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92 Collection 3: Narrator and VoicePart 1

Harriet Watkins loves excitement as much as she loves scaring other kids with

her spooky stories. She also loves watching the Fly family perform death-

defying feats on the high wire at the circus. Nothing scares Harriet. Or does it?

LITERARY FOCUS: NARRATOR• The title of this story, “My Delicate Heart Condition,” gives you a clue

that the tale is told by a first-person narrator. The “I” in the story is

Harriet Watkins. She is telling us about herself.

• Harriet “speaks” in a distinct, or special, voice. The words and sentences

she uses are lively and friendly, as if she were talking to her classmates

rather than “writing” a story. As you read, “listen” to the voice of

Harriet, the storyteller.

• Part of your job as a reader is to decide how credible, or believable, the

narrator is. Here are questions you can ask yourself to decide whether the

narrator is believable:

1. Does the narrator exaggerate, or say that something is bigger or more

exciting than it probably is?

2. Does she misunderstand what adults are saying?

3. Does the narrator not know things that other characters and the

reader may know?

READING SKILLS: DRAWING CONCLUSIONSA conclusion is a judgment you make based on evidence, or important details.

You probably draw conclusions about the world around you every day. For

example, one rainy morning your friend arrives at your house, dripping wet

and out of breath. You might conclude that he forgot his umbrella and that

he has run to your house in an attempt to stay dry.

You also make judgments based on evidence when you read a story. You think

about what the narrator tells you and what the story’s characters say and do.

Then, using what you’ve learned from the story and from your own life experi-

ences, you put those details together to form a conclusion. As you read, you

check to see if your conclusions are correct.

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My Delicate Heart Condition by Toni Cade Bambara

Literary SkillsUnderstand a

narrator’s voice.Look for signs of

a crediblenarrator.

ReadingSkillsDraw

conclusions.

VocabularySkills

Understandliteral andfigurativemeaning.

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My Delicate Heart Condition 93

withstand (wiƒ·stand√) v.: resist; not give in.

Harriet’s courage and inner strength help herwithstand fear.

vacant (v†√k¥nt) adj.: empty; suggesting lack of

attention.

His vacant look made me think he wasn’t pay-ing attention.

suspended (s¥·spen√did) v. used as adj.: hanging

by a support from above.

The acrobat hung in the air,suspended by only a thin rope.

proportions (pr¥·pôr√◊¥nz) n.: size; dimensions.

His hands were small, but his feet had the proportions of a giant’s.

PREVIEW SELECTION VOCABULARYThe following words appear in “My Delicate Heart Condition.” Look them

over before you begin the story.

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LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE MEANINGThe literal meaning of a word is its dictionary definition. For example, if you

say, “The computer is broken,” you are using the word broken in a literal

sense: The computer doesn’t work. However, if you say, “My heart is

broken,” you are using the word broken in a figurative, or imaginative,

sense. Your heart is still pumping blood_it is “working” in the literal sense.

What you really mean by “My heart is broken” is that you are feeling deep

sorrow or hurt. You feel as if your heart is broken into pieces.

Figurative language is based on a comparison between two unlike things.

We use figurative language all the time. Writers use figurative language in

unusual or interesting ways to create vivid pictures and striking comparisons.

When you read a story, be alert to the writer’s use of figurative language.


My cousin Joanne has not been allowed to hang out with me for

some time because she went and told Aunt Hazel that I scare her

to death whenever she sleeps over at our house or I spend the

weekend at hers. The truth is I sometimes like to tell stories

about bloodthirsty vampires or ugly monsters that lurk in

clothes closets or giant beetles that eat their way through the

shower curtain, like I used to do at camp to entertain the kids in

my bunk. But Joanne always cries and that makes the stories

even weirder, like background music her crying. And too—I’m

not going to lie about it—I get spookier on purpose until all the

little crybabies are stuffing themselves under their pillows and

throwing their sneakers at me and making such a racket that

Mary the counselor has to come in and shine her flashlight

around the bunkhouse. I play like I’m asleep. The rest of them

are too busy blubbering and finding their way out from under

the blankets to tell Mary that it’s me. Besides, once they get a

load of her standing against the moonlight in that long white

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MyDelicateHeart

ConditionToni Cade Bambara

© Mark Lewis/Getty Images.

“My Delicate Heart Condition” by Toni Cade Bambara. Copyright © 1965 and renewed © 1993 by Toni CadeBambara. Reprinted by permission of the Estate of Toni Cade Bambara.

Voice is the narrator’s specialway of “speaking” to thereader. Re-read lines 1-4.Underline the words thatsound like a young girl talking.

Pause at line 14. What haveyou learned so far about thenarrator?


robe of hers looking like a ghost, they just start up again and

pretty soon the whole camp is awake. Anyway, that’s what I do

for fun. So Joanne hasn’t been around. And this year I’ll have to

go to the circus by myself and to camp without her. My mother

said on the phone to Aunt Hazel—“Good, keep Jo over there

and maybe Harriet’ll behave herself if she’s got no one to show

off to.” For all the years my mother’s known me, she still doesn’t

understand that my behaving has got nothing to do with who I

hang out with. A private thing between me and me or maybe

between me and the Fly family since they were the ones that first

got me to sit through monster movies and withstand all the ter-

ror I could take.

For four summers now, me and the Fly family have had this

thing going. A battle of nerves, you might say. Each year they

raise the rope closer and closer to the very top of the tent—I

hear they’re going to perform outdoors this year and be even

higher—and they stretch the rope further across the rings where

the clowns and the pony riders perform. Each year they get

bolder and more daring with their rope dancing and the swing-

ing by the legs and flinging themselves into empty space making

everyone throw up their hands and gasp for air until Mr. Fly at

the very last possible second swings out on his bar to catch them

up by the tips of their heels. Everyone just dies and clutches at

their hearts. Everybody but me. I sit there calmly. I’ve trained

myself. Joanne used to die and duck her head under the benches

and stay there till it was all over.

Last summer they really got bold. On the final performance

just before the fair closed, and some revival-type tent show

comes in and all the kids go off to camp, the Fly family per-

formed without a net. I figured they’d be up to something so I

made sure my stomach was like steel. I did ten push-ups before

breakfast, twenty sit-ups before lunch, skipped dinner altogether.

My brother Teddy kidded me all day—“Harriet’s trying out for

the Olympics.” I passed up the ice man on the corner and the

pizza and sausage stand by the schoolyard and the cotton candy

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The story’s first-person narrator does not directly tellreaders her name. In lines20-24, circle the place whereyou learn her name.

withstand (wiƒ·stand√) v.:resist; not give in.

Withstand is made up of twowords from Old English, thelanguage spoken centuriesago in England. What arethe two words?

Pause and re-read lines 30-35. Who is the Fly family?What does the family do?

Underline the words in lines40-41 that tell what “every-one” does while watchingthe Flys. Then, circle thewords that tell what Harrietdoes. What has she trainedherself to do?


and jelly-apple lady and the pickle and penny-candy boy, in fact

I passed up all the stands that lead from the street down the lit-

tle roadway to the fair grounds that used to be a swamp when

we first moved from Baltimore to Jamaica, Long Island. It wasn’t

easy, I’m not going to lie, but I was taking no chances. Between

the balloon man and the wheel of fortune was the usual clump

of ladies from church who came night after night to try to win

the giant punch bowl set on the top shelf above the wheel, but

had to settle night after night for a jar of gumdrops or salt-and-

pepper shakers or some other little thing from the bottom shelf.

And from the wheel of fortune to the tent was at least a million

stands selling B.B. bats and jawbreakers and gingerbread and

sweet potato pie and frozen custard and—like I said it wasn’t

easy. A million ways to tempt you, to unsettle your stomach, and

make you lose the battle to the Fly family.

I sat there almost enjoying the silly clowns who came tum-

bling out of a steamer trunk no bigger than the one we have in

the basement where my mother keeps my old report cards and

photographs and letters and things. And I almost enjoyed the

fire-eater and the knife-thrower, but I was so close up I could see

how there wasn’t any real thrill. I almost enjoyed the fat-leg girls

who rode the ponies two at a time and standing up, but their

costumes weren’t very pretty—just an ordinary polo shirt like

you get if you run in the PAL meets and short skirts you can

wear on either side like the big girls wear at the roller rink. And I

almost enjoyed the jugglers except that my Uncle Bubba can jug-

gle the dinner plates better any day of the week so long as Aunt

Hazel isn’t there to stop him. I was impatient and started yawn-

ing. Finally all the clowns hitched up their baggy pants and tum-

bled over each other out of the ring and into the dark, the jug-

glers caught all the things that were up in the air and yawning

just like me went off to the side. The pony girls brought their

horses to a sudden stop that raised a lot of dust, then jumped

down into the dirt and bowed. Then the ringmaster stepped into

the circle of light and tipped his hat which was a little raggedy

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Re-read lines 54-62. Wouldyou describe the narrator’svoice as formal or informal?

Underline the words in lines63-67 indicating that Harrietis not a credible (believable)narrator. Why is she exagger-ating by making the circussound bigger than it is?

In lines 68-80, circle eachtime Harriet says that she“almost enjoyed” the eventsat the circus. Why do youthink she doesn’t fully enjoythem?


from where I was sitting and said—“And now, Ladieeez and

Gentlemen, what you’ve alll been waiting forrr, the Main

aTTRACtion, the FLY FAMILEEE.” And everyone jumped up to

shout like crazy as they came running out on their toes to stand

in the light and then climb the ropes. I took a deep breath and

folded my arms over my chest and a kid next to me went into

hiding, acting like she was going to tie her shoelaces.

There used to be four of them—the father, a big guy with a

bald head and bushy mustache and shoulders and arms like

King Kong; a tall lanky mother whom you’d never guess could

even climb into a highchair or catch anything heavier than a

Ping-Pong ball to look at her; the oldest son who looked like his

father except he had hair on his head but none on his face and a

big face it was, so that no matter how high up he got, you could

always tell whether he was smiling or frowning or counting; the

younger boy about thirteen, maybe, had a vacant stare like he

was a million miles away feeding his turtles or something, any-

thing but walking along a tightrope or flying through the air

with his family. I had always liked to watch him because he was

as cool as I was. But last summer the little girl got into the act.

My grandmother says she’s probably a midget cause no self-

respecting mother would allow her child to be up there acting

like a bird. “Just a baby,” she’d say. “Can’t be more than six years

old. Should be home in bed. Must be a midget.” My grandfather

would give me a look when she started in and we’d smile at her

together.

They almost got to me that last performance, dodging

around with new routines and two at a time so that you didn’t

know which one Mr. Fly was going to save at the last minute.

But he’d fly out and catch the little boy and swing over to the

opposite stand where the big boy was flying out to catch them

both by the wrists and the poor woman would be left kind of

dangling there, suspended, then she’d do this double flip which

would kill off everyone in the tent except me, of course, and

swing out on the very bar she was on in the first place. And then

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Underline the words in lines88-90 where the spellingand capitalization help you“hear” the announcer.

vacant (v†√k¥nt) adj.: empty;suggesting lack of attention.

