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Chapter 2: Elwood Curtis is a skinny, slight-shouldered teen boy, with an industrious nature, and a good work ethic. He carries himself differently than other boys his age and is described as a steady character. Elwood looks up to Martin Luther King Jr. and sees him as an inspiration, taking what he says in his speeches as advice to follow through in life.

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Chapter 12: After time spent at Nickel Elwood falls into a daily routine of submission. He does his daily duties and although they're unfair, he does them without question. After considering this for hours he comes to the realization that it was not Superintendent Spencer, or the other supervisors, or anyone else at Nickel that "undid" him. It was himself that allowed him to cower down. He became so afraid of getting in trouble that he had adjusted to keeping his head down and tiptoeing around making the supervisors angry. Elwood becomes aware that he had tricked himself into thinking he had outsmarted Nickel and its system, when in reality he became what they wanted him to be. This is important because for a minute Elwood had lost himself and stopped fighting, but after his realization, he gets his optimism back and drive to fight back.

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Conflict, Chapter 5: Elwood sees a younger kid getting picked on by Black Mike and Lonnie and decides to step in. A supervisor walks in and without giving anyone a chance to explain, takes down their names and gives it to Superintendent Spencer.
Resolution, Chapter 6: Elwood gets savagely beaten with a whip for his involvement in the altercation. He learns that while in Nickel, it is best for him to mind his own business when it comes to certain things. He realizes that the supervisors clearly do not care about what is right or wrong and that Nickel has a crooked system.

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A person who held a job or office before the current holder.

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"His predecessor, Vincent, had occasionally livened up the place with a dirty joke, but it couldn't be said that he had initiative"(24).

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Chapter 2: Narrator talking about Elwood

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Chapter 2: Narrator talking about Elwood

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"How to tell them that their transgressions against Mr.Marconi were insults to Elwood himself, whether it was a candy or a comic book? Not because any attack on his brother was an attack on himself, like they said in church, but because for him to do nothing was to undermine his own dignity" (27).

This is important because it explains Elwood's moral standing. He thinks about Martin Luther King's speech At Zion Hill and what he says acknowledging self worth and having a "sense of somebody-ness". He obtains his own sense of dignity and recognizes that he is worthy enough to stand up to all of the injustices he encounters.

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Chapter 12: After enduring abuse at Nickel for so long, Elwood is constantly kept up during the night unable to sleep. Hours go by as he is haunted by the sound of the leather whip as it slaps the ceiling before it comes down. This is trauma that Elwood is faced with from going through such a hard experience while at Nickel. This trauma is daunting to Elwood, and will most likely stick with him for the rest of his life.

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Chapter 1: Christmas of 1962, Elwood gets a record of Martin Luther King Jr. at Zion Hill. Since Elwood's strict grandmother won't let him listen to anything else, he begins to love listening to it, and what MLK says about standing up to racism and the importance of activism. This is where Elwood's passion for the Civil Rights Movement starts at.

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The process of scraping or wearing something away.

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"Nurse Wilma was almost sweet to the white boys who came in with their abrasions and ailments, a second mother" (73).

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Chapter 2: Elwood had to make the decision of saying something to the neighborhood boys for stealing from Marconi's shop. He had to choose between taking the risk of getting bullied or beat up for saying something, or keeping quiet and letting them steal, but compromising his moral values and beliefs on what he sees as the right thing to do.

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Chapter 3- Narrator talking about Harriet

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Chapter 3- Narrator talking about Harriet

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"Whether it was God angry at her for taking more than her portion or the white man teaching her not to ask for more crumbs than he wanted to give, Harriet would pay" (33).

This is Harriet's perception of the world that she has been conditioned to have. She is convinced that she is not equal to the "white man" because "that's just the way things are" and that is the way things have always been for Harriet and all black people, for as long as she's been alive. She feels inferior to the whole white race because Harriet grew up during a time, where black people were owned by white people and made into slaves. She lived in a society where no one was brave enough to speak out, or could speak out without getting killed. She is convinced that she will "pay" for "acting above her station". Everyone in her family had "paid" for acting "above their station", which has followed Harriet throughout her life making her fearful of ever opposing the racism she is faced with.

