The Heartbeat of
a Dinosaur
BY
DELIA GORMAN
The story in this lesson presents the first-person points of view in a
“The Heartbeat of a Dinosaur” is real-life and very moving.
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years is not real, but, at the same time is both
serious and funny.
I
n between the first time Miss Jazzie opened our
door and the last time she closed her eyes, the
stars shone brighter over our house. There was
another seat at the dinner table and my nails were
always painted. Daddy used to say that she needed a
house and we needed a home, so together we were
beautiful no matter how funny we looked. She, with
her dark braided hair, crazy patterned dresses, and
cinnamon-scented skin, and I with my ears that
didn’t work, and my big green eyes that she said
could see straight through anything. We were like a
garden with all different types of flowers, growing in
the same place. Somehow, seeming more alive.
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THE HEARTBEAT OF A DINOSAUR
I always knew when Miss Jazzie was telling a lie.
She would look down instead of into my eyes as if
she were afraid I could see into her soul where she
kept all those secrets. Then, when she gave me an
answer with those shaky lying hands, I knew. Her
lips were tight as if she didn’t want me to read them
at all.
Why do you like this music so much, Jazzie? I
signed once, watching her rock to the music one
morning while she was making breakfast. I didn’t
remember what music was like, but I had felt the
tape player pulsing and I had seen Miss Jazzie close
her eyes and swing around while it was playing.
It reminds me of when I was young, she replied,
signing with her hands wet from peeling potatoes,
and when I could swing dance like nobody’s business.
Why was it nobody’s business?
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THE HEARTBEAT OF A DINOSAUR
She tilted her head and smiled at me. I guess
because I was the best there was, Babycakes.
Can you still dance like that? I couldn’t yet tell if I
was pushing her further than she wanted to go. But
I hadn’t let that stop me before and I didn’t let it
stop me now.
She looked downwards, setting down a potato
mid-peel, and her mouth got tight. Sweets, I danced
with the dinosaurs. Don’t see none of them ’round, do
ya? So you ain’t gonna see me doin’ no dance.
Even though I couldn’t hear the words, I knew
she was angry by the tensing muscles in her face
and the way she narrowed her lips. Angry, I guessed,
because she missed those memories. She sensed my
disappointment. ’Less of course you find me some
dinosaurs, she added, her eyes twinkling for just a
second.
Of course she was surprised when I came home
with it the next day, but I was pretty sure she’d
known that I wouldn’t let that twinkle disappear.
I’d picked it up at a thrift store on the way home
from school. It had been two dollars, but the lady at
the counter gave it to me for one, she said, because
I was smiling. Jazzie always did say that I could
charm December into skipping Christmas.
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THE HEARTBEAT OF A DINOSAUR
When she opened the box (which I had covered
sloppily with her wrapping paper) she smiled
quickly before stifling it and raising an eyebrow. It
was a wind-up dinosaur, green and scaly, and
ancient, rusting around its toothy mouth. Baby . . .
what in heaven’s name are you trying to get out of this.
Teach me to dance.
T
hat evening, Miss Jazzie turned the music up
so much that she and I could both feel it
vibrating in our bodies, up through our feet
and into our hips. She mouthed, Darlin’, good thing
you’re already deaf ’cause you certainly would be now
with all this clamor.
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THE HEARTBEAT OF A DINOSAUR
When I hesitated towards her, she yanked my
arm sternly. If we’re gonna dance, let’s get to it. She
was smiling underneath that stiff jaw, those
displeased eyes. I knew and she knew I knew. That
was why she put up with me, I guessed, because she
didn’t have to use so many words.
Slowly I moved with her—spinning and
stepping and swinging and rolling into her body,
which, just as slowly, was beginning to ease. I let
her energy flow through me like a splash of warm
water, and when we were finished, she lay on the
floor gasping and smiling, gazing at me as I
dramatically collapsed beside her.
Not so bad, kiddo. Haven’t felt so good since who
knows when. She heaved herself upward. I got up
and pulled her off the floor by her limp arms.
A’course, she mouthed, I’ll feel it tomorrow.
he’s an old woman, and old women don’t stay
around forever. The doctor was talking, but I
saw less in what he said than what I already
knew. Daddy had spoken to him at the door with
his back to me so I couldn’t read his lips. But I
wasn’t so concerned with their conversation as I
S
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THE HEARTBEAT OF A DINOSAUR
was with the soup, which I had been haphazardly
preparing to bring to Jazzie’s room
Miss Jazmine, he went on, is in a lot of pain. She
has been for a while now. She’s refusing diagnosis, so I
don’t know how long she has. I’ve tried to convince her
to come to the hospital, he patted my shoulder, but she
wants to stay put.
I
pretended to go to school the next morning, and
hid behind the house until Daddy had left for
work. When I climbed into Jazzie’s open
window, I saw that she was awake, but barely. Home
already? She smiled. I thought, she knows. She
knows everything—all the secrets of the universe.
I sat down next to her. Jazzie, I signed, am I
missing so much of the world . . . not being able to hear
words?
