Grade 9 Semester One Study Guide, 2014
Your exam will have three parts:
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Research Project – analysis of a research extract
Literary Terms multiple choice & paragraph.
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time essay (you will have a choice of
topics)
To be successful you should review the following:
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Literary terms (the list given to you in quarter one; it is still available on the Wiki
as ‘Literature Terms’)
Essay structure and style (clear paragraphing, effective thesis writing)
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
Research Project skills: Questions on the Research Project will not be about
YOUR individual paper, but rather about the process of writing a research paper,
and the conventions of APA formatting.
Elements of literature: Plot, theme, character, setting, point of view, and style.
You may find the following activities helpful:
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Review your essay on the plot structure of the novel, and the model provided.
Consider the themes in the novel and write notes about how each theme is
explored/ developed in the book.
Write notes about each character: how they develop, how they relate to others,
how Haddon develops them, what their conflicts are, whether you sympathize
with them etc.
Read over the uploaded activities on the wiki. Remember that all four of my
classes did these activities. Use them as a guide. Compare them to the ones you
did.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Revision activities & information
“Life is difficult, you know. It’s bloody hard telling the truth all the time. Sometimes it’s
impossible. And I want you to know that I’m trying, I really am.” (120)
A. Setting
Haddon sets his novel in London in the 1990s. The most important elements of setting
develop plot and character:
 Christopher’s house with Father is his home and as such symbolizes safety and
family (without Mother it is not complete; when Christopher leaves it he
struggles much more).
 The various settings of the journey show how other people react to Christopher,
and how difficult he finds it to be in new places among strangers. The journey is
a great test to Christopher, and develops his character.
 The school is also a place of safety and familiarity. Scenes within school show us
how people with mental disabilities act and how they are treated by our society.
 The cultural setting is an environment where divorce is common, and adults
regularly use obscene language around children; what is Haddon trying to show
us about modern life with the way he portrays the world?
B. Plot
Thanks to DX and Philip for this concise summary:
The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time doesn’t follow a traditional plot
structure. The story starts out with the inciting incident when Christopher finds the dog
dead. This incident prompts Christopher to investigate the murder. The book then
continues in a pattern, alternating plot and intercalary chapters. The exposition is not only
found in the beginning but throughout the book. It is intertwined with the rest of the story,
providing more background information on Christopher as the story moves forward.
The climax for the story is debatable. While most believe that the climax is when
Christopher finds out about the truth about the killer of the dog and the truth about his
mother, others believe that it’s when Christopher nearly gets killed in the process of
finding his mom. Either points of the story held high tension and either could be
considered as the climax of the story.
Intercalary chapters are effective in this novel because they keep the story dynamic as
opposed to giving a long introduction of the background of Asperger’s Syndrome and
Christopher in the beginning of the novel and boring the reader. The use of intercalary
chapters further deepens our understanding of Christopher’s reaction to the main events
by providing us a look into what it’s like to be a child plagued by Asperger’s Syndrome.
Delay is a technique used to create suspense in this novel. The author creates delay in two
ways, by describing the observations made by Christopher and by the use of intercalary
chapters. An exposition chapter is often used after a cliffhanger. These chapters serve to
delay the plot to create suspense, thus making the reader continue to read on. The author
also describes the things Christopher observes even in the most intense scenes (for
example the diamond pattern on the man’s socks in the tube station). This is a very
simple use of delay by talking about something other than the situation at hand. Not only
does the author do this just to create suspense, he also does this to serve as a further
insight to what having Asperger’s Syndrome is like.
By using plot devices such as investigations and discoveries, the plot is able to move
forward. For example, when Christopher discovers the truth about his mother and that his
dad killed Wellington, Christopher decides to embark on a journey to find his mother.
The two major mysteries of the story are “who killed Wellington?” and “ what really
happened to Christopher’s Mother?” Christopher, however, is only investigating the
mystery of who killed Wellington. It’s the reader, who receives evidence through
Christopher’s investigation, that pieces together the truth about Christopher’s mother’s
“death”.
Activities
 Decide for yourself on the climax of the novel, with good reasons.
 Make a plot chart of the novel chapter by chapter.
 Make notes about how Haddon foreshadows the revelations in the novel (he
certainly lets the reader figure things out before Christopher does!)
 Summarize for yourself how suspense is created in the novel, using both
foreshadowing and delay.
 Make sure you know what intercalary chapters are and how they affect the novel.
C. Characters
Christopher and his parents are obviously the main characters in the story. They are
complex, round characters, neither all good nor all bad; in contrast to the simple literal
prose in which the story is written, the characters and the world they live in are neither all
good nor all bad. Therefore, Haddon is able to explore his themes through his characters
as he shows them struggling.
