4. To which famous artist does Anderson allude when she describes finding out about her father's PTSD-fueled beating of her mother before she was born?

5. At the behest of a particular teacher, Anderson joins what sports team in the fall of her 10th grade year?

Short Essay Questions

1. What difference does Anderson observe between her experiences in ninth grade and her experiences in tenth grade?

2. In the months immediately following IT's rape of Anderson, what main coping mechanism does Anderson use to cope with the trauma?

3. What event teaches Anderson that some words are too powerful ever to be spoken aloud?

4. How does the theme of transformation enter the part of the poetry memoir describing Anderson’s high school years?

5. What is ironic about the experience that teaches Anderson that some words are too powerful to be expressed aloud?

6. According to Anderson, what element is necessary in order to heal from the trauma of sexual violence?

7. What traumatic experience did Anderson's father undergo at age 18?

8. What types of allusions does Anderson use to depict her father's secrecy about his traumatic war experiences?

9. To what element of life is the metaphor of "chum" connected in the poem of the same name?

10. How does irony appear within the poem entitled “candy-striped” (81)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of reclaiming one’s voice, as depicted within the memoir SHOUT. What is Anderson’s message regarding the value of speaking and writing about one’s own experiences and how do you know?