Star Food by Ethan Canin
Interpretive Questions: Answer all questions in complete sentences, using quotes to support.
1.) Why does Dade spend so much time on the roof of the store?
- Dad spends so much time on the roof of the store because he is trying to avoid the stock work in the market, and he is also daydreaming and trying to engage in self-discovery and figure out what he wants to do with his life, "On the other hand, if I spent Saturday afternoon on the roof of my parents' grocery store staring up at the clouds instead of counting cracker cartons in the stockroom..."
2.) Why does Dade try to confuse his father by looking at the clouds when his father speaks to him about his future?
- Dade tries to confuse his father because it makes him look like he is thinking about the hard question, but he is also trying to avoid the question because he does not know what he wants to be in the future, "You're going to end up on one of those curbs," my father told me. Usually I stared farther into the clouds when he said something like that."(p. 131)
3.) Why does Dade think that the discovery of what he wants will come to him when he is on the roof?
- Dade thinks that the stars and the sky are prompting him to think about the future and will hopefully feed him the answer of what he will be in the future, "The air around me was as cool as water, the lighted swimming pools like pieces of the daytime sky. An important moment seemed to be rushing up. "Tell me what I want," I said again." (p. 143)
4.) Why does Dade finally tell his mother, “I’m not sure what my dreams are,…And I’m never going to discover anything”? (p. 147)
- Dade finally tells his mother that he is never going to discover anything because he is losing hope and confidence in himself. While he stares at the roof, he hasn't found anything that he could do in the future for awhile that he loses his confidence and tells his mother that, " And I'm never going to discover anything. All I've ever done on the roof is look at the clouds." (p. 147)
5.) Why does Dade feel “alone in the world” at the end of the story? (p. 150)
- Dade feels alone in the world because he wants to please his mom and please his dad, who have conflicting dreams for him, but he can't and he feels alone in that aspect, "It seemed you could never really know another person. I felt alone in the world, in the way that makes me aware of sound and temperature."
6.) Why does Dade let the woman go after they go into the stockroom?
- Dade lets the woman go because he does not know what to say or do, even though he has been waiting for that moment, that he panics and lets her go, "Still we didn't say anything to each other... She went on, crossed the street, and I lost sight of her." (p. 149)
7.) Why does Dade feel that the woman who is shoplifting knows something about him?
- Dade feels that the woman knows something about him and lets her go because Dade understands that she is stealing for survival and understands that she has to do it, and the woman understands that Dade is a nice enough person that she won't over do it and steal only what she has to, "...she took a loaf of rye from the shelf. Then she turned and looked me in the eye. We were looking into each other's eyes when she walked out the front door." (p. 134)
8.) After he sees the air force jets, why does Dade decide that he wants the woman to be caught?
- When Dade sees the air force jets, he decides that he wants the woman to be caught because he has been waiting for some sort of sign to prompt him to take action. He perceives the jets as the sign, and decides that he will catch the woman, "I stood there while they turned again behind me and lifted back toward the hills, trailing threads of vapor, and by the time their booms subsided I knew I wanted the woman to be caught. I had seen a sign." (p. 146)
9.) Why does Dade feel “strong and good” when he catches the woman but then feel “flushed…with remorse”? (p. 148)
- Dade feels strong when he catches her, but feels guilty afterwards because he is having a moral dilemma. Where calling the law on her would be the moral thing to do, he feels that he should do the immoral thing and let her go because he feels she needs it, "When I thought of this and the woman I was sad. It seemed you could never really know another person." (p. 150)
10.) Why does Dade walk with the woman after he lets her go?
- Dade walks with the woman after he lets her go because Dade just wanted answers and information from her, to see if his part of the story is the truth. He wants to know her and her story and situation, "It seemed we would be capable of a great communication now, but as we walked I realized I didn't know what to say to her." (p. 149)
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Appease (p. 134)
Quote: "To appease my father I cleaned the electric star, and though he often came outside to sweep, he stopped telling me to come down."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to satisfy or relieve a demand
Synonym: fulfill, pacify
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): To calm him down, she had to appease his demands and brought him candy.
2.) Competence (p. 137)
Quote: "For years my father had been trying to teach me competence and industry."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to do something efficiently
Synonym: successfully
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The players shows a great deal of competence in their own positions.
3.) Retrospect (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to review on the past course of events
Synonym: reflect
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): She thought that, in retrospect, she probably shouldn't have leaped off the cliff.
4.) Precedes (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): come before something
Synonym: foregoing, prior
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The long commercials precede the movie.
5.) Remorse (p. 148)
Quote: "This flushed me with remorse."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to feel guilty of something
Synonym: regret
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): She felt remorse after she tripped her friend into the pool.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when Dade is doing something to please himself or when he is doing something to please others. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
1.) Why does Dade spend so much time on the roof of the store?
- Dad spends so much time on the roof of the store because he is trying to avoid the stock work in the market, and he is also daydreaming and trying to engage in self-discovery and figure out what he wants to do with his life, "On the other hand, if I spent Saturday afternoon on the roof of my parents' grocery store staring up at the clouds instead of counting cracker cartons in the stockroom..."