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A tool used for cutting crops such as grass or wheat, with a long curved blade at the end of a long pole attached to which are one or two short handles.

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"More than once Elwood caught himself swinging the scythe with too much violence, like he was attacking the grass with a leather strap" (85).

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Chapter 5-Narrator talking about the boys of Nickel

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Chapter 5-Narrator talking about the boys of Nickel

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"When the other boys stiffened and stopped talking, it meant that Spencer was about" (62).

This is important because it shows how scared the boys are of Spencer. He uses his power in authority to make the students fearful of him so that they are easily controlled.

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a person who seeks to convert others to the Christian faith, especially by public preaching.

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"Nickel was a longtime boxing evangelist, had steered a lobbying group for its expansion in the Olympics"(100).

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Chapter 8- Narrator talking about Elwood

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Chapter 8- Narrator talking about Elwood

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“Let the world be a mob- Elwood will walk through it. They might curse and spit and strike him, but he’d make it through to the other side. Bloodied and tired, but he’d make it through" (86).

This quote is important because it is pointing out that Elwood is not going to allow his visit to the White House, stop him from graduating Nickel. He is not going to stop fighting even if the Nickel staff makes it nearly impossible for him. This quote emphasizes Elwoods absolute great work ethic. Elwood has a mean determination to just do better. Grit is something you can't teach, you just have it or you don't .

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Promiscuous, unprincipled in sexual matters.

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"His grandmother Harriet had a few gospel records. . .and Elwood wasn't allowed to listen to the Motown groups or popular songs like that on account of their licentious nature" (11).

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“Explain the misguided thinking of some whites- not all whites, but enough whites- that gave it force and meaning" (12).

Elwood thinks back to Dr. King explaining to his daughter why she can't go to Fun Town but the white kids can. That it's not because she isn't good enough it's because of the segregation system created by the misguided thinking of white people. Even if not all white people think this way, there are enough who do think that way, that gives the segregation system force. This helps Elwood relate to him and even feel like he is a part of his family. Elwood takes this and applies it to help him remember that he is just as good as anyone.

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A nonparticipating observer; a spectator.

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"The onlookers made astonished noises"(16).

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Chapter 3: On the first day of school Elwood and his class receive second-hand textbooks from the white school. The white students already knew their textbooks would go to the black students, so they left demeaning racial slurs on all of the pages. When Mr. Hill started working at the high school, he made his students strike out all of the bad words with a black marker. He is very passionate about the civil rights movement and finds ways to connect it to his lessons in class. His experience as a freedom rider and his participation in sit-ins and marches, inspires Elwood to protest at the Florida Theater. He thinks his grandmother Harriet will be proud of him for wanting to stand up to injustices, but she forbids him to go because she would rather them "obey" and deal with the mistreatment to avoid trouble. Elwood feels so passionately about this that he participates in the march behind her back.
Resolution: Elwood gets grounded from his record player for two weeks. Although Elwood got in trouble with his grandmother, he felt in-tune with himself and accomplished. This helps him discover something he is very passionate about and guides him in the right direction to what he wants in his future.

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"The crackle of the truth" (11).

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"What came from the pipes smelled of rotten eggs, as did anyone who bathed in it until their skin dried" (55).

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"Testifying to anyone who cares to listen" (114).

This sentence is talking about the iron rings "out back" that are still there to the present day stuck in the trees, "testifying to anyone who will listen", the iron rings are not human and can't testify to anyone.

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"He liked to pump iron, his T-shirt sleeves as tight as a rubber on his biceps" (163).

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"He knew Frenchtown's piece of the Negro's struggle . . . . where young people not much older than him took up the movement. . . .Young knights taking the fight to dragons” (22).

