The Illustrated Man

1951

COMPREHENSIVE READING GUIDE

COMMUNICATION ARTS

MISS DOMAN

NAME: ______

PERIOD: ______

FINAL DUE DATE: ______

**Complete sentence answers or NO CREDIT for assignment.

**Collected at final due date or INCOMPLETE 0.0 for second quarter!

DIRECTIONS

Background: The Illustrated Man is a novel you will understand and enjoy reading because of the interesting characters and many stories.

Task: Because of the many characters, ideas, themes, and subthemes tied into the stories found in The Illustrated Man, organization and comprehension can be challenging. In order for you to maximize you reading experience with Bradbury’s novel, you will complete this comprehensive reading guide.

Purpose: The purpose of reading this novel and completing the guide is to gain an understanding of the elements of science fiction, connect themes with other literature, your own life, and contemporary culture, engage in written analysis, participate in large and small group discussion, research, evaluate, and participate in presentations.

Audience: Your audience will be the teacher for final evaluation and your peers during discussion.

Procedure:

1. Read all of the directions in each section as you progress through the reading guide. All directions must be followed or NO CREDIT will be given.

2. COMPLETE SENTENCES must be written for all answers or no credit will be given for the entire assignment!

3. Where indicated, answers must include evidence from the novel (quote, passage, etc.) with page number or NO CREDIT will be given for assignment.

4. Complete each portion of the study guide on the assigned due date. This WILL count as homework toward your homework grade for the second quarter.

5. In addition, your completed reading guide will be collected as a whole for a test grade on the assigned due date.

6. Take notes during discussion and as you read.

7. See the teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

The Illustrated Man

Summary for “The Prologue”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “The Prologue”

Directions: Read each question/statement below. Write your answer in COMPLETE SENTENCES on the lines provided or NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN. Include a quoted line or passage from the story to support your point.

1. What genre is The Illustrated Man?

2. What is the setting?

3. How was the illustrated man dressed? Give a textual example.

4. What type of work was the illustrated man used to doing? Give a textual example.

5. List ten adjectives to describe the illustrated man when he first meets the narrator.

6. Does the narrator know the man is illustrated when he first meets him? Give textual examples.

7. How old is the illustrated man?

8. What does he say his illustrations can do?

9. Why did the man decided to get tattooed? Give a textual example.

10. Summarize/paraphrase what the man says about his tattoos.

11. Describe the lady who tattooed the man. Why is he looking for her? Give a textual example.

12. How does the man say he tried to get rid of the illustrations?

13. What happens to the illustrations as night?

14. Explain the line “Everyone wants to see the pictures, and yet nobody wants to see them” (2).

15. What is the purpose of the empty spot on the man’s right shoulder?

16. How many illustrations are on the man’s body?

Summary for “The Veldt”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “The Veldt”

Directions: Read each question/statement below. Write your answer in COMPLETE SENTENCES on the lines provided or NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN. Where indicated include a quoted line or passage from the story to support your point.

1. Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist?

2. What is an allusion? Why does Bradbury use so many in this first short story? What is the first allusion in “The Veldt?” How is it significant to the plot?

3. When George Hadley entered the nursery, what type of scene did he discover? Give a textual example.

4. How did his wife Lydia feel about the nursery? Give a textual example.

5. When the father confronted the children about the African scene in the nursery, how did the children respond? Did the parents believe them?

6. Describe the Hadley’s Happy-life Home. What are some of its features, what conveniences is it designed to provide, and what is ironic about its name?

7. Describe the nursery, both as a marketed ideal and as it is presented in the story. What was the feeling the father and mother were getting from the intense scene depicted in the nursery when they entered? At what point does it become a menacing place? Give textual examples.

8. Describe the character of the Hadley’s as parents. What type of parents are they? What type of children are Wendy and Peter?

9. David McClean, the Hadleys’ psychologist friend warns that the nursery has taken over George and Lydia’s role as parents. How might this have happened? Do you see parallels with today’s electronic gadgets and toys?

10. What does he suggest the father do about the nursery and the children? Give textual examples.

11. If the nursery is a symbol, what does it symbolize? Consider the ordinary connotation or suggestion of the word “nursery” in your response.

12. What restrictions does the father impose on Wendy and Peter? Why might this cause hostility and resentment toward the parents? What does this foreshadow?

13. Explain the quote “Where before they [children] had a Santa Clause, now they have a scrooge” (16).

14. At one point, George Hadley comments that the nursery may not like being shut off. What are the implications of this statement?

