Transcript The ABC's of Milkweed PowerPoint

The ABC’s of
Milkweed
Nicole Benjou
Midterm Project
Literature Circles Extension
Fall 2006
Milkweed
By Jerry Spinelli
A is for Armband
I was about to open the
door when Mr. Milgrom
said, “No, wait.” Slumped
against one wall was a
large, stuffed cloth bag
embroidered in black
and green designs. Mr.
Milgrom reached into the
bag and pulled out a
blue-and-white
armband. He slipped it
over my coat sleeve onto
my right arm. “I got this
for you,” he said.
(page 94-95)
B is for Buttercream
We ate candy all day
long. My favorite was
buttercream with a
hazelnut inside. There
was usually only one to
a candy box and often
not even that, and I
was not good at telling
them on sight. So I
broke open chocolates
by the hundreds,
searching for my prize.
(page 25)
C is for Cow
The cow had become
something to believe
in or not to believe in.
Like angels. Mothers.
Oranges. How could
something as large as
a cow live in the
ghetto and not be
seen? How could it
survive? What would
it eat? Rubble dust?
(page 115)
D is for Dr. Korczak
I loved his goatee
even more than his
mustache. It was so
soft and white. I
wanted to rub my face
in it. I wanted to climb
inside it and live there
and peek out. I think
he wanted me to be
an orphan very badly.
I hated to disappoint
him.
(page 54)
E is for Enemy
I thought: This is what
the enemy does. He
flies overhead in his
airplane. If he sees
you in the street
below, he reaches
out and drops a
bomb on your head.
(page 16)
F is for Family
And Uncle Shepsel,
propped on his elbow, was
pointing at me and saying,
“Why is he sleeping here?
He smells.”
“I regret to inform you,”
said Mr. Milgrom, “that you
are not a rose garden
yourself these days.”
Uncle Shepsel pounded
the floor. “He’s not family.”
Mr. Milgrom looked straight
at him. “He is now.”
(page 99)
G is for Ghetto
They marched us to
the ghetto. Since they
had finished the brick
wall – topped with
broken glass and coils
of barbed wire – I had
not been able to visit
Janina. I took this as a
personal insult and
challenge.
(page 79)
H is for Horses
The horses went round
and round. As each
wonderful horse went by,
its large black eye
seemed to look straight
at me. So proud and
high were their heads, I
saw for the first time how
miserable were the real
horses plodding the
streets.
(page 60)
I is for Interchangeable
They found the Jew.
Or should I say, they
found a Jew. Jews
were
interchangeable.
One was as good as
another. I was to
learn this many times.
(page 66)
J is for Janina
Her elbows were on
her knees and her
face leaned into her
cupped hands. Her
hair was curly and the
color of bread crust.
Her eyes were brown
as chestnuts. They
were very big.
(page 29)
K is for Katherine
When I said one day
to my daughter,
Katherine, “Drive
around, out of town,”
and I brought along a
trowel and a bucket,
she did not ask why.
Why I said, “Stop
here,” and dug it up,
she said only,
“Milkweed, right?”
(page 207)
L is for Lice
Using all my strength, I
was finally able to pull
the comb through my
hair. I could feel the
lice and their eggs
peppering the back
of my neck. I heard
them ticking onto the
floor.
(page 159)
M is for Milgrom
When you own
nothing, it’s easy to
let things go. I
supposed my last
name was Milgrom
now, so Pilsudski went
too. I kept Misha. I
liked it.
(page 104)
N is for Nazis
Jackboots and Flops
came through the
lines, screaming into
the people’s faces,
poking them with
clubs and rifles,
spitting in their faces.
(page 96)
O is for Orphans
“Unlucky orphans,” I
said. I told her that was
what Enos called them
– orphans who did not
live in Doctor Korczak’s
home, or any other,
and who roamed the
streets hungry and
begging and sick.
(page 84)
P is for Pickled Egg
Although Janina did not
like her comb, I knew of
something she would like
very much. Almost every
time she ate I heard her
mutter, “I wish I had a
pickled egg.” I knew
about pickled herring
but not pickled eggs. I
thought: I’ll find an egg
and a pickle.
(page 161)
Q is for Quick
“He’s stupid,” said the
unlaughing boy. “He’ll
get us in trouble.”
“He’s quick,” said Uri.
“And he’s little.”
“He’s a runt.”
“Runt is good,” said Uri.
(page 5)
R is for Running
I am running.
That’s the first thing
I remember.
Running.
(page 1)
S is for Stone Angel
I thought of the stone
angel. I pictured the
snow falling over it,
two crests of snow
rising on the tops of its
wings. So silent, the
both of them, the
angel and the snow. I
pretended I was the
stone angel.
(page 98)
T is for Trains
We said nothing of the
trains the next day. We
didn’t have to.
Everyone in the ghetto
knew. The words were
in the air, buzzing with
the flies:
“Trains…”
“Deportations…”
“Stawki Station…”
(page 174)
U is for Uri
I had never seen him so
mad. His hair looked
redder than ever, only
this time it was not
because he was
laughing. He punched
me in the forehead. The
back of my head
banged against the wall.
“Someday I’m going to
have to kill you to keep
you alive.”
(page 59)
V is for Visible
When I finished eating
the tomato, I stood and
walked off. I didn’t run.
When I looked back,
she was still watching
me. Her round,
unblinking eyes made
me feel as if I had just
become visible, as if I
had never been seen
before.
(page 29)
W is for Wendy Janina
“Wendy’s middle name.
I left it blank. I knew
someday I would find
you. She’s been waiting
four years for a middle
name. I want you to
give it to her.”
“Janina,” I said.
(page 206)
X is for Exist
Ferdi said,
“Oranges don’t
exist.”
“We don’t exist”
said Ferdi under
the rug one night.
(page 88)
Y is for Yellow Stone
I waggled my yellow
stone in Uri’s face.
“What about this?”
He stared. “Yes…it was
your father’s. He gave it
to you.”
I was greedy. “What
else?”
“Before you were
kidnapped,” he said.
“That’s all.”
(page 31)
Z is for Zionists
Voices shrieked
out of the blinding
lights: “Move!
Move! All you
filthy sons of
Abraham! All you
stinking Zionists! All
you dirty Jewish
pigs! Line up! Line
up!”
(page 95)