Notebook prompt: LL2 Threads

Pick THREE of the core themes or threads of the Language and Literature classes and identify and discuss as many examples as you can of this theme in If I Ever Get Out of Here. How does Lewis’s story bring out these themes, and how can they help us better understand this novel?

 

Identity

Epiphany

Empathy

Justice

Shame

Power/authority

Beauty

Joy

Binaries

Notebook prompt: "A Chat in the Language of Violence"

 Part 2 of If I Ever Get Out of Here ends on an ominous note: after boycotting school for a few days, to protest the lack of support that he is receiving as he endures Evan Reiniger's bullying and abuse, Lewis has come up with a new plan. He has gone to a spot in the woods where some baseball bats have been stowed "close to the border . . . in case of territorial invasion" (233). Lewis unwraps one of the bats and says that he has "decided to go back to school. It was time for a new lesson, a chat in the language of violence" (233).

In your Notebook, please contemplate the significance of this apparent turning point in Lewis's efforts to deal with Evan. What do you think about where this story appears to be headed? Lewis has been encouraged by a number of people to "fight back" or to "stick up for himself" against Evan, but he always points out that Evan is a lot bigger and stronger than he is. How do you feel about Lewis, as he stands there with the baseball bat in hand, planning to return to school for a "new lesson"? Does this seem like a good idea? Are you happy to see him rising in resistance, or are you concerned about this apparent escalation of hostilities? If you could speak with Lewis at this point, what would you say to him?

Group Discussion: Wings Over America and Fireball

1. In chapter 11 of If I Ever Get Out of Here, Lewis recounts his experiences going to Toronto to see Wings in concert with George and his father. This is his first time in Toronto, the biggest city he's ever been to, and it's his first ever rock concert. Look back over Lewis's account of his experience at this concert (pages 156-57), and discuss this chapter in table groups. Take notes to record the perspectives and insights your group comes up with. If shared music fandom can serve as the "rez rocket" between Venus and Mars, does this concert experience represent an example of connection or disconnection--or a little of both? Be specific about the passages and moments throughout this chapter that support either interpretation: look for evidence of Lewis feeling connected to George and his father, and evidence of him feeling separate and apart. Is this concert, on balance, a good experience for him? Does it represent significant progress in his effort to bridge the "worlds" of the reservation and Red Tail Manor?

Please take about ten minutes to analyze and discuss this chapter, recording notes and insights in your notebook.

2. At the end of chapter 11, contemplating the tour program that Mr. Haddonfield has purchased for him, Lewis contemplates how he can "bridge the gap" between him and George. In chapter 13, Lewis has invited George and his father to the annual reservation Picnic, which entails introducing them to the local custom of "Fireball." What does reservation culture look like in this chapter? What do George and his dad seem to make of it? How does this depiction fit with the other ways you've seen Lewis depict his home on the reservation throughout the novel? What moments in this introduction to reservation culture for George and his father stand out to you? On balance, does this seem more like a scene of connection or disconnection? How does this chapter function as Lewis's attempt to show his gratitude to the Haddonfields and to return the favor of their generosity and hospitality? Do these developments represent significant progress in the effort to bridge the two "worlds"?

Please take about ten minutes to analyze and discuss this chapter, recording notes and insights in your notebook.

FOR BOTH SETS OF PROMPTS, YOUR NOTES SHOULD BE SUBSTANTIAL AND SPECIFIC: CITE PAGE NUMBERS AND KEY PASSAGES OR PHRASES AS NEEDED.

Notebook Prompt: Boarding Schools and Lewis's Story

What does the historical legacy of the Native American boarding schools have to do with Lewis and George and their story in the 1970s? Do you understand why this history is such an important issue for Lewis’s family? Should this history affect Lewis and George’s ability to be friends in the 1970s, if it all happened two generations ago? What do the actions of their grandparents have to do with them?

Take 5 minutes to contemplate the relevance of this history to Lewis's story in your notebook, and be prepared to share your thoughts and observations with your table group.

