How do these two characters change throughout the novel. They came for him during fifth period, which was matts study period, in room 220 of rocky river high school, westchester county. Big mouth is matt donaghy, and when the reader first meets him, he is being led from class under police escort, having been overheard in the cafeteria threatening to blow up the school. I eyed the crude typeface of the title, and glanced dubiously at the jacket pictures depicting a big mouth and an ugly girl. Ugly girl is ursula riggs, captain of the basketball team, anything but. They have totally completely different personalitys.
Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. She plays basketball well, but is also made fun of a lot for many reasons. But when matt is suddenly arrested on a charge of threatening to blow up the school and massacre the students, ursula is the only one who sees through the hysteria and hypocrisy, and. Only the resolutely individualistic, somewhat frightening ursula riggs, a girl he barely knows, is willing to speak up on matts behalf. Ursula riggs was captain of the basketball team, but she lost an important game for them, and in disgust at herself, she resigns and becomes even more of a loner.
May 14, 2002 big mouth and ugly girl is one of the most tremendous young adults books i have read in a while. With a combination of clearsightedness and bravado she gets the principal to rethink matts suspensionand thats just the beginning of oatess novel. When sixteenyearold matt is falsely accused of threatening to blow up his high school and his friends turn against him, an unlikely classmate comes to his aid. He left a book for her in the library called great twentieth century drawings a book that ursula was eying at the metropolitan museum of art. Ursula riggs ugly girl in the beginning of the book ursula was known as ugly girl and the girl who only liked sports and winning, she was a shy girl who hope never to be noticed in the halls. Aug 31, 2009 only the resolutely individualistic, somewhat frightening ursula riggs, a girl he barely knows, is willing to speak up on matts behalf. The conflict of this book is the fact that matthew donaghy has been framed for calljng in a bomb threat that he did not call in while everyone around him including his loved ones and best friends have left his side, but out of everyone in the school ursula riggs or ugly girl is the only one offering him help to solve the problem he is in. The rocky river team plays against the team of tarrytown. He is reported to the principal by unidentified students. Ursula is a misunderstood all star female high school athlete whose friend matt is picked up in. Big mouth and ugly girl by joyce carol oates, 9780007145737. Big mouth a fairly popular boy, good student, makeem laugh type boy who impulsively jokes about a bombing his high school and finds himself in serious trouble and ugly girl the sharp witted, plain faced, big boned and friendless loner who stands up for a boy she barely knows because it is the right thing to do. Not really, but in the age of terrorism and zero tolerance, the adult authorities mistakenly take it seriously.
A loner with fierce, staring eyes, ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends and dating or at least thats what she tells herself ursula is content with minding her own business. In her first novel for young adults, acclaimed author joyce carol oates has. A wonderful tale of two unlikely friends told in two voices. Ursula and matt become friends through chatting with one another about the misunderstanding of the bomb threat and. Innocent matt is suspended, the false accusation takes on a life of. Which means that ursula riggs will make her theatrical debut in about five weeks page 266. Ursula, bonnie lemoyne, trevor cassity, pupils of the school. On the one hand there is ursula riggs a tall, athletic girl at rocky river high school that is quite lonely because of her unpopularity among her class mates. I did not say those things, and i did not plan those things. At the risk of sounding cliche, i did judge this book by the cover.
I know the one quote i remembered, matt said my parents arent rich like yours, ursela my other 2 books are in the process of being read black water and ill take you there any help on big mouth and ugly girl quotes or just respond. Joyce carol oates, big mouth and ugly girl harper, 2002okay. Big mouth and ugly girl is one of the most tremendous young adults books i have read in a while. Big mouth and ugly girl by joyce carol oates bookloons. Ugly girl audiobook mp3 for android link in page 4 to listen or download book.
But its never gotten him in trouble until the day matt is accused of threatening to blow up rocky river high school. Big mouth and ugly girl by joyce carol oates goodreads. Title oates, joyce carol big mouth ugly girl summary author alexander sim author year 2005 pages 5 catalog number v109110 isbn book 9783656500094. Matt is accused of setting a bomb off in the school, and ursula is a star basketball player with mental issues. Big mouth and ugly girl character analysis of matthew. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream. Sep 16, 2011 big mouth and ugly girl by joyce carol oates, 9780007145737, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Ursula, being the star player, for rocky river, was extremely upset when she lost the game, and wouldnt even come out of the showers until she heard about the supposed bomb threat about matt donaghy. Ugly girl is a high school student aka ursula riggs who has built up walls around. Climax matts parents dropped the law suit and they find that brewer is the one who had the bomb threat rising action falling action matt gets suspended matt denies what everyone thinks that he said the kids reexcept matt into the school again matt goes to the police station to.
