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Focus and Motivate

Selection ResourcesTX_L09PE-u01s5-brRigh.indd 117 12/9/08 3:02:50 PM

Before Reading

What I WouldFight For

1. Freedom2. Equal pay3.

4.

5.

An important part of becoming an adult is learning to stand up for yourself and maintain your convictions. In “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis,” Richard Wright recalls an episode from his early childhood when he was threatened by a neighborhood gang.

DISCUSS What would draw you to a rally or make you speak out in a crowd? With a small group, generate a list of issues or values that you would defend at any cost. Why is each one so important to you? Choose a spokesperson to present the one your group cares about the most.

What is worth

FIGHTING FOR ?

The Rights to the Streets of MemphisAutobiography by Richard Wright

116

READING 9C Make subtle inferences and draw complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns.

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RESOURCE MANAGER UNIT 1Plan and Teach, pp. 109–116Summary, pp. 117–118†‡*Literary Analysis and Reading

Skill, pp. 119–122†*Vocabulary, pp. 123–125*Grammar and Style, p. 128

DIAGNOSTIC AND SELECTION TESTSSelection Tests, pp. 39–42

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKITWord Questioning, p.E9Cause and Effect Graphics,

p. B16New Word Analysis, p. E8

TECHNOLOGY

Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM

Student One Stop DVD-ROM

Audio Anthology CD

GrammarNotes DVD-ROM

ExamView Test Generator on the Teacher One Stop

* Resources for Differentiation † Also in Spanish ‡ In Haitian Creole and Vietnamese

READING 9C Make subtle inferences and draw complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns. 1E Use a thesaurus. ORAL AND WRITTEN CONVENTIONS 17B Identify and use the subjunctive mood to express doubts, wishes, and possibilities.

summaryIn this excerpt from his autobiography, Black Boy, Richard Wright recalls a turning point in his childhood. Sent to buy groceries, Wright fends off a gang and returns home with a new sense of self-respect.

What is worth

FIGHTING FOR?Discuss the question with students by ex-amining the meaning of convictions (“strong beliefs”). After students complete the DISCUSS activity, have them compare their lists. Were there any recurring issues?

TEKS Focus

Print resources are on the Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM and on thinkcentral.com.

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TeachMeet the Author

Go to thinkcentral.com.KEYWORD: HML9-117

Author OnlineGo to thinkcentraKEYWORD: HML9-1

Author Online

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

Richard Wright1908–1960

A Hard Beginning Richard Wright’s life began in poverty. His father, a Mississippi sharecropper, abandoned his family when Wright was five. His mother, a teacher, had to support herself and her children. Because his family moved often and his mother became ill, Wright attended school irregularly. He dropped out of high school after only a few weeks and then traveled the country, working at odd jobs. Brilliant but troubled, he read widely. He also wrote powerful stories that earned him respect and recognition.

French Citizenship After establishing himself as a writer with the success of his novel Native Son, Wright moved to France in 1947 to get away from the racism he had experienced in the United States. He settled in Paris and became a French citizen, continuing to write until his death.

background to the selectionMemphis in the Early 1900s This excerpt from Wright’s autobiography Black Boy deals with a time when Wright was living in a tenement in Memphis, Tennessee. In the early 1900s, African Americans experienced harsh economic conditions in Memphis and other cities throughout the South. Federal welfare efforts, such as subsidized housing, food stamps, and aid to dependent children, did not exist. Most of the jobs available to black men and women paid very low wages. Like Wright’s mother, many black women worked as poorly paid domestic servants.

literary analysis: autobiographyAn autobiography is the story of a person’s life, written by that person. Writers of autobiographies generally use the same narrative techniques that are found in fiction. This makes the events they relate come to life for the reader. As you read “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis,” notice how Richard Wright employs these and other narrative techniques:

• describes the conflict he faced• builds suspense as events reach a climax• uses realistic dialogue to reveal events and personalities

reading skill: identify cause and effectWriters of autobiographies often explain the causes and effects of important events in their lives in order to help readers understand the full significance of their experiences. For example, to describe the magnitude of his hunger, Wright explains:

The hunger I had known before this . . . had made me beg constantly for bread. . . . But this new hunger . . . scared me . . .

