1. What is the function of the chapter?

In the 1st chapter the author gives an introduction. We get a description of the acting persons, students and teachers, what kind of attitudes they have and how they behave at school. As far as the students are concerned it seems to be a normal, average class.

Facts are given:

- Students leave class quickly, but struggle in, when the new lesson starts.

- They often don’t feel compelled to do their homework, or they do it in a careless way.

- The class is mixed, all kinds of marks are given.

So the 1st chapter describes a typical (American) school situation.

2. Who are the characters introduced?

Laurie Saunders

is a pretty girl, having a perpetual smile. She is used to chew on pens when she feels nervous. The reason could be her giving up smoking.
She is the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, called "The Grapevine". She feels responsible for it and it’s a matter of course for her to work for "The Grapevine" in her free time. So she’s reliable and she is often angry about her staff. She would really like to manage the issue on time.
Laurie Saunders is a cheerful nature. She’s skilled in cheering up others by making several funny faces.
Laurie is a smart, clever and intelligent student. She gets A-marks.
So all in all we can say that she is a strong personality.

Amy Smith,

a petite, fair girl, is Laurie Saunders' best friend. She also is smart and intelligent. She gets A-marks.

Mr. Gabondi

is a French teacher who isn't loved by the students. His courses are too boring for them.

Ben Ross

is a young History teacher, who has been at Gordon High for two years now. His wife is Christy Ross, teacher in music and choir at the same school.
Ben Ross lacks the ability to manage technical problems like treading a film into the projector. Tasks like these drive him bananas, so he delegates them to the students.
He has a good reputation at school. Students think that he is charismatic and contagious. He is very engaged in teaching, interested and involved in his topics. He brings a new outlook to his classes and tries to teach the practical, relevant aspects of history.
But his faculty colleagues have different opinions on his way of teaching. Some like his energy, creativity and unusual methods, but others are skeptical about him. They think he would calm down after a few years, use the traditional ways of teaching and would wear suits and ties like they do. Maybe, there are some aspects of envy or jealousy.

Brian Ammon

is a quarterback on the football team. Enjoying social life is important for him. He often gets bad marks, although he is able to do better. There is no lack of intellectual capacity on his side.
 
 

Robert Billings

is the class loser. He usually gets bad marks. Ben Ross thinks he is a real problem. He is a heavy boy and looks a little bit untidy and unkempt. Robert has to struggle to come on. The other students like to make fun of him. So he is often tormented by others, especially by Brian.

David Collins

is a tall , good looking boy who is on the football team too. He is Laurie's boyfriend, has good marks and a natural technical skill.
 
 

Chapter Five p. 26 to 34

Try to show the rough structure of this chapter.

This chapter can be subdivided into three parts:

Part I

p. 27 / l. 14 to p. 31 / l. 23

It's Ben Ross' first lesson on the subject of Nazism. He deals with this in a practical way. First he introduces the new motto "Success through discipline", the importance of a stiff upright position and a new system of answering questions by following his strict order. His behavior seems to be like that of a drill sergeant.

Part II

p. 31 / l. 26 to p. 32 / l. 35

Here we can find a description of the students' feelings and reactions. They discuss the lesson, they reflect it.
There's a wide range of reactions. Some students are completely overwhelmed by a tremendous feeling of unity, others think they make a big deal out of nothing.

Part III

p. 33 / l.1 to p. 34 / l. 5

Ben Ross reflects the lesson by discussing it with his wife Christy. He tells her about the surprisingly enthusiastic feeling of his students, but not of his own feeling of getting swept up.
 
 
 
 

What new value is established?

The new value is that acting in unison leads to a group feeling, a high energy feeling. All students aim at the same goal. Everybody follows and feels like the crowd.

Brian utters this psychological feature of a mass movement in a suitable way: "... it was like a rush" (p.31 / l.24). He says this with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. This feeling of high energy is caused by the experience of being a unit which is contagious for everybody.

Every student is urged to participate in this movement. There's only a little chance to reject, maybe none.
This is really the negative effect of any such movement. Members have to give up their individuality. If they don't agree with the group and their objectives, they will turn their role in class. They will be seen as outsiders, even enemies.

The positive effect is the integration and acceptance of former outsiders, so Robert. It is the first time he does something actually well, being an example for the other students. His self-confidence increases.