Vacant comes from the Latinword vacare, meaning “to beempty.”

suspended (s¥·spen√did) v.used as adj.: hanging by asupport from above.

The verb suspend is from theLatin sub-, meaning “under,”and pendere, meaning “tohang.” Suspend has the sameword origin as suspense,which can leave the reader“hanging,” or waiting tolearn what happens next.

NotesNotes


they’d mess around two or three flying at once just to confuse

you until the big drum roll started and out steps the little girl in

a party dress and huge blindfold wrapped around her little head

and a pink umbrella like they sell down in Chinatown. And I

almost—I won’t lie about it—I almost let my heart thump me

off the bench. I almost thought I too had to tie my shoelaces.

But I sat there. Stubborn. And the kid starts bouncing up and

down on the rope like she was about to take off and tear

through the canvas roof. Then out swings her little brother and

before you know it, Fly Jr. like a great eagle with his arms flap-

ping grabs up the kid, her eyeband in his teeth and swoops her

off to the bar that’s already got Mrs. Mr. and Big Bro on it and

surely there’s no room for him. And everyone’s standing on their

feet clutching at their faces. Everyone but me. Cause I know

from the getgo that Mr. and Mrs. are going to leave the bar to

give Jr. room and fly over to the other side. Which is exactly

what they do. The lady in front of me, Mrs. Perez, who does all

the sewing in our neighborhood, gets up and starts shaking her

hands like ladies do to get the fingernail polish dry and she says

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What does Harriet meanwhen she says, “I almostthought I too had to tie myshoelaces” (line 128)?

© Abrams Lacagnina/Getty Images.


to me with her eyes jammed shut “I must go finish the wedding

gowns. Tell me later who died.” And she scoots through the aisle,

falling all over everybody with her eyes still shut and never looks

up. And Mrs. Caine taps me on the back and leans over and says,

“Some people just can’t take it.” And I smile at her and at her

twins who’re sitting there with their mouths open. I fold my

arms over my chest and just dare the Fly family to do their very

worst.

The minute I got to camp, I ran up to the main house where all

the counselors gather to say hello to the parents and talk with

the directors. I had to tell Mary the latest doings with the Fly

family. But she put a finger to her mouth like she sometimes

does to shush me. “Let’s not have any scary stuff this summer,

Harriet,” she said, looking over my shoulder at a new kid. This

new kid, Willie, was from my old neighborhood in Baltimore so

we got friendly right off. Then he told me that he had a roman-

tic heart so I quite naturally took him under my wing and

decided not to give him a heart attack with any ghost tales. Mary

said he meant “rheumatic” heart, but I don’t see any difference.

So I told Mary to move him out of George’s tent and give him a

nicer counselor who’d respect his romantic heart. George used

to be my play boyfriend when I first came to camp as a little kid

and didn’t know any better. But he’s not a nice person. He makes

up funny nicknames for people which aren’t funny at all. Like

calling Eddie Michaels the Watermelon Kid or David Farmer

Charcoal Plenty which I really do not appreciate and especially

from a counselor. And once he asked Joanne, who was the table

monitor, to go and fetch a pail of milk from the kitchen. And the

minute she got up, he started hatching a plot, trying to get the

kids to hide her peanut butter sandwich and put spiders in her

soup. I had to remind everyone at the table that Joanne was my

first cousin by blood, and that I would be forced to waste the

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In the phrase “took himunder my wing” (line 158),the narrator is using lan-guage in a figurative way.Why can’t the phrase be readin a literal way? What doesthe phrase mean?

In lines 157-162, Willie andHarriet confuse the wordsromantic and rheumatic.Romantic means “full ofthoughts and feelings aboutromance or love.” A rheuma-tic heart is a heart that hasbeen damaged by rheumaticfever, a childhood illness. Underline the words that tellwhat the narrator does tohelp protect Willie’s dam-aged heart.


first bum that laid a hand on her plate. And ole George says, “Oh

don’t be a dumbhead, Harriet. Jo’s so stupid she won’t even

notice.” And I told him right then and there that I was not his

play girlfriend anymore and would rather marry the wolfman

than grow up and be his wife. And just in case he didn’t get the

message, that night around campfire when we were all playing

Little Sally Walker sittin’ in a saucer and it was my turn to shake

it to the east and to shake it to the west and to shake it to the

very one that I loved the best—I shook straight for Mr. Nelson

the lifeguard, who was not only the ugliest person in camp but

the arch enemy of ole George.

And that very first day of camp last summer when Willie

came running up to me to get in line for lunch, here comes

George talking some simple stuff about “What a beautiful head

you have, Willie. A long, smooth, streamlined head. A sure sign of

superior gifts. Definitely genius proportions.” And poor Willie

went for it, grinning and carrying on and touching his head,

which if you want to know the truth is a bullet head and that’s all

there is to it. And he’s turning to me every which way, like he’s

modeling his head in a fashion show. And the minute his back is

turned, ole George makes a face about Willie’s head and all the

kids in the line bust out laughing. So I had to beat up a few right

then and there and finish off the rest later in the shower for being

so stupid, laughing at a kid with a romantic heart.

One night in the last week of August when the big campfire

party is held, it was very dark and the moon was all smoky, and

I just couldn’t help myself and started in with a story about the

great caterpillar who was going to prowl through the tents and

nibble off everybody’s toes. And Willie started this whimpering

in the back of his throat so I had to switch the story real quick

to something cheerful. But before I could do that, ole George

picked up my story and added a wicked witch who put spells on

city kids who come to camp, and a hunchback dwarf that

chopped up tents and bunk beds, and a one-eyed phantom giant

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Re-read lines 178-184. Fromher actions, how old do youthink Harriet is?

Underline the sentence inlines 195-197 where the nar-rator describes how shetreated the kids wholaughed at Willie. Is shebeing credible, or honest, oris she exaggerating? Explain.

proportions (pr¥·pôr√◊¥nz)n.: size; dimensions.

Circle a familiar word insidethe larger word. What doesthe smaller word mean?


who gobbled up the hearts of underprivileged kids. And every

time he got to the part where the phantom ripped out a heart,

poor Willie would get louder and louder until finally he started

rolling around in the grass and screaming and all the kids went

crazy and scattered behind the rocks almost kicking the fire

completely out as they dashed off into the darkness yelling

bloody murder. And the counselors could hardly round us all

up—me, too, I’m not going to lie about it. Their little circles of

flashlight bobbing in and out of the bushes along the patches of

pine, bumping into each other as they scrambled for us kids.

And poor Willie rolling around something awful, so they took

him to the infirmary.

I was sneaking some gingersnaps in to him later that night when

I heard Mary and another senior counselor fussing at ole George

in the hallway.

“You’ve been picking on that kid ever since he got here,

George. But tonight was the limit—”

“I wasn’t picking on him, I was just trying to tell a story—”

“All that talk about hearts, gobblin’ up hearts, and

underpriv—”

“Yeh, you were directing it all at the little kid. You

should be—”

“I wasn’t talking about him. They’re all underprivileged

kids, after all. I mean all the kids are underprivileged.”

I huddled back into the shadows and almost banged into

Willie’s iron bed. I was hoping he’d open his eyes and wink at

me and tell me he was just fooling. That it wasn’t so bad to have

an underprivileged heart. But he just slept. “I’m an underprivi-

leged kid too,” I thought to myself. I knew it was a special camp,

but I’d never realized. No wonder Aunt Hazel screamed so about

my scary stories and my mother flicked off the TV when the

monsters came on and Mary was always shushing me. We all

had bad hearts. I crawled into the supply cabinet to wait for

Willie to wake up so I could ask him about it all. I ate all the

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George is using the wordunderprivileged (line 208 andlater in lines 226-231) torefer to groups who havesuffered from poverty anddiscrimination. The kids inthe story do not understandwhat George means. If theydid understand, how mightthe word make them feel?

Pause to re-read lines 230-240. What has Harrietoverheard the counselorssay? What does she misun-derstand?

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gingersnaps but I didn’t feel any better. You have a romantic

heart, I whispered to myself settling down among the bandages.

You will have to be very careful.

It didn’t make any difference to Aunt Hazel that I had changed,

that I no longer told scary stories or dragged my schoolmates to

the latest creature movie, or raced my friends to the edge of the

roof, or held my breath, or ran under the train rail when the

train was already in sight. As far as she was concerned, I was still

the same ole spooky kid I’d always been. So Joanne was kept at

home. My mother noticed the difference, but she said over the

phone to my grandmother, “She’s acting very ladylike these days,

growing up.” I didn’t tell her about my secret, that I knew about

my heart. And I was kind of glad Joanne wasn’t around ’cause I

would have blabbed it all to her and scared her to death. When

school starts again, I decided, I’ll ask my teacher how to outgrow

my underprivileged heart. I’ll train myself, just like I did with

the Fly family.

“Well, I guess you’ll want some change to go to the fair

again, hunh?” my mother said coming into my room dumping

things in her pocketbook.

“No,” I said. “I’m too grown up for circuses.”

She put the money on the dresser anyway. I was lying, of

course. I was thinking what a terrible strain it would be for Mrs.

Perez and everybody else if while sitting there, with the Fly fami-

ly zooming around in the open air a million miles above the

ground, little Harriet Watkins should drop dead with a fatal

heart attack behind them.

“I lost,” I said out loud.

“Lost what?”

“The battle with the Fly family.”

She just stood there a long time looking at me, trying to

figure me out, the way mothers are always doing but should

know better. Then she kissed me goodbye and left for work.

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Read the boxed passagealoud several times. Pausebriefly at commas and morefully at periods. Work on thesmoothness of your deliveryeach time you read.

In lines 255-258, underlinethe two actions Harriet willtake to “help” her heart.

Pause at line 271. What doesHarriet mean when she saysshe has lost the battle withthe Fly family?

Think about the story’s title.What two kinds of “delicateheart condition” are in thestory?



My Delicate Heart ConditionNarrator Profile To fully understand characters in a story, you take note of

what they say and what they do, and you draw conclusions about them. Fill in

the following chart with the conclusions you draw about Harriet, this story’s

narrator. Base your conclusions on her words and actions, which are cited in the

left-hand column.

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My ConclusionsHarriet’s Words and Actions

“The truth is I sometimes like to tell

stories about bloodthirsty vampires or

ugly monsters that lurk in clothes

closets or giant beetles that eat their

way through the shower curtain. . . .”

“And from the wheel of fortune to

the tent was at least a million stands

selling B.B. bats and jawbreakers

and gingerbread and sweet potato

pie and frozen custard. . . .”

“I had to remind everyone at the

table that Joanne was my first

cousin by blood, and that I would be

forced to waste the first bum that

laid a hand on her plate.”

“So I had to beat up a few right

then and there and finish off the

rest later in the shower for being so

stupid, laughing at a kid with a

romantic heart.”

“‘I’m an underprivileged kid too.’ . . .

No wonder Aunt Hazel screamed so

about my scary stories and my

mother flicked off the TV when the

monsters came on and Mary was

always shushing me.”


