By Jean Craighead George - Amazon S3€¦ · the time when the wolves awoke. Quietly she put down...

Julie of the Wolves

By Jean Craighead George

Julie of the Wolves

© 2016 Julie (Bogart) Sweeney – bravewriter.com 2TM

WEEK ONE

Miyax pushed back the hood of her sealskin parka and looked at the Arctic sun. It was a yellow disc in a lime-green sky, the colors of six o’clock in the evening and the time when the wolves awoke. Quietly she put down her cooking pot and crept to the top of a dome-shaped frost heave, one of the many earth buckles that rise and fall in the crackling cold of the Arctic winter. Lying on her stomach, she looked across a vast lawn of grass and moss and focused her attention on the wolves she had come upon two sleeps ago. They were wagging their tails as they awoke and saw each other.

Her hands trembled and her heartbeat quickened, for she was frightened, not so much of the wolves, who were shy and many harpoon-shots away, but because of her desperate predicament. Miyax was lost. She had been lost without food for many sleeps on the North Slope of Alaska. The barren slope stretches for three hundred miles from the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean, and for more than eight hundred miles from the Chukchi to the Beaufort Sea. No roads cross it; ponds and lakes freckle its immensity. Winds scream across it, and the view in every direction is exactly the same. Somewhere in this cosmos was Miyax; and the very life in her body, its spark and warmth, depended upon these wolves for survival. And she was not so sure they would help.

(Part 1, Pages 5–6)

Julie of the Wolves


WEEK ONE

Opening Lines

Miyax pushed back the hood of her sealskin parka and looked at the Arctic sun. It was a yellow disc in a lime-green sky, the colors of six o’clock in the evening and the time when the wolves awoke. Quietly she put down her cooking pot and crept to the top of a dome-shaped frost heave, one of the many earth buckles that rise and fall in the crackling cold of the Arctic winter. Lying on her stomach, she looked across a vast lawn of grass and moss and focused her attention on the wolves she had come upon two sleeps ago. They were wagging their tails as they awoke and saw each other.

Her hands trembled and her heartbeat quickened, for she was frightened, not so much of the wolves, who were shy and many harpoon-shots away, but because of her desperate predicament. Miyax was lost. She had been lost without food for many sleeps on the North Slope of Alaska. The barren slope stretches for three hundred miles from the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean, and for more than eight hundred miles from the Chukchi to the Beaufort Sea. No roads cross it; ponds and lakes freckle its immensity. Winds scream across it, and the view in every direction is exactly the same. Somewhere in this cosmos was Miyax; and the very life in her body, its spark and warmth, depended upon these wolves for survival. And she was not so sure they would help.

(Part 1, Pages 5–6)

Julie of the Wolves


What to noteGeorge introduces tension to the story the moment she tells us Miyax is lost. If the protagonist is lost in the wilderness, she’s in danger. The story invites the reader to find out what happens next. In the same moment that we’re discovering Miyax is in peril, we’re figuring out who and where she is. George’s place-specific language grounds the protagonist in her setting. Reread the passage for unusual vocabulary.

You may have found the following:

• sealskin parka

• dome-shaped frost

• earth buckles

• harpoon-shots away

• barren slope

These terms immerse readers in Miyax’s world, one in which people wear sealskin parkas and measure distance by harpoon shots. A good writer knows when to explain concepts to her readers and when to let us figure them out on our own.

Why this passageEven though these paragraphs are packed with information and terms that may be new to readers unfamiliar with life in Alaska, they pull the reader into the narrative with the intensity of the dramatic situation. Consider how Jean Craighead George keeps you reading. Does she create a strong sense of place (the setting)? Does she provoke a question that begs to be answered (the first stirrings of plot)?

You probably feel curious as you reach the end of this passage. What is a young girl doing in an Arctic wilderness in the midst of a pack of wolves...all by herself?

Julie of the Wolves


George exhibits this skill here. She trusts readers to imagine a “dome-shaped frost” (even if we’ve never seen one) and to infer that “many harpoon-shots away” must be quite far (even if we’ve never shot one). We don’t have to know the meaning of these terms in order to imagine Julie’s world. If George slowed down to explain it might impede the flow of the narrative.

