. What techniques does she use to help get herself through the day?

8. Susie says that Lindsey, “Began looking into the eyes of only those people she could fight against” once she knows her sister is dead. What does this mean? Why would Lindsey behave in this manner?

9. Define petulant and use it in a sentence:

10. How would you describe the tone of Susie’s voice as our narrator?

11. Consider Lindsey’s meeting with Principal Caden – who is baffled by her lack of tears. Briefly explain Susie’s grief process compared. Where is she in Kubler-Ross’ stage theory . . . and how do you know?

12. Compare Lindsey’s to Vicki Kurtz’s grief process. Which girl is having an ‘abnormal’ reaction to their loss? 13. What elements of Susie’s heaven are perfect for her?

14. What elements of Susie’s heaven are imperfect?

15. Review the definition of Evensong below, and tell what connotation the word has:

e·ven·song ( v n-sông , -s ng ) n. 1. A daily evening service in the Anglican Church. Also called Evening Prayer. 2. Roman Catholic Church A service that includes the office of Vespers. No longer in ecclesiastical use. 3. A song sung in the evening 4. Archaic Evening.

16. Watch the video clips or preview the famous works of art that depict heaven. For each video, describe what heaven is like to that director or artist:

Film Title Details of Heaven from Film 17. If each person creates their ‘own heaven’ with their wishes and memories when they die, describe at least ten things that your heaven would include (keep your heaven school appropriate)

Item in Your Heaven Why It Is There . . . Why It Is Special to You

Chapter 3

1. What did Susie do on her way out of Earth? Do you think it was an accident?

2. Who broke into Clarissa’s locker – how do you know?

3. What does Susie mean when she says that she ‘broke through’ without even trying?

4. Explain what Susie meant when she said, “The truth was that the line between the living and the dead could be, it seemed, murky and blurred.” 5. Why does Susie’s father destroy his collection of ships in bottles?

Chapter 4

1.What did Mr. Harvey do after the crime to hide evidence of the murder?

2.Describe Mr. Harvey’s psychological state immediately following the killings:

3.Why do you believe Lindsey left a pair of gloves at the edge of the cornfield?

4.Where was Susie’s final ‘resting place’?

5. What did Mr. Harvey take from Susie as a ‘keep sake’ – and what happens to it?

6. What do you think that Mr. Salmon means when he says, “I can hear you, honey”? Support with details!

7. What happened when Mr. Harvey handed the tarp/sheet to Mr. Salmon? Why do you think it happened?

8. Why did Mr. Harvey really build the ‘bridal tent’? 9. Why do you think Mr. Salmon suddenly felt some suspicion toward Mr. Harvey? Give at least two examples of odd behavior that may have set off Mr. Salmon’s ‘spidey sense’.

10. What strange behaviors could have given Mr. Harvey away – but are not discovered by law officers or the family?

11. Read the information below about types of serial killers. Highlight or underline the important information. Then, in a complete paragraph, explain which type Mr. Harvey fits into and why.

Types of serial killers

The FBI Crime Classification Manual places serial killers into three categories: "organized", "disorganized" and "mixed", offenders who exhibit organized and disorganized characteristics.[11] Some killers descend from being organized into disorganized behavior as their killings continue. They will carry out careful and methodical murders at the start, but become careless and impulsive as their compulsion takes over their lives.[citation needed]

Organized/nonsocial offenders

Organized/nonsocial offenders are usually of high intelligence, have an above average IQ (>110 range), and plan their crimes quite methodically, usually abducting victims, killing them in one place and disposing of them in another. They will often lure the victims with ploys appealing to their sense of sympathy. For example, Ted Bundy would put his arm in a fake plaster cast and ask women to help him carry something to his car, where he would beat them unconscious with a metal bar (e.g. a crowbar), and carry them away. Others specifically target prostitutes, who are likely to voluntarily go with a serial killer posing as a customer. They maintain a high degree of control over the crime scene, and usually have a solid knowledge of forensic science that enables them to cover their tracks, such as burying the body or weighing it down and sinking it in a river. They follow their crimes in the media carefully and often take pride in their actions, as if it were a grand project. The organized killer is usually socially adequate, has friends and lovers, and sometimes even a spouse and children. They are the type who, when captured, are most likely to be described by acquaintances as kind and unlikely to hurt anyone. Some serial killers go to lengths to make their crimes difficult to discover, such as falsifying suicide notes, setting up others to take the blame for their crimes, and faking gang warfare or natural deaths.[citations needed] David Berkowitz, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy are examples of organized serial killers.[12]

Disorganized/asocial offenders

Disorganized/asocial offenders are often of low intelligence, have a below average IQ (<90), and commit their crimes impulsively. Whereas the organized killer will specifically set out to hunt a victim, the disorganized will murder someone when the opportunity arises, rarely bothering to dispose of the body but instead just leaving it at the same place in which they found the victim. They usually carry out "blitz" attacks, leaping out and attacking their victims without warning, and will typically perform whatever rituals they feel compelled to carry out (e.g., necrophilia, mutilation, cannibalism, etc.) once the victim is dead. They rarely bother to cover their tracks but may still evade capture for some time because of a level of cunning that compels them to keep on the move. They are often socially inadequate with few friends, and they may have a history of mental problems and be regarded by acquaintances as eccentric or even "a bit creepy". Usually they are very introverted people, too. They have little insight into their crimes and may even block out memories of committing the murders.

