Maniac Magee Analysis - required novel PDF

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Maniac Magee Examples of good writing and analysis questions--18 points (3 points each) From the 6 elements of good writing (review Chapter 3), choose two different elements and provide an example from Maniac Magee. Identify the good writing element by name and use exact quotes from the story to identify the element. (Cite page number). Note why this example fits the element. 1. Element of good writing: Figurative Language Example: “A couple of people truly remember, and here’s what they saw: a scraggly little kid jogging toward them, the soles of both sneakers hanging by their hinges and flopping open like dog tongues each time they came up from the pavement.” (Page 2) Why this example fits the element: This example fits figurative language because in the sentence the author compares Maniac’s shoes to a dog’s tongue. The author used this comparison to explain that the bottom of his shoes flopped around like the tongue of a dog.

2. Element of good writing: Precise Vocabulary Example: “The phantom Samaritan stuck the book between his teeth, crouched down, hoisted Arnold Jones’s limp carcass over his shoulder, and hauled him out of there like a sack of flour.” (Page 8) Why this example fits the element: This example fits figurative language because in this chapter no one knows who Maniac really is. So, the use of the word phantom is very used. Also, the word “Samaritan” is used to describe Maniac being helpful toward Arnold.

Analysis questions: Respond to 4 of 7 of the following questions. Type your response underneath the selected question. You only have to respond to four questions; each is worth 3 points. Each response should be a short paragraph (minimum of 5-6 sentences).

1. Would Jeffrey Lionel have become a legend if his parents had lived? Can legends have parents? Do they have to be orphans? (Consider superheroes— do any of them have living parents?) 2. Do you think Maniac stays put with the Beales (at the end of the story)? What happens to him next?

I think Maniac stayed with the Beales. Throughout the course of the book, there were times when Maniac would think or talk about the Beales. When he first left their house, you could tell that he missed them. You could also tell that he was thankful for everything they had done for him. He also told Mrs. Beales that he loved her, and she was the only person in the entire book he said that to. The biggest reason I think he stayed there is because at the end of the book he finally had exactly what he wanted. He wanted someone to tell him to come home, and Amanda Beale did exactly that. 3. What would have happened if Grayson had lived? A lot of things would have been different if Grayson had lived. Maniac would have never found Russell and Piper in the cabin. He would have never taken them home and helped them find an incentive to go to school every day. He would never become friends would Mars Bars. He would never have gone back to the Beales if Grayson were alive. If he were alive, the two of them would have continued to spend every day together and just enough each other’s company. 4. How would Maniac's story have been different if he were black, instead of white? 5. How is Mars Bar different from Big John? Be sure to note differences over the course of the book. In the beginning of the book neither Mars Bar nor Big John liked Maniac. They both tried to prove that they were better than Maniac. Big John pretty much stayed true to his “reputation” by never changing his mind about the segregation of races. However, over the course of the book you could see that Mars Bar was changing his attitude towards Maniac. At first, Mars Bar was very adamant that he did not like Maniac. Later in the book Mars Bar and Maniac ran together in silence. It began with them running side by side in silence. Next, he came and found Maniac to ask if he was okay after what happened at the trestle. He asked Maniac if he wanted to sleep at his house. In the end, he went to find the one person that would be able to bring Maniac home. 6. What do you think happens to Piper and Russell in the future? Do they turn out like their dad? 7. What do you think Two Mills is like today? Is it still segregated? Consider— segregation can be related to an individual’s choices in living/working situations. I would hope Two Mills would no longer be segregated. However, there are things mentioned in the book that make me think otherwise. The biggest reason is that the two races lived on either side of Hector street. They never really crossed that line unless they needed to. Personally, such a distant separation would be hard to completely erase. I think Two Mills would be a lot less segregated, but there would be parts that would always remain to those that lived one a certain side of Hector street....