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Holes
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
Mr. Sir says Camp Green Lake has no fence and no guard towers, and invites Stanley to run. Is a camp that open still a prison?
The tension The camp has no fence, no towers and an open invitation to run, while its sign calls it a correctional facility and the man in charge says nobody runs away.
Notice what Camp Green Lake does not have, what Mr. Sir says it does have, and how he talks to Stanley about it.
Stanley steps off the bus after more than eight hours and is taken to a small building, where Mr. Sir gives him clothes and the rules for digging. Mr. Sir then walks him out into the heat, asks what he sees, and tells him there is no fence and why. The chapter ends on the line about being thirsty for eighteen months.
Start with Mr. Sir's question, "What do you see?" Ask the student what Stanley sees, and what he does not.
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: stepping off the bus, the signs, the building and Mr. Sir, the clothes and rules, the walk outside, and the talk about running away.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences of scene, then a short quick answer someone gives to a grown-up.
Debate Take sides on the big question: is a camp with no fence still a prison? Each side must use one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why an author might let a character explain the camp's rules and its lack of a fence in his own voice.
Easier Read Mr. Sir's walk outside aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 and 3 only.
On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence from the chapter.
Harder Ask the student to find one more place where Mr. Sir sounds friendly and one where he sounds threatening, and to add them to a critical-thinking answer.
1. The bus driver says “Be careful,” and Stanley cannot tell what he means. Why might the author start the chapter with a warning nobody explains?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author opens with a warning that Stanley cannot read, and what that does to the reader.
It builds unease: Stanley and the reader step into the camp already warned, without knowing of what.
Stanley wasn’t sure if the bus driver meant for him to be careful going down the steps, or if he was telling him to be careful at Camp Green Lake.
It shows how little Stanley knows, so the rest of the chapter, with Mr. Sir spelling things out, fills that gap.
Stanley felt somewhat dazed as the guard unlocked his handcuffs and led him off the bus.
Stanley must have looked surprised, because Mr. Sir went on to explain that they started early to avoid the hottest part of the day.
A strong answer The driver's warning has two possible meanings, and Stanley does not know which one the driver intended. That leaves the reader as unsure as he is: careful of the steps, or careful of the camp? It also begins a chapter in which Stanley slowly learns what the camp is. A strong answer says what the opening makes us feel and points to Stanley's own doubt.
2. Mr. Sir says to call him by his name, “Mr. Sir.” What does that rule do to the way the two of them talk?Character
What it asks It asks what a required name does between two people, and whether Mr. Sir means it as control or as something lighter.
It is control: Stanley must use the name in every sentence, and he learns it quickly.
Whenever you speak to me you must call me by my name, is that clear?
“Not much,” he said, then hastily added, “Mr. Sir.”
It is partly a joke or a test: Stanley cannot believe it is a real name, and he cannot tell what Mr. Sir is up to.
though he couldn’t imagine that was really the man’s name
Stanley didn’t know what kind of game Mr. Sir was playing.
A strong answer The rule puts Mr. Sir's name in every sentence Stanley says, and by the end Stanley hastily adds it without being told, so the rule works as control. But Stanley also cannot imagine it is the man's real name, and he cannot tell what game Mr. Sir is playing, so it may also be a joke or a test. A strong answer can hold both and uses at least one of Stanley's own reactions.
3. Mr. Sir asks what Stanley sees and offers to let him run, before he explains why there is no fence. Why might he go in that order?Inference
What it asks It asks why Mr. Sir lets Stanley notice what is missing and hear the offer before he gives his reason.
He wants Stanley to see for himself that nothing stops him, so the reason lands harder.
There’s no fence at all, is there?
If you want to run away, go ahead, start running. I’m not going to stop you.
He enjoys playing with Stanley, who cannot tell what is going on.
Stanley didn’t know what kind of game Mr. Sir was playing.
Mr. Sir laughed.
A strong answer Mr. Sir first has Stanley look out over the land, then lists what he cannot see: guard towers, an electric fence, any fence at all. Only then does he invite Stanley to run, and only after Stanley says no does he give his reason. Saving the reason for last keeps Stanley unsure and makes the answer a surprise. A strong answer notices the order and can see it as teaching, as teasing, or as both.
4. Stanley feels “a little sorry for the guard and the bus driver.” Is that kind, or odd, given where he is going?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge Stanley's sympathy for the two men who brought him, and what it says about him.
It is kind: even tired and thirsty, he can see that others have had a hard day too.
Stanley thought about the long, miserable bus ride and felt a little sorry for the guard and the bus driver.
