Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Directions: Where appropriate, please use complete sentences with proper punctuation to answer questions. For multiple choice or true / false questions, circling the answer is fine.

Chapters 1 and 2

1. What are the earliest memories described in this brief chapter? 2. In what point of view is this book written?

3. What mood does chapter one set for the reader? Choose an adjective that expresses either the positive or negative atmosphere evoked by this tiny chapter, and explain your answer.

4. How does the main character of the story meet Uri? a. They were both trying to steal the same woman’s purse b. They were both trying to steal the same loaf of bread c. They were both mocking the same Jackboot

5. Why do you think the protagonist says his name is Stopthief at the end of chapter 2?

6. This story is set in Warsaw, Poland, during World War II. Knowing that, use your inference skills (reading

between the lines to answer this: Who are the Jackboots? _____________________________

7. “The sirens were screaming like babies” (2) is an example of which literary element? a. Simile b. Metaphor c. Allusion d. Onomatopoeia

8. Based on chapter 2, what conclusion can you draw about Uri’s character? What kind of kid is he? (Keep in mind that he and Stopthief were complete strangers until this point)

Chapters 3 and 4

1. Why are the boys in the horse stable at the start of chapter 3? 2. What do we learn about Stopthief in chapter three? (Complete sentences not necessary) 3. True False Stopthief, Uri, and the other boys all spend the night in the horse stable.

4. Stopthief describes the bombing’s aftermath this way: “Looking down the street, I saw spaces where stores should be. Like broken teeth” (10). The underlined part is a sentence fragment (an incomplete sentence). What effect does this grammatical hiccup have on the reader?

5. Why do the people in the streetcar tell the boys to get off? a. The streetcar is too crowded and the boys are making them uncomfortable. b. The boys did not pay for the tickets, and the riders don’t take kindly to freeloaders. c. The people in the streetcar are prejudiced against Jews and Gypsies, even if they’re children.

6. Explain why Uri tells Stopthief to, “Take only what you need.” (Hint: think about the likelihood of getting caught)

7. Carefully scan page 14 and find a simile. Use a proper lead-in to introduce the quotation containing the simile. Don’t forget the comma and quotation marks! 9. Why do you think the boys took the streetcar for a joyride? Chapters 5 and 6

1. At this point in the story, Warsaw is continually pounded upon by German bombs. How do Stopthief and the other boys react to this?

2. Read the following passage: “I saw someone running. That was all I needed. I could not walk if someone else was

running…It was a race! I didn’t know where the finish line was, but I was determined to win…I laughed as I ran” (17). What does this passage emphasize about our protagonist Stopthief’s characterization?

3. Why do you think the boy was happy to see the Jackboots? What was he impressed with? 4. True False Everyone on the street, not just Stopthief, was excited at the arrival of the Jackboots. 5. Identify the literary element contained in this line: “Colossal gray long-snouted beetles—the tanks roared up the

boulevard…”(19) a. Simile b. Metaphor c. Foreshadowing d. Allusion

6. Stopthief misunderstands the symbolism of the “single white flower” thrown at the tanks on page 20, and he throws

his cheese. Do your best to explain the symbolism of someone throwing that flower at the Nazi’s.

7. What does Uri do when the boy talks to the soldiers about the barbershop? 8. Identify the literary element: “And the other man and the laughing soldiers with the scissors—snip snip…”

a. Metaphor b. Simile c. Onomatopoeia d. Setting

Chapters 7 and 8

1. The simple sentence, “Those were our good times,” is a strong sign for the reader (25). Why? What is Spinelli telling the reader about the upcoming chapters?

2. What is Stopthief’s new name (first and last)? ____________________________________

For chapter 6, keep in mind that many Jewish men do not shave their beards or sideburns for religious purposes.

That understanding is necessary to see the cruelty of what Stopthief and Uri witness on the street.

3. To the best of your ability, explain our protagonist’s new “past.” Write the highlights in the scroll below.

4. “She wore a red coat, as the air was chilly. The seams of her stockings were perfect black lines running from her heels to the hem of the coat. Her blond hair spilled from a little black hat” (27). This is an example of:

a. Direct characterization b. Indirect characterization 5. Put the following events of chapter 7 in numerical order, please.

____ Uri doesn’t believe the story of the tomatoes ____ Misha finds and enters a garden in the city

____ Misha sits cross-legged and eats the first tomato ____ Misha spots a girl watching him eat a tomato

____ Misha walks away with the girl watching him

6. In chapter 8, when Misha attends Janina’s birthday party, what does he steal and why?

7. After serious consideration of what he has seen, Misha tells Uri that he’s glad he’s not a Jew. Uri responds by saying,

“Don’t be too glad” (38). Why do you think he says that?

