Kids+Down+the+Road


 * Pages 1-30**

Discussion-Impressions on first page involving dreaming man? Dreaming about a better time. The subconscious. Recollecting the past events. Possibly also what he wishes would come back. He misses it. Little clues. Every day is getting darker. Things are getting worse. Could also be just a dream. Is he still in the dream? The dream is realistic to our current world. His world is like a bad dream. Confused about what happened to the Earth. Used up resources? Nuclear?

Are the dreams foreshadowing anything?

Deja vu? Lonely? Wife dead. He wants another companion so he dreams about people. "If you're in peril, dream of peril. Good dreams mean you will die." It could be that his good dreams mean he will die?

Do we agree with "You remember what you don't want and forget what you want to remember?"

Yes. Good day at the beach, you may forget it. But if something traumatic happens, you will always remember it. If someone important to you dies, you may remember the fact that they died more than the good things about them. We think more about the negative things than the positive things.

Quotes 1. “Then they set out along the blacktop in the gun metal light, shuffling through the ash, each the other’s world entire” (6). What is the world entire? That's all they have. They're very important to each other. They haven't encountered any other living things, so they are everything. They exist for each other. Who could be your world entire? Everything surrounding your life. All you need is that person. Everything else comes second.

2. “You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget” (12). Instances of your life? Scenario point of view? It's hard to __#|register__ for instance that the dead aren't going to come back. You think it's a **//dream.//**

Vocab Gryke- noun. A limestone pavement is a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement. "He descended into a gryke in the stone and there he crouched coughing and he coughed for a long time" (11). Refracted- verb. To deflect (light, for example) from a straight path. "The faint light all about, quivering and sourceless, refracted in the rain of drifting soot"(15). Chifforobe- noun. closet-like piece of furniture that combines a long space for hanging clothes with a chest of drawers. "Cheap stuffed furniture together with an old handmade cherrywood Chifforobe" (22). We are interested in the dreams aspect of the book.


 * 9/12/13**


 * Pgs. 31-82**


 * Quotes:**
 * The waterfall scene- why was it so amazing to the boy and do you think it offered him hope--> because the waterfall was beautiful amid the ashes and the place was clean, which made the place amazing; it gave hope that his son would be able to see something that was beautiful when they were living in the dark world
 * What is the significance of him leaving the photo of his life- he's trying to move past her and unburden himself; it also showed that all he cared about was his son, because his son was the only one important to him
 * Talk about the man's wife- it's like she felt bad that she had let her son into this awful, dark, ruined earth; she committed suicide; she could have been ashamed that she didn't want to stay with his son anymore; what's the point of living in a world that has nothing
 * Discussions:**
 * In the trailer, the dead bodies was shocking
 * Finding more about the man's past- did not expect the relationship between the man and his wife
 * The bath tub scene- was like woah, what is going to happen
 * The sound before the bath tub scene- wondered what is going on
 * After the man killed the bandit- shocking that the bandits were cannibals
 * the truck tracks- suspense
 * the man walked away because he solely wanted the boy to live and cared about survival; the man had good intentions and **an acceptance of their world**; the boy is sensitive
 * the boy feels more empathetic while his dad is more hardened because his dad is focused on survival, which causes his dad to save them in terrifying situations, but it makes the boy feel sad and terrified; the boy is torn; the boys in some ways is still innocent
 * The bandits are the illuminati; they are searching for things to eat; they're like a gang; there are groups of people that are still surviving, that are around them
 * Connections:**
 * I have father; father looks out for his children and wants them to have success
 * //Night-// both the father and son strive to keep each other alive and both face troubled times
 * Dreams- I dream, and dreams sometimes become revelations
 * Quotes:**
 * **macadem- a road created by laying a road with stones and hot tar-- another word for road**
 * **skeins- suggestive of twisting yearn or thread**
 * **siwash- without a tent or supplies**

> **Macadam: Noun. A road created by laying and compacting successive layers of broken stone, often with asphalt or hot tar. (pg. 48)** > > **Skeins: Noun. Something suggestive of the twisting of a length of yarn or thread wound on a reel. (pg. 51)** > > **Siwash: Adjective. Without a tent or supplies. (pg. 68)**
 * Vocab:**
 * **Vocab**
 * Predictions:**
 * **They might find another group of people that will help them**
 * **When the boy gets older, the father might die**
 * **The father will do his job to get the boy to the south, but might die near the end when it's close**
 * **They will go to the South because there might be more food and people down there, because of the soil and it being warmer, and maybe the hope of a better place**

1. What did the son see? Was there actually a child? Did the father see it? -We are kinda split because some of us think there was actually a boy and the rest of us think that the boy was a figment of the boy's imagination because he was longing for a friend.
 * 83-135**

2. Do you think that the father will be able to kill his son if he has to? Do you think the son would be able to kill himself? And at what point do you think they would make this decision? - We agree that the boy wouldn't be able to kill himself. The father wants to live and do anything he can to safe his son, but killing his son might be the only way to safe his boy if the marchers find them.

