The Secret Lion
by: Alberto Álvaro Ríos
Interpretive Questions:
1.) Why do they boys bury the grinding ball?
The boys bury the grinding ball because they don't want their parents to find it and take it away.
2.) After they lose the grinding ball, why do the boys talk about it in “small words,…Kid words”? (p. 122)
The boys talk about it in kids words because they don't know what it is, but they think it's cool anyways.
3.) Why does the narrator tell the story of finding the golf course years before he and Sergio find the grinding ball?
The narrator does this because they find the golf course and think it's heaven and their "heaven" gets taken away from them because of the men playing golf.
4.) Why do the narrator and Sergio stop going to the arroyo after they lose the grinding ball?
The narrator and Sergio stop going to the arroyo after they lose the grinding ball because they are movie got the next location and are growing up.
5.) Why does the narrator say that he and Sergio buried the grinding ball “because it was perfect”? (p. 126)
The narrator says this because him and Sergio qualify perfection as something that's round and it is perfect because it's treasure.
6.) At the end of the story, why does the narrator say that the grinding ball “was the lion”? (p. 126)
The narrator says this because it makes them feel like a lion and makes them feel proud.
7.) What is the narrator referring to when he says that “something happened that we didn’t have a name for, but it was there nonetheless like a lion”? (p. 119)
The narrator is referring to them maturing, growing up, and coming to terms with things.
8.) What does the narrator mean when he says he and Sergio “solved” junior high school? (p. 120)
What the narrator means by this is that him and Sergio stop asking questions because they know they'll get yelled at for asking. They also see girls differently and are beginning to understand that junior high is different fro elementary school.
9.) Why does the narrator say, “Nature seemed to keep pushing us around one way or another, teaching us the same thing every place we ended up”? (p. 122)
10.) What does the narrator mean when he says, “We learned to be ready for finding the grinding ball”? (p. 126)
What the narrator means is that they are dealing with new surprises.
The boys bury the grinding ball because they don't want their parents to find it and take it away.
2.) After they lose the grinding ball, why do the boys talk about it in “small words,…Kid words”? (p. 122)
The boys talk about it in kids words because they don't know what it is, but they think it's cool anyways.
3.) Why does the narrator tell the story of finding the golf course years before he and Sergio find the grinding ball?
The narrator does this because they find the golf course and think it's heaven and their "heaven" gets taken away from them because of the men playing golf.
4.) Why do the narrator and Sergio stop going to the arroyo after they lose the grinding ball?
The narrator and Sergio stop going to the arroyo after they lose the grinding ball because they are movie got the next location and are growing up.
5.) Why does the narrator say that he and Sergio buried the grinding ball “because it was perfect”? (p. 126)
The narrator says this because him and Sergio qualify perfection as something that's round and it is perfect because it's treasure.
6.) At the end of the story, why does the narrator say that the grinding ball “was the lion”? (p. 126)
The narrator says this because it makes them feel like a lion and makes them feel proud.
7.) What is the narrator referring to when he says that “something happened that we didn’t have a name for, but it was there nonetheless like a lion”? (p. 119)
The narrator is referring to them maturing, growing up, and coming to terms with things.
8.) What does the narrator mean when he says he and Sergio “solved” junior high school? (p. 120)
What the narrator means by this is that him and Sergio stop asking questions because they know they'll get yelled at for asking. They also see girls differently and are beginning to understand that junior high is different fro elementary school.
9.) Why does the narrator say, “Nature seemed to keep pushing us around one way or another, teaching us the same thing every place we ended up”? (p. 122)
10.) What does the narrator mean when he says, “We learned to be ready for finding the grinding ball”? (p. 126)
What the narrator means is that they are dealing with new surprises.
Vocabulary:
1.) Dissect
Quote: "At the very very top of our growing lungs, what we would do down there was shout every dirty word we could think of, in every combination we could come up with, and we would yell about girls, and all the things we wanted to do with them, as loud as we could—we didn't know what we wanted to do with them, just things—and we would yell about teachers, and how we loved some of them, like Miss Crevelone, and how we wanted to dissect some of them, making signs of the cross, like priests, and we would yell this stuff over and over because it felt good, we couldn't explain why, it just felt good and for the first time in our lives there was nobody to tell us we couldn't." (pg. 120)
Definition: to take/cut apart
Synonym: cut, dislimb
Sentence: The students are to be guided step by step as they dissect the frog.
