1a. What dream does Jed have?
2a. In what way is Jed like his grandfather? What does Jed remember about the woven basket his mother asks him to take to his grandfather?
3a. What does Jed's grandfather say about the smell of cancer? What does he want Jed to do with the food Jed brings him?
4a. What makes the swallows and the gulls different from humans? According to Jed's grandfather, how can humans be more like swallows?
5a. How does Jed feel about his grandfather's illness, and how does it affect Jed's daily life? Explain, giving examples from the story. How do you think Jed was feeling as he threw his grandfather's food to the gulls?
1b. Why do you think Jed has this dream? What do you think the dream reveals about the way Jed is feeling?
2b. What has Jed's grandfather passed on to Jed?
3b. How does Jed's grandfather seem to view his illness? Why doesn't he want to eat? Explain.
4b. What do you think Jed's grandfather was trying to teach Jed about the swallows and about life? What must a person let go of in order to be free?
5b. If you were Jed and your grandfather wanted you to throw his food to the gulls, how would you react? Would you do what he wanted? Explain.
Irony. Why might it be considered ironic that Jed's grandfather has become weak and frail, given the description of how he was in the past? What might be ironic about the fact that the locust post outside Jed's grandfather's cabin will last "a hundred years"?
Symbol. Symbols in this story include swallows, gulls, ash trees, woodsmoke, the wave in Jed's dream, and the strange odor. Think of the ways in which each of these items is presented in the story. For example, the swallows are described as adventurous, not afraid to fly by themselves, and being able to drink water without ever landing on ground. Jed's grandfather tells Jed that he can be a swallow if he tries. To Jed's grandfather, they might symbolize, or represent, the ability to be free in life, to not be afraid to go out on one's own, and to not be attached to earthly things. Use a graphic organizer like the one below as a model to explore the symbols in this story. Use a blank graphic organizer to explore a different symbol from the story.
1. Write about a dream you remember having. Then write a short analysis of your dream. What do you think the dream means, or symbolizes, about your feelings or thoughts?
2. In his own way, Jed's grandfather helps Jed to understand and deal with his oncoming death. Write some additional dialogue between Jed and his grandfather in which the Grandfather talks to Jed directly about death. Refer to the Language Arts Survey 3.86, "Quotation Marks," for help in punctuating your dialogue.
3. Imagine that you are Jed and want to share with others what your grandfather is like and what he has taught you. Write a tribute to Jed's grandfather, using information you learned in the story. You may use informal language.
Using a Thesaurus. A thesaurus is a reference book that groups synonyms, or words with similar meanings. Review the Language Arts Survey 5.21, "Using a Thesaurus." Use a thesaurus to find one synonym for each of the words from "Jed's Grandfather" listed below. Then use the synonym you found in a sentence.
1. pleasant
2. familiar
3. unaware
4. paralyzed
5. jut
6. faint
7. bulk
8. confused
9. empty
10. heavy
Editing for Capitalization Errors. You may notice in the story "Jed's Grandfather" that at times "Grandfather" is capitalized and that other times it is not. Any word for a family relation, such as Mom, Dad, or Grandpa, should be capitalized unless a modifier such as the, a, my, or your comes before it. Other words that should be capitalized include the first word of every sentence, the word I, and proper nouns such as the names of specific people, places, and pets. Refer to the Language Arts Survey 3.89, "Proper Nouns and Adjectives," and 3.91, "Family Relationships and Titles of Persons," for more information. Then rewrite the following sentences, changing lowercase letters to capital letters whenever necessary.
1. Jed remembered the day when grandfather rowed him out to what the sabaels called the island.
2. jed's mother made pancakes that smelled like a summer wheatfield.
3. father worked as a clerk in a store called groceries and more.
4. they called the small house where his grandfather lived the little house.
5. the house where joseph sabael lived was near indian lake.
6. indian lake actually exists in the state of new york.
7. it is located in the adirondack mountains.
8. if you look on a map of new york, you might even see a town near indian lake called sabael.
9. many city and state names in the united states have native american origins.
10. for example, the names chicago, minnesota, and ohio came from native american words.
