CORNELL NOTES
Topic: Nadia the Willful
By Sue Alexander
Name:
_____________________________
Class:
_____________________________
Date:
________________________
Hour:
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ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What are the major ideas, plot events, and characterization in
the story Nadia the Willful by Sue Alexander?_________________________________
QUESTIONS:
1. Why does Hamed
NOTES:
Hamed is looking for new fertile grazing land for the sheep.
Ride into the desert?
2. How does the
Setting affect the story?
Hamed dies in a sandstorm, one of the hazards of the desert, and
Because the story is set in a Bedouin tribe, Tarik is the law.
3. What happens to Nadia
When she disobeys her father
And does not speak Hamed’s
Name?
Her grief builds up inside of her. She cries and lashes out at everyone.
People avoid her, and she becomes even lonelier.
4. Why is Nadia’s mother
Frightened for her?
Nadia’s mother knows how angry Tarik will be if he hears Nadia
speaking Hamed’s name. Nadia’s mother doesn’t know what Tarik will do
5. What is Tarik’s response
When Nadia asks him if he
He says that he cannot remember anything about his son—how he looked
Or sounded. He weeps.
Remembers Hamed’s face?
6. Nadia “gives back”
Hamed To Tarik by:
Nadia “gives back” Hamed to Tarik by telling stories about Hamed, thus
Forcing Takik to remember his.
7. What is Nadia’s response
To the main conflict?
Nadia’s response to the main conflict is that she refuses to stop talking
Hamed and chooses to remember him instead.
SUMMARY:
A Bedouin girl named Naida must come to terms with the death of her favorite brother, Hamed. Nadia’s
father, the sheik of their clan, responds to his grief by decreeing that Hamed must never be spoken of
again. Nadia did not believe in this decree. Through example, she teacher her father how to keep Hamed’s
memory alive.
QUESTIONS:
8. Theme should express an
Idea about human nature that
Everyone can understand. Do
You think the author’s message
About memories work? Explain
9. What is Characterization?
10. Some ways to understand a
Character are:
NOTES:
Theme: The best way to keep memories alive is to share them.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Finish Reading a text
List topics
Pick 1 Topic and write “The author believes…”
Cross out “The author believes…” and fix it up!
Characterization is the way an author describes a character.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Physical description
Dialogue
Action/Behavior
Opinions of other characters
Thoughts
11. Complete the Plot Line for
Nadia the Willful:
Shepard Boy says Hamed’s name
and Tarik hears. Tarik banishes
the boy despite Nadia’s
objections. Nadia can no longer
feel peace because everyone
stopped talking about Hamed
again.
Nadia figures out that talking about
Hamed to the people of the Tribe allows
her to find peace within herself. Her mom
warns her to stop, fearing Tarik.
Nadia the Willful
Sue Alexander
After Nadia couldn’t take it
anymore, she confronts Tarik
to teach him how to remember
Hamed, by talking about him
and remembering the things he
used to say and do, which
made Tarik finally smile.
Tarik forbids the clan to speak of
Hamed, which causes Nadia to have a
very bad temper because she couldn’t
talk about him.
Hamed goes on a journey to find
grazing ground for the sheep, but he
dies from a sandstorm, causing Tarik
and Nadia severe grief.
Internal: Person vs. Self
(Nadia and Tarik are grieving Hamed’s
loss)
External: Person vs. Person
(Tarik doesn’t let Nadia Speak of Hamed)
External: Person vs. Nature
(Hamed dies because of a sandstorm; hard
living in desert)



Desert, oasis, tents,
Tribe/clan
Friendly
tribe/clan where
the Bedouins
live.
Nadia
Hamed
Tarik
Nadia
Tarik
Tarik announces that Nadia
is no longer ‘willful’ but
‘wise’ for teaching the tribe
how to bring back Hamed
by remembering him.
Memories can be kept alive if
shared with others.