“The Secret Under My Skin”

“The Secret Under My Skin”

Janet McNaughton • Janet McNaughton: Biographical Fact Sheet • Place of birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Born: 1953 • Home: St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada • Writer of 9 novels (“TSUMS” being the 7th) and has won several awards for each

Genre: Science Fiction • Science fiction is concerned with the impact of change in technologies and/or societies on people. It tackles very real and heavy problems, challenges, issues, and questions that contemporary society is concerned with. It can do this without much controversy as it is generally not taken as seriously as other genres by the majority who see the genre is completely unrealistic. • Its strengths are also its limits. The very fact that it is not taken as seriously as some other genres can discourage people from taking its messages seriously.

Uses of Science Fiction Cont’d One good example of this is the “Star Trek” episode broadcast in 1968 in which Captain Kirk (a Caucasian male) and Lieutenant Uhura (an African-American female) kissed on the mouth. It was one of the first times in America that this had been seen across the country on national television. As proof that the genre of science fiction is able to explore controversial territory fairly safely, Nichelle Nichols (who played Uhura) wrote in her autobiogarphy that of the tons of fan mail she received regarding that kiss, only one was angry. It came from a Caucasian male that thought the scene was inappropriate.

Genre: Coming-of-age Story • In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is literature that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood. Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal monologue over action.

Author's Note: Gros-Morne National Park (West coast of Newfoundland)

Gros-Morne National Park: West coast of Newfoundland

Section I: Readings & Notes • Concepts Mentioned: The Weaver’s Guild, The Way, Bio-indicator, The Dark Times, The Core & Tribes, The Commission, and Memory Day • Central Characters: Marrella, Hillary, Lem Howl, BlayRaytee, Warder November, William, and Erica. • Prologue: The Bio-Indicator: • The Grande Hotel & The Rumour • Memory Day: 11-16: Stockholm Syndrome, Child Soldiers, Halloweeen, Big Bad Wolf, Walmart, AGS? • Outside; Lem Howl: 34-38 • More Truth: 39-42  Techno-cost and Technocaust? • More about Lem Howl: 50-52  Lem Howl and LemHowell?

Section I Literary Concept • ATMOSPHERE (Also called mood): The emotional feelings inspired by a work. The term describes the dominant mood of a selection as it is created by diction (words), dialogue, setting, and description. Often the opening scene in a novel establishes an atmosphere appropriate to the theme of the entire work. • Example: The atmosphere of “The Outsiders” is generally dark and gritty and full of a sense of danger and hopelessness. The novel opens in the streets of a poor neighborhood, mainly at night, with a character getting ‘jumped’. Following this, we are introduced to the many problems of the protagonist, as well as those of the other main characters.

"TSUMS" Section 1 Questions Prologue: The Bio Indicator 1) Marrella is an apprentice weaver for the Weavers’ Guild. What, basically, does she do? Weaves cloth into clothing. 2) Where is Marrella originally from and what do the other apprentices call her? Marrella is from the gated community of St. Pearl and the other apprentice weavers call her a “snotty city brat”. 3) Marrella is going to be sent to The Way to learn the ways of bio-indicating. What is a bio-indicator according to the novel so far? So far, we learn that bio-indicators were first used in the Dark Times, when the Earth was in turmoil. They allowed themselves to be ritually exposed to the environment to assure people that toxicity levels are low.

"TSUMS" Section 1 Questions The Grand Hotel 4) The setting switches to a work camp at the Grand Hotel. The protagonist remembers very little of her childhood, what is the memory she has a nightmare about? She is in a strange city on the edge of a green, enclosed field in someone’s arms. Then she is in another place in darkness except for a yellow bowl. Arms grab her and rip her away; she hears a woman howl and the sound of running. 5) What kind of people make up the main population of the work camp? Children who have no families. The Rumor 6) What is a U-R rating in the work camp? A U-R rating is a Use-Rating. This rating determines the worth of the children. 7) What are two things mentioned that can happen to street kids? 1) They are taken for organs or 2) the Death Squads “retire” them.

