Thursday, November 12, 2009

House of the Scorpion - Chapter 28


Chapter 28 – The Plankton Factory


On the hover craft to the plankton factory, the boys must continue working. Fidelito gets motion sickness and throws up in the bag of plastic strips for sandals. Chacho and Matt have to clean the aircraft and the bag of strips, but they don't ask Fidelito to help because he is too sick.

A new keeper, Carlos, gives the boys a tour of the Plankton factory. Plankton is harvested from the Gulf of California and turned into a variety of foods. The waste flowing from the Colorado river has been diverted back to "Dreamland." Salt is also harvested. The factory is incredibly smelly and the climate is very hot.

Carlos has been informed that Matt is an "aristocrat." The boys are required to recite the Five Principles of Good Citizenship and Four Attitudes Leading to Right-Mindfulness before meals. The boys are told that Plankton is most delicious when shared by all.

The boys (Fidelito, Chacho, Matt) are punished with no food when Matt asks Carlos to points out the hypocrisy of the boys having to walk and Carlos is riding around in an electric cart (and also refuses to take Fidelito back). When Chacho and Matt try to apologize to Fidelito, he responds by saying "You're my compadres! Crot Carlos! Crot the Keepers!"
  1. Why was Matt’s work quota double the other boys?

  2. What happened at age 18?

  3. What other two boys went with Matt to the factory?

  4. Who is Matt describing when saying “They couldn’t seem to relax unless they had total control” (p. 278)?

  5. Create a bubble map to describe the setting the boys find themselves?

  6. What is the symbolism of the emblem of a beehive on the keepers’ uniforms?

  7. What is Plankton? Why are they harvesting it?

  8. What will prevent escape?

  9. Is their equality at the Plankton Factory – do the guards follow the same principles taught to the boys?

  10. What happened to the Colorado River and Gulf of California?

  11. Why was Fidelito and his grandmother not allowed to leave the refugee camp?

  12. Why were the boys denied dinner?

10 comments:

  1. 1 He needed to earn his citizenship

    2 You could earn your citizenship

    3 Chacho and Fidelito

    4 The Keepers want everything their way

    6 They are The Keepers, like bee keepers

    7 A micro sized organism that can be used as food

    8 Security Fences surround the plankton factory

    9 No. The guards get to do as they wish

    10 They got polluted

    11 Because they wouldnt survive

    12 They werent beig good citizen wise

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1- that was because he embaressed raul

    2- the orphans could become citizens

    3- The two boys were fidleto and chancho

    4- matt was describing the keepers

    6- the beehive represents the comparasion to the busy bees and the busy boys

    7- plankton is microscopic organism that the plankton factory is using to make food

    8- the fences prevents the escape

    9- no the guards do not follow the same priceibals

    10- they

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1. Because he needed to stack-up to the expectations that the keepers have.

    2. You can earn your citizenship.

    3. Chacho and Fedelito.

    4. He was talking about the keepers.

    6. To point out the similarities between busy boys and busy bees.

    7. An organism that can be turned into digestible goods.

    8. Fences.

    9. No, because it seems the guards and keepers get to do more than if you were working there.

    10. There used to be whales, but they all died because of pollution.

    11. They couldn't function with life, without the helpers.

    12. They disobeyed the keepers' rules.

    -SaNcHo is in the building, yo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. what the irony of the boy characterize Matt

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello, I'm not in this teachers school but I would like to answer these questions.

    1. Matt's work quota was doubled because the Keepers found out he was an aristocrat

    2. Age 18 is whenever you earn your citizenship, and when you become a Keeper

    3. Chacho and Fidelito went with Matt to the factory

    4. The Keepers wouldn't be able to relax if they didn't have total controller over the boys

    6. The symbolizm behind the beehive is that the boys are just worker bees, and the Keepers are their superiours making sure the little bees are kept in check

    7. Plankton is what whales eat/spit up, and it lurks in the water, and the boys harvest it to be made into the food they eat

    8. The Keepers and the fence will prevent escape ((but the launduam will help with the Keepers))

    9. Technically there is equallity, because the Keepers had to follow those rules and have those punishments when they were growing up.

    10. There was a hurricane and it beached the whales, then they decayed and died

    11. Fidelito and his grandma were not allowed to leave because the refugee leaders wanted to keep everyone in a she place to try and help them

    12. Because the boys were denied dinner because they didn't follow the rules

    ReplyDelete
  6. dsfgthbvfdcsaerf

    ReplyDelete