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What are some idioms in the book Wonder by R.J Palacio?
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Some idioms in Wonder by R.J. Palacio include "a killer handshake," meaning a very firm handshake, "a bit of a schlep," meaning a long and tiresome journey, "walk in the park," meaning something easy, "like a lamb to the slaughter," implying an innocent facing a dangerous situation, "butterflies in his stomach," meaning nervousness, and "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," implying children resemble their parents.
An idiom is a word or phrase used in a language that has a meaning different from its literal or original meaning. Slang is one typical type of idiom; another is foreign words incorporated into a language. Extreme exaggeration (hyperbole) can also create an idiomatic usage of a familiar term.
The kinds of idioms that appear in the book are those that would be customarily used by an adolescent boy as August is the first-person narrator. The text is his own speech or what he reports in dialogue with his family and social circle.
August’s parents take him to visit his new school during the summer . When they meet his homeroom teacher, Mrs. Garcia, he shakes her hand and she comments the firmness of his grip. His father says that he has “a killer handshake.” Here “killer” is used metaphorically to mean extremely powerful, not that it...
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would literally kill anyone.
When August’s parents are conversing with his school principal, Mr. Tushman, they mention that his older sister will be starting a new school that is fairly far from their home. His mother says that traveling between home and school is “a bit of a schlep.” The word “schlep” is from the Yiddish, derived from German, for “haul” or “drag.” Mrs. Pullman is using it as a noun as though Via will be hauling herself and her things.
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First, let us clarify what an idiom is: an idiom is defined as a set of words that should not be taken literally; they have a meaning that is different from what one would expect.
R.J. Palacio's Wonder is the heartwarming story of a boy named August, who was born with severe facial abnormalities. It is a coming-of-age story about August going to school for the first time, having been homeschooled up until that point. It is a great story with loads of idioms. I will provide four examples with page numbers that correspond to where they appear in my copy of the book.
On page six, the idiom "walk in the park" is used. It is used by August's mother when comparing August's birth to that of his older sister Via. While August's birth was fraught with complications, Via's birth was "a walk in the park," which means that it was very simple and straightforward.
On page 10, August's parents are arguing about the wisdom of sending him to school, and his father uses the idiom "like a lamb to the slaughter." He is worried that August will be teased and bullied at school because of his physical appearance, and the idiom implies that something innocent (a lamb, or, in this case, August) will be led to a terrible situation (in this case, a school full of kids who are likely to become August's nemeses).
On page 35, we read about August's feelings on the morning of his first day at Beecher Prep. He talks about "butterflies in his stomach," which is actually just the onset of nerves, and not, of course, actual butterflies in his stomach.
On page 67, August's mother uses the phrase "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" in reference to August's classmate Julian and his mother. Julian has been unkind to August ever since he started at Beecher, and when Julian's mother does not RSVP to August's birthday party, August's mother uses this idiom to explain that Julian and his mother appear to be very similar in their rudeness.
References
There are many idioms throughout the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio but I am going to focus on one specifically. This idiom I found deals with the main character August "Auggie" Pullman. The term "like a lamb to slaughter" is used referring to Auggie's experience of going to main-stream school for the first time. This term normally refers to someone who is ignorant of the danger that awaits them.
Auggie is born different and up until the time of the book (Auggie is going into the 5th grade) he had never been to a traditional school. Auggie has a facial deformity which has caused him to undergo many surgeries so he never had the ability to go to school before. Now that he can he is completely terrified of how he will be perceived and treated by his peers. Despite his fears Auggie still did not understand how difficult the beginning of his time at Beecher prep would be until he got there. Hence the idiom "like a lamb to slaughter".
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