Novel study

Year 9 Novel Study Abomination

By Robert Swindells

Name: Michael

Form: 9AY

Before Reading:

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me’

You have one minute to discuss why this rhyme is not true and why children say it. Write a few sentences to explain your thinking:

It’s a saying that is teaching kids don’t let other people hurt only sticks and stones will hurt you and not names.

Read through Chapters 1-6

Cloze Reading Exercise:

Fill in the gaps by finding the section of text in Chapter 1 & 3 ‘Martha’

They chased me home again today and the new boy, Scott, joined in.  When he smiled at me yesterday I hoped he was going to be my Friends but he’s not. He was yelling Raggedy-Ann just like everybody else as I ran up Taylor Hill.

When I got in Mother said , ‘You’ve been running.’ I’ve never told her the kids chase me and she doesn’t  like me to run. I said, ‘Yes,Mother, I’m sorry.’

I hate my name. Marth It’s in the Bible but the kids think it’s a Stupid name. They call me Arthur or Ma, and that’s when I’m lucky. Mostly it’s Raggedy-Ann, because of my clothes,    Mother makes my clothes and I wish she didn’t.

Mother says we’re special because we’re Righteous, but that doesn’t make me feel better. I’d rather not be special if it means having to hide things. If I can’t have friends round. If I can’t have friends.

Identifying the Big Issues:

1. From what you’ve read about Martha, what’s the big issue for her? Write down your opinion and find some evidence from the text to support your case.
2. Now think of the big issue for Scott and find some evidence.
3. What are Martha’s interests and concerns? List them on the chart and then find evidence for each one.
4. Record Scott’s interests and concerns, and the evidence in the same way.

Martha
The big issue	Evidence
She’s religious so she can’t do everything normal people do	-If I can't have friends round , If I can't have friends. pg 13
Interests and concerns	Evidence
Her sisters postcards being shredded.	Father tears them up unread and throws them in the bin but I rescue them and stick them back together with sellotape. Pg 13
Scott
The big issue	Evidence
Hes new to the school Not having much friends because he moved to a new township	I’m in Mr Wheelwrights class. Pg 8 We lived near birmingham before , and my folks never let me go into the city by myself. Pg 14
Interests and concerns	Evidence
He only has one friend.	When you’ve only got one friend you want to keep him pg 16 k

Exploring the word ‘Abomination’

Find the meaning of ‘abomination’		Write a sentence showing the meaning of the word ‘abomination’ in your own words
a thing that causes disgust or loathing.		It is a thing that is disgusting and it causes disgustment
Describe what you think ‘abomination may look like?		Draw what you think ‘abomination’ may look like: (you can upload a photo of your picture here)
A ugly pet or it is something bad to do with the bible. In the bible abomination is a word for hatred and disgust.

Read through Chapters 7-9

Sympathy Chart

As you read Chapters 8 and 9, plot how sorry you feel for Martha. Plot a mark between 0 (for being least sorry) and 10 (for being most sorry) for each of the stages quoted below the chart.

Exploring the Writer’s Techniques for Arousing Sympathy

How does the writer make you feel sorry for Martha? Look at the chart for the techniques he uses. Then find an example and explanation for each technique. The first one has been done for you.

Writer’s technique	Example	Explanation
Describing the character’s sadness	A lump comes to my throat. (page 21)	This shows how she doesn’t show her sadness openly but feels it deep inside.
Describing how the character moves	They chase me home again today and the new boy, Scott joined in. (page 1)	This shows that she gets chased home by people and that she doesn’t like it.
Showing Martha’s relationships with others	Martha was in brown too. Walking between her folks with her head down. (page 28 & 29)	The only real friends she has are her parents cause no one likes her cause she can’t have friends round.
Showing how Martha is grateful for simple things	They’re good clothes and I know how she sews them because she loves me. (page 6)	Her mother makes her clothes but she thinks they’re too
Revealing Martha’s deepest desires and hopes	Its a secret. Nobody knows except Father,Mother and I. (page 7)	They make the audience wanna know sooner what abomination is
Showing Martha’s happiness being ruined	My favourite time is after dinner when I have the place to myself. Fathers an agent for an insurance company, he does his round at night because that's when people are in. I have washings to do and abominations mess to see. (page 11)	This shows that Martha is happy that she is the only one home but she gets unhappy when she has to see abominations mess.