"TSUMS" Section 1 Questions The Landfill 8) Why do the workers in the camp have to wear UV visors during the day? The ozone layer is degraded; it protects the skin from the sun. 9) Where did the protagonist live before she was sent to the workcamp? The Protagonist used to live on the streets in the Core of St. Pearl. 10) What do the workers of the workcamp do in the summer? What do they do in the winter? In the summer the workers excavate useful items from piles of garbage. In the winter they stay inside and help with hydroponic trays (trays that grow fruits and vegetables) and attend school. Memory Day 11) The Protagonist is different from many of the other street kids and working kids because of her main passion. What is it? The protagonist loves to read and this separates her from most of the other children.

"TSUMS" Section 1 Questions 12) Chief Warder November tells the Memory Day story. Write the main points of story of Memory Day including Lem Howl’s story. Memory Day is the story of the techno-cost. Techies wanted to get rich selling their destructive technologies to the Monopoly. Among these techies was Lem Howl and his wife. When Lem and his wife gave the Monopoly the technology, they received in return poison instead of scrip (a certificate owing money). His wife died but he glowed orange and went mad from the poison. He now looks for children to eat. Because of techies, the Earth degraded. Because technology is dangerous, it must be controlled by the Commission. 13) The children are forced to throw their ‘guys’ into the bon fire, why is this ritual important? This drills into childrens’ minds the dangers of technology and the belief that techies deserve to die. 14) Why do the wardens scare the children that night with the orange light? What are they reminding the children of? The wardens remind the children of Lem Howl. This is a fear tactic used to keep the children from wanting to leave the workcamp.

"TSUMS" Section 1 Questions Chosen 15) What does Lobelia say the Bio-indicators are used for? Bio-indicators are people with special sensitivities. When they react to toxins in the environment, there is an eco-warning. 16) The Master of the Way greets the chosen children that night. a) What is his name? b) He is with the new bio-indicator, what is her name? c) Lobelia reveals to Marrella her name, what is it? a) William Morgan b) Marrella c) BlayRaytee The Master’s House 17) What is the woman’s name who lives with the Master? What does she seem like? Erica Townsend. She seems very cold but not completely unconcerned or uncaring. 18) She reveals to Blay that this new bio-indicator is not like others she and William (the Master) have trained. In what ways? Marrella is not interested in learning and is very difficult to teach.

"TSUMS" Section 1 Questions Green Tea 19) Erica sends Blay on an errand that makes her very, very uncomfortable for two major reasons, what are these reasons? Erica asks Blay to run some things up the hill to Lem Howl. This makes her uneasy because: 1) Blay is certain that Lem Howl will eat her and 2) Erica tells her that she doesn’t need a visor to go outside and to simply put on some cream. 20) Erica explains a little more about the history and uses of bio-indicators, what does she say? Why does the Commission encourage them to train bio-indicators? The Commission encourages the training of bio-indicators still because they remind people of how degraded the environment has become. Bio-indicators exposed themselves to toxins to show when it was unsafe for ordinary people to go out, and eco-warnings were then issued. 21) Why does the Commission still send out eco-warnings if they are not necessary? Because as long as people still live in fear, they depend upon the Commission for protection and don’t mind giving the Commission extra powers.

"TSUMS" Section 1 Questions Green Tea 22) p. 46: what was the traditional role of bio-indicators in the Dark Times? Sacrificial victims. 23) On p. 47, William describes what modern bio-indicators really do now. What are their new responsibilities? Collect information to contribute to the store of information about the condition of the planet. 24) Lem Howl has a U-R of nine by the Commission which means he is extremely knowledgeable and skilled. He is a ‘techie’ – the best – and yet the children are told by the Commission that he is a monster, why? To enforce the idea that technology is dangerous and must be controlled by the Commission.

