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Whirligig
This question must refer to the seventh chapter, called “Apprentices.” While Brent is building his third whirligig near a beach in Tampa, Florida, some children become interested in what he’s...
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Whirligig
The preacher's words disturb Brent because they reference his current situation. Like Cain in the Bible, Brent is essentially living in exile. In complying with Mrs. Zamora's wishes, Brent...
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Whirligig
Because he was driving under the influence when he caused Lea Zamora's death, Brent is charged with DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and manslaughter. Brent's parents hire a lawyer and a...
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Whirligig
Flaco had moved to Miami from Puerto Rico when he was a child. None of his family members knew English when they came. Flaco didn’t do well in school, so he quit in order to work in a restaurant....
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Whirligig
Brent begins to forgive himself for Lea's death because he realizes, first, that it's possible for someone else to truly forgive him; second, that he can still be a good person even though he did...
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Whirligig
We hear the story of Flaco in the “Miami, Florida,” chapter of Whirligig. We don’t know his real name. He and his family moved from Puerto Rico to Miami. He didn’t know much English at...
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Whirligig
Alexandra and Steph show up in the second chapter, titled “Weeksboro, Maine.” They’re eighth graders, and it’s Christmas time, so a lot of snow is on the ground. Alexandra thinks Steph...
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Whirligig
At the beginning of the book, Brent listens to music to get himself in the right mood to deal with going to the party. Fleischman writes of Brent, "And keeping the right music flowing, using...
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Whirligig
Brent feels the need to hide because he is still ashamed of his part in Lea's death. His grief is still fresh, and he is afraid that others will judge him poorly for his actions even though he...
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Whirligig
At the end of the novel, Brent considers traveling before going home. With his whirligig project finished, Brent believes that he can confidently face his parents and Lea's mother again. He is also...
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Reference
In Chapter 7, Brent gets off the bus at the small town of Beale Beach in Florida. Here, he builds his third whirligig. While working, he meets a small group of about seven or eight African-American...
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Whirligig
In Chapter 5, titled "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," Brent realizes that he hasn't packed any long-sleeved shirts, nor has he remembered to pack shampoo. As a result, he's too cold, and his hair is...
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Whirligig
In Paul Fleischman's novel Whirligig, the main character, Brent Bishop, has recently moved with his family to Chicago. It is from there that he sets out on his peculiar trek in an effort to atone...
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Whirligig
The answer comes in the third chapter, “The Afterlife.” Brent had been driving drunk when he caused the car accident that killed Lea Zamora. Amazingly enough, he wasn’t sentenced to jail time...
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Whirligig
In Chapter 9, I actually found seven references comparing whirligigs to other objects and people. I've listed them below in the order in which they appear in the chapter. 1. The final whirligig...
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Whirligig
There are nine chapters in the novel Whirligig. Chapter Eight is titled San Diego, California. As the chapter begins, Jenny is portrayed as a typical fifteen year old teenager. It is her task to...
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Whirligig
If you are referring to the female artist Brent met in Weeksboro, Maine, the answer is that the author never reveals the name of the woman. Both Brent and the artist share an intimate...
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Whirligig
The chapters of Whirligig alternate between the events and actions in Brent Bishop’s life and those of the people who encounter the four whirligigs he has installed. In “Weeksboro, Maine,” we...
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Reference
Brent doesn’t refer to any place as his specific “favorite,” using this word. We have to judge his preferences by his behavior. If this question refers to what city Brent preferred to live in...
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Whirligig
Thirteen discussion questions follow the text of Whirligig. Because that material is protected by copyright, I appreciate your understanding as I give you a paraphrasing of each question rather...
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Whirligig
This question is an odd one, because the entire plot of the book takes place after Brent and his parents move to Chicago. You would be attempting to summarize all of the events of Whirligig in just...
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Whirligig
Maine is Brent's last stop before he heads home. After planting his last whirligig on the artist's property, he feels that he is finally ready to meet his family again and to face Lea's mother. He...
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Whirligig
In the chapter Miami, Florida, Flaco relates to us his life story. Because of the civil unrest and violence in Puerto Rico, Flaco and his family had taken a plane to Miami when Flaco was eleven...
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Whirligig
Brent refers to the crash as the 'birth of his new life' because the event is a life-changing experience in a negative sense. The aftermath of the crash represents a 'new life,' but it is one...
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Whirligig
We don’t know the real name of the main character in this chapter. He’s originally from Puerto Rico, and people call him Flaco because he is skinny. He feels the frustrations and stresses of...
