The Pigman

1. The Pigman Unit Plan

2. Prereading: Agree ~ Disagree • Most adults just don’t remember what it was like to be young. • Parents should trust their children. • Teenagers should not drink alcohol at all. • There’s no harm in practical jokes or pranks. • A person can’t be used unless he lets himself be used. • No one can force you to do anything you don’t want to do. • A child learns his values from his parents. • Your life is what you make of it- nothing more and nothing less.

3. Prereading: Read the following and check the situations that apply to you: • Making a mean remark about a friend • Cheating on a test or homework assignment • Deliberately starting a fight or argument • Ridiculing or making fun of someone else • Stealing • Causing physical harm to someone else • Being cruel to an animal • Shouting at a parent or other adult • Damaging the property of another person • Lying to avoid punishment

4. Prereading: For each item, explain how each response might or might not be helpful in dealing with guilt: • Trying to forget about the incident • Apologizing to the person involved • Talking it over with a friend or parent • Analyzing actions and the reasons behind them • Writing about the incident in a diary or journal • Doing nothing, but resolving not to repeat the wrongdoing • Openly confessing the guilt • Hating yourself

5. Vocabulary: Chapters 1-5 • avocation—hobby • subliminally—unconsciously; without thinking • compassion—sympathy for other people; pity • distort—to twist the truth; to give a false impression • mortified—extremely embarrassed or ashamed • philanthropy—act of charity intended to help a person or a group of people • prevarications—lies • patron—one who provides financial support to artists or writers • subsidize—to provide financial aid

6. Vocabulary: Chapters 6-8 • antagonistic—hostile; given to fighting or arguing • anxiety—a fearful concern or nervousness • omens—clues as to what will happen in the future • nocturnal—of the night; active at night • eerie—strange and frightening • ritual—customary series of events • ingrate—ungrateful person

7. Vocabulary: Chapters 9-11 • berserk– crazy; insane • putrid—rotten • interrogating—questioning • mull—to think about; ponder • assassin—murderer; killer • predicament—difficult situation or problem • mundane—ordinary; commonplace

8. Vocabulary: Chapters 12-15 • infantile—childish • hovel—small, often dirty house; shack • hors d’oeuvres—foods served as appetizers • incongruous—dissimilar; not belonging together • proficiency—skill

9. Read “The Oath” and answer the following: • What is a “memorial epic”? • What to you expect the story will be about when you hear that term? • What mood is created by the language used in “The Oath”? • What is your initial reaction to John and Lorraine?

10. Chapters 1-4 For each chapter, answer the following: • What happened? • Who was involved? • What do you think will happen next?

11. Chapters 1-4 Discussion Questions • What kind of reputation do you think John gains among students through his bathroom bombings and fruit rolls? What is your attitude toward his behavior? What do you think motivates him to pull these stunts? • Do you think John’s system of cursing is a cop-out, childish, or a good compromise? What is your opinion of his philosophy of cursing? • Analyze John and Lorraine’s first meeting. What brings them together? On the basis of that first meeting, what predictions would you make about: • Who will be the leader? • Will they become romantically involved? • What common interests might they share? • How will others view the relationship? • By the end of chapter 4, who seems the best storyteller to you: John or Lorraine? Which narrator would appeal to you more as a friend? Explain.

12. Literary Skills: Humorous Devices • Hyperbole—extreme exaggeration • She demanded her employees ask permission to breathe. • Understatement—opposite of hyperbole; the user of understatement wants to downplay something • The man mildly protested when the angry mob decided to hang him. • Euphemism—the use of a polite or roundabout term in place of language that is considered too informal or impolite • Using “restroom” instead of “toilet” or “tipsy” instead of “drunk” • Sarcasm—a bitter or sneering remark which mocks a person, thing, or idea • Of course, we want to listen to another boring lecture.

13. Literary Skills: Humorous Devices Identify what type of device is used in the following examples. Write H for hyperbole, U for understatement, E for euphemism, or S for sarcasm _____1.Mrs. Jensen talks as though Lorraine needs major surgery and multiple body braces in order to look attractive.  _____2. John puts the bombs behind the unmentionables in the boys’ bathroom. _____3. Lorraine says the Pigman is dying to talk. _____4. Lorraine admits that she’s not Venus or Miss America. _____5. John thinks he’d better let Lorraine have the typewriter before she has a heart attack. _____6. John says he warmly refers to his father as the Bore. _____7. Lorraine thinks John could project his eyes straight up to the second balcony. _____8. John says that he severed maternal relations for a while. _____9. Lorraine maintains that John isn’t as insensitive to Homo sapiens as he pretends. ____10. John says that anyone who believes it’s fun to end the day with Problems in American Democracy needs a straightjacket. (2 answers here)

14. Literary Skills: Humorous Devices:On your own: Create your own examples of each of the humorous devices below. • Hyperbole: • Understatement: • Euphemism: • Sarcasm:

15. Literary Skills: Character Conclusions

23. Assessment on Chapters 1-4 Name this pig for +2: Write the bottom of your quiz.

24. Multi-genre Connection: “What We Might Be, What We Are” ~X.J. Kennedy If you were a plate of spaghetti And I were your piping-hot sauce, We'd not even need to write letters To put our affection across. But you're just a piece of red ribbonIn the beard of a Balinese goatAnd I'm a New Jersey mosquito.I guess we'll stay slightly remote. If you were a scoop of vanilla And I were the cone where you sat, If you were a slowly pitched baseball And I were the swing of a bat, If you were a shiny new fishhook And I were a bucket of worms, If we were a pin and a pincushion, We might be on intimate terms. Write a one paragraph connection between this poem and The Pigman. Be ready to share with the class.

25. Reading For chapter 5, answer the following: • What happened? • Who was involved? • What do you think will happen next?

