The Pigman
by Paul Zindel
Student Handouts
&
Projection Masters
CENTER FOR SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOLS
Talent Development Secondary ▪ 2701 North Charles Street ▪ Suite 300 ▪ Baltimore, MD 21218
www.TalentDevelopmentSecondary.com
The Pigman
Character Description Handout
Character Description
Use the graphic organizers below to describe the novel’s main characters, John and Lorraine.
Character Description of John Conlan
Inside the oval below, write words or phrases that John uses to describe himself. On the lines outside the oval,
write words or phrases that Lorraine uses to describe John.
John says he…
Lorraine says John …
Character Description of Lorraine Jensen
Inside the oval below, write words or phrases that Lorraine uses to describe herself. On the lines outside the
oval, write words or phrases that John uses to describe Lorraine.
Lorraine says she…
46
John says Lorraine …
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
The Pigman
Allusion Blackline Master #2
More Allusions in The Pigman
Identify the allusions in the following passages
and tell what they mean.
“…the room was a huge bore. The ceiling
slanted on the far side, and there was only one
window. It was okay if you wanted to keep
somebody as the Prisoner of Zenda, but it
looked like a rotten place to work.”
“When the ferry docked on the other side, we
got off on the upper deck, which meant we had
to walk down this long, curving ramp that looks
like a poor man’s Guggenheim Museum.”
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
49
The Pigman
Creating Similes Handout
Your Statement, Position, or Opinion
Reason #1
Reason #2
Reason #3
Conclusion:
54
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
The Pigman
Allusion Blackline Master #1
Allusion
An allusion is a brief
reference to a work
of art, such as a book,
poem, or song, or to a
famous place, person,
or event. It allows a writer to say much with
only a few words.
Here is an example from The
Pigman:
“I may not be Miss America, but I
am not the abominable snowman
either.”
What does Lorraine mean by her
statement?
48
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
The Pigman
Allusion Blackline Master #2
More Allusions in The Pigman
Identify the allusions in the following passages
and tell what they mean.
“…the room was a huge bore. The ceiling
slanted on the far side, and there was only one
window. It was okay if you wanted to keep
somebody as the Prisoner of Zenda, but it
looked like a rotten place to work.”
“When the ferry docked on the other side, we
got off on the upper deck, which meant we had
to walk down this long, curving ramp that looks
like a poor man’s Guggenheim Museum.”
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
49
The Pigman
Idioms Blackline Master
Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that means something
different than the literal meaning of the
individual words.
For example, picture this statement in your
mind: “The old man kicked the bucket.”
Do you visualize an old man using
his leg to kick a bucket? This is the
literal meaning of the statement.
But this statement also
contains an idiom that means
something quite different. To
“kick the bucket” is an idiom
that means to die.
50
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
The Pigman
Story Springboard Blackline Master
Sounds Lorraine and John might hear:
Things Lorraine and John might see:
Things Lorraine and John might do:
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
51
The Pigman
Similes Blackline Master
Simile
A simile is a kind of figurative language in
which two seemingly unlike things are
compared in a phrase introduced by “like” or
“as.”
What is being compared in the following
similes? What do the similes mean?
“[Lorraine] looked a little bit like a
Saint Bernard that just lost its
keg.”
“[The guys at the Exchange]
gather around this circle and
bellow out bids all day long, like
Mexicans at a bullfight.”
52
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
The Pigman
Symbolism Blackline Master #2
Creating Similes
Fill in the blanks to create similes in the following sentences.
1. The clouds were as ___________________________________ as _____________
_____________________________________________________.
2. Maya was as ___________________________________ as __________________
_____________________________________________________.
3. People poured out of the burning building like _____________________________
_____________________________________________________.
4. The wind whipped across the field like ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________.
On the following lines, write sentences that contain similes.
5. ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________.
6. ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________.
7. ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________.
8. ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________.
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
53
The Pigman
Symbolism Blackline Master #2
Symbolism
A symbol is anything that stands for or
represents something beyond itself. An author
may use a real thing – an object, person, event,
etc. – to represent an idea or to communicate a
message.
What do these symbols represent? Can you
identify other familiar symbols?
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.
55
The Pigman
Symbolism Blackline Master #1
Repeated Ideas in The Pigman
56
© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.