3. Does the father think they are going to die? -He may have moments were he does but he hides it for his son. He wants to comfort his son.

4. Who were "the marchers." -The cannibalistic people.

Quotes: 1- Literally they had the lighter but metaphorically the father is the life source for the son. He is caring the fire, which was the source of warmth. 2- Its heartbreaking that the father has to think of this. If you loves someone you have to do what you can to save them from cruelty even if it means you have to kill them. The father is considering what he would do if the gun didn't work and he would have to beat his son to death. We do think that the father would sacrifice himself for his son. The dad is cherishing every moment he has with the boy. 3- The father is trying to hold on to society and doesn't want to come down to the levels of human nature of survival of the fittest.

Vocab: 1. Mendicant- begging; practicing begging; living on alms.
 * 2. Runic ** - having some secret or mysterious meaning
 * 3. Frieze ** - any decorative band on an outside wall, broader than a string course and bearing lettering, sculpture, etc.

Connection Master 82-135 1.There where two things in this section that really reminded me of //Goodnight Mr.Tom.// The first being the relationship between the man and the boy, in goodnight Mr.Tom the man saved the boy's life and protected him much like how the father is protecting his son in //The Road//. The second being the gory descriptions of certain scenes. The section on page 90 in the road talking about dried and dead humans reminded me of how I felt when reading about the awful abuse of the boy in //Goodnight Mr.Tom// under the stairwell sitting in his own escarpments. Although the books have completely different concepts they affected me in similar ways. 2. Reading this chapter just made me think of human nature and how there are really no people in this book that can be labeled bad people. The people that are eating others are just following the rules of survival of the fittest and doing what they can to stay alive. The father of the boy knows about human nature, which is why he is avoid all other humans, whereas the boy is to trusting and thinks everyone will do the right thing. 3. I cannot not really relate to this book on a serious level because my life has never been in danger and I have never experienced the end of the world, but I can relate to the feeling of not wanting to go on. The boy is young and everyday he is getting weaker and seeing worse and more gory things it seems. I lost my father when I was in 3rd grade and couldn't even move for three days and every day was another step closer to realizing he was never going to come back. I think that every day the boy is losing some of is young ignorance and losing hope. **Vocab**
 * Pages 136- 235 **
 * ( 9/18/13 **

Vocab # 1: "They ate a __sumptuous__ meal by candlelight."(153), Sumptuous- luxurious. Vocab # 2: "In the long gray dusk they crossed a river and stopped and looked down from the concrete __balustrade__."(159), Balustrade: Railing supported by bars. Vocab 3 #: " They __bivouacked__ in the woods much nearer to the road than he would have liked." (168), Bivouacked: to encamp in an area 1.What did the son and the father find right when they were about to give up all hope? What was the significance of the bunker? In what ways would you consider it to be a time capsule of the old world?They found the underground bunker. The bunker is significant because it shows that people were thinking ahead. It was the first time the the son saw the things of the old world. It gives them motivation to continue living.2. Why did the boy say a prayer at the table before breakfast? How did he know that some people pray before meals when his father had never told him and he was not alive in the old world? It was an instinct for the boy to say a prayer and his father always talks about God. Prayed because he was thankful to the the people who left the food. 3.Do you think the father son bond in the new world has any similarities to the father son bond in the old world?The boy and the Father had many father and son moment that were like the how it was in the old world.4. Who do the boy and father meet on the road? How does the boy and the fathers first judgments of the man differ? Why do they help the man? They meet an old man named "Ely" on the road and gave him food and conversed with him. The father didn't want to really help him, but the boy inspired him to help. The son negotiated with the Father, plus they had more food. ** Literary Luminary ** "What are our long term goals? he said. What? Our long term goals. Where did you hear that? ...You said it...What was the answer? I dont know. Well. I dont either" (161).
 * Discussion**

Do they have any long term goals? What might they be? If they have no long term goals, then what do they expect to do if they ever get to the south? They do not have a long term goals, they just want to get to the south and their goals will start after they get to the south.

"He looked down at the old man. Perhaps he'd turn into a god and they to trees" (163).