Chapters 9 and 10

1. More fragments: “Shouts behind us. Gunshots. The yellow stone bouncing at my throat” (39). How do you think Spinelli is trying to affect the reader with these choppy fragments? (Think mood)

2. One of the key thematic concepts contained within this novel is the fight for survival. List as many survival tactics as

you can that have been employed by Misha, Uri, and the others. (Complete sentences are not necessary) 3. Where does Uri take the extra bread that Misha steals? _____________________________________

4. At the end of chapter nine, the narrator says, “That was how it started” (42). Why is this an example of foreshadowing? What can the reader infer about future chapters?

5. In chapter ten, who shoots at Misha and why?

The real Dr. Korczak 6. What part of Misha’s body is damaged by the gunshot?

a. His nose b. His hand c. His foot d. His ear

7. What type of conflict is present in question number 5? a. Person vs. Self b. Person vs. Nature c. Person vs. Person

8. At the end of chapter ten, Misha says he wants to believe in angels. Uri responds by saying he believes in bread. What does this do for Uri’s characterization?

Chapters 11 and 12

1. How is Warsaw changing for Misha? What is he having more and more trouble finding?

2. According to chapter 11, what is the first rule of life that Misha learned? _______________________________

3. Spinelli mainly uses Dr. Korczak’s words and actions to describe him, which is called… a. direct characterization b. indirect characterization

4. What is your opinion of Dr. Korczak? What kind of man is he? Use examples from the text to support your opinion. 5. Carefully examine pages 57-58 when Misha encounters the man in a long black coat. Based on what the man says

and eventually does, what do you think he believed Misha to be? (In other words, did he trust Misha? Why or why not?)

6. Uri tells Misha to be “invisible,” but how does Misha immediately bring attention to himself? 7. Identify the literary element: “He dragged me out of sight into an alley and dropped me like a sack of coal” (59).

a. Irony b. Metaphor c. Exposition d. Simile

Chapters 13 and 14

1. Symbolism time! Misha is immediately mesmerized by the merry-go-round. Spinelli didn’t put a merry-go-round in his story for giggles…so, what do you think the symbolism of this is?

2. After Misha gets thrown off the merry-go-round, how do the other boys and girls treat him?

a. They help him back onto his horse and continue with the ride. b. They ignore him completely and continue their ride as if nothing happened. c. They pelt him kicks, snowballs, and insults until he runs away.

3. “He looked at the merry-go-round tootling behind me. He looked at the orphans playing nearby. Girls were jumping rope. He smiled at them, such a smile as I imagined must come from fathers. ‘They’re children,’ he said. He sounded surprised. He looked down at me. ‘Children.’ There was a question on his face, but I could not answer it.” My question to you is this: What is the question on Korczak’s face? What is he thinking here that Misha can’t figure out?

4. After Misha yet again endangers himself by going out after curfew, Uri didn’t yell at him, hit him, or anything. “He

did nothing. He said nothing” (65). What word best expresses Uri’s feelings right now? ------------------------------

5. Does the lack of evidence about the broken horse on the merry-go-round stop the people from finding a suspect? Why or why not?

6. How do the jackboots punish the man suspected of chopping off the horse from the merry-go-round?

7. More importantly, what was your reaction to this event? How did it make you feel? Chapters 15 and 16

1. What article of clothing (which you’ve probably read about before) are the Jewish people now forced to wear? (No need for complete sentence)

2. Explain how Spinelli creates different imagery for the “blue and white parade” than he did for the Jackboot parade.

How are the parades different?

3. Tough question: None of the Jewish people will partake of Misha’s offered food because it is pork sausage…but Uncle Shepsel eats some. What might that symbolize? (Hint: religion)

4. Setting (the time and place in which a story occurs) is often a crucial aspect of storytelling. Sometimes it’s even an

antagonist that causes problems for the protagonist. Give details about Janina’s new apartment in the Ghetto.

5. What did Janina’s father, Mr. Milgrom do for a living? a. He was a pharmacist b. He was a farmer c. He was a butcher d. He was a dentist

Chapters 17 and 18

1. Why do the boys have to flee from the stable where they’d been living? 2. What type of work do Janina’s parents do after entering the ghetto? (Complete sentences aren’t necessary)

Janina’s father: Janina’s mother:

3. Why do you think Misha considers himself a lucky orphan?

4. What does Misha notice that everyone else is ignoring? _____________________________________________

Interested in further study? To read a brief description of the Jewish Ghetto prior and during WWII, go to http://www.explorewarsaw.com/jewish_ghetto.htm.

