QUOTATIONS - QUOTES AND ANALYSIS

15.) The curiosity does push Ross to explore the appeal of The Wave, as seen in this passage: On his own, Ben had tried to find out what it was that attracted students to The Wave. Some of those he asked said it was just something new and different, like any fad. Others said they liked the democracy of it - the fact that they were all equals now. It pleased Ross to hear that answer. He enjoyed thinking that he had helped break down the petty popularity contests and cliques that he felt often preoccupied too much of his students' thinking and energy. A few students even said they thought the idea of increased discipline was good for them. That had surprised Ben. Over the years, discipline had become an increasingly personal responsibility. If the students didn't do it themselves, their teachers were less and less inclined to step in. Maybe this was a mistake, Ben thought. Perhaps one of the results of his experiment would be a general rebirth of school discipline. He even daydreamed about a story in the education section of Time magazine: Discipline Returns to the Classroom: Teacher Makes Startling Discovery. (73)

Note how this paragraph begins with his curiosity about students, then ends by focusing on himself and the possible glory he secretly hopes to achieve. The headline imagined by Ben Ross is freighted with self-reflexive irony in its second clause. The phrase discipline returns to classroom is a straightforward statement, but that this is considered a startling discovery pokes fun at just how unusual the notion of academic discipline has become. It is an implicit admission of how much the educational establishment has given up on students wanting discipline in their lives - an exaggeration perhaps, but one often felt by educators in their day-to-day dealings with students.

16.) Laurie Saunders is cautious about The Wave, but is tempted by what it offers her as editor-in-chief of the school paper - both as a story and as an organizing principle.

She was aware that The Wave was worth a story, and maybe a big story at that. A couple of days ago it had even occurred to her that something like The Wave was probably just what the sluggish, disorganized staff of The Grapevine itself needed. But she had set the idea aside. She couldn't even explain her decision consciously. It was just............

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; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.