Recognizing cause-and-effect organizational patterns helps you connect events and make inferences and draw conclusions about important ideas in the narrative.

As you read Wright’s autobiography, jot down the cause-and-effect relationships he points out.

Cause

Father leaves.

Effect

Family is without food.

vocabulary in contextUse an appropriate vocabulary word to complete each phrase.Then, in your Reader/Writer Notebook, write a brief definition of each word you’re familiar with.

word

list

clamordispirited

flayretaliate

stark

1. , absolute fear 2. a loud 3. with a whip 4. , or get even 5. depressed and

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V O C A B U L A R Y S K I L L

TEKS Focus

vocabulary in contextDIAGNOSE WORD KNOWLEDGE Have all stu-dents complete Vocabulary in Context. Check their definitions against the following:

clamor (klBmPEr) n. a noisy outburst; outcrydispirited (dG-spGrPG-tGd) adj. dejectedflay (flA) v. to whip or lashretaliate (ri-Pta-lC-At) v. to pay back an injury in

kind

stark (stärk) adj. complete or utter; extremeAnswers: 1. stark, 2. clamor, 3. flay, 4. retaliate, 5. dispirited

PRETEACH VOCABULARY Use the copy master to help students predict meanings.

1. Read aloud item 1, emphasizing clamor. 2. Point out “loud enough for everyone to

hear” and elicit meanings for clamor.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterVocabulary Study p. 123

R E A D I N G S K I L L

Model the Skill: identify cause and effect

Use A Hard Beginning to model cause and effect relationships.• Cause: Wright’s family moved often, and

his mother became ill.• Effect: Wright attended school

irregularly.• The word because in the passage signals

a cause-effect relationship.GUIDED PRACTICE After students read French Citizenship, ask what caused Wright to move to France.

Model the Skill: autobiography

To model how to analyze autobiographi-cal narrative techniques, read this passage aloud:Point out that the father’s dialogue ex-plains some of his beliefs (speaking out and being true to oneself) and his hope of instilling those in his daughter.

“If you believe in something,” Dad told me, “you have to speak out.” When I said I feared making people angry, he replied, “Maybe so, Maria. But what is important is being true to yourself.”

GUIDED PRACTICE Ask students what the passage reveals about the author.

L I T E R A R Y A N A L Y S I S

the rights to the streets of memphis 117

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TEKS 9C

TEKS 9C

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Practice and Apply

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Alley (1942), Jacob Lawrence. Courtesy of Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries.

© 2007 Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

clamor (klBmPEr) n. a noisy outburst; outcry

What impressions of tenement life does the painting on page 119 convey?

Hunger stole upon me so slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly. The hunger I had known before this had been no grim, hostile stranger; it had been a normal hunger that had made me beg constantly for bread, and when I ate a crust or two I was satisfied. But this new hunger baffled me, scared me, made me angry and insistent. Whenever I begged for food now my mother would pour me a cup of tea which would still the clamor in my stomach for a moment or two; but a little later I would feel hunger nudging my ribs, twisting my empty guts until they ached. I would grow dizzy and my vision would dim. I became less active in my play, and for the first time in my life I had to pause and think of what was happening to me. a

“Mama, I’m hungry,” I complained one afternoon.“Jump up and catch a kungry,” she said, trying to make me laugh and

forget.“What’s a kungry?”“It’s what little boys eat when they get hungry,” she said.“What does it taste like?”“I don’t know.”“Then why do you tell me to catch one?”“Because you said that you were hungry,” she said, smiling.I sensed that she was teasing me, and it made me angry.“But I’m hungry. I want to eat.”

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20

r i c h a r d w r i g h t

thetoRightstheStreetsofMemphis

118 unit 1: narrative structure

a

CAUSE AND EFFECTAfter only the first paragraph, you can already begin drawing conclusions about Wright’s early life and the ideas he expresses in this autobiography. At this point, what cause-and-effect relationship did Wright start to recognize?

