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Chapter 2 Introduction
Youth: Days of Growing Up
To Begin the Chapter
· Introduce the students to the ages that people go through: infancy, childhood,
adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, old age, and death. Focusing on
childhood and/or adolescence, discuss the realities of raising children in today’s
society. Have them recall their childhood and/or adolescence in comparison or
contrast with today’s youth. Have them write a comparison-contrast paragraph
about today’s youngsters and their own growing up. Tell them to focus on two
or three major points such as drugs, materialism, peer pressure, television,
movies, sex, single family homes, and so forth. To be completed by the end of
the chapter, have students interview a parent/guardian or someone from a
generation or two older than they are to discuss what growing up was like for
them.
· Have students go to an up-scale toy store like FAO Schwartz and have them
record the kinds and prices of toys sold there. Have students discuss their
findings and have them draw conclusions about the economy, lifestyles and
children.
· Have students make an appointment to visit a day care center. Have them
observe how children play together and what the day care workers do with
them. What kind of guided activities do the children participate in? How much
free play do they participate in? What kinds of snacks do they eat?
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Have students discuss their findings and write an expository paragraph about
what they have found about specific day care centers.
‘‘The School Days of an Indian Girl’’
Zitkala-Sa
Summary: This narrative tells about Sa and her friends leaving home to go to a
Quaker boarding school for their education. Sa explains the experiences she and
her friends had as non-English speakers among only English speakers and how she
and her friends were treated.
Vocabulary
Brave: a warrior, especially among North American Indians
Iron horse: Native American term for train
Pale faces: a white person as distinguished from a North American Indian
Questions and Answers
1. What incidents on the train does Zitkala-Sa consider rude? What articles of
clothing call attention to her?
· Zitkala-Sa considers several events rude: instead of reprimanding their
children, children and their mothers stare at her, and the mothers point
out Zitkala-Sa’s blanket to stare at. Zitkala-Sa is wearing moccasins, a
blanket, and she describes herself as “bronzed” skinned while the other
people on the train are “palefaces.”
2. Why do you think the woman stopped whipping Thowin and did not
punish the other children?
· It appears from the story that Thowin finally gives the woman what she
considers a respectful answer to her questions and promises not to
disobey her again. The story also suggests that the other children were
not whipped because the woman may have realized that “brute force”
was not effective.
3. How does Zitkala-Sa’s view of how to dress change in the story?
· In the beginning Zitkala-Sa enjoys her Indian clothing, but by the end of
the story, she has both matured to her early teen years and she has
accepted the dress of the American “East” for young women, that of
“tight muslin dresses, with ribbons at neck and waist.”
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Teaching Tips and Activities
· There has been debate over various forms of education over the years: home
schooling, honors tracking, boarding schools, Open Concept, and so forth.
Divide the class into groups to conduct research on one kind of approach to
education. Have students provide a list of reasons that support and a list that
opposes the method they researched. Let one person report to the class. Have
students save their research findings for possible use in the discussion on
persuasive writing.
· Have students research the treatment of Native Americans and their children
and education. Have them work in groups or independently to prepare a
written or oral presentation.
‘‘War Games’’
Black Elk
Summary: Black Elk describes growing up as a male and the activities, challenges,
and initiation rights boys had to participate in to prove their manhood.
Vocabulary
Wasichus—–Native American term for white men
Questions and Answers
1. In Medieval times, knights jousted with each other by charging at an
opponent with a lance while on horseback. Is there any similarity between
the games of the Medieval knight and what happens in the story? If so, how
can you account for the similarity?
· In the story, the older boys charge at each other on horseback, and when
they meet, they then see who can wrestle the opponent off his horse.
This type of game or practice would probably occur in a society, such as
that of the medieval knight, whose military fight on horseback.
2. How would society look on the game of stealing food if it occurred
today?
· Answers will vary, but probably many would consider the game a petty
crime.
3. What is the story’s view of women?
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· Women appear twice in the story. The first mention is of Black Elk’s
mother who nurses him after he falls on cacti. The second is the
reference at the story’s end when one who is not brave and cannot
endure pain is considered a woman, a rather demeaning reference.
Teaching Tips and Activities
· Have students research different aspects of the Ogola Sioux nation and make
individual reports about their findings.
· Movies have been made about the Battle of Little Big Horn. Have students
watch a movie and complete research about the battle. Have students write a
comparison-contrast paper over what researchers say and how it is depicted in
the movie. Suggestion: go to
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC.imagesnatives.html for movies about
Native Americans as well as for links to other sites.
· Have students research different search engines for sites concerning Sitting Bull
and the Battle of Little Big Horn. Have students compile an annotated
bibliography, using MLA format and giving a 2-3 sentence
summary/description of what they found and an evaluation of the material
presented at the site. They should submit hard copies.
‘‘Shame’’
Dick Gregory
Summary: Gregory describes his infatuation with Helene Tucker in elementary
school and how she became an inspiration for him to succeed. He also discusses his
humiliation in school, his poverty, and his failure to help a man in need until it was
too late.
Vocabulary
Nappy: kinky hair
Questions and Answers
1. What specifically is Gregory ashamed of in the story?
· Several answers are possible: Gregory has a ‘‘lady’s handkerchief’’; he is
so hungry that he steals from other students’ lunches to eat; he is poor;
he has no father; the teacher treats him very rudely in front of others; his
mother asks him to ask the neighbors for food; his family makes use of
public relief efforts such as the Worthy Boys holiday dinner; and he has
to wear clothes easily recognizable as coming from public relief.
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2. What efforts at relief does Gregory himself do in the story? Are they
successful?