We empathize with Christopher because he is isolated, judged, criticized, and will never
experience love or friendship as we do. And yet, at the same time we are repelled by him
because he hurts those around him, even hitting Father and pulling a knife on a woman
trying to help him.
Father is kind and hard-working and advocates for Christopher, yet is also short-tempered
at times, full of rage and fury because of the stresses of his life. Mother loves
Christopher deeply yet leaves him.
Christopher sees the world in black and white – but it is filled with shades of grey.
Activities
1.
Complete a table like the one below. Include page references to support your
points.
Character
Physical appearance
Personality & behavior
How she/he is developed
Mother
“a small person who
smelled nice” (p19)
Loves Christopher (writes him 43
letters)
Cannot stay with Christopher, for
several reasons. (no emotional
contact, trouble with Father)
Directly through Christopher’s
description.Indirectly through dialogue.
Static or dynamic?
Round or flat?
2.
3.
Answer the question: Is it possible to feel sympathy for all the characters in The
curious incident, even though they are all flawed? Why or why not?
Read about the minor characters in the student-written study pack. Prepare notes
on what kind of characters they are and how they contribute to the novel.
D. Themes
Haddon explores many themes in his novel. They include:
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Truth telling and lies
“Life is difficult, you know. It’s bloody hard telling the truth all the time. Sometimes it’s
impossible. And I want you to know that I’m trying, I really am.” (120)
The novel is narrated by someone who cannot lie, and yet it is a work of fiction. This
irony at the heart of the story tells us that Haddon is interested in duplicity.
Father’s two lies, about Wellington and Mother, lead to pain on all sides and
Christopher’s loss of trust in him.
Language is an issue – are metaphors lies? Are jokes? Are euphemisms? Haddon seems
to be asking the question – is it hypocritical to use politically correct language? Why not
just call a spade a spade?
Haddon shows us that although Christopher sees the world in black and white (lies/truth,
bad/good) it is in reality much more complex. Characters in the book regularly lie to
protect others, or use language that is not truthful to avoid hurting feelings. However,
these acts of ‘kindness’ don’t often turn out well.
So you need to decide:
What are the consequences of lying in the book? Does Christopher’s view of the
world help us to see our own hypocrisies or simply the complexities of adult life?
What do you think Haddon is saying about political correctness and euphemisms?
Most importantly, do you think he answers all these questions, or poses them to
make the reader think and come to their own conclusions?
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Family Relationships
“And maybe it is easier living on your own looking after some stupid mutt
than sharing your life with other actual human beings.” (121)
Christopher’s condition places and enormous strain on his parents and they end up
separating. Yet they both, in the end, come through for him. Haddon explores in
great detail the strains placed on the adults in Christopher’s life and tries to make us
sympathize with them. We are shown that their life is not easy, and they make
some hard choices (possibly wrong) yet they love him a great deal.
What do you think Haddon is saying about the importance and difficulty of family
life in the novel?
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Empathy
The novel’s primary purpose, beyond entertainment, is to show the reader how it
feels to live with Asperger’s. Haddon’s intent, arguably, is to make his reader
empathize not only with Christopher’s parents but even more so with him. The
point of view of the novel reiterates this.
How does Haddon try to make the readers empathize with Christopher? What do
you know about autism that you didn’t know before?
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Clarity: Black and White or Shades of Grey?
“We all make mistakes, Christopher. You, me, your mum, everyone. And
sometimes they’re really big mistakes. We’re only human.” (122)
The complexity of the math problems, the characters, and the themes all work together to
provide an all-encompassing rationale for the novel, which is that life is not black and
white and neither are people. Life, like the Monty Hall problem, is “complicated and not
very straightforward” (65). It’s not easy to live well or do the right thing. People lie for
good reasons and are caught out. People love their children but cannot live with them.
People try to use politically correct language but Haddon exposes them as hypocrites.
Most of all, in my opinion, this book is about making us see things a different way – not
just from Christopher’s point of view as a sufferer of Asperger’s but from a point of view
that makes us question our own beliefs and moral judgements; and perhaps be kinder and
more forgiving.
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Of course, other themes are explored in the book. You could consider death,
atheism, and rage. Try brainstorming ideas and finding quotes as a review
activity. Please don’t think that regurgitating Sparksnotes in your exam essay will
get you good points. Try to stay away from their themes as much as possible and
see your own.
Activity
Brainstorm the above themes in the novel, highlighting sections of the novel where they
are explored. Read the full review document from class and use the posters. Think of
your own themes and make notes on them.
E. Point of View
Obviously, the novel is told using the first person point of view. This has several effects:
 We naturally empathize with Christopher
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We are forced to work hard; we have to read between the lines to see what other
characters are thinking and feeling
Dialogue comes to play an important role in the novel
The point of view creates a lot of humor, particularly through irony and the
deadpan reporting of events
We understand things before Christopher does at times
Activities
1. Make sure you understand the key terms naïve/ unreliable narrator and stream of
consciousness, and that you can apply them to the novel.
