Guiding Questions for - Commack Schools



Guiding Questions for Educated by Tara WestoverPrologueTara Westover is born and raised on an isolated mountain in rural Idaho. The setting seems almost to be another character in the book. Examine how Buck’s Peak contributes to Westover’s early development. Part One (Chapters 1 – 16) 1. Chapter 1: Westover’s Grandma offers to take her to Arizona and put her into a public school. Westover does not leave with her Grandma and Grandpa. Explain why not. 1A: The incident at Ruby Ridge, near Naples, Idaho, in August, 1992, was a gunfight between heavily armed members of the Weaver family and United States marshals and F.B.I. agents. What is Gene’s version of what happened and how does it influence his attitude to the government and the upbringing of his children? How does it impact Westover’s psychology? 1B: Research the facts of the Ruby Ridge confrontation. To what extent do they support Gene’s interpretation of what happened?2. Chapter 2: Faye Westover, a noted herbalist, reluctantly takes over as the local (unofficial) midwife. How does she initially feel about taking up this role? How does being the midwife change her personality? What impact does her being the midwife have on Gene Westover’s determination to have nothing to do with scientific medicine or with the government?3. Chapter 3: Explain what attracts the young Faye to Gene Westover. How does Gene change as he gets older? 4. Chapter 4: The car accident is just the first of a series of mishaps that happen to the Westover family. Contrast the views of Gene and Faye on the place of herbalism in medical treatment in the early years of their marriage. Why does Faye not receive medical treatment following the accident? \5. Chapter 5: Tyler announces that he is leaving home to go to college. He is the first of the children to seek a formal education. What makes Tyler want to go to college? How does Gene react to his wanting to go? How does Tyler’s going to college impact Westover?6. Chapter 6: Explain why the junkyard is such a dangerous place.6A: Westover writes about “not being able to decide which of my mothers to trust” (59). Explain why and how Faye is changing at this period of her life.6B: Explain Westover’s complex reaction to the junkyard accident in which she cuts her leg open.7. Chapter 7: Why do you think that the various accounts of Luke’s accident and its immediate aftermath are so different? How do we know that this particular incident had a great impact on Westover? Why do you think that was?8. Chapter 8: Who are the “Tiny Harlots” referred to in the title? Westover is raised to have a very strict view of how young women should dress, how they should comport themselves, what activities they should and should not participate in, and how they should relate to their husbands. What is the ideal woman for a fundamentalist Mormon such as Gene? 8A: How might Westover’s fear of acting like a whore create problems for her later in life?8B: This chapter continues the earlier account of Westover’s developing love of music. Although Gene is offended by the dance recital Westover performs in, he is totally supportive of her singing. Explain this apparent contradiction.9. Chapter 9: How does the failure of the Y2K computer crisis to usher in the Days of Abomination affect Westover’s father?10. Chapters 10-14: Shawn appears to have inherited his father’s mental instability and his father’s view of a man’s unquestioned control over women. As a result, Shawn is tender and loving at one moment and domineering and abusive to his girlfriends and also to his sisters at another. Make parallel lists of both kinds of actions that Shawn takes. 15. Chapters 10-14: For a long while, Westover seems to make excuses for Shawn when he physically hurts her, often literally trying to laugh it off as though Shawn were only fooling around. She creates an image of herself as “unbreakable,” but in retrospect she comments that his abuse not affecting her “was its effect” (111). Why was it so important to her to go into denial at the time, and what has Westover subsequently realized about her willful self-deception?16. Chapter 15: Why does Westover decide not to go to Brigham Young University (BYU)? What is shocking about her mother’s reaction when Westover tells her what she has decided?17. Chapter 16: What causes guilt to build up in Westover in the months before she moves to Utah to attend BYU? ................
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