Something Wicked This Way Comes

Insights and Such

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Insights and Such

Open your book to the inside cover and write the following:

Name Ross 1415 ________

What’s with the title?

Analyze Bradbury’s purpose in changing traditional syntax in order to present the novel’s title as Something Wicked This Way Comes rather than Something Wicked Comes This Way.

While there may be more than one reason Bradbury uses this name for the novel, the primary reason is that it is an _________________ to Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Look at the picture on the front cover of the novel.

1. Where is the boy in this scene?2. What time of day is it in this scene?3. What is happening in this scene?4. What emotion does the boy seem to be

exhibiting? Why?5. Make predictions about what will happen

based on this picture.6. The picture is a publisher’s view of a scene in

the novel. What theme can you connect with this?

Look at the Prologue, p. 1

Read the line: “But one strange wild dark long year,

Halloween came early.” (Bradbury, 1)

1. According to the conventions of English, how many commas are missing from the sentence?

2. Why does Bradbury leave commas out?3. Why does Bradbury make that line an entire

paragraph?

What is a “lightning rod”?

1. a rodlike conductor installed to divert lightning away from a structure by providing a direct path to the ground.

What would it mean for a person to be a figurative lightning rod?

lightning rod

Figurative Lightning Rod

2. a person or thing that attracts and absorbs powerful and esp. negative or hostile feelings, opinions, etc., thereby diverting such feelings from other targets: The unpopular supervisor served as a lightning rod for the criticism that should have been aimed at management.

Which boy is the figurative lightning rod?

Why?

Which boy attracts lightning naturally?

Why?

Brainstorm what you know about lightning

• Mark Twain said:– “The difference between the right word

and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.”

–“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.”

Brainstorm ideas about the two boys:

Will Halloway: Jim Nightshade:

William Halloway

• William means “protector.” • Halloway– “hallowed” = “regarded as holy;

venerated; sacred”; this person will take and protect the “hallowed” or holy way.– Might it also mean that what he cares about

becomes hallowed because he cares about it?– Phrased differently, is the “way” hallowed anyway,

or does it become hallowed because he takes it?

Jim Nightshade

• James means supplanter (one who takes the place of).

• Nightshade: literally "shade of night," perhaps an allusion to poisonous berries (e.g. deadly nightshade, enchanter’s nightshade)

Consider Tom Fury

1. Is he a force for good or a force for evil? Why?

2. Is his “hat” different from who he is at heart? Why or why not?

Chapter 2 FYI

1. drolls – buffoons in old-time melodramas2. mountebanks – swindlers– people who cheat

others3. bumbershoots – slang for umbrellas4. Cabbage Night – slang for Mischief Night,

October 30 (whose birthday??)

Find the most important line on p. 12:

• “. . . no one losing, both winning, thus saving their friendship for other times of loss.”

Connect that paragraph, from “Nobody won” on through the end, to a theme on your themes sheet!

“Nobody won. Nobody wanted to win. It was in their friendship; they just wanted to run forever, shadow and shadow. Their hands slapped library door handles together, their chests broke track tapes together, their tennis shoes beat parallel pony tracks over lawns, trimmed bushes, squirreled trees, no one losing, both winning, thus saving their friendship for other times of loss.”

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Turn to page 15, in the middle of the page where Mr. Halloway asks Will if he wants a white-hat or a black-hat book. Read from there to the end of the chapter.

1. What does each hat represent?

White Black

2. When Jim asks Mr. Halloway which hat he’d chosen, what does he mean?

3. Mr. Halloway replies, “Since you need to ask, Jim,

you make me wonder.” What does that mean? Find another way to say it.

4. What impact will that decision– which ‘hat’ to wear– have on the conflict?

5. Is everyone just one thing, good or evil? Explain. Keep an open mind about the novel.

6. What is the difference between being a certain kind of person and putting on a certain kind of ‘hat’? (Think verb types!)

Literary ElementsMake sure you know these elements and look for them as you read.

