Explain the significance/importance of the friendship with Gordy for Junior: -Spiros Gerogiannis

The significance of friendship with Gordy for Junior is that they can consider each

other equals, for both of them do not really “fit in” to the school. If they stick

together they will be stronger and be able to face the challenges of school rather than

being alone and miserable. As we already know, Arnold is very lonely and is in

desperate need for a friend: “I just walked from class to class alone; I sat at lunch

alone; during PE I stood in the corner of the gym and played catch with myself.” (83).

And Gordy is a “freak for being in love with technology and books. So those two kids

are pretty much the least popular in the entire school and will need each other’s help if

they are going to “survive” high school.

When Arnold first goes to talk to Gordy about being friends, they each tried to

insult each other, almost like they didn’t want to be friends in the first place. But they

figured it out, and didn’t have that situation again. Do you think that this might happen

again, and they might be considered more of “frenemies” instead of just plain old friends?

How do you think people will treat them knowing that both of them are friends (Will they

call Arnold a “geek freak” or call Gordy an Indian)? Rowdy might have punched Arnold

in the face because of what he did, but maybe now he reconsidered and forgave Arnold.

How do you think that he will react to the fact that Arnold has moved on to what he will

probably consider a “technology freak”?

On Pages 82-84, Junior explains how alone he feels. Why does he feel this way? How does what happens in science class to reinforce this feeling?-🤪🇭🇹Judy Moody🇭🇹🤪

               Junior feels so lonely because "I woke up on the reservation as an Indian,
and somewhere on the road to Reardan , I became something less than Indian."(83). I
think that when Junior says "less than Indian"(83) he is saying that Indians are already poor
and not a good group of people, but that he's even lower & there's not even a word so
bad to describe what he thinks his status is. Also, when Junior goes to Reardan he is basically     "white washed" of his Indian culture because there is nothing at the school that is embracing it .   and"Reardan whose mascot is an Indian, thereby making him the only other Indian in town"(56) .             This shows that Junior is facing the challenge of gaining his self-esteem as well as self- confident because it seems that any glimpse of how he has will just knock him right back down.

              The incident that happens in Science class reinforces this feeling because even though
Junior was right Mr.Dodge by making an inference needs verification from someone "reliable"       that is white because they're more smart than the average reservation Indian. When Mr.Dodge says "Gordy"(85) and "I'm sure you can tell us the truth"(85) it gives you a sense that Mr.Dodge needed to be proven wrong by someone worthy of his failure or in other words Gordy. This shows that not only the students are mean, but that the teachers of Reardan might not accept Junior for the person he is.

1.)If you had to imagine what do you think would be going on in Junior's brain? Why? and USE THE TEXT.
2.)Would you have contradicted Mr.Dodge if you knew the right answer?Why or Why not?
3.)Do you think Junior and Penelope will have any connection or link later in the story?Why? USE THE TEXT.

Why is Junior hesitant to tell Rowdy? Why does he tell him? How does Rowdy react? Why does he react this way?

Junior hesitates to tell Rowdy about him switching schools because they have been close friends for a very long time. He tells him the news eventually because he did not want Rowdy to think that he just walked away from the Rez and did not say anything. Arnold does not want to separate from Rowdy but he knows moving to Reardon is the right choice for him. “I want you to come with me” (49). Junior wants Rowdy he to stay with him and come to Reardon. Rowdy is not willing to come to Reardon with Junior and he wants to stay at the Rez. Rowdy takes this the wrong way because he thinks Arnold wants to prove he is better than Rowdy by going to a better school. Rowdy wants Arnold to stay because he won’t have anybody here with him at the Rez. Arnold puts his hand on Rowdy’s shoulders to try and comfort him. Rowdy doesn’t want to be comforted and he slaps Arnold across the face. In the moment, Arnold felt like an idiot. He knew transferring to Reardon was the right choice and he had to do it or he believed he was going to die. Do you think it is the right decision for Arnold to go to Reardan? Do you think Rowdy will turn around and say yes later on? Why or why not? -Riana

How will Junior’s decision to leave effect Rowdy later in the book? How is this going to change Rowdy and his interaction with the world?

How will Junior’s decision to leave effect Rowdy later in the book? How is this going to change Rowdy and his interaction with the world?