Complete the sample test item below. Then, read the explanation at right.

My Delicate Heart Condition

Skills ReviewSkills Review


Explanation of the Correct Answer

The correct answer is D.

Harriet tells the story, using the words I

and me to refer to herself. A is not cor-

rect because we know who the narrator

is. Joanne (B) and Mary (C) are story

characters, but neither one tells the

story.

Sample Test Item

Who is telling the story?

A an unnamed narrator

B Joanne

C Mary, the counselor

D Harriet

3. At the end of the story, Harriet

doesn’t want to go to the circus

because_

A her mother is forcing her to go

B she wants to be more ladylike

C circuses have become too

expensive

D she knows that she cannot always

overcome her fear

4. Harriet’s choice of words and her

descriptions give the story its

special_

F plot

G voice

H ending

J sadness

1. Which of the following is not true

about Harriet?

A She is a first-person narrator.

B She tells us what Willie is

thinking.

C She tells us what she is feeling.

D She refers to herself as I and me.

2. Which of the following passages indi-

cates that Harriet is not always a

credible narrator?

F “For four summers now, me and

the Fly family have had this thing

going.”

G “And I almost_I won’t lie about

it_I almost let my heart thump

me off the bench.”

H “Then he told me that he had a

romantic heart so I quite naturally

took him under my wing. . . .”

J “I ate all the gingersnaps but I

didn’t feel any better.”

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of each correct response.

Cop

yrig

ht ©

by

Hol

t,R

ineh

art

and

Win

ston

.A

ll ri

ghts

res

erve

d.

Literary SkillsInterpret a

narrator’s voice.Analyze the

credibility of anarrator.



Skills ReviewSkills Review

Literal and Figurative Meaning

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of each correct response.

My Delicate Heart Condition

Vocabulary in Context

DIRECTIONS: Complete the paragraph below by writing each word from the

box in the correct numbered blank.

suspended

withstand

proportions

vacant

Word BoxWord Box I’m trying to learn how to (1) the disappoint-

ments of life. Recently I went into a dress shop. (2)

from the ceiling were hundreds of lights, casting a glow on the clothes

below. I wanted to buy everything, but my budget doesn’t have the

(3) of a millionaire’s bank account. Next time I

pass the shop, I’ll put on a (4) expression, and my

thoughts will be far, far away.

Cop

yrig

ht ©

by

Hol

t,R

ineh

art

and

Win

ston

.A

ll ri

ghts

res

erve

d.

VocabularySkillsIdentify andinterpretfigurativelanguage.Use words incontext.

H “Before you know it, Fly Jr. like a

great eagle with his arms flapping

grabs up the kid. . . .”

J “And I smile at her and at her

twins. . . .”

3. When Harriet says she hopes to out-

grow her “underprivileged heart,”

she is using figurative language to

suggest that_

A her heart is too small for her body

B she wants to be brave and self-

confident again

C she needs money for an operation

D she may need a heart transplant

1. The phrase “a battle of nerves”_

A means that nerve cells are

fighting

B has nothing to do with nerves

C suggests a mental and not a

physical conflict

D means that people are scared

2. Which of these passages does not

contain figurative language?

F “Then she’d do this double flip

which would kill off everyone in

the tent. . . .”

G “I almost let my heart thump me

off the bench. . . .”

HRS9C03_078_105d 8/26/03 12:01 PM Page 105 impos06 108:hrhrs9r1:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

48 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n

93

wit

hst

and

(wiƒ

·sta

nd

√) v

.:re

sist

; no

t g

ive

in.

Har

riet

’s co

urag

e an

d in

ner

stre

ngth

hel

p he

rw

iths

tan

dfe

ar.

vaca

nt

(v†√

k¥n

t) a

dj.:

emp

ty; s

ug

ges

tin

g la

ck o

f

atte

nti

on

.

His

vac

ant

look

mad

e m

e th

ink

he w

asn’

t pa

y-in

g at

tent

ion.

susp

end

ed(s

¥·sp

en√d

id)

v.u

sed

as

adj.:

han

gin

g

by

a su

pp

ort

fro

m a

bo

ve.

The

acr

obat

hun

g in

the

air

,su

spen

ded

by o

nly

a th

in r

ope.

pro

po

rtio

ns

(pr¥

·pô

r√◊

¥nz)

n.:

size

; dim

ensi

on

s.

His

han

ds w

ere

smal

l,bu

t hi

s fe

et h

ad t

he

prop

orti

ons

ofa

gian

t’s.

PREV

IEW

SEL

ECTI

ON

VOCA

BULA

RYTh

e fo

llow

ing

wo

rds

app

ear

in “

My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n.”

Lo

ok

them

ove

r b

efo

re y

ou

beg

in t

he

sto

ry.

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

LITE

RAL

AND

FIGU

RATI

VE M

EANI

NGTh

e lit

eral

mea

nin

g o

f a

wo

rd is

its

dic

tio

nar

y d

efin

itio

n. F

or

exam

ple

, if

you

say,

“Th

e co

mp

ute

r is

bro

ken

,” y

ou

are

usi

ng

th

e w

ord

bro

ken

in a

lite

ral

sen

se: T

he

com

pu

ter

do

esn

’t w

ork

. Ho

wev

er, i

f yo

u s

ay, “

My

hea

rt is

bro

ken

,” y

ou

are

usi

ng

th

e w

ord

bro

ken

in a

fig

ura

tive

,or

imag

inat

ive,

sen

se. Y

ou

r h

eart

is s

till

pu

mp

ing

blo

od_

it is

“w

ork

ing

” in

th

e lit

eral

sen

se.

Wh

at y

ou

rea

lly m

ean

by

“My

hea

rt is

bro

ken

” is

th

at y

ou

are

fee

ling

dee

p

sorr

ow

or

hu

rt. Y

ou

fee

las

if y

ou

r h

eart

is b

roke

n in

to p

iece

s.

Fig

ura

tive

lan

gu

age

is b

ased

on

a c

om

par

iso

n b

etw

een

tw

o u

nlik

e th

ing

s.

We

use

fig

ura

tive

lan

gu

age

all t

he

tim

e. W

rite

rs u

se f

igu

rati

ve la

ng

uag

e in

un

usu

al o

r in

tere

stin

g w

ays

to c

reat

e vi

vid

pic

ture

s an

d s

trik

ing

co

mp

aris

on

s.

Wh

en y

ou

rea

d a

sto

ry, b

e al

ert

to t

he

wri

ter’

s u

se o

f fi

gu

rati

ve la

ng

uag

e.

92

Co

llect

ion

3:

Nar

rato

r an

d V

oic

ePa

rt 1

Har

riet

Wat

kin

s lo

ves

exci

tem

ent

as m

uch

as

she

love

s sc

arin

g o

ther

kid

s w

ith

her

sp

oo

ky s

tori

es. S

he

also

love

s w

atch

ing

th

e Fl

y fa

mily

per

form

dea

th-

def

yin

g f

eats

on

th

e h

igh

wir

e at

th

e ci

rcu

s. N

oth

ing

sca

res

Har

riet

. Or

do

es it

?

LITE

RARY

FO

CUS:

NAR

RATO

R•

The

titl

e o

f th

is s

tory

, “M

y D

elic

ate

Hea

rt C

on

dit

ion

,” g

ives

yo

u a

clu

e

that

th

e ta

le is

to

ld b

y a

firs

t-p

erso

n n

arra

tor.

The

“I”

in t

he

sto

ry is

Har

riet

Wat

kin

s. S

he

is t

ellin

g u

s ab

ou

t h

erse

lf.

•H

arri

et “

spea

ks”

in a

dis

tin

ct, o

r sp

ecia

l, vo

ice.

The

wo

rds

and

sen

ten

ces

she

use

s ar

e liv

ely

and

fri

end

ly, a

s if

sh

e w

ere

talk

ing

to

her

cla

ssm

ates

rath

er t

han

“w

riti

ng

” a

sto

ry. A

s yo

u r

ead

, “lis

ten

” to

th

e vo

ice

of

Har

riet

, th

e st

ory

telle

r.

•Pa

rt o

f yo

ur

job

as

a re

ader

is t

o d

ecid

e h

ow

cre

dib

le,o

r b

elie

vab

le, t

he

nar

rato

r is

. Her

e ar

e q

ues

tio

ns

you

can

ask

yo

urs

elf

to d

ecid

e w

het

her

th

e

nar

rato

r is

bel

ieva

ble

:

1.D

oes

th

e n

arra

tor

exag

ger

ate,

or

say

that

so

met

hin

g is

big

ger

or

mo

re

exci

tin

g t

han

it p

rob

ably

is?

2.D

oes

sh

e m

isu

nd

erst

and

wh

at a

du

lts

are

sayi

ng

?

3.D

oes

th

e n

arra

tor

no

tkn

ow

th

ing

s th

at o

ther

ch

arac

ters

an

d t

he

read

er m

ay k

no

w?

READ

ING

SKIL

LS:

DRAW

ING

CONC

LUSI

ONS

A c

on

clu

sio

nis

a ju

dg

men

t yo

u m

ake

bas

ed o

n e

vid

ence

,or

imp

ort

ant

det

ails

.

You

pro

bab

ly d

raw

co

ncl

usi

on

sab

ou

t th

e w

orl

d a

rou

nd

yo

u e

very

day

. Fo

r

exam

ple

, on

e ra

iny

mo

rnin

g y

ou

r fr

ien

d a

rriv

es a

t yo

ur

ho

use

, dri

pp

ing

wet

and

ou

t o

f b

reat

h. Y

ou

mig

ht

con

clu

de

that

he

forg

ot

his

um

bre

lla a

nd

th

at

he

has

ru

n t

o y

ou

r h

ou

se in

an

att

emp

t to

sta

y d

ry.

You

als

o m

ake

jud

gm

ents

bas

ed o

n e

vid

ence

wh

en y

ou

rea

d a

sto

ry. Y

ou

th

ink

abo

ut

wh

at t

he

nar

rato

r te

lls y

ou

an

d w

hat

th

e st

ory

’s c

har

acte

rs s

ay a

nd

do

.

Then

, usi

ng

wh

at y

ou

’ve

lear

ned

fro

m t

he

sto

ry a

nd

fro

m y

ou

r o

wn

life

exp

eri-

ence

s, y

ou

pu

t th

ose

det

ails

to

get

her

to

fo

rm a

co

ncl

usi

on

. As

you

rea

d, y

ou

chec

k to

see

if y

ou

r co

ncl

usi

on

s ar

e co

rrec

t.


My

Delic

ate

Hea

rt C

ondi

tion

by

Ton

i Cad

e Ba

mba

ra

Lit

era

ry S

kills

Und

erst

and

ana

rrat

or’s

voic

e.Lo

ok f

or s

igns

of

a cr

edib

lena

rrat

or.

Readin

gSkills

Dra

wco

nclu

sion

s.

Voca

bula

rySkills

Und

erst

and

liter

al a

ndfi

gura

tive

mea

ning

.

