NBE 3U: CPT Note-Taking Part 1

Author(s): Cherie Dimaline

Title of book: The Marrow Thieves

Page Record Main Ideas from the Novel Record Your Own Responses or Reactions
in Point Form to These Ideas
(making connections to other texts, self
and/or world)

1-118 The story takes place in an apocalyptic The climate change part of the book can be
world where it is plagued by extreme connected to current discussions and
climate change, wars, and the loss of natural concerns about global warming,
resources. (Credit to lawrence: The setting is environmental damage, and the possible
in a rural area south of Toronto.) collapse of ecosystems. The book can be
seen as a warning about the consequences
The main character, Frenchie, is a young of ignoring our planet's health and
Indigenous boy who is on the run from sustainability.
"Recruiters" who capture Indigenous people
for their bone marrow. The book shows Indigenous cultures as
diverse, difficult, and valuable, and
Indigenous people are hunted for their bone highlights the importance of maintaining
marrow, which contains a special genetic Indigenous knowledge and traditions. This
marker that allows them to dream, and connects to the continuing efforts of
these dreams are believed to hold the key to Indigenous communities around the world
saving the world. to reclaim and revive their languages,
cultures, and ways of life.
Frenchie meets a group of Indigenous
people who are also on the run from the It also talks about the idea of defiance and
Recruiters and they form a community to flexibility in the face of difficulties and
survive and protect each other. (Credit to hardships. This can be similar to the Black
Lawrence:He passes out from starvation and Lives Matter Movement, which wants to
wakes up to miig. Page 16 and Frenchie talk about racism and violence against
meets Rose (the girl who he wants) on page Black people, and the difficulties of other
31.) (Rose shares her story in Page 70 and her groups who have been wanting to regain
and frenchie get closer) their freedom.

Frenchie and his group encounter many (Credit to John and Lawrence) The place
challenges and dangers, including being where they brought to extract the bone
chased by the Recruiters and facing harsh marrow is Residential Schools).
weather conditions and lack of resources.

The group shares stories and traditions from

their different Indigenous cultures and they
learn to trust and support each other.
 The Recruiters are portrayed as the villains
of the story, but there are also some
non-Indigenous allies who help Frenchie and
his group.

Theme: The theme of "The Marrow Thieves"

is the idea of survival and the lengths people
will go to in order to survive in a difficult,
post-apocalyptic world. The main characters
are always on the run from "Recruiters" who
hunt Indigenous people for their bone
marrow, which has become the cure to
finally being able to “dream”. (Other themes:
Family, coming of age, cultural identity,
human/nature and trust. Credit to
John/Lawrence)

Predictions: (John)
“As if the answer to their problems lies
within their bone marrow”. John feels thatg
Frenchie (the main character) will remember
his past memories, afterall, bone marrow is
composed of DNA, and DNA is passed down
from generation to generation, and the book
clearly stated that the “schools” where
based of schools from the past which could
foreshadow that this problem arose in the
past before.

Quotable Quotes:
Record significant quotes from the novel that stood out to you. These are quotations that made
you pause and reflect, ask questions, or moments that you did not understand and hope to
clarify in class.

1. "Nishin. It means good." I kept my eyes on the trail ahead. I didn't mean
to, but I said it anyway. "So?" "Sooooo," she said. If you want to know
what Minerva tells us, I'll share." I took three strides before I could
answer. "Okay." "Okay?" "Yeah, okay." She punched my arm. I couldn't
help but smile. I wanted to say her name, to feel it rumble past my
teeth. "Yeah, Rose. That sounds nishin." (Page 40)
 2. Every year the world was making us more aware of change. After the
cities crumbled off the coastlines, after the hurricanes and earthquakes
made us fear for a solid ground to stand on, even now we were waiting
for the planet to settle so we could figure out the ways in which we
would be safe. But for now there was just movement, especially for us:
the hunted trying to hunt. (Page 46)

3. I did have the longest hair of any of the boys... I braided it myself each
morning, to keep it out of the way and to remind myself of things I
couldn’t quite remember but that, nevertheless, I knew to be true.”
(Page 21)

4. “she settled her chin in the crook of my collarbone. Her breath poured
into the space like tea into a cup.” (Page 72)

5. “Do you think circumstances make people turn bad? Or that people
make circumstances bad to begin with?” (Page 53)

6. Out here stars were perforations revealing the bleached skeleton of the
universe throughca collection of tiny holes. (Credit to Lawrence)
 7. Not every Indian is an Indian (Credit to Lawrence) (Page 55)
8. From where we were now, running, looking at reality from this one point in time, it
seemed as though the world had suddenly gone mad. Poisoning your own drinking
water, changing the air so much the earth shook and melted and crumbled,
harvesting a race for medicine. How? How could this happen? Were they that much
different from us? Would we be like them if we'd had a choice? Were they like us
enough to let us live? p.g (47-48) Credit to John

Literary Devices:
Record any literary devices that you found in this section. Be sure to label the device and record
the quotation below. How is it effective in developing any of the following: theme, tone,
character, mood? For quick reference, here is a link to common devices found in literature.

(First Quote):
1. Foreshadowing: When Rose says "If you want to know what Minerva tells us, I'll share",
it creates a sense of anticipation and foreshadows that she will reveal something
important.

2. Repetition: The repention of "Okay" emphasizes the agreement between the characters
and their willingness to continue the conversation.

(Second Quote):
1. Imagery: The description of the cities crumbling off the coastlines and the fear of not
having a solid ground to stand on creates a vivid image of the destruction caused by
natural disasters.

2. Personification: The use of "the planet to settle" gives human qualities to the planet and
emphasizes the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the world.

(Third Quote):
1. Imagery: The description of the protagonist's long hair and how he braids it creates a
vivid image of the character and his daily routine.

2. Symbolism: The protagonist's long hair and the act of braiding it each morning
symbolize his connection to his past and the memories he has lost.

(Fourth Quote):
 1. Simile: The comparison of the girl's breath pouring into the space "like tea into a cup" is
a simile, which creates a vivid image and emphasizes the intimacy of the moment.

2. Metaphor: The use of the phrase "crook of my collarbone" is a metaphor for the comfort
the girl finds in the main character.

(Fifth Quote):

1. Parallelism: The use of parallel structure in the two clauses of the sentence
("circumstances make people turn bad" and "people make circumstances bad")
emphasizes the contrast between the two ideas and invites reflection on the nature of
cause and effect.

2. Irony: The fact that this question is posed in the context of a dystopian world where
people are forced to behave badly in order to survive creates an ironic contrast and
highlights the difficult moral choices that the characters must face.

Contextual Information:
Record any contextual information that is necessary to understand and research to fully
understand the text.

To understand "The Marrow Thieves," you would probably want to look into a few
different things. First, learning about residential schools in Canada could help you better
understand the pain that Indigenous people in the book have experienced. You could also
look into the concept of cultural appropriation, since the book touches on how
non-Indigenous people are manipulating Indigenous culture. Additionally, the book is set
in a future where climate change has led to a collapse in society, so it could be useful to
learn more about the effects climate change could have. Lastly, the book has several
Indigenous languages and cultures, so understanding the significance of these languages
might help you better understand the themes and messages of the book.