· He wants to pledge his money he made at odd jobs to the Community
Chest to impress Helene Tucker and his classmates, but the teacher only
embarrasses him. Also, Gregory offers to pay for the wino’s food bill,
but the wino rejects the offer.
3. Why do you think Gregory is so influenced by Helene Tucker?
· She represents to him ‘‘everything you want . . . goodness, her cleanness,
and her popularity.’’ She also had a father at home.
Teaching Tips and Activities
· Have students volunteer 15-20 hours during the semester serving food at a local
shelter, pantry, or community center for the homeless or the elderly. For every
hour they work, have them write a reflective journal entry. Have each student
share the experiences with the class and what the experiences meant to them.
(SL)
· Have students visit elementary schools to interview administrators about the
breakfast program they have for underprivileged students. Discuss the
program’s success or failure, the ability to identify the children in need, the
parents’ attitude, the children’s attitude, and the amount of food that is left over
or wasted. Students should write a letter to the appropriate agency or
newspaper discussing the benefits or drawbacks citing first hand facts they have
discovered.
‘‘Black Suede Shoes’’
Roberta Orona-Cordova
Summary: Orona-Cordova writes a personal narrative as a short story describing
an incident in which she wore her older sister’s shoes without permission. They
were ruined when the local delinquents, Jerry Silva and his buddy, threw eggs at
her and her friend. Her sister Rita found the shoes and told her father.
Vocabulary
Suede: a leather soft surface on cloth
Questions and Answers
1. Why would Rita put her favorite clothes under lock and key?
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· First, Rita has worked very hard for the money to buy these clothes.
Second, she apparently is very much aware that her little sister is capable
of taking such items for her own use. Third, from the way the father
handles the situation at the end, Rita is aware that she really has no
recourse if the clothes are destroyed or taken.
2. Why would Jerry Silva and Stan act so cruelly?
· The two teenagers are apparently juvenile delinquents who have no
regard for others. Jerry’s excuse for his actions is, ‘‘’Adventure follows
me . . .’’’ indicating that he sees no wrong in what he does.
3. Do you think the father’s reactions were appropriate?
· The answers will vary.
Teaching Tips and Activities
· Brainstorm ideas for a narrative paragraph having students recall a significant
event they had with a sibling or best friend when they were young. What did
they learn from the experience? Have students write about the experience in a
personal narrative paragraph.
· Ask students to write a different ending for ‘‘Black Suede Shoes,’’ explaining
how they would handle the situation. They should assume the persona of any
one of the three individuals.
· Discuss the significance of Rosie’s prayer to the Virgin Mary in the story. How
does religion play a role in people’s lives when they are in trouble? Ask
students to discuss this activity.
‘‘Kids’’
Anne Perrin
Summary: Perrin describes her feelings about children as she discusses the
experiences she has had with them while on vacation. Among other incidents, she
especially recalls an incident at Walden Pond and a child who refused to obey the
life guard.
Vocabulary
Piece d’resistance: a principal item of a series
Rockies: The Rocky Mountains
Walden Pond: a pond in northeastern Massachusetts near Concord and the site
that Henry David Thoreau lived at for two years and wrote about in his personal
narrative, Walden Pond.
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Thoreau: Henry David Thoreau: American naturalist and author of Walden Pond
Questions and Answers
1. Describe the types of behavior which Perrin finds annoying. What do the
adults do in the story to annoy the children?
· Perrin finds the children loud, often fussy if they do not get their way,
and oblivious to the manners required for eating in public. On the other
hand, adults often make demands on children and choose the types of
activities which the family should be doing.
2. What would you consider the most frustrating event which Perrin finds on
her trip?
· Answers will vary, but according to Perrin herself, it was the
disappointment of initially finding Walden Pond to be a rowdy
swimming hole for children.
3. In Thoreau’s writings about Walden Pond, one of his main ideas deals with
simplicity in one’s lifestyle. Why does Perrin think that the individual who
painted the large boulder at Walden ‘‘miss[ed] the point’’?
· Such a showy display for public viewing is the total opposite of what
simplicity is about for Thoreau. Also, the rock pile is meant to show
respect, not to broadcast one’s presence publicly.
Teaching Tips and Activities
· Brainstorm places students have visited for vacations. Have them write a
descriptive paragraph about the site, using all their senses and their emotional
response to the place.
· Recommend movies such as The Out of Towners, Chevy Chase’s National
Lampoon’s Vacation or any others that deal with families on vacation. They
should watch the movie and write a movie review based on a standard format.
· Ask students to search Internet and to visit a travel agency for informational
brochures to set up a one-week vacation itinerary, getting air fares, car rental
fees, tax and gas, hotel expenses, amusements and museum admissions, maps,
and so forth. They should set up a feasible one-week daily itinerary either for
flying and renting a car or for driving. They should estimate the approximate
expense based on their findings, estimated cost for food, snacks, and
miscellaneous as well as the number of people going. Once they have
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calculated it, they can write a process paper telling the reader how to plan a
one-week vacation to _____.
Chapter 2 Conclusion
Youth: Days of Growing Up
To End the Chapter
· Complete any of the suggested, long-term assignments and discuss them.
· Have students write a journal entry, discussing how well they related to the
readings in this chapter and which one(s) they identified with best.
· Have students assume the role of an advice columnist and write a column
giving parents advice on one of the following topics:
· Raising children in the new millennium,
· Teaching children manners,
· How to take a vacation with children,
· What to do about sibling rivalry,
· How to be a working parent,
· How to be a single parent,
· How to prepare for a vacation with a physically challenged child,
· Or any topic they think they can write about with your approval.