2.) Quartz
Quote: "That's the way it works with little kids, like all the polished quartz, the tons of it we had collected piece by piece over the years." (pg. 121)
Definition: a type of mineral
Sentence: The students were excited to study all of the minerals, especially quartz.
3.) Sewage
Quote: "But every third or fourth of fifth day, the sewage treatment plant that was, we found out, upstream, would release whatever it was that it released, and we would never know exactly what day that was, and a person really couldn't tell right off by looking at the water, not every time, not so a person could get out in time." (pg. 122-123)
Definition: waste matter that passes through the sewers
Synonym: discharge, excess
Sentence: The sewage water could be seen through the flood outlets on the side of the street.
4.) Miscalculated
Quote: "We found a thousand ways to explain what happened on those other days, constructing elaborate stories about the neighborhood dogs, and hadn't she, my mother, miscalculated her step before too?" (pg. 123)
Definition: to judge incorrectly
Synonym: misconstrue
Sentence: The child miscalculated her step while walking downstairs, so she fell forward.
5.) Treacherous
Quote: "We had read the books, after all; we knew about bridges and castles and wild treacherous raging alligatormouth rivers." (pg. 123)
Definition: deceptive, untrustworthy
Synonym: dangerous
Sentence: The students wanted to learn more about all the treacherous animals living in the wild.
Quote: "At the very very top of our growing lungs, what we would do down there was shout every dirty word we could think of, in every combination we could come up with, and we would yell about girls, and all the things we wanted to do with them, as loud as we could—we didn't know what we wanted to do with them, just things—and we would yell about teachers, and how we loved some of them, like Miss Crevelone, and how we wanted to dissect some of them, making signs of the cross, like priests, and we would yell this stuff over and over because it felt good, we couldn't explain why, it just felt good and for the first time in our lives there was nobody to tell us we couldn't." (pg. 120)
Definition: to take/cut apart
Synonym: cut, dislimb
Sentence: The students are to be guided step by step as they dissect the frog.
2.) Quartz
Quote: "That's the way it works with little kids, like all the polished quartz, the tons of it we had collected piece by piece over the years." (pg. 121)
Definition: a type of mineral
Sentence: The students were excited to study all of the minerals, especially quartz.
3.) Sewage
Quote: "But every third or fourth of fifth day, the sewage treatment plant that was, we found out, upstream, would release whatever it was that it released, and we would never know exactly what day that was, and a person really couldn't tell right off by looking at the water, not every time, not so a person could get out in time." (pg. 122-123)
Definition: waste matter that passes through the sewers
Synonym: discharge, excess
Sentence: The sewage water could be seen through the flood outlets on the side of the street.
4.) Miscalculated
Quote: "We found a thousand ways to explain what happened on those other days, constructing elaborate stories about the neighborhood dogs, and hadn't she, my mother, miscalculated her step before too?" (pg. 123)
Definition: to judge incorrectly
Synonym: misconstrue
Sentence: The child miscalculated her step while walking downstairs, so she fell forward.
5.) Treacherous
Quote: "We had read the books, after all; we knew about bridges and castles and wild treacherous raging alligatormouth rivers." (pg. 123)
Definition: deceptive, untrustworthy
Synonym: dangerous
Sentence: The students wanted to learn more about all the treacherous animals living in the wild.
Thinking Map:
Boys Know Something1.) Boys know mom will take away the grinding ball
2.) Know mom will get them in trouble 3.) Know not to ask questions in school because teachers will yell at them 4.) Know they're seeing girls differently 5.) Know their mom is lying to them about what exists over the hills 6.) Know what teachers they like and don't like/know they have opinions |
Boys Do Not Know Something1.) Boys think golf course is heaven
2.) Think everything that is round is perfect 3.) Think sewage is creek/arroyo 4.) Don't know what the grinding ball is 5.) Yell out words and feelings but don't know where it's coming from or what is making them do it |