Identifying Themes:

Themes are the basic ideas explored in a text. Find the missing letters to reveal the themes of Abomination.

Families                    Friendship                  Bullying  

                 Growing - up                  Religion

Read through Chapters 10-13

Fortunately/Unfortunately

Pretend you are Martha. Your first sentence starts ‘Fortunately…’ The next sentence starts ‘Unfortunately’.  Write five fortunately/unfortunately sentences. A starting example has been given.

Fortunately it is Saturday tomorrow and I don’t have school.

Unfortunately I will have to wash the house from top to bottom.

Fortunately It is sunday today and I don't have school.

Unfortunately It is sunday and I have church.

Fortunately I can have cocoa and then go to bed.

Unfortunately I have to walk home in any condition to get my coco.

Fortunately It is sabbath day and its supposed to be the best.

Unfortunately I am all worn out by the time it rolls around.

Fortunately Everyone has nike trainers and jogging bottoms.

Unfortunately My mother sews my clothes.

Sorting Chapter Endings

Sort these chapter endings into Martha’s and Scott’s words.

1. You can’t keep secrets from God. - 4
2. I’d no way of knowing things were about to get far worse.  - 5
3. When you’ve only one friend, you want to keep him.  - 3
4. Amazing what it can lead to, borrowing someone’s ruler.  - 2
5. I reckon I’ll be fine at my new school. - 1
6. Maybe she cast a spell on me by touching my ruler. - 6

Martha:	Scott:
When you’ve got only one friend, you want to keep him You can’t keep secrets from god I’d no way of knowing things were about to get far worse	I reckon I’ll be fine at my new school. Amazing what it can lead to borrowing someones ruler Maybe she cast a spell on me by touching my ruler.

Foreshadowing Future Events

Think about the effect  the words at the end of each chapter has on the reader and what it hints about the rest of the story. Complete the chart. The first one has been done for you.

Quotation	The effect on the reader	What hints does it give about the story?
You can’t keep secrets from God. (pg 2)	This is a big secret – something serious, perhaps even scary.	This secret will be revealed or discovered later in the story.
I reckon I’ll be fine at my new school. (pg 10)	The reader will be excited to find out what folds next.	If he will still be fine at his new school by the end of the story
If I can’t have friends (pg 13)	It makes you feel sad she can't have friends	She will gradually get more friends over the time
When you’ve only one friend, you want to keep him (pg 16)	She is a lonely girl with only one friend Scott	To see if she will keep her friend
Maybe she cast a spell on me by touching my ruler (pg 23)	Thinking shes magical because she's religious	She could be a gift from the righteous and she has magical powers
I’d no way of knowing things were about to get far worse.     (pg 37)	Scotts worried if the gangs gonna beat him up	If scott and the gang become friends and if they are a threat to him

Comparing Two Conversations

Read through the two conversations and write a small comment in the grey box. The first two are done for you

1 What on earth’s happened to your face, Scott love?	Scott’s mum sounds concerned.
Martha’s dad sounds annoyed with Martha.	2 What time do you call this, Martha?
3 It’s nothing, Mum. We were having a game. Got a bit carried away, I guess.	Shes scared to tell her mum
Martha’s father is annoyed with her.	4 It’s ten to five, Father.
5 You certainly did. And who’s the girl?	Scotts Mother is interested in whom it was
Martha is scared shes gonna get a beating	6 Ten to five. Your mother had dinner ready at four-fifteen as usual… What have you to say to us?
7 Just someone from school. We walked on together.	Scott is shy to tell his mum who she really is
Her parents feel like there is something wrong	8 I’m sorry, Father. Sorry, Mother. Somebody needed my help.
9 Ah – so that’s why you’re late, is it?... Bit of courting, eh?	Asking if scott is busy with a girl
Martha’s parents want to know the situation.	10 Ah. I see. And this help – what form did it take?