The medical profession seems to attract some people with a pathological interest in the power of life and death.[13][14][15][16] One example is Harold Shipman, an English family doctor, who portrayed victims as having died of natural causes. Between 1975 and 1998, he killed at least 215 patients.[17]

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12. Read the information below about the different motives of serial killers. Highlight or underline the important information. Then, in a complete paragraph, articulate what motivates Mr. Harvey to kill.

Motives

The motives of serial killers are generally placed into four categories: "visionary", "mission-oriented", "hedonistic" and "power/control"; however, there is often considerable overlap among these categories. [18][19]

Visionary

Visionary serial killers suffer from psychotic breaks with reality, sometimes believing they are another person or are compelled to murder by entities such as the devil or God.[20] The two most common subgroups are "demon mandated" and "God mandated".[21]

Herbert Mullin believed the American casualties in the Vietnam War were preventing California from experiencing an earthquake. As the war wound down, Mullin claimed his father instructed him via telepathy to raise the amount of "human sacrifices to nature" in order to delay a catastrophic earthquake that would plunge California into the ocean.[22]

David Berkowitz is an example of a demon-mandated visionary killer. He claimed a demon transmitted orders through his neighbor's dog instructing him to murder.[23] Mission-oriented

Mission-oriented killers justify their acts on the basis that they are getting rid of a certain type of person, such as homosexuals, prostitutes, blacks or Catholics, who they find undesirable; however, they are not psychotic.[24]

Ted Kaczynski, the "Unabomber", targeted universities and the airline industry.[25] He wrote a manifesto that he distributed to the media, in which he claimed he wanted society to return to a time when technology was not a threat to its future, asserting that "the Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race."[26][27]

Hedonistic

This type of serial killer seeks thrills and derives pleasure from killing, seeing people as objects for their enjoyment. Forensic psychologists have identified three subtypes of the hedonistic killer: "lust", "thrill" and "comfort".[21]

 Lust

Sex is the primary motive of lust killers, whether or not the victims are dead, and fantasy plays a large role in their killings. Their sexual gratification depends on the amount of torture and mutilation they perform on their victims. They usually use weapons that require close contact with the victims, such as knives or hands. As lust killers continue with their murders, the time between killings decreases or the required level of stimulation increases, sometimes both.[21][28][29]

Kenneth Bianchi, one of the "Hillside Stranglers", murdered women and girls of different ages, races and appearance because his sexual urges required different types of stimulation and increasing intensity.[29]

Jeffrey Dahmer searched for his perfect fantasy lover—beautiful and eternal. As his desire to find the perfect lover increased, he experimented with drugs, alcohol and exotic sex. His increasing need for stimulation was demonstrated by the dismemberment of victims, whose heads and genitals he preserved. He experimented with cannibalism to ensure his victims would always be a part of him.[30]

 Thrill

The primary motive of a thrill killer is to induce pain or create terror in their victims, which provides stimulation and excitement for the killer. They seek the adrenalin rush provided by hunting and killing victims. Thrill killers murder only for the kill; usually the attack is not prolonged, and there is no sexual aspect. Usually the victims are strangers, although the killer may have followed them for a period of time. Thrill killers can abstain from killing for long periods of time and become more successful at killing as they refine their murder methods. Many attempt to commit the perfect crime and believe they will not be caught.[21][31]

Robert Hansen took his victims to a secluded area, where he would let them loose then hunt and kill them.[31] Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad, the DC Snipers, killed random victims, often at gas stations, shooting them and leaving the scenes unnoticed.[32]

 Comfort

Material gain and a comfortable lifestyle are the primary motives of comfort killers. Usually, the victims are family members and close acquaintances. After a murder, a comfort killer will usually wait for a period of time before killing again to allow any suspicions by family or authorities to subside. Poison, most notably arsenic, is often used to kill victims. Female serial killers are often comfort killers, although not all comfort killers are female.[21][33][34] Dorothea Puente killed her tenants for their Social Security checks and buried them in the backyard of her home.[35] H. H. Holmes killed for insurance and business profits.[36]

Power/control

Their main objective for killing is to gain and exert power over their victim. Such killers are sometimes abused as children, leaving them with feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy as adults. Many power/control-motivated killers sexually abuse their victims, but they differ from hedonistic killers in that rape is not motivated by lust but as simply another form of dominating the victim.[37] Ted Bundy traveled around the United States seeking women to control.[38]

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Chapter 5

1. At the beginning of Chapter 5, how is Susie’s dad feeling?

2. Susie talks about Lindsey suffering from the ‘Walking Dead Syndrome’. What does she mean by this?

3. Explain the statement of Mrs. Salmon, “She despised the word” in reference to ‘Mom’.

4. How does Mr. Salmon deal with Buckley asking where Susie is? What is your opinion of this subterfuge?

5. How does Mr. Harvey explain the ‘bridal tent’ to Detective Fenerman? 6. To what do the sentences, “My father wrote ‘Leah?’ in his book. Then he wrote, ‘Sophie?’ Though unaware of it, he had begun a list of the dead”, allude?

