For the best answers, search on this site in the novel monster, written by walter dean myers, we can learn from steve harmons experiences that sometimes the guilt or the innocence of a person might not be determined by solid evidence but by the onlookers opinions and interpretation of the crime. Get an answer for what was steve charged with in the book monster. Study 72 terms monster questions test flashcards quizlet. He describes events spanning from 1982 to 1998 in convincing detail. Rather, she has a preset view of steve s character and does not view him as a unique person.
Is obriens coaching intended to hide steve s guilty feelings from the jury. Walter dean myers monster guilty until proven innocent monster is an example of what patty campbell would call a landmark book. Monster guilt and innocence presentation by steve harmon. This changed steves life forever, because he would not spend his life in jail. Steve is on trial for a being a possible accomplice to a murder.
Was steve guilty or innocent in the book monster answers. Steve is on trial for allegedly being the lookout in a serious crime that involved robbery and murder. According to steves notes on july 7th, what do they talk about in jail. One theme in walter dean myers book monster is the direction the lives of young black men in harlem can take if they dont have positive role models. Obriens doubt about steves actual innocence is confirmed when, after they win the case and steve is found not guilty, she stiffly refuses his attempt to hug her in gratitude and happiness, suggesting that even. Guilty or innocent, steve becomes a pawn in the hands of the system, cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone to shorten their own sentences. To further examine that steve harmon from walter dean myers book, monster needs to be found guilty the following reasons should be thoroughly investigated. Although obrien is his lawyer, steve feels as though she does not truly believe in his innocence. And teens will appreciate debating whether steve s guilty or not, and related issues, such as the fairness of our judicial. Steve harmon is the main character of the book monster. Are these feelings of being a monster based on the truth that he did passively signal the allclear to the robbers, and thereby he has blood on his hands. Still, steve certainly feels enough guilt throughout the novel to suggest that his choice to act as. Steve is pretty freaked out, in need of a way to deal with both the trial and the nastiness surrounding him in prison.
Essay about walter dean myers monster guilty until. Monster 2004 read online free book by walter dean myers. Is obriens coaching intended to hide steves guilty feelings from the jury. Even in the middle of the novel steve still thinks he is not guilty and not a bas person but know he has to take responsibility for his actions.
Steve was caught in the drugstore and all 3 king, osvaldo and bobo reconized steve as. For example, in the novel monster, by walter dean myers wrote, anybody can walk into a drugstore and look around i walked into a drugstore to look for some mints, and then i walked out. Another theme finds the main character, steve, reconciling who he is with who others think he is. Steve is a 16yearold black kid from harlem charged with felony murder for his involvement in a botched robbery that ended in mr. Obriens doubt about steves actual innocence is confirmed when, after they win the case and steve is found not guilty, she stiffly refuses his attempt to hug her in gratitude and happiness, suggesting that even though she defended his innocence and genuinely did her best to understand him, she does not regard him well. Was steve an innocent party, wrongly accused by guilty boys simply. It shows that power, control, and punishment can truly shape a person. Steve harmon guilty or innocent monster by walter dean myers. Steve harmon, a sixteen year old boy who is on trial for murder, is writing a movie about his life and his mistakes. Should steve harmon, who is 16, and on trial for felony murder be released from prison. Some people would argue that this shows that steve harmon is guilty because steve harmon was in the drugstore when the robbery happened. Walter dean myers grew up in harlem, where steve is from. The subject of this book is thomas luther, a complicated and sociopathic man who raped, assaulted, and sometimes killed a series of women between colorado and west virginia.
In language arts class we read a book called monster, by walter dean myers. Contrasting with the other three people implicated in the robbery, steve has no criminal history and is a decent and sensitive kid. According to the book monster, by myers, steve harmon is found innocent. Thats what prosecutor petrocelli calls him, and he cant help but dwell on it. Probably not, but in the book monster that is the case for steve harmon, a poor africanamerican in rundown harlem in the book monster by walter dean myers, which is a fascinating piece of young adult literature. The book monster is supposed to portray steve as an easy to relate to character who is going to a rough time in life, and is on trial for murder. However, i suppose it could be argued that this is not an accurate ruling. The character of kathy obrien in monster from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Steve may have made some poor decisions in the last 16 years, but hes not a monster.
At the end of the novel monster, by walter dean myers, many different things happen. Why is steve innocent in the book monster by walter dean. Obrien seems to believe that steve is guilty and does not have a very good. In the book, he tried to mollify himself by denying in. He fights his worst battles in his head, as he tries to figure out if hes truly a monster. Obrien gives him the cold shoulder after the trial, which only makes him doubt himself more. In the opening pages, we learn that steve is currently in prison awaiting trial for murder. Booktalking monster by walter dean myers the new york public. Jennifer kendall is an english teacher, librarian, and writer specializing in young adult and childrens literature. Steve was caught in the drugstore and all 3 king, osvaldo and bobo reconized steve as the lookout. Steves outcome of the trial was not guilty with which many would most likely not agree with. The book monster is really good i like it a lot its very interestin sixteenyearold steve is on trial for the role he played in a robbery and murder of a shopkeeper. Steve ruminates on this, still uncertain whether he is guilty or not, despite the jurys decision. Monster argumentative essay the united states judicial system says that you are innocent until proven guilty.
The book begins with him in jail waiting for his trial to start. Steve harmon is the narrator and protagonist of the story. In 1999, in his young adult book monster, walter dean myers introduced readers to a young man named steve harmon. Monster 2004 read online free book by walter dean myers in. The definition of a monster is an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, andor frightening, and i believe that steve is neither ugly nor frightening.
