Star Food by Ethan Canin
1.) Why does Dade spend so much time on the roof of the store? He is avoiding doing work and he is daydreaming about what he is going to do with his life.
2.) Why does Dade try to confuse his father by looking at the clouds when his father speaks to him about his future? It looks like he is thinking about the answer and he is also trying to avoid the question because he doesn't know it.
3.) Why does Dade think that the discovery of what he wants will come to him when he is on the roof? He thinks that the stars will provide food for his thoughts.
4.) Why does Dade finally tell his mother, “I’m not sure what my dreams are,…And I’m never going to discover anything”? (p. 147) He is losing hope in in himself, he realizes that maybe he is going to run the store and not do anything else.
5.) Why does Dade feel “alone in the world” at the end of the story? (p. 150) He doesn't know what to do and he wants to please his parents but he doesn't know how.
6.) Why does Dade let the woman go after they go into the stockroom? Dade doesn't know what to say or do because he panics.
7.) Why does Dade feel that the woman who is shoplifting knows something about him? She has come in before and stolen things before but she has never been caught, Dade feels bad for the woman because she is stealing for survival because she could be homeless and hungry and Dade doesn't want to put her in a worse position than she already is.
8.) After he sees the air force jets, why does Dade decide that he wants the woman to be caught? They symbolize justice and he has been waiting for a sign for him to take action.
9.) Why does Dade feel “strong and good” when he catches the woman but then feel “flushed…with remorse”? (p. 148) Dade feels bad, he is having a moral dilema. He feels like he should let her go or keep her there and get dad so he can call the police.
10.) Why does Dade walk with the woman after he lets her go? He is trying to avoid dad's wrath, he might also want information about her and why she steals.
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Appease (p. 134)
Quote: "To appease my father I cleaned the electric star, and though he often came outside to sweep, he stopped telling me to come down."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to satisfy
Synonym: please
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): I wanted to appease my daddy by cleaning the dishes before he got home from work.
2.) Competence (p. 137)
Quote: "For years my father had been trying to teach me competence and industry."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): able to do something
Synonym: capable
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): "My mom told me I had to be competence of doing lots of homework in high school so I had to be prepared.
3.) Retrospect (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): contemplation of the past
Synonym: surveying
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): To retrospect to a period in one's youth.
4.) Precedes (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): go before
Synonym: order
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): To precede one's statement with a qualification.
5.) Remorse (p. 148)
Quote: "This flushed me with remorse."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): deep and painful
Synonym: regret
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): My emotions were filled with remorse.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when Dade is doing something to please himself or when he is doing something to please others. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
2.) Why does Dade try to confuse his father by looking at the clouds when his father speaks to him about his future? It looks like he is thinking about the answer and he is also trying to avoid the question because he doesn't know it.
3.) Why does Dade think that the discovery of what he wants will come to him when he is on the roof? He thinks that the stars will provide food for his thoughts.
4.) Why does Dade finally tell his mother, “I’m not sure what my dreams are,…And I’m never going to discover anything”? (p. 147) He is losing hope in in himself, he realizes that maybe he is going to run the store and not do anything else.
5.) Why does Dade feel “alone in the world” at the end of the story? (p. 150) He doesn't know what to do and he wants to please his parents but he doesn't know how.
6.) Why does Dade let the woman go after they go into the stockroom? Dade doesn't know what to say or do because he panics.
7.) Why does Dade feel that the woman who is shoplifting knows something about him? She has come in before and stolen things before but she has never been caught, Dade feels bad for the woman because she is stealing for survival because she could be homeless and hungry and Dade doesn't want to put her in a worse position than she already is.
8.) After he sees the air force jets, why does Dade decide that he wants the woman to be caught? They symbolize justice and he has been waiting for a sign for him to take action.
9.) Why does Dade feel “strong and good” when he catches the woman but then feel “flushed…with remorse”? (p. 148) Dade feels bad, he is having a moral dilema. He feels like he should let her go or keep her there and get dad so he can call the police.
10.) Why does Dade walk with the woman after he lets her go? He is trying to avoid dad's wrath, he might also want information about her and why she steals.
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Appease (p. 134)
Quote: "To appease my father I cleaned the electric star, and though he often came outside to sweep, he stopped telling me to come down."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to satisfy
Synonym: please
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): I wanted to appease my daddy by cleaning the dishes before he got home from work.
2.) Competence (p. 137)
Quote: "For years my father had been trying to teach me competence and industry."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): able to do something
Synonym: capable
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): "My mom told me I had to be competence of doing lots of homework in high school so I had to be prepared.
3.) Retrospect (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): contemplation of the past
Synonym: surveying
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): To retrospect to a period in one's youth.
4.) Precedes (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): go before
Synonym: order
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): To precede one's statement with a qualification.
5.) Remorse (p. 148)
Quote: "This flushed me with remorse."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): deep and painful
Synonym: regret
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): My emotions were filled with remorse.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when Dade is doing something to please himself or when he is doing something to please others. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
He stares at the clouds and the stars.
He lets the woman go after she steals. He avoids work to look at the sky. |
Pleases his mom s=when he stares at the sky,
Pleases his dad when he does his work at the store. Pleases his mom when he lets the shoplifter go. Pleases his when he catches the kids stealing. Pleases his mom when he lets the woman go by understanding her. |