In no more than 20 words, write a sentence that explains why chapter 13 is a significant chapter:

Because of the amount of drama that is caused and how Scott and Martha are getting closer by the minute by walking each other home and checking if they were alright.

Read the story of the Good Samaritan, mentioned by Martha. What similarities can you find between Martha and the Good Samaritan.

That martha seen that scott was hurt so she helped him and she was apart of the righteous and the righteous and normal people didn’t like each other so the story is similar in a lot of different ways.

Why do you think the author has referenced the story of the Good Samaritan in his novel?

To tell people that there is a better way of treating the people that don’t like you in a good way and that is with the kids and Martha.

Read through Chapters 14-17

The Theme of ‘Bullying’

Hornby High School defines bullying as behaviour that:

• Causes harm
• Is deliberate
• Is repetitive
• Has an imbalance of power

Give 3 specific examples of bullying in Ch 14-17.	How could they deal with it to prevent the bullying happening again.
The same gang was waiting at the gate for them to come out to beat them up (page 54)	Getting killer to stand out the front like the story says.
When father left my room from locking the door to keep me from reaching food in the night (page 50)	Not locking her up in her room and not making her feel she’s a prisoner in her own home
Just because someone's weird isn’t a good reason to pick on them (page 53)	Not picking on her for being weird if thats how she is you don’t have to pick on her for something she can't control

Read through Chapters 18-22

Use words from the word bank to fill in the blanks.

She was a prisoner in a dark castle . Rapunzel, maybe. I was a handsome Knight. On a white horse, naturally. It was dark and wild, with lightning and thunder. Black, twisted trees thrashed their bare branches against the sky. I rode up to the castle. The drawbridge_ was up, the portcullis down. Light glimmered through window-slits. The Righteous lurked on the battlements with crossbows and boiling pitch but I fought my way in, threw her across my saddle and galloped away through a squall of arrows.

Fought     Drawbridge    Knight Lurked     Castle Wild Bare     Her Through

1 What type of story is this based on?

This story is a fairy tale normally based on happily ever afters.

2 What are the usual features and conventions of this type of story?

Drama, Fantasy, Happy ending

3 In what ways does the knight represent Scott and Rapunzel represent Martha?

Because they fancy each other but Martha can’t date him because of her righteous religion so she os portrayed as Rapunzel and Scott is the knight because he likes her but he cant have her.

4 What does the story reveal about how Scott feels for Martha?

He really likes her but he doesn’t want to tell her cause it’ll upset her parents.

Identifying Signs of Change in Martha

Read the extracts from Chapter 22. What do they tell you about how and why Martha has changed? Complete the chart. Some entries have been done for you.

Evidence from the text	How has Martha changed?	Why has she changed?
At last somebody actually liked me… It felt so good I wanted to tell someone. (page 57)	Martha is feeling positive and good about herself.	Because her and scott are feeling more about each other.
The kids jeered and shoved me around just the same as always, but somehow I didn’t mind. (page 57)	She’s starting to get used to getting pushed around so she doesn’t really care anymore.	Scott has helped her through everything so she is stronger
I left the house that evening, as an experiment. (page 57)	She’s starting to disobey her parents and then she’ll get sent away in no time.	Being with Scott has given her the confidence to take risks.
It was amazing the things he [father] did find out about, but of course I realize now it had more to do with the thousand eyes of the Righteous. They’re just people, I told myself. (pages 58–59)	Martha is still scared but no longer feels blind fear of her father.	To tell herself that her family have no way of finding out where she went and she is confident

Read through Chapters 23-30

Identifying Differing Viewpoints and Arguments

Read this extract and think about Scott’s and his parents’ viewpoints and arguments. The annotations will help you.

Your turn to Annotate an  Argument

Annotate the arguments given by Scott and his father. (edit this drawing)

Why does Scott’s mother react like this?

