Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life - Livingston



IRLA 7-4 Ms. Giannotto

Name: ______________________________ Period # _____

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life-Review Questions

1. Why is the task of opening the box so important to Jeremy?

Jeremy s looking for answers as to why his father had to die. The box represents his father and if he can open it to find what is inside the box, he would feel as if he would be getting the answer he is seeking. He does not have his father to communicate with him, so the box will communicate and teach him the lessons his father wants him to learn.

2. What do you think Jeremy’s mom means when she says, “It will all happen the only way it happens” (98)?

We cannot control events that unfold in life, life has a way of just happening.

3. While Dr. Grady is showing them around, Lizzy looks at her teeth in the display cases, she starts humming, and she starts squirming. Why do you think she’s doing these things?

She has no interest in what Dr. Grady is saying and then she does not like what he is saying, so she feels uncomfortable. 186-189 She is uncomfortable about the bacteria.

4. What is Dr. Grady’s theory on why we exist?

Bacteria allow us to be here. We won the evolutionary lottery. The universe is the only place we can be. We’re here because we’re here. 189-191

5. How does Jeremy have a lucky moment at the end of chapter 14?

Jeremy wants to go to Atlantic City but has no way to get there. Mom tells Jeremy that Aunt Judy has an art exhibit in Atlantic City and asks if Jeremy would like to go.

6. When Jeremy and Lizzy take the bus, Lizzy finds one of the missing cards in her collection after they get off at the wrong stop. Why is finding the cards so important? What is Lizzy lacking in her life? What is not complete?

Lizzy’s mom abandoned her, so she does not have a complete family. Lizzy is lacking something in her life, so she uses the cards to fill what she is lacking. The deck must be complete.

7. What do the cards symbolize?

The cards symbolize what Lizzy does not have in her life: a complete family.

8. For each of the following people, explain what they pawned and why they pawned it to Ozzy.

|Mabel |

|Winnie the Pooh book Mabel wants to buy a dress for the cotillion. She felt that the only chance to meet a husband was at the dance and she|

|needed a new dress to look great. ***Discuss Irony-what is ironic about the situation? Mabel finds a husband, but loses her best friend. |

|Mabel’s husband dies and she has neither husband or friend. ALSO: what could have Mabel done in her life differently, that could have led to|

|a different outcome? |

|Simon |

|Tiffany Lamp-Simon wants a silver watch that is in style. His mother is too busy spending money on herself to pay any attention to Simon. |

|Simon buys the watch in place of his mother’s attention. |

|Watch symbolizes his MOTHER. |

|Amos |

|Grandfather’s telescope-Dr. Grady wants to buy track cleats so that he could get a scholarship to MIT. |

9. Summarize the types of choices Jeremy learns about from Mabel.

Two types of choices:

1. Choices you make that seem harmless but can lead to devastating effects (like your father dying).

2. Choices you make that you know will lead to something bad or good happening-or both. P. 129

10. What lesson does Jeremy learn about life from the museum?

The universe is enormous-We are lucky to be here and we are all connected. We are inside the universe and it is inside us. We’re here just because we’re here; however, we must decide what our purpose is in the universe.

11. What is "flotsam and jetsam?"

The little things that have a way of getting stuck in the backs of drawers.

12. What is a milestone moment?

A milestone is a marker on the road that marks a reference point along the road. The road is a metaphor for life. The milestone moment is a significant point in your life that is a life changing event.

13. What does Jeremy get excited about as soon as they arrive at the state fair?

Fried Twinkies on a stick!

14. What happens when Jeremy and Lizzy are about to go on stage? What does Jeremy do about it?

Lizzy gets stomach cramps and Jeremy goes on in her place.

15. Explain Jeremy’s birthday wish.

Jeremy hopes that his dad knows how much the box means to him and that it is important that his dad gave it to him.

16. What does Jeremy plan to give Lizzy for her next birthday? Why?

Winnie the Pooh as a reminder of Mabel and the lesson they learned from her.

17. Explain what the meaning of the ‘wolf story’ in Jeremy’s father’s letter means.

The choices we make shape us. You choose your own path in life, which will ultimately lead to a certain result; positive or negative. We have the power to create our own lives.

18. What, mostly, is in the box? Rocks

19. What do they represent?

Milestone moments-Moments in life that were life changing and brought meaning to his life. The rocks are moments and people associated with those moments that shaped who he was.

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