What did Kenny see in the church in the Watsons Go to Birmingham?
When Kenny arrives at the church, he sees surreal images of his family holding onto each other outside the ruined building and a man carrying a little girl in his arms; it looks like the man has been painting “with red, red paint.” Kenny notices in particular that the girl is wearing “black shiny, shiny shoes.” As he …
What does Kenny take from the church?
Kenny brings out the tattered shoe of a little girl hurt or killed at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church after it was firebombed in 1963 (Chapter 14). While visiting his Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama, Kenny is almost killed when he disregards her warning to stay away from Collier’s Landing.
Why did Kenny run away from the Church?
In his confused mind, Kenny thinks that the Wool Pooh had his little sister Joey in the aftermath of the bombing of the Birmingham church. Instead of staying and fighting for her like Byron had fought him a few days before to save his life, Kenny had run away.
What does Kenny do when he reaches the church?
Kenny enters the church and finds a shoe that he believes is Joetta’s and thinks that she is dead. In another imaginary fight with the Wool Pooh, he somehow gets the shoe and returns home to Grandma Sands’ in a daze. Joetta comes home a little later to ask where Kenny went so quickly.
How did Kenny save joetta?
Byron explains that it must have been a part of Kenny that was there to save his sister. Kenny concludes that it must have been an angel. In chapter 14 of The Watsons Go To Birmingham, being too hot at church protects Joetta from the bomb.
Who did Kenny see when he went inside the church?
He sees his mom and his dad and Byron, who are hugging and yelling for Joey. Kenny sees a man carrying a little girl in his arms covered in blood. He notices a black shoe under a big piece of concrete and goes to take it, but realizes that it is attached to another “person”—the Wool Pooh.
Who does Kenny get the black shoe from?
Joey asks about the shoe and Kenny says it’s hers and that he took it from the Wool Pooh. Joey starts to get freaked out because Kenny is acting so weird. She leaves and then comes back. Kenny tells her he loves her, and Joey throws the ripped shoe at him and holds up both of her shiny shoes.
Who caused the damage at the church Watsons Go to Birmingham?
The damage to the church was intentionally caused by men who disagreed with the civil rights movement. Q. The Watsons call the area under the stairs the Watson Pet Hospital.
What does the wool POOH symbolize to Kenny?
For Kenny, the Wool Pooh represents death and his fear of death. It appears when he is caught in the whirlpool and almost drowns, and again at the site of the church bombing when he finds the little girl’s shoe. A “wool pooh” is a “whirlpool” pronounced with a Southern accent.
Is the wool Pooh real?
Remember that the Wool Pooh is actually a creation of Byron’s that he uses to try and scare Kenny into not going to Collier’s Landing, a dangerous place to swim where others have died already.
What does Byron say that makes Kenny realize he has nothing to be ashamed of when they are talking in the bathroom?
What does Byron say that makes Kenny realize he has nothing to be ashamed of when they are talking in the bathroom? Kenny should apologize to everyone for his behavior. Because Kenny was born, he saved Joetta and was the only brave one to go into the church.
Why did Byron’s hair upset his mother so much?
Byron’s best friend Buphead did his hair. He got a “conk” (used chemicals) to dye it reddish brown and made it straight, stiff and slick. Momma is unhappy with Byron because he used chemicals on his hair, which is bad for him.
What does Byron tell Kenny in the Watsons Go to Birmingham?
Byron tells Kenny that there are no magic powers behind the couch that will make him feel better. He asks how Kenny could believe in magic powers but not believe that some part of him led Joey away from the church that day. Kenny says that it is just not fair to the other kids who got left behind in the church that no one was there to save them.
Why did Kenny Watson not go to church?
On the fateful Sunday of the bombing, Joetta is at the church for Sunday school. Kenny decides not to go to church, explaining that he woke up too late. In truth, he is still shaken up from the incident at Collier’s Landing.
Why does Joetta leave church in the Watsons Go to Birmingham?
Joetta leaves the church early in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963because it is too hot. She then sees what she thinks is Kenny waving at her to follow him down the street. However, Kenny is back home when this happens. This leaves the reader to wonder who or what Joetta actually saw.
Who is the black shoe in the Watsons Go to Birmingham?
Kenny spots a shiny black shoe just like Joey’s under the rubble and tries to pull it, but then realizes it is attached to a person. There is someone else holding on to the shoe, too. Kenny recognizes the Wool Pooh, with big square shoulders and nothing where his face should be.