7. How does Mr. Salmon attempt to explain Susie’s death to Buckley? Do you think he is successful?

8. At the end of Chapter Five, what makes Susie feel ‘almost alive again’? Essential Vocabulary: Scaffolding: Misinterpret: Agile: Burgeoning: Vestibule: Crevice: Vicinity: Subjugation: Acute: Simultaneously:

Chapter 6

1. Why does the memory of the day with Ray Singh seem so important to Susie after her death?

2. Of all the students, why would Ray and Ruth be the ones Susie would want to contact after death?

3. Why do most people think that Mrs. Singh is a cold, unfeeling woman?

4. How would you characterize the marriage of the Salmon’s at this point in the story? Explain why.

5. What does Mrs. Singh say she would do, were she in Mr. Salmon’s position?

6. What did we learn about Detective Len Fenerman’s wife?

Chapter 7 & 8

1.Why was Grandma Lynn’s prediction about Susie’s life span ironic?

2.Why would Susie have kept the bloody twig? 3. Ahhhhh – Freud is alive and well in this novel! From where does Mr. Harvey get his penchant for building things?

4. What were the circumstances under which Mr. Harvey last saw his mother?

5. What is symbolic about the amber necklace Mr. Harvey’s mom rips off of her neck to give to her son?

Chapter 9

1. Grandma Lynn could be described as ‘eccentric’. Create a character chart for her:

physical appearance words

actions other’s reactions 2.Grandma Lynn says (to Lindsey) of Clarissa’s use of pot, “I hope you’re not getting into that” while finishing off her 7&7. Why is this ironic?

3.Describe the mood that Grandma Lynn lends to the house.

4. What does the detail, “A miscalculated circling, a sad partnerless dance” tell us about the relationship between Abigail and Grandma Lynn?

5. What great gift does Grandma Lynn give Lindsey that day – aside from the makeup?

6. Why do you think that Sebold includes the short vignette about Mrs. Utemeyer’s funeral?

7. Based on his declination to sit with the Salmon family, “I just want to be in the vicinity”, what do you believe is Detective Fenerman’s reason for being at the memorial service?

8. Why can’t Jack look at Abigail while she is awake?

9. When Clarissa asks Mr. Salmon how he is, he says, “We’re fine, Clarissa”. Susie notes that this response is an ‘odd lie’. Explain what Susie means:

10. Explain why Ray put Susie’s picture away in his book of Indian poetry, just like he had, “pressed dozens of fragile flowers that were slowly turning to dust.”

11. To whom was Grandma Lynn referring in the church when she stated, “By the door, that’s him” . . . and what is Lindsey’s reaction ? 12. All of the guests asked to sit with the Salmon family decline. Of what is this symbolic?

13. Susie seems to be more occupied with things happening on earth than she is with heaven’s activities. What does this focus imply about those who have recently died?

14. We are noticing details in the novel that many of us don’t notice every day: widow’s walks, grave rubbings, graveyards, etc. What is symbolic and important about these details?

Chapter 10

1.Describe Ruth’s physical and mental well-being at this point in the story – how is she faring?

2.How are Lindsey and Ruth alike? How are they different?

3.At the gifted symposium, what ‘groups’ did the following people fit into: Samuel: Lindsey: Ruth:

4.Why did Lindsey draw a fish on her nametag?

5.How does Ruth feel when she’s imagining Susie? Explain how this guides the focus in her life.

6.Why do you think that Lindsey viewed losing her virginity to Samuel as something to, “Get it over with, just to get to adulthood.”?

7.Why did Ruth want to, “Disappear inside of them (women forever)”? 8. Susie learns the price she must pay to go to ‘heaven’. What is it?

9. Why is Lindsey able to tell Ruth how much she misses Susie?

10. Explain the quote, “In the walls of my sex there was horror and blood, in the walls of hers there were windows.”

11.The change from the mousetrap competition to the ‘perfect murder’ challenge at camp is a strong plot catalyst. What ‘good’ can possible come from this horrific switch?

12. What does Susie select as the perfect weapon? Why?

KNOWLEDGE EXTENSION

1. Read the below article about marriage/divorce and child death. After reading it, select the most accurate summary of its main ideas.

Despite Intense Grief Following the Death of a Child - Bereaved Parents have A Low Divorce Rate Thursday October 19, 2006 For parents who have experienced the death of a child there is no more devastating loss. It is a heartbreak like no other. Parental grief is different from other losses--it is intensified, exaggerated and lengthened.

What makes this type of death particularly challenging is that the death of a child is a contradiction to everything that we believe to true about life; a child's death disrupts the normal order of life. Parents are supposed to die before their children. When a child dies, many feel as though they have lost their future. There is also a myth that after your child dies, your marriage dies.

Study Shows Low Divorce Rate in Bereaved Couples A new study released this week concluded that only 16 percent of couples who experience the death of a child end up getting divorced. The study was conducted by Directions Research, Inc. for the Compassionate Friends, Inc.

Study Results Of the 306 persons participating in the study who were married, 57 (18.6%) responsed that they were no longer married to the same person. Of the 57, eight were widowed, leaving 49 who were divorced or 16% of those surveyed, a rate much less that the current national average divorce rate of 50%.

Interestingly enough, of the 16% who divorced, less than half felt that the impact of the death of their child contributed to the divorce. This survey proves that the high divorce rates (70-90 %) often quoted in the media, by professionals, and even the bereavement community is incorrect.

Conclusions Divorces among bereaved parents are far rarer than most people and professional believe. Bereaved parent and executive director of the Compassionate Friends, Patricia Loder offer some insight why the divorce rate might be lower, "While the death of one’s child definitely places stress on a marriage, we believe the divorce rate is so low because of the commitment parents have to survive their tragedy as a shared experience." Thus, the death of a child may actually bring bereaved parents together as they travel a common journey of grief.

