Grade Levels: High School
Submitted by: Kristen, High School Teacher
Email: kristen_a_clarke@hotmail.com
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Aims and Objectives TOP This unit was used with a Grade 10 General English class and was designed to meet the following aims and objectives:
Knowledge:
Students will understand - The major events surrounding the story
- The major events between the main character and his brother
Skills:
Students will be able to
- Analyze text and develop character sketches
- Develop their research skills
- Work cohesively in small groups and independently
Values:
Students will appreciate The interdependence between people and their communities The rights, opinions, and concerns of others Rumble Fish was the second S.E. Hinton book done with this class. They appreciated the story and related to its content.
Internet Activity TOP - Run Netscape Communicator
- Open the following website: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/2483
- Look at the list of Characters on the left-hand side of the screen.
- Click on Rusty James and answer the following questions
This is Rusty James. This poor kid wants nothing' more than to be just like his older _________. Too bad for him, he can't. Rusty James is a __________ and lonely kid who struggles against his brother's personality the whole movie. Rusty James' problems stem from early in ______, when his mother decided to leave when he was only _______. Ever since then, Rusty James has felt choked whenever he is __________ or ________. You might think the tragedy of the movie is when Rusty James loses his __________, Patty (Diane Lane), but it isn't. The tragedy is the fact that _______________ can't live up to his brother's expectations. Rusty James' portrayal of inner troubles with youth is a _________, and Matt Dillon's performance is genuinely expressed.
- Click on the back button after you have completed the questions.
- Click on the second character in the list and answer the following questions.
This is Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke is the ________________. The Motorcycle Boy is Rusty James' older ___________. The Motorcycle Boy's dramatic entrance in the film is that of hurling ___________ into the air with the force of his bike at full _____________. This is probably the last thing the ___________ wanted to do upon returning from a trip he took to ____________, one of which many people questioned if he would even come back. ________________ struggles the whole movie against the Motorcycle Boy's "_________________" image. Rusty James tries desperately to be like the Motorboy, but is told...."you ain't got your brother's brains" and "you ain't never gonna look him". Coppola once said..."His (Motorcycle Boy) flaw is his inability to______________, and that's why I made him color-blind. He interprets life ______________________."
- Click back and look at the third character in the list.
This is Steve. He is played by Vincent Spano whom you may remember from Dillon's acting debut, OVER THE EDGE. Everybody has a friend like _________, including Rusty James. Although Rusty James and Steve are ____________ in every aspect of the word, Rusty James continues to hang out with Steve (despite ________________from Smokey) because he has "known him since kindergarten". Steve epitomizes the term "anal retentive" by keeping a running diary, carrying around his _____________text books (including "Subject and Structure"), and frequently saying things that give people an excuse to call him a __________. However, Steve is far from ____________. Besides the Motorcycle Boy, Steve is the only other youth that really knows what's going to become of the ill-fated Motorboy.
- Click back and look at the fourth character in the list.
This is ____________. Smokey's role is played by none other than Coppola's nephew, Nicholas Cage. In fact, in this picture Cage is wearing August Coppola's old club jacket ("The Wild Deuces"). Smokey is a rather ____________ character. He is seemingly frustrated with all the hype of the "rumbles" that Rusty James won't let die. Smokey pretends to take the side of ___________________ early in the movie, but it's obvious he has plans of his own. |
Chapter One TOP Answer the following questions using complete sentences. - Who came up to Rusty-James at the beginning of Chapter One?
- Where was Rusty-James?
- What were the employment options in this area?
- To whom did Steve want to introduce Rusty-James?
- Why did Steve make Rusty-James stomach clench?
Chapter Two TOP Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
- Where were they all hanging out?
- Who wanted to kill Rusty-James?
- What is Steve's concern?
- What kind of neighbourhood did the boys live in?
- Who was Rusty-James worried about?
- Describe Steve's character using the following chart:
Attribute Chart
Chapter Three TOP Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the novel.
___________ was Rusty-James' girlfriend. She was alone at night ______________ her little brothers because her Mother was a _____________ and worked at ___________. Rusty-James drank a ____________ from Patty's fridge before he went to fight ___________ at ______________ o'clock. Rusty-James walked _____________ to the fight with __________ and ___________. Rusty-James though that __________ was very tough and knew that he had on occasion, wanted to ___________ him. At the ___________ store, the boys turned into an ___________ and crawled through a ________ in the back ___________ and came out onto the _____________ lot. The lot was damp and it ___________ because of the factories further down. Only _____ of the guys who were in Benny's were there waiting for them. When Rusty-James counted the gang across the field, there were _________ of them including Biff. Biff was _________ years old and not any __________ than Rusty-James. He had a _____-__________ face and _______ blond hair. If gangs would have been still going, Biff would have been the leader of the ______________________. They though that biff was _______ and that would make him very crazy during the fight. Biff brought a _________ to the fight and Rusty-James nor his friends had one. Instead, he used a ________________. _______________ returned just after Rusty-James beat Biff to a pulp. Biff sliced ____________. __________________ broke Biff's wrist. Steve showed up and helped _____________ get home. Motorcycle Boy got his name because he _________ cycles that don't belong to him. Rusty-James was __________ of being alone. |
Chapter Four TOP Answer the following questions True or False - Rusty-James did not go to school the next day because he was bleeding on and off.