(A little further on, when Miyax’s circumstances are established and George has the reader in her grip, she does slow down to explain, as on page 10 where she tells us that the ulo is a “half-moon shaped woman’s knife, so versatile it can trim a baby’s hair, slice a tough bear, or chip an iceberg.”)

In this passage the hyphen connects words so that the two together modify the word that comes after. There are two examples: “dome-shaped frost” and “harpoon-shots away.” What do you imagine when you encounter the hyphenated term “harpoon-shots”? Do you picture one thing—the action of the shooting harpoon?

This passage provides an opportunity to review the rules of capitalization. Notice that “Arctic,” “North Slope of Alaska,” and “the Chukchi” are all capitalized. They are all proper nouns, in this case place names. Note that the direct article—“the” in “the Chukchi”—is lowercase.

There are two kinds of articles, and you’ll always find them paired with a noun. In the following examples, the article is in bold and the noun is underlined:

1. the definite article: “the hood of her sealskin parka”—this particular one

2. the indefinite article (“a dome-shaped frost heave” or “an undulating note”—unspecified, one of many possible ones

How to teach the passage

Julie of the Wolves


Notice all the times the hard “c” sound is repeated. What effect does that create? The “s” and “l” sounds are also repeated throughout the passage. These sounds create a rhythm that alternates between soft rustling and harsh staccato consonants. Try reading these two paragraphs aloud to see if you can feel the way the sounds in the words add to the tone or mood of the story. Repeated initial sounds are known as alliteration (look for examples such as “crackling cold”). Consonant sounds repeated within a sentence or phrase, including the middle of words, is called consonance (look for examples such as “lakes freckle.”)

Which of these would you say describes the repetition of the letter “w” in the last line? “Somewhere in this cosmos was Miyax; and the very life in her body, its spark and warmth, depended upon these wolves for survival. And she was not so sure they would help.” Pull them out and it’s as if the wolf is leaping through the sentence in the form of the letter “w”: Where warmth wolves was would.

According to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, there are 11 distinct cultures among Alaska’s native people, speaking twenty-two different dialects. These populations are grouped by cultural similarity and geographical proximity: 1) the Yup’ik and Cup’ik people of southwest Alaska; 2) the Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik people of northwest Alaska; 3) the Athabascan people of interior Alaska; 4) the Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people of the northwest coast; and 5) the Unangax and Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) peoples of south and southwest Alaska. This part of the world is culturally rich and extremely varied.

You may have noticed that this list does not include the word “Eskimo,” which is no longer a preferred term among the indigenous people of Alaska. The Alaska Native Heritage Center offers the following explanation:

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term “Eskimo” means a member of a group of peoples of northern Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Eastern Siberia and has commonly been used to describe

Julie of the Wolves


the Inuit and Yupik cultures of the world. In Canada and Greenland, the Inuit consider this term derogatory and have long thought it to mean “eater of raw meat,” although the more correct definition, according to linguists, comes from an Ojibwa word meaning “to net snowshoes.” Canadian First Nations people use the term “Inuit” as a self designation.

In Alaska, “Eskimo” is not thought of as being so derogatory, but is nonetheless not preferred. However, the term “Inuit” does not work well here either, because it refers only to the speakers of the northernmost group (the Inupiat). Additionally, to Inupiaq speakers, “Inuit” means “those people over there who don’t have a name” (in contrast to the Inupiaq, or “real people”—see below). The connotations and understandings are therefore quite different in Canada and Alaska. Most Alaskans encourage others to call them by the names they call themselves: Yupik or Inupiaq [sometimes referred to respectively as Yup’ik and Iñupiaq].

According to a review of the book by Martha Stackhouse, a resident of Barrow, Alaska, Julie of the Wolves is set in the Iñupiaq region but uses some Yupik cultural traditions and vocabulary. Today, with so many resources being made available through the internet, you can readily delve into the particulars of the settings and communities featured in this novel and learn more.

