Literary Elements #5 When the Legends Die

Literary Elements #5 When the Legends Die   Chapters 28-31    Name:

1.  What does PURSES refer to in this passage? p116R, 160W  “When they found a town with free money, the bettors were suspicious of Red or of Tom.  When betting money was tight and Tom rode for purses, the purses were small. 

2. What’s going wrong with Red’s plan to make money? p116R, 160W “Red wouldn’t admit it but Tom had outgrown the look of a country boy, an awkward Indian kid…once in the saddle his skill and experience couldn’t be hidden.”

3. What does this colloquialism / idiom mean? p117R, 161W “Now we’re getting’ into God’s country, my old stompin’ ground….Now we’ll be eatin’ high on the hog.”

4. What does this implied metaphor mean? p118R, 163W “Then he saw another boy, in the corral at Red Dillon’s place, learning to be a bronc rider.  Learning how a bucking horse acted, how to ride clean and how to ride dirty…”

5. Why is this passage ironic? p118R, 163W “Back in his memory he saw a boy he once knew, a boy called Bear’s Brother…Then he saw another boy, in the corral at Red Dillon’s place, learning to be a bronc rider…He had known those boys.  He remembered them.  But he wasn’t Bear’s Brother and he wasn’t Thomas Black Bull.”

6. Can you tell from what point of view this passage is written? (First person, second person, third person?) p119R, 164W “…tensing every muscle as you let yourself down into the saddle…The feel of the horse you got through the rein, taut in your left hand.”

7. Can you find a simile that refers to the jolt Tom felt through the horse’s legs as it tried to throw him off? p119R, 164W

8. On p120R, 166W how does Red Dillon react when Tom says he is won’t lose on purpose anymore?
Why do you think Tom decided to stand up to Red?

9. On p121R, 166W how is Tom introduced when it is his turn to ride?
What does this symbolize?

10. On p121R, 167W what does Tom do that might seem surprising?  (Remember what Frank No Deer and Blue Elk did to him and his family.)
Do you think Tom justified in doing this?  Why or why not?

11. On p122R, 168W what does this passage reveal about Tom after he changed his appearance?
“He found a pool hall, went in, and chose a stool opposite a big wall mirror.  He sat there for an hour, vaguely watching the players, but mostly looking at himself in the mirror.  He went to a restaurant.  The waitress smiled at him.  He couldn’t understand why.”

12. On p123R, 169W a waitress is described.  What does this passage mean?
“Then he saw the crow’s-feet around her eyes, the slight pouchiness under her chin, the little blotches beneath the makeup on her face.”
What literary element is crow’s-feet?

13. On p123R, 169W what was the only thing that mattered to Tom now?
Why do you think this is so?

14. On p124R, 171-172W  Tom rides with “a cold viciousness and superb skill” …till the horse was “…snorting bloody foam.”  An old-timer said, “You’ve got a crawful of cockleburs, son.  What are you trying to do?  Kill  yourself, or kill every horse you straddle?”  What does the underlined part mean?   What literary element is it?

15. On p125R, 172W  The old-timer says, “You could be a champion…but if you keep on the way you’re going, you won’t live to see the day.”  Tom replies, “Does it matter?”
Why do you think Tom said that?  What did he mean?

16. On p125R, 172W  Tom trades the old pickup truck for a black Buick convertible.
Why do you think Tom did that?  What is he trying to do?

17. On p126-7R, 174-5W  Red Dillon says, “I never could save a dime. Somebody always took it off me.”  Who were the people who stole from Red since he was a child? 
Why do you think the author keeps bringing up the issue of stealing?

18. On p130R, 179W  Red Dillon is dying.  He says, “Take me home.  Don’t let me die in this rathole” and then he snarls saying, “Leave me alone, I don’t need you or anybody else.”  Then, “I didn’t mean that, Tom.”  Why does he go back and forth like that?  What lit element is it?

19. On p132R, 181-182W,  what kind of person is Doc Wilson?  What evidence shows he is not like the stereotypical doctor? 
What evidence shows he is a good man?

20. On p133R, 183W,  the doctor quotes George Herbert when he is talking to Tom: “Time is the rider that breaks youth.”  What does this rodeo metaphor mean?

21. On p134R, 185W, Tom thinks to himself, “Nobody else can live your life for you.  You have to ride your own furies.”  In Greek mythology, Furies were 3 avenging spirits who punished and tormented evildoers, never giving them any rest or peace.  What does this allusion mean?