Ordinary People

1. Ordinary People Chapter 1

2. 1. Conrad has been out of the mental institution for six months. (T/F) • 2. Crawford is one of Conrad’s teachers. (T/F) • 3. Conrad has an acne problem. (T/F) • 4. Conrad’s counselor told him to always stay positive and he’ll never have bad days. (T/F) • 5. Conrad admires the May fly because of its ability to fly. (T/F) 1. Chapter 1 Quiz

3. In this first chapter of the book, we learn about the main character, Conrad. He has been out of a mental hospital for a month. He has just woken up and he is trying to get the motivation to get moving for the day. He is feeling lost, without purpose, and is finding it difficult to complete the most basic day-to-day tasks. He is suffering from anxiety and recalls his counselor told him he will have bad days occasionally. At the end of the chapter, he recalls feeling a “sense of calm, of peace” just after leaving the hospital. But now he feels he’s missing his “guiding principles” and feels lost. 2. Chapter 1 Summary

4. “Keep moving, keep busy, everything will fall into place, it always does” (3). • To me, this quote is significant because it’s something people often say or think will help if someone is struggling with something. To some extent it can be true. Picture “Finding Nemo’s” Dory: “Just keep swimming …. Just keep swimming.” Movement can help some, but to truly heal, it may be necessary to be still. 3. Significant Quote

5. We haven’t yet met Beth and only briefly hear about Cal, but we do learn quite a bit about Conrad. We don’t see the change in Conrad within the chapter but we do learn he has been out of a mental institution for a month, and that before going in he tried to hurt himself in some way (the comment about the scissors from grandma and his snide comment about things not being “razor blade” bad. He felt some peace when leaving the hospital but is anxious and lost a month later. 4. How Conrad changed in the chapter

6. The major conflict in this chapter happens within Conrad. It’s an internal conflict as he wars within himself, trying to find his purpose or his reason for living, or just getting “up in the morning” (1). He wants to be better, but feels lost, without a “guiding principle” (1). 5. What is the major conflict in this chapter?

7. Color connotation: “Anxiety is blue; failure, gray. He knows those colors.” • Metaphor: The bumper stickers are “guiding principles” or a reason to live. • Irony: He jokes that “they shouldn’t have” let him have scissors, but no one finds it funny. • Alliteration: “Synchronizing schedules” (4) describes his parents, which gives the failing they are in synch, but he is not. • Symbolism: He describes the life-span and purpose of the May fly, which symbolizes something he wants: purpose, and perhaps a short, planned-out lifespan 6. Five literary terms

8. The chapter takes place in Conrad’s room and bathroom in his home. 7. Setting of Chapter 1

9. 1. Do the bumper sticker references seem shallow? Why would Conrad focus on bumper stickers, rather than a more formal means of self-expression? • 2. How would things be different at home, compared to daily life at the mental hospital? 8. Two discussion questions for Chapter 1