39 pages • 1-hour read
Jake Drake, Bully Buster
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Essay Topics
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying.
What are some of the ways that children in Jake’s school seem to tolerate—or even appreciate—bullying? What are some of the motivations for their behavior that the story itself points to? What other reasons might they have for accepting bullying as part of the school experience?
Jake points out that teachers do not do much to prevent bullying in his school. Does the evidence of the story itself point to teachers not caring about bullying, or do there seem to be other reasons that they are ineffective at preventing it?
Do some research into the various forms that bullying can take. Then, explain which forms of bullying are seen in Jake Drake, Bully Buster, giving evidence from the story to back up your claims.
Link is an effective bully because he can exploit Jake’s vulnerabilities. What are the vulnerabilities that Jake himself says make him attractive to bullies? What other vulnerabilities does Jake have? How does Link use these vulnerabilities to torment Jake?
What is a “frame” narrative? Does Jake Drake, Bully Buster have a true frame narrative, or no? What evidence supports your conclusion?
Jake’s narrative voice is a distinct one. How would you describe his tone? What language choices—sentence structures, word choices, figurative language, and so on—help to create this tone?
Jake and Link both experience bullying. In what ways are their reactions similar? In what ways are their reactions different?
Jake decides that Link is like the imaginary monster under his bed when he was five. Explain why he believes this. In the real world, are bullies like imaginary monsters? Why or why not?
What is hyperbole? How does Jake use hyperbole to create humor? Does his hyperbole serve other functions in the story, as well?
Jake offers several ideas about why bullies act the way they do and what the best ways to deal with bullying are. Choose one of his ideas to investigate further. Explain his idea and how the story supports it. Then, offer evidence from reliable sources to show whether Jake’s idea is backed up by scientific evidence or not.
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