1. allusion2. characterization3. metaphor4. symbolism5. theme6. motif7. typecasting8. personification9. conflict

Talking with the Text:1. Ask questions – Particularly inquire about an

author’s choice of diction, syntax, imagery, plot elements, characterization, symbols, and any patterns you see.

2. Annotate – Note words you don’t know, main ideas, thesis statements, topic sentences, and words, phrases, or sentences that appeal to you. Note figures of speech and devices of sound that stand out or support themes/motifs.

Talking with the Text

3. Use a graphic organizer– Create your own graphic organizer that allows you to organize your thoughts for the purpose at hand. – One part of the organizer needs to be the text

itself.– The other part or parts should reflect what you

are supposed to do with the text and how you are supposed to examine it.

Kites

1. List 3 characteristics of kites.2. Why are both boys described as kites? Find

evidence to support your analysis.3. Are they the same kind of kites or are they

different kinds of kites? Why?

Cigar Store Indian (literal)

Chapter 4 Warm up

1. Open to page 22– read the part about the barber pole.

Watch the video clip of the moving barber pole. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkmdGcPnRXQ

2. Answer: WHY doesn’t Will want Mr. Crosetti to turn off the barber pole. What might the moving barber pole symbolize?

Kite vs. ____________

• Look at the description of the handbill on p. 25. What part of the carnival listed shares a quality with kites?

• How are marionettes like and unlike kites? • If you could be either a marionette or a kite,

which would you choose and why?

Words

Chap 5• incongruous (23) – inconsistent, not

harmonious, incompatible-- supports which theme?

• rime (25) – frost

What themes do you find in Chap. 5?

Theme the first in the chapter: ORDER vs. CHAOSList the chaos in Chapter 5:

The theme that EMERGES from chaos is…

TEMPTATION !

Misc.Charles Halloway

• “Charles” means “free man” according to some texts. What is he free from? Is it ironic?

• “Calliope”– Officially, this is a character from Greek mythology dedicated to music. She was said to be the ‘muse’ of Homer in writing the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. It is also the name of an organ that was used in carnivals, particularly on the carousel. We have come to associate it with the carousel and even the carousel’s horses.

Which themes do you see emerging?Where?

1. Death of innocence 2. Temptation 3. Good vs. Evil4. Identity (particularly Age vs. Youth)5. Order vs. Chaos6. Opposing forces in the world 7. Loyalty-- to people/ principles8. Power of love

Characterization• Make a T-chart with Will on the left and Jim on the

right.• Beneath each name, explore what you think each

boy fears. Be sure to support your opinion with evidence from the text! _________________________________________

• Will’s fears are easier to explore than Jim’s, and yet Will is “the protector” if we are to believe that Bradbury gave him that name for a reason.

Will’s fears Jim’s fears

Will’s fears Jim’s fears1. being left behind 1. boredom/

sameness2. unpredictability 2. getting hurt3. bad stuff happening emotionally4. the ‘big world’ 3. missing something5. the unknown 4. Will’s not being

there6. people getting hurt to protect him 7. losing Jim (periodically)8. chaos/lack of order 5. not knowing9. danger10.disappointing people

More of Will’s fears11. being alone 21. losing innocence12. taking risks 22. the unnatural13. secrecy 23. being unable to 14. lightning/storm protect those he

loves15. doing something bad16. the future17. getting in trouble18. the carnival19. facing certain unpleasant realities20. evil

Last characterization question:

• Who will be better equipped to battle the evil of the carnival, Will or Jim? WHY???

Don’t forget:

• “The natural order of things”– when it’s reversed or interfered with, we must notice it!

• Supernatural = unnatural!

Episodic NotesPlease complete episodic notes for the 2 most important chapters in your reading assignment!Reading assignment: SWTWC Chaps. 8-17

For each of the two most important chapters, choose the 3 most important scenes within each and fill out the episodic notes. Follow the directions.