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Chapter 4: What exactly is the roaring sound that Elwood heard when he was asleep? The word "torrential" comes to Elwood's mind when he hears this sound. It is described as a mechanical "whoosh without variation", which implies that the sound is loud and heavy. This raises question as to what will happen later, regarding the roaring sound.

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Chapter 5: There is a lack of structure and care in education for the black students at Nickel. Academic performance has no bearing on one's progress to graduation and teachers did not take attendance or hand out grades. Most of the students there cannot read and goof off during class, and the teacher doesn't care enough to correct them. Those who do want to learn, can't progress beyond an elementary level because they're provided with outdated elementary textbooks. The well being of the black students at Nickel is not a concern for the supervisors of Nickel Academy which goes to further prove the inequality between the black and the white students.

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Showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise.

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"The campus was kept up meticulously, a bounty of lush green dotted with two- and three-story buildings of red brick" (47).

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Chapter 4: Maynard Spencer is one of the superintendents at the Nickel Academy. He is a ruthless man who has no problem with beating or even killing his students- especially the black students- who do not obey the extreme rules of Nickel Academy or are caught falling out of line.

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Anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment.

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"Elwood kept the indignation out of his voice when he asked if Nickel had advanced classes for students who were looking forward to college" (60).

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"The Bible, a hymn, it sounded how people sound when they have God in their mouth" (78).

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Chapter 7: During their time together in the hospital, Turner gives Elwood a rundown on how things work at Nickel when it comes to surviving in there and avoiding trouble. This is important because this is Turner's second time being in Nickel, and Elwood is new and somewhat naive.

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Chapter 8: When Elwood comes back from his stay in the hospital, he tries to get back on track with his education and fails as the teacher didn't remember his name. He also tries to understand how to graduate early by progressing in the merit system, but the demerit scale varied per dorm. Meaning the supervisors could give demerits for whatever they wanted to. At this point Elwood accepts the fact that there is no way of earning your way out of Nickle and realizes that the system is rigged. This is important because it shows the true colors of Nickel. It creates a new obstacle in Elwood's way to leaving the Nickel Academy.

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Chapter 10: Turner and Elwood are unsupervised downtown and come across an ice cream shop. Seeing the ice cream triggers a memory about his aunt's boyfriend, who moved in with them when Turner was eleven years old. Mavis was his mother's sister, and his only family. The only memory he holds of his biological father is his "big brown hands" and his "raspy chuckle" (125). He gets the same feeling that the Nickel boys get when they remember visits to the White House- not a good feeling. His father ran out on him when he was three, and his mother died shortly after because of her alcohol problem. His aunt Mavis took him in and made sure he was taken care of. She had a consistent role in his life unlike his parents. Mavis had a low self-esteem, which is why she fell quick and hard for her boyfriend Ishmael, who called her pretty and bought her flowers. Turner never understood why Mavis wore sunglasses for two weeks straight as she limped around their house, until it occurred to him that Ishmael was physically abusive. When Turner tried to defend Mavis from Ishmael, he was bribed with ice cream so he would "forget" about seeing the abuse. Turner didn't like the fact that people could use bribery to protect their bad actions, and this stuck with him throughout his life. This memory is important because it reveals the kind of person used to be and what his upbringing was like. He actually used to be just like Elwood, in the way that Elwood always tries to stand up for what is right, but he loses hope for change and stops trying. His experiences are where he gained his ability to read people.

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"The boys rooted for Griff because he was going to represent the colored half of Nickel at the annual boxing match, and no matter what he did the rest of the year, the day of the fight he was all of them in one black body and he was going to knock that white boy out" (97).

This is an allegory because it is a clear representation of racism and corruption. The boys are used as violent entertainment and are bet on by supervisors and administrators, recreating the racist tradition of slave matches. The boxing match represents Nickel Academy continuing America's racist past and recreating it within its facility.

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(Typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal.

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"Some deaths were more nefarious than others" (145).