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Whirligig
We learn most of this information in the first chapter, “Party Time.” Brent and his parents live in the Chicago area now. They had moved here from Atlanta, because Brent’s father was promoted...
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Whirligig
Birds are a recurring image throughout Paul Fleischman's novel Whirligig. The identification of birds is a personal goal Brent sets for himself. He laments that he does not know the names of birds,...
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Whirligig
Brent Bishop appears to us as an aimless teenager in the first chapter of the book. He just goes along with what life deals to him, even though he often doesn’t agree with it. Part of his...
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Whirligig
The Weeksboro whirligig was different in the sense that it was built without reference to Brent's whirligig book. Because he had misplaced his book, Brent decided to build his last whirligig using...
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Whirligig
Alexandra feels that the spot by the whirligig is a good place to visualize things because the whirligig itself exemplifies the tenets of guided imagery. According to Alexandra, guided imagery is a...
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Whirligig
Brent Bishop attends a private high school in the Chicago area. One night he goes to a party thinking to impress a girl. When his plan backfires, he loses his temper and attempts to drive home...
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Whirligig
When you re-read a chapter with a specific focus in mind – like searching for a symbol – you may surprise yourself by what you discover the second or third time around. I found three...
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Whirligig
The whirligig comes to symbolize, at first, the constant pressure to succeed that Tony feels from his parents, and then, later, the need for rest. Tony, a Korean boy, feels under tremendous...
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Whirligig
In Chapter Eight, Jenny takes her grandmother for a drive. Although Jenny is anxious about driving a manual car, her grandmother seems to be oblivious to Jenny's discomfort. Before long, Jenny...
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Whirligig
Three key words to consider for the whole story are whirligig, penance, and atonement. A whirligig is a wooden toy that has arms that whirl or move whenever the wind blows. Brent has to make four...
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Whirligig
In the book, we read of individual whirligig encounters in the chapters that have location names: “Weeksboro, Maine,” “Miami, Florida,” “Bellevue, Washington,” and San Diego,...
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Whirligig
In the chapter, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Brent meets Emil, a German guest at the hostel in San Diego. Emil offers to show Brent around San Diego, and Brent accepts his offer. They head for the...
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Whirligig
A simile is a literary form that uses the words “like” or “as” to compare one thing to another. Writers use them to add depth to the narrative and to engage the reader in thinking about the...
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Whirligig
In Chapter 2, we meet eighth graders Alexandra and Steph. They’re long-time friends, even though they have very different personalities. Alexandra is a more take-charge, outgoing person. She...
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Whirligig
In the third chapter, “The Afterlife,” we follow Brent’s first attempt to build a whirligig at a park in Washington state. He has an old instruction book on how to make them. But he’s not a...
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Whirligig
The lesson here is that forgiving yourself for a past mistake is something you have to do on your own, in your own time, and as you become ready. Forgiveness cannot be forced upon you by others. It...
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Whirligig
In the chapter, Bellevue, Washington, Anthony is an adopted Korean-American boy who really enjoys baseball. According to his own words, he is a very good pitcher. During class one day, he secretly...
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Whirligig
In Chapter Four, the narrator appears to be Flaco, a Puerto Rican immigrant who lives in Miami, Florida. The first trial he endures is described at the beginning of the story. Having moved to...
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Whirligig
This chapter is called “Apprentices.” Brent is in Tampa, on Florida’s Gulf coast. On a beach, he finds “a boarded-up ice cream shop” that is closed for the season. Here he makes a...
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Whirligig
Brent fortunately gains maturity throughout the course of Whirligig. He is, after all, only a junior in high school. And his penance for the accident causes him to grow up and to develop his own...
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Whirligig
Since the accident happens just after the end of the first chapter, “Party Time,” we’re talking about the action in the entire rest of the book. Brent causes the car accident that kills Lea...
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Whirligig
Chapter three is called “The Afterlife.” Here we learn that Brent wasn’t sentenced to jail time or to a stint in a detention center, as a result of causing the car accident that killed Lea...
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Whirligig
This chapter is called “Apprentices.” Brent has made his way by bus from California to Tampa, on Florida’s Gulf coast. On a beach, he finds “a boarded-up ice cream shop” that is closed...
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Whirligig
Brent Bishop is an aimless and indignant teenager at the beginning of the book. His only interests seem to be playing video games, listening to music, and figuring out how to fit in with the other...
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Whirligig
Mrs. Zamora was actually the only one who consented to meet with Brent; her husband, still reeling from Lea's death and still upset about Brent's part in it, had refused to meet with the teenager....