“Nine hours here, and now nine hours back,” the guard grumbled.
It is odd, or at least a sign he is still dazed: the men who brought him are the ones he is thanking and pitying.
“Thanks for the ride,” he said.
Stanley felt somewhat dazed as the guard unlocked his handcuffs and led him off the bus.
A strong answer A strong answer weighs both. Stanley hears the guard grumble about a day of eighteen hours on the road and feels sorry for him, which is a kind thing to feel when he has his own troubles. But he is dazed and has just been led off the bus, so it may be as much habit and politeness as kindness. The student can choose either side if the reason uses the chapter.
5. A sign warns against guns, explosives and drugs, and Stanley thinks, “Well, duh!” What does that joking voice do to the moment?Tone
What it asks It asks what a small joke does to a serious moment, and whether it eases the scene or makes it feel heavier.
It lightens the moment: Stanley can still joke, which shows some spirit, even here.
As Stanley read the sign he couldn’t help but think, Well, duh!
It sits uneasily beside the signs, so the joke makes the place feel more serious, not less.
A sign on front said, YOU ARE ENTERING CAMP GREEN LAKE JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY .
Next to it was another sign which declared that it was a violation of the Texas Penal Code to bring guns, explosives, weapons, drugs, or alcohol onto the premises.
A strong answer Stanley's thought is a joke: the sign states something obvious, and he cannot help but think it is silly. That can lighten the scene and show he still has some spirit. But the joke sits beside signs that call the place a juvenile correctional facility and list guns and explosives, so it can also make the place feel more serious by contrast. A strong answer picks what the voice does and points to the signs.
1. Mr. Sir has soda for the guard and the driver but not for Stanley, whose canteen is empty. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Mr. Sir seems to see Stanley.
What it asks It asks what the soda and the empty canteen show about how Mr. Sir treats a new camper, set against what he does give him.
He sees Stanley as someone to keep thirsty: the soda goes to the grown-ups and Stanley's canteen is empty.
the man gave one to the guard and said the other was for the driver
a canteen made of heavy plastic, which unfortunately was empty
He sees Stanley as a new camper to equip, who will be taken care of the way every camper is.
The cap had a piece of cloth sewn on the back of it, for neck protection.
Mr. Sir told him he should wear one set to work in and one set for relaxation.
A strong answer The soda goes to the guard and the driver, and the sight of it makes Stanley aware of his own thirst, while his own canteen is empty, so it looks as if Mr. Sir sees him as someone who goes without. But he also gets clothes, a towel and a cap with cloth sewn on for neck protection, which looks like the way any new camper is equipped. A strong answer names one view with two pieces of evidence and admits what the other would say.
2. Mr. Sir explains the rules for digging: one hole a day, every day, five feet deep. Using two pieces of evidence, explain whether the rules are fair to Stanley.
What it asks It asks the student to judge the daily rules by what they ask of Stanley and what they leave to him.
The rules are harsh: there is no day off and no one will help him.
You are to dig one hole each day, including Saturdays and Sundays.
No one is going to baby-sit you
The rules are clear and give Stanley some control: he measures with his own shovel and has the rest of the day when he finishes.
Your shovel is your measuring stick.
When you finish, the rest of the day is yours.
A strong answer The rules are harsh in plain ways: a hole every day, even Saturdays and Sundays, and no one to baby-sit him. But they are also clear, since the shovel is the measuring stick, and they leave the rest of the day to Stanley once he finishes, and they start early to avoid the hottest part of the day. A strong answer says what fair means to the student and uses two pieces of evidence.
3. Mr. Sir asks “You thirsty?” and Stanley answers gratefully. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Mr. Sir's reply shows about him.
What it asks It asks what the last exchange shows about Mr. Sir: whether he plays with hope or is simply blunt.
He plays with Stanley's hope: the question sounds like an offer, and the answer takes it away.
“You thirsty?” asked Mr. Sir.
“Yes, Mr. Sir,” Stanley said gratefully.
He is blunt rather than cruel: he says plainly what Stanley can expect.
You’re going to be thirsty for the next eighteen months.
You’ll be buzzard food in three days.
A strong answer Stanley says yes gratefully, which tells us he hoped for water. Mr. Sir's answer is a hard one: he had better get used to being thirsty for eighteen months. That can be read as playing with Stanley's hope or as plain bluntness, since Mr. Sir has been just as plain about the buzzards and the dig. A strong answer picks one reading, backs it with two pieces of evidence, and says what the other would argue.