Because she wants the best for scott and she wants to know whats going on

How do you think Scott feels after the conversation with his father?

He feels ashamed because Martha can’t go to hanglands

Who do you think the author agrees with Scott, or his parents and why?

Because they could’ve been in the same situation as scott as in having no money to go on a trip or being on scotts hand and wanting to give someone money and there parents refusing

Read through Chapters 31-36

Chapter 33 refers to another Biblical woman: Esther. Esther was a Jewish orphan, adopted by her cousin, Mordecai. She was married to the King of Persia. As Jews were disliked at that time in Persia, she took her cousin’s advice and kept her race hidden. When Mordecai and the rest of the Jews were in danger of being slaughtered by the Persians, Esther risked her life in pleading for their lives. She was successful and has since been celebrated as a pious and dutiful daughter to her adoptive father. She was also very brave and kept a secret well hidden.

Describe the characteristics in Esther that Martha or her father might admire.

Martha’s dad thinks that relates to them because Esther kept her race hidden and they are keeping abomination secret.

Exploring Language for Mood and Setting

Scott is embarrassed and disheartened by what he sees at Martha’s house. His language is simple and direct, which seems to add to the rather stark effect.

Four examples have been given. Find two more.

Point	Example	Explanation
Scott sees no life or colour in the house.	‘There were no houseplants or flowers’ (page 88).	This makes the house seem dull and unattractive.
The stairs remind him of an old film where…	‘women get bludgeoned to death’ (page 88).	This gives the house a creepy, sinister feel.
Martha’s room is like the rest of the house. On the floor Scott noticed the…	‘threadbare carpet’ (page 88),	showing a room which lacks comfort and warmth.
The only picture in her room has the words:	‘Thou, Lord, seest me’, (page 89)	which makes it seems as though they are being watched.
The preacher talking about Martha and Scott	“That every man should bear rule in his own house” (page 121	It makes martha worried if they know about them
That scott likes Martha	“I’m glad you came”(page 75)	If makes martha more into scott

The Question of Abomination:

Martha’s secret- Abomination- is the main narrative hook of the story. Do you know what the secret Abomination is? Include evidence from the text so far  to help you. (if your a bit stuck have a look on pages 2, 10, 15, 92, 66 & 89 for some clues)

It could be a kid or it could be a animal that is disgusting

Cloze Exercise:

An awful thing happened on Monday night. Mother had been gone about ten minutes  and I was washing the dishes to the sound of Radio One when there was a knock at the door . I dried my hands on the tea-towel, switched off the radio and when I opened up Scott was on the step.

“Surprise!’ There was a sheepish look behind his smile. I didn't smile back. I was shocked for one thing, and for another he didn't deserve a smile.

‘I told you not to come here,’ I hissed. ‘How’d you know I’d answer and not Father?’

“ I watched him drive off, Martha. Saw your mother leave too. I’m not daft.”

“You are, Scott.are are daft, or you wouldn’t be here” I glanced up and down the road. ‘You better go before somebody sees you you.’

Read through Chapters 37-42

Building Suspense

Chapter 40 is a key chapter because the identity of Abomination is finally revealed. However, Swindells takes the whole chapter to lead up to the revelation. This is to create suspense and you are going to explore how he does this.

Find a quotation to support each of the details along this path.

Start: Martha refers to the secret: ‘I expect you heard Abomination, Scott.’ (page 142)

Scott suggests what it might be: ‘Is it a dog or what?’

Martha worries about revealing someone else’s secret: ‘It was their secret not mine. Can you give something away that’s not yours?’

Martha has often wanted to tell someone: ‘I’ve thought loads of times about telling someone’

Martha explains her parents’ actions: ‘They think it’s the right thing you see. They wouldn’t do it otherwise. They’ll have prayed about it’

Things go on around her: ‘I stared at the pavement. Cars swished by’

Finish Martha describes the secret: ’Abomination is a boy.’

A Terrible Dilemma: Martha has to decide whether to keep the secret of Abomination even though it’s wrong or to tell and risk getting her parents into trouble. Give 3 reasons for and 3 reasons against telling. Aim to include quotes from the story as evidence of how Martha is feeling.

