Questions and answers

1. BIFOCAL
CHAPTER 28
JANUARY 2020
M. RIDDELL

2. 1. WHAT DOES JAY MEAN WHEN HE ASKS
HIMSELF IF HE NEEDS “SAFE”?
• WHEN JAY WAS NEW TO THE SCHOOL HE NEEDED TO FEEL INCLUDED, TO HAVE
A PLACE, AND A GROUP OF FRIENDS TO FEEL SAFE.
• THE FOOTBALL TEAM PROVIDED THIS PLACE OF SAFETY. HE WAS A PART OF
THE TEAM AND DIDN’T NEED ANY OTHER FRIENDS.
• NOW HE REALIZES HE DOESN’T NEED THE FOOTBALL TEAM TO BE SAFE. HE CAN
HAVE OTHER FRIENDS AND HANG OUT WITH OTHER PEOPLE.

3. 2. WHY DO WALTERS AND ELLIS HAVE HAROON
AND JAY SIT TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA AT THE
END OF THE BOOK? HOW DOES THIS EVENT
COMMUNICATE ONE OF THE MAIN IDEAS OR
THEMES OF THE BOOK?
• BY HAVING JAY AND HAROON SIT TOGETHER AND NOT WITH THEIR GROUPS,
THE AUTHORS ARE TELLING US THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO SEPARATE YOURSELF
BY A SINGLE CHARACTERISTIC: RACE, RELIGION, GENDER, AND SO ON.
EVERYONE CAN GET ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE. IF YOU TAKE TIME TO GET
TO KNOW SOMEONE NEW THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE YOUR FRIEND.
• RACISM AND PREJUDICE EXIST WHEN PEOPLE STEREOTYPE SOMEONE BASED ON
THE WAY THEY LOOK OR THE RELIGION THEY FOLLOW WITHOUT GETTING TO
KNOW THE INDIVIDUAL. REALLY WE ARE ALL JUST HUMANS AND IF WE ARE KIND
TO EACH OTHER THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE.

4. 3. HOW DOES HAROON’S REFUSAL TO
REPORT ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM BRING
ABOUT PEACE?
• BY NOT REPORTING THE FOOTBALL TEAM TO THE AUTHORITIES THE SITUATION
WILL NOT ESCALATE. NO ONE NEEDS TO GET EVEN. HOPEFULLY THE SITUATION
WILL EASE AND PEOPLE WILL START TO GET ALONG.
• IT IS NOT AN EASY SITUATION AND THERE COULD BE FURTHER INCIDENTS BUT
HOPEFULLY IT IS LESS LIKELY TO HAPPEN.

5. 4. NOW THAT YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK,
REVISIT YOUR PREDICTIONS AS TO THE TITLE
OF THE NOVEL.