2.) Why does Dade try to confuse his father by looking at the clouds when his father speaks to him about his future?
- Dade tries to confuse his father because it makes him look like he is thinking about the hard question, but he is also trying to avoid the question because he does not know what he wants to be in the future, "You're going to end up on one of those curbs," my father told me. Usually I stared farther into the clouds when he said something like that."(p. 131)
3.) Why does Dade think that the discovery of what he wants will come to him when he is on the roof?
- Dade thinks that the stars and the sky are prompting him to think about the future and will hopefully feed him the answer of what he will be in the future, "The air around me was as cool as water, the lighted swimming pools like pieces of the daytime sky. An important moment seemed to be rushing up. "Tell me what I want," I said again." (p. 143)
4.) Why does Dade finally tell his mother, “I’m not sure what my dreams are,…And I’m never going to discover anything”? (p. 147)
- Dade finally tells his mother that he is never going to discover anything because he is losing hope and confidence in himself. While he stares at the roof, he hasn't found anything that he could do in the future for awhile that he loses his confidence and tells his mother that, " And I'm never going to discover anything. All I've ever done on the roof is look at the clouds." (p. 147)
5.) Why does Dade feel “alone in the world” at the end of the story? (p. 150)
- Dade feels alone in the world because he wants to please his mom and please his dad, who have conflicting dreams for him, but he can't and he feels alone in that aspect, "It seemed you could never really know another person. I felt alone in the world, in the way that makes me aware of sound and temperature."
6.) Why does Dade let the woman go after they go into the stockroom?
- Dade lets the woman go because he does not know what to say or do, even though he has been waiting for that moment, that he panics and lets her go, "Still we didn't say anything to each other... She went on, crossed the street, and I lost sight of her." (p. 149)
7.) Why does Dade feel that the woman who is shoplifting knows something about him?
- Dade feels that the woman knows something about him and lets her go because Dade understands that she is stealing for survival and understands that she has to do it, and the woman understands that Dade is a nice enough person that she won't over do it and steal only what she has to, "...she took a loaf of rye from the shelf. Then she turned and looked me in the eye. We were looking into each other's eyes when she walked out the front door." (p. 134)
8.) After he sees the air force jets, why does Dade decide that he wants the woman to be caught?
- When Dade sees the air force jets, he decides that he wants the woman to be caught because he has been waiting for some sort of sign to prompt him to take action. He perceives the jets as the sign, and decides that he will catch the woman, "I stood there while they turned again behind me and lifted back toward the hills, trailing threads of vapor, and by the time their booms subsided I knew I wanted the woman to be caught. I had seen a sign." (p. 146)
9.) Why does Dade feel “strong and good” when he catches the woman but then feel “flushed…with remorse”? (p. 148)
- Dade feels strong when he catches her, but feels guilty afterwards because he is having a moral dilemma. Where calling the law on her would be the moral thing to do, he feels that he should do the immoral thing and let her go because he feels she needs it, "When I thought of this and the woman I was sad. It seemed you could never really know another person." (p. 150)
10.) Why does Dade walk with the woman after he lets her go?
- Dade walks with the woman after he lets her go because Dade just wanted answers and information from her, to see if his part of the story is the truth. He wants to know her and her story and situation, "It seemed we would be capable of a great communication now, but as we walked I realized I didn't know what to say to her." (p. 149)
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Appease (p. 134)
Quote: "To appease my father I cleaned the electric star, and though he often came outside to sweep, he stopped telling me to come down."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to satisfy or relieve a demand
Synonym: fulfill, pacify
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): To calm him down, she had to appease his demands and brought him candy.
2.) Competence (p. 137)
Quote: "For years my father had been trying to teach me competence and industry."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to do something efficiently
Synonym: successfully
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The players shows a great deal of competence in their own positions.
3.) Retrospect (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to review on the past course of events
Synonym: reflect
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): She thought that, in retrospect, she probably shouldn't have leaped off the cliff.
4.) Precedes (p. 148)
Quote: "I was standing in front of the counter, hands in my pockets, my mother's eyes watering over, the guard looking out the window at a couple of girls, everything revolving around the point of calm that, in retrospect, precedes surprises."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): come before something
Synonym: foregoing, prior
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The long commercials precede the movie.
5.) Remorse (p. 148)
Quote: "This flushed me with remorse."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to feel guilty of something
Synonym: regret
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): She felt remorse after she tripped her friend into the pool.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when Dade is doing something to please himself or when he is doing something to please others. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
What does he do to please others
- He pleases mom and stares at the stars to find his dreams - Pleases dad when he works at the store and does his responsibilities - He pleases his mom when he lets the shoplifter go out the back door - He pleases his dad when he catches the kid shoplifters - He pleases the shoplifter by letting her go and understanding her |
What does he do to please himself
- He goes on to the roof and stares at the stars and the clouds - He lets the shoplifter go even if knows its the wrong thing to do - He tries to avoid the stock work - He lets the thief go so he doesn't feel guilty - He avoids his mom and doesn't go to the store while his mom is waiting from him expectantly. |