This Novel Has a Soundtrack

Before we even start reading If I Ever Get Out of Here, it is evident that music--specifically, the rock music of the 1970s--is very important to Eric Gansworth. The title of the novel alludes to a lyric in the song "Band on the Run," by Paul McCartney's post-Beatles band Wings, and the cover art features the outline of a head encased in giant headphones, as if the self, the "I" of the title, were surrounded by and defined by the music he listens to. Gansworth's original artwork--interspersed throughout on the title pages for each part--uses Wings and Beatles album art as its inspiration, with iconography featuring an electric guitar on the main title page. (Check out the author's web page--ericgansworth.com--for more examples of his original artwork, all of which reflects a heavy influence from 1970s rock album graphics.) The title of every chapter alludes to a Beatles or Wings song.

It is clear from the first chapter of the novel that music is likewise a vitally important aspect of Lewis's life (Lewis is a highly autobiographical character, reflecting Gansworth's own experiences growing up on the Tuscarora Reservation in the 1970s). In the midst of his DIY haircut at Carson's place, Lewis spots an acoustic guitar in the mirror. He immediately wants to touch it, but he knows Carson won't let him; he asks if Carson knows any Beatles songs, and Carson makes fun of him for still carrying a torch for a band that has broken up and "ain't never getting back together" (5). Later, he will taunt Lewis by playing "Yesterday" by the Beatles, and then "showing him how" by playing it again, too fast for Lewis to make any sense of it (82). By Christmas, Carson has worked his way up to an electric guitar, while Lewis isn't even sure what an amplifier is or what it has to do with producing the sounds he hears when he listens to the Beatles or Queen. An actual real-life guitar, for Lewis, seems like some kind of magical portal, and like all other potentially life-changing things, he believes it's forever out of his reach. Carson won't even let him touch the "piece of crap" acoustic his father has secured "on hock" from a guy on the reservation.

But listening to recorded music is a huge part of Lewis's life: he and Albert listen to the Beatles together, and Lewis keeps a running list of the albums they both like. His brother has taken most of their LPs with them when he left home, but Albert has a stereo, and he has "taught [Lewis] how to use it respectfully a couple years ago, when I started to pay attention to what was on the radio" (95). The most meaningful Christmas gift he receives is from Albert--a copy of the newest Wings album, Venus and Mars. Music is a key part of his blooming friendship with George: they are both avowed Beatles fans (and George's dad is a bigger fan than either of them), and their friendship is built in part on sharing new music with each other. Lewis even wants to play "You're My Best Friend" by Queen for George as a way of communicating what it would be "way too lame" (99) to actually say out loud. They listen to Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings the first time Lewis visits George at home, and Mr. Haddonfield even lends his copy of the LP to Lewis that night--a pretty rare sign of affection and trust, according to George.

The story this novel tells is inseparable from the music Gansworth weaves into the text. The novel literally has a soundtrack, and it's hard to keep track of all the song and album titles it alludes to. The book features a comprehensive "Playlist and Discography" in the back, which specifies the Beatles, Wings, and other songs being referenced throughout the book. His webpage also features a "complete discography" with links to all of the songs--although Gansworth warns that, the internet being what it is, most of the links will likely no linger be active. And it's true--most of the YouTube clips are no longer accessible. (But you can watch the full "Wings Over America" concert that Lewis and George attend.)

Happily, a reader of the novel has put together very comprehensive playlist, which features every song or album mentioned or alluded to throughout the novel: 103 songs and more than 6 hours of music! We will be listening to some of the most important songs in class, but feel free to explore this playlist on your own--put yourself in Lewis's position by listening to the stuff that he's listening to. And if you don't have access to Spotify, maybe a friend's dad can lend you the LP!

Notebook prompt: Uncle Albert

What is your sense of Uncle Albert as a character? How would you describe the role he plays in Lewis's life, based on what you've observed so far? What do you make of his personality, his general style, his way of being in the world? Do you see him as a positive influence on Lewis?

Identify relevant passages in the text that illustrate or support your observations.

Take 5 minutes now to reflect on this prompt in your Notebook.