THE WHITE GIRAFFE REVIEW

The White Giraffe
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0913_050913_whitegiraffe.html
Part One:  Fact or Fiction?
Click on the article link above and read the short news report about the White Giraffe spotting.  Use statements in the article to answer the following questions:
1.  When was the white giraffe spotted?  


2.  Who spotted it, and how was the photograph taken?


3.  Is the giraffe an albino?  

4.  Is this a reliable resource?  Why or why not?  Support your answer with reasons.

Part Two:  Identification
Briefly identify each of the following with a description and an explanation of its significance in the story:  

New Year’s Eve

Cape Town

England

Tendai

Zulu

Sans Bushpeople

Sawubona

Grace

The Memory Room

Gemmy

Ben

The Five Star Gang

Gwynn Thomas

Egyptian Goose

Umthakathi

Secret Valley


Part Three:  Short Essay (on separate paper)
1.  At the beginning of chapter 8, the narrator says that in her early days at
Sawubona, Martine “felt as if she were undergoing some sort of test, almost as if
she was being prepared for something.” In your own words, explain what you
think the challenges of Sawubona are preparing her for. Be sure to describe how
Martine changes during her time in Africa.
2.  Early in the story, Grace tells Martine, “Be very careful. The gift can be a blessin’
or a curse. Make your decisions wisely.” First explain whether you think the gift
is a blessing or a curse for Martine. Then using examples from the text, explain
whether you think Martine makes her decisions wisely.

Part Four: Figurative Language
Identify each of the following figures of speech as simile, metaphor, personification, or hyperbole.
1.  “...she gulped like a haddock out of water”

2. “...the trees tossed like ocean waves”

3.  “The porridge was fantastic.  It poured into her veins like molten lava, warming her bones and clearing her head.”

4.  “Dread prickled her skin.”

5.  “She was still high in the air when her hands, stiff as frozen fish sticks in the gusting Arctic wind, lost their grip and she crashed into the snow.”

6.  “...she walked around with a crashing sensation in her head, as if she were falling into a well with no bottom.”

7.  “I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.”

8.  “Now it was over, and there was a hole in Martine’s heart.”

9.  “Her stomach was a bubbling cauldron of nerves.”

10. “Fate was closing a door on the past.”