TEKS 9C

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differentiated instruction

for english language learners Vocabulary Support Use Word Questioning to teach these words: aware(line 1), constantly (line 5), vision (line 11), restrictions (line 45), image (line 57).

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—TransparencyWord Questioning p. E9

for struggling readersIn combination with the Audio Anthology CD, use one or more Targeted Passages (pp. 118, 120, 121, 122) to ensure that students focus on key story events, concepts, and skills. Targeted Passages are also good for English learners.

1 Targeted Passage [Lines 1–13]This passage establishes one of the difficult circumstances of Wright’s young life.

read with a purposeHelp students set a purpose for reading. Tell them to read “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis” to find out how a young boy learns to stand up to a gang of bullies.

V O C A B U L A R Y

a cause and effectPossible answer: Wright began to recog-nize that the new, more frightening kind of hunger was causing him to feel different. He was becoming less active and wasn’t thinking clearly.

IF STUDENTS NEED HELP . . . Have students reread lines 6–10. Ask them to describe the “new” hunger that Wright is experiencing. Then have students reread lines 11–13 and describe the effect that the “new” hunger has on Wright.Extend the Discussion What does Wright mean when he writes that the hunger he had known before had not been a strang-er? What does this tell you about his life?


Targeted Passage1

own the word clamor: Have students complete the

following sentence to show an un-derstanding of the noun. There was a clamor when . . .

Possible answers: I dropped a glass. the baby began to cry.


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Analyze Visuals

Possible answer: The angle, shadows, and dominant grayness of the scene convey a sense of hardship. Most of the people in the painting are shown with downcast heads. This posture suggests boredom, weariness, and discontent.About the Art Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000) was an American painter best known for his series of paintings that deal with African-American people and subjects. Lawrence’s art was influenced by the abstract elements of cubism and by his experiences living in New York City’s Harlem, where he witnessed scenes of tenement life such as the one shown in Alley.

• What hardship is the author describing? What might this suggest about the kind of childhood Wright experienced? (lines 1–6)

• In what way is this hardship greater now than ever before? (lines 6–13)

for advanced learners/pre–apEvaluate This passage from Wright’s autobi-ography provides details about the social and economic aspects of life in the tenements of Memphis during the early 20th century. What can students infer about the health and social issues affecting the author during this period? As they read, have students make note of health, developmental, and social aspects de-tailed in the passage. Then have students dis-cuss how such influences may have affected the author’s wellbeing and character.

backgroundTenement Housing In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of the thousands of immigrants who came to America lived in tenements such as the one shown in the painting on this page. Tenement landlords were more concerned with making a profit than with providing comfortable living conditions. As a result, urban tenements were typically run-down, dirty, crowded buildings, with no electricity, heat, or indoor plumbing. Living conditions gradually improved with the passage of tenement housing laws in the early 1900s.

revisit the big questionWhat is worth

FIGHTING FOR?Why does the mother cry when her son repeatedly asks for food? Why does she bring up the topic of the absent father? Possible an-swer: It hurts her for the children to go hungry. With her husband gone, she must find a job before she can purchase food for the children.


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b

AUTOBIOGRAPHYReread lines 39–56. What life-changing event does Wright reveal through dialogue?

dispirited (dG-spGrPG-tGd) adj. dejected

Woman Worker (1951), Charles White. © 1951 The Charles White Archive.

“You’ll have to wait.”“But I want to eat now.”“But there’s nothing to eat,” she told me.“Why?”“Just because there’s none,” she explained.“But I want to eat,” I said, beginning to cry.“You’ll just have to wait,” she said again.“But why?”“For God to send some food.”“When is He going to send it?”“I don’t know.”“But I’m hungry!”She was ironing, and she paused and looked at

me with tears in her eyes.“Where’s your father?” she asked me.I stared in bewilderment. Yes, it was true that

my father had not come home to sleep for many days now and I could make as much noise as I wanted. Though I had not known why he was absent, I had been glad that he was not there to shout his restrictions at me. But it had never occurred to me that his absence would mean that there would be no food.