The group's behavior has changed. Instead of individuals with intellect and personal ethics, we now see group with uniform behavior - intellectual abilities have lost their importance. The individual's possibility of having influence on this group is rather small, because it depends on feelings, a sensitive part of human being. It can't be affected by common sense.
 
 

What new definition of "success" could be given?

You normally succeed in school by making efforts in an intellectual way. Smart and intelligent students get the best marks.
The new way of success is completely different.
Intellectually not demanding rules are given, students only need a bit of discipline and practice to be as good as the others. Physical abilities are more important than intellectual ones.
So Andrea. She gives the wrong answer, but uses the correct form, pays attention to the new rules. Ben Ross reacts: "Still, a good response because you used the proper form." ( p. 30 / l. 19 ).
The new feature is: Students reach success by following the rules, by uniform behavior, not by using their brains.
I think this is particularly difficult for the best students like Laurie. She must deny her intelligence. In contrast to her, Robert gains, because the poor students get pushed up. So all students reach the same average level.
 
 
 
 

How do the students reflect on The Wave?

Chapter Five, Part II p. 31 to 32

There are different reasons for the students to support The Wave. Let me refer to two individual motives to point out this feature.

Let us first have a look at David. He values The Wave as something good and recognizes the possibility to use the positive effects for the football-team. This transfer to other groups is a rather practical, pragmatic use. His motive is his hope that shifting the class' spirit to the team will push and rise it up, will lead to the success it lacks now.

Contrary to David's intention Robert's motivation is a personal one, doesn't refer to a group or a team. He wants to be a member of The Wave, especially a good member. Joining the movement is rather important for him, because he won't be the underdog any longer, maybe by employing all his abilities he will be able to turn his role into a leading one. So joining the group gives him the chance to redefine himself. In former times he had given up, because it was out of his reach to compete with his older brother, who had been the quintessential model student and a big guy on the campus. The Wave offers a new way of life to him.

The opinions and reactions of the other students are different too. They change from being fascinated to being afraid of the newly founded movement.
 
 

Ben Ross' reflection

Part III p. 33 to 34

Ben Ross' feeling after having introduced The Wave to his students is that of being embarrassed about his own affection.

The normal, usual role of a teacher is to initiate and guide or monitor intellectual processes. This morning his role has changed. According to the newly installed system he has asked for preconceived ideas. Students have to comply with a given pattern without using critical individual thinking. Moreover he has kept a military form. So we can say:

He creates this movement and it's open. Nobody stops him now. He experiences a feeling of power that he'd never felt before. This emotional effect makes him feel embarrassed. Very strong emotions are totally new for him. It's like the beginning of all the dictatorship. He orders - the movement starts. It's called ‘unlimited leadership’.
 
 
 
 

Establishing The Wave - How does the process work?

Chapter Five, Part II p. 26 / l. 14 to p. 31 / l.23

Ben Ross introduces The Wave in a considered and clever way, well-organized and step by step. He makes use of his knowledge of group dynamic processes and he conducts this lesson by using several tricks to commit his students.

So his first step is to give an incentive, a motivation to the students.

"I’m talking about power. And I’m talking about success (....) Is there anyone here who isn’t interested in power and success?" ( p. 27 / l. 5-7 ). He offers them the possibility of getting influence on others, of getting leadership. This incentive appeals to people's basic instincts, which usually are controlled in social life. The first part is won. Students are affected and curious.

The next step is to give shining examples to the class. Therefore he chooses two pretty girls.

Andrea is a nice, tall girl and a ballet dancer. So she’s a shining example of reaching success by diligence and discipline. Everybody will associate positive values with her.

So is Amy, a little beautiful and very smart girl. She often gets A-marks and is very skilled in math. Here Ben Ross presents two plausible examples for success that imply a positive personal feeling. A really complete infection is reached when he says: "Suppose we could do it right here in this classroom." ( p. 27 / l. 23-24 ). Now power and success are within reach, the students’ interest is awakened, the initial process of motivation takes it’s course.

During the next step the teacher’s view is focussed on Robert. He’s the class loser, unpopular with the other students, often tormented and a real outsider. He’s the first who’s able to take the "good stiff upright position". Ben singles him out for praise. If actually the class-nerd is able to do it in a right way, everybody will manage. Ben Ross intensifies this feature when he gives the order to line up to the class. Who has to go the farthest, should be the first. So it appears that Robert becomes the ‘new head‘ of the class. Robert is won by the teacher as a really faithful participant, because his self-confidence begins to increase. He takes great pride in managing this order well, the first time he’s a leader.