About the Survey The survey was conducted by Directions Research, Inc. during April and May of 2006. The research has a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percent with a 90% confidence level.

1 continued. What is the most accurate summary of this article? a. the loss of a child disrupts the ‘normal’ order of life and destroys marriages b. the loss of a child increases the likelihood of a divorce because of the additional stress and guilt c. bereaved parents only have a 16% divorce rate, but couples overall have a 50% rate d. contrary to popular myths, bereaved parents do not have a higher divorce rate

Read the letter below protesting the removal of The Lovely Bones from a library in Ohio. Then, answer the follow- up questions about the letter.

Another Reading List Restricted

Acting on complaints from a parent, Olentangy Ohio District Superintendent Scott Davis removed Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones from Liberty High School's optional summer reading list. Visit the Columbus Dispatch for details. Below is NCAC's letter to Superintendent Davis.

Olentangy Local School District Board of Education Office 814 Shanahan Rd., Suite 100 Lewis Center, OH 43035

Dear Superintendent Davis:

I am writing to express my dismay with your recent decision to remove The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Lovely Bones from Olentangy Liberty High School's summer reading list - and to urge you, on behalf of your constituents and our coalition of 50 national organizations, to reconsider your decision.

Your unilateral choice to remove these two works of literature from the suggested summer reading list controverts basic First Amendment and pedagogical principles, and it denies your community the due process of a proper review, as called for in Liberty's printed policy for fielding public complaints.

You were quoted this morning in the Columbus Dispatch as saying, "I think there is a wisdom of crowds ... That's the beauty of public schools. We try to get as much input as possible." However, you allowed the criticism of just a few parents (only one of whom appears to have gone on record) to dictate policy for the entire school. This doesn't seem like an example of allowing the "wisdom of crowds" to have sway, but rather, an instance of caving to a heckler's veto that will restrict the choices available to students without an informed and fair discussion. This is a true disservice to students, faculty, and parents alike - and it is one we hope you will take immediate action to remedy.

The parent noted as the source of these complaints, Barabara Reierson, cites only the use of profanity (identified through an online keyword search), rather than any legitimate pedagogical concern, in her objections to Mark Haddon's novel. She does not even claim to have read the book in its entirety. To quote Millie Davis of the National Council of Teachers of English, "T here may be shock value in isolating and listing selected passages or words from a book, but this does not reveal anything about the fundamental message or theme of a work of literature, nor does it provide insight into the book's value as a subject of study."

Without seriously considering the entire novel, and the context in which objectionable words or scenes are situated, you cannot evaluate its benefits to students. More broadly, it is wrong to suppose that shielding young people from profanity or violence will suffice to keep them safe or well-behaved. If anything, literature offers a venue where students can exert just the sort of critical thinking that will allow them to see such scenes or words in relief, and recognize how or why they may be damaging.

Just such an example is to be found in Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones . You stated, "(It) has a very graphic rape scene and, given the millions of books that are out there, there has to be a very strong rationale (for selecting it)." Consider for a moment the fact that nearly 1 in 10 high school students in America (and nearly 1 in 4 female college students) have been the victim of sexual assault. Is there a lesson to be learned in Sebold's harrowing and realistic depiction of this crime? Recognizing the brutality of sexual violence and discussing it openly shows young people just how awful a crime rape is, helps them to protect themselves and one another, and teaches them the importance speaking out. Is this potentially life-saving lesson rationale enough to reinstate Sebold's book on the reading list?

But our concern extends beyond these two books alone, and we feel it important to remind you that First Amendment principles and pedagogical best practices are not at odds. As many courts have observed, public schools have the obligation to "administer school curricula responsive to the overall educational needs of the community and its children." Leebaert v. Harrington , 332 F.3d 134, 141 (2d Cir. 2003). Thus, no parent has the right "to tell a public school what his or her child will and will not be taught." Id . Any other rule would put schools in the untenable position of having "to cater a curriculum for each student whose parents had genuine moral disagreements with the school's choice of subject matter." Brown v. Hot, Sexy and Safer Productions, Inc. , 68 F.3d 525, 534 (1st Cir. 1995), cert. denied , 516 U.S. 1159 (1996). The practical effect of acceding to any parent's request to censor materials will be to invite others to demand changes in the curriculum to reflect their beliefs and to leave school officials vulnerable to multiple, possibly conflicting, demands.

By offering parents and students the opportunity to request an alternative assignment, you more than adequately address the concerns of those who seek to limit their exposure to words and ideas; to go further would infringe on the rights of others who are eager for a more inclusive education. If a "lack of communication to parents about how and why the books were selected" is your primary concern, then perhaps a note from teachers with a brief description of the books could accompany the reading list in future years, helping parents and students to choose what is right for them. The primary aim of the summer list is to offer a range of works of literature based on their instructive and literary value, not to dictate a set of choices limited by the concerns of parents who would render judgment on a prize-winning novel by plugging "the F word" into an Internet search engine.

While we can appreciate the pressures you face, we hope you will remedy this decision and reinstate both novels on the recommended summer reading list. In the future, freedom of choice and expression must be allowed to have sway over the desire to please every parent, lest you limit students' educational horizons, overrule the best judgment of teachers, and forego the very principles for which our schools stand. Sincerely,

Joan E. Bertin

National Coalition Against Censorship

2. Joan Bertin makes a compelling argument about why The Lovely Bones should be left on the summer reading list. Give at least three reasons why she thinks the book should remain: 1.

