Ms. Cerulli’s
Seventh Grade
Final Exam Review Sheet
Literary works review (all with liberal assistance from SparkNotes):
A. Twelfth Night
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Play
Cast of Characters:
Viola - A young gentlewoman who washed up on the shore of Illyria when her ship is wrecked in a storm.
She decides to make her own way in the world. She disguises herself as a young man, calling herself
"Cesario," and becomes a page to Duke Orsino. She ends up falling in love with Orsino, even though she’s
been sent by Orsino to help him woo another woman, Olivia. She is reunited with her twin brother
Sebastian in the final act of the play.
Orsino - The powerful duke of Illyria. He is lovesick for the beautiful Lady Olivia, but becomes more and
more fond of his handsome new page boy, Cesario, who is actually a woman—Viola. He mopes around
listening to music and complaining how heartsick he is for much of the play.
Olivia - A wealthy, beautiful Illyrian noblewoman. She begins the play in mourning for her brother, who
had just recently died, and her father not long before him. She had pledged to hide herself away from men
for seven years and to veil her face out of love for her lost brother. While she is annoyed by the constant
messengers the duke has been sending, she takes a liking to the young Cesario and asks him to keep
visiting her, under the pretense that he might convince her to one day like his master. She eventually
marries Sebastian, whom she mistakes for Cesario. Even though the mistake is revealed by the end of the
play, it seems that she will remain happily married to the twin.
Sebastian - Viola’s lost twin brother. When he arrives in Illyria, traveling with Antonio, his close friend and
protector, Sebastian discovers that many people think that they know him. Furthermore, the beautiful Lady
Olivia, whom he has never met, wants to marry him.
Malvolio - The servant of Olivia.
Sir Toby - Olivia’s uncle. Olivia lets Sir Toby Belch live with her, but she does not approve of his rowdy
behavior, practical jokes, heavy drinking, or friends. He plays a trick on his friend Sir Andrew, making him
think he has a real shot at love with Olivia.
Sir Andrew- A friend of Sir Toby’s. He attempts to court Olivia, but he doesn’t stand a chance. He thinks
that he is witty, brave, young, and good at languages and dancing, but he is actually an idiot.
Antonio - A man who rescues Sebastian after his shipwreck. Antonio has become very fond of Sebastian,
caring for him, accompanying him to Illyria, and furnishing him with money. He risks himself many times for
his friend, even traveling around Illyria, a land dangerous for him, to assure that Sebastian is safe. He
believes that he is betrayed by Sebastian when look-alike Cesario denies knowing him after Antonio steps
in to defend the “young man” in a fight.
Plot Summary:
In the kingdom of Illyria, a nobleman named Orsino lies around listening to music, pining away for the love
of Lady Olivia. He cannot have her because she is in mourning for her dead brother and refuses to
entertain any proposals of marriage. Meanwhile, off the coast, a storm has caused a terrible shipwreck. A
young, aristocratic-born woman named Viola is swept onto the Illyrian shore. Finding herself alone in a
strange land, she assumes that her twin brother, Sebastian, has been drowned in the wreck, and tries to
figure out what sort of work she can do. She decides to disguise herself as a man, taking on the name of
Cesario, and goes to work in the household of Duke Orsino.
Viola (disguised as Cesario) quickly becomes a favorite of Orsino, and she finds herself falling in love with
her new master. But when Orsino sends Cesario to deliver Orsino’s love messages to the disdainful Olivia,
Olivia herself falls for the beautiful young Cesario, believing her to be a man. The love triangle is complete:
Viola loves Orsino, Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves Cesario—and everyone is miserable.
Meanwhile, Sebastian, who is still alive after all but believes his sister Viola to be dead, arrives in Illyria
along with his friend and protector, Antonio. Antonio has cared for Sebastian since the shipwreck and loves
the young man—so much so that he follows him to Orsino’s domain, in spite of the fact that he and Orsino
are old enemies.
Sir Andrew, observing Olivia’s attraction to Cesario (still Viola in disguise), challenges Cesario to a duel. Sir
Toby, who sees the prospective duel as entertaining fun, eggs Sir Andrew on. However, when Sebastian—
who looks just like the disguised Viola—appears on the scene, Sir Andrew and Sir Toby end up coming to
blows with Sebastian, thinking that he is Cesario. Olivia enters amid the confusion. Encountering Sebastian
and thinking that he is Cesario, she asks him to marry her. He is baffled, since he has never seen her
before. He sees, however, that she is wealthy and beautiful, and he is therefore more than willing to go
along with her. Meanwhile, Antonio has been arrested by Orsino’s officers and now begs Cesario for help,
mistaking him for Sebastian. Viola denies knowing Antonio, and Antonio is dragged off, crying out that
Sebastian has betrayed him. Suddenly, Viola has newfound hope that her brother may be alive.