"Robert, show Brad the proper procedure for answering a question." ( p. 30 / l. 1). Ben Ross takes Robert again, the loser is the first to manage a new request. Now Brad has to repeat Robert’s example. It’s the first moment when we can notice the feature of group control: "Just because you couldn’t do it right." ( p.30 / l.6 ).

The students can be sure now that everybody in class follows the action attentively and critically. But Brad is still unwilling. Only after having been requested three times he fulfills the task in an acceptable way. Robert is pushed up, has gained a new position and we get a first impression of his new social role.

But the really difficult step for Ben is to win Laurie for his game. She’s the best student of the class, often gets A-marks and is the editor-in-chief of the school-newspaper ‘The Grapevine’. When she gives the right answer, but in a wrong form, that means without the address ‘Mr. Ross‘, the teacher reacts in an unexpected harsh way. Laurie who’s used to give right, correct answers is completely rejected when Ben Ross orders her with a sharp voice by striking his desktop with a ruler: "Now do it again correctly." ( p. 3o / l. 29 ). And so she does, she submits to the process.

Ben Ross has managed the initial introductory problems of his experiment. The leading character is won - all students are won.

Other affecting features of this lesson are:

The teacher works with the pressure of time. There’s no time for thinking, no time for contradiction and no time for fooling around. His forcedly strong orders, for example: "Come on, everybody, up, up, up." ( p. 28 / l. 24 ), are insistent and demand fast response. The pressure reaches it’s peak when he uses a stopwatch. The procedure has turned into a competition.

Ben Ross’ behavior is a new one. He only gives orders instead of asking, inviting or motivating his students to take an active part in the lessons. "Now there are three more rules you must obey" One... Two... Three... ( p.29 / l. 26 ). The way of establishing new rules is a way of force. He expects obedience and seriousness "It isn’t duck-duck-goose." (p. 28 / l.33 ) for his experiment like a drill sergeant.
 
 

Chapter Six - Summary

This chapter can be subdivided into two parts:

Part I ( p. 34 / l. 6 to p. 36 / l. 20 ) describes the 2nd lesson on the subject of The Wave.

Ben Ross rushes into the class a few minutes too late and is surprised about the students’ behavior. They are waiting for him silently, sitting in the new stiff position. Asked what’s going on Robert tells that this behavior would be a case of discipline. Ben works out that this feature goes further. He adds the word 'community' to the initial motto ‘Strength through discipline‘.

Then he introduces the idea of team spirit, of people struggling for a common goal. The students practice the new motto, even Laurie and Brad finally rise and give it.

After this Ben introduces the new symbol, the wave, as a feature of movement, direction and impact. Students have to give The Wave as a movement of greeting, a salute. After practicing and proper performance of saluting and shouting the motto the lesson ends with the students acting in unison. The students fulfill the given task very well.

Part II ( p. 36 / l.21 to p. 38 / l. 31 ) figures out David’s intention to transfer the movement to the football-team.

Eric’s and David’s feelings and attitudes towards The Wave are completely different. While Eric says it would only be a game in history class, David thinks the movement could give power to the football-team. So he wants to get the rest of the team into The Wave.

Brian joins them, explains his fear of the Clarkstown linebacker in a practical and cheerful way and pronounces his acceptance of all measures that would enable him to compete with the giant.

Then Deutsch and Brian struggle about the quarterback position and when their argument seems to develop into a punch-up, David interferes. He explains that only the solution of acting as a group, a unit with the common goal to eliminate its opponent could be the right one. Football players have to be a team to succeed. Encouraged by Eric he then starts to tell about The Wave, introducing the mottoes and the salute to the football-team.
 
 
 
 

What is the function of a symbol like The Wave?

At first a symbol is necessary for identification. You can find every member of the group, maybe all around the world.

Symbolizing is an active process, so members obviously want it and take it up. As soon as a group develops a sort of group feeling they want to identify with the new power. They transfer their identity into an object, they objectify to have it at hand.

Furthermore a symbol shows the large and powerful group around every member, around me. You think that you know the people, even if they are foreigners, strangers. They behave as a member to members, according to the group’s rules and objectives. Although a salute is suitable to express the team spirit this psychological effect includes the danger of misuse, for instance with sects like the "Moon-sect". Group leaders are able to urge every member to submit to the rules, even if they lose their personality , their families or their health.
 