Collection 3Student pages 92–93

Student Pages with Answers 49

robe

of

her

s lo

okin

g lik

e a

ghos

t,th

ey ju

st s

tart

up

agai

n a

nd

pret

ty s

oon

th

e w

hol

e ca

mp

is a

wak

e.A

nyw

ay,t

hat

’s w

hat

I d

o

for

fun

.So

Joan

ne

has

n’t

been

aro

un

d.A

nd

this

yea

r I’

ll h

ave

to

go t

o th

e ci

rcu

s by

mys

elf

and

to c

amp

wit

hou

t h

er.M

y m

oth

er

said

on

th

e ph

one

to A

un

t H

azel—

“Goo

d,ke

ep J

o ov

er t

her

e

and

may

be H

arri

et’ll

beh

ave

her

self

ifsh

e’s

got

no

one

to s

how

off

to.”

For

all t

he

year

s m

y m

oth

er’s

kn

own

me,

she

still

doe

sn’t

un

ders

tan

d th

at m

y be

hav

ing

has

got

not

hin

g to

do

wit

h w

ho

I

han

g ou

t w

ith

.A p

riva

te t

hin

g be

twee

n m

e an

d m

e or

may

be

betw

een

me

and

the

Fly

fam

ily s

ince

th

ey w

ere

the

ones

th

at f

irst

got

me

to s

it t

hro

ugh

mon

ster

mov

ies

and

wit

hst

and

all t

he

ter-

ror

I co

uld

tak

e.

For

fou

r su

mm

ers

now

,me

and

the

Fly

fam

ily h

ave

had

th

is

thin

g go

ing.

A b

attl

e of

ner

ves,

you

mig

ht

say.

Eac

h y

ear

they

rais

e th

e ro

pe c

lose

r an

d cl

oser

to

the

very

top

of

the

ten

t—I

hea

r th

ey’r

e go

ing

to p

erfo

rm o

utd

oors

th

is y

ear

and

be e

ven

hig

her—

and

they

str

etch

th

e ro

pe f

urt

her

acr

oss

the

rin

gs w

her

e

the

clow

ns

and

the

pony

rid

ers

perf

orm

.Eac

h y

ear

they

get

bold

er a

nd

mor

e da

rin

g w

ith

th

eir

rope

dan

cin

g an

d th

e sw

ing-

ing

by t

he

legs

an

d fl

ingi

ng

them

selv

es in

to e

mpt

y sp

ace

mak

ing

ever

yon

e th

row

up

thei

r h

ands

an

d ga

sp f

or a

ir u

nti

l Mr.

Fly

at

the

very

last

pos

sibl

e se

con

d sw

ings

ou

t on

his

bar

to

catc

h t

hem

up

by t

he

tips

of

thei

r h

eels

.Eve

ryon

e ju

st d

ies

and

clu

tch

es a

t

thei

r h

eart

s.Ev

eryb

ody

but

me.

I si

t th

ere

calm

ly.I

’ve

trai

ned

mys

elf.

Joan

ne

use

d to

die

an

d du

ck h

er h

ead

un

der

the

ben

ches

and

stay

th

ere

till

it w

as a

ll ov

er.

Last

su

mm

er t

hey

rea

lly g

ot b

old.

On

th

e fi

nal

per

form

ance

just

bef

ore

the

fair

clo

sed,

and

som

e re

viva

l-ty

pe

ten

t sh

ow

com

es in

an

d al

l th

e ki

ds g

o of

fto

cam

p,th

e Fl

y fa

mily

per

-

form

ed w

ith

out

a n

et.I

fig

ure

d th

ey’d

be

up

to s

omet

hin

g so

I

mad

e su

re m

y st

omac

h w

as li

ke s

teel

.I d

id t

en p

ush

-ups

bef

ore

brea

kfas

t,tw

enty

sit

-ups

bef

ore

lun

ch,s

kipp

ed d

inn

er a

ltog

eth

er.

My

brot

her

Ted

dy k

idde

d m

e al

l day—

“Har

riet

’s t

ryin

g ou

t fo

r

the

Oly

mpi

cs.”

I pa

ssed

up

the

ice

man

on

th

e co

rner

an

d th

e

pizz

a an

d sa

usa

ge s

tan

d by

th

e sc

hoo

lyar

d an

d th

e co

tton

can

dy

20 30 40 50


My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n

9

5

The

sto

ry’s

fir

st-p

erso

n

nar

rato

r d

oes

no

t d

irec

tly

tell

read

ers

her

nam

e. In

lin

es20-

24, c

ircl

e th

e p

lace

wh

ere

you

lear

n h

er n

ame.

wit

hst

and

(wiƒ

·sta

nd

√)v.

:re

sist

; no

t g

ive

in.

Wit

hst

and

is m

ade

up

of

two

wo

rds

fro

m O

ld E

ng

lish

, th

ela

ng

uag

e sp

oke

n c

entu

ries

ago

in E

ng

lan

d. W

hat

are

the

two

wo

rds?

Pau

se a

nd

re-

read

lin

es

30-

35. W

ho

is t

he

Fly

fam

ily?

Wh

at d

oes

th

e fa

mily

do

?

Un

der

line

the

wo

rds

in li

nes

40-

41 t

hat

tel

l wh

at “

ever

y-o

ne”

do

es w

hile

wat

chin

gth

e Fl

ys. T

hen

, cir

cle

the

wo

rds

that

tel

l wh

at H

arri

etd

oes

. Wh

at h

as s

he

trai

ned

her

self

to

do

?

wit

h; s

tan

d

She

has

tra

ined

her

self

to o

verc

om

e h

er f

ears

.

The

Fly

fam

ily p

er-

form

s h

igh

-wir

e tr

icks

in a

cir

cus;

th

ey a

re

acro

bat

s.

My

cou

sin

Joa

nn

e h

as n

ot b

een

allo

wed

to

han

g ou

t w

ith

me

for

som

e ti

me

beca

use

sh

e w

ent

and

told

Au

nt

Haz

el t

hat

I s

care

her

to d

eath

wh

enev

er s

he

slee

ps o

ver

at o

ur

hou

se o

r I

spen

d th

e

wee

ken

d at

her

s.T

he

tru

th is

I s

omet

imes

like

to

tell

stor

ies

abou

t bl

oodt

hir

sty

vam

pire

s or

ugl

y m

onst

ers

that

lurk

in

clot

hes

clo

sets

or

gian

t be

etle

s th

at e

at t

hei

r w

ay t

hro

ugh

th

e

show

er c

urt

ain

,lik

e I

use

d to

do

at c

amp

to e

nte

rtai

n t

he

kids

in

my

bun

k.B

ut

Joan

ne

alw

ays

crie

s an

d th

at m

akes

th

e st

orie

s

even

wei

rder

,lik

e ba

ckgr

oun

d m

usi

c h

er c

ryin

g.A

nd

too—

I’m

not

goi

ng

to li

e ab

out

it—

I ge

t sp

ooki

er o

n p

urp

ose

un

til a

ll th

e

littl

e cr

ybab

ies

are

stu

ffin

g th

emse

lves

un

der

thei

r pi

llow

s an

d

thro

win

g th

eir

snea

kers

at

me

and

mak

ing

such

a r

acke

t th

at

Mar

y th

e co

un

selo

r h

as t

o co

me

in a

nd

shin

e h

er f

lash

ligh

t

arou

nd

the

bun

khou

se.I

pla

y lik

e I’

m a

slee

p.T

he

rest

of

them

are

too

busy

blu

bber

ing

and

fin

din

g th

eir

way

ou

t fr

om u

nde

r

the

blan

kets

to

tell

Mar

y th

at it

’s m

e.B

esid

es,o

nce

th

ey g

et a

load

of

her

sta

ndi

ng

agai

nst

th

e m

oon

ligh

t in

th

at lo

ng

wh

ite

10


94

Co

llect

ion

3:

Nar

rato

r an

d V

oic

ePa

rt 1

My

Delic

ate

Hea

rtCo

ndit

ion

Ton

i Cad

e B

amb

ara

© M

ark

Lew

is/G

etty

Imag

es.

“My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n”

by

Ton

i Cad

e B

amb

ara.

Co

pyr

igh

t ©

196

5 an

d r

enew

ed ©

199

3 b

y To

ni C

ade

Bam

bar

a. R

epri

nte

d b

y p

erm

issi

on

of

the

Esta

te o

f To

ni C

ade

Bam

bar

a.

Vo

ice

is t

he

nar

rato

r’s

spec

ial

way

of

“sp

eaki

ng

” to

th

ere

ader

. Re-

read

lin

es 1-

4.U

nd

erlin

e th

e w

ord

s th

atso

un

d li

ke a

yo

un

g g

irl

talk

ing

.

Pau

se a

t lin

e 14

. Wh

at h

ave

you

lear

ned

so

far

ab

ou

t th

en

arra

tor?

She

likes

to

sca

re k

ids

wit

h h

er s

po

oky

sto

ries

.



from

wh

ere

I w

as s

itti

ng

and

said—

“An

d n

ow,L

adie

eez

and

Gen

tlem

en,w

hat

you

’ve

alll

been

wai

tin

g fo

rrr,

the

Mai

n

aTT

RA

Cti

on,t

he

FLY

FA

MIL

EE

E.”

An

d ev

eryo

ne

jum

ped

up

to

shou

t lik

e cr

azy

as t

hey

cam

e ru

nn

ing

out

on t

hei

r to

es t

o st

and

in t

he

ligh

t an

d th

en c

limb

the

rope

s.I

took

a d

eep

brea

th a

nd

fold

ed m

y ar

ms

over

my

ches

t an

d a

kid

nex

t to

me

wen

t in

to

hid

ing,

acti

ng

like

she

was

goi

ng

to t

ie h

er s

hoe

lace

s.

Th

ere

use

d to

be

fou

r of

them—

the

fath

er,a

big

guy

wit

h a

bald

hea

d an

d bu

shy

mu

stac

he

and

shou

lder

s an

d ar

ms

like

Kin

g K

ong;

a ta

ll la

nky

mot

her

wh

om y

ou’d

nev

er g

ues

s co

uld

even

clim

b in

to a

hig

hch

air

or c

atch

any

thin

g h

eavi

er t

han

a

Pin

g-Po

ng

ball

to lo

ok a

t h

er;t

he

olde

st s

on w

ho

look

ed li

ke h

is

fath

er e

xcep

t h

e h

ad h

air

on h

is h

ead

but

non

e on

his

fac

e an

d a

big

face

it w

as,s

o th

at n

o m

atte

r h

ow h

igh

up

he

got,

you

cou

ld

alw

ays

tell

wh

eth

er h

e w

as s

mili

ng

or f

row

nin

g or

cou

nti

ng;

the

you

nge

r bo

y ab

out

thir

teen

,may

be,h

ad a

vac

ant

star

e lik

e h

e

was

a m

illio

n m

iles

away

fee

din

g h

is t

urt

les

or s

omet

hin

g,an

y-

thin

g bu

t w

alki

ng

alon

g a

tigh

trop

e or

fly

ing

thro

ugh

th

e ai

r

wit

h h

is f

amily

.I h

ad a

lway

s lik

ed t

o w

atch

him

bec

ause

he

was

as c

ool a

s I

was

.Bu

t la

st s

um

mer

th

e lit

tle

girl

got

into

th

e ac

t.

