The Last Song
Summary
The Last Song is the story of Ronnie Miller and the summer that
she spends with her father at Wrightsville Beach. At the start of the
summer, she is a rebellious 17 year old who resents her parents for
their messy divorce; she is particularly annoyed that she is being
forced to spend the summer with her estranged father, to whom she has
not spoken in three years. She is so angry that she has abandoned the
one thing that she and her father used to share in common — playing the
piano. She has no desire to spend the summer in North Carolina; she has
no desire to get to know Will Blakelee, the good-looking beach
volleyball player who literally bumps into her during her first day in
the South; and she has no desire to reconnect with the father who walked
away from her, her mother, and her brother. However, a run-in with the
wrong crowd combined with a nest of endangered loggerhead turtle eggs
results in Ronnie's unexpected maturation. The summer she initially
dreaded ends up being an opportunity for her to learn about faith,
family, and love.
Character Map
Full Glossary for "The Last Song"
Adrenaline a hormone, known as epinephrine, that is secreted during times of stress
Anna Karenina Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy
Babe the Pig title character of a 1995 movie about a pig that wants to be a sheepdog
Beethoven German composer of the early 1800s
Bob Marley Jamaican reggae singer
Bottle rockets a type of firework
Carnegie Hall a famous concert hall in New York that was named for and endowed by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
Chemotherapy the treatment of disease by means of chemicals that have a specific toxic effect cancerous tissue
Cipher a person of no influence; a nonentity
Columbia New York's oldest university and member of the Ivy League
Concerto a composition for one or more principal instruments with orchestral accompaniment
Condone to give tacit approval to
Cruella d Vil fictional villain from 101 Dalmatians
Cumulous relating to a cloud of a class
characterized by dense individual elements in the form of puffs, mounds,
or towers, with flat bases and tops that often resemble cauliflower
Demure affecting modesty, prim, coy
Edvard Grieg Norwegian composer/pianist of the Romantic period
Elks members of a fraternal organization
(Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks) that supports or contributes
to various charitable causes
Elvira fictional 1980s character who is a horror hostess
Empathy intellectually identifying the
feelings or thoughts of others; not feeling what others feel but being
able to understand their feelings
Eroica the popular title of Beethoven's third symphony
Fort Fisher Confederate fort during the Civil War that protected trading routes
Freemasons members of a widely distributed
secret order (Free and Accepted Masons), having for its object mutual
assistance and the promotion of brotherly love among its members
Grieg Norwegian composer and pianist of the Romantic period
Hospice a healthcare facility for the terminally ill that emphasizes pain control and emotional support for the patient and family
Juilliard one of the most prestigious performing arts conservatories in the world, located in New York City
Letterman late night television host
Loggerhead a large-headed sea turtle, now greatly reduced in number
The Lost Boys a 1980s film about a group of vampires living near a California amusement park town
Malignant a tumor that invades surrounding
tissues, is usually capable of producing metastases, may recur after
attempted removal, and is likely to cause death unless adequately
treated
Metastasized to have spread to other parts of the body
Michael Jordan one of the most famous and
one of the best players in the history of the NBA; he played for the
University of North Carolina and the Chicago Bulls
Mojave desert in the southwest United States
Mozart a prolific and influential Austrian composer, considered by many to be the best of all classical composers
Oncologist a specialist in the study and treatment of cancer
Osprey a large hawk that preys on fish; aka a fish hawk
Pasty pale and unhealthy in appearance
Placated appeased through concessions
Pod the name for a small herd, or group, of dolphins
Portending signifying
Prada an Italian fashion label that specializes in luxury goods, often leather
Primordial existing from the very beginning
Psychopathic those having antisocial
behavior who were most likely born with temperamental differences such
as impulsivity and fearlessness that leads to risk-seeking behavior and
an inability to internalize social norms
Ritchie Valens Mexican-American singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the 1950s
Sahara the world's largest desert, found in Northern Africa
Saint-Sa‘ns French composer and pianist
Scapular a loose, sleeveless monastic garment, hanging from the shoulders
Schumann German composer and music critic of the Romantic period
Shriners members of a fraternal order that is dedicated to good fellowship, health programs, charitable works
small red drum a large edible Atlantic coastal fish
Sociopathic those having an anti-social personality disorder yet have a relatively normal temperament with erratic criminal behavior
Solder to join metal objects with any of
various alloys fused and applied to the joint between them without
heating the objects to the melting point
sonata a composition for one or two instruments, typically in three or four movements in contrasted forms and keys
Stoic of or pertaining to the school of
philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from
passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to
unavoidable necessity
Sultan of Brunei the head of state and head of government of the sovereign state of Brunei, which is on the island of Borneo in southeast Asia
Tchaikovsky Russian composer of the Romantic era
The Terminator the title character of a
1984 movie about a cyborg killer from the future sent back in time to
kill a woman before she is able to give birth
Texas hold 'em a form of poker in which
each player can use any or all of five shared cards in combination with
either or both of two private cards to form the best possible hand of
five cards
trawler vessel used for fishing with a trawl net, a strong fishing net for dragging along the sea bottom
Twilight Zone a television series that was a mixture of science fiction and fantasy that usually had an unexpected ending
Vampira fictional 1950s character who is a horror hostess
Book Quiz
1)
What does Steve say when
he hears Ronnie's story about what happened in Chapter 11? (from Chapters 11-17)
He's sending her home.
She is grounded.
He thinks she's lying.
He believes her.
2)
When does Will tell Ronnie
he is transferring to a different school in the Epilogue? (from Chapters 35-37 and Epilogue)
September.
January.
August.
June.
3)
When confronted by Ronnie
in Chapter 12, Blaze tells her she won't help her for fear of whom? (from Chapters 11-17)
Marcus.