 

Chapter eight consists of three parts:

Part I ( p. 43 / l. 8 to p. 45 / l. 5 )

describes the conversation that David and Laurie have about The Wave on their usual way to school the morning after the 2nd history lesson referring to the subject of national socialism. While David tells about his first experience with The Wave‘s mottoes outside of the class, Laurie is very skeptical. As she doesn’t want to separate from David in disagreement she changes the subject of the conversation to math.

Part II ( p. 45 / l. 6 to p. 48 / l.4 )

deals with another step of the experiment. It’s the third lesson on this subject and Mr. Ross hands out membership-cards to all the students. Some of these cards are marked with a red X on the back. Those students who get such a card are so called monitors. They have to report directly to Mr. Ross about members who break a rule.

He also completes the group motto with the word "action", which is needed to achieve a common goal or to recruit new members to The Wave as the teacher calls on his students to do.

Also important is the aspect of equality within the group. No one is more important or more popular than the other and no one is excluded from the group. When George Snyder proudly professes his commitment to The Wave he causes a wave of testimonies. Students feel enthusiastic and show their pride of the group. So the lesson ends with a real group-feeling, a complete unison in class. The foundation of the movement is finished.

Part III ( p. 48 / l. 5 to p. 49 / l. 13 )

works out how the students reflect their experience. All of them feel good about the newly founded organization and its team spirit, except Laurie. She doesn’t really share the feelings of her classmates. She feels somewhat strange about the whole thing and is shocked when she realizes that it's impossible to utter her own opinion.
 
 
 
 

Point out what new elements are added to The Wave movement.

Chapter 8

Part II ( p.45 / l. 6 to p. 48 / l. 4 ) The 3rd lesson on The Wave.

• There is a large poster with The Wave symbol in the classroom.
• Mr. Ross has changed his outfit: blue suit, white shirt and a tie.
• He passes out small yellow cards – Wave membership cards:

• Today’s word: "Action"

• The question of belief, in general addressing the whole class "Class, do you believe in The Wave?" Students answer like one voice.
• He wants/orders them to cease competition, all are equals.
• The first task is to recruit new members, not forgetting to tell them about The Wave's rules and strict obedience.
• George Snyder professes his commitment to The Wave. He causes a wave of testimonies. Students are very pleased with their feelings about the newly installed group.
• Ben realizes their wish to be led - they want him to lead them. He concludes to go along with the class a little longer, his sensitivity strengthens his determination.
• Giving the salute and chanting the motto "Strength through discipline, strength through community, strength through action" by themselves, without any order

The Wave has become a living movement "They were The Wave now" (p.47, l.36).
 
 
 
 

Chapter 8, p. 48

When Laurie utters doubts in the overall popularity of The Wave she is admonished by two supervisors, Brian and Robert.

1. Give a rough summary of the content and show Laurie’s resentments against The Wave.

2. Show the differences of the two admonitions.

3. Comment on Robert’s motivation to speak up and on the effect of this on the group members.
 
 

1. Rough summary:

All The Wave members who are in the cafeteria this day sit at a long table, even Robert who never joined the class before.

While most of them feel good with The Wave and like the new feelings of equality and community, Laurie feels odd about all the chanting and saluting. When she utters her doubts nobody agrees. Instead of discussing their different opinions Brian and Robert, the two Wave monitors, intimidate her to be careful. Being against The Wave would be breaking the rules. Laurie is really worried about this advice, better called warning.

Robert, the former class loser shows a completely new behavior when he explains the idea of The Wave and the necessity to support it. It is his first experience with joining the class and being integrated into it.

When Laurie realizes the common thinking she swallows her contradiction caused by her intention not to destroy the new class-feeling.

2. Differences:

The first admonition given by Brian is a first warning, but not a really strict one. He does it by joking. It’s an advice to be careful, a reminder to maintain loyalty and allegiance to the group. So Laurie must realize that everything is controlled. She comes to know that a personal comment is impossible, that there is only a little chance to speak out against The Wave after Brian's indication.

So being warned she’s completely confused when Robert reinforces this facts by pointing out, that being against The Wave would be breaking the rules. This is a proof for Laurie’s weird feeling. Robert thus turns Brian's friendly advice into a serious intimidation. Laurie is sure about the changes in class from now on. The new behavior of obedience and unquestioned allegiance to The Wave is compulsory for everyone. Uttering personal opinions and using one's brains is prosecuted by monitors and everybody seems to agree.

