Introduction - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapters 5-6 - Chapters 7-8

CHAPTERS THREE & FOUR

Vocabulary

exhausting - terrain - tramp - clump - dispassionately - disconcerted - offended - fortunately - brevity - anxious - awkward - ensnare - sinister - voluntary - looked put out - manage - embroidered - genuine - cypresses - fetch - petrol - cake - conspicuous - lorries - vineyard - hostage - hiding - daft - birch-broom - succumbed

 

Questions

1. Why did David miss to see boys his own age while he visited the town? Do you think the reasons he gives are the correct ones? What other reasons could there have been?
   
   
2. Why could David think about the man calmly and dispassionately?
   
   
3. Why does David feel he still has to obey the man and go north to Denmark, even though the man can no longer control him?
   
   
4. After losing his compass, David decided that he must have a God.
   
   (a) What purpose would a God serve?
   (b) What kind of God does he select for himself? What factors are considered by David as he makes his choice?
   (c) Which factor do you think is the most important to him? Explain.
   (d) Read David's prayer and tell what he expects from God.
   (e) Compare his God with those he rejects. What does this tell you about David?
   
   
5. How does David find the direction to the North now that he has lost his compass? What would you do to find the way back if you were lost in the woods of the Laurentians?
   
   
6. What words does David use in analysing the English couple?
   
   
7. When David helps the couple he feels: "... a strong impulse to do something quite voluntary for another person... It felt almost like possessing something, something so big that he could give some of it away." (p.63) Explain what he means with that.
   
   
8. David has a way of deciding if a country is a free one or not. What is his method? Do you think it is a good one? Explain.
   
   
9. Why is it that David cannot teach himself to smile.
   
   
10. David, till he meets Angelo, had thought that good people must also be clever. Why did he think so and why was he puzzled?
    
    
11. 1Why had the prisoners in the camp said: "Don't tell the boy anything they may try to worm out of him afterwards"?
    
    
12. When David meets up with the mean little boy, he doesn't fight back. Explain why he doesn't and why he compares the boy with the camp guards.
    
    
13. Reread the quotation in Question #7.
    
    (a) To what extent is this same feeling the cause for David's rescue of Maria?
    (b) What roles do his own feelings toward the girl play?
    (c) Reread page 86: "He was just going.... return!" Why does David feel he needs to repay God?
    (d) Of all the above causes, which one do you feel gave David the most strength to carry out the rescue?
    
    
14. In your own words give a description of the house of the di Levana del "Varchi family.
    
    
    
15. David has been his own master ever since he arrived in Italy. He has been free to select a God, to travel as he wishes and to learn whatever he wishes. After saving Maria, the family insists that David come to their home so that the mother can thank him. David has never been inside a house before and he feels a "vague disquiet" (p.95). What explanations can you give for his fear?
    
    
16. Why do you think does the author let David meet such rich people?

Conversation

Conversation is a dialogue or discussion between two or more people. It may proceed in an organized or disorganized manner. In conversation, questioning is important for discovering and understanding other people's opinion. Poor questioning can lead to con fusion and misunderstanding.

In creating a conversation as part of a story, you will have to indicate who and how someone is saying something. It goes without saying that the repetition of a word like said can be dull and boring. Want to spruce up your next written conversation? Try eliminating some of those tires said's, and substitute some of the 78 alternatives listed on the next page.

Assignment

Select a partner and write an interesting dialogue about anything you like. Edit, rewrite, and hand-in, double spaced, in ink, with proper margins, etc.! Use correct punctuation and capitalization!

Here are some examples:

"Hello, Jane," he said, "how are you?"

"I'm feeling fine," she answered, "and how are you?"

"I told him, 'John, you are a fool'," Jim told us proudly.

"Go home!" she ordered him.

acknowledged added  admitted advised affirmed agreed announced answered argued asserte assured avowed bellowed blurted bragged cautioned challenged claimed

conceded concluded confessed continued corrected cried decided declared demanded denied disclosed divulged emphasized estimated explained gasped growled grunted

hinted insisted interrupted joked lied maintained mentioned mumbled murmured offered ordered panted pleaded pointed out prayed proclaimed promised proposed

protested quipped interjected sighed speculated stated stipulated theorized threatened uttered volunteered warned whimpered whispered wondered yelled

 

Characterization

I Am David contains many portraits of memorable people. The process of recalling or creating memorable details about individuals is called characterization.

