The Legend of Colton H Bryant continues our theme of landscapes that we have been discussing. The text shows physical and metaphorical landscapes. The landscape around Colton and the metaphorical landscapes play equal roles in who Colton is as a person. The novel is based on a true story of a boy who grew up in Wyoming. She studied at Acadia University in Canada.
Activity: Fun fact quiz about oil drilling, Wyoming and Alexandra Fuller. Winner gets a prize. Split class into groups of 3 or 4.
• Which country consumes the most oil? US
• What country has the largest oil reserve? Venezuela
• What is the population of Evanston? 12,295
• What year are we predicated to run out of fossil fuels? 2088
• Where does Alexandra Fuller currently live? Wyoming
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Discussion Questions:
1) The very first page of the book states, “the land that grew him”(3). What do you think fuller meant by that? Do you think where you’re from grows you? What are some examples you have of landscape that contributed to you growing up?
2) The word “retard” is used multiple times in the book. Do you think it socially expectable to use this word today? Can you think of any other words that were socially acceptable in the past but are not today?
3) Why do you think Colton looks up to his father so much and wants to be exactly like him? Do you have someone in your life that you have always looked up to? Do you look up to them because you have the same interests or just because of their character? Has looking up to someone ever been a reason you choose a certain pathway in your life? Is anyone following in the footsteps of a family member?
4) What is the significance of the horse in the book? Do you think it symbolizes anything? Colton kept saying “stupid horse”(67) after Cocoa ran away. His mom then said, “you are more alike then you think” (67). What do you think she meant by
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Do you think this helps him with the Kmart cowboys who bully him? Do you have a phrase or saying you tell your self when you are frustrated? When Colton told his mom about being bullied and she told him you just have to ignore them. Do you think this was the right way to handle the problem? What would you do in that situation? Would you be able to just ignore it and not let it bug you?
6) When Jake told Colton about what his Aunt and Uncle did to him Colton brought up his own personal bad experiences and just tried to make Jake happy. Do you think Colton’s passed experiences have taught him to always look at the bright side of everything? How do you feel when other people try and compare their experience to yours?
7) Colton’s brother Preston beat him frequently when they were younger. Colton never had hard feelings for his brother and still looked up to him. Why do you think he looked up to him after everything he did? Would you be able to forgive you sibling?
8) It is common for the people who live in Evanston to work for the oil companies. Colton grew up thinking this is where he was going to work. Do you think if he weren’t following his father or the rest of the town he would have a different personal landscape? Would it have made a difference if his dad weren’t