5. Proving that not all first-person narrators can be entirely trusted due to various reasons, Misha believes Angels are taking the shoes and socks of the dead, but what is really happening to them?

Chapters 19 and 20

1. What is your reaction to Ferdi’s lack of belief in things like mothers and horses? What’s Spinelli’s point by including this sort of disbelief on the part of children?

2. The horses are disappearing because starving people need meat to survive. Name three other unusual sources of

food people resort to. (Complete sentence not necessary)

3. When faced with the chance to eat a rat, Janina’s father, Mr. Milgrom, says, “No…not yet” (91). What does he mean by “yet”? How does this action indirectly characterize him? (Is he proud? Optimistic?)

4. True False In chapter 20, after Misha climbs through the crack in the wall, he returns with armloads of food.

5. In chapter 20, how did the Nazi soldiers torture the people in the ghetto? 6. How does Misha once again show his immaturity and lack of understanding of what’s occurring all around him? Use

a quotation in your answer…page 98 has some good ones.

Chapters 21 and 22

1. Which of the boys is found dead at the beginning of chapter 21?

a. Jon b. Olek c. Henryk d. Uri e. Misha

2. Perfect indirect characterization…ready? “Big Henryk stomped his feet like a baby. He let out a loud squawk. Uri

grabbed Big Henryk’s ears and twisted. I thought he was going to twist them off. Big Henryk’s eyes bugged out.

Using the ears as handles, Uri hauled Big Henryk to his feet” (100-101). What do you think this passage reveals

about the character, Big Henryk?

3. Why would a person become a Flop? (To answer this, you must figure out what a Flop is…page 102)

4. According to Misha at the beginning of chapter 22, how has his identity changed once again?

a. He is now known as the flop-flattener and is feared in the Ghetto

b. He has rid himself of his Gypsy identity and adopted the last name Milgrom

c. He has returned to the name Stopthief because of his thefts on the other side of the wall

5. There was news throughout the ghetto about Himmler (not Hitler) coming. Who is Himmler? Feel free to use

outside research.

Chapters 23 and 24

1. List three character aspects about the Flop that hated Misha. (Complete sentences not necessary)

2. Identify the literary element in the following passage: “The cars had uniforms of their own. They were gray and

silver and unsmiling and proud” (110).

a. Simile b. Metaphor c. Irony d. Personification

3. “The eye seemed too large, as it was magnified behind the thick, round lens of his eyeglasses. The only thing magnificent about him was his uniform. I saw half a little mustache—it seemed to be dripping out of his nostril—a scrawny neck, a head that seemed more dumpling than stone” (111). Himmler’s description is… a. Indirect characterization b. Direct characterization

4. How is Misha disappointed with his encounter with Himmler?

5. In chapter 24, why is Doctor Korczak so desperate for Misha to find the cow, if it even exists? 6. How and why has Uncle Shepsel changed his identity in chapter 24? Include a quotation in your response. Chapters 25 and 26

1. An author will often use symbolism to emphasize some deeper meaning in his/her story. What could the

deterioration of Janina’s shoes symbolize?

2. Which of the following boys does NOT use the sewer to travel to the other side of the wall?

a. Kuba b. Olek c. Enos d. Ferdi

3. True False At the end of chapter 25, Janina obeys Misha’s command and does not follow him.

4. What item do Misha and the other child eat in the hotel’s cellar? ____________________________________

5. What does Misha do with the food he stole from the hotel?

Chapters 27 and 28

1. Vocabulary in Context: “Big Henryk was holding Kuba upside down by his ankles while Ferdi walloped Kuba’s rump with a big bone, one of the many that that were lying around” (127). Based on the context clues, what does the underlined word most likely mean?

a. Tickle b. Strike c. Slice d. Scrape

For more information about Heinrich Himmler visit www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/himmler.html

2. Why were the boys walloping each other, anyway? 3. Even though she’s been acting like such a pain, how does the reader know (on pages 127-128) that Janina truly cares

for Misha? 4. The boys and Janina are watched by two couples in chapter 27. Describe what happens. Bullet points are fine.

5. The narrator explains that the only animals around are flies and crows. How does the author use these animals to

highlight the morbid atmosphere of the Warsaw Ghetto? 6. Why does Mr. Milgrom tell Misha and Janina to stop smuggling?