Chapter 18

1. What is the difference between a tattoo and an illustration? (Bradbury, 74)

2. Who knows the difference?

3. Why will it matter??

What do you make of…

• Mr. Dark’s reactions to Jim and Will, respectively?

• Jim’s reaction to things having to do with the carnival?

• Jim’s reaction to the nephew?

What does Jim see in the Mirror Maze?

• Why does Jim ask Will to protect him?

Physical characterization?

• What does Jim look like? Why does it matter?• What do Will and Charles Halloway look like?

Why does it matter?• What do Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger look like?

Why does it matter?

Will thinks (knows) why Robert gets on carousel:

• He wants to get older and bigger so he can beat Will up!

Find several examples in Chaps. 9-20 of:

• the “natural order of things” being compromised or going awry in some way. Make sure you put “ “ around your text and cite the page number.

• some part of the carnival resembling a ‘storm’

Lit. Warm Up1. Which themes are most evident in Part I.

Arrivals? Support your opinion with textual evidence, including quotations and page #s.

2. Note: When something unexpected/unnatural happens, who makes the most of it, turning it to his advantage? Explain this phenomenon as it occurs in Chapter 24.

Themes in Something Wicked This Way Comes• Death of innocence:• Temptation:• Good vs. Evil:• Age vs. Youth/ Identity• Order vs. Chaos:. • The world is composed of opposing forces. • Qualities of friendship/ loyalty to people, loyalty to

principles

Why is Part I. of the novel entitled Arrivals?

1. Tom Fury– the seller of lightning rods!2. the carnival and its subsequent chaos3. Robert (the chaos of the country slips into

town!)4. temptations (for WHOM?)5. Tension in Will’s and Jim’s friendship– it’s never

been under this much strain before.6. the option for evil7. a mature perspective for Will (not so innocent)

1. Is it Miss Foley or Mrs. Foley? Why does it matter?

2. Whom does the carnival target? Give examples to support your answer.

3. Does the carnival operate alone? Prove it! (Chapter 24)

Identify the speaker of some of my favorite quotations!

1. “Now, look, since when did you think being good meant being happy?”

2. “For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two.”

3. “Anything I could say or do to make you happy, I would.”

4. “Death makes everything else sad. But death itself only scares. If there wasn’t death, all the other things wouldn’t get tainted.”

Find each quotation in your novel, identify its theme connection, and compare your answer w/ a partner

1. “’You mean I should’ve let young mean-and-terrible get old mean-and-terrible enough to chew our heads off?’” (127)

2. “’You know what I hate most of all, Will? Not being able to run anymore, like you.’” (131)

3. “’Now, look, since when did you think being good meant being happy?‘Since always.’‘Since now learn otherwise.’” (134, 135)

Find each quotation in your novel, identify its theme connection, and compare your answer w/ a partner.

1. “’You mean I should’ve let young mean-and-terrible get old mean-and-terrible enough to chew our heads off?’” (127) good vs. evil; o vs. ch

2. “’You know what I hate most of all, Will? Not being able to run anymore, like you.’” (131) Identity (age vs. youth)

3. “’Now, look, since when did you think being good meant being happy?‘Since always.’‘Since now learn otherwise.’” (134, 135) (death of innocence)

What a connection is NOT:

• An analytical connection linking a quotation to a theme is NOT a re-phrasing of the quotation. You DO need to know what the quotation means, but that is where you START, not where you end up!

• SHOW HOW the author … uses particular lines (diction, syntax, fig.

lang.) to reveal an emerging theme.

1. What can we infer about Miss Foley? Where might the carnival have gleaned

information about her?

2. Think about Will’s lone encounter with the Dust Witch.

What surprised you?

How does that scene help characterize Will?