3. Robert’s motivation:

Robert’s acting is caused by his identification with his new function. He’s a special member in a special position now and he takes it seriously. The way he starts his new social role takes the group by surprise. They aren’t used to hear Robert’s voice. But his self-confidence has begun to increase since the introduction of The Wave. So the new feeling of having power, function and importance caused by his special function of a monitor encourages him.

He really needs bravery to do that and instinctively he uses a friendly polite form. His vocabulary is carefully chosen:

So he only gives a warning, doesn’t make a reproach. But he still knows that the others have to support him that they can’t object to what he says. It’s an actual change to his previous role. He believes in the new one, it’s a new chance of life and he surprisingly shows the courage to take it, to speak to the class and to join them.

He’s become a different person with a different demeanor.
 
 

Chapter Fourteen, Part I ( p. 71 / l. 5 to p. 72 / l. 15 )

Summary

Morton Rhue depicts the conversation Laurie and Amy have about The Wave.

First Laurie gives her editorial to Amy, in which she describes all the dangerous features of The Wave. But instead of convincing and alerting her friend, her initial intention, Laurie gets to know how difficult it had been for Amy to compete with her all the time. Amy tells her about her relief to give up this fight and about the easy-going atmosphere in The Wave in which everybody is equal now. She ends with the reproach that Laurie is against The Wave, because she can’t be the princess anymore.

At the first moment Amy’s attitudes towards herself confuse Laurie enormously, but after all the meeting strengthens her conclusion to publish the editorial and to struggle against The Wave what makes her an outsider from now on.
 
 

What criticism does Laurie have concerning The Wave?

Laurie's opinion about The Wave is very critical. She has the feeling that all The Wave members behave like a stunned common flock of sheep. The fact that students have been hurt in the name of The Wave makes her angry. Moreover she can’t believe that even smart and intelligent people like her best friend Amy are involved and loyal to this movement.

Finally it becomes clear that the movement destroys this friendship and Laurie doesn’t agree with the fact that she is pushed into the role of an outsider now. Her fighting spirit leads to action. She defends herself against the loss of individuality by publishing her critical editorial now, a measure of intelligent power.
 
 

What advantages of The Wave does Amy pronounce?

The main advantage of The Wave as Amy sees it is the fact of equality. All members have the same goals, the same rights and a common feeling. It’s not necessary for her to compete and keep up with Laurie Saunders any longer. She hopes people will like her as a person. The group spirit ensures this aspect of solidarity.

But Amy speaks in a generalized way. She pronounces her personal motive as a general one. So I can’t really find out what the advantage of The Wave is, only the advantage it means to Amy.
 
 

Compare the characters:

- Is Laurie against equality?

- Is Amy against individualism?

What we know about Laurie is that she’s an independent character. She’s used to reflect situations and experiences and she behaves according to her intellectual standards. Besides this she solves problems on her own and in her own way.

As far as The Wave is concerned she acts as usual. She isn’t against community in class, isn’t against reaching a common goal by acting in unison, but she’ll never give up her own opinion, her own thinking, her individualism and her independence. Personal abilities and her intellectual capacity are suitable measures for her to solve problems, to reach intellectual goals. So she isn’t against equality, but values individual contributions.

Although Amy tells her she would be a princess with an outstanding role in class, this isn’t her self portrait. She doesn’t take pains to have an outstanding role like this, but she is still clever and intelligent, the best student in class.

Quite different - Amy:

We get to know now that she’s sick of competing and keeping up with Laurie every day. She only wants to be loved as a single person. Fact is that The Wave releases her from this everyday competition, but she doesn’t recognize that she has to comply with The Wave‘s rules and goals instead. She doesn’t feel this to be negative, because it is so simple.

So she has only changed the guiding authority in her life. Instead of Laurie who’d shown her certain standards before, this task is performed by The Wave now. She had only been able to reach the former standards by constant competition, now the new standards are rather dump, simple to reach for everyone. So now it’s possible for Amy to step out of Laurie's shadow. But her wish to be liked as 'Amy' won't be granted by the new movement. Individualism is not asked.

But her feeling of relief, of being freed from all that pressure is a misconception of terms. What seems to be equality is nothing else than the shift of the old standards to a simple form. Basically, she is a dependent character, a typical hanger-on who needs to be guided.