the abc’s of milkweed nicole benjou midterm project literature circles extension fall 2006
TRANSCRIPT
The ABC’s of Milkweed
Nicole BenjouMidterm Project
Literature Circles ExtensionFall 2006
MilkweedBy Jerry Spinelli
A is for Armband
I was about to open the door when Mr. Milgrom
said, “No, wait.” Slumped against one
wall was a large, stuffed cloth bag embroidered in black and green designs.
Mr. Milgrom reached into the bag and pulled out a blue-and-white
armband. He slipped it over my coat sleeve onto my right arm. “I got this
for you,” he said.(page 94-95)
B is for Buttercream
We ate candy all day long. My favorite was
buttercream with a hazelnut inside. There was usually only one to a candy box and often
not even that, and I was not good at telling
them on sight. So I broke open chocolates
by the hundreds, searching for my prize.
(page 25)
C is for Cow
The cow had become something to believe
in or not to believe in. Like angels. Mothers. Oranges. How could
something as large as a cow live in the
ghetto and not be seen? How could it
survive? What would it eat? Rubble dust?
(page 115)
D is for Dr. Korczak
I loved his goatee even more than his mustache. It was so
soft and white. I wanted to rub my
face in it. I wanted to climb inside it and live there and peek
out. I think he wanted me to be an orphan very badly. I hated to disappoint
him.(page 54)
E is for Enemy
I thought: This is what the enemy does. He flies overhead in his
airplane. If he sees you in the street
below, he reaches out and drops a bomb on
your head.(page 16)
F is for Family
And Uncle Shepsel, propped on his elbow, was pointing at me and saying, “Why is he sleeping here?
He smells.”“I regret to inform you,”
said Mr. Milgrom, “that you are not a rose garden yourself these days.”
Uncle Shepsel pounded the floor. “He’s not family.”
Mr. Milgrom looked straight at him. “He is now.”
(page 99)
G is for Ghetto
They marched us to the ghetto. Since
they had finished the brick wall – topped
with broken glass and coils of barbed wire – I had not been able to visit Janina. I took this as a personal
insult and challenge.(page 79)
H is for Horses
The horses went round and round. As each
wonderful horse went by, its large black eye
seemed to look straight at me. So proud and
high were their heads, I saw for the first time
how miserable were the real horses plodding the
streets.(page 60)
I is for Interchangeable
They found the Jew. Or should I say, they
found a Jew. Jews were
interchangeable. One was as good as
another. I was to learn this many
times.(page 66)
J is for Janina
Her elbows were on her knees and her
face leaned into her cupped hands. Her hair was curly and the color of bread
crust. Her eyes were brown as chestnuts. They were very big.
(page 29)
K is for Katherine
When I said one day to my daughter,
Katherine, “Drive around, out of town,” and I brought along a trowel and a bucket, she did not ask why.
Why I said, “Stop here,” and dug it up, she said only, “Milkweed, right?”
(page 207)
L is for Lice
Using all my strength, I was finally able to pull the comb through my hair. I could feel the lice and their eggs
peppering the back of my neck. I heard them ticking onto the floor.
(page 159)
M is for Milgrom
When you own nothing, it’s easy to
let things go. I supposed my last
name was Milgrom now, so Pilsudski went too. I kept Misha. I liked it.
(page 104)
N is for Nazis
Jackboots and Flops came through the
lines, screaming into the people’s faces, poking them with clubs and rifles, spitting in their
faces.(page 96)
O is for Orphans
“Unlucky orphans,” I said. I told her that
was what Enos called them – orphans who did
not live in Doctor Korczak’s home, or any other, and who roamed the streets hungry and
begging and sick.(page 84)
P is for Pickled Egg
Although Janina did not like her comb, I knew of
something she would like very much. Almost
every time she ate I heard her mutter, “I wish I had a pickled egg.” I knew about
pickled herring but not pickled eggs. I thought:
I’ll find an egg and a pickle.
(page 161)
Q is for Quick
“He’s stupid,” said the unlaughing boy. “He’ll
get us in trouble.”“He’s quick,” said Uri.
“And he’s little.”“He’s a runt.”
“Runt is good,” said Uri.
(page 5)
R is for Running
I am running.That’s the first
thing I remember. Running.
(page 1)
S is for Stone Angel
I thought of the stone angel. I pictured the
snow falling over it, two crests of snow rising on the tops of its wings. So silent, the both of
them, the angel and the snow. I pretended I was the stone angel.
(page 98)
T is for Trains
We said nothing of the trains the next day. We didn’t have to. Everyone in the ghetto knew. The
words were in the air, buzzing with the flies:
“Trains…”“Deportations…”
“Stawki Station…”(page 174)
U is for Uri
I had never seen him so mad. His hair looked redder than ever, only
this time it was not because he was
laughing. He punched me in the forehead. The back of my head banged against the wall. “Someday I’m
going to have to kill you to keep you alive.”
(page 59)
V is for Visible
When I finished eating the tomato, I stood and
walked off. I didn’t run. When I looked back, she was still watching me. Her
round, unblinking eyes made me feel as if I
had just become visible, as if I had never been seen
before.(page 29)
W is for Wendy Janina
“Wendy’s middle name. I left it blank. I knew someday I would find you. She’s been
waiting four years for a middle name. I want
you to give it to her.” “Janina,” I said.
(page 206)
X is for Exist
Ferdi said, “Oranges don’t
exist.”
“We don’t exist” said Ferdi under
the rug one night.(page 88)
Y is for Yellow Stone
I waggled my yellow stone in Uri’s face. “What about this?”
He stared. “Yes…it was your father’s. He gave
it to you.”I was greedy. “What
else?”“Before you were
kidnapped,” he said. “That’s all.”(page 31)
Z is for Zionists
Voices shrieked out of the
blinding lights: “Move! Move! All you filthy sons of Abraham! All you stinking Zionists!
All you dirty Jewish pigs! Line
up! Line up!”(page 95)