English for Life Reader Grade 8 Home Language. Elaine Ridge
my mulberry tree
arrayed in green
fragrant in bloom
her arms extended
offering succulent fruit
to happy children
mouths streaked crimson
sated with sweetness
enjoying annual harvest
heralding a spring
of bounteous days
arrayed – dressed
console – comfort
sated – filled so they don’t want any more
| Post-reading | |
| 3. | Identify the central image (figure of speech) in the poem and say how it is effective. |
| 4. | What word tells you that the speaker is comforted by the memory of the mulberry tree? |
| 5. | Which lines describe the mulberry tree in Spring and in Summer respectively? |
| 6. | What difference in meaning would there be if the poet had used “extended arms” instead of “arms extended”? |
| 7. | Explain: “mouths streaked crimson” and “sated with sweetness”. |
| 8. | The ‘s’ sound is emphasised in: “mouths streaked crimson/sated with sweetness” |
| a) | What is this sound device called? |
| b) | Why are these lines so effective? |
Important elements of a short story
A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction is prose writing about imagined events and characters. Some short stories can be quite long. If a short story is a long one, say fifty to one hundred pages, we call it a novella.
When readers read a short story, they must be able to
identify the characters in the story;
determine the place where the story takes/took place;
relate the events or plot of the story;
determine the time when the events take/took place.
What makes a good short story? Combining the five key elements that go into every great short story: character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.
A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work. A short story usually has only one main character. Because of it being so short, there is not much room for character development. At a critical moment, a character revelation or development can take place, thereby revealing the inner life of the character.
Characters can be introduced to the reader in more than one way, namely
| a) | by describing the characters directly; |
| b) | through the characters’ behaviour, in other words their actions; |
| c) | through what the characters say and think, in other words their dialogue and line of thought; |
| d) | through name-giving: the character’s name can also describe the character; |
| e) | what others say about the character. |
The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting.
A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.
The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the central conflict. The main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).
The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story. The short story usually has only one motive or main idea. Ask yourself: What is this story really about?
In present-day short stories, the main character often also narrates the story in the first person.
| Pre-reading | |
| 1. a) | Think back to your first day at school. How did you feel? |
| b) | In those first few weeks there were new situations you had to face, new choices you had to make, all on your own. What can you remember about that time? |
| During reading | |
| 2. a) | What sort of changes does Laurie’s mother notice in her son on his first day of school? |
| b) | What do you think causes those changes? |
Charles
Shirley Jackson
The day Laurie started kindergarten he renounced corduroy overalls with bibs and began wearing blue jeans with a belt; I watched him go off the first morning with the older girl next door, seeing clearly that an era of my life was ended, my sweet-voiced nursery-school tot replaced by a long-trousered, swaggering character who forgot to stop at the corner and wave goodbye to me.
He came home the same way, the front door slamming open, his cap on the floor, and the voice suddenly became raucous shouting, ‘Isn’t anybody here?’
At lunch he spoke insolently to his father, spilled Jannie’s milk and remarked that his teacher said that we were not to take the name of the Lord in vain.
‘How was school today?’ I asked, elaborately casual.
‘All right,’ he said.
‘Did you learn anything?’ his father asked.
Laurie regarded his father coldly. ‘I didn’t learn nothing,’ he said.
‘Anything,’ I said. ‘Didn’t learn anything.’
‘The teacher spanked a boy, though,’ Laurie said, addressing his bread and butter. ‘For being fresh,’ he added with his mouth full.
‘What did he do?’ I asked. ‘Who was it?’
Laurie thought. ‘It was Charles,’ he said. ‘He was fresh. The teacher spanked him and made him stand in a corner. He was awfully fresh.’
‘What did he do?’ I asked again, but Laurie slid off his chair, took a cookie, and left, while his father was still saying, ‘See here, young man.’
The next day Laurie remarked at lunch, as soon as he sat down, ‘Well, Charles was bad again today.’ He grinned enormously and said, ‘Today Charles hit the teacher.’
‘Good heavens,’ I said, mindful of the Lord’s name, ‘I suppose he got spanked again?’
‘He sure did,’ Laurie said. ‘Look up,’ he said to his father.
‘What?’ his father said, looking up.
‘Look down,’ Laurie said. ‘Look at my thumb. Gee, you’re dumb.’ He began to laugh insanely.
‘Why did Charles hit the teacher?’ I asked quickly.
‘Because she tried to make him colour with red crayons,’ Laurie said. ‘Charles wanted to colour with green crayons so he hit the teacher and she spanked him and said nobody play with Charles but everybody did.’
The third day – it was Wednesday of the first week – Charles bounced a seesaw onto the head of a little girl and made her bleed and the teacher made him