Skip to main content

In chapters 5-6, Nick has two big ideas. Was he right or wrong to act out his plan?

Chapter 5:  Mrs. Granger assigned Nick an oral report. His topic was on the origin of words, with a focus on the dictionary. In chapter 5, Nick gave his report. During his report, he touched on the idea that someone has to decide what words mean. His idea was to make his oral report extremely long so that it took up the whole class period. Nick knew that his report "was one of the greatest...

Chapter 5:  Mrs. Granger assigned Nick an oral report. His topic was on the origin of words, with a focus on the dictionary. In chapter 5, Nick gave his report. During his report, he touched on the idea that someone has to decide what words mean. His idea was to make his oral report extremely long so that it took up the whole class period. Nick knew that his report "was one of the greatest time-wasters he had ever invented." He was, after all, an expert on wasting time in class.


Chapter 6:  In this chapter, Nick and his friend, Janet, were walking home from school. Janet spotted a fancy looking pen on the ground. She decided to keep it. Then Nick bumped into Janet and the pen fell. He bent down to pick it up and hand it to her.  He handed it to her, but instead of calling it a pen, he called it a "frindle." His idea was to start using the word "frindle" instead of "pen." He did this at school, and he got his classmates to do the same. Mrs. Granger did not like this plan and she found it to be disruptive.


Do you think that Nick's two ideas were good?  For example, his idea to call a pen a "frindle" helped to entertain him and his classmates. However, it caused tension between him and his teacher. Do you think that this idea was right or wrong, based on what happened?


Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...