STYLE

Alex Kotlowitz is a reporter, and as such, he creates a narrative that is much like reading a newspaper. His prose is sparse and to the point without much philosophizing. He leaves most conclusions about what he presents to the reader. And yet he appeals to our heart with his presentation and expresses empathy in his narration.

RISING ACTION

The rising action begins with the boys' trip to the railroad tracks, which leaves a lasting impression on Pharoah and ends with Lafeyette's arrest for vandalizing a car.

FALLING ACTION

The falling action can be found in the Epilogue where the author tells the fates of....

POINT OF VIEW

The point of view is third person omniscient. The author has total control of the narrative and tells it, with the exception of........

OTHER ELEMENTS

FORESHADOWING

There are several other literary devices that pop up at various times in the story. One is foreshadowing which frequently presents clues of something that will happen later in the novel. Some examples of foreshadowing include:

1. LaJoe assertion that you can smell the coming of death in the fetid pools of water, the garbage, or rotting cat carcasses foreshadows Bird Leg's murder.

2. Pharoah had good dreams and his stutter is almost gone, two signs that he...........

IRONY

One of the most important elements to note is irony - when something happens, or is seen, or is heard that we may know, but the characters do not, or that appears opposite of what is expected. Some examples of irony include:

1. It is ironic that Henry Horner Homes sit so close to downtown Chicago that all the important white people and tourists could watch from the Sears Tower as Lafeyette ducks gunfire on his birthday.

2. Lafeyette cautions Pharoah about Rickey who could get him in trouble, but in the end, Lafeyette begins to..........

 

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; important quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, and imagery; a key facts summary; detailed analysis of the use of foreshadowing and irony; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.