How we cite our quotes: (Section.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"We could play with the Drop Sisters," said Sal.
"Will that keep you awake more than anything else?" asked Billy. He was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goal.
Sal nodded.
"Okay," said Billy. (3.4.24-27)
Billy wants to pull an all-nighter and he's in it for the long haul. Just check out that determination. He's ready to persevere through tired eyes, scary monster nightmares, and silly stories with his little sis. Did you notice how he doesn't even fight Sal about playing with the Drop Sisters? When she says that it'll help her stay up, he hops on the storytelling bandwagon.
Quote #8
When he came back to Sal's room with the disappointing news that it was only 11:03, Sal was sleeping on the floor beside the Drop Sisters, her head on Coughdrop.
Billy made very little effort to wake her. He made very little effort to do anything. He couldn't. All at once it felt as if his pajamas were made of lead. His legs could barely hold him up and it took everything he had in him to drag some blankets off Sal's bed, fall to the floor next to her, and cover both of them.
He would give it one more try. He raised his head and opened his eyes as wide as he could. "Stay awake," he commanded himself. A swift, invisible hand pressed his head down and stitched his eyes shut. He tried to conjure up an image of the monster under his bed, but he didn't even have the energy for that. (3.4.54-56)
Sometimes trying just isn't enough—check out all the ways that the narrator tells us Billy feels like he's fighting forces bigger than himself. But with those lead PJs and the "invisible hand" pushing him down, Billy doesn't stand a chance. In fact, it's almost as if Billy doesn't have any choice in the matter. What do you think about this? Is it simply impossible for Billy to persevere any further? Or could he have tried even harder?
Quote #9
Billy was supposed to practice reading his poem aloud at home, but he didn't like practicing in front of Mama, Papa, or Sal. Mama thought he should practice in front of someone, so Papa pulled out his cello with the mannequin arms from his studio and moved it to Billy's room. "You can practice in front of this," said Papa. "I knew it would come in handy someday." […]
Reading to Poetry Man was easier than reading to a real person. Billy practiced every day.
Billy practiced every day at school, too. The second graders took turns reading their poems at the front of the room. (4.4.3-4)
You know how the saying goes: Practice makes perfect. Well, Billy sure is taking this one to heart. And his practice time doesn't stop at school—he and his parents even work out a way for him to have an audience at home with Poetry Man (a.k.a. the cello with mannequin arms that Papa made). It's true that Billy hits some roadblocks in his practicing, like the fact that he doesn't want to do it in front of his family members, but with a creative bunch like the Millers, they find an easy way around that hurdle.