3. 3. Do you think that language alone should be sufficient grounds to object to a piece of literature? Why or why not. ______.

4. In a complete paragraph, write a personal response to the novel so far. What do you like about the book? What do you not like? What do you think the novel has to teach the reader about life? Death? Love? ______Chapters 11-15 Study Questions Essential Vocabulary: Gorging: Quavering: Incontrovertible: Leniency: Debasement: Haphazardly: Obsequious: Ostracized: Glinting: Pilfered:

Chapter 11 Questions

1. Contrast the how Jack and Abigail are coping with Susie’s death. In what stage of the grief process do they each belong?

2. Of what significance are the items that George Harvey likes to count? Why does he count them?

3. How did Mr. Harvey try to control his cravings? Why don’t you think it worked?

4. Identify the literary device used when the police refer to Jack Salmon and Holiday as “Mr. Fish and his Huckleberry Hound”.

5. Identify the literary device used in the following lines from the story: “I watched my father and Len head into the living room. The living room seemed to be where no living ever actually occurred.” 6. Identify the literary device used in the following lines from the story: “Held us heavily and desperately, the doors of his heart opening and closing with the rapidity of stops on an instrument, the quiet felt closures, the ghostly fingering, practice and practice and them, incredibly, sound and melody and warmth.”

What two things are being compared?

7. In the lines provided, paraphrase the last scene in Chapter 11. Make sure that you use complete sentences and that you utilize powerful words to capture the correct tone and mood.

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1. Why did the surgeon feel as though he had much in common with Jack?

2. What does Buckley mean when he thinks: “…you were treated special and, later, something horrible would be told to you.”?

3. What does Franny mean when she says, “When the dead are done with the living, the living can go on to other things.”? 4. Discuss Abigail and Len’s relationship and how it has changed since they met. What is being inferred?

5. How does Franny describe the souls leaving the earth and what is the name of this literary device?

1. In the year following Susie’s death, how has everyone changed?

2. Explain the significance of Abigail’s daily routine. Compare and contrast it to Jack’s routine.

3. How do Jack’s coworkers treat him? Do you agree or disagree with their behavior?

4. What is the significance of the conversation that Jack and Lindsey have while she is shaving her legs?

5. What is decided when Jack and Lindsey end their conversation?

6. What do Grandma Lynn and Abigail discuss on their walk?

7. What does Abigail’s dream symbolize? Chapter 14 Questions

1. How does Mr. Harvey escape suspicion in each town?

2. Describe Lindsey’s experience when she leaves soccer training early.

3. What does Lindsey find?

4. Why does Abigail ignore what Lindsey brings home?

5. To whom does Franny introduce Susie? How is this significant?

1. What do we learn about George Harvey’s childhood that explains part of his current behavior?

2. Of what significance is Mr. Harvey’s thought: “He had had a moment of clarity about how life should be lived: not as a child or as a woman. They were the two worst things to be.”?

3. What does Mr. Harvey do after he sees Lindsey fleeing from his home?

4. At the end of the chapter, what do we learn about Mr. Harvey? 5. Evaluate the following characters: Jack, Susie, Lindsey, and Abigail. Now that almost a year has passed since Susie’s death, where are these characters in the grief process? Provide several examples for each character.

______. Chapter 16 – 20 Discussion Questions Essential Vocabulary: Pretentious:

Dirgelike:

Commendement:

Inevitability:

Immaculate:

Vigilance:

Ubiquitous:

Burgeoning:

Apprehensive:

Pragmatics:

CHAPTER 16 1. What does Ruana Singh believe is consuming her husband’s time lately? How does she come to this supposition?

2. What are the so-called “experiments” that Ruth and Ray are conducting?

3. What do you believe is developing between Ray and Ruth? Why might it be happening?

4. Explain what happens in the cornfield on the one-year anniversary of Susie’s death.

5. Why does Susie’s mother, Abigail, not attend the memorial for Susie? What is ironic about this absence?

6. What impossibility of life does the group honoring Susie’s death find themselves pondering? What must we accept as humans, about our lives and our mortality? 7. What does Susie mean when she says: “Our house looked the same as every other one on the block, but it was not the same. Murder had a blood red door on the other side of which was everything unimaginable to everyone.”

8. Is the “red door” (in the above passage) figurative or literal language?

9. What is the significance of Abigail’s statement, “I want to be more than a mother?” What might this foreshadow?

10.What realization strikes Susie as she stands watching her family, friends, neighbors, and teachers paying her memory tribute?

11.What literary technique is present in the following exchange between Susie and her mother? Explain your answer.

“You look invincible,” my mother said one night. I loved those times, when we seemed to feel the same thing. I turned to her, wrapped in my thin gown, and said: “I am.”

SNAPSHOTS 1. When Grandma Lynn announces that she will come and stay with the family, Jack wonders in what room she will stay. Susie’s narration (”It was obvious to everyone.”) implies that Grandma Lynn will stay in what room?

2. What item does Lindsey find on Len Fenerman’s desk, and to what realization does she come?

3. What can the reader infer from Buckley’s story?

“Once upon a time there was a kid named Billy. He liked to explore. He saw a hole and went outside but he never came out. The End.”