“I don’t know,” I said.“Who brings food into the house?” my mother

asked me.“Papa,” I said. “He always brought food.”“Well, your father isn’t here now,” she said.“Where is he?”“I don’t know,” she said.“But I’m hungry,” I whimpered, stomping my feet.“You’ll have to wait until I get a job and buy food,” she said. b

As the days slid past the image of my father became associated with my

pangs of hunger, and whenever I felt hunger I thought of him with a deep biological bitterness.1

My mother finally went to work as a cook and left me and my brother alone in the flat each day with a loaf of bread and a pot of tea. When she returned at evening she would be tired and dispirited and would cry a lot. Sometimes, when she was in despair, she would call us to her and talk to us for hours, telling us that we now had no father, that our lives would be different from those of other children, that we must learn as soon as possible to take care of ourselves, to dress ourselves, to prepare our own food; that we must take upon ourselves the responsibility of the flat while she worked. Half frightened, we

1. deep, biological bitterness: bitterness caused by the pangs of hunger.

30

40

50

60



Targeted Passage2


for struggling readers2 Targeted Passage [Lines 60–67]

This passage continues to paint a picture in the reader’s mind of the hardships faced by the author as a result of being abandoned by his father.• Why are the author and his brother left

alone in the flat each day? How do you think the mother feels about this? (lines 60–62)

• How are the boys’ lives now “different from those of other children”? (lines 62–67)

for struggling readersDevelop Reading Fluency Use parts of the exchange between Wright and his mother to give students practice in reading dialogue. Fluent readers read dialogue with expres-sion, using punctuation marks to show them when to pause or make changes in their in-tonation. Have a proficient reader read aloud one character while you read the other. Have students practice reading the dialogue.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterReading Fluency p. 129

Analyze Visuals

Activity After students read the selection, ask them to compare and contrast the woman in the portrait with the author’s mother. Possible answer: The woman in the portrait appears to have endured hardship, as did Wright’s mother. Although the woman seems weary and sad, like Wright’s mother, she projects strength.About the Art Charles White (1918–1979) was an American painter known for his paintings of African Americans, such as Woman Worker, shown here.

b autobiography

Possible answer: The dialogue reveals that Wright’s father has apparently abandoned the family.


tiered discussion promptsIn lines 39–59, use these discussion prompts to help students understand the author’s char-acter development:

Analyze What do you think the author was like before his father’s departure? Possible answer: He seems to have been high-spirited but repressed by his father’s “restrictions” (line 45).Synthesize How does the author’s attitude about his father’s departure change from line 40 to line 59? Possible answer: Initially, he enjoyed the freedom to make noise. But that turned to a “deep, biological bitterness” (lines 58–59) when he realized that his father wasn’t coming home to provide food.

V O C A B U L A R Y

own the word dispirited: Tell students that the word

dispirited comes from the prefix dis-, meaning “not,” and spiritus, meaning “breath.” Have students complete a semantic web for the word dispirited.

Possible answer: downcast, spiritless, sad, depressed


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c

AUTOBIOGRAPHYWhy do you suppose Wright includes such specific details about this experience?

Language Coach

Idioms An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood literally. In lines 102–103, the expression “what she was about” is an idiomatic expression. Based on the clues in the story, what do you think this idiom means?

would promise solemnly. We did not understand what had happened between our father and our mother and the most that these long talks did to us was to make us feel a vague dread. Whenever we asked why father had left, she would tell us that we were too young to know.

One evening my mother told me that thereafter I would have to do the shopping for food. She took me to the corner store to show me the way. I was proud; I felt like a grownup. The next afternoon I looped the basket over my arm and went down the pavement toward the store. When I reached the corner, a gang of boys grabbed me, knocked me down, snatched the basket, took the money, and sent me running home in panic. That evening I told my mother what had happened, but she made no comment; she sat down at once, wrote another note, gave me more money, and sent me out to the grocery again. I crept down the steps and saw the same gang of boys playing down the street. I ran back into the house. c

“What’s the matter?” my mother asked.“It’s those same boys,” I said. “They’ll beat me.”“You’ve got to get over that,” she said. “Now, go on.”“I’m scared,” I said.“Go on and don’t pay any attention to them,” she said.I went out of the door and walked briskly down the sidewalk, praying that

the gang would not molest me. But when I came abreast of them someone shouted.

