On The Devil’s Court

1. On The Devil’s Court By Ryan Abelson

2. “My Dad and I haven’t seen eye to eye for as long as I can remember.” Pg. 1 Joe is the son of the great Professor Joseph Faust. The problem here is that Joe’s dad does not care about what Joe wants to do in life, it’s really all about what Joe’s dad wants him to do. His dad wants him to follow in his footsteps but Joe does not want to do that. Joe struggles to keep up with his dad’s expectations. His dad is always talking about Stanford and how his son will be a great addition to the school. Joe does not want to go to Stanford, he wants to do something that makes his dad unsettled. Joe wants to play professional basketball.

3. “Dr. Faust, Joe doesn’t know Ross as well as I do. When you first meet him, Ross seems fine. But I think he’s bad news. He’s a great basketball player, but he’s also a bully and a thief. He’s got a slight chance of ending up in the NBA, but a much better chance of ending up in jail. I stay clear.” Pg. 24 The problem here is that Joe’s dad invited friends over that happened to be the parents of John (a friend of Joe’s) and when Joe’s dad asked John to describe Ross, (another friend of Joe’s) John spills the beans about Ross basically saying he’s destined to be a convict. Because of this Joe’s dad will not want Joe hanging around Ross.

4. “Joe, I’m your father. I care about you, I care about what you’re doing. Since we’ve been in Seattle you’ve spent all your time with Ross. I’ve never met him and neither has your mother. You won’t bring him here, you won’t tell us where you’re going, what you’re doing. What am I supposed to do?” “I’m seventeen years old. Next year I’ll be in college. You’re supposed to trust me.” Pg. 26 The problem here is that Joe’s dad does not trust him. Joe’s dad believes that he should know where his son is at all times but Joe thinks that his dad should trust him and not have to know where he is at all the time.

5. “There had better be somebody here. We made an appointment to speak with the principal.” The janitor said, “Nyra ain’t here. Ain’t nobody here but me. It’s summer, buddy.” Pg.31 The problem here is that Joe’s dad set up an appointment at the school Joe wants to go to. It turns out that nobody is there when they arrive except a grumpy old janitor who wants to get smart with Joe’s dad.

6. We walked up a grassy knoll and then down to a creek. When we reached a bridge, Ross took two cans of spray paint out of the bag. “Here,” he said as he handed one to me. “Go to work!” In this setting it reveals that Ross isn’t as good as Joe had thought. It shows that Ross is a bad kid and he’s trying to peer pressure Joe into doing something that he might regret or get in trouble for.

7. I liked Loyal High right from the start. It was an old wooden box of a school, but the paint job was something else. The wood siding was and ordinary beige, but the trim was done in purple and deep red. It gave the place an enchanted feeling, like a school in a fairy tale. And I liked the name. I wasn’t sure where it came from or what it was supposed to mean, but the idea of being loyal appealed to me. This setting reveals what the school looks like. But, also reveals that Joe is tired of being at perfect schools. This school has some age to it and Joe finds it interesting.

8. It was a little creepy sitting there in the dark. The minutes crawled by. At ten o’clock, I started looking around but Ross didn’t show. This setting reveals that Joe is getting tired of waiting for Ross to show up. He just wants to get whatever Ross wants him to do over with.

9. I thought it was set, but out of the blue one July day my father started running on about this wonderful private school across Lake Washington in Bellevue. The text reveals that the narrator is angry. He is angry at his father. He is so tired of his dad wanting to move his family to new places.