4. How does Jack respond to the story? Why? 5. Why does Len blame himself for George Harvey’s freedom?

6. Each year, Jack holds a memorial for Susie, but it increasingly becomes a gathering of strangers. Susie says that when a stranger uttered her name, “it felt like a pinprick”. What literary device is this and what does she mean by it?

7. Where does Abigail settle after she leaves the family? Describe her communication (frequency and type) with the family.

8. Describe what is happening with Mr. Harvey at this point within the book (where he is, what he is doing, etc..).

9. What does Len assume when he gets a phone call from the Delaware police, who tell him that a Pennsylvania keystone charm had been connected to a girl’s body found in Connecticut? What do we really know to be the truth?

10.To what other victim does Hal Heckler connect George Harvey, and how does he uncover this connection?

11.At this point within the novel, why do you believe Susie is still watching her family and friends on earth? What is she attempting to do?

12.With what living creature does Susie get reunited with in heaven? MAKING CONNECTIONS/INFERENCES Throughout the novel, we are offered small glimpses and insights into the thoughts and feelings of Abigail (Susie’s mother), and all of which are given from the perspective of Susie. Using what you know about Abigail, about grief, about the dynamics of their family (both before and after Susie’s death), think about her feelings and some reasons she may have left. List her feelings and some of the reasons why she may have left:

Prewriting

      

Using your above conclusions, draft a letter to Abigail (with at least ONE COMPLETE paragraph comprising the body) from the perspective of either Jack, Susie, Lindsey, or Buckley. In the words of whomever you choose, be sure to tell Abigail how you feel and what you want her to do (come home, stay away, you understand, etc.). Keep in mind that the letters will vary depending on whom you choose to be when you write your letter! (Be sure to have a heading, body, and closing.)

Drafting

______. CHAPTER 17

1. How does Mr. Salmon feel about Samuel when Lindsey graduates from college?

2. How does Samuel feel about the abandoned house he and Lindsey take refuge in during the thunderstorm?

3. Describe Jack’s revelation about the effect he had on his wife on p. 240.

4. Susie compares her sister’s emotional healing to how a body repairs itself from a gunshot on p. 242. What literary technique is this?

5. Despite the joy of her engagement announcement, Susie still sees, “the invisible cord that can kill” connecting Lindsey to Jack. What do you think she means by that?

6. At the end of the chapter, Susie is preoccupied with the memory of helping her father assemble his ships in bottles. Why might this be?

CHAPTER 18

1. How has Ray and Ruth’s relationship weathered the years?

2. What does Ruth do when she is walking through New York City?

3. How do strangers react to Ruth? Why?

4. When fighting with his father, Buckley tells Jack that, “You have to choose. It’s not fair”. What does he mean by this? 5. How does Jack react to his fight with Buckley about Susie’s clothes?

6. Where do you think Susie’s grandfather goes when they are done dancing?

CHAPTER 19

1. On p. 266, Abigail reveals her belief about why Susie was killed. What does she think?

2. Who does Buckley remind Abigail of when he greets her at the airport?

3. How do Lindsey and Buckley react to seeing Abigail again?

4. What do you predict will be the outcome of Abigail’s return for Jack’s heart attack?

5. Consider Jack’s physical ailment: a heart attack. Sebold could have given him any illness: cancer, stroke, etc. What is symbolic about her choice of a heart attack?

CHAPTER 20

1. Once in the diner, what is Abigail thinking about?

2. What is ironic about Abigail’s realization that she was the ‘weaker one’ in her marriage? 3. How would you describe the status of the Salmon marriage at the end of Chapter 20?

4. What do you predict that Abigail will do in the next day? Week? Month?

5. Did the geographical move to California help Abigail forget Susie? Chapters 21- End Study Questions Essential Vocabulary: Dwindling:

Beseeching:

Talisman:

Calculated:

Tentatively:

Undulating:

Eluded:

Chapter 21

1. What became of Joe Ellis?

2. What does Len have for the Salmons when he visits Jack in the hospital? How does Jack respond? How does Abigail respond?

3. Why, as Susie explains to the reader, does the name “George Harvey” silence Abigail? Explain in your own words.

4. Describe the effect of Len echoing the phrase that the Salmons clung to so voraciously in the beginning: “Nothing is ever certain.”

5. What literary technique is being used in the following phrase, “Apparently… the earth’s throat burps”? What prompts Ray to make this comment? 6. What sense can you make of the last few paragraphs of this chapter? What do you think it may foreshadow?

Chapter 22

1. What gift does Ruth appear to possess? How do you know this?

2. What does Susie note about the world? Could this be considered a theme of the novel? Support your answer.

3. How does Susie feel about her grandmother in the end?

4. What is the deep significance of Abigail uttering the words, “I love you, Susie”?

5. Explain the significance of the “lovely bones” metaphor.

6. Who, more than anyone else in the novel, will be most likely to keep the legacy of Susie alive? Do you believe this is by fate, coincidence, or both? 7. Why do you believe Susie left Earth, once and for all, at the exact moment that Ray reveals who owns the house that Sam and Lindsey want to buy and restore? What is the significance of this timing? Bones:

1. How does Susie describe the dead leaving when they are truly choosing to leave? To what does she compare it?

2. For each of the following characters, assess where each appears to be in the stages of grief and any lessons they appear to have learned along the way:

Ruth –

Ray –

Abigail –

Jack –

Susie –

Buckley –

Lindsey –

3. What do we learn about Mr. Harvey’s fate? How is this ironic?

4. What do Samuel and Lindsey name their daughter? 5. Explain the significance of the line, “And my sister, my Lindsey, left me in her memories, where I was meant to be.”