Eventually, Viola (still disguised as Cesario) and Orsino make their way to Olivia’s house, where Olivia
welcomes Cesario as her new husband, thinking him to be Sebastian, whom she has just married. Orsino
is furious, but then Sebastian himself appears on the scene, and all is revealed. The siblings are joyfully
reunited, and Orsino realizes that he loves Viola, now that he knows she is a woman, and asks her to marry
him.
Themes:
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Love is often a cause of great suffering.
It is important to cultivate friendships, for they will often help you out in life’s darkest times.
B. Warriors Don’t Cry
Author: Melba Pattillo Beals
Genre: Memoir
Main characters:
Melba Patillo Beals - The main character and narrator of Warriors Don’t Cry. Melba is one of the Little
Rock Nine (i.e., the first black students in the United States to attend a previously all-white high school).
She fights racism in its many forms throughout her life.
Grandma India - Melba’s grandmother. Grandma India is one of the most influential figures in Melba’s life.
She is a deeply religious woman who provides Melba with a deep sense of purpose. It is Grandma India
who tells Melba that “warriors don’t cry,” thus providing her with the title of her memoir.
Link - A white student who befriends Melba. Link has a close relationship with his Nanny, who is black,
which leads him to empathize with Melba. Though Link helps Melba in her fight against the segregationists,
he never publicly declares his friendship with her.
Conrad Patillo - Melba’s younger brother. As an adult, Conrad becomes the first and only black captain of
the Arkansas State Troopers.
Lois Patillo - Melba’s mother, also called Mother Lois. Lois teaches English at a Little Rock high school,
and, at the time of the book’s events, is separated from Melba’s father, Will.
Will Patillo - Also called “Papa Will.” Will is Melba’s father. He leaves the family before the events of the
book unfold. He leaves the family before the events of the book unfold. Will objects to the integration effort.
Kelli Beals - Melba’s daughter.
Virgil Blossom - The superintendent of Little Rock’s schools. He supports the plan for integration, but he
does little to enforce it or protect the students.
Minnijean Brown - One of the Little Rock Nine. Minnijean is Melba’s closest friend in the group. She is
eventually expelled from Central for “fighting” and is sent to New York to attend school. Minnijean
eventually becomes a Canadian citizen and lives on a farm as a writer and a mother.
Nana Healey - Link’s nanny from childhood. Nana Healey is black, and Link has a very close relationship
with her.
Mrs. Higgenbottom - Grandma India’s shotgun.
Andy - A white Central High student who is especially vicious toward Melba.
Mrs. C. Daisy Bates - The president of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People) in Little Rock. Mrs. Bates also runs a local newspaper, the Arkansas State Press, which champions
integration.
Vince - Melba’s boyfriend. He and Melba break up as a result of her transfer to Central.
Bill Clinton - A governor of Arkansas, later the president of the United States. When Melba returns to
Arkansas to be honored with the rest of the Little Rock Nine, Governor Clinton treats them with kindness
and respect, in stark contrast to former Governor Faubus.
Danny - A white soldier with the 101st Airborne Division (the elite fighting force that President Eisenhower
assigned to protect the African-American students at Central High School). Danny is assigned to protect
Melba—at one point saving her from acid that is thrown toward her eyes.
Elizabeth Eckford - One of the “Little Rock Nine,” the nine African-American students who participated in
the 1957 integration of Little Rock’s Central High School. On the first day that Elizabeth attempts to enter
the school, she is confronted by the Arkansas National Guard and almost attacked by an angry white mob.
She is escorted away from the crowd by two white people, Grace Lorch and Benjamin Fine. As an adult,
Elizabeth is the only one of the nine to remain in Little Rock. She holds a job as a social worker.
Dwight D. Eisenhower - The then-president of the United States, Eisenhower proclaims that Governor
Faubus is not allowed to defy the federal order to desegregate schools. When Faubus sends in the
Arkansas National Guard to keep the African-American students out of Central High School, President
Eisenhower responds by sending the elite 101st Airborne Division to escort the Little Rock Nine into Central
High School.
Plot Summary:
When Melba is twelve years old, the Supreme Court rules that separate schools for whites are illegal, a
ruling called Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In the year after the ruling, Melba sees
very little change in segregation. She is still at an all-black high school, but she and sixteen other black
students sign up to attend the white school.