My

gran

dmot

her

say

s sh

e’s

prob

ably

a m

idge

t ca

use

no

self

-

resp

ecti

ng

mot

her

wou

ld a

llow

her

ch

ild t

o be

up

ther

e ac

tin

g

like

a bi

rd.“

Just

a b

aby,”

she’

d sa

y.“C

an’t

be

mor

e th

an s

ix y

ears

old.

Shou

ld b

e h

ome

in b

ed.M

ust

be

a m

idge

t.”M

y gr

andf

ath

er

wou

ld g

ive

me

a lo

ok w

hen

sh

e st

arte

d in

an

d w

e’d

smile

at

her

toge

ther

.

Th

ey a

lmos

t go

t to

me

that

last

per

form

ance

,dod

gin

g

arou

nd

wit

h n

ew r

outi

nes

an

d tw

o at

a t

ime

so t

hat

you

did

n’t

know

wh

ich

on

e M

r.Fl

y w

as g

oin

g to

sav

e at

th

e la

st m

inu

te.

Bu

t h

e’d

fly

out

and

catc

h t

he

littl

e bo

y an

d sw

ing

over

to

the

oppo

site

sta

nd

wh

ere

the

big

boy

was

fly

ing

out

to c

atch

th

em

both

by

the

wri

sts

and

the

poor

wom

an w

ould

be

left

kin

d of

dan

glin

g th

ere,

susp

end

ed,t

hen

sh

e’d

do t

his

dou

ble

flip

wh

ich

wou

ld k

ill o

ffev

eryo

ne

in t

he

ten

t ex

cept

me,

ofco

urs

e,an

d

swin

g ou

t on

th

e ve

ry b

ar s

he

was

on

in t

he

firs

t pl

ace.

An

d th

en

90 100

110

120


My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n

9

7

Un

der

line

the

wo

rds

in li

nes

88-

90 w

her

e th

e sp

ellin

gan

d c

apit

aliz

atio

n h

elp

yo

u“h

ear”

th

e an

no

un

cer.

vaca

nt

(v†√

k¥n

t) a

dj.:

em

pty

;su

gg

esti

ng

lack

of

atte

nti

on

.

Vac

ant

com

es f

rom

th

e La

tin

wo

rd v

acar

e,m

ean

ing

“to

be

emp

ty.”

susp

end

ed(s

¥·sp

en√d

id)

v.u

sed

as

adj.:

han

gin

g b

y a

sup

po

rt f

rom

ab

ove

.

The

verb

su

spen

dis

fro

m t

he

Lati

n s

ub-

,mea

nin

g “

un

der

,”an

d p

end

ere,

mea

nin

g “

toh

ang

.” S

usp

end

has

th

e sa

me

wo

rd o

rig

in a

s su

spen

se,

wh

ich

can

leav

e th

e re

ader

“han

gin

g,”

or

wai

tin

g t

ole

arn

wh

at h

app

ens

nex

t.

Notes

Notes

and

jelly

-app

le la

dy a

nd

the

pick

le a

nd

pen

ny-c

andy

boy

,in

fac

t

I pa

ssed

up

all t

he

stan

ds t

hat

lead

fro

m t

he

stre

et d

own

th

e lit

-

tle

road

way

to

the

fair

gro

un

ds t

hat

use

d to

be

a sw

amp

wh

en

we

firs

t m

oved

fro

m B

alti

mor

e to

Jam

aica

,Lon

g Is

lan

d.It

was

n’t

easy

,I’m

not

goi

ng

to li

e,bu

t I

was

tak

ing

no

chan

ces.

Bet

wee

n

the

ballo

on m

an a

nd

the

wh

eel o

ffo

rtu

ne

was

th

e u

sual

clu

mp

ofla

dies

fro

m c

hurc

h w

ho

cam

e n

igh

t af

ter

nig

ht

to t

ry t

o w

in

the

gian

t pu

nch

bow

l set

on

th

e to

p sh

elf

abov

e th

e w

hee

l,bu

t

had

to

sett

le n

igh

t af

ter

nig

ht

for

a ja

r of

gum

drop

s or

sal

t-an

d-

pepp

er s

hak

ers

or s

ome

oth

er li

ttle

th

ing

from

th

e bo

ttom

sh

elf.

An

d fr

om t

he

wh

eel o

ffo

rtu

ne

to t

he

ten

t w

as a

t le

ast

a m

illio

n

stan

ds s

ellin

g B

.B.b

ats

and

jaw

brea

kers

an

d gi

nge

rbre

ad a

nd

swee

t po

tato

pie

an

d fr

ozen

cu

star

d an

d—lik

e I

said

it w

asn’

t

easy

.A m

illio

n w

ays

to t

empt

you

,to

un

sett

le y

our

stom

ach

,an

d

mak

e yo

u lo

se t

he

batt

le t

o th

e Fl

y fa

mily

.

I sa

t th

ere

alm

ost

enjo

yin

g th

e si

lly c

low

ns

wh

o ca

me

tum

-

blin

g ou

t of

a st

eam

er t

run

k n

o bi

gger

th

an t

he

one

we

hav

e in

the

base

men

t w

her

e m

y m

oth

er k

eeps

my

old

repo

rt c

ards

an

d

phot

ogra

phs

and

lett

ers

and

thin

gs.A

nd

I al

mos

t en

joye

d th

e

fire

-eat

er a

nd

the

knif

e-th

row

er,b

ut

I w

as s

o cl

ose

up

I co

uld

see

how

th

ere

was

n’t

any

real

th

rill.

I al

mos

t en

joye

d th

e fa

t-le

g gi

rls

wh

o ro

de t

he

pon

ies

two

at a

tim

e an

d st

andi

ng

up,

but

thei

r

cost

um

es w

eren

’t v

ery

pret

ty—

just

an

ord

inar

y po

lo s

hir

t lik

e

you

get

ifyo

u r

un

in t

he

PAL

mee

ts a

nd

shor

t sk

irts

you

can

wea

r on

eit

her

sid

e lik

e th

e bi

g gi

rls

wea

r at

th

e ro

ller

rin

k.A

nd

I

alm

ost

enjo

yed

the

jugg

lers

exc

ept

that

my

Un

cle

Bu

bba

can

jug-

gle

the

din

ner

pla

tes

bett

er a

ny d

ay o

fth

e w

eek

so lo

ng

as A

un

t

Haz

el is

n’t

ther

e to

sto

p h

im.I

was

impa

tien

t an

d st

arte

d ya

wn

-

ing.

Fin

ally

all

the

clow

ns

hit

ched

up

thei

r ba

ggy

pan

ts a

nd

tum

-

bled

ove

r ea

ch o

ther

ou

t of

the

rin

g an

d in

to t

he

dark

,th

e ju

g-

gler

s ca

ugh

t al

l th

e th

ings

th

at w

ere

up

in t

he

air

and

yaw

nin

g

just

like

me

wen

t of

fto

th

e si

de.T

he

pony

gir

ls b

rou

ght

thei

r

hor

ses

to a

su

dden

sto

p th

at r

aise

d a

lot

ofdu

st,t

hen

jum

ped

dow

n in

to t

he

dirt

an

d bo

wed

.Th

en t

he

rin

gmas

ter

step

ped

into

the

circ

le o

flig

ht

and

tipp

ed h

is h

at w

hic

h w

as a

litt

le r

agge

dy

60 70 80


96

Co

llect

ion

3:

Nar

rato

r an

d V

oic

ePa

rt 1

Re-

read

lin

es 5

4-62

. Wo

uld

you

des

crib

e th

e n

arra

tor’

svo

ice

as f

orm

alo

r in

form

al?

Un

der

line

the

wo

rds

in li

nes

63-

67 in

dic

atin

g t

hat

Har

riet

is n

ot

a cr

edib

le(b

elie

vab

le)

nar

rato

r. W

hy

is s

he

exag

ger

-at

ing

by

mak

ing

th

e ci

rcu

sso

un

d b

igg

er t

han

it is

?

In li

nes

68-

80, c

ircl

e ea

chti

me

Har

riet

say

s th

at s

he

“alm

ost

en

joye

d”

the

even

tsat

th

e ci

rcu

s. W

hy

do

yo

uth

ink

she

do

esn

’t f

ully

enjo

yth

em?

info

rmal

She

wan

ts t

he

read

er

to t

hin

k th

at s

he

can

resi

st t

emp

tati

on

s; s

he

is p

rou

d o

f h

er e

ffo

rts.

She

is t

ryin

g t

o a

ct

gro

wn

-up

; sh

e p

re-

ten

ds

no

t to

like

th

e

exci

tem

ent.

Sh

e u

nd

er-

stan

ds

that

th

e ac

ts

are

mo

stly

mak

e-

bel

ieve

.



to m

e w

ith

her

eye

s ja

mm

ed s

hut “

I m

ust

go

fin

ish

th

e w

eddi

ng

gow

ns.

Tell

me

late

r w

ho

died

.”A

nd

she

scoo

ts t

hro

ugh

th

e ai

sle,

falli

ng

all o

ver

ever

ybod

y w

ith

her

eye

s st

ill s

hut

and

nev

er lo

oks

up.

An

d M

rs.C

ain

e ta

ps m

e on

th

e ba

ck a

nd

lean

s ov

er a

nd

says

,

“Som

e pe

ople

just

can

’t t

ake

it.”

An

d I

smile

at

her

an

d at

her

twin

s w

ho’

re s

itti

ng

ther

e w

ith

th

eir

mou

ths

open

.I f

old

my

arm

s ov

er m

y ch

est

and

just

dar

e th

e Fl

y fa

mily

to

do t

hei

r ve

ry

wor

st.

Th

e m

inu

te I

got

to

cam

p,I

ran

up

to t

he

mai

n h

ouse

wh

ere

all

the

cou

nse

lors

gat

her

to

say

hel

lo t

o th

e pa

ren

ts a

nd

talk

wit

h

the

dire

ctor

s.I

had

to

tell

Mar

y th

e la

test

doi

ngs

wit

h t

he

Fly

fam

ily.B

ut

she

put

a fi

nge

r to

her

mou

th li

ke s

he

som

etim

es

does

to

shu

sh m

e.“L

et’s

not

hav

e an

y sc

ary

stu

ffth

is s

um

mer

,

Har

riet

,”sh

e sa

id,l

ooki

ng

over

my

shou

lder

at

a n

ew k

id.T

his

new

kid

,Will

ie,w

as f

rom

my

old

nei

ghbo

rhoo

d in

Bal

tim

ore

so

we

got

frie

ndl

y ri

ght

off.

Th

en h

e to

ld m

e th

at h

e h

ad a

rom

an-

tic

hea

rt s

o I

quit

e n

atu

rally

too

k h

im u

nde

r m

y w

ing

and

deci

ded

not

to

give

him

a h

eart

att

ack

wit

h a

ny g

hos

t ta

les.

