Genre
Contemporary novel
Setting and Context
America in the 1990s.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is factual and hopeful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Cedric, and the antagonists are those who bully him.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel is Cedric's troubles with his education.
Climax
One climax of the novel is when Barbara is almost evicted.
Foreshadowing
The student's reaction to the awards ceremony at the beginning of the novel foreshadows their reaction to Cedric.
Understatement
The issue facing ambitious students in underachieving schools is something that is understated by American society. This is shown by the fact the other university students do not understand the effort it has taken Cedric to get there.
Allusions
The novel alludes to the trial of O.J Simpson.
Imagery
The novel includes imagery about wealth, including expensive cars and technology.
Paradox
Cedric is an incredibly intelligent and hard-working student, yet he is still behind when he attends the MIT programme.
Parallelism
Cedric's experiences and upbringing are paralleled with the other student's background.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