Describe Will’s encounter with the Dust Witch in chapter 30 using the following terms:

CIRCLE each term ONCE as you use it:

1. abandoned house 6. Dust Witch2. alone 7. rip 3. arrow 8. sense4. balloon’s basket 9. smile5. bow 10. Will

Questions from NotesChaps. 20-221. Why are Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger so desperate for Will and Jim to come to the carnival?2. Why does Will punch Jim?/Why do the boys fight?/ Why does Will win?3. What will happen to the boys’ friendship after the incident at Miss Foley’s?4. Why does Will’s dad go to the library so much?5. Why doesn’t Jim answer Will when Will tries to get his attention?/ Why does Jim sneak out without Will?6. Would Jim wear a black hat? (Refer to Chap. 2)7. Why does Robert frame the boys for burglary?8. Wouldn’t Miss Foley know that Robert isn’t really her nephew, or is he disguised in some way (other than being a younger Mr.

Cooger)?9. Will Mr. Halloway play a significant part in the novel?10. Why does Will want to talk to his dad (when he gets grounded)?11. Whom is Jim talking to at Miss Foley’s?12. Why doesn’t Jim tell Will what he saw in the Mirror Maze?13. Who is the 3rd person running away from Miss Foley’s?14. Why does Will’s dad tell him to be careful?15. Why won’t Robert say anything if Will is there?16. Why does Jim run to the carnival after running away from Miss Foley’s?17. Does Will’s dad know about the carnival?18. Why was Jim going to Miss Foley’s house in the first place?19. Why does Robert call the boys thieves?20. Does the carousel “age you backwards” at a rate of 1 spin per year?21. Why does the Illustrated Man go by different names?22. Does Mr. H. have a friend like Will has Jim?23. What does Jim hope to accomplish once he becomes older?24. Why does Will expect Jim to wait for him to sneak out if Jim’s already lied to Will once?25. Why would the boys eat old chocolate??!26. Why is Will’s dad always puzzled?

More Questions from Notes

27. Why is Will acting like a spy?28. Why is older bad to Jim? (unsure what this means)29. Is Jim hiding something?30. Why does Will refuse to let Jim leave the house alone? Why does he follow?31. Why does Robert (Mr. Cooger, age 12) throw Miss Foley’s jewels at him (not sure who ‘him’ is)?32. If Charles Halloway knows what’s going on with the carnival, why doesn’t he say something?33. What does “It was done by seven-three” mean? [7:03]34. If the music is coming from the carousel, why do the boys go to Miss Foley’s?35. Why is everything on the carousel backwards?36. Is Jim and Will’s friendship not as strong as it used to be?37. What does Jim want to remember? (not sure)38. Why does Jim want to talk to Robert?39. Why does Jim tell Will to go home?

What is Bradbury’s purpose for including Miss Foley in the storyline?

• Why is she needed? • Whom does she sort of “parallel?”• What themes emerge because of her?• What previous references connect to those

themes?

Small Group Questions1. Scan your notes and the chapters for things you didn’t

understand.2. Fill out the question slips with the question(s) you have.

Include chapter and page #.3. Pass question slips to the person whose birthday is closest to

today (upcoming). That person needs to put the questions in chapter/page order.

4. Address the questions as a group. If a group member knows the answer, make sure you can support your answer with textual evidence.

5. Evaluate questions– find the question that is most crucial to the understanding of the reading.

6. Refer all unanswered questions or questions with unsubstantiated answers to Mrs. Ross.

Respond in your R/W Notebook

1. Is it possible for one person to make up for the deficiencies in another person? Why or why not?

(deficiency = a lack of something that is needed)

2. Is that what Will has tried to do for Jim throughout the novel? How do you know?

1. The boys are often described as kites. Is that image linked more to the natural order of things or to something outside of the natural order of things? Prove it.

2. Compare and contrast the symbols ofMr. Crosetti’s barber’s pole and Cooger and Dark’s carousel.

3. Which type of conflict is (or seems) most prevalent in the story so far? Prove it– find 5 quotations to support your position.

Turn to a random page in the reading.1. Find as many examples as you can of the

bizarre images Bradbury creates using figurative language. List at least 3 examples of his bizarre imagery.

