The Metaphor - Budge Wilson

Biography 
Budge Wilson is a Nova Scotian Born author. Since 1984 she has written 33 books and has received many awards for them. She started writing later in life after being a photographer, commercial director, and a fitness director for over 20 years. One of her recent books is called Before Green Gables which has sold many copies over North America.

Symbol 

This picture symbolizes the bathtub and the bubbles she played with while she thought of metaphors in her tub. She did a lot of her thinking in here and she always played with the bubbles throughout the story.

Response

a) Why do you think Miss Hancock got along so well in junior high school, but had so much difficulty in senior high?

b) In your experience, what were some of the differences you noticed between your teachers at grades 7-9 and your teacher’s grades 10-12.

a) I think it's because when you’re younger (junior high), your brain is a little more imaginary and open minded. This was a good age for Ms. Hancock because her way of teaching was very fun and different. In senior high your imagination isn't as wild so when she got to teaching those grades the kids thought she was weird and her teaching methods were just stupid.

 b) Well from grades 6-7, surprisingly I found my teachers were much tougher and had higher expectations. From grades 8-10, I noticed that the teachers were easier going and didn't push you as much. Mostly because in high school, your older and it’s now more your responsibility to get your work done and to push yourselves instead of the teachers pushing you.

What recommendations would you make to a teacher moving from a junior high to a senior high? Write your ideas about the adjustments necessary for a successful transition and share them.

My suggestions would be to sustain authority in the classroom and usually nothing bad will happen. Keep calm and if you treat your students with respect, they will treat you with respect.

 Is Charlotte right in blaming herself for Miss Hancock death? Would being more friendly to Miss Hancock at senior high have any difference? 

She isn't right for blaming herself, but that’s sometimes what happens then you feel guilty. I think it would make a difference in how guilty Charlotte feels, but it wouldn't change the fact that Miss Hancock dies. And even if she was nice to her throughout senior high it wouldn't be as sincere since she doesn't know that she is going to die. So either way, she would still feel a little guilty.

How were the metaphorical descriptions similar to the actually characters of Charlotte's mother? Miss Hancock?

 They were a perfect description. I really helped me visualize the characters and it was interesting to see the comparisons she made.

What do you think was the author's main purpose for writing this story? Discuss.

I think the main purpose for this story was to show that you need to end your days on good notes because you never know what can happen to someone close to you. Life is too short to hold grudges and nothing is unforgivable. 

Critical Thinking

Why do you think the author wrote the text?
Maybe he experiecened something similar and wanted to share his share with more people.
What does the author want you to think?
He wants you to think about what you say to people because you never know what will happen to them if you leave with an argument.
Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
Yeah, I have been mean to teachers before but with good reasons. But I‘ve never had a teacher die and I’ve never been mean to the point of my feeling guilty.
Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
Sort of but nothing to this extreme.
Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Yes the movie Mean Girls.
How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
Some times teachers need to feel safe just like students do and they feel vulnerable and they want to be accepted just like students do.
What action might you take from what you have learned?
Be nicer to teachers.
What big question has this text left you with?
Nothing to exciting, just think about what I say to people before I say it.

Metaphor

My best friend is music. It listens and tells you things you need or don’t need to here. It can calm you down or bring you up with happiness that you thought wasn’t there.  It’s everywhere; radio, iPod, computer, TV, CD’s and it can even come from you.  Music is a warm blanket that covers you from the world and only you exist.  Blocks out the bad and keeps in the good. It travels with you everywhere you go, in memories and thoughts. Moments, days, weeks, years, it’ll always be around you to help you through your fears and worries. Music is my best friend.

The Possibility of Evil - Shirley Jackson

Biography

Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco 1919. She was very popular in her time because of her horror, Gothic appeal throughout her stories. She has written many novels, short stories and her work have been featured in mean anthologies.  She moved to Vermont where married her husband, Stanley Edgar Hyman she continued her work in novels. One of her greatest known stories is called The Lottery (1948). She later died in 1965 at the age of 48 but her work will always be remembered.

Symbol

I chose this picture because it represents all the letters Ms. Strangeworth has written to the fellow citizens of Pleasantville.

Response

What is Ms. Strangeworth trying to accomplish by sending out her letters? Does she succeed? Discuss.

Miss Strangeworth thinks that she is helping out her little town by giving letters of guided suggestion to people anonymously. She thinks that the letters are completely reasonable but in reality they are rude. She wants everyone act the way she thinks people of her town are supposed to act so when she sees someone who is out of line. She thinks it's her job to tell them, anonymously of course.

How would you describe the story’s atmosphere at the beginning? How does this atmosphere help to emphasize the ending?

It was rather mysterious by the way the author was describing Strangeworth. I could tell that there was going to be something weird about her or that she was going to cause a problem near the end. It was very dark and different near the end so it made me more excited at the end to see what happens.

Why don’t the people ignore the letters they receive? If you received one of Ms. Strange worth’s letters, what would you do? Write you response and share it.

They ignore them because they don't know who's sending them. I'm sure if they knew who it was, they would do something about it. If I received one of her letters, I would definitely want to know who sent it so I could tell her off. I wouldn't let her get away with it.

What are two interpretations you could give to the story’s title? Share your ideas.

One interpretation would be that this story is about the possibility of different evils and where you can find them. Unsuspecting people who are evil. Another possibility could be that someone or something is deciding to become evil for the first time.

What do you think this story is about saying about crime and criminals? Do you agree? Discuss giving examples to support your opinion.

I think it's saying that you can never guess a criminal. Yes if there was a guy walking in a store with a black hoodie and hands in his pockets with his head down, you might be a little suspicious. But a little girl is just as capable as stealing something, so you really should never assume. So, yes I do agree.

Consider both Miss Strangeworth's anxiety about evil and the final crime in the story. Do you think human beings will ever create a society that is crime free? Comment?

No I do not. As long as we have the ability to go and do anything we want there will always be some crime. It just depends on people's self control. People will always break the law; I don't believe that that will ever stop.

Critical Thinking

 Why do you think the author wrote the text?
Maybe because he wanted to show that criminals come in all walks of life.
What does the author want you to think?
That you shouldn’t judge people.
 Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
No.
 Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
Yes on Facebook there’s this thing called Honesty Box where people send anonymous posts to you and they could be really mean or nice. But you have no way of finding out that that is. It is very similar to the story.
Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Not any I can think of.
How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
It shows that some people think they need to be the boss of but that isn’t necessarily always the answer.
What action might you take from what you have learned?
That if you don’t agree with what someone else is doing you don’t always need to step in and fix it. Its better if they figure it out on they’re own.

 What big question has this text left you with?
What would people actually do if someone started sending them letters like that.