Name ______
English 9
Period ___
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Characters:
Asa Briggs: lead counsel for the defense of James King
Wendell Bolden: a witness who testifies that he bought cigarettes from Bobo
Evans
Osvaldo Cruz: a fourteen year old member of the Diablos; testifies that he
participated in the robbery because he was afraid of Bobo Evans
José Delgado: drugstore clerk
Allen Forbes: city clerk
Richard “Bobo” Evans: a prisoner who is serving 7 ½ to 10 years for selling
drugs
Jerry Harmon: Steve’s younger brother
Steve Harmon: a sixteen year old boy accused of participating in a robbery
that led to the death of the store owner
Lorelle Henry: a retired school librarian who is a witness in the case
Johnny: an acquaintance of Steve and James King
Mr. Karyl: detective
James King: a twenty-three year old “acquaintance” of Steve who is accused of
killing Nesbitt
Dr. James Moody: medical examiner
Dorothy Moore: James King’s cousin
Aguinaldo Nesbitt: a 55 year old store owner who was well-respected in the
neighborhood and sponsored a Little League team
George Nipping: witness that testifies that King is left-handed
Kathy O’Brien: Steve’s defense attorney
Peaches: an acquaintance of Steve and James King
Sandra Petrocelli: the prosecutor
George Sawicki: Steve’s film club mentor
Tony: Steve’s neighborhood friend
Mr. Williams: young detective
Salvatore Zinzi: a prisoner who is serving six months on a stolen property
charge
Pages 1-58
1. Describe the setting.
2. What does Steve name his notebook, and why?
3. Characterize Steve Harmon.
4. What advice does Kathy O’Brien give Steve before the trial?
5. According to Sandra Petrocelli, the prosecutor, why are James King and
Steve Harmon on trial?
6. Summarize the testimony of José Delgado.
7. Summarize the testimony of Salvatore Zinzi.
8. Why do you think Steve includes the flashback of his and Tony’s encounter
with the “tough guy” in his screenplay?
9. Summarize the testimony of Wendell Bolden.
10. Why do you think Steve includes the flashback of himself and his brother
Jerry in his screenplay?
Identify the following quotes and explain their significance within the plot.
11. “I see a face looking back at me but I don’t recognize it. It doesn’t
look like me.” (page 1)
12. “This is not a movie about bars and locked doors. It is about being
alone when are not really alone and about being scared all the time.” (pages
3,4)
13. “It’s a motion case.” (page 14)
14. “My job is… to make you a human being in the eyes of the jury.” (page 16)
15. “But there are also monsters in our community…” (page 21)
Reading response: Why do you think Steve chooses to tell his
story in the form of a screenplay? How does this format affect the story?
Web/outline:
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Pages 59-116
1. Contrast Steve's and Miss O’Brien’s interpretations of Petrocelli’s
motivation for using criminals like Bolden as witnesses.
2. Describe Steve’s dream.
3. How does Petrocelli take advantage of Detective Karyl’s health problem,
and what does this imply about her character?
4. What might be the motives of Zinzi and Bolden in testifying?
5. What do detectives Karyl and Williams discuss at the table in Steve’s
presence?
6. Contrast Osvaldo Cruz’s behavior in court versus how he acted in his
neighborhood.
7. When and why does Steve cry?
8. According to Briggs, what was Osvaldo’s “choice”?
9. According to Osvaldo, how was he initiated into the Diablos gang? Why is
this testimony important to O’Brien?
10. Describe Steve’s visit from his father.
Identify the following quotes and explain their significance within the plot.
11. “I want to feel like I’m a good person because I believe I am. But being
here with these guys makes it hard to think about yourself as being
different…” (page 62)
12. “And it really isn’t hard to find people who are in jail or whom you
arrest to swear that somebody else is a bad guy? Isn’t that right?” (page 75)
13. “Half of those jurors… believed you were guilty the moment they laid eyes
on you…” (page 79)
14. “What was he going to do, scare me?” (page 96)
15. “It’s like a man looking down to see his son and seeing a monster
instead.” (page 116)
Reading response: Try to be objective and decide who you think is
winning this case. (Who is presenting a better argument to the jury, asking
better questions to the witnesses, etc.) If you were a juror, what would you
think at this point in the trial? What other information would you want to
know before the jury deliberates?
