Skellig Questions and Answers
Skellig
Who is Mina from the book Skellig?
Mina lives "further along" on Falconer Road, at Number 7, from Michael's new house, a derelict fixer-upper that threatens one life while sheltering another. Mina is about Michael's age but is...
Skellig
How does David Almond represent the characters Michael, Mina, and Skellig in his book Skellig?
Michael is the main character and protagonist with a kind and curious nature. He at the young age of 12 when he begins exploring questions surrounding life, death, loss, and belief in spirituality....
Skellig
In Skellig, what are Mina's criticisms of school?
Mina is home-schooled. She likes to quote Wiliam Blake (the poet) quite a bit. One quote she uses puts forth the notion that traditional, classroom schooling steals the joy of learning from...
Skellig
Comment on the use of William Blake's poetry in Skellig to build atmosphere.
William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience both play a part in the building of atmosphere in David Almond's Skellig. The poems presented in both of Blake's collections highlight...
Skellig
Who are the main characters in Skellig? Give a brief description of their significance in the text.
Skellig, written by David Almond, is a work of children's literature that was published in 1998. It tells the story of ten-year-old Michael who, after moving into a rundown house with his parents,...
Skellig
In Skellig, clearly explain Michael's neighbourhood is like.
We aren't actually given that much information about Michael's neighbourhood, except to note that the new house that he and his family move to is a shabby building with a garden that Michael refers...
Skellig
In Skellig, what is one of Mina's arguments for traditional school and one argument for home-school?
In David Almond's Skellig, Mina is an enthusiastic advocate for home schooling, as well as a good example of the results it can produce. She enjoys quoting William Blake, and espouses his view that...
Skellig
Describe and explain the changes of the main characters throughout the story Skellig, by David Almond.
In David Almond's Skellig, we first meet Michael, even while he describes his discovery of Skellig (known at first as Arthur). Michael has just moved into a new home. His parents, besides handling...
Skellig
List some of the most important and meaningful quotations from Skellig by David Almond.
Here is some background on the novel Skellig. The main character, Michael, finds a crippled being living in the crumbling garage of the new house his family has moved into. With the help of a...
Skellig
Describe the dream Micheal's mother had before the baby's surgery.
This dream is described in Chapter 41 of the novel. Before the baby's heart surgery, Michael's mum goes to the hospital to be with the baby. She struggles to fall asleep and keeps getting up to...
Skellig
How does David Almond create atmosphere in Chapter One of Skellig?
In Chapter One of David Almond's Skellig, the author artfully creates an atmosphere to introduce the boy's discovery at his new house. The setting is important. I found him in the garage on a...
Skellig
In reference to Skellig, how does an author's purpose influence the audience's response to the text?
The influence of the author's purpose on the audience response is never quite predictable, since it depends on the audience. However, David Almond's Skellig has often evoked sympathy and...
Skellig
Why did Michael move to Falconer Road?
In the young adult novel Skellig by British novelist David Almond, the protagonist is twelve-year-old Michael, who moves with his family to a house on Falconer Road in a new town. The town could be...
Skellig
How do Michael and Mina's perceptions of Skellig change throughout David Almond's book, Skellig?
In David Almond's book, Skellig, Michael and Mina learn to see Skellig in a different way as time goes by: it's hard to say if they change because of him, or things around them make them change...
Skellig
Why was Michael's sister sick?
Michael's baby sister Joy—as she comes to be known—was born prematurely. Like a lot of premature babies, she's experienced serious health problems. Joy is gravely ill; she has a heart condition...
Skellig
What is Mina wearing in the first scene in Skellig?
Skellig was written by David Almond, and it is widely considered to be a Gothic story for children. Skellig is a supernatural being who is capable of working miracles. Michael and Mina are two main...
Skellig
Why is the narrator interested in the garage in Skellig?
One day after his family moves into a dilapidated old house, Michael finds a strange-looking old man in the garage. No one else is around, just him, making his unusual discovery seem all the more...
Skellig
What does Michael suggest they should call the baby in Skellig?
