The Pigman

1. The Pigman by Paul Zindel

2. The novel is a fiction "memorial epic" about two high school students, John and Lorraine, meet an old man, Mr. Pignati, and spend a lot of time with him. John and Lorraine's families do not offer them much support and little attention. They meet the Pigman through a prank phone call. John and Lorraine start hanging out with the Pigman, but their relationship is not normal because of the age difference (Mr. Pignati is about 56 years old and John and Lorraine are either 14 or 15 years old) Mr. Pignati, they call him the Pigmanbecause he collects glass pigs, is lonely and enjoys the company of the two teenagers. John and Lorraine start hanging out with the Pignman because he is so nice, pays attention to them, and because they feel sorry for him. Pigmantakes John and Lorraine to the zoo to meet Bobo, the Baboon. One day while they are playing around at his house, the Pigman has a heart attack and goes to the hospital. While he is in the hospital, John and Lorraine have a party at his house. The Pigman comes home early from the hospital in the middle of the party to find his house a wreck. Throughout the story, John and Lorraine are trying to be what they aren't, adults, and the Pigman is trying to be what he isn't, a kid. Unexpected situations happen that force them to grow up and be more mature and look at life from another perspective.

3. The Pigman Requirements:All work must pass with a 75% or better. • Each chapter requires a set of answers to the given questions. • The answers need to be written in complete sentences (this means including the questions with in the answers). • Each chapter has vocabulary words that have three requirements. • Please read the directions on the vocabulary page. • There is a required activity to be done once the book is completed. • A Final is required to complete the book requirements. • Please note; all written materials must be: • In Microsoft Word, • Spell and grammar checked • Written in complete sentences (including spelling definitions) • Sent in electronically to your teacher. • Please save your work frequently and save a copy for yourself.

4. Chapters One - Four • Where was the oath written? • What kind of student would you describe John as being? • Why is Miss Reillen called Cricket? • What kind of things did Lorraine’s mother say about her looks and how did Lorraine’s opinion of herself compare? • How does John ‘s vision of Lorraine differ from her mom’s? • What was the purpose of the game of phone marathon? • How did Dennis rally up 2 ½ hours of phone marathon? • What was Lorraine’s first opinion of Mr. Pignati? • Describe the kind of parents that John had. • What do you think John’s going to tell Mr. Pignati when he grabbed the phone away from Lorraine at the end of chapter 4?

5. 1. Page 2 avocation2. Page 4 epic 3. Page 6 subliminally 4. Page 22 prevarications Write the definition of each word, follow it by writing the sentence it is used in in the book, and then create a sentence of your own using the same meaning. Vocabulary 1-4

6. Chapters Five - Eight • How did John finally convince Lorraine to go over to Mr. Pignati’s house? • What trick did Mr. Pignati teach John and Lorraine and how did it work? • Why was Lorraine getting so furious with John? • How come Mr. Pignati was dubbed the Pigman? • How does Lorraine’s mother’s personality conflict with her job? •  What three omens did Lorraine feel happened at the zoo? •  What was the difference in perspective s between John and his dad about what John should do for his future? • Where do you think Pigman’s wife really was?  • What other omen did Lorraine happen upon on the way to the department store?  • What was it that John liked about Lorraine?

7. 1. Page 27 patron2. Page 47 antagonistic 3. Page 54 voluptuous*4. Page 59 ingrate Write the definition of each word, follow it by writing the sentence it is used in in the book, and then create a sentence of your own using the same meaning. Vocabulary 5-8

8. Chapters Nine-Twelve • Why was Norton interested in what was in Pigman’s house? • How did John come to drink so much? • What was the difference between Lorraine being home or over at Pigman’s? • What was the difference between how John felt at home and at the Pigman’s? • In exchange for John and Lorraine fessing up about their lie, what did Pigman share? • What was Pigman doing when he had his heart attack? • How did John deal with his feeling about missing the Pigman? • What happened between John and Lorraine over spaghetti? • What do you think John was feeling that made him moody and cleaning himself up? • What omen of death did Lorraine have?

9. 1. Page 87 fixated2. Page 106 loathe Write the definition of each word, follow it by writing the sentence it is used in in the book, and then create a sentence of your own using the same meaning. Vocabulary 9-12

10. Chapters Thirteen-Fifteen • What did John and Lorraine do the night before Pigman was to come home? • Why did it upset John so much when Lorraine commented that he had made most of the garbage? • What did Norton do to the Pig room? • How did the party end? • What happened to Bobo while Pigman was in the hospital, how did it happen, and what happened to the Pigman when he found out? • What were the feelings John kept hidden by lying, drinking, and goofing off? • How were John and Lorraine feeling about the Pigman’s death? • What lesson did John and Lorraine learn from the Pigman’s death? “A Personal Note” • How did Paul Zindel come up with the characters in his book? • What was the purpose of developing the parent’s personalities the way Paul did?

11. 1. Page 121 curvature2. Page 129 incongruous3. Page 145 baffled   Write the definition of each word, follow it by writing the sentence it is used in in the book, and then create a sentence of your own using the same meaning. Vocabulary 13-15

12. The PigmanCharacterizations Identify each story character and list three descriptions as they are portrayed in the story. • Lorraine • John • Norton • Angelo Pignati • Lorraine’s mother • John’s mother-Old Lady • John’s dad-Bore

13. Choose a project from the Project Table and turn in into your teacher. Please remember that you cannot do a project that you have previously done for another book.