- Jeannie Martin told Rusty-James that Steve did not come to school because his mother had a stroke.
- Coach Ryan offered Rusty-James $50 to beat up Don Price.
- Rusty-James was in the academic stream at school.
- Rusty-James always forgot to pay back his debts, including those to the Motorcycle Boy.
- Rusty-James stole a set of hubcaps while he was walking home with Steve.
- Steve's mother was in the hospital.
- Rusty-James passed out cold on the roof.
- Steve went and got two old ladies to come and help Rusty-James.
- On the way home, Steve cried.
Chapter Five TOP Tie the beginning of the sentence on the left to the correct remainder on the right.
- I ran into Cassandra Colour blind too.
- She had always seen so stuck up,
- He was
- It hurt real steady, not bad,
- I was hoping they wouldn't get started
- It was hard for me to respect him,
- Sometimes he'd just stop and stare
- The Motorcycle Boy was quiet for so long
- Smokey cam by around midnight with his cousin who had a car,
- I was a little worried that I might have got my side infected
- Rusty-James, I hear a rumour going around that a
- Me and the Motorcycle Boy
- The one thing the Motorcycle Boy couldn't stand
- He was middle-sized, middle-aged guy, kind of blond
- I'd gotten used to that,
| Colour blind too. In on one of their long talks. On the way up the stairs At the Motorcycle Boy like he was seeing a ghost. I finally thought he was upset about Cassandra. Was people who did dope. His hearing had been screwed up for years. So I went to the lake and drank beer with them. From swimming in the lake, but it looked all right. Since he didn't do anything. Policeman is determined to get one of you. And balding on top, light blue eyes. Like she thought her and the Motorcycle boy belonged to some superelite club or something. Didn't look anything like him But steady, like a toothache. |
Chapter Six TOP Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
1. What two things happened to Rusty-James that afternoon? 2. Why was Rusty-James reluctant to go to Cleveland High School? 3. What was, according to Mr. Harrigan, Rusty-James' alternative? 4. Who was the Motorcycle Boys 'friend'? 5. Why did Patty break up with Rusty-James? 6. What three characters does Motorcycle Boy compare himself to?
Chapter Seven TOP Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
1. Why was it so easy for Rusty-James to convince Steve to go with them? 2. What lie was Steve going to tell his father? 3. Why doesn't Motorcycle Boy like to drink? 4. What is a chameleon? Why did Motorcycle Boy ask Rusty-James if he wanted to become one? 5. Why does Rusty-James like the city? 6. Who did Motorcycle Boy see in California? 7. What is California like according to Motorcycle Boy?
Chapter Eight TOP Choose the correct answer.
1) A black cat paused and said that the Motorcycle boy was very beautiful a) Rusty-James stated that he would look just like him when he grew up.
b) Rusty-James threw a drink at the man.
c) Rusty-James agreed with him.
2) Rusty-James did not know where they were when they came out of the bar, but
a) He thought they should catch a cab home.
b) He thought they should walk towards the river.
c) He thought they should find Motorcycle Boy.
3) Rusty-James claimed to have
a) An out of body experience
b) A huge brawls with the two men
c) A concussion.
4) Rusty-James decided that Motorcycle Boy was living
a) Alone
b) In his own world
c) A and B
5) Motorcycle Boy
a) Tied the men up
b) Ran with the boys
c) Clobbered the two men
6) According to Motorcycle Boy, apparently it is important for
a) Some people to fit in
b) Some people to have close friends
c) Some people to have strong family ties
Chapter Nine TOP Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
1. Where did Rusty-James go that afternoon? 2. What did the doctor insist? 3. What happened to Steve? 4. Why did he defend his father? 5. What was Rusty-James' idea? 6. What does Steve compare Rusty-James to?
Chapter Ten TOP Put the following sentences in sequential order according to the novel. # Sentence
| _____ | Patty came in. | | _____ | He was the number one tough cat now. | | _____ | Rusty-James and Motorcycle Boy were looking at the Rumble Fish. | | _____ | I started telling everyone about the wild night we had. | | _____ | Smokey admitted to setting Rusty-James up. | | _____ | Cassandra was a substitute teacher for B.J.'s history class. | | _____ | I spent the rest of the day in Benny's. | | _____ | He followed me outside, and as the door closed behind us I could hear everybody yapping at once. | | _____ | Smokey stated that he would have been the leader of the gang and Rusty-James would have been the second lieutenant. | | _____ | Motorcycle boy was in the pet store. | | _____ | Rusty-James followed Motorcycle boy the best he could. | | _____ | Pretty soon Smokey Bennet came in and slid into the booth next to her. |
Chapter Eleven TOP Summarize this chapter in a paragraph. Remember to have a topic sentence, a body and a conclusion.