The personalities of people in a book can be conveyed by

__what the author states directly about the character

__ what the character says and does

__ what others say or think about the character

__ how others act toward the character

Directions

ach of the following charts lists some traits possessed by a character in the book. Find one specific piece of evidence for each trait (from anywhere in chapters 1-4) to prove the character does have that characteristic.

Then decide which characterization method (or methods) is used to reveal that trait. Check the appropriate column.

a = what the character says

b = what the character does

c = what others say or think about the character

d = how others act toward the character

e = what the author writes about the character

 

1. David

persistent - curious - honest - brave - naive

2. The man

sadistic - helpful - honest - deceitful

3. The English Couple

helpful - mistrustful - dishonest

As the book progresses do the same for the following characters

4. The di Levana del "Varchi parents

loving - understanding - mistrustful - generous

5. Signora Bang

loving - understanding - no-nonsense- clever

6. The Swiss farmer

shrewd - cruel - stupid

At the end of the book, hand-in your list of character traits. Make sure you mention the page numbers where you found your evidence.

 

A Question of Agreement

Is David one of those people who does have the right answer to everything? or should it be: "who do have"?

It's a question of agreement. The verb - "do" or "does" has to agree with its subject, "who". But does "who" refer to "one" or "people"?

Circle the correct word in each pair.

1. Is David one of those people who does/do have the right answer to everything?
2. A number of people in the village swear/swears that David never smiles.
   
3. In the bundle there was/were a compass, a piece of soap, a loaf of bread, a box of matches and a pocketknife.
   
4. Each of the three villagers thinks/think David is weird.
   
5. Everybody in the village was/were at work.
   
6. David didn't realize that either Angelo or the English couple was/were in a position to help him.
   
7. Mr. di Levana del "Varchi tells David that his family is/are taking a summer vacation this year.
   
8. No one in the village has/have signed up for Signora Bang's art classes yet.
   
9. The entire crew of the circus is/are giving a performance in the main square today.
   
   

EACH, EVERY, EVERYONE, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, ANYONE,

ANYBODY, SOMEONE, SOMEBODY

All of these controllers are singular so they take singular verbs.

ONE OF THOSE WHO

Is David one of those students who never has/have to study?

The subject of has/have is who, but who can be singular or plural. And who in this sentence refer to students (think about it!) - so it's "students who never HAVE to study."

OR, NOR

This one is easy! When or or nor connects two or more subjects, the one CLOSEST to the verb is the controller.

The Governor General, the Prime Minister, or two members of Parliament HAVE to greet the visiting Premier.

Two members of Parliament, the Governor General, or the Prime Minister HAS to greet the visiting Premier.

THERE IS/ARE

In sentences beginning with THERE IS or THERE ARE, the controlling word comes after the verb. This can throw you, because it usually comes before it.

There is/are a compass, a loaf of bread, and box of matches in the bundle.

When you SPEAK such a sentence it's generally OK to say "There IS". However, when you WRITE such a sentence, you should use "ARE" because you can look ahead in the sentence and realize the subject is plural.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS

Collective nouns all look singular, but you don't necessarily use them that way. You can consider them singular OR plural, depending on the sentence.

The soccer team IS going all out to win its third straight tournament.

(You're thinking of the team as a single unit)

The soccer team ARE students who are majoring in very different subjects.

(You're thinking of the team as several individuals, plurally)

NUMBER/NONE/MORE THAN ONE

When you say "A number" you mean many, so it's plural.

A number of students WERE seen in the main square.

But when you say "The number", you mean a specific number, the number itself, so it's singular.

The number of students seen in the main square today IS larger than yesterday.

None used to mean "not one" and used a singular verb. Lately it's often used with a plural verb.

None of the players ARE among my favourites.

MORE THAN ONE

This is always considered singular.

More than one circus IS coming to town. There is no logical explanation for this - it's just what's called an "idiom".

Introduction - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapters 5-6 - Chapters 7-8