Think about “language” as the major theme in Julie of the Wolves. What languages must Julie gain fluency in if she is to survive? Consider the language of weather and the language of wolves. Sometimes Julie speaks English, other times she speaks her first language. Author Jean Craighead George conducted research in all of these languages in order to write the novel and the other two in her trilogy, Julie and Julie’s Wolf Pack, which you might like to add to your reading list!

Julie of the Wolves


WEEK TWO

“The theater,” she whispered, “and the Golden Gate Bridge.” That night she slept with the letter under her cheek.

In the evening of the following day Miyax hastily put on her clothes and crawled up the frost heave. Like a good puppy she got down on her stomach.

“Amaroq,” she called. “I’m ready to go when you are!”The wind blew across the wolf den, shattering the heads of the cotton grass

and shooting their seedlets south with the birds. No one answered. The wolves were gone.

(Part 1, Page 70)

Julie of the Wolves


WEEK TWO

Dialogue

“The theater,” she whispered, “and the Golden Gate Bridge.” That night she slept with the letter under her cheek.

In the evening of the following day Miyax hastily put on her clothes and crawled up the frost heave. Like a good puppy she got down on her stomach.

“Amaroq,” she called. “I’m ready to go when you are!”The wind blew across the wolf den, shattering the heads of the cotton grass

and shooting their seedlets south with the birds. No one answered. The wolves were gone.

(Part 1, Page 70)

Why this passageDialogue has a special set of punctuation rules that change based on language and country. If you read a mixture of books published in England and the United States, for example, you are used to seeing dialogue punctuation written in different ways.

This passage includes prose alongside dialogue, which affords you practice in opening and closing quotations, as well as indenting to begin a new paragraph or open a new line of dialogue.

Julie of the Wolves


What to noteWho exactly is Miyax talking to here? We see that she is speaking and we call it dialogue, but this isn’t a two-way conversation. Miyax whispers to herself and then calls for Amaroq. In neither case does anyone answer. This is more monologue than dialogue, and she speaks in fragments (“The theater and the Golden Gate Bridge”), not complete sentences. This makes sense for a character who spends a lot of time alone, speaking to herself.

Note the information George conveys in this passage. Instead of writing, “Miyax fell asleep with a heart aching for a place she had never been but continued to imagine,” George communicates Miyax’s longing as the whispered recital of the names of two features of San Francisco.

Notice the way the quotation is broken into two parts using the comma:

“The theater,” she whispered, “and the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Breaking up the sentence with periods would create an abrupt rhythm:

“The theater.” She whispered. “And the Golden Gate Bridge.”

The version with commas flows and connects the two places to create an image of the city.

Julie of the Wolves


Review the following vocabulary for spelling.

• whispered

• bridge

• hastily

• stomach

The last one is the American spelling of a loan word, no doubt familiar to you, that traveled from France to Great Britain and Australia, where it retains its original spelling, “theatre.” If you’re in one of those countries, don’t let Brave Writer or Jean Craighead George confuse you! You may run across theater companies or writers in the United States that prefer the original spelling, but American dictionaries spell it “theater.”

George creates narrative tension in this passage in a way similar to that demonstrated in the passage from Week One: She describes a scene and increases tension with what we might call a plot-bomb. The first bomb was the declaration that Miyax was lost. This time, it’s the four-word revelation, “The wolves were gone.” Boom! Did you feel the plot bomb go off? Both of these sentences carry implications that inspire us to read on. If the wolves are gone, Miyax has lost her access to food, guidance, and protection in the wilderness. We know from the novel’s opening that the wolves are her only hope of survival.

A book about a girl wandering across the Arctic tundra would be uninteresting without conflict and change. George adds these in the form of challenges and obstacles. Just when we think Miyax is safe, another danger arises. At the opening of the novel, Miyax endeared herself to the wolves and the reader relaxed. Now she has lost the wolves, so we are once again worried about her survival.


• seedlets

• wolves

• theater

Julie of the Wolves


George has also added the element of desire. Obstacles push Miyax forward, desire pulls her. Miyax’s wishful thoughts about San Francisco remind the reader why Miyax is out on the tundra to begin with: she has a dream of reaching her pen pal, safety, and a new life. The reader not only roots for Miyax to survive, but for her to start over.