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Pages 117-170
1. How does Steve react when he hears the two women talking?
2. How does Mrs. Harmon react when her son is taken away?
3. According to Miss O’Brien, what cheap trick does Petrocelli use on the
half-day session?
4. On pages 131-136, Steve’s screenplay outlines how the movie would appear
as a four way split-screen montage. (Four pictures would appear at once on
the screen.) Draw the movie screen in the space below. In each of the four
sections, draw or describe who/what would appear.
5. Contrast the reactions of Steve and James King when they hear Dr. Moody’s
medical explanation of how Nesbitt died. What does this imply about their
characters?
6. Describe the conversation between Steve and James King at Marcus Garvey
Park.
7. Why does Steve believe that men in prison fight so frequently?
8. Summarize the testimony of Lorelle Henry.
Identify the following quotes and explain their significance within the plot.
9. “I ain’t shocked.” (page 121)
10. “It was me, I thought as I tried not to throw up, that had wanted to be
tough like them.” (page 130)
11. “She smiled at me, and I felt embarrassed that a smile should mean so
much.” (page 137)
12. “Isn’t that what being guilty is all about? You actually do
something?…” (page 140)
13. “It was me who lay on the cot wondering if I was fooling myself.” (page
148)
14. “I just desperately wish this was only a movie.” (page 159)
15. “I think I’m identifying the right man.” (page 169)
Reading Response: How do you feel about Steve? Is he a sympathetic
character? Do you believe that he was a victim of circumstance, or do you
feel that he was a part of a robbery scheme that resulted in the death of an
innocent man and, therefore, should be held responsible? If he is guilty,
what should his punishment be? If he is not guilty, who should be held
responsible instead of Steve? Defend your position with details and examples
from the book.
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Pages 171-233
1. Summarize Bobo’s testimony.
2. What deal does Bobo get for his testimony?
3. What discrepancies does O’Brien find in Bobo’s testimony? Is Bobo a
credible witness? Why or why not?
4. How might Bobo’s testimony affect the case?
5. When Miss O’Brien asks Steve to write down people in his life that he
admires, who does he choose? Why do you think he chooses this person?
6. Summarize Dorothy Moore’s testimony.
7. Summarize George Nipping’s testimony.
8. Why does O’Brien advise Steve to testify?
9. What “game” does O’Brien play with Steve in the interior room?
10. Summarize Steve’s testimony.
Identify the following quotes and explain their significance within the plot.
11. “So you’re relying pretty much on what you’ve been told about this
robbery…” (page 191)
12. “We lie to ourselves here. Maybe we are here because we lie to
ourselves.” (page 203)
13. “You’re going to have to break the link.” (page 215)
14. “Truth is something you gave up when you were out there on the street.
Now you talking survival…” (page 222)
15. “…I know I wasn’t in the drugstore that day.”
Reading response: Were you surprised by Steve’s testimony? Do
you think the jury believed him? Make a prediction regarding the outcome of
this case and the resolution of this novel.
Web/outline:
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Pages 234-281
1. Summarize George Sawicki’s testimony.
2. Summarize Briggs’ closing remarks.
3. Summarize O’Brien’s closing remarks.
4. Summarize Petrocelli’s closing remarks.
5. Who were the three witnesses that testified that King was in the store?
6. Summarize the resolution of this book.
7. After the trial, how have Steve’s relationships with his parents changed?
Identify the following quotes and explain their significance within the plot.
8. “They are all equally guilty.” (page 260)
9. “He made a moral decision to participate in this getover.” (page 262)
10. “What did she see?” (page 281)
Reading response: Why do you think the jury decided as it did?
Do you think that justice was served? Do you think Nesbitt’s family would
agree? Why or why not?
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