Explanation of the short story "Crazy as a Daisy."

1. Beverly Deen
June 17, 2008
10th Literature/Compostion

2.  She was born in Queens, New York on April
13, 1957
 She’s the oldest child
 The nickname her mom gave her was “NoMo”
 Her first novel that was published was called
Blue Tights
 In 1996, she won an award for Best Book for
Young Adults Citation (ALA)

3.  She’s the author of four distinguished young
adult novels
 She has two daughters named Michelle and
Stephanie
 Rita lives in both New York and Jamaica
 She works as a manager in a marketing and
media company
 Her work has been recognized by the Coretta
Scott King Award Committee, the PEN/Norma
Klein Award, the American Library
Association, and Parents' Choice, and others.

4.  Marguerite and her sister await for their
father’s arrival. When he arrives they are
going to dance to some of his favorite music.
When he got their he danced with Rosalyn
but wouldn’t dance with Marguerite, he said
she couldn’t dance and nobody wanted to
dance with her.

5.  She was greatly hurt by her father saying
that but then she went on and decided she
was going to dance crazy, since her name
does mean crazy as a daisy. She hated all the
boy-girl dances because she would rather
dance like a boy than dance like a girl.

6.  When she got older, she would go to dances
and always dance crazier and weirder than
everyone else there. The parties began to
make signs saying that you must be dressed
up in order to get in, in other words they
were trying to prevent marguerite from
getting in. She then meets a guy whom
already knows her from her crazy dancing.
She decides that she’ll teach him how to
dance.

7.  Marguerite – She’s very sensitive but doesn’t
let it show, always herself, doesn’t do things
to fit in.
 Rosalyn – Marguerite’s sister, always has her
way, favorite child
 Dad- works in the military, loves to dance.

8.  Momma – stay at home wife
 Veroy – a boy who marguerite thought liked
her, wanted to do boy-girl dancing with him.
 Roland – A gorgeous senior, wanted to go to
dances with him

9.  The point of view for this story is First
Person. The main character Marguerite tells
the entire story from her view. You get an
insight into her feelings and see everything
from her view.

10.  It mainly takes place in the James Brown
era. Marguerite was in College.

11.  When marguerite and her sister where
awaiting her fathers arrival so they could
dance with him.

12.  Marguerite’s father telling her that nobody
wants to dance with her.

13.  Going to college parties and dancing crazy at
the parties. The head of the parties start
making posters with requirements of being
eligibility to get into the parties so that
Marguerite wouldn’t be able to get in.

14.  She met a guy named Roland and was
completely mesmerized by him. She starts to
talk with him at lunch one day.

15.  She decides that she is going to teach him to
dance and loosen up. He denies her at first
saying that he doesn’t want to dance crazy
as a daisy but she says she can teach him in
other ways.

16.  The school she goes to always finds some
way to bring her down about the way she
dances.
 Her father telling her that nobody wants to
dance with her.

17.  She feels as if nobody really does want to
dance with her because she doesn’t dance
like a girl but instead she dance like a guy.
 She thinks that she can never get a guy to
truly like her and not be just a “friend”

18.  The main theme I noticed was that you
should always be yourself. The main
character Marguerite showed this through
the story, she never changed for anyone.

19.  Symbol
 I think the symbol would be the meaning of her
name “Crazy as a Daisy.” This is because it starts
to become the name of her dance and
everything. I think it symbolizes individuality.

20.  Protagonist
 The central Character of this novel would
definitely be Marguerite. It evolves around her
life and the way she dances.

21.  Implied theme
 The theme is revealed gradually throughout the
short story. The theme I think it would be is to
remain true to yourself.

22.  Definition:
 Belonging or suited to polite society
 Wel-bred or refined; polite; elegant; stylish
 affectedly or pretentiously polite, delicate, etc.
 Page 91
 The girls danced genteel girl dances like the tip,
a girl version of the funky corners, and the
philly-dog, on one side of the room.

23.  Definition:
 Participating in the knowledge of something
secret or private
 Belong or pertaining to some particular person
 Secret, concealed, hidden
 Page 90
 Not even my sister was privy to this treasured
secret.

24.  Definition:
 Tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; Perturbation.
 Trembling or quivering moment; tremor
 Page 96
 I couldn’t tell if trepidation was from the
prospect of embarking on new ground or from
the shock of being enclosed in the scattered
mess that was my home.

25.  Advice for Marguerite
 I think it is good that she still has that
individuality that not many people can fully
grasp. She is still able to do things without a care
in the world of what others think or perceive of
her. I think she should loosen up just a little
though and let her girly side out. It would be
easier for her to get a guy if she would not be
such a boy.

26.  I predict that Marguerite will finally date
Roland. She is starting to be more herself
and not so “crazy as a daisy” like she used to
be. I think that once she teaches him how to
dance that they’ll start to have a connection
and will begin to like each other.

27.  I was surprised by the way marguerite
reacted to her father’s comment about
nobody wanting to dance with her. You knew
it got to her but she didn’t show it on the
outside but that when she became “crazy as
a daisy.”

28.  Crazy as a Daisy would definitely be around a
seven. This is because it has a good central
message within it. The message being sent
that you should always be true to yourself.
Other than the central message being taught
the story is alright, it kind of just lingers on.