She took my wrist and squeezed it with the
familiar powdery coolness of her hands. Baby . . .
words ain’t nothin’. Fools use words to cover up for
what they can’t feel, what they can’t see, or understand.
But you got eyes that see what can’t be heard. She
closed her eyes. Like the heartbeat of a dinosaur.
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THE HEARTBEAT OF A DINOSAUR
Delia Gorman, Age 14, New Jersey
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2003
(A program of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Inc.)
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POINT OF VIEW
About Point of View
In literature, point of view is the
vantage point from which a story is told.
T
here are three points of view from which a story can be told.
{ In the first-person point of view, the person telling the story is also a character
in the story, and uses words such as I, me, and my to tell what she or he
observes and experiences.
{ In the third-person limited point of view, we see the story events from the
viewpoint of just one of the characters in it. This character is referred to in the
third person, e.g., he, she.
{ In the all-knowing, or omniscient, point of view, the narrator knows what
everyone in the story is feeling, thinking, and doing.
On the chalkboard, write the definition of point of view and of the three aspects of it
(above). To get students off on the right track, you may want to explain that the
definitions refer specifically to literature. Outside of literature, the term point of view
can mean opinion or attitude, as in “His point of view is that homework can be
interesting,” or “She has a stuck-up point of view about clothes.”
Introduce or review the point of view element of literature by showing the following
paragraphs on an overhead and reading them aloud or asking students to do so. Then
discuss the point of view used in each. (Answers: 1. first person; 2. third-person limited;
3. all-knowing; 4.third-person limited; 5.all-knowing; 6. first person)
1. I groped my way down the tree and fell with a thud into the mud. Then I heard
the guard dogs barking furiously as they bounded toward me. My heart began to
pound.
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2. She saw that her father was laughing hysterically, but she had no idea why. Was he
reading that silly book again?
3. In the school cafeteria, Jon felt lonely and out of place, so he gobbled his lunch as
fast as he could. On the other side of the table, Jeanne was wondering if she would
ever get used to this noisy, crowded school. As for Liddy, she was as depressed as
ever.
4. “Wow, am I ever happy to be home!” said Diamond to himself. He lay on his back
and put his feet up in the air. “That’s the last time I ever run away,” he thought.
Now he wondered when his people were going to serve his dinner. If only they
knew how absolutely starved an adventurous dog could get!
5. Cassy was a pioneer at heart. It ran in the family. Her father and grandfathers had
climbed the Alps. And years from now, Cassy would have a daughter who followed
in the family footsteps.
6. “Get out of my way!” Tina screamed at me. I had always been afraid of her temper,
so I stepped aside quickly.
Note: There are also books, including chapter books, in which the basic story is
presented from different points of view. That is, in one section we may see the situation
from X’s point of view, in another from Y’s point of view, and in still another from Z’s
point of view. Such examples are not included here, but if the subject comes up, grab
the opportunity to discuss still another aspect of point of view.
The reproducible activities in this lesson will help students integrate what they’ve
learned about point of view into their own stories.
The story in this lesson presents the first-person points of view in a touching way.
“The Heartbeat of a Dinosaur” is real-life and very moving.
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S T O RY S U M M A R I E S
The Heartbeat of a Dinosaur
B Y D ELIA G ORMAN
(First-person point of view)
his story tells about the special relationship a
girl has with her caretaker, Miss Jazzie. The
narrator is the unnamed girl who is deaf, and the
caretaker is an older woman who loves music and
once loved to dance. They form a special bond in
spite of their great differences. As the narrator
describes it, “We were like a garden with all different types of
flowers, growing in the same place. Somehow, seeming more alive.” The girl coaxes Miss
Jazzie into teaching her how to dance—with the music so loud she can feel the
vibrations. Miss Jazzie helps the narrator learn more than just how do dance. She helps
her to understand what a special person she is, and how much she really knows and sees
even though she can’t hear.
T
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Name
Date
Point of View
Another Point of View
Use the graphic organizer below to begin a story told from the point of view of someone you don’t
like or with whom you are in conflict. Your challenge is to try to get into that person’s head and see
situations from his or her angle. Use the third-person limited or first-person point of view. Also, use a
pseudonym—that is, another name—for the real-life person you’re representing. Continue your story
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. How he or she
sees herself.
2. How he or she sees you.
Point of View
____________________________
name
3. How he or she
views the conflict.
4. The resolution
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Name
Date
Point of View
Talk to Your Characters
Here’s a common situation for writers: You’ve thought of a main character for your story. You’re
going to tell the story from the first-person point of view. The way the character looks, the place
in which he or she lives, the character’s personality—you’ve got it all planned. So where do you
go with all this? For some reason, you’re stuck.
Suggestion: Relax. Close your eyes. See your character vividly in your mind’s eye and have a
silent talk with her or him. Then use the speech balloons to have him or her answer your
questions. Use the answers to continue your story.
Are you happy
right now?
If you had one wish,
what would it be?
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Who’s your best friend?
What are you most
proud of?
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