“There he is!”They came toward me and I broke into a wild run toward home. They

overtook me and flung me to the pavement. I yelled, pleaded, kicked, but they wrenched the money out of my hand. They yanked me to my feet, gave me a few slaps, and sent me home sobbing. My mother met me at the door.

“They b-beat m-me,” I gasped. “They t-t-took the m-money.”I started up the steps, seeking the shelter of the house.“Don’t you come in here,” my mother warned me.I froze in my tracks and stared at her.“But they’re coming after me,” I said.“You just stay right where you are,” she said in a deadly tone. “I’m going to

teach you this night to stand up and fight for yourself.”She went into the house and I waited, terrified, wondering what she was

about. Presently she returned with more money and another note; she also had a long heavy stick.

“Take this money, this note, and this stick,” she said. “Go to the store and buy those groceries. If those boys bother you, then fight.”

I was baffled. My mother was telling me to fight, a thing that she had never done before.

“But I’m scared,” I said.“Don’t you come into this house until you’ve gotten those groceries,”

she said.

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80

90

100

110


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Targeted Passage3


This passage shows how Wright’s mother makes him stand up for himself against the boys who are chasing him.• What is Wright hoping will happen when he

climbs the steps to his home? (line 96)• Why is the reaction of Wright’s mother

surprising? (lines 97–103)• What does Mrs. Wright hope to accomplish

by giving Wright the stick? (lines 105–106)

for english language learners Language Coach

Idioms Answer: The idiom means that he wonders what his mother was think-ing or planning. Have students reread lines 100–101, putting themselves in the situation.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT —TransparencyNew Word Analysis p. E8


c Model the Skill: autobiography

To model for students why Wright may have used such specific detail, read aloud lines 75–81, beginning with “When I reached….” Point out that Wright brings the narrative to life by using a string of ac-tion verbs, vividly painting a picture of the encounter and building the tension of the violent scene.

Possible answer: Wright most likely includes the details so readers can vividly “see” the events he describes. The details also build suspense and set the scene for Wright’s next encounter with the gang.Extend the Discussion Why do you think the author is able to recall these events in such detail many years later?

revisit the big questionWhat is worth

FIGHTING FOR?Discuss What do lines 100–101 suggest about the convictions of Wright’s mother? Possible answer: She believes that people should stand up for themselves and even use physical force if necessary.


TEKS 9C

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flay (flA) v. to whip or lash

stark (stärk) adj. complete or utter; extreme

e

CAUSE AND EFFECTWhat effect did the fighting have on Wright’s personality?

retaliate (rG-tBlPC-AtQ) v. to pay back an injury in kind

d

GRAMMAR AND STYLEMood is the form a verb takes to indicate the attitude of the person using the verb. Reread lines 122–124. Wright uses the subjunctive mood here (“If I were beaten . . .”) to express the possibilities of his younger self’s actions.

“They’ll beat me; they’ll beat me,” I said.“Then stay in the streets; don’t come back here!”I ran up the steps and tried to force my way past her into the house. A

stinging slap came on my jaw. I stood on the sidewalk, crying.“Please, let me wait until tomorrow,” I begged.“No,” she said. “Go now! If you come back into this house without those

groceries, I’ll whip you!”She slammed the door and I heard the key turn in the lock. I shook with

fright. I was alone upon the dark, hostile streets and gangs were after me. I had the choice of being beaten at home or away from home. I clutched the stick, crying, trying to reason. If I were beaten at home, there was absolutely nothing that I could do about it; but if I were beaten in the streets, I had a chance to fight and defend myself. I walked slowly down the sidewalk, coming closer dto the gang of boys, holding the stick tightly. I was so full of fear that I could scarcely breathe. I was almost upon them now.

