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Copywork
About This Passage
Otis is doing something brave here: he is telling a ten-year-old girl about himself. Notice the structure of the two sentences. First, he says what he is NOT ('not dangerous'). Then he says what he IS ('lonely'). Then he repeats what he is not ('not dangerous'). The repetition tells us that he is worried Opal might still be a little scared of him, and he wants to make sure she hears him. The word 'lonely' in the middle is the confession — it is easier to say 'not dangerous' than to say 'I am alone.' Copying this passage teaches a writer how a character can reveal a vulnerable feeling in the middle of a practical statement.
I ain't a dangerous man, Otis said, if that's what you're thinking. I'm lonely, but I ain't dangerous.
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the chapter. Otis finally tells his whole story. What do you think of him now that you know everything?
Discussion Questions
- Otis says his music is 'better if someone is listening to it.' This is a specific claim about music. Why does Otis believe that music needs a listener?
- Otis says 'I wouldn't have been able to play my guitar with them things on' when talking about the handcuffs. He hit the police officer because the handcuffs would have stopped him from playing. Is this a good reason, or is it no reason at all?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
likely to cause harm, injury, or damage to others
Item 2
the act of telling a hard or private truth about yourself
Item 3
taken into police custody because of a suspected crime
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Critical Thinking
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