Julie of the Wolves


WEEK THREE

The snow turned red with blood from his shoulder. Miyax rolled under the barrel.

The air exploded and she stared up into the belly of the plane. Bolts, doors, wheels, red, white, silver, and black, the plane flashed before her eyes. In that instant she saw great cities, bridges, radios, school books. She saw the pink room, long highways, TV sets, telephones, and electric lights. Black exhaust enveloped her, and civilization became this monster that snarled across the sky.

The plane shrank before her eyes, then turned and grew big again. Tornait flew to the top of the barrel, screaming his alarm cry and beating his wings.

Kapu tried to get up. “Don’t move,” Miyax whispered. “They’re coming for Amaroq.” Knowing

Kapu did not understand, she reached out and softly stroked him, singing: “Lie still. Lie still.” She watched him slump back in the snow without a sound.

(Part 2, Page 141)

Julie of the Wolves


WEEK THREE

Climax

The snow turned red with blood from his shoulder. Miyax rolled under the barrel.

The air exploded and she stared up into the belly of the plane. Bolts, doors, wheels, red, white, silver, and black, the plane flashed before her eyes. In that instant she saw great cities, bridges, radios, school books. She saw the pink room, long highways, TV sets, telephones, and electric lights. Black exhaust enveloped her, and civilization became this monster that snarled across the sky.

The plane shrank before her eyes, then turned and grew big again. Tornait flew to the top of the barrel, screaming his alarm cry and beating his wings.

Kapu tried to get up. “Don’t move,” Miyax whispered. “They’re coming for Amaroq.” Knowing

Kapu did not understand, she reached out and softly stroked him, singing: “Lie still. Lie still.” She watched him slump back in the snow without a sound.

(Part 2, 1)

Why this passageThis passage shows us how much Miyax has developed in the course of her journey across the Arctic tundra. She has progressed from watching a wolfpack from a distance

Julie of the Wolves


What to noteGeorge has given us detailed descriptions of the Alaska North Slope. Here, she uses that same skill to evoke “civilization.” The plane and all it represents challenge Miyax’s dream of returning to the human world. The life she imagined in the city no longer sustains her, the reality now threatens her. She has become so deeply identified with the wolf pack that she sees from Amaroq’s perspective. George describes civilization as a “monster,” revealing its brutal side. Until now Miyax has imagined San Francisco as a refuge for her; now that perspective changes. This is a formative moment for George’s protagonist.

George makes use of the colon in this passage. The colon is a mark that can stand in for the words “as follows.” Here is the section from above:

Knowing Kapu did not understand, she reached out and softly stroked him, singing: “Lie still. Lie still.”

There is also an unnecessary comma in this passage:

Black exhaust enveloped her, and civilization became this monster that snarled across the sky.

This comma is a stylistic choice. It slows the sentence, creating a pause. The plane’s black exhaust is one of many images that makes a monster of civilization. George could have used a semicolon instead, which would look like this:

Black exhaust enveloped her; civilization became this monster that snarled across the sky.

to taking care of its leader. She has gone from seeking out humans to hiding from them. Amaroq’s murder is a tipping point for Miyax. We don’t know if she feels more human or more wolf. We get the sense that she doesn’t know, either.

Julie of the Wolves


Let’s do a quick punctuation review. A period marks the end of a sentence. A comma creates a pause between ideas or items in a sentence. In contrast, a semicolon is meant to link two ideas that might have been presented as two complete sentences separated by a period. The semicolon packages the sentences together, connecting the two thoughts.

Although grammar has a lot of rules, it allows for freedom and choice as well. The “black exhaust” sentence is an excellent example of an author making a punctuation choice that affects the rhythm of the prose and the way in which the reader takes in the ideas.

Before reaching this week’s passage, you read “Part II: Miyax, the girl,” which relates Miyax’s background through flashback. In order to appreciate the structural choices authors make, consider this one by Jean Craighead George, who might have structured the novel entirely in chronological order. Instead, she begins her novel in the middle of Miyax’s journey, at the moment when she is lost and hungry. We call this “cutting in on the action” or beginning a story in medias res, a Latin phrase that means “into the middle of things.” It’s kind of like jumping into a pool instead of wading in. The reader leaps into the deep end—cold water and all. We join Miyax in medias res, lost and hungry, with night falling.

