Questions from Book 2: E. Z. and the Chikasha Warrior
GENERAL QUESIONS
1. After E. Z. is told that his mother has died, what skills must he develop to survive and to protect his brother David? Without any parents to provide for E. Z. and to protect him, what are some things E. Z. must give up that other boys his age can still enjoy?
2. After E. Z. is told that his mother has died, what does E. Z. do to gain knowledge and skills that he will need to survive?
3. List ways that Chickasaw culture was different from the culture that E. Z. had known and ways that it was the same as the culture E. Z. had known. In what ways did learning the ways of the Chickasaw culture, help or hurt E. Z. ?
4. Why was E. Z. willing to risk his life to play in the stickball game? What did E. Z.’s determination to learn how to play stickball and to win tell Tashka about E. Z.’s character?
5. What did E. Z.’s actions to save David from the snake pit reveal about E. Z.’s talents and the things he had learned since he arrived on the Natchez Trace?
6. List some things Tashka taught E. Z. that will help him survive in the forest and in life?
7. How were the Creek men that E. Z. met like the Chickasaw men and how were they different? The Creek men that E. Z. met were those who had rebelled from their leaders. Would E. Z. have been surprised to learn that the Creek leaders were more similar to the Chickasaw men he met than the Creek rebels?
8. At the end of Book 2, the writer states that E. Z. was no longer the timid and fearful boy who had arrived on the Natchez Trace at the beginning of Book 1. In what ways had E. Z. changed by the end of Book 2, and what caused those changes?
LEARN TO OBSERVE. CLUES FROM THE ARTISTS.
1. Cover Image. What features do you see in the cover image? Does the artist provide a clue about the story by placing the Chickasaw warrior’s face on the outlines of a raven?
2. Map. Does the map provide clues about the are where the characters will be traveling?
3. Skull on Pole. What expectation does the artist create in the image of the skull on the pole? Does the image of the skull on the poll provide a sense that the characters will be in danger?
4. Boy in the Wilderness. The image of the boy in the wilderness is the same as the image in the first book. In what ways is the boy the same character and how does he change by the end of the second book?
5. In reviewing the title of the book, the cover image, the map, and the illustration of the skull on the pole, can you predict what the story will be about?
CHARACTER STUDY.
Which of the following words would you use to described E. Z.? brave, timid, intelligent, dull, clever, resourceful, lazy, hard working, energetic, honest, dishonest.
Describe events when E. Z.’s character is challenged— when is he put to the test? When does he pass the test and when does he fail?