Name: __________________________
Roll of Thunder Annotations
Instructions: Annotate the following passages by highlighting the key terms within the questions, by noting the
definition of each key term, and by highlighting examples of each key term within the passages. Then, use the
questions and your annotations to create a point for each question.
1. What mood and imagery do the narrator’s tone and figurative language produce, and how does this
foreshadow events to come?
"But by dawn, when the December sun was creeping warily upward shooting pale streams of buff-colored light
through the forest . . . 'Is this it?' I cried, a gutting disappointment enveloping me as we entered the town.
Strawberry was nothing like the tough, sprawling bigness I had envisioned. It was instead a sad, red place . . .
Lining the road were strips of red dirt splotched with patches of brown grass and drying mud puddles, and
beyond the dirt and the mud puddles, gloomy store buildings set behind raised wooden sidewalks and sagging
verandas" (Taylor 104).
Point:
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2. In the following passage, Papa creates an analogy in order to help Cassie learn a difficult lesson. What
is the analogy, and what does each element symbolize?
"'You see that fig tree over yonder . . . Them other trees around it, that oak and walnut they're a lot bigger and
they take up more room and give so much shade almost shadow over that ole fig tree. But that fig tree got roots
that run deep and it belongs in that yard as much as the oak and walnut'" (Taylor 205 & 206).
Point:
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3. What kind of characterization is featured in the following passage, and what does this characterization
reveal about Cassie and Stacey?
"As I followed, Jeremy touched my arm timidly. 'C-Cassie . . . That---that ole Lillian Jean, she ain't
worth it . . .’
'Mama gonna whip you good, too,' said prideful Little Man, still fuming as we approached the school.
''Cause I'm gonna sure tell it.'
'Naw you ain't,' said Stacey. There was a shocked silence as all heads turned to him. 'This here thing's
between Cassie and Lillian Jean and ain't nobody telling nothin' 'bout this'" (Taylor 173).
Point:
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4. How do the characters in this passage use figurative language to intensify their indignant mood?
“It was then that T.J. noticed Stacey’s new coat.
‘Uncle Hammer gave it to him,’ I said. ‘Ain’t it something?’”
T.J. ran his long fingers over the lapels, and shrugged, ‘It’s all right, I guess, if you like that sort of
thing.’
‘All right!’ I cried, indignant at his casual reaction to the coat. ‘Boy, that’s the finest coat you ever did
lay eyes on and you know it!’
T.J. sighed. ‘Like I said, it’s all right . . . if you like looking’ like a fat preacher.’ Then he and Little
Willie and Moe laughed and went on ahead” (Taylor 136).
Point:
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5. Explain the symbolism in the following passage.
“Soldiers Bridge was built before the Civil War. It was spindly and wooden, and each time I had to cross it I
held my breath until I was safely on the other side . . . More than once when I had been in the wagon with
Mama or Big Ma, we had to back off the bridge when a white family started across after we were already on it .
. . Uncle Hammer gassed the Packard and sped onto the creaking structure . . . The driver of the truck stopped . .
. then without a single honk of protest backed off so that we could pass” (Taylor 138 &139).
Point:
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6. Explain the irony and what it foreshadows in the following passage.
“As we came off the bridge, we could see all of the Wallaces . . . touch their hats respectfully . . .
‘You shouldn’t have done that, Hammer,’ she [Mary Logan] said quietly.
‘The opportunity, dear sister, was too much to resist.’
‘But one day we’ll have to pay for it. Believe me,’ she said, ‘one day we’ll pay’” (Taylor 139).
Point:
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