15. State how the children reacted when the father “killed” the nursery. Give textual support.

16. Both George and Lydia feel uneasy about the technology in their home. Why, then, do they maintain it?

17. Explain the quote “We were, [dead] for a long while. Now we’re going to really start living” (17).

18. George discovers two bloody items in the nursery. What are they, and how do they foreshadow his and Lydia’s demise? What other foreshadowing clues does the veldt scene provide? How might Bradbury be suggesting the virtual reality mechanism in the nursery operates?

19. Explain the quote “And suddenly they [parents] realized why those screams had sounded so familiar. What does Bradbury suggest about the actions of the children?

20. What is the theme of “The Veldt?” How is this theme dramatized in the story?

Summary for “Kaleidoscope”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “Kaleidoscope”

1. What did the astronauts fail to do which would have saved them from falling haphazardly through space?

2. Why did Hollis have to stop the screaming of one of his men at all costs? What did he do to stop the screaming? Did he feel guilty? Give a textual example.

3. Describe the relationship between Applegate and Hollis. Give textual examples.

4. Why wasn’t Hollis angry at what Applegate did?

5. Describe the relationship between Hollis and Lespere. Give textual examples.

6. In what way does Lespere feel he is better off than Hollis?

7. How does Lespere’s death carry more meaning with it? How has Hollis changed? Why? Give textual examples.

8. What was happening to Hollis’s body as he fell through space?

9. How did Applegate change?

10. How did the chapter get its name?

11. Where did Hollis finally hit? What was Hollis’ last wish? Give textual support.

Summary for “The Other Foot”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “The Other Foot”

1. Explain the meaning of the title.

2. What are the people waiting for?

3. Name the setting of the story. What is so odd about this place?

4. Why were the African Americans on Mars?

5. Why had no “Earth people”—white men—been to Mars in twenty years? Give textual example.

6. What was Hattie afraid the townspeople might do?

7. Identify the reasons why Willie hates the Earth people. Give a textual example.

8. What does he think is only fair?

9. Describe the man who came off the rocket.

10. What does the man tell the people on Mars? What does he ask the inhabitants of mars to do?

11. What do the Mars’ people decide to do with the visitor?

12. What caused the people to change their minds about revenge?

13. Explain the quote “I really seen him clear” (38).

Summary for “The Man”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “The Man”

Directions: Read each question/statement below. Write your answer in COMPLETE SENTENCES on the lines provided or NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN. Where indicated, include a quoted line or passage from the story to support your point.

1. Explain why Captain Hart is so upset.

2. What reason does Martin give to Captain Hart for space travel? Give a textual example.

3. What information does martin give to Captain Hart about the lack of reception committee?

4. Describe the person who appeared in the city. Give a textual example.

5. What is Martin’s reaction to the people and their story?

6. Does Captain Hart believe the story? Give a textual example.

7. Which rockets arrive? What condition are the occupants in?

8. What happened to Burton? What does Captain Hart now realize?

9. When Hart asks the mayor for the stranger’s location, what is the mayor’s answer?

10. What does Hart do?

11. Where is Hart going? Does Martin know?

12. What is Hart going to ask for when he finds the stranger?

13. What do Martin and the crew do?

14. Where is the stranger?

Summary for “The Long Rain”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “The Long Rain”

1. What were the men in search of and why?

2. What planet were they on?

3. Specifically describe the building the men were looking for.

4. What was the “electric monster?” Describe it and give a textual example.

5. What did the men encounter when they reached their “destination?”

6. What did Pickard say happened to the building?

7. What did he say happened to the men?

8. What did the men then decide to do?

9. Explain what Pickard experienced while he slept.

10. What did the men fear would happen to Pickard if they left him and how?

11. Explain what Simmons did and why.

12. Explain how the lieutenant reacted.

13. What did the lieutenant find despite all the obstacles he went through?

Summary for “The Last Night of the World”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “The Last Night of the World”

1. What is the question asked at the beginning of the chapter?

2. What is the man’s dream?

3. What is so unusual about it?

4. How long will it take for the world to end? Why? What is the date?

5. Explain the reactions of the people in the story. Give a textual example.

6. How do the husband and wife decide to spend their last night?

7. What is the last thing the wife does? Why is this so unusual?

Summary for “Marionettes, Inc.”

Directions: Write a 5-10 sentence summary or paraphrase for this section of the novel. Your summary should include the setting, key characters, the climax, and resolution.

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Guided Reading Questions for “Marionettes, Inc.”

1. When the reader first meets Smith and Braling what are they discussing?

2. Explain why Braling married. Give a textual example.

3. Explain why Smith is unhappy. Give a textual example.

4. What does Smith decide to do?

5. What does Smith discover?

6. What is the truth about Nettie?

7. Explain the problem with Braling II. Give textual support.

8. How does the chapter end?