Mar

y

said

he

mea

nt “

rheu

mat

ic”

hea

rt,b

ut

I do

n’t

see

any

diff

eren

ce.

So I

tol

d M

ary

to m

ove

him

ou

t of

Geo

rge’

s te

nt

and

give

him

a

nic

er c

oun

selo

r w

ho’

d re

spec

t h

is r

oman

tic

hea

rt.G

eorg

e u

sed

to b

e m

y pl

ay b

oyfr

ien

d w

hen

I f

irst

cam

e to

cam

p as

a li

ttle

kid

and

didn

’t k

now

any

bet

ter.

Bu

t h

e’s

not

a n

ice

per

son

.He

mak

es

up

fun

ny n

ickn

ames

for

peo

ple

wh

ich

are

n’t

fun

ny a

t al

l.Li

ke

calli

ng

Edd

ie M

ich

aels

th

e W

ater

mel

on K

id o

r D

avid

Far

mer

Ch

arco

al P

len

ty w

hic

h I

rea

lly d

o n

ot a

ppre

ciat

e an

d es

pec

ially

from

a c

oun

selo

r.A

nd

once

he

aske

d Jo

ann

e,w

ho

was

th

e ta

ble

mon

itor

,to

go a

nd

fetc

h a

pai

l of

milk

fro

m t

he

kitc

hen

.An

d th

e

min

ute

sh

e go

t u

p,h

e st

arte

d h

atch

ing

a pl

ot,t

ryin

g to

get

th

e

kids

to

hid

e h

er p

ean

ut

butt

er s

andw

ich

an

d pu

t sp

ider

s in

her

sou

p.I

had

to

rem

ind

ever

yon

e at

th

e ta

ble

that

Joa

nn

e w

as m

y

firs

t co

usi

n b

y bl

ood,

and

that

I w

ould

be

forc

ed t

o w

aste

th

e

150

160

170


My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n

9

9

In t

he

ph

rase

“to

ok

him

un

der

my

win

g”

(lin

e 15

8),

the

nar

rato

r is

usi

ng

lan

-g

uag

e in

a f

igu

rati

vew

ay.

Wh

y ca

n’t

th

e p

hra

se b

e re

adin

a li

tera

l way

? W

hat

do

esth

e p

hra

se m

ean

?

In li

nes

157-

162,

Will

ie a

nd

Har

riet

co

nfu

se t

he

wo

rds

rom

anti

can

d r

heu

mat

ic.

Ro

man

tic

mea

ns

“fu

ll o

fth

ou

gh

ts a

nd

fee

ling

s ab

ou

tro

man

ce o

r lo

ve.”

A r

heu

ma-

tic

hea

rt is

a h

eart

th

at h

asb

een

dam

aged

by

rheu

mat

icfe

ver,

a ch

ildh

oo

d il

lnes

s.

Un

der

line

the

wo

rds

that

tel

lw

hat

th

e n

arra

tor

do

es t

oh

elp

pro

tect

Will

ie’s

dam

-ag

ed h

eart

.

It c

an’t

be

read

in a

lit-

eral

way

bec

ause

hu

man

s d

on

’t h

ave

“win

gs.

” Th

e p

hra

se

mea

ns

“tak

e sp

ecia

l

care

of”

(lik

e a

bir

d

keep

ing

its

you

ng

un

der

its

win

g f

or

pro

tect

ion

).

they

’d m

ess

arou

nd

two

or t

hre

e fl

yin

g at

on

ce ju

st t

o co

nfu

se

you

un

til t

he

big

dru

m r

oll s

tart

ed a

nd

out

step

s th

e lit

tle

girl

in

a pa

rty

dres

s an

d hu

ge b

lindf

old

wra

pped

aro

un

d h

er li

ttle

hea

d

and

a pi

nk

um

brel

la li

ke t

hey

sel

l dow

n in

Ch

inat

own

.An

d I

alm

ost—

I w

on’t

lie

abou

t it—

I al

mos

t le

t m

y h

eart

thu

mp

me

off

the

ben

ch.I

alm

ost

thou

ght

I to

o h

ad t

o ti

e m

y sh

oela

ces.

Bu

t I

sat

ther

e.St

ubb

orn

.An

d th

e ki

d st

arts

bou

nci

ng

up

and

dow

n o

n t

he

rope

like

sh

e w

as a

bou

t to

tak

e of

fan

d te

ar

thro

ugh

th

e ca

nvas

roo

f.T

hen

ou

t sw

ings

her

litt

le b

roth

er a

nd

befo

re y

ou k

now

it,F

ly J

r.lik

e a

grea

t ea

gle

wit

h h

is a

rms

flap

-

pin

g gr

abs

up

the

kid,

her

eye

ban

d in

his

tee

th a

nd

swoo

ps h

er

off

to t

he

bar

that

’s a

lrea

dy g

ot M

rs.M

r.an

d B

ig B

ro o

n it

an

d

sure

ly t

her

e’s

no

room

for

him

.An

d ev

eryo

ne’

s st

andi

ng

on t

hei

r

feet

clu

tch

ing

at t

hei

r fa

ces.

Ever

yon

e bu

t m

e.C

ause

I k

now

from

th

e ge

tgo

that

Mr.

and

Mrs

.are

goi

ng

to le

ave

the

bar

to

give

Jr.

room

an

d fl

y ov

er t

o th

e ot

her

sid

e.W

hic

h is

exa

ctly

wh

at t

hey

do.

Th

e la

dy in

fro

nt

ofm

e,M

rs.P

erez

,wh

o do

es a

ll

the

sew

ing

in o

ur

nei

ghbo

rhoo

d,ge

ts u

p an

d st

arts

sh

akin

g h

er

han

ds li

ke la

dies

do

to g

et t

he

fin

gern

ail p

olis

h d

ry a

nd

she

says

130

140


98

Co

llect

ion

3:

Nar

rato

r an

d V

oic

ePa

rt 1

Wh

at d

oes

Har

riet

mea

nw

hen

sh

e sa

ys, “

I alm

ost

tho

ug

ht

I to

o h

ad t

o t

ie m

ysh

oel

aces

” (l

ine

128)

?

© A

bra

ms

Laca

gn

ina/

Get

ty Im

ages

.

She

tho

ug

ht

she

mig

ht

hav

e to

loo

k aw

ay

fro

m t

he

frig

hte

nin

g

per

form

ance

.



wh

o go

bble

d u

p th

e h

eart

s of

un

derp

rivi

lege

d ki

ds.A

nd

ever

y

tim

e h

e go

t to

th

e pa

rt w

her

e th

e ph

anto

m r

ippe

d ou

t a

hea

rt,

poor

Will

ie w

ould

get

lou

der

and

lou

der

un

til f

inal

ly h

e st

arte

d

rolli

ng

arou

nd

in t

he

gras

s an

d sc

ream

ing

and

all t

he

kids

wen

t

craz

y an

d sc

atte

red

beh

ind

the

rock

s al

mos

t ki

ckin

g th

e fi

re

com

plet

ely

out

as t

hey

das

hed

off

into

th

e da

rkn

ess

yelli

ng

bloo

dy m

urd

er.A

nd

the

cou

nse

lors

cou

ld h

ardl

y ro

un

d u

s al

l

up—

me,

too,

I’m

not

goi

ng

to li

e ab

out

it.T

hei

r lit

tle

circ

les

of

flas

hlig

ht

bobb

ing

in a

nd

out

ofth

e bu

shes

alo

ng

the

patc

hes

of

pin

e,bu

mpi

ng

into

eac

h o

ther

as

they

scr

ambl

ed f

or u

s ki

ds.

An

d po

or W

illie

rol

ling

arou

nd

som

eth

ing

awfu

l,so

th

ey t

ook

him

to

the

infi

rmar

y.

I w

as s

nea

kin

g so

me

gin

gers

nap

s in

to

him

late

r th

at n

igh

t w

hen

I h

eard

Mar

y an

d an

oth

er s

enio

r co

un

selo

r fu

ssin

g at

ole

Geo

rge

in t

he

hal

lway

.

“You

’ve

been

pic

kin

g on

th

at k

id e

ver

sin

ce h

e go

t h

ere,

Geo

rge.

Bu

t to

nig

ht

was

th

e lim

it—

”

“I w

asn’

t pi

ckin

g on

him

,I w

as ju

st t

ryin

g to

tel

l a s

tory—

”

“All

that

tal

k ab

out

hea

rts,

gobb

lin’u

p h

eart

s,an

d

un

derp

riv—

”

“Yeh

,you

wer

e di

rect

ing

it a

ll at

th

e lit

tle

kid.

You

shou

ld b

e—”

“I w

asn’

t ta

lkin

g ab

out

him

.Th

ey’r

e al

l un

derp

rivi

lege

d

kids

,aft

er a

ll.I

mea

n a

ll th

e ki

ds a

re u

nde

rpri

vile

ged.

”

I hu

ddle

d ba

ck in

to t

he

shad

ows

and

alm

ost

ban

ged

into

Will

ie’s

iron

bed

.I w

as h

opin

g h

e’d

open

his

eye

s an

d w

ink

at

me

and

tell

me

he

was

just

foo

ling.

Th

at it

was

n’t

so b

ad t

o h

ave

an u

nde

rpri

vile

ged

hea

rt.B

ut

he

just

sle

pt.“

I’m

an

un

derp

rivi

-

lege

d ki

d to

o,”

I th

ough

t to

mys

elf.

I kn

ew it

was

a s

peci

al c

amp,

but

I’d

nev

er r

ealiz

ed.N

o w

onde

r A

un

t H

azel

scr

eam

ed s

o ab

out

my

scar

y st

orie

s an

d m

y m

oth

er f

licke

d of

fth

e T

V w

hen

th

e

mon

ster

s ca

me

on a

nd

Mar

y w

as a

lway

s sh

ush

ing

me.

We

all

had

bad

hea

rts.

I cr

awle

d in

to t

he

supp

ly c

abin

et t

o w

ait

for

Will

ie t

o w

ake

up

so I

cou

ld a

sk h

im a

bou

t it

all.

I at

e al

l th

e

210

220

230

240


My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n

1

01

Geo

rge

is u

sin

g t

he

wo

rdu

nd

erp

rivi

leg

ed(l

ine

208

and

late

r in

lin

es 2

26-

231)

to

refe

r to

gro

up

s w

ho

hav

esu

ffer

ed f

rom

po

vert

y an

dd

iscr

imin

atio

n. T

he

kid

s in

the

sto

ry d

o n

ot

un

der

stan

dw

hat

Geo

rge

mea

ns.

If t

hey

did

un

der

stan

d, h

ow

mig

ht

the

wo

rd m

ake

them

fee

l?

Pau

se t

o r

e-re

ad li

nes

23

0-24

0. W

hat

has

Har

riet

ove

rhea

rd t

he

cou

nse

lors

say?

Wh

at d

oes

sh

e m

isu

n-

der

stan

d?

It m

igh

t h

urt

th

eir

feel

-

ing

s; it

mig

ht

mak

e

them

fee

l th

at t

hey

wer

e n

ot

as g

oo

d a

s

oth

er k

ids.