I'm pretty sure this is a reference to an old Greek myth. Zeus visits an old, poor couple while disguised as a beggar and asks them for food. Although they barely have anything, they gladly help him. Afterword, he reveals who he really is and agrees to grant them a wish. They wish that they may never be separated, even in death. When they eventually begin to die, Zeus turns them both into trees whose branches touch each other for eternity. What significance might this reference have to the relationship between the father and the son? Is the father expressing a desire to die?

They wanted to avoid any conflict and in addition they wanted to do a good deed and see if they actually receive any thing from doing that deed.

"Suppose you were the last one left? Suppose you did that to yourself?" (169).

Would there be any point in surviving to be the only human left alive? Do you think the man and son might have been better off dying with his wife? What is the point of their survival? If they are the humans left alive the only that is left is grow old and die. However, they chose to survive because the wanted to see what is ahead. They have hope that there is something better. The father is surviving for the boy, so the boy can have a good life.


 * Role: ** **Connection Master**

Connection 1: The secret underground bunker with both food and tool supplies that the father and boy uncovered reminds me of typical zombie/apocalypse movies where some people save up supplies in preparation for like the end of the world or a zombie take-over so that they have a means of survival.

Connection 2: I can also relate to the father's interaction with the old man they encountered to // Night // because in // Night, // when the Nazis hung a little boy who to Wiesel looked like an angel, Wiesel (and many of the other Jews that were there), questioned his belief in God's existence. He said that with the little boy's execution, he saw that God was dead. This is similar to the old man saying that there is no God for in desperate and dire situations where there seems to be no hope, people often question their faith and even reject it sometimes.

Connection 3: When the father teaches the boy the about the controls of a train, it reminded me of a part in the // Polar Express // (the Christmas movie) where the boy was taught how to control the train while the train conductor and his assistant went outside to fix the train's headlight and that the controls of a train were simple like the father in the book explained to the boy.

They boy and the Father are doing whats right,;for example, not eating people and preserving their morals. The man is trying to be as honest as he can to the boy, but he still tries to equivocate to the boy and not be too straight forward with things he is ready for. Pgs. 186-235 1. In your opinion, what animals do you think that have survived (taking into account the snakes)?
 * Integrity**
 * Honesty**

Cockroaches. Certain types of animals that don't have a specific diet. They can eat anything and don't have to eat often. They adjust.

2. "When your dreams are of some world that never was or never will be and you are happy again then you will have given up. Do you understand? And you cant give up I wont let you." What is significance of this statement ?

If you start thinking of another world, you'll be happy, but you won't be focused on the world you're in now. The boy hasn't accepted yet that the world he is living in is permanent. The father is accepting the world as it is, so his dreams are becoming better. The boy is imaging a different or better world, so he's still having nightmares.

3. Based on what the man and boy have found (the coin, the boat, the books in the boat) can you make an assumption of where they are are? Why do you think McCarthy put things that are Spanish in the novel? It could be they're in Mexico. Could also just mean they're somewhere around Florida or Texas. It's a hint they're pretty far south. 4.Do you think the characters in this book are dynamic or static? Why? Dynamic. Different feelings in different situations. They're scared. They're worried. Even the past characters are dynamic. Everyone's constantly changing. Losing or gaining hope.

1. "When your dreams are of some world that never was or of some world that never will be and you are happy again then you will have given up. Do you understand? And you can't give up" (189).

The father has given up on himself but not his son. But if he hasn't given up on his son, then he must think there's a better world for his son to live in. When you imagine something, you want the world to be better than the world is now. It's like an escape to a better world.

2. "Do you think that your fathers are watching? That they weigh you in their ledgerbook? Against what? There is no book and your fathers are dead in the ground" (196).

Boy is maturing. Asking more philosophical questions. Depends on dad for answers.

3. "When he went back to the fire he knelt and smoothed her hair as she slept and he said if he were God he would have made the world just so and no different" (219). After the decision his wife made, he likes knowing that's what she would have done. Deeper meaning. Glad he has his son and glad he knows the decisions people made. Wouldn't want to stay with someone who wanted to kill herself. Okay with the world as long as he has his son. Struggling like this had increased their bond rather than if the World was normal. They cherish each other more.

__Caustic__- It can be sarcastic in a mean and bitter way, but in the book it means a substance that is able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action. "In the past when he walked out like that and sat looking over the country lying in just the faintest visible shape where the lost moon tracked the caustic waste he'd sometimes see a light" (188). The caustic insecticide destroyed the field of flowers. __Harrowtroughs__- The turning up of earth; When dirt is moved or stacked on top of things. "The corrugate shapes of old harrowtroughs still faintly visible" (195). After the huge rain storm the fresh harrowtroughs in the field were refilled with dirt. __Promontory__-This is an area of high land that jets out into large bodies of water. "At the end of the strand their way was blocked by a headland and they left the beach and took and old path up through the dunes and through the dead seaoats until they came out upon a low promontory" (221). I watched the ships go by from dawn to dusk on the rocky promontory. The idea of growing infants to provide food was used sarcastically in Jonathan Swift's Modest Proposal, which we read in History last year. The idea was so ridiculous and outrageous, that he was able to use it to create humor by suggesting something so improbable. In this book, it's actually happening.

