Writing Clinic

Good Writing begins with good reading and information-

gathering skills

What is CLOSE READING?Chapter 167:pp.152: When Christopher realises that Ed Boone is not joking but has actually

made a confession that he has “murdered” Willington, his immediate reaction to his own realisation is to become “really frightened”.

pp.152: When Ed attempts to reach out to Christopher by “holding up his right hand and spreading his fingers out in a fan”, Christopher “screams and pushes him backwards”. Christopher is so forceful that Ed Boone “falls off the bed and onto the floor”. This shows how very frightened Christopher is of his father all of a sudden.

pp.152 - 153: Even after Ed Boone has apologised and pleaded with Christopher to “trust him”, Christopher is determined that he “has to get out of his house” because he realises that “Father has murdered Wellington”. Using logical reasoning, he convinces himself that if Ed Boone has murdered Weillington, then, he can also murder him. Christopher definitively claims that he “cannot trust” Ed anymore because he has “told a lie about a big thing”.

WRITING CLINIC

HOW TO QUOTE “QUOTING” to support your claim

and not to narrate. Build any storytelling into your argument.

HOW TO QUOTE

Chapter 167pp. 152 When Christopher

realises that Ed Boone is not joking but has actually made a sorrowful confession that he has unintentionally “murdered” Willington, his immediate reaction to his own realisation is to become “really frightened”.

Chapter 167

pp. 152 Then Father was silent for a bit.

Then he said, “I’m sorry, Christopher. I promise you, I never meant for it to turn out like this.”

And then I knew that it wasn’t a joke and I was really frightened.

HOW TO QUOTEChapter 167pp. 152 Christopher’s attitude towards his

father changes very suddenly and violently. Although he writes about Ed Boone’s pleading with him that it is “only human” to “make mistakes”, Christopher does not seem to register his father’s attempts to seek his understanding and gain his sympathy. When Ed attempts to reach out to Christopher by “holding up his right hand and spreading his fingers out in a fan”, Christopher “screams and pushes him backwards”. Christopher is so forceful that Ed Boone “falls off the bed and onto the floor”. This shows how very frightened Christopher is of his father all of a sudden.

Chapter 167pp. 152 Father said, “We all make

mistakes, Christopher. You, me, your mum, everyone. And sometimes they’re really big mistakes. We’re only human.”

Then he held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan.

But I screamed and pushed him backwards so that he fell off the bed and onto the floor.

HOW TO QUOTE Chapter 167pp. 152 - 153 Even after Ed Boone has

apologised and pleaded with Christopher to “trust him”, Christopher is determined that he “has to get out of his house” because he realises that “Father has murdered Wellington”. Using logical reasoning, he convinces himself that if Ed Boone “has murdered Weillington, then, he can also murder him”. Christopher definitively claims that he “cannot trust” Ed anymore because he has “told a lie about a big thing”.

Chapter 167pp. 152 - 153 He sat up and said, “OK. Look.

Christopher. I’m sorry. Let’s leave it for tonight, OK? I’m going to go downstairs and you get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning.” Then he said, “It’s going to be all right. Honestly. Trust me.”

Then he stood up and took a deep breath and went out of the room.

I sat on the bed for a long time looking at the floor. Then I heard Toby scratching in his cage. I looked up and saw him staring through the bars at me.

I had to get out of the house. Father had murdered Wellington. That meant he could murder me, because I couldn’t trust him, even though he had said, “Trust me,” because he has told a lie about a big thing.