Big mouth and ugly girl describe what teenagers go through in high school and what turns a student life upsidedown. Ursula is a misunderstood all star female high school athlete whose friend matt is picked up in class by police accusing him of some serious crimes. Big mouth and ugly girl the novel big mouth and ugly girl written by joyce carol oates in 2002 is a story about two american high school students who get very involved in each others lives by an accidental incident. He knows he has a big mouth yet cant seem to help it, at times. A wonderful tale of two unlikely friends told in two voices.
I provide a copy of the questions to my students on the first day of the unit and they answer the questions as we study the novel. This is a study guide question and answer package for the novel big mouth and ugly girl. It was published in 2002 by harpercollins this article about a young adult novel of the 2000s. Ursula riggs is a 16 yearold high school student at. Big mouth a fairly popular boy, good student, makeem laugh type boy who impulsively jokes about a bombing his high school and finds himself in serious trouble and ugly girl the sharp witted, plain faced, big boned and friendless loner who stands up for a boy she barely knows because it is the right thing to do. They came for him during fifth period, which was matts study period, in room 220 of rocky river high school, westchester county. Big mouth and ugly girl character analysis of matthew. Whats matts brothers name, and what is ursulas sisters name. Rocky river high school versus their rival tarrytowns girls basketball team. Matts brothers name is alex, and ursulas sisters name is lisa. It was a thursday in january during the middle of 5th period study hall when there was a knock on the door. Choose from 160 different sets of big mouth ugly girl flashcards on quizlet.
Big mouth and ugly girl plot within the first 3 chapters of big mouth and ugly girl, youre in the shoes of matt donaghy and ursula riggs. Mar 11, 2011 english project we did for big mouth ugly girl. Joyce carol oates born june 16, 1938 is an american writer. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. It was an ordinary january afternoon, a thursday, when they came for matt donaghy. At the risk of sounding cliche, i did judge this book by the cover. She is a girl who doesnt in connect with people but she doesnt like the wrong judgments around the big mouth matt.
These works include big mouth and ugly girl 2002, freaky green eyes 2003, after the wreck, i picked myself up, spread my wings, and flew away 2006, and naughty cherie 2008. This one was on the ya nonfantasy list and the title caught my eye. Big mouth ugly girl summary essay 717 words bartleby. Ursula calls herself ugly girl, and nobody else calls her that. Ursula riggs, our main protagonist is a taller high school student, more on the unattractive side who just. You have to really understand her and know how to talk to her to recieve answers on how she feels. That friends can help each other very much, we should reach out to others and offer them help or.
Ursula is a misunderstood all star female high school athlete whose friend matt is picked up in. She has won many awards for her writing, including the national book award, for her novel them 1969, two o. Matt gets in trouble by being funny in public, needing to make his friends laugh. A seasoned pro from the world of adult literature turns her keen observers eye to youngadult realism, with notable success. I liked the way they meet each other as the ugly girl ursula. Joyce carol oates, pseudonyms rosamond smith and lauren kelly, born june 16, 1938, lockport, new york, u. In the same way, girl learns to arrange the house in different ways to give different impressions to different people. The setting is at rocky river high most of the time. In her essays, she has taken up subjects both literary and nonliterary, including, most famously, boxing, and has added to her corpus plays, poetry, and a published journal.
Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published 58 novels, as well as a number of plays and. Ursula riggs ugly girl in the beginning of the book ursula was known as ugly girl and the girl who only liked sports and winning, she was a shy girl who hope never to be noticed in the halls. Big mouth and ugly girl quotes by joyce carol oates. It transitions from matt almost breaking down and crying at the police station to ursula riggs, or as she calls herself ugly girl, playing in a basketball game. Big mouth is matt donaghy, and when the reader first meets him, he is being led from class under police escort, having been overheard in the cafeteria threatening to blow up the school. The man with the glasses and a small fixed smile introduced himself and his companion to matt as detectives with the rocky river police department and asked matt to. But its never gotten him in trouble until the day matt is accused of threatening to blow up rocky river.
Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published 58 novels, as well as a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Social standing is a big deal in girls environment. What do we mean when we say a story wasnt written for. But its never gotten him in trouble until the day matt is accused of threatening to blow up rocky river high school. These are not only knowledge based questions, but are also analytical. Matt is accused of setting a bomb off in the school, and ursula is a star basketball player with mental issues. Learn big mouth ugly girl with free interactive flashcards. Ugly girl is ursula riggs, athletic and alienated, and she is the only student who. Ursula riggs is a 16 yearold high school student at a school called rocky river high in the us.
So i hunted down a copy at my local bookstore and went home with it. To some, she seems obsessed with writinga charge shed be unlikely to denybut to nearly all. Theme refers to the message that the author wants to send to society. Joyce carol oates questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on joyce carol oates. The following are questions related to each chapter. I eyed the crude typeface of the title, and glanced dubiously at the jacket pictures depicting a big mouth and an ugly girl. This symbol represents the theme of big mouth, ugly girl. Sep 14, 2004 matt donaghy has always been a big mouth. I was browsing around and ran across a list of her book recommendations. Its kinda like a movie about the book by joyce carol oates. Oates, joyce carol big mouth ugly girl summary alexander sim term paper didactics english literature, works publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. So, even though the commands mom gives about cleaning the house and clothes seem simple, they really are about maintaining her daughters reputation in society. Ursula was a girl who needed to be unwrapped to understand how she feels because on the outside she does not show her true emotions. Big mouth and ugly girl study guide questions with answers by.
Through out the book she become friends with matt donaghy a popular class clown. While they may stand alone, as ursula and matt have done, the author encourages kids to set an example, standing up for the downtrodden. But making jokes and imitations about a sensitive topic such as school shootings is surely something people shouldnt joke around about. Another place matt and ursula went was the mountains. A loner with fierce, staring eyes, ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends and dating or at least thats what she tells herself ursula is content with. In this book, body image, motivation, depression, and justice are examples of prevalent themes. Oates, joyce carol big mouth ugly girl summary publish.
She is a girl who doesnt in connect with people but she doesnt. Big mouth and ugly girl character analysis of matthew donaghy. Particularly effective are her depictions of violence and evil in modern society. May 14, 2002 big mouth and ugly girl describe what teenagers go through in high school and what turns a student life upsidedown. Joyce carol oates national endowment for the humanities neh.