Monster is about a 16 year old boy named steve harmon, and how he had to go on a trial for felony murder. What character traits best describe steve harmon in monster by. In monster, by walter dean myers, the reader learns from steve harmons experiences that sometimes guilt or innocence of a person might not be determined by solid evidence but by onlookers opinions and interpretation of the crime. Monster argumentative essay the united states judicial system says that you are innocent until proven guilty.
Once steve is accused of being an accomplice, his father loses his confidence and trust in his son. Apr 27, 2009 the book monster by walter dean myers, is about teenager steve harmon who has a gift for screen play writing. Contrasting with the other three people implicated in the robbery, steve has no criminal history and is a decent and sensitive kid. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one.
Steve harmon learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Steve, sixteen and in prison awaiting a murder trial, is an african american teen and a product of inner city poverty and circumstance. Character analysis of steve harmon in monster essay essay. While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteenyearold steve harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.
It was nominated for the 1999 national book award for young peoples literature, won the michael l. In the book, the main character steve harmon is a sixteen year old, who is also black, that is on trial for murder. The character of steve harmon in monster from litcharts. Monster is a story about a 16year old named steve harmon. In the novel monster by walter sean myers, the main character is steve harmon.
Buy a cheap copy of monster book by walter dean myers. Was steve guilty or innocent in the book monster answers. Ill call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me. The book briefly cuts to a flashback of steves high school film club. The main conflict of walter dean myers book, monster, is about a teen. Steve is a 16yearold black kid from harlem charged with felony murder for his involvement in a botched robbery that ended in mr. Monster is the story about a 16 year old black boy named steve harmon from harlem. Monster is a young adult drama novel by american author walter dean myers and was published by harpercollins in 1999. I wanted to open my shirt and tell her to look into my heart to see who i really was, who the real steve harmon was. Have you ever been on trial for a murder you didnt commit, and risked the rest of your life being spent in jail. Monster by walter dean myers book talktutorial duration. Steve s greatest conflict is not really the trial itself, though its certainly stressful and difficult. The character of kathy obrien in monster from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. He fights his worst battles in his head, as he tries to figure out if hes truly a monster.
Thats what prosecutor petrocelli calls him, and he cant help but dwell on it. The book uses a mixture of a thirdperson screenplay and a firstperson diary format to tell, through the perspective of steve harmon, an african american teenager, the story of his trial along with. Monster, by walter dean myers, takes a unique approach in that it is presented as a screenplay with notes by the narrator, a sixteenyearold from harlem named steve harmon. Steve harmon is the main character of the book monster. In the opening pages, we learn that steve is currently in prison awaiting trial for murder. In 1999, in his young adult book monster, walter dean myers introduced readers to a young man named steve harmon. In language arts class we read a book called monster, by walter dean myers. He did not want to hurt the man, he was only helping with the crime to help out his friends. Monster by walter dean myers was a story written as a movie script along with a few journal entries. Argumentative essay on monster 1024 words bartleby. The novel begins with 16yearold steve harmon writing in his diary awaiting for his trial for murder. Oct 06, 2009 this new york times bestselling novel from acclaimed author walter dean myers tells the story of steve harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Sometimes i feel like i have walked into the middle of a movie. Twentyfive years to life in prisonthats the sentence facing our main man, steve harmon.
Steve harmon was arrested for burning down a building. The character of steve harmon in monster from litcharts the. As it states in the quote steve harmon is writing the word monster over and over againp. The story is written in screenplay format along with steves journal writing which he. It was nominated for the 1999 national book award for young peoples. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Apr 21, 1999 monster is an interesting book in several ways. What character traits best describe steve harmon in monster. Steve cant deal with jail and a trial, so he copes by treating the trial as a screenplay. The character of kathy obrien in monster from litcharts. Is obriens coaching intended to hide steves guilty feelings from the jury.
Based on the bestselling book by walter dean myers. This is the anchor book test for the novel, monster. Based on the award winning novel by walter dean myers, the film tells the story of steve harmon, a 17. This is the story of steve harmon, a 16 year old black male who is on trial for a. Hes writing the play in order to keep his mind occupied while he awaits trial. Printz award in 2000, and was named a coretta scott king award honor the same year. He is sixteen years old, lives in the harlem neighborhood of new york city, and he is a student at. In the opening of monster by walter dean myers, sixteenyearold steve harmon is on trial for his alleged participation in a murder committed during the commission of a robbery. The book is set as if steve is making a screenplay.
Get an answer for what happens in the end of the book, monster. Sixteenyearold steve harmon is sitting on the edge of a medal cot, head in hands. There is not a large amount of scientific evidence in the case against steve harmon, so the jury. This also shows that he honsetly believes that he did nothing wrong. The story is told through steves perspective, primarily as a screenplay he has written about the experience.
In the book, he tried to mollify himself by denying in his mind and to the jury his part in the murder. Get an answer for what character traits best describe steve harmon in monster by walter dean myers. The prosecution accuses steve of acting as the look out to the crime which left a local business owner dead. You can see that steve is not all a bad kid and actully has feelings. This fatherson dynamic reveals the detrimental effects that prison has on an entire family. 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. Jun 14, 2017 monster by walter dean myers book talktutorial duration. He claims he is innocent and didnt participate in the robbery. Steve harmon is a 17yearold kid, arrested for a shocking murder. Monster guilt and innocence presentation by steve harmon. This was a very good book i read for class and wanted to do a trialer for.
Get everything you need to know about steve harmon in monster. Steve is on trial for allegedly being the lookout in a serious crime that involved robbery and murder. 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. Steve harmon is the narrator and protagonist of the story. Monster 2004 read online free book by walter dean myers in. It tells the story of steve harmon, a sixteenyearold on trial for his alleged complicity in.
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. Monster is what the prosecutor calls 17 year old honors student steve harmon. 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. Steve is on trial for a being a possible accomplice to a murder. Steve gives insights into his past while the attorneys interview witnesses, though he cant figure out whether hes innocent or guilty.
Of course perhaps that is not solid evidence because most people would probably believe that they are not a bad person. 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. This book is very intense it shows the poor life of steve harmon and how he is sent to jail because he was accused of taking part in the. 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.
Steve as monster steves greatest conflict is not really the trial itself, though its certainly stressful and difficult. The book monster by walter dean myers, is about teenager steve harmon who has a gift for screen play writing. Monster is what the prosecutor called 16yearold steve harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a conveniencestore owner. 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. First, it is written in the format of a movie screenplay interjected with the main characters a 16year old africanamerican boy steve harmon s diarylike entries. Steve harmon guilty or innocent monster by walter dean myers. The monster quotes below are all either spoken by steve harmon or refer to steve harmon. Presented as a screenplay of steve s own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives. Steve has been charged with murder, and hes being kept in prison until the trial.
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