Sucker

1. Junior Great Books Series 8 Sucker By Carson McCullers

2. “Sucker” by Carson McCullers http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/11/09/archives/classic-fiction/sucker-by-carson-mccullers.html Download PDF from website and read for homework- Monday, May 6, 2013 ** Answer & Discuss Pre-reading Questions

3. Pre-reading Questions • Why are people attracted to people who are not attracted to them? • Why do we sometimes pick on those who are younger than we are? • Why do people often look to others for affirmation of their own worth? • What would you like and not like about having someone admire you unquestioningly and believe everything that you say? • Why are some mean words harder to forgive than others? • What kind of person would you call a “sucker”?

4. Directed Notes: Complete While Reading Mark places where Pete says or does something that shows he is growing up. Follow- up question: How does this show that Pete is growing up?

5. Interpreting Words & Concepts humiliated • feeling ashamed or disgraced • having one’s pride, dignity, or status lowered • What is humiliating about the way Maybelle treats Pete? 2. Do you think Sucker felt humiliated by Pete’s bad treatment of him when he was a little kid? 3. Why is Pete’s attack on Sucker after he breaks up with Maybelle so humiliating for Sucker?

6. Interpretive Questions for Shared Inquiry & Discussion Why does Pete feel so bad about what happens between him and Sucker, when he didn’t seem to care much about Sucker before?