She

ove

rhea

rs t

hem

say

that

all

the

kid

s at

cam

p, n

ot

just

Will

ie,

are

“un

der

pri

vile

ged

.”

She

thin

ks t

his

mea

ns

that

all

the

kid

s h

ave

dis

ease

d h

eart

s, li

ke

Will

ie’s

.

firs

t bu

m t

hat

laid

a h

and

on h

er p

late

.An

d ol

e G

eorg

e sa

ys,“

Oh

don’

t be

a d

um

bhea

d,H

arri

et.J

o’s

so s

tupi

d sh

e w

on’t

eve

n

not

ice.

”A

nd

I to

ld h

im r

igh

t th

en a

nd

ther

e th

at I

was

not

his

play

gir

lfri

end

anym

ore

and

wou

ld r

ath

er m

arry

th

e w

olfm

an

than

gro

w u

p an

d be

his

wif

e.A

nd

just

in c

ase

he

didn

’t g

et t

he

mes

sage

,th

at n

igh

t ar

oun

d ca

mpf

ire

wh

en w

e w

ere

all p

layi

ng

Litt

le S

ally

Wal

ker

sitt

in’i

n a

sau

cer

and

it w

as m

y tu

rn t

o sh

ake

it t

o th

e ea

st a

nd

to s

hak

e it

to

the

wes

t an

d to

sh

ake

it t

o th

e

very

on

e th

at I

love

d th

e be

st—

I sh

ook

stra

igh

t fo

r M

r.N

elso

n

the

lifeg

uar

d,w

ho

was

not

on

ly t

he

ugl

iest

per

son

in c

amp

but

the

arch

en

emy

ofol

e G

eorg

e.

An

d th

at v

ery

firs

t da

y of

cam

p la

st s

um

mer

whe

n W

illie

cam

e ru

nn

ing

up

to m

e to

get

in li

ne

for

lun

ch,h

ere

com

es

Geo

rge

talk

ing

som

e si

mpl

e st

uff

abou

t “W

hat

a be

auti

ful h

ead

you

hav

e,W

illie

.A lo

ng,

smoo

th,s

trea

mlin

ed h

ead.

A s

ure

sig

n o

f

supe

rior

gif

ts.D

efin

itel

y ge

niu

s pr

opor

tion

s.”A

nd

poor

Will

ie

wen

t fo

r it

,gri

nn

ing

and

carr

yin

g on

an

d to

uch

ing

his

head

,

whi

ch if

you

wan

t to

kn

ow t

he t

ruth

is a

bu

llet

head

an

d th

at’s

all

ther

e is

to

it.A

nd

he’s

tu

rnin

g to

me

ever

y w

hich

way

,lik

e he

’s

mod

elin

g hi

s he

ad in

a f

ashi

on s

how

.An

d th

e m

inu

te h

is b

ack

is

turn

ed,o

le G

eorg

e m

akes

a f

ace

abou

t W

illie

’s h

ead

and

all t

he

kids

in t

he li

ne

bust

ou

t la

ugh

ing.

So I

had

to

beat

up

a fe

w r

ight

then

an

d th

ere

and

fin

ish

off

the

rest

late

r in

the

sho

wer

for

bei

ng

so s

tupi

d,la

ugh

ing

at a

kid

wit

h a

rom

anti

c he

art.

On

e n

igh

t in

th

e la

st w

eek

ofA

ugu

st w

hen

th

e bi

g ca

mpf

ire

part

y is

hel

d,it

was

ver

y da

rk a

nd

the

moo

n w

as a

ll sm

oky,

and

I ju

st c

ould

n’t

hel

p m

ysel

fan

d st

arte

d in

wit

h a

sto

ry a

bou

t th

e

grea

t ca

terp

illar

wh

o w

as g

oin

g to

pro

wl t

hro

ugh

th

e te

nts

an

d

nib

ble

off

ever

ybod

y’s

toes

.An

d W

illie

sta

rted

th

is w

him

peri

ng

in t

he

back

of

his

th

roat

so

I h

ad t

o sw

itch

th

e st

ory

real

qu

ick

to s

omet

hin

g ch

eerf

ul.

Bu

t be

fore

I c

ould

do

that

,ole

Geo

rge

pick

ed u

p m

y st

ory

and

adde

d a

wic

ked

wit

ch w

ho

put

spel

ls o

n

city

kid

s w

ho

com

e to

cam

p,an

d a

hun

chba

ck d

war

fth

at

chop

ped

up

ten

ts a

nd

bun

k be

ds,a

nd

a on

e-ey

ed p

han

tom

gia

nt

180

190

200


100

Co

llect

ion

3:

Nar

rato

r an

d V

oic

ePa

rt 1

Re-

read

lin

es 1

78-

184.

Fro

mh

er a

ctio

ns,

ho

w o

ld d

o y

ou

thin

k H

arri

et is

?

Un

der

line

the

sen

ten

ce in

lines

195-

197

wh

ere

the

nar

-ra

tor

des

crib

es h

ow

sh

etr

eate

d t

he

kid

s w

ho

lau

gh

ed a

t W

illie

. Is

she

bei

ng

cre

dib

le,o

r h

on

est,

or

is s

he

exag

ger

atin

g?

Exp

lain

.

pro

po

rtio

ns

(pr¥·pôr√◊¥nz)

n.:

size

; dim

ensi

on

s.

Cir

cle

a fa

mili

ar w

ord

insi

de

the

larg

er w

ord

. Wh

at d

oes

the

smal

ler

wo

rd m

ean

?

She

is p

rob

ably

yo

un

g,

per

hap

s te

n y

ears

old

.

Poss

ible

an

swer

s: S

he

is c

red

ible

; sh

e h

as

def

end

ed W

illie

bef

ore

. Sh

e is

exa

gg

er-

atin

g; s

he

has

exag

ger

ated

bef

ore

and

like

s to

th

ink

of

her

self

as

bet

ter

than

the

oth

er k

ids.

Port

ion

mea

ns

“par

t.”


HRT9_pp_001_054 10/3/03 3:23 PM Page 52 impos03 108:hrhrt9r1:hrt9ch:layouts:


My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n

103

My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Con

diti

onN

arra

tor

Prof

ileTo

fu

lly u

nde

rsta

nd

char

acte

rs in

a s

tory

,you

tak

e n

ote

of

wh

at t

hey

say

an

d w

hat

th

ey d

o,an

d yo

u d

raw

con

clu

sion

s ab

out

them

.Fill

in

the

follo

win

g ch

art

wit

h t

he

con

clu

sion

s yo

u d

raw

abo

ut

Har

riet

,th

is s

tory

’s

nar

rato

r.B

ase

you

r co

ncl

usi

ons

on h

er w

ords

an

d ac

tion

s,w

hic

h a

re c

ited

in t

he

left

-han

d co

lum

n.


My

Co

ncl

usi

on

sH

arr

iet’

s W

ord

s a

nd

Act

ion

s

“Th

e tr

uth

is I

som

etim

es li

ke t

o t

ell

sto

ries

ab

ou

t b

loo

dth

irst

y va

mp

ires

or

ug

ly m

on

ster

s th

at lu

rk in

clo

thes

clo

sets

or

gia

nt

bee

tles

th

at e

at t

hei

r

way

th

rou

gh

th

e sh

ow

er c

urt

ain

. . .

.”

“An

d f

rom

th

e w

hee

l of

fort

un

e to

the

ten

t w

as a

t le

ast

a m

illio

n s

tan

ds

selli

ng

B.B

. bat

s an

d ja

wb

reak

ers

and

gin

ger

bre

ad a

nd

sw

eet

po

tato

pie

an

d f

roze

n c

ust

ard

. . .

.”

“I h

ad t

o r

emin

d e

very

on

e at

th

e

tab

le t

hat

Jo

ann

e w

as m

y fi

rst

cou

sin

by

blo

od

, an

d t

hat

I w

ou

ld b

e

forc

ed t

o w

aste

th

e fi

rst

bu

m t

hat

laid

a h

and

on

her

pla

te.”

“So

I h

ad t

o b

eat

up

a f

ew r

igh

t

then

an

d t

her

e an

d f

inis

h o

ff t

he

rest

late

r in

th

e sh

ow

er f

or

bei

ng

so

stu

pid

, lau

gh

ing

at

a ki

d w

ith

a

rom

anti

c h

eart

.”

“‘I’m

an

un

der

pri

vile

ged

kid

to

o.’

. . .

No

wo

nd

er A

un

t H

azel

scr

eam

ed s

o

abo

ut

my

scar

y st

ori

es a

nd

my

mo

ther

flic

ked

off

th

e TV

wh

en t

he

mo

nst

ers

cam

e o

n a

nd

Mar

y w

as

alw

ays

shu

shin

g m

e.”

Har

riet

has

a w

ild im

agin

a-ti

on

; sh

e lik

es t

o s

care

kid

sw

ith

ho

rro

r st

ori

es. M

ayb

esh

e lik

es a

tten

tio

n.

Har

riet

exa

gg

erat

es; H

arri

etso

un

ds

likes

sh

e is

yo

un

g.

She

take

s n

ote

of

the

swee

tsfo

r sa

le a

t th

e ci

rcu

s.

Har

riet

fee

ls c

lose

tie

s w

ith

her

fam

ily; H

arri

et m

ust

wat

ch a

lot

of

thri

llers

or

po

lice

sho

ws

bec

ause

her

lan

-g

uag

e so

un

ds

as if

it c

ame

fro

m a

TV

sh

ow

or

mo

vie.

Har

riet

is e

xag

ger

atin

g a

gai

n;

she

con

fuse

s th

e w

ord

sro

man

tic

and

rh

eum

atic

bec

ause

sh

e d

oes

n’t

un

der

-st

and

wh

at t

he

adu

lts

are

sayi

ng

.

On

ce a

gai

n, H

arri

et m

isin

ter-

pre

ts w

hat

ad

ult

s ar

e te

llin

gh

er. H

arri

et’s

imag

inat

ion

isru

nn

ing

aw

ay w

ith

her

.

gin

gers

nap

s bu

t I

didn

’t f

eel a

ny b

ette

r.Yo

u h

ave

a ro

man

tic

hea

rt,I

wh

ispe

red

to m

ysel

fse

ttlin

g do

wn

am

ong

the

ban

dage

s.

You

will

hav

e to

be

very

car

efu

l.

It d

idn’

t m

ake

any

diff

eren

ce t

o A

un

t H

azel

th

at I

had

ch

ange

d,

that

I n

o lo

nge

r to

ld s

cary

sto

ries

or

drag

ged

my

sch

oolm

ates

to

the

late

st c

reat

ure

mov

ie,o

r ra

ced

my

frie

nds

to

the

edge

of

the

roof

,or

hel

d m

y br

eath

,or

ran

un

der

the

trai

n r

ail w

hen

th

e

trai

n w

as a

lrea

dy in

sig

ht.