Big mouth and ugly girl plot within the first 3 chapters of big mouth and ugly girl, youre in the shoes of matt donaghy and ursula riggs. Believable, fullblooded characters propel oatess first ya novel past some plotting that doesnt quite add up. Editions of big mouth and ugly girl by joyce carol oates. A loner with fierce, staring eyes, ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends and dating or at least thats what she tells herself ursula is content with minding her. A high school junior, he makes jesting remarks to friends in the cafeteria about blowing up the school and killing a million people. He also left her an apology note on the inside of the book. Another place matt and ursula went was the mountains. When matt is accused of plotting to blow up the school. The book big mouth and ugly girl by joyce carol oates in 2002 is about a misunderstanding and the events after the misunderstanding. There are two different types of main characters their is ursula riggs ugly girl and matt donaghy. There are two different types of main characters their is ursula riggsugly girl and matt donaghy. Shed call out ursula riggs like she hadnt any idea the name was ugly, and. Research papers on big mouth and ugly girl character analysis of matthew donaghy. In big mouth and ugly girl i was going to talk about the parents and their impact on matt and ursela.
The two main characters are ursula riggs and matt donaghy. Through the eyes of teenagers, oates shines a light on the critical importance of instilling a moral compass into the next generation. She gives listeners the tale of matt big mouth donaghy and ursula ugly girl riggs. Sep 14, 2004 matt donaghy has always been a big mouth.
The setting is at rocky river high most of the time. They also went to ursulas house, and showed matt at his house sometimes with hia family. Booksource is the premier trade book distributor to k12 school classrooms across the country. With a combination of clearsightedness and bravado she gets the principal to rethink matts suspension and thats just the beginning of oatess novel. A loner with fierce, staring eyes, ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends and dating or at least thats what she tells herself ursula is content with. We offer discounted pricing, free shipping and unparalleled expertise and customer service.
Ugly girl is ursula riggs, athletic and alienated, and she is the only student who understands instantly that the terrorism accusations against matt are wholly. It was published in 2002 by harpercollins this article about a young adult novel of the 2000s is a stub. Ursula riggs, or ugly girl as she ironically calls herself, knows what its like to be an outsider tall and muscular, she rebels against the cute prettiness of her mother and sister lisa by hiding behind a veneer of toughness and defiance, not caring what she wears or what she looks like. Download books offline, listen to several books continuously, choose stories for your kids. He says he want to blow up the school and massacre many students and teachers, but it was only a joke. Mattk sarcastic joke in the school cafeteria is reported to the principal and the drama begins. If you are looking for a book club, book discussion, or book talk ya title, consider this for your next pick. A loner with fierce, staring eyes, ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends. Through out the book she become friends with matt donaghy a popular class clown. A student of rocky river high, matt donaghy, makes a joke about blowing up the school, massacring a few hundred people and is reported to the school principal by unidentified students.
A loner with fierce, staring eyes, ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends and dating or at least thats what she tells herself. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Matt donaghy is the class joker, and ursula riggs is the misfit loner. May 14, 2002 ursula riggs has always been an ugly girl. She calls herself ugly girl and writes about herself in the third person. Id told my mom what id heard in the cafeteria, and shed told dad. Big mouth and ugly girl was not really a good book at all in my opinion. I n her first trek into ya fiction, joyce carol oates delivers a great story about friendship, unfortunate consequences, and the effects of school stratification on youth, that should be read by all ages. Innocent matt is suspended, the false accusation takes on. She dresses roughly in mens clothes and very defiant. Whats the setting of the book big mouth and ugly girl by.
Ursula riggs, our main protagonist is a taller high school student, more on the unattractive side who just happens to be a top student at her school, rocky river high school. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. Aug 17, 2009 ursula riggs, or ugly girl as she ironically calls herself, knows what its like to be an outsider tall and muscular, she rebels against the cute prettiness of her mother and sister lisa by hiding behind a veneer of toughness and defiance, not caring what she wears or what she looks like. Sixteenyearold matts big mouth has got him trouble. While they may stand alone, as ursula and matt have done, the author encourages kids to set an example, standing up for the downtrodden. It was a thursday in january during the middle of 5th period study hall when there was a knock on the door. Which ugly girl refused to believe and later on stood up for matt, to principal parrish. Matt donaghys big mouth gets him a threeday suspension when unnamed. It was an ordinary january afternoon, a thursday, when they came for matt donaghy.
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