Because of the threat of violence, the number of black students who will participate in the integration is
decreased from seventeen to nine. Several times in the few days before school is supposed to start,
lawsuits are filed that threaten to stop the nine students. Governor Faubus declares that he is going to send
the Arkansas National Guard to the high school, though he does not say whether they are there to protect
the nine or to stop them from entering the school. Grandma India begins to stay awake at night with a
shotgun near her. Finally, a few days after school has started, federal court judge Ronald Davies orders
that the students be allowed to attend.
On September 3, 1957, Melba and her mother drive to Central High School for Melba’s first day of class. A
huge white mob has gathered, and the Arkansas National Guard encircles the school. Luckily, both Melba
and her mother make it to the car and escape unharmed. Melba is not allowed to leave her house or
answer the door or the phone. She tells her grandmother that she wants to go back to Horace Mann, her
old high school, but her grandmother insists that Melba is not a quitter.
President Eisenhower and Governor Faubus meet and attempt to resolve the problem of integration in
Arkansas, but the meeting is unsuccessful, and on September 20, 1957, the State of Arkansas goes to
federal court before Judge Davies. Judge Davies rules that the Arkansas National Guard must be removed
and that the Little Rock Nine must be allowed into Central High School. Governor Faubus removes the
guard and predicts that blood will run in the streets of Little Rock if the schools are integrated.
On Monday, September 23, 1957, Melba and the other black students go to school. They are again greeted
by a mob of angry white people. In the middle of one class, Melba is forced to flee to the principal’s office,
as the mob has broken the barricades and is headed for the school. Someone in the principal’s office
proposes that they give the crowd one of the children to kill so the others can escape. Gene Smith, the
assistant chief of police, smuggles the nine students out of the school. The day after the mob attack, Melba
stays home and reads that President Eisenhower has announced he will use force to prevent this kind of
mob rule and to enforce federal law. The next day, the 101st Airborne Division (a division of war heroes)
arrives in Little Rock.
Each black student has his or her own escort from the 101st Airborne Division. Melba’s solider, Danny,
protects her when someone attempts to throw acid in her eyes. In October, Melba, Ernie, and Minnijean
meet with some of Central High’s white students under the guidance of a Norwegian reporter, Mrs. Jorumn
Rickets, who hopes to foster some sort of understanding between the two groups. The meeting is a failure.
Eisenhower withdraws the 101st Airborne, and the nine students are forced to rely on the Arkansas
National Guard for protection. The Nine continue to be terrorized: one day, white girls attack Melba in the
showers and hold her under scalding water. At the same time, the newspaper that Mrs. Bates (the
President of the NAACP in Little Rock) runs is being financially ruined by white businesspeople, and the
State Attorney is threatening NAACP officials across the state.
On December 17th, white boys surround Minnijean in the school cafeteria. Minnijean throws hot chili on two
of the boys. Minnijean is suspended. The segregationists start a new chant: “One nigger down and eight to
go.” Minnijean is allowed to return to school, and a short while later, a white boy pours a bucket of soup on
her head. Later, the boy who poured soup on Minnijean attacks her, and a fight ensues. Nobody knows
exactly what happened, but the white students allege that Minnijean fought back. Minnijean is expelled from
Central High School, and three white students are suspended. The NAACP arranges for a scholarship for
Minnijean at a high school in New York.
One day, Melba is almost surrounded by a group of white boys led by Andy, her main tormentor. She is
saved by a white boy named Link, who gives her the keys to his car. That night, Melba returns Link’s car to
him, and he begins to warn her of the plans that the segregationists have made for her. Melba and Link
become friends. On April 16, Judge Davies is removed from the Little Rock integration lawsuits and
replaced by an Arkansas judge named Harry Lemley.
One Saturday morning, Link and Melba visit Nana Healey, Link’s black nanny. Link thinks that Nana Healey
has tuberculosis. Melba finds a doctor in the black community to tend to her. Nana Healey is dying, and
Melba has to tell Link. Meanwhile, the integration case is reopened, with Judge Lemley presiding, and the
school board once again asks for a postponement of integration at Central High School. Melba’s mother,
Lois, is nearly fired from her teaching job of fourteen years because Melba won’t withdraw from Central
High School. The end of the school year is approaching, and the segregationists are desperate to keep
Ernie, the oldest of the nine, from graduating. Yet, on May 27, Ernie graduates. The next day, Link calls in
tears. Nana Healey has died. Link asks Melba to leave Little Rock with him. Melba agrees to go, knowing
she will not follow through with her promise.