26. Chapters 1-5 Activity Draw a picture of John, Lorraine, or Mr. Pignati, then choose a quote from chapters 1-5 to describe what you have drawn

27. Character Focus Choose four adjectives to describe each of the major characters. Find one quote for each character to support your answer.

28. Assessment MC Quiz on chapters 1-5 Name the pig for +2 on your quiz

29. Reading For chapter 6, answer the following: • What happened? • Who was involved? • What do you think will happen next?

30. Literary Skills: Simile & Metaphor • Simile: Bobo’s appearance • Metaphor: Norton’s meanness • Simile: John’s lies • Metaphor: Mr. Pignati’s collection of pigs

31. Literary Skills: Foreshadowing & Inference Writing: Write one good paragraph addressing the following based on inferences and foreshadowing. Discuss why you think Zindel (through John and Lorraine) lets readers know from the beginning that the Pigman will die. How does the revelation of this fact affect the tone and suspense created by the book? How does it affect your response to the characters—particularly John, Lorraine, Mr. Pignati, and Norton? Decide whether or not you prefer Mr. Pignati’s death is revealed at the beginning. Give reasons for your response.

32. Check for Understanding Complete the check for understanding on chapters 5-6. Be sure to answer in COMPLETE SENTENCES! Extra bonus: Who is your favorite character & why? (Answer on the back of your paper for +2)

33. Writing • How do you express your individuality? Do you wear unusual clothes? Style your hair a certain way? Listen to certain types of music? Jot down a few of the ways that you express who you are.

34. Reading For chapter 7, answer the following: • What happened? • Who was involved? • What do you think will happen next?

35. Chapter 7 Discussion Questions • John says he seeks out cemeteries because he hopes to find proof that “there’s a chance I’ll be doing something a little more exciting than decaying.” Why might John be interested in that issue when he is so young? What does John’s obsession indicate about his attitude toward life? • How would an acting career suit John’s talents? What desires would acting satisfy for him? Why is John’s father, on the other hand, so opposed to such a career? • Examine and comment on one of the clashes between John and one or both of his parents. Indicate who you feel is to blame and why. What would you have said if you were in John’s place and why? • Why do you think Mr. Pignati says his wife is away on a trip when she is actually dead? How does the purpose of his lies compare to the purpose of John’s lies?

36. Realistic Fiction • The lives and psychology of common people and how they are defined • The dialogue or narration written in vernacular • Moral issues faced by ordinary people and how they are explored • Painful and unpleasant facts of life and how they are unavoidable • Characters’ good and bad sides • Resolution of characters’ problems • Effect of setting, true-to-life details

37. Graphic Organizer: find examples of how The Pigman is realistic fiction

38. Artistic Connection • Pretend you are John or Lorraine. Create a postcard from your favorite destination visited with Mr. Pignati. Decorate the front of your postcard and then write a brief description of what you did at the location and what you liked about it on the back.

39. Reading For chapter 8, answer the following: • What happened? • Who was involved? • What do you think will happen next?

40. Literary Skills: Conflict • Man VS Man: the character faces a problem with one or more characters in the story • Man VS Himself: the character faces a physical or emotional problem or struggle • Man VS Society: the character faces a problem with part of society (government, school, traditions, etc…) • Man VS Nature: the character faces a problem with some source of nature (cold, storm, etc…) • Man VS Fate: the character faces a problem with a force such as fate, God, or luck

41. Literary Skills: Conflict The Pigman literary skills conflict.doc

42. Literary Skills: Setting & Mood Independent Writing Pick one of the following settings and circle your choice. Describe it in two or three paragraphs. Use specific details to create a vivid picture in the mind of your reader. • John’s house • Lorraine’s house • Beekman’s Department Store Before you begin writing, decide what mood you associate with the setting. Note that mood on the line below and convey it in your description.

43. Character Focus • How does Lorraine react to Mr. Pignati’s gifts? Compare her reaction to John’s. What would you have done if Mr. Pignati offered to treat you?

44. Value Line • Rank the following in order of importance and be ready to defend your choices: • Making a lot of money • Finding love • Holding a high level job • Having close friends • Being a good parent

45. Writing • How would you define “old age”? What emotions, qualities, or ideas do you associate with that term? Based on your definition, do you think Mr. Pignati is old? Find evidence to support your answer.

46. Reading For chapters 9-10, answer the following: • What happened? • Who was involved? • What do you think will happen next?

47. Chapters 9-10 Discussion Questions • How does John react when Norton confronts him about the Pigman? Do you think John’s reaction is wise, or should he have acted differently? Explain. What might be the consequence of this confrontation? Explain your answer. • What were John’s motives for starting to drink? Why do you think he still drinks: is he trying to avoid life, find excitement, or cause others pain? Explain. • Are John’s parents cruel for forbidding him so many things? Why or why not? How might the Pigman’s leniency be good for John? How might it be harmful? • In what ways is Mrs. Jensen cruel and in what ways is she pitiful? How have her life and job probably shaped her personality? Do you think she is a victim or is she responsible for her actions? • Why do you think John and Lorraine confess they are not charity workers? In turn, why might Mr. Pignati confess that Conchetta is dead? Predict how these confessions will affect the friends’ relationship.

48. Literary Skills: Denotation/ Connotation (page 1) • Lying • Dictionary definition • John • Lorraine • John’s parents • Whose meaning is closest to your own?

49. Literary Skills: Denotation/ Connotation (page 2) • Stealing • Dictionary definition • Norton • Lorraine • Lorraine’s mother • Whose meaning is closest to your own?

50. Literary Skills: Denotation/ Connotation (page 3) • Success • Dictionary definition • John’s father • John • Whose meaning is closest to your own?