The police.
Her father.
Jonah.
4)
The cage that Will
describes coming the following day is to protect from what, in Chapter 12? (from Chapters 11-17)
Otters.
Seals.
Sharks.
Raccoons.
5)
What does Ronnie see
Marcus playing with on the beach in Chapter 14? (from
Chapters 11-17)
A surboard.
A frisbee.
A fireball.
A beach ball.
6)
Who saved Will and his
mother in a car accident many years earlier in the novel? (from Chapters 18-24)
Steve.
Scott.
Pastor Harris.
Marcus.
7)
Where does Will tell
Ronnie he is transferring to school in the Epilogue? (from
Chapters 35-37 and Epilogue)
New York University.
Yale.
Harvard.
Columbia.
8)
How many of Nicholas
Sparks' novels have been adapted to film? (from
Chapters 35-37 and Epilogue)
5.
1.
6.
2.
9)
Ronnie tells Will that
what makes no difference to her in Chapter 20? (from
Chapters 18-24)
His health.
His looks.
His intelligence.
His wealth.
10)
As Ronnie prepares for bed
in Chapter 12, she sees what approaching the turtle nest? (from Chapters 11-17)
An otter.
A cat.
A raccoon.
A dog.
11)
What is the cause of
Steve's ailment in the novel? (from Chapters 29-34)
Tuberculosis.
AIDS.
Lymphoma.
Stomach cancer.
12)
What do Will and Ronnie
spend a night hunting in Chapter 23? (from Chapters
18-24)
Spider crabs.
Jellyfish.
Sand dollars.
Deer.
13)
How long does Will wait on
the beach before Ronnie comes out to speak to him in Chapter 14? (from Chapters 11-17)
Days.
Hours.
10 minutes.
30 minutes.
14)
Where does Jonah depart to
at the end of Chapter 34? (from Chapters 29-34)
New York.
New Hampshire.
Boston.
North Carolina.
15)
Who does Ronnie have
breakfast with in Chapter 12? (from Chapters 11-17)
Blaze and Will.
Will and Scott.
Blaze and Marcus.
Steve and Jonah.
16)
Scott is very angry with
Will for what, in the end of Chapter 28? (from Chapters
25-28)
Leaving the game.
Turning him into the police.
Kissing Ronnie.
Leaving Ashley.
17)
What refers to a
rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp
incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of
words or actions? (from Chapters 29-34)
Irony.
Oxymoron.
Despondence.
Cataclysm.
18)
What collapses during the
wedding when Will gets into a fight in Chapter 26? (from
Chapters 25-28)
The church.
The dock.
The tent.
The cake.
19)
Who helps Ronnie take down
the wall blocking off the piano in Chapter 35? (from
Chapters 35-37 and Epilogue)
Tom.
Blaze.
Will.
Mike.
20)
How many novels has
Nicholas Sparks published? (from Chapters 35-37 and
Epilogue)
22.
16.
19.
5.
21)
When considering the
differences between Ronnie and his ex-girlfriend, Will concludes that Ronnie is
more what, in Chapter 20? (from Chapters 18-24)
Practical.
Menacing.
Innocent.
Substantial.
22)
Will and Scott are playing
the final game for the championship when Will sees who catch fire in Chapter
28? (from Chapters 25-28)
Blaze.
James.
Ronnie.
Marcus.
23)
Who thinks about a party
he plans to throw that night in a house he has broken into in Chapter 22? (from Chapters 18-24)
Will.
Mike.
Marcus.
James.
24)
Will tells Scott that he
should tell the police the truth about what in the end of Chapter 28? (from Chapters 25-28)
His brother's accident.
His father's murder.
The fire at Pastor Harris' church.
His mother's suicide.
25)
Will approaches Ronnie on
the beach in Chapter 12, and says he is there to do what? (from Chapters 11-17)
Mark the turtle egg nest.
Kill the raccoons.
Burn the egg nest.
Kill the baby seals.
Film Quiz:
1. Whats the girls name?
|
ronnie
|
|
miley
|
|
ryan
|
|
hannah
|
2. What did her dad have?
|
diabetes
|
|
nothing....he was healthy
|
|
cancer
|
|
flu
|
3. While at her dads house for the
summer, did they get along?
|
Yes
|
|
No
|
|
at first no, but eventually
|
4. What
was one of liams jobs?
|
lifeguard
|
|
he had no job
|
|
worked at the aquarium
|
|
to look cute (wasnt very hard)
|
5. What
animal kept tryin to eat the turtle eggs?
|
snake
|
|
mouse
|
|
hawk
|
|
raccoon
|
6. What does PMS mean according to
ronnies brother?
|
playing music and songs
|
|
period menstrual cycle
|
|
pimp my SUV
|
|
pissed at men syndrome
|
7. She had a brother
|
True
|
|
False
|
8. Did
ronnies dad die at the end?
|
Yes
|
|
No
|
9. Was ronnies parents divorced?
|
Yes
|
|
No
|
10. Whats
the hot guys' real name?
|
jake
|
|
cutie
|
|
liam
|
|
luke
|
11. What
animal was ronnie protective of?
|
frogs
|
|
sea turtles
|
|
raccoons
|
|
fish
|
12. What
was her main passion?
|
swimming
|
|
liam
|
|
school
|
|
music
|
13. Is
miley going out with liam in real life?
|
Yes
|
|
No
|
14. What
is one of the instruments that ronnie could play?
|
piano
|
|
banjo
|
|
violin
|
|
harmoica
|
15. What
did the townspeople accuse ronnies dad of after the church devestation?
|
he bulldozed it
|
|
all of the above
|
|
nothing
|
|
that he burnt it down
Discussion Questions
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