Starting from a moment of peril pulls the reader into the story. How does it change your idea of who Miyax is at this point in the book, now that you have learned about Miyax’s father, aunt, husband, and flight into the wilderness?

Julie of the Wolves


This passage is charged with emotion. Reread this section and see if you can pick up on words or phrases that increase the intensity of the tone. Here are many of them.

• exploded

• belly

• flashed

• instant

• enveloped

• monster

Read this list aloud and you’ll find that they trace the arc of the scene. Together these words convey violence, speed, and fear. This jarring encounter with humankind shocks Miyax out of her rosy ideas about San Francisco. She is with Tournait, who she saved, and Amaroq, who saved her. Despite the challenges and harsh conditions, life in the wild comes across as relatively safe in this scene. The world Miyax romanticized threatens all she holds dear. She thought that the wilderness could kill her; now she sees that humankind is the greater threat.

• snarled

• shrank

• alarm cry

• beating

• slump


Julie of the Wolves


WEEK FOUR

Many hours later she buried him in the snow. The totem of Amaroq was in her pocket. Her fingers ran over it but she did not take it out. She sang to the spirit of Amaroq in her best English:The seals are scarce and the whales are almost gone.The spirits of the animals are passing away.Amaroq, Amaroq, you are my adopted father.My feet dance because of you.My eyes see because of you.My mind thinks because of you. And it thinks, on this thundering night,That the hour of the wolf and the Eskimo is over.

Julie pointed her boots toward Kapugen. (Part 3, Page 170)

Julie of the Wolves


WEEK FOUR

Ending

Many hours later she buried him in the snow. The totem of Amaroq was in her pocket. Her fingers ran over it but she did not take it out. She sang to the spirit of Amaroq in her best English:The seals are scarce and the whales are almost gone.The spirits of the animals are passing away.Amaroq, Amaroq, you are my adopted father.My feet dance because of you.My eyes see because of you.My mind thinks because of you. And it thinks, on this thundering night,That the hour of the wolf and the Eskimo is over.

Julie pointed her boots toward Kapugen. (Part 3, Page 170)

Julie of the Wolves


What to noteThe first thing you might have noticed on reading this passage is that George refers to the main character as Julie, who has taken on a new identity as Julie of the Wolves. Julie has gained wisdom through experience. She is a part of the wilderness as well as a champion for the wild. She sees what humans have the potential to do to her wolves and the landscape. She predicts a disturbing end to a story that has grim elements throughout: Julie says that the hour of the wolf and the Eskimo is over, to which readers might reply, “No!”

To the humans in the plane, Amaroq was just an animal in the snow. To Julie, Amaroq is a guardian, a warrior, a leader, and a friend. As the alpha of his wolf pack he was responsible for the lives of many other wolves. George suggests that when humans tamper with an ecosystem (an interactive community of living organisms and their physical environment), they can start a dangerous chain of events. Julie’s grim appraisal of the plight of her land is an invitation to us to do something about it through environmental advocacy.

If you read Jean Craighead George’s Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech at the back of the book you will appreciate what led to her conviction that wolves have a sophisticated social structure and that, as she said, “we are evolving toward a mutual aid and not toward killing and destruction.”

Why this passageWhile the opening passage of a novel sets the tone, the final passage creates the impression the reader will take away. An unsatisfying ending can make a reader reevaluate all that came before, while a profound ending can elevate the reader’s experience of a book. The ending is an opportunity for the author to reinforce or deepen the main character’s development or invite speculation about what will happen next.

Julie of the Wolves


Note the final sentence: Julie pointed her boots toward Kapugen. This action carries implications for Julie’s future and signals a change in attitude toward her father. You can conjecture on your own—it is open for interpretation. Kapugen might represent Julie’s future, her choice to remain in Alaska, or her resignation about this being the dying time of the wolves.

Present in this passage is what Julie has learned during her time among the wolves, both materially (the totem of Amaroq in her pocket) and spiritually (her recitation of the song). Julie is working to understand the tensions between the ancient and modern and find a way to integrate the best of each.