As

far

as s

he

was

con

cern

ed,I

was

sti

ll

the

sam

e ol

e sp

ooky

kid

I’d

alw

ays

been

.So

Joan

ne

was

kep

t at

hom

e.M

y m

oth

er n

otic

ed t

he

diff

eren

ce,b

ut

she

said

ove

r th

e

phon

e to

my

gran

dmot

her

,“Sh

e’s

acti

ng

very

lady

like

thes

e da

ys,

grow

ing

up.

”I

didn

’t t

ell h

er a

bou

t m

y se

cret

,th

at I

kn

ew a

bou

t

my

hea

rt.A

nd

I w

as k

ind

ofgl

ad J

oan

ne

was

n’t

arou

nd

’cau

se I

wou

ld h

ave

blab

bed

it a

ll to

her

an

d sc

ared

her

to

deat

h.W

hen

sch

ool s

tart

s ag

ain

,I d

ecid

ed,I

’ll a

sk m

y te

ach

er h

ow t

o ou

tgro

w

my

un

derp

rivi

lege

d h

eart

.I’ll

tra

in m

ysel

f,ju

st li

ke I

did

wit

h

the

Fly

fam

ily.

“Wel

l,I

gues

s yo

u’ll

wan

t so

me

chan

ge t

o go

to

the

fair

agai

n,h

un

h?”

my

mot

her

sai

d co

min

g in

to m

y ro

om d

um

pin

g

thin

gs in

her

poc

ketb

ook.

“No,

”I

said

.“I’

m t

oo g

row

n u

p fo

r ci

rcu

ses.”

She

put

the

mon

ey o

n t

he

dres

ser

anyw

ay.I

was

lyin

g,of

cou

rse.

I w

as t

hin

kin

g w

hat

a t

erri

ble

stra

in it

wou

ld b

e fo

r M

rs.

Pere

z an

d ev

eryb

ody

else

ifw

hile

sit

tin

g th

ere,

wit

h t

he

Fly

fam

i-

ly z

oom

ing

arou

nd

in t

he

open

air

a m

illio

n m

iles

abov

e th

e

grou

nd,

littl

e H

arri

et W

atki

ns

shou

ld d

rop

dead

wit

h a

fat

al

hea

rt a

ttac

k be

hin

d th

em.

“I lo

st,”

I sa

id o

ut

lou

d.

“Los

t w

hat

?”

“Th

e ba

ttle

wit

h t

he

Fly

fam

ily.”

She

just

sto

od t

her

e a

lon

g ti

me

look

ing

at m

e,tr

yin

g to

figu

re m

e ou

t,th

e w

ay m

oth

ers

are

alw

ays

doin

g bu

t sh

ould

know

bet

ter.

Th

en s

he

kiss

ed m

e go

odby

e an

d le

ft f

or w

ork.

250

260

270


102

Co

llect

ion

3:

Nar

rato

r an

d V

oic

ePa

rt 1

Rea

d t

he

bo

xed

pas

sag

eal

ou

d s

ever

al t

imes

. Pau

seb

rief

ly a

t co

mm

as a

nd

mo

refu

lly a

t p

erio

ds.

Wo

rk o

n t

he

smo

oth

nes

s o

f yo

ur

del

iver

yea

ch t

ime

you

rea

d.

In li

nes

255-

258,

un

der

line

the

two

act

ion

s H

arri

et w

illta

ke t

o “

hel

p”

her

hea

rt.

Pau

se a

t lin

e 27

1. W

hat

do

esH

arri

et m

ean

wh

en s

he

says

she

has

lost

th

e b

attl

e w

ith

the

Fly

fam

ily?

Thin

k ab

ou

t th

e st

ory

’s t

itle

.W

hat

tw

o k

ind

s o

f “d

elic

ate

hea

rt c

on

dit

ion

” ar

e in

th

est

ory

?

Har

riet

is a

dm

itti

ng

that

sh

e h

as f

eelin

gs

and

fea

rs.

“Del

icat

e h

eart

co

nd

i-

tio

n”

refe

rs t

o W

illie

’s

sick

hea

rt a

nd

to

Har

riet

’s s

ensi

tive

,

kin

dh

eart

ed

per

son

alit

y.



My

Del

icat

e H

eart

Co

nd

itio

n

105

Skill

s Re

view

Skill

s Re

view

Lite

ral

and

Figu

rati

ve M

eani

ng

DIR

ECTI

ON

S:C

ircl

e th

e le

tter

of

each

co

rrec

t re

spo

nse

.

My

Delic

ate

Hea

rt C

ondi

tion

Voca

bula

ry i

n Co

ntex

t

DIR

ECTI

ON

S:C

om

ple

te t

he

par

agra

ph

bel

ow

by

wri

tin

g e

ach

wo

rd f

rom

th

e

bo

x in

th

e co

rrec

t n

um

ber

ed b

lan

k.

susp

end

ed

wit

hst

and

pro

po

rtio

ns

vaca

nt

Wor

d Bo

xW

ord

Box

I’m t

ryin

g t

o le

arn

ho

w t

o (

1)

the

dis

app

oin

t-

men

ts o

f lif

e. R

ecen

tly

I wen

t in

to a

dre

ss s

ho

p. (

2)

fro

m t

he

ceili

ng

wer

e h

un

dre

ds

of

ligh

ts, c

asti

ng

a g

low

on

th

e cl

oth

es

bel

ow

. I w

ante

d t

o b

uy

ever

yth

ing

, bu

t m

y b

ud

get

do

esn

’t h

ave

the

(3)

of

a m

illio

nai

re’s

ban

k ac

cou

nt.

Nex

t ti

me

I

pas

s th

e sh

op

, I’ll

pu

t o

n a

(4)

ex

pre

ssio

n, a

nd

my

tho

ug

hts

will

be

far,

far

away

.


Voca

bula

rySkills

Iden

tify

and

inte

rpre

tfi

gura

tive

lang

uage

.U

se w

ords

inco

ntex

t.

H“B

efo

re y

ou

kn

ow

it, F

ly J

r. lik

e a

gre

at e

agle

wit

h h

is a

rms

flap

pin

g

gra

bs

up

th

e k

id. .

. .”

J“A

nd

I sm

ile a

t h

er a

nd

at

her

twin

s. .

. .”

3.W

hen

Har

riet

say

s sh

e h

op

es t

o o

ut-

gro

w h

er “

un

der

pri

vile

ged

hea

rt,”

she

is u

sin

g f

igu

rati

ve la

ng

uag

eto

sug

ges

t th

at_

Ah

er h

eart

is t

oo

sm

all f

or

her

bo

dy

Bsh

e w

ants

to

be

bra

ve a

nd

sel

f-

con

fid

ent

agai

n

Csh

e n

eed

s m

on

ey f

or

an o

per

atio

n

Dsh

e m

ay n

eed

a h

eart

tra

nsp

lan

t

1.Th

e p

hra

se “

a b

attl

e o

f n

erve

s”_

Am

ean

s th

at n

erve

cel

ls a

re

fig

hti

ng

Bh

as n

oth

ing

to

do

wit

h n

erve

s

Csu

gg

ests

a m

enta

l an

d n

ot

a

ph

ysic

al c

on

flic

t

Dm

ean

s th

at p

eop

le a

re s

care

d

2.W

hic

h o

f th

ese

pas

sag

es d

oes

no

t

con

tain

fig

ura

tive

lan

gu

age?

F“T

hen

sh

e’d

do

th

is d

ou

ble

flip

wh

ich

wo

uld

kill

off

eve

ryo

ne

in

the

ten

t. .

. .”

G“I

alm

ost

let

my

hea

rt t

hu

mp

me

off

th

e b

ench

. . .

.”

wit

hst

and

pro

po

rtio

ns

vaca

nt

Susp

end

ed

Co

mp

lete

th

e sa

mp

le t

est

item

bel

ow

. Th

en, r

ead

th

e ex

pla

nat

ion

at

rig

ht.

My

Delic

ate

Hea

rt C

ondi

tion

Skill

s Re

view

Skill

s Re

view

104

Co

llect

ion

3:

Nar

rato

r an

d V

oic

ePa

rt 1

Ex

pla

na

tio

n o

f th

e C

orr

ect

An

swe

r

The

corr

ect

answ

er is

D.

Har

riet

tel

ls t

he

sto

ry, u

sin

g t

he

wo

rds

I

and

me

to r

efer

to

her

self

. Ais

no

t co

r-

rect

bec

ause

we

kno

w w

ho

th

e n

arra

tor

is. J

oan

ne

(B)

and

Mar

y (C

) ar

e st

ory

char

acte

rs, b

ut

nei

ther

on

e te

lls t

he

sto

ry.

Sa

mp

le T

est

Ite

m

Wh

o is

tel

ling

th

e st

ory

?

Aan

un

nam

ed n

arra

tor

BJo

ann

e

CM

ary,

th

e co

un

selo

r

DH

arri

et

3.A

t th

e en

d o

f th

e st

ory

, Har

riet

do

esn

’t w

ant

to g

o t

o t

he

circ

us

bec

ause_

Ah

er m

oth

er is

fo

rcin

g h

er t

o g

o

Bsh

e w

ants

to

be

mo

re la

dyl

ike

Cci

rcu

ses

hav

e b

eco

me

too

exp

ensi

ve

Dsh

e kn

ow

s th

at s

he

can

no

t al

way

s

ove

rco

me

her

fea

r

4.H

arri

et’s

ch

oic

e o

f w

ord

s an

d h

er

des

crip

tio

ns

giv

e th

e st

ory

its

spec

ial_

Fp

lot

Gvo

ice

Hen

din

g

Jsa

dn

ess

1.W

hic

h o

f th

e fo

llow

ing

is n

ot

tru

e

abo

ut

Har

riet

?

ASh

e is

a f

irst

-per

son

nar

rato

r.

BSh

e te

lls u

s w

hat

Will

ie is

thin

kin

g.

CSh

e te

lls u

s w

hat

sh

e is

fee

ling

.

DSh

e re

fers

to

her

self

as

I an

d m

e.

2.W

hic

h o

f th

e fo

llow

ing

pas

sag

es in

di-

cate

s th

at H

arri

et is

no

t al

way

s a

cred

ible

nar

rato

r?

F“F

or

fou

r su

mm

ers

no

w, m

e an

d

the

Fly

fam

ily h

ave

had

th

is t

hin

g

go

ing

.”

G“A

nd

I al

mo

st_

I wo

n’t

lie

abo

ut

it_

I alm

ost

let

my

hea

rt t

hu

mp

me

off

th

e b

ench

.”

H“T

hen

he

told

me

that

he

had

a

rom

anti

c h

eart

so

I q

uit

e n

atu

rally

too

k h

im u

nd

er m

y w

ing

. . .

.”

J“I

ate

all

the

gin

ger

snap

s b

ut

I

did

n’t

fee

l an

y b

ette

r.”

DIR

ECTI

ON

S:C

ircl

e th

e le

tter

of

each

co

rrec

t re

spo

nse

.


Lit

era

ry S

kills

Inte

rpre

t a

narr

ator

’s vo

ice.

Ana

lyze

the

cred

ibili

ty o

f a

narr

ator

.


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