Where the Red Fern Grows

By Wilson Rawls

Chapter 1 Vocabulary

• Sanitation• Pertaining to cleanliness• Quench:• Satisfy or extinguish.• Gratitude:• Thankfulness,

appreciation

• Coax:• Persuade or urge• Dormant:• In a state of sleep or

rest• Whimper:• Cry with feeble, whining

sounds.

Why did the story begin with the narrator observing a dog fight?

• This observation touched off old memories and introduced the story, as told in a flashback.

• What is a flashback?• In a literary work, a flashback is an interruption

of the action to present events that took place at an earlier time. A flashback provides information that can help a reader better understand a character’s current situation.

The narrator said, “I raised one of his paws. There I read the story.”

• What does the word “read” mean in this context?

• How was the man able to “read” a story into what he saw on the dog’s paw?

• The worn and slick pads of his paws indicated that he had traveled a long distance.

Why did the man come to the aid of the hound?

• He had memories of an earlier time when a hound had saved his life

• He felt the hound was up against unfair odds.

How did the man feel when he saw the condition of the hound?

• He was upset.• He almost cried at what he saw.

Why was the man overcome by a “strange feeling” when the hound

left his home in the darkness?• The dog had brought

memories of the love and devotion of hounds from his boyhood days.

Chapters II & III Vocabulary

• Dumfounded• Astonished• Abandoned• Left• Fertile• Productive• Grieved• mourned

• Sacrifice• Relinquish• Muzzle• Mouth covering• Urgency• Insistence• Commotion• disturbance

Chapter II & III Questions• What was Billy’s “terrible

disease” when he was ten years old?

• Why do you think he calls this a disease?

• He had a burning desire to own hunting dogs;

• He called it a “disease” because of the terrible way it afflicted him and controlled his life.

• Why didn’t Billy want Old Man Hatfield’s collie?

• It wasn’t a hunting dog.

• Why wasn’t Billy able to get the dogs he wanted?

• His father couldn’t afford them.

• How did the discovery of the magazine change Billy’s life?

• It contained an ad for two hounds from a Kentucky kennel.

• (registered redbone coon hounds)

• What were some of the things Billy did to earn money?

• How long did it take him to earn enough money.

• He sold hides to fur buyers and vegetables and bait to fishermen.

• It took two years.

• How did Grandpa react when Billy gave him he money?

• He was astonished and proud that his grandson was able to save up all that money.

Chapters IV, V and VI

residential• Leaving the main part of

town, I started up a long street through the residential section. I had never seen so many beautiful houses.

• Definition: area suitable for houses.

timbers• While the pups were busy

playing. I dragged up several large timbers and built a fire which would last for hours.

• Heavy beams

Vocabulary 4-6

runt• The girl pup was small and

delicate. She must have been a runt in a litter.

• Undersized animal of person.

querying• With a querying look on his

face, he said, “I’m afraid I don’t understand. I thought you always wanted to go to town.

• questioning

Questions Chapters 4-6

• Why did Billy decide to go for the dogs himself?• He didn’t want to wait a week.• Were you surprised that he did?• What was Billy’s first impression of Tahlequah?• He was afraid of Tahlequah and the

townspeople; he had never seen such a big town and so many people.

• What incidents in town serve to point out the differences between Billy’s background and that of townspeople?

• His fear of the marshal; his encounter with the children at the school; his surprise at seeing his reflection in the window; his fight with the boys in town.

• Why do you think the boys in town provoked Billy into a fight?

• He was an outsider, a hillbilly; he was different from them. They saw him as a figure of fun, someone who would be an easy target.

How did Billy show his resourcefulness and courage when the mountain lion prowled

outside the cave?

• He knew that mountain lions were afraid of fire, so he threw more wood on the fire;

• He started whooping and throwing rocks down the mountainside to scare the lion away.

• How did Billy decide on the names for his dogs?

• He saw the names carved in the bark of a sycamore tree.

Why did his parents want to move to town some day?

• They wanted Billy to get a proper education. • Until now he had learned to read and write

from his mother.

Questions for Discussion

• In Chapters II and III, we meet the members of Billy’s family.

• What kind of relationship did Billy have with each of them?

• What was special about his relationship with his grandfather?

• Why do you think Billy kept his plan for saving money a secret from his parents?

• Billy said, “I was a hunter from the time I could walk.”

• What do you think he meant by that?

Language Skills: Hyphenated Words and Descriptive Language

• Billy’s use of language throughout the book has a distinctive rural, country flavor.

• It is filled with colorful descriptive phrases and hyphenated words.

• Billy often uses words such as “dog-wanting,” “new-looking,” “clean-swept” and “home-leaving.”

• Make up five original hyphenated expressions of your own and use them in sentences.

Billy uses descriptive language to evoke vivid images. Explain what is meant by each of the following passages from the

book:• I saw the hurt in his

eyes. It made me feel like someone was squeezing water out of my heart.

• The land was rich, black and fertile. Papa said it would grow hair on a crosscut saw.

• He swelled up like a sitting hen.