Monster guilt and innocence presentation by steve harmon on. Thats what prosecutor petrocelli calls him, and he cant help but dwell on. Harmon does not go into any details about the verdicts, but at. The novel begins with 16yearold steve harmon writing in his diary awaiting for his trial for. Steve, sixteen and in prison awaiting a murder trial, is an african american teen and a product of inner city poverty and circumstance. The story is told through steves perspective, primarily as a screenplay he has written about the experience. He admits that he is not a bad person which shows that he has grown through the past weeks. The book monster by walter dean myers, is about teenager steve harmon who has a gift for screen play writing. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In this awardwinning novel, walter dean myers brings us the story of 16yearold steve harmon, on trial for the murder of a drugstore owner in harlem. I feel that steve is not the monster that they said he was, and they show that many time thought out the book. Twentyfive years to life in prisonthats the sentence facing our main man, steve harmon. The character of kathy obrien in monster from litcharts.
The character of steve harmon in monster from litcharts the. Steve is guilty of accessory to murder of agluinado nesbitt. Monster is about a 16 year old boy named steve harmon, and how he had to go on a trial for felony murder. Monster by walter dean myers the main character in the novel monster by walter dean myers is 16yearold steve harmon who has been arrested and put on trial for his part in a robbery in which a convenience store owner was killed. While this book wasnt exceptional or moving, walter dean myers does a good job with the entire book. In the novel monster, the jury finds james king guilty of felony murder, but the narrator and protagonist, steve harmon, not guilty. Steve strives for obrien to see him as a human rather than a monster, thus revealing steve s own struggle with his sense of himself. Are these feelings of being a monster based on the truth that he did passively signal the allclear to the robbers, and. After she made him look bad, he thought he was doomed because she was brain washing everyone with all of these accusations towards him, which is why his reaction was to write monster repeatedly in his notebook. What does this suggest about her feelings toward steve.
Monster is a young adult drama novel by american author walter dean myers and was. At the end of the novel, we learn that king has been found guilty of murder, while steve walks away free. Steve jacksons research for his book monster must have been exhausting. Apr 27, 2009 the book monster by walter dean myers, is about teenager steve harmon who has a gift for screen play writing. The story is written in screenplay format along with steves journal writing which he. A harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that steve served as the lookout. Monster is so titled because during his trial, that is what the prosecutor refers. Texts such as these encourage readers to interact with the text and with one another by employing a variety of devices, among them ambiguity campbell 1 because it is told through the eyes of steve himself, the plot can be difficult to decipher. Sixteenyearold steve harmon is on trial for murder. The book monster by walter dean meyer 1039 words cram. The story is told from steves perspective in a movie format.
Just writing in his journal isnt cutting it, so he. Evans testifies that steve was part of the robbery team, acting as a lookout man. Steve, sixteen and in prison awaiting a murder trial, is an african american teen and. But not everyone agrees with steve, least of all sandra petrocelli, the attorney who is prosecuting him for felony murder. The story is told through steves perspective, primarily as a screenplay he has. The white gaze and postmodern triple consciousness. Rather, she has a preset view of steves character and does not view him as a unique person. The story takes place in manhattan and harlem, new york city, mostly in a city lockup, but sometimes in the neighborhood where steve harmon lives. Monster by walter dean myers book summary minute book. The reader is left as uncertain as steve is as to whether or not he is a monster. It was nominated for the 1999 national book award for young peoples literature, won the michael l. He is on trial for a murder that he is almost sure he did not commit. Steve s greatest conflict is not really the trial itself, though its certainly stressful and difficult.
The book is set as if steve is making a screenplay. He is sixteen years old, lives in the harlem neighborhood of new york city, and he is a student at stuyvesant high school in downtown manhattan. Monster is the story about a 16 year old black boy named steve harmon from harlem. And teens will appreciate debating whether steves guilty or not, and related issues, such as the fairness of our judicial system. Mar 28, 2016 this is a quick book summary of monster by walter dean myers. Printz award in 2000, and was named a coretta scott king award honor the same year.
Sixteenyearold steve harmon is sitting on the edge of a medal cot, head in hands. This is the anchor book test for the novel, monster. Monsters twopronged narrative structure reflects the complexity of steve. Opening statement we think that steve harmon is innocent because there is not enough evidence to prove he is guilty, he is very certain and stuck with trying to prove that that he was not there when the crime was committed and finally because. Monster is a young adult drama novel by american author walter dean myers and was published by harpercollins in 1999. He claims he is innocent and didnt participate in the robbery. This book reminds me of dutch just of the case part but ever thing else different. Steve harmon he is a sixteen year old young black man who has been arrested for acting as the lookout in robbery that goes bad and ends in a murder. Booktalking monster by walter dean myers by miranda mcdermott. Obrien does not celebrate with steve when he is found not guilty. The story is told through steves perspective, primarily as a screenplay he has written about the experience at the outset, steves trial is just beginning.
Monster study guide contains a biography of walter dean myers, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. What is the theme of the book monster by walter dean. Steve also believes that because hes african american the jurors are going to think he is guilty. James king is found guilty, while steve is found not guilty. Why isnt steve harmon guilty of felony murder in the book monster by walter dean myers. Have you ever been on trial for a murder you didnt commit, and risked the rest of your life being spent in jail. It portrays the reality of the american judicial system, and how it mistreats minorities. A guard tells both king and steve that a verdict is awaiting them. This is a quick book summary of monster by walter dean myers. The character of steve harmon in monster from litcharts. As a means of coping with jail life, steve draws upon his. He is now beginning to realize that the case is a matter of his life and death and he might actually end up on death row.