BBD Terms: Section 2 • Complete the following in your Back Book Dictionary: • Guild: an organization of persons with related interests, goals, etc. • Apprentice: a person who works for another in order to learn a trade • Warder: a person who guards something, as a doorkeeper or caretaker. • Hydroponic: the cultivation of plants by placing the roots in liquid nutrient solutions rather than in soil • Investiture: the formal bestowal, confirmation, or presentation of rank or office

BBD Terms: Section 2 • Complete the following in your Back Book Dictionary: • Obsolete: no longer in general use; fallen into disuse • Latrine: a toilet or something used as a toilet, as a trench in the earth in a camp • Indicator: an instrument that indicates the condition of a machine or the like • Geology: the science that deals with the physical features of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth has undergone or is undergoing. • Aptitude: readiness or quickness in learning; intelligence

Section 2: Readings & Notes • Concepts Mentioned: The First Test, The Way, Bio-indicator, The Dark Times, The Core & Tribes, The Commission, Technocaust, Beothuk, The Disappeared, Blay’s Object • Central Characters: Marrella, LemHowl, BlayRaytee, Warder November, William, Erica, and Hillary. • The First Test/The Lesson • The House on Ski Slope pg. 68 - 70 • Lem Howl, Blay, and the Object: 75 – 79 • Erica’s Suspician & Beothuk: p. 82-82 (p. 56 Social Textbook) • Truth (83-86): Holocaust, Four Types of Government Patterns?, p. 84, 85: What institutions emerged and why? Why are technology and science strictly controlled? • Chief Warder November: 90-93, Cloaking Device: 93-94 • Bio-diversity for bio-indicators: 98-99, The Second test: 100-107 • Taming of the Shrew: 108-110 (The Shrew, Shakespeare) How does this test and its results relate to Shakespeare’s work and this idea of Taming the Shrew?

"TSUMS" Section 2 Questions The First Test 1) It is time for Marrella’s first test. What book did she have to read before completing it and what is the test? Marrella had to read “Plant Life: A Natural History for Bio-Indicators”. For her first test, Marrella is required to go outside, find a plant, and bring it back to William. The Lesson 2) What are the reasons William hoped Marrella would find lichens in order to pass her first test? Lichen are special because they cannot grow where there is too much pollution. They also retain heavy metals so scientists can use lichen to detect the amounts of metals in the environment.

"TSUMS" Section 2 Questions The House on Ski Slope 3) What, exactly, does the Way want to know? The Way wants to know if the ozone layer can heal itself. 4) How does Blay finally realize that Lem Howell isn’t going to hurt her? Lem gives her a nickname, Little Wheat, and it is the first time someone plays with her name since Hilary. 5) Lem Howell helps Blay realize what her Object is and what it does. a) What is it? b) Why does Blay have her hopes up so high about this Object? a) Blay’s Object is a cassette tape. b) This cassette may have a recording on it from her parents/family.

"TSUMS" Section 2 Questions 6) What, approximately, is the year the novel is set in? 2366 - 67 7) Who are the Disappeared? The Disappeared are the children who vanished when their parents were rounded up during the technocaust. 8) Why is Erica very worried about, and suspicious of, Blay after they leave Lem Howell’s? Erica is suspicious of Blay because Blay is a street kid who knows 19th Century romantic poetry. Erica is worried because she wonders if Blay was sent by the Commission to spy on her, William, and Marrella. 9) Who are/were the Beothuk? The Beothuk were techies who ran away from the cities (St. Pearl) to get away from the technocaust. They hid in the ‘bush’, or the countryside. They were named after native peoples who used to live there centuries ago.

"TSUMS" Section 2 Questions Truth 10) Lem Howell used to be a great musician. a) Who was his wife, b) what did she do, and c) what happened to her? a) Michelle Blanchette, b) She was a “technological wizard” (techie) and used to help Lem put his music together (mixer), and c) She was taken to a concentration camp during the technocaust and killed. 11) What happened in the 21st Century that led to the Dark Times? Two things happened: 1) Democracy disappeared and people gave governments more and more power in order to deal with the floods, forest fires, the rise of oceans, refugees, hurricanes, ice storms, droughts, and famines. 2) These crisis overwhelmed society and it failed. 12) a) Why did the Way and the Weavers’ Guilds emerge and b) when was scientific knowledge rediscovered? A) The Weaver’s Guilds formed as a way for women to clothe themselves, their families, and as a way for women to support themselves and The Way emerged as people struggled to preserve knowledge. B) Near the end of the twenty-second century. 13) Who were behind the technocaust and why? It was organized by the Commission and the governments like it around the world in order to preserve power. If people still think that technology is evil and the environment is still in a state of crises, absolute power can be retained.