Chapter Twelve TOP Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
1. Where is the last chapter set?
2. What did Steve want to do?
3. Why was Rusty-James not going to meet Steve for dinner?
Discussion Questions TOP Chapter 1 1. Why did Rusty-James allow Steve to make plans for dinner even though he had no intention of attending?
2. Why was Steve so surprised to see Rusty-James?
3. What does the last nine of the chapter mean? Explain
Chapter 2
1. Why were the Junior and Senior hangouts different?
2. Why does Hinton let us know the logic behind Rusty-James' reasons for not drinking coke?
3. Why was Steve so concerned about the fight?
4. Why was Rusty-James so upset about the Motrocycle Boy's absence?
5. Why did Rusty-James choose Steve to hang out with? Chapter 3 1. Why did Rusty-James go to his girlfriend's house?
2. Why were her parents so protective?
3. Why did the author tell us in such detail about the filth around the river where the boys were to fight?
4. Why was Rusty-James 'high' naturally? Chapter 4 1. Why did Rusty-James go to school the next day?
2. Why did Jeannie think that Rusty-James was a bad influence on Steve?
3. Did the coach really want to be Rusty-James' friend?
4. Why does the author compare Steve to a rabbit? Chapter 5 1. Why did Rusty-James want to see the Motorcycle Boy?
2. Why does Rusty-James dislike Cassandra?
3. Why does she show the Motorcycle Boy her track marks?
4. Why does the Motorcycle Boy look right through people? Chapter 6 1. Why was Rusty-James expelled? Was this fair?
2. What challenges would Rusty-James face if he went to Cleveland High School?
3. Why did the name 'Rusty' bother him so much? Chapter 7 1. Why hadn't it been too hard to convince Steve to go along?
2. Why was Steve drinking?
3. What were Steve's feelings in the movie theatre? Chapter 8 1. Why were the boys reluctant to be alone in the bar after the Motorcycle Boy left?
2. What is the significance of the black and white men who beat up Rusty-James?
3. Why did the Motorcycle Boy say that the situation was funny? Chapter 9 1. Why did Rusty-James feel comfortable in the clinic and not in the hospital?
2. Why did he refuse to go to the hospital?
3. What are DT's? Chapter 10 1. Why did Rusty-James need to tell everyone about his escapades?
2. Why did he let Smokey take over?
3. Did he truly love Patty?
4. Why did he fake interest in the fish?
5. Why was he following the Motorcycle Boy? Chapter 11 1. What is the significance of the Tiger story?
2. Why did Rusty-James ask his father about his mother?
3. Why did the Motorcycle Boy break into the pet store?
4. Why was he shot? Was it fair? Chapter 12 1. Why did Rusty-James dry out?
2. Why did he not plan on going to dinner with Steve?
Extension Questions TOP
Self-Esteem -- In Rumble Fish, Rusty-James says of himself, "I'm always in dumb classes." (page 39) - What does being in the "dumb classes" do for Rusty-James' self-confidence?
- What influence do reading and writing have on the lives of Hinton's characters?
- Do students know when they are in the "dumb classes"? Is this separation needed? Why? Why not? If not, what alternatives do you suggest?
As Rusty-James remembers a trip to the zoo with his father, he remarks, "The animals reminded me of people." (Rumble Fish, page 13)
- Hinton often compares her characters to animals. Find examples of these comparisons in her novels.
- How do these comparisons help readers better understand the characters?
- Choose other characters from the novels and discuss their character traits.
- To what animal could each be compared and why?
- Write a poem about one of these characters using the animal metaphor.
- Illustrate your poem and share it with the class.
History -- Gangs play an important role in the novels of S. E. Hinton.
- Research the influence of gangs in the 1960s compared with the influence of gangs in the '90s.
- Which decade witnessed more gang violence? Why is this so?
- Experts say that kids often join gangs because of needs in their lives. What are some of those needs?
Psychology -- In Rumble Fish, Rusty-James does not like to be alone. This is his greatest fear. The Motorcycle Boy says Rusty-James' fear can be traced back to when he was two years old and was left alone in his house for two days.
- Research the various stages of child development.
- What important behavioral and psychological progressions occur at each stage?
- How could something that happens to a child at the age of two affect him so profoundly later on in life?
Vocabulary/Use of Language
- As you read Rumble Fish, keep a list of slang words and expressions in the books.
- Brainstorm some current slang expressions and share them with the class.
- Compare the slang meaning with the true meaning of the words.
- Write and illustrate a 1960s-'70s Illustrated Slang Dictionary.
- Compare and contrast the slang words of the '60s and '70s with slang from today.
The following is a list of topics from which you can choose. You are to write a minimum of five paragraphs. These paragraphs should include a topic sentence, body with details and evidence and a conclusion. - The theme of Rumble Fish
- The use of slang and other language
- Your feelings about the play
- The characters
- The setting
- The use of flashback
- The friendship between Rusty-James and Steve
- Does this story reflect any part of your life?
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