George emphasizes these heavy, grief-filled moments with short declarative sentences that create a mood of reverence.


Notice that the song lyrics are in free verse—unrhymed and irregular in their meter. The song relies on repeated words and parallel sentence structures to create its rhythm. What happens when you try to sing or rap it—either with your own made-up melody or using the melody of a song you know?

George uses a colon to introduce the song. Reminder: They are useful when we have a list, an example, or want to introduce something (“as follows”).

This is far from being the first song in the novel. Try a scavenger hunt: Go in search of all the instances of song in Julie of the Wolves, noting how each one functions. What words come to mind to describe what Julie/Miyax is doing through song in each instance?

Julie of the Wolves


Copying this passage will give you a sense of its structure and rhythm. Consider how line breaks influence rhythm. We could speed up the song by breaking the line more often:

My mind thinks because of you. And it thinks, on this thundering night, that the hour of the wolf and the Eskimo is over.

George doesn’t break up the lines this way for a reason. She wants us to read the final lines slowly, without interruption, taking our time and considering the meaning.

Julie of the Wolves


Think piece questionsDr. Peter Elbow’s term “think piece questions” comes from his work in the field of writing instruction and appears in many of his books and articles. We have adopted his language for this section of the Boomerang. The following questions are designed to offer you ways to think about Julie of the Wolves. Things to remember and try:

• Use the questions to help you delve more deeply into the story. Support your answers with specific details from the book.

• Consider answering one set of questions per week.

• The finished product need not be perfectly refined. The objective of this writing is to stimulate reflection and to help you give language to your thoughts.

• If you find it daunting to write about these topics at first, use them as conversation starters with a parent or sibling who has read the books. Go out for shakes and talk about the book!

• As you get comfortable talking through a book, try answering one of the questions in writing.

1. We learn a lot about the Arctic tundra from Miyax and her experiences. Choose a memorable passage to consider closely. What does the passage have to say about life on the tundra?

2. Choose an animal and discuss its role in the book. For example, how does Kapu grow and change? What is Tournait’s role in the story? Why does Jean Craighead George include so much information about lemmings? Pose and explore similar questions with regard to the animal of your choice.

Julie of the Wolves


3. The author, Jean Craighead George, is not originally from Alaska but she clearly loved this part of the world and wanted to contribute to the protection and sustenance of its people and environment. How can this book be read as a call for action? What moments make you think about the endangered ways of Alaska’s indigenous people, the tundra, and Arctic animals?

4. A theme is the overarching idea in a story. For example, Julie explores her identity by changing her name, searching for a new home, and choosing between old traditions and new ways of life. What other themes do you find?

5. Miyax sings two different songs to Amaroq. How are these songs similar and different? What is the significance of singing them rather than speaking?

6. We are reminded of Kapugen throughout Julie’s time in the wild. She uses skills she has learned from him. What does Kapugen symbolize for Julie? Why do you think she leaves him right after finding him? Why do you think she turns her boots toward him at the end?

7. Why do you think Julie agrees to marry Daniel? Why does she leave? What are her choices at that point in the story?

8. Describe Julie at the beginning of the story versus the end. What are some moments that change her? What examples can you cite of Miyax confronting tradition and either refusing it or upholding it? Jean Craighead George has said that the primary message she’d like young readers to take away from the novel is: “Think independently.” What are some examples of Julie/Miyax thinking independently?

9. What do Amy and her life in San Francisco represent for Julie? What do you think she meant when she said, “Daylight is spelled A-M-Y”? Do you think she will be in touch with Amy again at the end of the novel? If she wrote to her at that point, what do you think her letter would say?

Julie of the Wolves


Golden LinesSelect one favorite passage from the book to keep in a notebook of golden lines. You’ll pick a passage, copy it into a notebook, and then write the date you picked it and the location in the book (which chapter and page number). Then jot down a sentence or two about why the passage is meaningful to you. If you continue this practice each time you read a book and keep the quotes all in one journal, you’ll have a lovely commonplace book that serves as a record of your reading throughout the year!

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