Level Questions

1. "It’s dark, night-time, there is mud in my mouth, in my eyes, and the rain keeps falling. I am trying to carry him, but the ground is wet. I lift him and fall, lift him and fall, lift him and fall, and he is silent. His arms hang lifeless at his sides. I am begging him to say something, Please! I am falling again, and holding his face to mine, holding him so close I can feel his warmth leave...Please talk to me! Please!" (Filer 190)

L1: Matt is talking about whom? What can you infer about why this person is not talking?

L2: The title is The Shock of the Fall. What does this passage have to do with the title? Is it the “fall” meaning death of the brother? Or is it the “fall” of Matt himself? Is that the real shock?

L3: Matt is said to have schizophrenia, in addition to being able to “hear voices.” What does this have to do with his brother not being able to talk since he is dead? Besides the irony, what else might it suggest?

   

2. (According to picture below...)

L1: Who is he?

L2: How does the language or words such as “bits” and “millions” relate to the blank space and words? Explain.

L3: What is the author’s purpose or intention for using this sentence? Why is it significant and stylistically set apart from the rest of the text? Do you think it has to do more with the context or significance of Simon?    

3. The Doll

L1: The “girl and her doll” chapter occurs in what time period of Matt’s life?

L2: What does the doll have to do with Simon’s death?

L3: The doll is a symbol of what in this book? If your answer is innocence then why?