2. INCLUDE THE PAGE NUMBER!3. Identify the figures of speech used.4. Examine the images closely. Do they

contribute more to theme, characterization, or mood? HOW?

Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show

Influence Continuum

Place Will, Jim, and Mr. Halloway on the line below:

Autonomous Suggestible Controlled

Cite evidence to support your response.

Myths about dragonflieshttp://insects.about.com/od/insectfolklore/a/5-Myths-About-Dragonflies.htm

Dragonflies can sew your mouth (or ears, or eyes) shut.Um, no, although it is kind of fun to tell little kids they can. People perpetuating this myth refer to dragonflies as "Devil's darning needles," and usually offer it as a caveat to children who are misbehaving.

Myths about dragonfliesDragonflies are evil.For centuries, people have eyed dragonflies with suspicion and imbued them with evil intent. Swedish folk legends accused dragonflies of poking out people's eyes and referred to them as "blind stingers" for this reason. From Germany to England, people associate dragonflies with the devil, giving them nicknames like "water witch," "hobgoblin fly," "devil's horse," and even "snake killer."

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Based on what you have read thus far in Something Wicked This Way Comes, demonstrate how Bradbury illustrates this credo in his novel. Cite evidence connecting Bradbury’s characterization, setting, plot, motif, diction/syntactical arrangement to Einstein’s quote. In other words, how does Bradbury’s work reflect imagination?

• Work in groups of three to four.• Arrange your explanations by the categories

above. • Provide an explanation for each category, citing at

least two pieces of evidence (quotations) from the novel. Include page numbers in parentheses after your quotations. Make sure your explanation provides ample understanding of the quotations you are using, noting specifically the imaginative qualities/elements that Bradbury is using.

“NO SALE” Sign at end of Chap. 36

• Hitting a NO SALE button on an old-fashioned cash register was how a cashier opened the cash drawer without selling something.

• Mr. Tetley collects the money that people drop accidentally into the grate (grille) once a month and puts it into his register.

• If someone drops change through the grate, he hits the NO SALE button and gives the person the amount lost in the grille.

• He assumes that Mr. Dark is looking for is dropped change. • NO SALE might mean something else figuratively: Mr. Tetley

was one who had heard the carnival and been affected (p. 21) but he doesn't let it draw him away.

• Also, the transaction of Mr. Dark taking the boys under his control in the carnival doesn't happen. NO SALE.

Chapter 47

• Write down 5-7 KEY TERMS that you would absolutely need in order to summarize what happens in The Bullet Trick.

Key Words for The Bullet Trick

• Charles Halloway• Will• Dust Witch• hand• crowd• smile • wax bullet

SWTWC Level H Assessment

Part A. Matching -- characters (10)Part B. Multiple Choice (25) All information from study guide questions and Power Point notes is FAIR GAME!Part C. Essay. (15) Choose 1 of 3 choices– two of which are from Power Point and have been discussed in class. THIS SECTION ONLY WILL BE OPEN-NOTES!

Questions for the end of the novel:1. Do the freaks turn back into humans?

2. Is the carnival still affected by joy that is not displayed?

Questions??1. Did the freaks turn back into humans?

The freaks were ‘set free’ from being enslaved to the carnival, but since they take off north, south, east, west, they clearly haven’t learned to stick together– haven’t learned about the importance of common cause.2. Is the carnival still affected by joy that is not

displayed?Doubtful; they wouldn’t bother luring anyone

who is quietly content.

Questions??3. Why does the skeleton, of all the freaks, carry away Mr. Dark?

4. Does Jim ever get younger?

5. Do the freaks have to ride the carousel also or do they remain alive from Mr. Dark’s riding it?

Questions??3. Why did the skeleton, of all the freaks, carry away Mr. Dark?

No indication– I wondered that– someone said (per. 2) that it may represent the Grim Reaper.4. Does Jim ever get younger?