6. How can Susie be “almost” and “not quite” grown up at the same time? The Lovely Bones Final Project Choose just ONE of these options for your final project You will be graded on EFFORT, AESTHETICS, and RELEVENCE to themes of the book

Create a new book cover fo r The Lovely Bones. The cover must include the title, author and an illustration. The inside cover must include a summary of the book and two book reviews.

Create a movie poster for The Lovely Bones. Must include the title, author, illustration, a list of actors and which character they are playing, and two movie reviews. (must be different actors than the current movie)

Write a song that would be a great theme song for a Kite Runner soundtrack. You may use any genre: country, rap, rock, hip hop, disco, etc. Be sure that the lyrics of the song rhyme and express key elements from the story.

Make a scrapbook of poetry that fits with the themes and symbols of The Lovely Bones. You may use your own poetry as well as poems by famous authors. You must have at least 5 poems.

Make a character collage of any characters in the book. You must have at least 8 images and 8 words describing this character. Think of the indirect characterization chart when completing the collage. Name: ______FinalFinal NovelNovel ExamExam EnglishEnglish 10B10B

Character Match Match each character’s name to the best description:

1. Susie Salmon_____ a. The man who murdered Susie 2. Lindsey Salmon_____ b. The girl in Susie’s class whom is touched by Susie when she leaves earth 3. Ruana Singh_____ c. The detective who investigates Susie’s murder 4. Buckley Salmon_____ d. Susie’s friend who Jack (accidentally) attacks in the cornfield 5. Franny_____ e. George Harvey’s first victim – who doesn’t fit his profile AT ALL, but ultimately links him to Susie 6. Hal Heckler_____ f. Give’s Lindsey Salmon her first make-up lesson 7. Jack Salmon_____ g. Marries Samuel Heckler 8. George Harvey_____ h. One of Mr. Harvey’s victims who meets Susie in heaven 9. Ruth Conners_____ i. Ray’s mother who supports the Salmons 10. Clarissa_____ j. Susie’s roommate in ‘heaven’ 11. Sophie Cichetti_____ k. Is the finder of the connection between Susie’s and Sophie Cichetti’s murders 12. Abigail Salmon_____ l. She yearns for a life different from what she has throughout most of the book 13. Ray Singh_____ m. Was the catalyst for Jack Salmon’s heart attack 14. Sam Heckler_____ n. Tells Susie that the secret to getting to heaven is ‘letting go’ of earth and the loved ones there 15. Len Fenerman_____ o. Susie’s first kiss is with this character 16. Grandma Lynn_____ p. Lindsey’s future husband who helps fill the void left by Susie’s death and Abigail’s desertion 17. Holly_____ q. Calls his wife ‘Ocean Eyes’

18. Flora Hernandez_____ r. Our narrator

The Stages of Grief For each of the stages of grief, describe what it ‘looks like’. What symptoms might a bereaved individual exhibit in each of the stages? Give examples.

 Denial:

 Anger:

 Bargaining:

 Depression:

 Acceptance: Symbols: For each of the symbols below, tell what it stands for: Symbol: What it Represents:

Susie’s keystone charm The bloody twig under Susie’s bed Susie’s jingle bell hat The porch light at the Salmon house

Make-up Alcohol

The old shoe from Monopoly

Daffodils

Mr. Salmon’s ships in bottles A ticking clock (above Jack’s hospital bed)

The icicle Len Fenerman’s backpack

Abigail’s college books The Lovely Bones The sinkhole Themes: List ten themes from the novel:

Multiple Choice Practice 1. Susie compares her first sexual experience with that of Lindsey, “In the walls of my sex there was horror and blood, in the walls of hers there were windows”. What does she mean by this? a. that her experience was scary and violent, but her sister’s was loving and safe b. that her experience was wonderful and romantic but her sister’s was horrific c. that both their experiences were tainted by Susie’s murder, but Lindsey’s also had hope in it d. that both their experiences were a combination of happiness and fear 2. Why does Abigail ask Len Fenerman to leave Jack’s hospital room when he says, “Nothing is ever certain” – when it is a phrase designed to comfort victims? a. she feels that the statement is a blatant lie designed to trick people b. she feels that Len has come their to hit on her in front of her ill husband c. she feels that the statement is cruel because it gives false hope and delays grieving d. she feels that his positive message will have a negative effect on Jack’s recovery

3. Ruth Connors is especially tied to Susie after her death because: a. she always looked up to Susie when she was alive b. they both loved to write poetry in the gifted club c. Susie touched Ruth on her way out of earth to the In Between d. Ray Singh, Susie, and Ruth were best friends in junior high

4. Which isn’t a contributing factor to Abigail leaving her family? a. she can’t stand seeing possible murderers of her daughter in their hometown b. she can’t tolerate having her mother in the same house any longer c. it’s too painful to continue to live in the same places that have Susie’s memories d. she thinks that a change in geography can help her heal

5. Which of the following characters do not help the Salmon family heal after Abigail’s departure? a. Grandma Lynn b. Samuel Heckler c. Hal Heckler d. Len Fenerman

6. The final project at the gifted symposium is changed the year after Susie’s murder. Why is this new assignment particularly painful for Lindsey? a. the topic is a startling reminder of her sister’s murder b. the topic is her weakest subject in school c. the topic is far too difficult for the students to successfully tackle d. the topic is completely different from the project she had already been preparing

