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Summer Reading Assignment- 10th English Fairhope High SchoolStudents entering 10th grade for the 2017-2018 school year (who are not enrolled in pre AP or pre IB) will read the novel Bleachers by John Grisham. The book is widely available at the public library and local bookstores. The novel is used to initiate classroom discussion and classroom assignments during the first weeks of school. It is imperative that students read and complete the work before school begins. Attached to this assignment sheet is a study guide with questions related to the plot, characters, and themes of the novel. Students should print the study guide and handwrite the answers to the questions on a separate sheet of paper to turn in.Students are expected to complete the following assignment and bring it to class on the first day of school.Bleachers John Grisham Bleachers will be used as the initial discussion in English class. You will be tested on the material from this study guide, and other assignments will be based on the novel. It is extremely important that you read the novel and complete this study guide. Bring the study guide and answers to class on the first day of school. Questions:Give a brief description of the following characters:Neely Crenshaw-Eddie Rake-Paul Curry-Silo Mooney-Rabbit-Screamer-Scotty Reardon-Cameron-Nat Sawyer-MalJesse Trapp-Describe the town of Messina’s relationship with its high school football team.Describe Neely Crenshaw’s experiences playing football for the Messina Spartans. What is implied by “Neely’s left knee was twice the size of his right” (14)?Why does Neely’s comment “I wish I’d never seen a football” (14) seem paradoxical?What does Silo mean by “It just seems like the place to be right now” (35)? Is there proof that others may feel this way too?Describe the Spartan Marathon. What was its purpose? What were the rules? What is implied by “Overtime, he (Neely) had heard some of the details, though he had tried to convince himself he didn’t care what happened to Eddie Rake”(39)?The reason behind Rake’s firing is also alluded to without concrete details. What information do we know about this so far?How is the fraternity of Spartan football characterized with the image of these men sitting on the bleachers? How do they react to each other? How did Coach Rake help “voluntarily” integrate Messina?Describe Neely’s interaction with the locals. How do the locals treat Neely? How does Neely treat the locals?On pages 63 and 70, Neely examines pictures of himself playing football. Describe what he sees when he looks at those pictures.How was the 1992 team different from some other teams in the past? (For example Neely and Paul’s 1987 team) How was the town split? Paul says “It got ugly” (78). Who got caught in the middle? What was the argument on each side?For a while, the town was united again with football. Why was this possible? What happened by the end of the season?When Reardon was up for re-election, what was the outcome? What message was Messina sending?Paul and Neely visit two other headstones. One was Marvin Rudd, a black kid who went missing in action in 1970. Neely remembers Rake talking about Rudd. Paul agrees that “Rake loved the kid. His parents still come to every game, and you wonder what they’re thinking” (85). What does Paul mean by that? What answer would you give Paul?How did Coach Rake help Nat out when Nat returned to Messina after college? Why did Coach Rake seek out Nat’s store so often? What does his hypothetical conversation with one of the current football players reveal about Neely’s feelings for high school “fame”?As the fraternity assembles again in the bleachers, Nat has an audio tape of an old game. What game is it? At what point in the game do they begin listening? Why was this moment in Spartan history so legendary? “Hindu, I swear, was crying. He wanted to blitz from safety on every play just so he could be sure he hit someone” (114-115). There are several references to the players wanting to hit the opposing team and hit them hard, regardless of the rules or penalties. What is their motivation? What injury is Neely playing with in the second half? When asked about it on the bleachers, Silo answers for Neely (127). What is his answer? What can we infer about why Silo answered for Neely and the answer he gave?Find a quote from the text that again lets the readers know that something happened between the players and coaches at halftime. Be sure to include the page #.What news does Mal bring to the group on the bleachers? What does Rabbit do?What did the team do after they won the game? What did they refuse to do? How do you believe this is connected to what Silo says on page 131?How is Rake a part of Mal’s story from Vietnam?Why does Neely finally tell the story of the 1987 Championship game now?Paraphrase the events in the locker room during the game.Why did the team keep this such a secret? Are you surprised by their reasoning? Explain.Why won’t Jesse come to the funeral? What “still hurts” (170) Jesse today?How is the Spartan fraternity again reinforced with Paul and Neely’s conversation with Jesse?“The line stretched down the track and through the gate, and the cars were bumper to bumper on the road that lead to Rake Field”(172). What part of the novel is this an allusion to?What does Grisham mean by “The gravity of his mistake hit hard” (174)?What does Neely say about being “famous at 18” (181)?Summarize Neely and Cameron’s conflict. Why does Cameron not like Eddie Rake? Football, especially Spartan football?What secret does Neely confess to Cameron? Why do you think he tells her?Rake said he couldn’t wait to see Scotty in heaven. Why?Who made a surprise appearance at the funeral? How did the crowd react to this person?How does Neely remember Coach Rake at first?What did Neely, and every other player, always want from Rake? How did Rake influence the way Neely dealt with his failures?What are Rake’s two regrets?Who were the three players asked to deliver eulogies?Why is Collis Suggs a significant part of Spartan history? What is Collis Suggs’s final plea to the town of Messina?What does Neely finally do during his eulogy? How is Coach Rake always with him?What did Rake make Neely promise him? Did Neely keep his promise?What does Neely promise Paul?Where does Neely go after dropping Paul at home? (2 places) Why does he go to these places? ................
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