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.
2.
3.
4.
Where is the boy in this scene?
What time of day is it in this scene?
What is happening in this scene?
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 melodramas
2. mountebanks – swindlers– people who cheat
others
3. bumbershoots – slang for umbrellas
4. 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 Elements
Make sure you know these elements and look for
them as you read.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
allusion
characterization
metaphor
symbolism
theme
motif
typecasting
personification
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. CHAOS
List 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Death of innocence
Temptation
Good vs. Evil
Identity (particularly Age vs. Youth)
Order vs. Chaos
Opposing forces in the world
Loyalty-- to people/ principles
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
1. being left behind
2. unpredictability
3. bad stuff happening
4. the ‘big world’
5. the unknown
6. people getting hurt
7. losing Jim
8. chaos/lack of order
9. danger
10.disappointing people
Jim’s fears
1. boredom/ sameness
2. getting hurt
emotionally
3. missing something
4. Will’s not being there
to protect him
(periodically)
5. not knowing
More of Will’s fears
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
being alone
21. losing innocence
taking risks
22. the unnatural
secrecy
23. being unable to
lightning/storm
protect those he loves
doing something bad
the future
getting in trouble
the carnival
facing certain unpleasant realities
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 Notes
Please 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 Up
1. 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 chaos
3. 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 evil
7. 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-andterrible 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-andterrible 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
2. alone
3. arrow
4. balloon’s basket
5. bow
6. Dust Witch
7. rip
8. sense
9. smile
10. Will
Questions from Notes
Chaps. 20-22
1.
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.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
Why is Will acting like a spy?
Why is older bad to Jim? (unsure what this means)
Is Jim hiding something?
Why does Will refuse to let Jim leave the house alone? Why does he follow?
Why does Robert (Mr. Cooger, age 12) throw Miss Foley’s jewels at him (not sure who ‘him’ is)?
If Charles Halloway knows what’s going on with the carnival, why doesn’t he say something?
What does “It was done by seven-three” mean? [7:03]
If the music is coming from the carousel, why do the boys go to Miss Foley’s?
Why is everything on the carousel backwards?
Is Jim and Will’s friendship not as strong as it used to be?
What does Jim want to remember? (not sure)
Why does Jim want to talk to Robert?
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 Questions
1. 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 of
Mr. 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
Cite evidence to support your response.
Controlled
Myths about dragonflies
http://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 dragonflies
Dragonflies 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 know
5. 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
This quotation supports
happened, all the rest of the theme Order vs.
that night” (154).
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, twentythree 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. Youth
Bradbury 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.