Easter Rising
By Michael Patrick MacDonald
comments -
1. The last time I saw Frankie I was walking up Dorchester street, returning home from a long stretch in New York. Only two minutes out of the subway station and staring at the sidewalk, I was in a good mood imagining my future life in New York.
2. Frankie was a big fish in Southie, a star liked by everyone. Every time he saw me even though he no longer complained about my looking " f****d up, " he still stared at me like I was an alien.
3. I never saw Frankie again after that afternoon. It was my secret when people recounted their stories about the last time they saw Frankie.
4. I'd taken my final GED test just before Frankie died. I'd been feeling on track with my goals, but now all I could do to get away from the constant questions in my family about the robbery was wander.
5. I didn't mention the robbery to any of my friends; it was a Southie thing they would never understand. Those who'd read about it in the papers, I imagined, either didn't connect it to me or didv't know what to say. What do you say to someone whose brother was just killed while robbing a bank?
questions -
1. Why didn't the MacDonald brothers trty to do things together? I seemed the only closeness they had was through tragedy.
2. Why would Frankie get involved in a robbery when he had such a promising boxing career?
3. Why did Michael feel that he couldn't talk about his family or his problems with his friends?
4. Why did Michael feel the need to keep his last meeting with Frankie a secret?
vocabulary -
1. danceteria - page123 Is a term used to reference a night club.
2. scenester - page122 a person who is part of an artistic or social "scene"; also, a person who tries to fit into a "scene"
3. assertion - page127 a positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason.
literary terms -
setting- The subway in Boston, and Andrew Square area of Southie. exposition - Michael learn of Frankie's death rigfht after seeing him on the street when he came from the subway.
outline -
Michael tries to get his life on track by taking his GED. Then tragedy hits his family again with the death of his brother Frankie during a bank robbery. This adds on to Michael's already growing scence of frustration and anxiety. It also puit his dreams on hold of having a better life.