"TSUMS" Section 2 Questions The Eye of Heaven Shines 14) Marrella gives William attitude about having to learn to use a ‘Lewycka spectrophotometer’. William responds with sarcasm and tells her why she must learn these things as a bio-indicator. What is the main reason? If Marrella can learn to use these tools, she can monitor the ozone layer in spite of any political disruption. Chief Warder November 15) Blay is forced to go to Warder November. a) What does the Warder hope Blay can do for the Commission? b) The Warder is disappointed, why? A) The Warder wants information from Blay that will incriminate William and Erica. B) She is disappointed because Blay tells her nothing. 16) What does the warder want “Lobelia” to do? Collect information.

"TSUMS" Section 2 Questions Bio-Diversity for Bio-Indicators 17) What is Marella’s second test? Marrella must go for a walk and record interesting notes about any animal that she sees. 18) Marella and Blay meet someone in the woods, who is it and what is he doing there? His name is Carson Walsh and he is tracking a moose. 19) P. 106: Marrella is smugly happy about something, what is it? There are two things. Mainly, that she finds Carson attractive but, also, that she knows she will enjoy the power she will have over the townspeople after interacting with him.

"TSUMS" Section 2 Questions Taming the Shrew 20) a) What was the animal William expected Marrella to describe and find the most interesting? b) What is interesting about it? a) A shrew. b) Shrews are millions of years old and are similar to reptiles in their biological make-up . They also use echolocation like whales, dolphins, and bats. Shrews demonstrate the ability for life to survive and its connectedness. 21) Marrella thinks she has realized why Blay has all of the correct answers, why? Marrella believes the ancient ones that she meditates to have chosen Blay as their medium of communication. 22) Up to page 112, how would you describe Blay and Marella’s relationship in a few sentences?

BBD Terms: Section 2 • Complete the following in your Back Book Dictionary: • Plateau: a land area having a relatively level surface raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons. • Appalled: to fill or overcome with horror, dismay, or fear • Module: a separable component, frequently one that is interchangeable with others, for assembly into units of differing size, complexity, or function • Diode: a device through which current can pass freely in only one direction.

BBD Terms: Section 2 • Complete the following in your Back Book Dictionary: • Cascade: a waterfall descending over a steep, rocky surface. • Aversion: a strong feeling of dislike or opposition to something or someone • Superstition: a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge • Prolong: to lengthen out in time • Fury: unrestrained or violent anger or rage • Cloak: a loose outer garment, as a cape or coat

Section 3: Readings & Notes • What the Commission is up to, communication, Blay’s new mission p. 119 - 123 • Blay, Hilary, Erica, William, Technocaust, The Way, The Commission p. 125 – 129 • Blake and Marrella: identity, truth, and realization: p. 141 – 144, p. 145 -147 • P. 166 – 171: Marrella & Blay about the tests, the dream (tablelands and Pangea: video), Blake’s realization(s)

"TSUMS" Section 3 Questions The Weavers’ Guild 1) Erica and Blay must go into Kildevil. a) What are they attending and b) what is the First Weaver’s name? a) They are attending a Weavers’ Meeting and b) the First Weaver’s name is Clara Lineger. 2) There are two reasons for this meeting. What are they? 1) To discuss the quality and weaving of the Investiture Robe for Marrella’s headscarf ceremony and 2) to discuss the encryption code Lem is making for the Weavers so that they can better communicate. The Commission is building up its army and is preparing for something. The Weavers and The Way are preparing to fight back. 3) a) What have the women at the Weavers’ Guild decided Blay must do and b) what is Erica’s importance? a) Because Blay is very small and unnoticeable, she must be a messenger for the Weavers and The Way. b) Erica is a strategist – she creates ideas and strategies for The Way and the Weavers to work together to fight the Commission.