Tell the Secret of Abomination	Keep the Secret of Abomination
Scott wants to know what abomination is	Her parents wouldn’t get in trouble
Scott would know and he could help Martha get out	No one would know
Scott wouldn’t have to worry about Martha anymore	Martha would have to live somewhere else with random people

Read through Chapters 43-48

Cloze Exercise:

A favourite saying of Mother’s is ‘ Ask, and ye shall receive ’, so I decided to try it out. I wouldn’t have done it a few weeks.. ago but this was the new Martha. Martha, the sister of Mary and the special friend of Scott.

‘Count your.blessings’ is one of Mother’s sayings and I do count my blessings, lying in bed. One, Scott. Two, Mary, Three, Doris. Mother wouldn’t see these as blessings of course but there’s a saying: ‘ One man’s blessing is another man’s abomination. ’ That’s from the book of Martha.

As soon as I saw the expression on his face I knew something was wrong, and I’d fair idea what is was. Ye shall know the truth , I thought, and the truth shall set you free .John, chapter eight, verse thirty two; another of Mother’s favorites ..

He looked at me. “Abomination? What is that some sort of name? Is it a dog, or what?”

I shook my head. “No scott it isn’t a dog. Look if I tell, you, you mustn’t tell anyone else, not even your mum D’you promise?

wouldn’t	sister	isn’t	looked	promise
this	tell	friend	blessings	mum
book	wrong	your	Scott	favourites
face	sort	fair	truth	weeks

Play on Words:

The title of the book is ‘Abomination’. At this point in the book we know that Abomination is the name of the child in the basement. However, words can have layers of meaning. Write a paragraph about what you the real abomination is in this story and why:

Abomination can be a Evil Villain in a superhero book or movie but abomination means that causes disgust or loathing. Abomination could be a ugly creature like a blobfish and in the bible abomination means a evil presence.

Character Development:

In Ch 45-48 we see development in the characters, especially Martha.- her relationship with her parents, how she reacts to bullies, how she speaks with others. Find the evidence to show the changes in Martha and her life.

Then	Now
Her parents used to beat her.	They no longer beat her.
“Evidence: Father lost his temper and slapped my face “ (Page 159)	Evidence:
She quietly accepted what her parents said.	She openly questions her mother’s words.
Evidence:	Evidence:
Everything she did was controlled by her parents.	She has a control or hold over her parents.
Evidence:	Evidence:
She didn’t fight back against the bullies.	When Tracey insults her, Martha retaliates.
Evidence:	Evidence:

Identifying Irony:

Irony is when particular words, in a certain context, have the opposite meaning from the usual meaning. This means you can read other meanings or layers of meaning into the words. Words that have irony are ironic.

Martha’s and Scott’s parents’ words are often ironic. Read the quotations below and look at where they come from in the story. Help Martha and Scott to explain why they are ironic.

Quotation	Explanation of the irony
Scott’s mum:  Because you know you can talk to us anytime, don’t you? About   Read through Chapters 43-48Read through Chapters 43-48anything? (page 111)	Scott:            I’ve already tried to talk to you but...                     You didn’t take any action
Martha’s mum:  She’s never let us have her address, as any decent daughter would.   (page 116)	Martha:          The people who really behaved                                 badly were…
Martha’s mum:  You don’t understand, Martha. (page 116)	Martha:          But I do understand. I understand that...
Martha’s mum:  Love the sinner, hate the sin. (page 116)	Martha:          What love have you shown to...
Martha’s mum:  … the Lord has shown us how the child might… live a normal life. (page   117)	Martha:          But what you mean by normal life isn’t                                      because

Read through Chapters 49-52

In these chapters the story reaches its major crisis. Can you explain:

How has Scott recognised he has fallen in love	Because he caresabout whatever she does
How has Martha completely changed from the start?	She is becoming a rebel and not listening to her parents
How hopeless has their situation become?	Marthas sister isn’t coming quickly enough