7. How does Lindsey realize that her mother is having an affair with Len Fenerman? a. she intercepts a phone message from Len to her mom on their answering machine b. she ‘sees it’ in the way that Len and her mom look at each other c. she overhears Grandma Lynn grilling her daughter about the detective d. she sees her mother’s ‘Chinese red’ scarf on the detective’s desk

8. Jack calls Abigail ‘Ocean Eyes’. What literary device is this, and what does it mean? a. personification; it shows how the ocean is like human eyes b. metaphor; it describes how her eyes can pull someone under and drown them c. simile; it compares the thought behind her eyes to an ocean’s depth d. irony; it shows that her eyes are the opposite of an ocean

9. The more discontented Abigail gets with her marriage, she begins reading very specific literary works. The Awakening has a female protagonist who, rather than live submissively in an unhappy marriage without love, chooses to drown herself. She also reads works by Virginia Woolf, who states that a liberated woman, “must have money and a room of her own”. What is this literary technique and result? a. juxtaposition; they contrast the lives of free women with Abigail’s situation b. allusion; they show that Abigail is searching to free herself and realize her dreams c. simile; they compare Abigail’s life to that of characters in these two works d. exposition; they help build background to better read the novel

10. When Jack discovers that Grandma Lynn is baking and putting on make-up for Samuel’s older brother, he asks, “When will the love muffins be done, Mata Hari”. Mata Hari was a real Dutch woman who was a courtesan (high- end prostitute) and spy during World War I. What technique is this, and what does it accomplish? a. irony; it shows how NOT sexy Grandma Lynn is b. metaphor; it compares Grandma Lynn to a spy c. allusion; it compares Grandma Lynn’s love of Hal to a famous seductress d. theme; it sends the message that old women know nothing about love

11. Which of the following characters does NOT visit Susie in heaven? a. her grandpa b. Holiday c. Lindsey d. Ruth

12. On Susie’s visit back to earth, how does she choose to primarily spend her time? a. experiencing romantic love with Ray Singh b. hunting down Mr. Harvey c. communicating with her own family d. leaving clues for Detective Fenerman to solve her murder

13. What does the answer to #12 tell you about what Susie has learned about what is most important in this life? a. love b. revenge c. justice d. regret

14. In heaven, when Susie has a chance to speak with Mr. Harvey’s other victims and tell her story, she finds that, “Each time I told my story, I lost a bit, the smallest drop of pain”. What does this tell us about grief? a. that it can be damaging to talk about trauma b. that it can be healing to share your loss with others c. that it can be traumatizing to talk about your grief d. that sharing loss with dissimilar people can be helpful

15. The narrator describes Mr. Harvey by saying that, “He wore his innocence like a comfortable old coat”. What literary technique is this, and what does it accomplish? a. metaphor; it shows how Mr. Harvey looks in a coat b. simile; it shows how good Mr. Harvey is at acting innocent c. symbolism; it compares a coat to a shield d. characterization; it shows how Mr. Harvey looks 16. What is the pattern in Susie’s ‘appearances’ on earth after her death? a. she is able to appear when she is calm and focused b. she is able to appear to children and animals only c. she is able to appear when she is emotionally out of control d. she is able to appear when she feels intense love

17. What item is in Susie’s heaven? a. the people she loves on earth b. Mr. Harvey c. dogs d. her college roommates

18. Mr. Harvey keeps ‘trophies’ from his kills: the heel of a shoe, a charm from a bracelet, etc. Why does he keep these items that are, essentially, evidence that link him to the crimes? a. because he needs them to remember who his victims are b. because he is afraid that if he throws them away, they will be found c. because he wants them to show to his best friend d. because they allow him to pleasurable ‘relive’ his killing experiences

19. Mrs. Flannigan, the ‘owner’ of the sinkhole, says to Mr. Harvey when he’s dumping the safe, “What you got in there, a dead body?” What literary device is this, and what effect does it have on the reader? a. dramatic irony; the ‘funny’ result of insufficient information on the speaker’s part b. verbal irony; it is the opposite of the truth c. situational irony; it is the opposite of what you expect to have happen d. no irony at all

20. Of her own house, Susie narrates that, “Murder had a blood red door on the other side of which was everything unimaginable to everyone”. What literary technique is this, and what does it mean? a. symbolism; that her murder has ‘marked’ her house as freakishly bloody b. allusion; that Susie’s disappearance likens the door to a Edgar Allen Poe c. personification; that the door has taken on the characteristics of a killer d. juxtaposition; it compares the door of their home pre to post murder Essay: Select your one essay from the three prompts below. Write a complete, thoughtful paper that is mindful of the six traits!

1. The theme of good versus evil is woven throughout this novel – and literature in general. What George Harvey did is the ultimate evil, but Susie and her family teach the reader that they must not fall into the blackness and never surface again. Describe how a character (or several) embodies the (although not perfect) goodness in humanity.

2. Character analysis. We have discussed, ad nauseum, the four characterization techniques. Select one of your favorite characters for the novel and explain how that character is skillfully developed by Alice Sebold. Cite plenty of specific examples!

3. Select one character and chronicle their journey through grief. Be sure to use specific examples from different reference points in the novel that show how the character has moved through the grief process. In the conclusion, be sure to discuss where they end – and how you predict they will continue to heal (or not).

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