"TSUMS" Section 3 Questions The Secret Under My Skin 4) a) Why is it that the Commission allows the Weavers’ Guilds to remain? b) What did the Weavers’ Guilds and the Commission have in common? a) The Commission allowed the Weavers’ Guilds to remain because the guilds mistrusted technology. b) Both, originally, opposed techies. 5) Blay finally reveals to Erica her most painful secret. Why is it such a painful memory? Hilary gave herself to the death squad so that Blay could remain hidden and live. 6) Erica was jailed during the Technocaust; who freed her? William and other beothuks who raided Erica’s jail. 7) What were Erica and William’s professions before the Technocaust? Erica was a historian at a university and William was a pre-university science teacher.

"TSUMS" Section 3 Questions The Secret Under My Skin 8) The Way, like the Weavers’ Guilds, originally did not trust techies either and were originally Professors in subjects like Latin and Philosophy. It has changed drastically since and is now headed by scientists and techies like William. Why did this all change? This all changed after The Way took in thousands of scientists and techies. The Way and the scientists and techies began to understand and trust each other and, eventually, even scientists and techies were becoming Masters and High Elders. 9) The Commission ended the Technocaust and made peace with the Way. What was the deal made that allowed educated people and techies to live? Techies and other educated people were allowed to live as long as they never spoke out against the ‘official story’ of the Technocaust. 10) Blay’s arm always beeps when it passes the scanner in the kitchen. Lem tells Blay what is doing this. What is it? It is a subcutaneous microdot. It contains her ID.

"TSUMS" Section 3 Questions My Name 11) Lem helps Blay find out her real name and age: what are they? Blake Raintree, 16. 12) Who does Erica believe Blake must have been? Erica believes Blake must have been one of the Disappeared. Geology Lessons for Bio-Indicators 13) a) What is Marrella’s reaction when she finds out that Blake has learned her real name? b) What does this say of their relationship? a) Marrella turns pale and wonders if Blake will leave her. b) ??? 14) Erica doesn’t think Blake came from a poor, uneducated background according to her name. Why? Erica thinks Blake came from an educated background as she believes Blake’s parents named her after 18th C. English poet William Blake. 15) There are three times so far where Blake has awakened in the morning with an inexplicable feeling of joy. Why does she feel this way on these mornings? On all three occasions, Blake went to bed the night before with a head full of new scientific knowledge about the environment and dreamt about it.

"TSUMS" Section 3 Questions 16) What is the last test? Marrella and Blake must go to the Tablelands and wait for Marrella to have an important dream come to her. 17) Marrella reveals why she chose Blake to be her assistant. a) What was the reason and b) why is it “ironic” as Marrella states? a) Marrella chose Blake because Blake looked like someone who could never compete with her and b) this is ironic because Blake turned out to be much more skilled than Marrella in the ways of Bio-Indicator training. 18) Blake is struck very hard when Marrella tells her why she chose her. She is extremely hurt and angry. But through this hurt and anger, Blake comes to, probably, the single most important realization of her life. What is this realization? Blake’s realization is this: “I am not nothing.” 19) William, Erica, Blake, and Marrella are on their way to Marrella’s last test when they are met and escorted by a few Warders including Warder November. What interesting observation does Blake make about Warder November? Blake realizes that Warder November is simply a homeless kid like herself, longing for something more. 20) One of the boys who help William, Erica, Marrella, and Blake with their journey is caught several times staring at Blake and then stands up for her when Carson speaks to her in an aggressive tone. What’s his name and what does he do? His name is Fraser and he watches the goats in the village.

"TSUMS" Section 3 Questions • The Table Lands • 21) On page 161, Blake thinks that there is a possibility that she could be chosen as bio-indicator but the thought of this fills her with dread for two reasons. What are they? 1) If she were Bio-Indicator, Blake would be trapped into a role by beliefs she does not share. 2) Also, Blake would no longer be ‘invisible’ and, therefore, would not be able to help the resistance against the Commission. • 22) a) What is Blake’s realization the morning after she has the dream that Marrella is SUPPOSED to have? b) What does she decide to do about it? a) Blake realizes that SHE is meant to be the Bio-Indicator. b) Blake decides not to tell anyone. • 23) Blake has not been completely honest or kind to Marrella by page 171 and still feels much anger and resentment toward Marrella for what Marrella admitted to her. What has Blake been withholding from Marrella and why? Blake has been withholding a letter from Carson and has decided not to give it to Marrella as she feels that Marrella does not deserve this happiness.

