The Banana Tree Vocabulary and Story Study Guide
This line tells the reader that Mr. Bass has not understood how important the tree is to Gustus; the words vaguely remembered show that he hasn't paid much attention to the tree or to why Gustus cares about it so deeply.
What does the line "suddenly he vaguely remembered how the boy had been fussing with the banana tree" explain about Mr. Bass?
Gustus can't save the bananas, and they are destroyed.
What is the climax of the story?
Gustus tells his father that he wants his own shoes.
What is the resolution of the story?
a Jamaican village during a hurricane
What is the setting of the story?
He went out into the hurricane to make sure that his banana tree hadn't been blown down.
Why did Gustus go out into the hurricane?
He doesn't want the fruit to fall from the tree again. He wants to sell the fruit and buy shoes.
Why does Gustus say, "My good tree, hol' you fruit. . . ."?
metaphor
a comparison of two things that are basically unlike but have some qualities in common; does not use "like" or "as"
venture
a dangerous, daring, or poorly planned task or activity
simile
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as"
dialect
a form of language that is spoken in a particular region by the people who live there
common noun
a general name for a person, place, thing or idea
proper noun
a noun that names a specific or particular person, place, thing, or idea
figurative language
language that uses words and expressions to express ideas that are different from their literal meanings
object pronoun
pronoun used as a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition
subject pronoun
pronoun used as a subject in a sentence
indefinite pronoun
refers to one or more persons or things not specifically mentioned
possessive pronoun
refers to one or more persons or things not specifically mentioned
bore
something a person carried or had on them; it is visible in some way
imagery
the use of words and phrases in a way that allows readers to picture, or imagine, how something looks, feels, sounds, smells, or tastes
context clues
the words or phrases surrounding a word that provide hints about a word's meaning
claim
the writer's position on an issue or problem in an argument
repress
to hold something back or try to stop it from happening
mock
to treat someone with scorn or contempt
grimace
to twist your face in an unattractive way because you are unhappy, disgusted, or in pain
personification
when an animal, object, or phenomenon is described as behaving in a human way
dialogue
written conversation between 2 or more characters