“First Tastes” From Scratch
(FYI the page #’s are only relevant if you have my version!) Please respond in sentences!
1. (11) Tembi has arrived in Italy after a long journey and admits that “I couldn’t wait to get away from the bulk of the girls on the exchange program.” Why?
2. (12) Explain this simile and its context. “I felt like a troll in Gap jeans, V-neck T-shirt, and lace boots….”
3. (15) What is the situation that causes Tembi to admit “I cleaned toilets at No Entry off the books, before or after my classes.”
4. (17) What is the context of this line in regards to her husband and how did this happen? “and in so doing had broken a bloodline of farmers going back centuries.”
5. (20) Explain Saro’s BIG gift to Tembi.
6. (21) Explain the IRONY of this quote on a chocolate wrapper within the context of this memoir. “Oscar Wilde quote ‘To love oneself is the beginning of a love affair that will last a lifetime.’”
7. (28) Exactly why IS Acqua al 2 is such a popular hangout?
8. (29) Explain this simile and its context. “All indications were that she thought I was a man-hungry trollop who had yet to find Christ.”
9. (30) Specifically (and back to the bike) WHY does Tembi refer to Saro as “He’s my bicycle thief, remember?”
10. (32) Explain the context of this quote. “I had been cornered for a primer on American pop culture.
11. (34-35) “Love, as a lasting thing, was a concept that was elusive to me.” Explain how Tembi’s parents’ marriage undoubtedly swayed her to this conclusion. Also, what are the origins of Tembi’s name?
12. (37) How is Tembi’s dad dressed when he visits her in Italy? What’s your reaction to his choice of wardrobe?
13. (40) Explain the context of this quote. “I was the daughter of a black activist who was suggesting I had sold out.”
14. (43) Explain the context of this quote. “The peace part is the key.”
“Island of Stone” From Scratch
(FYI the page #’s are only relevant if you have my version!) Please respond in sentences!
1. (97) (2nd para) Explain in our own words, Tembi’s “two contrasting visions.”
2. (98) (last para – 99) “Being with his daughter in his homeland healed his heart as much as, if not more than, the chemotherapy healed his body….” Tembi references her own “physical and emotional toll” as well. Comment on these two contrasts and how this signals the need “to begin at an ending.”
3. (101) “…family is about whom you choose and how you love.” Do YOU agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?
4. (103) “The earth is low.” Or la terra e vascia – Explain this parable!
5. (104) “in a town where betrayals and transgressions can follow you for generations.” Do YOU agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?
6. (105) “Her face went from stoicism to the pallor of paper….” What just happened and why has Nonna reacted in this way?
7. (105-106) “She shuffled her toward her front door, away from the street scene, with the efficiency of a first responder…” ha! What type of IMAGERY does this sentence bring to mind?
8. (107-110) “I had never witnessed a Sicilian wake.” Share several of the EVENTS that are happening at this time…Also, why are there three packets of ashes and how does a dream inspire Tembi with plans for her husband’s ashes?
9. (114) “Everyone comes over here for you. He was my dad. Why don’t they come for me?” OUCH! Specifically, how does Tembi honor this request from Zoela?
10. (119) “It was my salvation then and had been from day one.” What is Tembi referring to?
AND NOW!!! Incorporate a FAB paragraph – minimum 6-7 sentences of elaboration relating ANYTHING from either “First Tastes” or “Island of Stone” to a Memoir Element. Be sure to identify the Memoir Element! Do NOT use 1st person and include a minimum of TWO quotes with your elaboration and please document the page #’s…(for example, Locke 18 for the 1st quote and just pg # following as long as the author doesn’t change!)
Also, remember the 25 Great Sentences?? Pull a quote from any of the seven scenarios you were introduced to in the chapter on “First Person.” And source your quote (for example, Woods 162)