Moon and Stars
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What is the relationship between the moon and stars?
What effect does the moon have on the stars?
How does the distance from the moon affect the stars?
Why is chief watching the moon and stars? What does he want to figure out?
Does he figure it out? Why or why not?
Who/what else in the book has a similar relationship to the one described between
moon and stars? What might the moon and stars symbolize?
Dog and Car
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Describe the dog itself (breed, age, health, etc.)
When chief first sees the dog, what is the dog doing, and why?
What is the dog compared to?
After listening to the geese, where does the dog go?
Why is the dog going there?
Does the dog make it there? Why or why not?
Who/what might the dog symbolize?
Who/what might the car symbolize?
Geese
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Where are the geese going and why?
What memory do the geese bring up for chief?
How does Chief describe the sounds that the geese make?
What allows Chief to finally see the geese?
Based on the description of the flock of geese, what are they being compared to?
Why are both the dog and chief so mesmerized by the flight of the geese?
The Birthmark
1. How does Nurse Pilbow feel about her birthmark?
2. What does she do to try to get rid of the birthmark?
3. Why does she think that these efforts will be effective?
4. Who/what does she think is responsible for the birthmark and why?
5. What does the birthmark symbolize?
6. What does Nurse Pilbow’s relationship with her birthmark symbolize?