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"His rants about cops and the criminal justice system and predators- everyone hated cops, but it was different with him and she taught herself to let him vent when he got on one of his jags because of the feral thing that snuck into his face, the vehemence of his words" (205).

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Chapter 6- Narrator talking about Elwood

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Chapter 6- Narrator talking about Elwood

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“No one had asked Elwood for his side of the story, that he was trying to break up the fight in the bathroom- but maybe he’d get less for stepping in” (68).

This is an important quote because it shows how there was no sort of actual structure to anything the higher positions did at Nickel. They beat the kids as much and as badly as they wanted to, all because they had the power to do so. Elwood was trying to do a good thing by defending a smaller kid getting bullied, and because of that he is considered to be just as bad as the bullies and is going to receive the same punishment which is already very cruel.

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Chapter 14: Turner is originally against Elwood's decision of sharing the letter with the inspectors, he thinks that its a bad idea because there will most likely be serious consequences for Elwood and possibly Turner since he works in Community Service as well. He is mad at Elwood and doesn't talk to him because he will not change his mind. Elwood is sent to the farmer by Harper to deliver a message. Elwood won't be back in time to give the inspectors his letter, so Turner decides he will deliver the letter for him. This decision contradicts everything that Turner has been defending throughout the story. He originally felt that Elwood shouldn't give the letter away because it will cause more harm than good, and is not the type to stand up to people in a position of power. He always tries to avoid trouble as much as possible. For him to go against his beliefs, show that he really does care about Elwood because he knows how important this is for him. This may be a way for Turner to gain his own sense of dignity. Elwood's hopefulness could also be spreading to Turner.

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"How many boys you know here that got family? Or got family that cares about them? Not everyone is you, Elwood" (105).

Turner tells this to Elwood to make him realize that not everyone is as lucky to have a family like he does. Boys at Nickel don't have a reason to be hopeful or that someone cares about them and will worry if they go missing. Elwood is naive to the world because he has always been sheltered by his grandmother.

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Chapter 11- Narrator talking about Elwood

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Chapter 11- Narrator talking about Elwood

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"He was working on his GED and she taught ESL to Dominicans and Poles in the classroom next door" (140).

In Elwood's youth, bettering his education and going to college were both important to him. Nickel had no true education system and used the boys for manual labor. This set Elwood very far back in his education level, which is why he had to get his GED as an adult. Nickel held had slowed him down, but Elwood was never going to give up. Elwoods hope would always out weigh his fears.

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Chapter 7: Turner is Elwood's best friend in Nickel, but is a foil to his character. Turner is in Nickel for the second time and knows the way things work there. Turner is a heavy contrast to Elwood because, he does not have hope for change in society and has no faith in the justice system. He has no faith that things will change for the students at Nickel and would rather submit to avoid trouble. Unlike Elwood, he is against putting his own self on the line to save someone else. He does not care about standing up for the right thing when he risks getting in trouble. Turner is literally the opposite of Elwood. Hopefully Elwoods morals can rub off on Turner.

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Chapter 9: Griff fails to follow Spencer's order to purposely lose the boxing match. As punishment he is taken "outback", which is located at the back of the property where there are two oak trees that have iron rings stabbed into the bark. Griff was shackled to the rings with his arms spread wide, and viciously beaten to death with a horse whip. When he was dug up 50 years later, the forensic examiner found fractures in his wrists and could tell he had been restrained.

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Chapter 10: Jaimie is a student at Nickel who is of Mexican descent. He has been switched between the white and the black side depending on the darkness of his skin, which changes when he works outside. He is somewhat friends with Elwood, Turner, and Desmond but bonds with them when fantasizing about poisoning one of the staff members, Earl. Though he lies and says he didn't, he is the one who actually follows through with it, putting horse medicine in Earl's drink during lunch causing him to be sent to the hospital never returning back to Nickel.