“There he is again!” the cry went up.They surrounded me quickly and began to grab for my hand.“I’ll kill you!” I threatened.They closed in. In blind fear I let the stick fly, feeling it crack against a boy’s

skull. I swung again, lamming another skull, then another. Realizing that they would retaliate if I let up for but a second, I fought to lay them low, to knock them cold, to kill them so that they could not strike back at me. I flayed with tears in my eyes, teeth clenched, stark fear making me throw every ounce of my strength behind each blow. I hit again and again, dropping the money and the grocery list. The boys scattered, yelling, nursing their heads, staring at me in utter disbelief. They had never seen such frenzy. I stood panting, egging them on, taunting them to come on and fight. When they refused, I ran after them and they tore out for their homes, screaming. The parents of the boys rushed into the streets and threatened me, and for the first time in mylife I shouted at grownups, telling them that I would give them the same if they bothered me. I finally found my grocery list and the money and went to the store. On my way back I kept my stick poised for instant use, but there was not a single boy in sight. That night I won the right to the streets of Memphis. � e

120

130

140



Targeted Passage4



This passage concludes the excerpt with the author’s momentous experience: he defends himself.• What happens when the gang starts to

attack Wright again? (lines 130–139)• What do Wright’s actions suggest about

how he’s changed? (lines 138–142)• How do you think Wright feels after the

encounter? (lines 143–145)

for advanced learners/pre–apSynthesize Have students reread Meet the Author (p. 117). Then ask them to speculate about how the incident described in this autobiography and Wright’s later success as a writer might be connected. Have stu-dents write a paragraph citing their conclusion.

e Model the Skill: cause and effect

To model for students the effect that the fighting had on Wright, read aloud lines 137–145. Point out the change from Wright’s earlier response to the bullies. Have students add details to their chart on page 117 about the difference in Wright’s attitude and behavior following the fight.

Possible answer: The fighting gave Wright confidence and self-respect; it showed that he could stand up and defend himself.


d grammar and style

Mood is the form a verb takes to indicate the attitude of the person using the verb. Reread lines 122–124. Wright uses the sub-junctive mood here (“If I were beaten...”) to express the possibilities of his younger self’s actions.

selection wrap–upREAD WITH A PURPOSE Have students analyze how the circumstances in Wright’s life caused him to stand up for himself. Possible answer: Wright knew his mother would whip him if he came home without the groceries and that he would have to use the stick to fight off the gang.

V O C A B U L A R Y

own the word• retaliate: Retaliate is made up of the

prefix re-, meaning “again,” and the Latin word talio, “punishment in kind.”

• flay: Have students provide synonyms for flay. Possible answers: smack, strike, whack

• stark: Ask students to use stark in differ-ent contexts.


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Practice and ApplyAfter Reading

Techniques

• Describes conflict

• Uses believable dialogue

• Builds suspense

• Develops personalities

Examples

Comprehension 1. Recall Why does Richard’s mother have no food for him?

2. Recall What choice does Richard have to make?

3. Clarify What does the title refer to?

Literary Analysis4. Identify Cause and Effect Review the cause-and-effect relationships you

listed as you read. What are the main causes of Richard’s predicament?

5. Examine Language Reread lines 1–10 and note the words and phrases that Wright uses to make hunger seem human. What effect does this personification have on the reader?

6. Analyze Dialogue Wright not only narrates events but also uses dialogue to bring a sense of reality to his narrative. Review the conversations between Wright and his mother. What does it suggest about their relationship and the way it changes?

7. Predict Reread the last paragraph of the selection. Will Richard be different after fighting the street gang? Cite evidence to support your prediction.

8. Interpret Autobiography In an autobiography, the writer must choose which life experiences to include and which to leave out. In your opinion, why did Wright choose to share this particular episode in his life? Support your opinion.

9. Evaluate Narrative Techniques Find examples of each narrative technique listed in the graphic shown. Which narrative techniques does Wright make the best use of in this autobiography? Explain your evaluation.

Literary Criticism 10. Critical Interpretations When this autobiography was published in 1945, a

critic wrote, “It is not easy for those who have had happier childhoods, with little restraint or fear in them, to face up to the truth of this childhood of Richard Wright.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain why or why not.