No way to know5. Do the freaks have to ride the carousel also or do they remain alive from Mr. Dark riding it?

No indication if freaks get older or if they are squashed into their ‘freakiness’ permanently.

Questions??6. Mr. Halloway says, “The fight’s just begun.” What

does he mean by that?

7. Does a laugh that has no emotion connected to it affect the carnival?

Questions??6. Mr. Halloway says “The fight’s just begun” what

does he mean by that?I think he means that the 3 of them have just

enlisted, with full knowledge of what the battle entails, in a lifelong struggle, constantly deciding which hat to wear.7. Does a laugh that has no emotion connected to it affect the carnival?

Does a rhetorical question have an answer, and does it matter?

Questions??7. If Mr. Dark is the carnival, when he dies does the

carousel lose all of its power?

8. Is Mr. Dark supposed to be the devil?

Questions??7. If Mr. Dark is the carnival, when he dies does the

carousel lose all of its power?“Evil has only the power that we give it.” (275)

8. Is Mr. Dark supposed to be the devil?No– he doesn’t survive on souls but on their

misery. He is the unnatural human who gives in to all of his worst inclinations and draws pleasure from others’ misery.

What themes do these quotations support or reveal?Prove it!

1. “Oh gosh, thought Will, we thought it would all be simple...Mr. Cooger, dying, so we bring doctors to save him, so he forgives us…” (111). Death of Innocence

2. “’I’d have sworn,’ said one interne. ‘When we got there…that old man was dead’” (124). Order vs. Chaos

3. “’You still don’t see we can’t do business with those ulmers and goffs’” (126).Death of Innocence

What themes do these quotations support or reveal?Prove it!

4. “’I’d never ditch you, Will—’‘Ditch me in a minute’” (127).

5. “‘Everything in its time…everything one by one, not two by two’” (128).

6. “’Having permission would spoil everything, I suppose?’” (130)

7. “’You know what I hate most of all, Will? Not being able to run anymore, like you’” (131).

Dialectical Journal Reminders• Death of innocence, Identity (Age vs. Youth), Loyalty,

Temptation are your theme choices. Choose 2• Remember that your quotations must come from all 3

sections of the novel. My samples will come from the Prologue, so that’s off limits.

• Use complete sentences.• Go beyond what the quotation means. You need to start

with its meaning and then go beyond into previous text, language, and logical inference.

1. Include context of quotation when relevant (it usually is).

2. Analyze the diction and syntax and make connections there.

Poor dialectical journal example:“Nothing much else happened, all the rest of that night” (154).

This quotation supports

the theme Order vs. Chaos because it says that nothing else happened, so that means there was no chaos.

“At that time, James Nightshade… was thirteen years, eleven months, twenty-three days old. Next door, William Halloway was thirteen years, eleven months and twenty-four days old. Both boys touched toward fourteen; it almost trembled in their hands” (Bradbury, 2).

Identity-- Age vs. YouthBradbury sets up the

universal theme of the young longing to be older. The common young boy activities, like playing pranks on neighbors and dressing up for Halloween, are behind them. Bradbury painstakingly writes out each year, month, and day of the boys’ ages, indicating that this thing that comes next for them is the thing they’ve been waiting for. The age itself is almost alive to them, trembling with its own excitement. Their anticipation suggests that their identity as children no longer fully satisfies. What is up ahead is a new way to define themselves.

“And that was the October week when they grew up overnight, and were never so young anymore. . .” (2).

Death of Innocence

Bradbury creates an expectation in his readers that the boys he is introducing will in some way lose their childlike innocence. They may still be reaching out for age fourteen, but here Bradbury hints that something sudden and traumatic will cause the boys to grow up unnaturally fast. The fact that they “were never so young anymore” suggests a good quality in being young, a quality they must relinquish when faced with a difficult reality. The ellipsis at the end invites the reader to add something from his or her own experience– perhaps that growing up inevitably results in something lost– an innocence impossible to regain regardless of the benefits that may come with maturity.