Chapters 29 and 30

1. What is the new way the Nazis are trying to stop the smugglers? _______________________________________

2. What is Janina’s reaction to the stone angel? Why do you think she reacts this way?

3. True False In chapter 30, the boys who are caught smuggling onions are lined up and shot by the Flops.

4. Why does Misha finally decide to stop taunting Buffo? 5. What is ironic about how Janina obeys her father’s orders not to smuggle with Misha? (Use a quotation with a

proper lead-in/transition for your response)

6. How do Janina and Misha react to the milkweed plant? Chapters 31 and 32

1. Why can Uri work at the hotel? What sets him apart from his other Jewish friends?

2. What grisly, horrifying sight stops Janina in her tracks? What’s around the boy’s neck? 3. In chapter 32, Uncle Shepsel asks Misha the following question: “Every night you go…why do you come back?”

(148). Misha does not respond, so you answer the question. Why does Misha always return to the Ghetto? 4. Which member of the family is found dead in chapter 32? __________________________________________

5. Where do the children hide during the bombing at the funeral? ______________________________________

6. Janina pulls puffs of milkweed from her pocket and sets them free as the bombs drop. What do you think the symbolism of this might be?

Chapters 33 and 34

1. What did Mr. Milgrom give the new family who moved into the apartment with them? _______________________

2. What do you think of this action? How do you feel about Mr. Milgrom?

3. A paradox is something that sounds impossible but is actually true. Explain the meaning behind this paradox: “This was the ghetto: where children grew down instead of up” (153).

4. For a few days, Misha and Janina had a break from smuggling because they had plenty of food. Why? Where does

the food come from?

5. What does Mr. Milgrom give Misha and Janina for Hanukkah? _________________________________________

6. What is Mr. Milgrom’s definition of “Happy” when Misha asks him for one?

7. What finally makes Janina happy? ______________________________________________________________

Chapters 35 and 36

1. The following grim statement contains which literary element? “Smugglers hung like sad fruits from lampposts with signs around their necks” (166).

a. Irony b. Metaphor c. Onomatopoeia d. Simile

2. How does Janina treat the Flops?

3. What does Uri tell Misha to do? Why? 4. Uri tells Misha to adopt yet another new identity. Who must he be this time? ___________________________

Chapters 37 and 38

1. What do Janina and Misha hear when they return from smuggling?

2. What do some people think about being taken away in trains? (Use a quotation in your response)

3. Misha notices that his friends are disappearing, until only Big Henryk is left. What do you think has happened to the boys?

4. Doctor Korczak and his orphans make one final appearance in the novel. Describe what happens in detail. Include

what they are wearing and why that’s important. 5. True False In chapter 38, most people don’t believe the old man when he says resettlement is a lie.

6. What is Mr. Milgrom’s command to Misha on page 179? Is this command followed? Chapter 39

1. Why do you think Misha cannot define what “guilty” is?

2. Janina runs away from Misha, into the crowd—for what or whom is she looking? _____________________________

3. Explain what happens to Janina in chapter 39.

4. Why is revealed about Uri in this chapter, and what happens between Uri and Misha? Chapter 40

1. As Misha wakes up, Spinelli uses choppy sentences: “Something was ringing. My ear hurt. My arm hurt. Everything hurt. I was wet. I was water. I sat up…” (187). What sort of effect do you think sentences like these are supposed to have on the reader?

2. What reminder of Janina does Misha find? __________________________________________________________ 3. Where does Misha go? Chapters 41, 42, and 43

1. Why is Misha not making much sense when he both speaks to the boy and narrates his thoughts? 2. In chapter 42, who finds Misha? How do they treat him at first? 3. In chapter 43, how does the way the farmer and his wife treat Misha change? 4. How many years does Misha stay on the farm? ____________________ 5. Misha narrates, “Somewhere along the way I heard the story of Hansel and Gretel, and I knew that the end was not

true, that the witch did not die in the oven” (196). This is an example of: a. Onomatopoeia b. Allusion c. Imagery d. Exposition

6. Explain what Misha means in the quotation contained in the previous question. 7. What does Misha learn about after the end of the war involving the ghetto in Warsaw? What happened? 8. What does Misha ultimately think of Uri? Does he hate him? Forgive him? Understand him? What? 9. Describe what has become of Buffo the Flop. Include a quotation in your response, please. Chapters 44 and 45

1. How does Misha’s identity change again, and what is his new name? 2. Jack tells his story everywhere he goes. Does anyone listen? Who?

For more information about the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 go to http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/uprising/

3. “In the shower I sometimes turned on the cold water, but I could never stand it until I became blue. I snatched apples from fruit stands. I did strange things at parades. I laughed in the wrong places…I cried for no reason” (202). How would you describe the effects the war had on our protagonist?

4. How does Jack honor Janina’s memory? (Hint: It involves his grand-daughter) 5. What is our protagonist’s final name, and why does it mean the most to him? 6. What does milkweed mean to Misha at the end of the novel when he plants it at the end of his yard? How does it

preserve his memories of Poland?