I’M Not Scared Questions Essay

1. Read Niccolo Ammaniti’s epigraph by Jack London. Why has Ammaniti chosen to begin his novel with his novel with this quote? How does it illuminate what happens in the story? What is the literal and symbolic meaning in the novel about â€Å"falling into darkness†? Niccolo Ammaniti had chosen to start his novel with an epigraph by Jack London, this foreshadows that we’re going to read about a journey of discovering real evil and the loss of innocence. â€Å"He had fallen into darkness† the literal meaning of this part is Michele had fallen into a hole which is dark . The symbolic meaning is, he had stumbled into evil. 2. The novel opens with the scene in which Michele must choose between winning a race and helping his sister Maria. what conflicts and choices does this moment foreshadow? What is revealed about Michele’s character? The novel opens with the scene in which Michele contemplates between winning a race or helping his sister Maria. Michele choices to help his sister, this moment foreshadows the choices Michele must face. When Michele is confronted with Barbara pulling down her pants as a forfeit. Only Michele stands up for Barbara and tells Skull its not right. â€Å"Wait! I came last: I heard my voice saying†. This reveals to the reader that Michele is brave, compassionate and has self-respect. Michele is also very caring and protective of his sister † I didn’t like my sister being there†. 3. How does Ammaniti create and capture the atmosphere of childhood in his novel? What aspects of Michele’s way of seeing himself and the world indictate that he is a child? Ammaniti shows childhood through the eyes of Michele this is evident with the children’s gang’s mischievous and forfeits; this shows their concern and their innocence’s â€Å"Maria, you’ve made me lose the race!† the naive theories of the boy in the hole â€Å"Maybe the boy in the hole was my brother†¦. my sister and me†. Also the belief of ‘Monsters’ ‘Ogres’ and ‘Witches’ show us he is a young innocence child. 4. The novel is written twenty-one years later as Michele reflects back on the events of the summer of 1978. how can we tell this is true? What assumptions can be made in regards to how Michele’s life changes after that summer? The novel is written 21 years later we can tell this true when Michele says â€Å"Even after twenty-two years â€Å". Another indication that this is true is when he digresses about going to the snow.†About ten years later I happened to go skiing on the Gran Sasso†. This digression also suggest that he had left Acqua-Teverse, is better off, other assumptions that can be made are: The parents of the kidnapping would be sent to jail, The children of Acqua-Teverse would be traumatised. 5. Why does Michele identify with Filippo so strongly? Michele’s ability to empathise with Filippo was so strong because they both share the same pain of losing their innocence; Michele finding out his father is the real evil and Filippo been treated inhumanely and kidnapped. Their both young nine year old boys who share the same interests. 6. At one point Michele’s father tells him to â€Å"Stop all this talk about monsters†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Monsters don’t exist. Its men you should be afraid of, not monsters†.(page49) In what ways does the novel itself prove the statement to be true? This statement is ironic coming from Pino Michele’s father â€Å"It’s men you should be afraid of† is wise advice to Michele but he learns its the hard way. Its his father who is the ‘Monster’ that kidnapped Filippo and was prepared to murder Filippo. 7. In the games they play and their behaviour towards one another, how do Michele and his group of friends , compare to the adults in the novel? In what way does Michele possess an integrity that the adults and even the other children lack? The actions and behaviours of the children’s gang is minored more seriously by the adult gang in many ways like the children’s gang: do forfeits to decide the fate compared to the adults gang the solider’s draw to deal with Filippo. The bulling and torment is instigated by Skull this is also minored by the adults with Sergio bulling the rest of the adults. The children impaled a chicken and the adults treated Filippo inhumanely. Michele was the only person to help Barbara when she was tormented by Skull, he was the only one to care about Filippo even when Salvatore was told about him, his reaction was cold and wasn’t compassionate at all about the situation. They treated Filippo inhumanely and Michele was the only one that possess integrity and a kind heart. 8. What motivates the kidnappers? (Sergio, Felice & Pino) How do they betray their own children’s innocence? The motivation of the kidnap by the instigatored by Pino, Sergio and Felice. The reason for Pino is poverty: seeing the north while working as a truck driver this is evident when he bring a gondolas that represents his desire to live a fulfilled and materialistic life for himself and his family â€Å"Let’s go to the north†. He didn’t protect Michele’s and Maria’s innocence he held a child hostage and lost his child’s admiration. Sergio was involved in the kidnapping to fulfil his urge to go to Brazil â€Å"Had emigrated to South America†. Pino betrayed Michele by letting a criminal to slept next to Michele and didn’t protect him from danger. Felice was motivated by boredom he was a young man stuck in a isolation village woman less. He was cruel to Michele’s friend Filippo. 9. When Michele is running in the night to try to find Filippo, he fights off his fear by asking himself what Tiger Jack, a fictional hero, would do (page 196) What is so sad about this self talk? We’re introduced to a young boy Michele who admires his father like a hero . He loved his father, his father was his role model but when he discovers his evil side. Instead of been of his aspiration, the fictional hero Tiger Jack takes over and find him courage. This is so sad because it should have been his father and this shows the relationship is lost. 10. Why does Michele break his oath to his father and visit Filippo?(page 178) What is the â€Å"irresistible† force dragging him towards the hill? Micheles relationship with Filippo seems stronger then the relationship with his father. He should have kept his oath to his father, instead he kept the promise to Filippo this is evidence of that Michele isn’t as naive as he was . Michele was extracted an oath that Michele doesn’t keep. His conscience overrides and the hill is the irresistable force that pulls him to Filippo he saves himself and Filippo. 11. â€Å"I’m Not Scared† ends suddenly and dramatically: often such a climatic moment is followed by an extract in which the story’s loose ends are tied. why had Ammaniti chosen to end the novel this way? Niccolo Ammaniti has chosen to finish the novel at the climatic moment of the story because the reader can imagine the aftermath we have enough information to assump Michele didn’t died and Filippo is saved. When the novel is ended this way its evidence of reflection. In our minds we can fulfil our expectations. 12. Ammaniti’s novel can be described as a â€Å"coming of age story†. At what point does Michele grow up? What â€Å"hardness† about the adult world does he learn? â€Å"I’m Not Scared† is described as a â€Å"coming of age story† Michele loses his innocence and loses his childish ways when he discovers Filippo the boy in the hole he had experienced the truth behind the real world the isolation hadn’t protected him, his parents hadn’t protected him they betrayed him. This experience accelerated his maturity level, he learnt the real evil and ‘Monsters’ ‘Ogres’ ‘Witches’ didn’t exist they weren’t what he should have been afraid of it should been his father that’s what was so hard for Michele to swallow