By May 29, the Nine (including Minnijean) have begun a tour of the northern states, where they are treated
like heroes and celebrities. Meanwhile, the integration effort in Little Rock is disintegrating. Judge Lemley
grants the school board’s plea to delay integration for three years. The NAACP sets up a round of appeals,
and by September of 1958, the students are gearing up for their second year at Central. Rather than allow
that to happen, Governor Faubus shuts down all of Little Rock’s high schools. While Melba is waiting to
return to school, Grandma India is diagnosed with leukemia and dies in October of 1958. By September of
1959, the NAACP has decided that the strain on the families is too great. They ask people in NAACP
chapters across the country to take in the students. Melba is sent to Santa Rosa, California, to the home of
the McCabes, a white Quaker family. The McCabes nurture and care for Melba and convince her to go to
college in January of 1960.
In September of 1960, Central is again open to integration, but only two of the nine students are
readmitted. They eventually graduate. Melba begins to attend San Francisco State University with
predominantly white students. One night in 1962, while she is at school, a white soldier named John comes
to her room to meet her roommate. There is mutual attraction, and soon they are engaged to be married.
Melba relates how she keeps in touch with Link during this time. But when Link hears that she is getting
married, and to a white man, he is furious, as Melba had always maintained she could not date a white
man. They never speak again. Six months later, Melba and John are married. They have a daughter
named Kelli. Seven years after their daughter’s birth, they split up because Melba wants to be a reporter
and work, and John wants a housewife. Melba goes to journalism school at Columbia and becomes a
reporter. She ends the book by saying that if her experience at Central High School has taught her
anything, it is that we are all one.
THEMES:
* People working together can make big differences.
* Nonviolent resistance can bring about lasting social change.
* Laws don’t necessarily change the way of the world. People must adjust their attitudes
too.
* It is not just the oppressed, but the oppressor who suffer in an unjust system.
* It is important to come together with truly open minds to try to understand other
people’s points of view.
* It is important to believe in yourself, and that often comes from having people who
believe in you.
C. Of Mice and Men
Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Novel
Point of View: Third Person but it is George and Lennie’s story
Setting: California during the Great Depression. It occurs over a period of three days in four specific
locations: a wooded area next to the Salinas River, a bunkhouse on the ranch, the stable hand's room on
the ranch, and the main barn on the ranch. In fact, it's so tightly constructed that it could easily be a play
Plot overview: It is the story of two migrant farm workers, looking for work during the Great Depression,
trying to ultimately achieve the American Dream by owning their own farm. However, at the end of the
novel their dream shatters when George shoots his friend Lennie to spare him from being tortured and
attacked by the other ranch hands.
Main Characters:
Lennie: A large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Due to his mild mental disability, Lennie completely
depends upon George, his friend and traveling companion, for guidance and protection. loves petting soft
things.
George: small, wiry, quick-witten, cares for and protects Lennie. Although he frequently speaks of how
much better his life would be without his caretaking responsibilities, George is obviously devoted to Lennie.
Candy: aging ranch handyman who lost his hand in an accident, worries about his future, wants to join
George and Lennie when they get their own ranch.
Curley: son of the boss, arrogant, confrontational, mean-spirited, jealous
Curley’s wife: men refer to her as a tramp, she is lonely. The only female character in the story, Curley’s
wife is never given a name and is only mentioned in reference to her husband
Conflicts:
Man vs himself George is torn between continuing to care for Lennie or to strike out on his own. George,
however, looks upon Lennie as a brother and never abandons him. At the end of the novel, after Lennie
has accidentally killed Curley’s wife, George makes the difficult decision to kill Lennie, while they are
imagining their future ranch, before Curley and the other ranch hands can torture and kill him.
Man vs society Lennie and George are trying to achieve the American Dream but economic conditions in
America make it impossible for them to do so. Also, the people that George and Lennie encounter are
cruel and hinder their ability to find roots anywhere.
Strength vs Weakness The difference between characters’ physical strength. However, Lennie’s physical
strength is no match for the predatory nature of Curley and the other ranch hands.
Symbols:
Curley’s wife’s red shoes – symbol of temptation.
George and Lennie’s imaginary farm is symbolic of paradise, the attainment of the American Dream.
Candy’s Dog – symbolic of Lennie. Also symbolic of any creature who has outlived his usefulness.
Lennie’s puppy- the victory of the strong over the weak. Lennie accidentally kills the puppy and many mice
by virtue of his failure to recognize his own strength
Other literary devices:
The fact that Candy remains troubled over the fact that he had someone else shoot his old dog as an act
of mercy, rather than doing the deed himself, foreshadows George’s shooting of Lennie at the end of the
novel
Themes:
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It is impossible to achieve the American Dream.
Sometimes friends are called upon to do difficult tasks in the name of friendship.
The human experience is basically one of extreme loneliness.
Our relationships with others help bring meaning to our lives.