One character trait of Dave Parker's in Andrew Clements' No Talking is leadership The narrator describes both Dave and Lysnsey as leaders when the narrator points out early in the story that both were the "king and queen of the fifth-grade cootie-clingers," which means they were the leaders of their fifth-grade class. Dave shows leadership skills by thinking up the contest. Leaders must be very creative thinkers, and thinking of a contest to see if boys or girls could talk less is certainly a very creative way to put an end to the conflict he created between himself and Lynsey by insulting her talking habits. Dave also thinks creatively, like a leader, when he thinks of rules for the contest such as the rule that contractions, if found in the dictionary, can count as one word.A second characteristic Dave has is bravery, which is also a characteristic leaders have. Dave demonstrates bravery when he keeps up his vow of silence even in the face of authority figures. For example, when he knows his mother is getting worried because he won't answer her from the bathroom, he very bravely finds a way to pacify the situation by opening the door as quickly as possible, hugging her, and telling her in writing about the contest. Dave best demonstrates bravery when he stands up to Mrs. Hiatt's bullying. Mrs. Hiatt, the school principal, is upset that the kids aren't talking because it's too far out of the ordinary. When she commands them to talk and they refuse, she gets angered because she thinks they are disrespecting her. She gets so angry that she yells at Dave through her bullhorn, which Dave rightly sees as unnecessary and as a form of bullying. In response, he yells right back and defends their "right to remain silentita" (p. 108). Since it takes a lot of bravery to stand up to a school principal, Dave's action shows us just how brave he is, just like any leader.
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