What is worth FIGHTING FOR?

What are the issues or values that you would fight to defend?


READING 9C Make subtle inferences and draw complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns.

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For preliminary support of post-reading questions, use these copy masters:

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MastersReading Check p. 126Autobiography p. 119Question Support p. 127Additional selection questions are provided for teachers on page 113.

answersComprehension 1. Richard’s father had provided the food, but

he abandoned the family. 2. Richard must choose between standing

up for himself against bullies or getting punished by his mother.

3. The title refers to Richard’s having earned the right to walk safely on the streets of his neighborhood.

Literary AnalysisPossible answers:4. teks focus Identify Cause and Effect

The main causes are his father’s abandon-ment of the family, the gang’s assaults on him, and his mother’s conviction that Richard has to learn to fight for himself.

5. Personifying hunger by describing it as if it were a living creature makes the hunger and its effects seem more vivid to the reader.

6. The dialogue portrays a comfortable rela-tionship. The later dialogue reveals that the mother exerts strong control when an important issue is at stake, which forces the son to change.

7. It is likely that Richard will be more self-confident. He is now aware of his own power (lines 136–142) and the victory it has brought him (lines 144–145).

8. teks focus Interpret: Autobiography This episode marks the point at which

Wright overcomes his fear and stands up for himself. Vivid detail and the dramatic way the episode is portrayed show how impor-tant the episode was to Wright.

9. Describes conflict: lines 72–81, 91–94, 130–142. Uses believable dialogue: lines 14–56, 82–118. Builds suspense: lines 100–108, 119–130. Develops personalities: lines 1–13, 60–71, 100–118. Students may

choose any of these techniques, but should provide reasons for their choices.

Literary CriticismPossible answer: 10. Agree: A person fortunate enough to have

a happy childhood may find it difficult to relate to the hardship that Wright suffered. Disagree: Students who have not suffered hardships may still feel sympathy, because most people have faced some type of dif-ficulty in their lives.

What is worth FIGHTING FOR? Possible answers: freedom, equality


TEKS 9C

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word list

clamordispiritedflayretaliatestark

Vocabulary in Context vocabulary practice

Write the word from the list that best completes each sentence.

1. Alone and hungry, Richard felt ____ as he walked the streets. 2. He knew it would be hard to rise above his family’s _____ poverty. 3. He tried to concentrate amid the _____ as several older boys shouted at him. 4. If they tried to harm him, he intended to _____ immediately. 5. He would _____ them with his stick if necessary.

academic vocabulary in speaking

Analyze the selection to infer, or make an educated guess, about how old Wright was when this incident happened. Discuss your guess with a partner, providing evidence from the text for support. Use at least one of the Academic Vocabulary words in your response.

vocabulary strategy: synonyms and antonymsSynonyms are words with the same, or almost the same, meaning. Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Recognizing synonyms and antonyms can help you figure out the meanings of unknown words. For example, Wright says his mother felt “tired and dispirited.” Though tired is not an exact synonym of dispirited, it is close enough in meaning to help you figure out what dispirited means.

PRACTICE In each sentence, the boldfaced word is either a synonym or an antonym of the underlined word. Use the boldfaced word to help you figure out the meaning of the underlined word. Then write a definition of the underlined word. You may consult a thesaurus for help determing whether the words in each pair are synonyms or antonyms.

1. The table was overflowing with bountiful platters of food. 2. Though Alice was nonplused by his remarks, I was unsurprised. 3. The affluent Henleys were sometimes shunned by their poorer neighbors. 4. She wasn’t deceiving anyone with her prevaricating. 5. Intransigence and stubbornness won’t help us overcome this problem.

• analyze • element • infer • sequence • structure


InteractiveVocabulary


READING 1E Use a thesaurus.



for english language learnersVocabulary: Cognates For speakers of Romance languages, point out that the word incident in the Academic Vocabulary in Speaking directions is a cognate.

for advanced learners/pre–apVocabulary in Writing Have students use at least three vocabulary words in a paragraph written from the point of view of one of the boys in the gang.