2. Make notes about how the point of view contributes to the humor of the novel.
3. Make notes about how the point of view makes the reader work hard to
understand the novel.
4. Make notes analyzing how the point of view contributes to developing characters
and themes.
5. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the point of view of the novel, and
critique its success yourself.
F. Style
Along with the point of view, there are several other notable stylistic choices which make
Haddon’s novel worthy of study: primarily humor, sentence structure, symbolism, and
illustrations.
Humor: The novel is very funny, even though Christopher “can’t do jokes”. Without the
humor it would be a very boring novel to read because of Christopher’s monotonous
voice and, at times, boring details. The humor is created by:
Deadpan humor - when Christopher reports things in a literal (expressionless)
way which are meant to be metaphorical, or sarcastic, without realizing the original
speaker’s intent. The conversation about the A-Z is a good example.
Pedantic reporting – when Christopher reports every minor detail without any
editing or emotion or comment we find it funny. The list of objects he finds in Father’s
closet is a good example.
Incongruity – ‘not in harmony’: there is often a gap between what Christopher
reports and what he understands about it. This not only shows us his lack of
understanding of adults and emotions but also often creates humor.
Irony - The novel is very funny, even though Christopher “can’t do jokes”, and
the novel is a fiction, although Christopher ‘can’t tell lies’. The novel is framed by these
two ironies, just as it is structured around the investigation of two mysteries.
Sentence Structure - Thanks to Eleen and Cindy for this summary:
Most of the sentences in the book are run-on sentences and simple sentences, while there
are rarely any complex sentences. Haddon not only uses this unusual way of structuring
his sentences to develop a unique voice for Christopher, but also lets us feel what it is like
to be in his place. A run-on sentence is a grammar mistake, but Christopher doesn’t seem
to notice, constantly using run-on sentences in “his book”. For example, of the thirteen
sentences on page 94, six are simple sentences and three are run-on sentences, but none
are complex sentences. This shows his child-like way of thinking when dealing with his
environment and the simple, logical way he looks at the world. It also adds humor to the
book.
Symbolism
Dogs – The death of Wellington symbolizes the end of Christopher’s trust in his
dad. The new puppy symbolizes the beginnings of its regeneration. Therefore the dogs
come to help us understand what has happened in the book as well as to predict what may
happen in the future.
Math – To Christopher, math symbolizes life. It also calms him and represents a
possible future for him. At first he compares prime numbers to life because “they are
very logical but you could never work out all the rules” (12) then to the Monty Hall
Problem because it shows that “numbers are sometimes very complicated and not
straightforward at all” (65). So, although Christopher approaches his life like a math
problem, he knows that life is not black and white, always with a clear solution. (See
Sebastian and Hiroo’s great poster in my room for more details).
Time - To Christopher, knowing the time represents safety and security.
Whenever he loses control of his emotions or is extremely afraid, he loses track of time.
When he feels safe, he notes in great detail what time it is and knows exactly how much
has passed.
Orion – On page 125 Christopher sketches Orion as a T-Rex. This is a symbol
for how Christopher sees the world differently from the rest of us – we all look at the sky,
but Christopher is the only one that sees a dinosaur.
Illustrations –
 Many of the illustrations, such as maps and signs, add realism to the book.
 Many of the illustrations, particularly pictures and diagrams, help us to see the
world as Christopher does: logically, visually, in detail. They develop his
character since we see how observant and intelligent he is.
 Many of the illustrations are entertaining – for example the constellation Orion reimagined as a dinosaur, the BEER t-shirt (humor).
 Many of the illustrations demonstrate the adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand
words’ – it may well take Christopher a thousand words to describe some of the
illustrations, and that would be very boring. The pictures are a shorter way of
describing what he sees.
Allusions –
There are frequent allusions in the book to other works of literature. The most obvious
are the allusions to Sherlock Holmes (see p.70-74, p.88-90). Christopher compares
himself to Holmes, who is very observant and logical – and equally immodest!
Activities
 Find quotations related to the points above.
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Develop essay plans & thesis statements related to issues of style in the novel.
Find other allusions in the novel and consider their effect.
General Activities
Plan out beforehand how long you will spend on each step of your essay and keep a
careful eye on the time.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Choose a question
Analyze key words
Brainstorm idea
Make a rough plan – group ideas together into paragraphs
Write a thesis
Find quotes to use, note page numbers
Write your essay
Re-read and edit your essay
You might also want to have an editing checklist in mind.
For example:
1. Check the verbs are in the present tense
2. Check you’ve spelled the author’s name and other words correctly
3. Check punctuation is correct