First-Person Point of View. The story “Hollywood and the Pits” is told from the first-person point of view, in which the narrator (the person telling the story) takes part in the action and refers to himself or herself in the first person, using pronouns such as I, we, my, mine, and our. This differs from the third-person point of view, in which the narrator is outside the action and uses words such as he, she, it, and they. In “Hollywood and the Pits,” the narrator is the main character, so she tells the story from the point of view of the main character. As you read the story, look for details about the main character’s point of view, as well as clues to the views of other characters in the story.
Background Information. In “Hollywood and the Pits,” the main story line is broken up several times by paragraphs that give the reader background information about the factual history of the La Brea Tar Pits. How does this contribute to the story?
Internal Conflict. Internal conflict is a struggle that takes place inside the mind of a character. The main character of this story is struggling with the changes she is experiencing. These changes spark an internal conflict that she sorts out as she shifts between two worlds—Hollywood and the La Brea Tar Pits. Look for signs of this internal conflict as you read the story. Use a chart like the one to the right to track signs of inner conflict or struggle.
|
• This story takes place in Hollywood, a district in the city of Los Angeles, California. Hollywood is famous throughout the world for its entertainment industry. Many motion pictures and television shows are filmed there.
• For decades, parents have brought their aspiring actor children to Hollywood, where a very small percentage of auditioning actors ever get called back for a part in a commercial, TV program, or movie. In the 1930s, however, Shirley Temple became one of the most successful child stars in the history of film. The main character in “Hollywood and the Pits” is dubbed “The Chinese Shirley Temple.”
• Science Connection. The La Brea Tar Pits are located in Hollywood. Many thousands of years ago, during the Ice Age, some prehistoric animals became trapped and died in this pond of sticky asphalt. The asphalt, often popularly referred to as tar, preserved their bones, and archaeologists at the site are excavating (digging up) the fossils.
As you’ve grown older, what has changed about the things you like and dislike?
|