Keywords direct students to a WordSharp tutorial on thinkcentral.com or to other types of vocabulary practice and review.

Interactive Vocabulary

answersVocabulary in Context

vocabulary practice 1. dispirited 2. stark 3. clamor 4. retaliate 5. flay

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterVocabulary Practice p. 124

academic vocabulary in speakingStudents’ answers will vary, but should take into account the level of reasoning displayed by Wright in the passage, as well as his behavior. Student answers should include academic vocabulary words and supporting evidence from the text.

vocabulary strategy: synonyms and antonyms• Point out that words such as and in the

example phrase “tired and dispirited” offer clues as to whether an unknown word could be a synonym or antonym of another word in the sentence.

• After students complete the practice, discuss the clue words in each sentence.

Possible answers: 1. containing plenty 2. puzzled 3. rich 4. lying 5. unwillingness to compromise

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterVocabulary Strategy p. 125


TEKS 1

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Conventions in Writing grammar and style: Use Subjunctive Mood Review the Grammar and Style note on page 122. There, Wright uses the subjunctive mood to express the possibilities he faces after his mother sends him out to face the gang of boys again. You can use the subjunctive mood to express any of the following:

1. Doubts: If I were able to attend the celebration, I would.

2. Wishes: Kirk wishes that he had curly hair.

3. Possibilities: If I were a better swimmer, I could try out for the swim team.

4. Necessities: It is essential that we be on time for school tomorrow.

Notice how the revisions in blue make use of the subjunctive mood to express both possibilities and necessities.

reading-writing connectionDemonstrate your understanding of the characters in “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis” by responding to this prompt. Then use the revising tip to improve your writing.

I needed to teach my son a lesson. A timid boy could not survive on the

streets of Memphis. It was necessary for him to act brave.

If he were timid, he would

that he be

student model

YOUR

TURN

Short Response: Write a Different ConclusionHow might things have been different if Richard had not been victorious? Imagine that Richard lost the fight and the grocery money despite his strong convictions. Then write one or two paragraphs about his defeat and its consequences.

Review your response. Have you used the subjunctive appropriately, where needed? If not, revise your response.

writing prompt revising tip


InteractiveRevision


ORAL AND WRITTEN CONVENTIONS 17B Identify and use the subjunctive mood to express doubts, wishes, and possibilities.

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for struggling writers• Help students visualize the sequence of

events.• Help students express each step in a

separate sentence. For example: Richard swung the stick and hit one boy. Then another boy grabbed the stick.

• Encourage students to continue the sequence of action through the point when Richard ultimately returns home.

Assess DIAGNOSTIC AND SELECTION TESTS

Selection Test A pp. 39–40Selection Test B/C pp. 41–42

Interactive Selection Test on thinkcentral.com

ReteachLevel Up Online Tutorials on thinkcentral.com

Reteaching Worksheets on thinkcentral.comLiterature Lessons 5, 43Vocabulary Lesson 18

Conventions in Writing

grammar and styleAfter students examine the revisions in the student model, write these sentences on the board. Have students suggest similar changes to express both possibilities and necessities.

For Wright to coexist with the bullies in his that heneighborhood, it was crucial ^ for him to be If he were self-confident, heself-confident. ^A self-confident boy would earn the bullies’ respect.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterUse Subjunctive Mood p. 128

Reading-Writing Connectionwriting prompt• Encourage students to consider what Richard

might have learned about himself even if he lost the fight. Then have them think about whether Mrs. Wright would have softened her convictions if her son had lost the fight.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—TransparencyCause and Effect Graphics p. B16

Assess and Reteach

All of the interactive tools and features on WriteSmart are also available online at thinkcentral.com—in the Writing Center.

Writing OnlineThe following tools are available online at thinkcentral.com and on WriteSmart CD-ROM: • Interactive Graphic Organizers• Interactive Student Models• Interactive Revision LessonsFor additional grammar instruction, see GrammarNotes on thinkcentral.com.

Writing Online


TEKS 17 B

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before reading focus and motivate - deer park … · focus and motivate selection resources ......

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