In Skellig, Michael has a baby sister. Unfortunately, she's not very well, and this only adds to the stress that Michael and his family are under after their recent move to a dilapidated old...
Skellig
How does Mina help Michael to feel comfortable with his life?
In British author David Almond’s 1998 children’s novel, Skellig, the protagonist is ten-year-old Michael, who moves with his family to a fictional town in England, after his infant sister is born...
Skellig
I am writing an essay based on the themes of Skellig. When writing the middle and supporting sentences of a body...
I always teach my students the following way of remembering how to write the middle paragraphs of an essay: point, proof and then deduction. You have to make your point, which basically is what you...
Skellig
Plot the action of Skellig into a list of around 12 to 15 key events. The events must be put into order, based on...
I will answer this question, but please don't let my plot summary and key events stop you from reading this brilliant novel as well. I hope that the key events that I give you will encourage you to...
Skellig
David Almond makes use of many symbols in Skellig. Explain the use of light and dark.
You might like to focus on the beginning of the novel, and in particular how the discovery of Skellig is associated with darkness but with the hope of new life and growth. Let us remember that the...
Skellig
How would you write an essay comparing a novel (i.e Skellig) to a film (i.e Skellig). What topics might you choose...
This essay will be a comparative essay; therefore, you need to think about how the novel and the film are similar or different. Many points exist for comparison which means that you must choose...
Skellig
In Skellig, Mina describes the dinosaur's tail as "leaden." What does this mean?
In chapter 25, Mina is showing to her friend Michael a section of an encyclopedia. The section is all about dinosaurs. Mina points to a picture of a particular dinosaur and says that it looks like...
Skellig
List some possible essay topics comparing the novel Skellig to the film of the same name.
Quite clearly, the best place to start when comparing the film version of the novel and the novel itself is to identify and analyse the various differences that you can identify. It is very...
Skellig
David Almond uses many symbols in his novel Skellig. Explain the use of the owls.
The owls in this moving and impressive novel seem to act as a symbol fo the way that nature naturally shows love and care. Let us remember that the owls feed Skellig, and draw attention to it by...
Skellig
Did you enjoy reading Skellig by David Almond? Explain. I know I did, but did you?
I did enjoy Skellig, as a matter of fact, especially because Skellig seemed at times so angel-like to me; for a youthful audience, it was great to see something that demonstrates that the beauty of...
Skellig
For an English Examination, how do you write an excellent comparitive essay in only 30 minutes? Say the essay was...
This is a good question. What you need to do (and this is the most important) is to have a good thesis statement. A thesis statement is the main point or the main argument of your essay. Keep in...
Skellig
Describe the garage as it is presented in chapters 1 and 2 of David Almond's Skellig. What does the narrator find in...
In chapter one, Michael, the story's narrator, describes a seemingly human or humanlike "creature" living in the garage. Michael discovers it in the "dust and dirt" behind the "tea chests." The...
Skellig
Chapter 7,8,9 Write about what we know about Michael and Mina include about information about what they look like...
Michael, who is the protagonist and narrator of this story, meets his new neighbor Mina at the beginning of chapter 7. Her physical qualities are described in chapter 9. She is "little" with hair...
Skellig
What broad statements would be appropriate for an essay on Skellig, by David Almond? (Can you give the first sentence...
In David Almond's Skellig the main characters in the story are all extremely isolated. Michael and his family have moved into a new house, but his new baby sister was born prematurely, and his...
Skellig
What are three things you learn about the narrator in David Almond's Skellig?
The first thing I learn about the narrator as the book begins is that he resists being open to imagination and impossibility. He doesn't want to move to his new house and rather than looking...
Skellig
What is a possible explanation for the man Michael finds in the garage in David Almond's Skellig? Is the man likely...
We don't get much information about the "man" in the garage in chapters three and four, but between a tramp, a burglar, a ghost, a vision, and a dream, it seems most likely he is a tramp. We can...
Skellig
What clues are given within the first three chapters that hint towards the narrative of David Almond's Skellig?
In Skellig's first three chapters, Almond plants a number of clues about what is going to happen. He spends a good deal of time describing the new property, so we know the move is important....