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Chapter 16: Harper is the supervisor of the Community Service at Nickel Academy and unlike the other supervisors, he is initially friendly to the boys of Nickel. He seemingly has a good relationship with Turner and Elwood, usually treating them as if they were his equal rather than if they were inferior to him. As Turner and Elwood are escaping down the road, they are chased by a Nickel van that is being driven by Harper. Harper eventually catches up and begins shooting at them, killing Elwood. This contrasts to how Harper was treating the boys in the beginning originally being nice, and then unexpectedly being the one to shoot at them.

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"This was one place, but if there was one, there were hundreds, hundreds of Nickels and White Houses scattered across the land like pain factories" (175).

The narrator is basically saying that considering how well the Nickel Academy hides all of their abuse from the public and has been for so long, imagine how many more places there are like the Nickel Academy. Places that are corrupt and cruel that are being hidden from the public.

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“He’d seen her curse out this muscle-bound turkey who whispered something untoward as she passed on the street, she got up in the dude's face, but a rat made her squeal like a little girl” (139).

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"It was crazy to run and crazy not to run" (146).

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Epilogue:

"In Elwood's name, he tried to find another way. Now here he was. Where had it taken him?" (205) .

The narrator asks this question when talking about Turner to point out- what has become of his life? As he tried so hard to bury his past and live through Elwood. 19 years later after the fact, he is consumed with his history at Nickel and guilt regarding Elwood. He cannot get a hold of his intrusive thoughts, and is allowing it to take over his mental health. As a result he takes it out on undeserving people, ultimately living a miserable life.

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Chapter 14: Director Hardee stops all classes so that students can focus on fixing up the school grounds when he finds out there are inspectors coming to do a routine inspection of the school. Elwood considers everything he has learned from MLK and the importance of standing up for what he believes in. He gains back his sense of dignity and is no longer worried about the consequences, because he believes that doing the right thing is worth it. Since there will be inspectors on campus, Elwood sees this as a good opportunity to share all of his documentation of the abuse and corruption going on at Nickel.

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Epilogue, Conflict: Turner who now goes by Elwood, is living his adult life haunted by his time at Nickel. He has been living under Elwood's name, trying to be a man he thought Elwood would be proud of as a way to honor him. He tried to forget his horrific experience at Nickel by changing his name, and pretending it was something less severe. Him trying to run away from his trauma is only intensifying it, as it causes him to blow up on people. He now has unexplained outbursts whenever he is triggered by something and has a strong dislike for the criminal justice system. Turner is currently tormented with nightmares of Nickel and has extreme guilt for Elwood's death. Although he saved Elwood from the iron rings outback, he could not save his life completely as Elwood was still killed while trying to escape and was buried in Boot Hill. Turner feels responsible because that wouldn't have happened if Turner wouldn't have given the letter to the inspectors. Instead of shaming other Nickel survivors for coming forward and sharing their experience, he recognizes that it was his own pitiable state that revolted him. He is aware of how scared he got anytime he saw the name and pictures of the Nickel Academy.
Resolution: After the school had closed three years ago, he realizes that he cannot be hurt anymore and decides to go to Florida for the first time in 43 years. He resolves his trauma by sharing his and Elwood's story at a press conference regarding the current investigation of Nickel and the hidden grave site.

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"He hadn't thought about going out like that in years- he'd packed it up in a box and put it in his basement, next to the boiler and the neglected fishing gear" (189/199).

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"But the rooms waited, blank and still and airless. They waited for wayward boys in need of an attitude adjustment. They waited still, as long as the sons- and the sons of those sons- remember" (191/192).

Even though the state outlawed dark cells and sweat boxes in juvenile facilities, the rooms were still there whenever a supervisor felt that a boy needed to be sent there. The narrator is saying that racism and cruelty can be made a crime against the law, but as long as the "sons" of the racist people, and "the sons of those sons", have racism and evil in their hearts passed down to them, then the cruelty at places like Nickel will still continue. The law cannot change what lies within people's hearts and beliefs or the cruelty that happens.

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https://animoto.com/play/7bySma8ngE0yWVnu8iexeA

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padlet and trailer graded