BBD Terms: Section 3 • Complete the following in your Back Book Dictionary: • Descend:to go or pass from a higher to a lower place;move or come down. • Ramshackle: loosely made or held together. • Hostile: not friendly, warm, or generous. • Sprawl: to be stretched or spread out in an unnaturalway. • Innovation: something new or different introduced.

BBD Terms: Section 3 • Complete the following in your Back Book Dictionary: • Conspicuous: easily seen or noticed. • Allotment: a portion or thing given. • Wracked: damage or destruction: wrack and ruin. • Fortification: something that protects. • Prefecture: the office, jurisdiction, territory, or official residence of a prefect (A prefect is a Commander, Politician, or Leader in charge).

Mini-Assignment: Pick a Quote! • Pick a quote from “Broken Bonds” that you feel, for one reason or another, is the most important quote from the chapter and write it in your copy book (p. 172 – 186). • a) Why do you feel this is the most important quote in the chapter? b) What does it tell the reader and why is this significant? • Now, think about Plot, Character, and Conflict c) How is this quote important to the plot (the action/events)? d) Explain how it progresses a character or characters. e) Which conflict does it add to and how does it create or push this conflict?

Section 4: Readings & Notes • Building an Army, Warder November p. 172 - 180 • Marrella, The Note, and Fraser: p. 183 - 186

"TSUMS" Section 4 Questions Broken Bonds 1) After Marrella passes her final test (because of Blake), the captain of the boat that will take the crew back to Kildevil, Captain Barnes, has sad news for the crew. What has the Commission done while they were away? The Commission have taken all of the young people (particularly boys) of age (15+) to an undisclosed location. 2) Who stubbornly stood up to the Commission when they came to collect all the young people in Kildevil? The Weavers’ Guild. 3) Why does Blake decide to give the letter to Marrella? Blake feels bad because Carson was taken by the Commission. keeping the letter isn’t fair to him. 4) Page 178: Blake speculates as to why Warder November has become so involved with the Commission. What does she say to William about it? Blake speculates that perhaps the Warder simply wants to belong somewhere.

"TSUMS" Section 4 Questions 5) Blake somehow insults or angers Fraser accidentally and feels terrible about it. How? She asks him if he wants to visit Lem Howl with her. When he becomes uncomfortable and refuses, she teases him about being afraid of Lem; Fraser seems angered. 6) Marrella does not react the way Blake expects her to when she finds the letter from Carson. a) What are Marrella’s main concerns and b) what does this say about Marrella’s character? Marrella is concerned that a) Blake hates her, b) that she will never see Carson again, and, c) later, that Carson’s mother will like her. This demonstrates a lot of vulnerability for Marrella and shows that she truly does want to love and be loved. 7) Explain the major character development in this chapter.

"TSUMS" Section 4 Questions The Sweater and the Dress 8) For the first time in the novel, Blake has an outburst of anger toward William. What is it about? Fraser gave Blake a sweater as a promise of his love. Blake didn’t know that, if she accepted it, she is also returning the promise. William asked Fraser to leave so he could talk to Blake about and she felt he was being mean. 9) Marrella refuses to wear her Investiture Robe. a) Why? b) How does Blake convince her to wear it? a) Marrella refuses to wear the robe because, in the design, it is covered in tiny crabs. b) Blake convinces her to wear it by telling her that, if she rejects the dress, Carson’s mother would never talk to her. The Investiture 10) Why is it that the “day that should have been filled with happy anticipation is colored with dread”? Military vehicles of every description cover the lawn of the Grand Hotel the day of the Investiture Ceremony. The Commission is up to something.

