“The Talk” page 574 By Gary Soto

Notes What type of tree is by the most beautiful girl’s house? mulberry In paragraph 1, what do they decide to no longer do (if girls are looking)? spit stuff their mouths full of food How old are they during the incident/story? 12 years-old What is the narrator’s friend’s name? Scott What makes the boys feel good in paragraph 3? waiting for the beautiful girl and thinking about seeing her; dreaming of holding hands and walking down the street together Who is the narrator going to marry? a brown girl from the valley What will she like? cats and the ocean, and looking at the stars What will his wife do? cook and clean

9. Who is the narrator’s friend going to marry? a girl with strawberry-blonde hair 10. What will his friend’s wife enjoy? swimming in the dirty lake 11. What will his friend’s wife do? work 12. What will the narrator do for a living? carpenter 13. What will the narrator do in the evenings? drink Kool-Aid, play with the dog, and then have Pop Tarts and hot chocolate 14. What will his friend do for a living? work in refrigeration/air conditioning 15. How many children does his friend plan to have? 3 16. What type of house does his friend say he will have? ranch house on the river

17. What is the beautiful girl doing? What did they notice about her? drying her hair, reading; that she looks sad 18. What is the cause of the boys’ anxiety? their looks; they think that they are ugly 19. What do the boys realize in the end? 20. What could be the author’s message (the theme) of this essay? that as we grow up, we realize that our looks do not dictate our happiness...