When Junior tells Rowdy that he’s leaving to go to Reardan, Rowdy thinks he’s joking. He continuosly says that this isn’t funny, and is trying to convince himself that Junior isn’t really leaving, and that this is all one big joke. Rowdy tries to secure the only stable thing in his life; Junior. He switches methods and starts insulting Junior, trying to make him stay and convincing Junior that he will never make it. This was a desperate last-chance that Rowdy was giving Junior to take back his actions. So when Junior doesn’t change his mind, Rowdy shuts down. Since Rowdy has a really difficult life back home, Junior is the only postive thing in his life, so when he leaves, Rowdy has nothing. Junior was Rowdy’s hope, the last string holding him up, and without Junior, Rowdy will fall into the nothingness and give up, like everybody else. “He wiped his eyes, stared at his wet hand, and screamed. I’m sure that everybody on the rez heard that scream. It was the worst thing I’d ever heard. It was pain, pure pain.” (52) Rowdy is so hurt and overwhelmed and hopeless and mad, so he punched Junior because he had nothing else. Because it seemed like Junior knew he had nothing else and left him. As Mr.P says to Junior, “Your friend Rowdy, he’s given up. That’s why he likes to hurt people. He wants them to feel as bad as he does… He doesn’t hurt you because you’re the only good thing in his life. He doesn’t want to give that up. It’s the only thing he hasn’t given up on.” (42) Now that Junior is gone, Rowdy may aimlessly beat people up, for no reason. Rowdy will be more negative than before, and blame the world and Junior for all the pain and the screwed up world that he has to live in. He might be torn apart inside, but at the same time, feel nothing at all, like Dally from The Outsiders. With all the things going on in Rowdy’s life, he could be very unpredictable, like bomb, waiting to explode. Of course, this isn’t Rowdy’s fault, he is in a bad situation and is only fourteen years old.

Do you think this is the end of Rowdy and Junior’s friendship?

Do you think Rowdy regrets punching Junior?

If the only thing you ever loved was gone, what would you do?

Nicole R.

Name/explain three issues/hurdles Junior encounters in his transition to Reardon -Thomas Fulginiti

When Junior transitions to Rearden he encounters tremendous amounts of discomfort and pain. As soon as
he walks into the classroom students are already staring at him as if he was “bad weather.” Once Junior
sits down Penelope asks what his name is. She wasn't trying to get to know him. She wanted to make him
feel terrible about himself. Thus, she laughed at his name, and acted like it was weird. As Penelope tries to
get to “know” him better she asks where he is from. When Junior responses with “Wellpinit” she had her
opportunity to make fun of him and sure did. A few days later, he is constantly being called names by the
jocks of Rearden. One day, these Jocks started to surround Junior. Roger, the leader of the group then stated
an extremely racist comment and it struck Junior more than anything. This was not something that he said
to become friends with Junior. Now that his is at Rearden, his “whole life is a fight”. The reason why he
came here is being forgotten and he is living his life like he did back at the rez.

Why did junior want Rowdy to come with him?

Why is the title “How To Fight Monsters”?

Why would Roger say the racist comment on page 64 if he wanted to become friends?

What is the effect of Mary's story on Junior? (Free Response)

At the beginning of chapter four, he thinks of Mary as "crazy and random" and thinks he's more "excited about school" and "excited about life" than her(28).When Mr. P comes to talk to him, this changes. In only a few minutes he learns that "She was even smarter than [him]" (36) and she had wanted to become a romance novel writer. Suddenly she's not "crazy andrandom"(28)  but a "bright and shining star" that "faded year by year" (40). Mary is wasted potential, like a heap of clay gone hard. 

This sad tale inspires him to take initiative because he realizes that if someone as smart as Mary, "the smartest kid [Mr. P] ever had" (36), ends up spending"twenty-three hours a day alone in a basement" (28), then he needs to do something if he wants to be successful. This "something" is to get out of the rez. The reservation is a place with no hope, a sad pond of depression, lost potential, and dreams gone sour. He'll just sink if he doesn't get out. 

Do you think that Mary will fulfill her dream later in the book? Is there hope in Rearden? What does Junior think of the white people?

What Mr. P means by “ We were supposed to kill the Indian to save the child" is that at this school they did not want Indians and native Americans to come to this school so the teachers were told to hit the child but specifically the Indian children. He said the they wanted to “ kill the Indian culture”. This shows how they don’t accept other people except kids that identify as white. The advice that Mr. P gives junior is to never give up which he means that even if people won’t believe in you don’t give up just because people say you can’t do it. He gives him this advice because Mr. P says he has gave up and really hopes the best for junior and doesn't want him to be like him. Wha tMr. P by “Every white person on this res should get smashed in the face. But let me tell you this. All the Indians should get smashed in the face, too” is that all of the teachers at this school don’t want the Indians to succeed that is why they have no one to believe in them and that is why a lot of people for example his sister just give up on life because of this.

How do you think junior feels about this conversation with Mr. P ?

If you were junior how would you feel?