What the father was mentioning about cholera victims being buried quickly was that when cholera epidemics used to strike towns, they would kill many people at once and those that survived were afraid that they would catch the disease from the corpses of the victims. They would, therefore, bury them very quickly with little ceremony.

In Night, Wiesel's father started getting sick and weak just like the father is starting to become. In Night, the roles eventually switched so that Wiesel became responsible for caring for his father. It's possible this could also happen here.

Trust-The father and the son trust each other but not anyone else. The father may be looking for someone else to trust. If he dies, he doesn't want his son to be alone. Education-Knowing what they can eat. Knowing how he survives. The boy hasn't had a formal education. Education by his father. So he is smart. He knows things. Integrity and Honor-Not eating people. They aren't stooping that low. Keeping their humanity. Opportunity-All about survival. Don't have an opportunity to get better. Just opportunities to survive. Freedom-No government. But they can't do what they want since their is no society and people are out to get them. Can't walk out in the open. Literary Luminary 235- The End Quote one: "Standing there raw and naked, filthy, shivering. Covering himself with his hand. He was already shivering" (257) Who is this quote referring too? What effect does taking a man's cloths have in this new world? How did the boy feel about what him and the father did to the man? What did the father and the boy end up doing? - **the thief**
 * - it means that you leave a person for dead**
 * - the boy realized that the father had actually killed the thief**

Quote two: "He watched him come through the grass and kneel with the cup of water he'd fetched. There was light all about him"(277). Who is this quote about? How does this represent the bond between the father and the boy? What is the significance of the boy being surrounded by light? - **the boy** Quote Three: "We can't just leave him here. Yes we can... Could we cover him with one of the blankets? I'll do it. Go on now. Okay" (285).
 * - metaphorically, the father viewed the boy as a savior or angel**
 * - it shows that they have a strong bond; the boy even takes care of his father**

Why did the boy cover his father even though his father asks him not too? Even though the father died do you think he succeeded in his goal? What was the fathers goal - ** the boy didn't want people to find his dad and eat him ** ** - yes the father did succeed in his goal: he protected his son until he died; he provided for his son after he was dead; goodness found the boy; he found the "good guys" ** **Connections** Vocabulary Vermiculate-curvy, twisted, intricate (pg. 287).
 * **Can be related to the Book of Eli- goodness found the boy in the end to how the girl ended up surviving as well**
 * **Can be related to Taken- both fathers are willing to do what ever they can to protect their child and endanger themselves**
 * **Can relate to Simi's life- if somebody did something bad to him he's want revenge, but then he'd listen to his good conscience and do the right thing like how it was with the boy, who always tried to do the right thing**

Strobe Beacon-small, flashing, electric lamp (pg. 240).

EPIRB-Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (pg. 240).

Ensepulchred-Entombed (pg. 273).

Crozzled-Blackened or burned (pg. 273).

**__The__ __Road__**: **Pages 236-End**


 * Role:** Discussion Director

__Discussion Directions__

1. What part or parts in the last pages of the book affected you in some way, whether it/they was/were emotionally, mentally, or both? Describe the part or parts and explain why it/they affected you.

2. What change or changes in the father did you notice in these last pages of the book? Why did he change? 3. In your opinion, what would you say was the climax after finishing the book? It could be anywhere in the book. Explain your choice.
 * The part where the father said that the boy should go on without him; liked how the boy was strong and moved on and trusted his father; could empathize with how hard it was to lose his father, and the father trusted that his son would be fine
 * The part where the boy stays for three days next to his father; was very touching
 * when the stranger came to take the boy away, it showed that there were actually good guys out there and that the boy and his father's goal were not done for nothing
 * he was not persevering anymore; he just accepted death; just accepted that that was the place he was going to die
 * he felt that something good would happen to his soon so he was ok
 * the man became more lenient and allowed his son to do stuff that otherwise they wouldn't normally do
 * When the man and boy lost their stuff because they had never before
 * When the man started dying
 * the man and boy experienced different climaxes

4. Why do you think the author added the last paragraph (the one that Mrs. Clark-Evans read to us one time) at the end of the book? Did the ending confuse you? Discuss how you understand the ending of the book.
 * thought that the ending was like a short story that summed up the boo

5. What other things would you like to talk about or clarify?