"TSUMS" Section 4 Questions 11) Warder November and the military’s commanding officer – Captain March – approach William as he begins the ceremony. Although they are there together, they have a slight disagreement in front of William. What is it? Warder November states that the new Bio-Indicator must swear allegiance to the Commission before the Investiture Ceremony begins or the military will intervene. Captain March disagrees with this and states that he takes his orders only from General Ryan. General Ryan’s orders are only to observe the ceremony. What’s Lost 12) It is revealed on page 203 the true reason that The Way chooses certain people for training to be bio-indicators. What is the real reason? They find people who are most capable of becoming scientists and educate them with hopes of one day opening a university. 13) For what reasons does Blake feel sick to her stomach when she learns this? 1) That the life of education and university William spoke of was meant for Blake and she threw it away in the Tablelands and 2) that Marrella will have her life.

"TSUMS" Section 4 Questions The Future and the Past 14) Erica tells William and Blake about the news she brought back from her meeting with Captain March and General Ryan. a) What is the really good news? b) What are the two pieces of bad news in regards to what the commission has been up to? a) The military has agreed to work with the Weavers’ Guilds across the continent. b) The Commission is using the children they took to fill out the Commission Guard (armed forces), and they have been scrambling all communications. 15) There are two things that Erica says never changes, what are they? 1) People’s desire to control one another and 2) the desire of ordinary people to control their own lives. 16) Why is Blake so disappointed when Lem finally plays her the tape that has her mother’s words on it? Blake’s mother didn’t reveal her name or tell her much of anything. 17) Erica and William have a major announcement for Blake on page 218, what is it? Erica and William want Blake to live with them as she is like a daughter to them. 18) Though Blake finally feels wanted and loved, she is still not completely happy. She realizes why from Milton’s poem. What is it?

BBD Terms: Section 4 • Beacon: a fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or celebration • Barren:(of a place or building) bleak and lifeless • Conscript: enlist (someone) compulsorily, typically into the armed services • Rueful: expressing sorrow or regret, esp. when in a slightly humorous way • Sullen: bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy

BBD Terms: Section 4 • Tunic: a loose, thigh-length garment, worn typically by women over a skirt or trousers • Dominance: power and influence over others • Resplendent: attractive and impressive through being richly colorful • Edifice: a building, esp. a large, imposing one • Intuition: the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning

Section 5: Readings & Notes • Pg. 220 – 227: Post-commission world, democracy, worsening conditions • The Meeting (231-240): meeting, Democracy, Rob Howell, standoff, Marrella • Pg. 243-244: Warder November • Pg. 244 – 246: Reunion • Pg. 254 – 259: The Truth

"TSUMS" Section 5 Questions The Battle of St. Pearl 1) Although there is talk of having democracy and freedom restored after the downfall of the Commission, Erica tells Blake that things will be worse at first. Why? Erica explains that people need to give transition from one government to the next time and that, although people hated the Commission, they provided stability. This stability is now gone and it takes time to rebuild it. 2) Blake is to become a weaver. When she begins as Clara’s apprentice, does she have a natural talent for it? No. She is a terrible weaver. The Meeting 3) There is a major meeting held by the Weaver’s at the town hall and the people are having a democratic meeting for the first time in a very long time. The room is divided between Rob Howell and Erica on a major issue. a) What is the issue, b) what are the two sides of it, and c) what do the people decide they want to do about it? a) The issue is what to do with all of the children left at Kildevil’s former workcamp. b) Rob Howell wants to get rid of the children immediately and Erica wants to build a school. c) The people decide the children must go.

"TSUMS" Section 5 Questions The Battle of St. Pearl 4) a) On pg. 236, Rob Howell and many of the men make a decision and leave. What is it? b) Also, how do these events show the flaws of a true democracy as stated in the video we watched in Social this year? a) They decide to clear out the workcamp that very night. 5) The town’s men including Rob Howell gather around the Grand Hotel and demand to be let through so they can get rid of the children. Erica, Lem, Blake and a few others stand in their way but it is not enough until someone else saves the day. Who was it? Marrella. 6) a) What does Blake compare Rob Howell’s mob to and b) how does that relate to what our “Types of Government” video stated about who replaces governments that fall in anarchy? Rob Howell’s mob, according to Blake, are not much different than the Commission.

“The Secret Under My Skin”