108A TE Fall 2011 discussion
When You Reach Me
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When You Teach Me
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You've never seen Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?????
A Wrinkle In Time: Is Calvin Father?The following are my feelings towards the characteristics of various characters:
At first I thought that Charles Wallace was a mind reader or psychic since he seemed to know really well what others were thinking and feeling. For example, Charles Wallace knew about Meg's talk with the principal before she even said anything about it and knew immediately that Mrs. Whatsit was the one who had taken the blankets. Now I just think he represents the purity of a young child whose head is not clouded by societal norms and judgements. He therefore has the ability to read the expressions and motives of people in a more objective way than most people can.
Another first impression that I had was that Calvin was a time traveler since he said he has never seen the Murry house before but for the first time in his life he thinks he is going home. However, I am confused since it seems like he has a home and mother though that he called when he realized he was going to stay with the Murrys for dinner. Based on his descriptions of his mother and the way she treats him, I now believe that he is just an adopted orphan who is unhappy with his foster family. He values being popular and athletic because that is what he has to look forward to and feel good about each day before returning home
I now think maybe Calvin is father who traveled in time backwards and is now back in his childhood. I say this because after looking at a picture of Meg'a father, both Meg and Calvin admit that he is tall and skinny and looks a lot like Calvin.
Plus, as i said earlier, he said he felt at home at the Murry's house. Also, when Charles asked Mrs. Who if Calvin is good or not, instead of just answering the question, she instead mentions a man who needs help and is honorable, and then says that it is Meg's father. So maybe Meg'a father is a time traveler who is helping to save the world or someone's life and that is why he left and they are not sure if he will ever come back. And maybe this Calvin of the future needs to go with Meg and Charles to save his present/future self which is really Father.
Anyways, these are the conspiracy theories I have been grappling with so far as I have been reading this book.
Okay I'm kind of hating Goodreads at the moment as far as posting in groups.A Wrinkle in Time -
Alright I remember why I loved this book so much when I was a kid. Actually I don't remember because the vocabulary is advanced and the themes seem so adult. It's hard to think back to being a child and finding the connection I now feel for this book as an adult. The book itself has morphed in time to mean different things for young Arwen versus...older Arwen.
Enough babble! I love all the characters. Meg is so relatable. She is in a family of geniuses, but instead of being put off by this family I feel warmed by the roller coaster of emotions. Charles Wallace somehow works as this special little boy. Madeleine L'Engle always includes small moments that remind you for all his brains Charles Wallace is emotionally still a kid.
For teaching purposes I think it is a wealth for students trying to give their characters personality without directly telling the audience (Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which do this so well). Not to mention they made the 5th dimension rather understandable.(less)
Steve- you definitely have time travel on the mind after When you Reach Me!
I found this book in my school library when I was in 6th grade. It was the most amazing book for an 12 year old. I’m so glad it’s still around AND it has sequels! Being a "tween" I felt I was just starting to come alive (or awake) and it was a confusing and difficult time. I think this was why I could relate to the characters in this story. They were also seeking to overcome problems that are at times overwhelming, terrifying, and seemingly far beyond their capabilities. Their "magical" assistants offer encouragement and help them to use their resources to the utmost to accomplish a very worthwhile goal.
As I re-read the story, it dawns on me that the children's magical assistants are the embodiment of a great teacher that a child would cherish: helpful, encouraging, building the child up by letting the child grow through effort, mistakes, and finding their own way in the world, offering guidance but ultimately letting the child grow through lessons and experience. The challenges Meg and her family and friends overcome in many ways are symbolic of the challenges all children go through at those ages as they seek to find their way in the world. A truly great story has many possible interpretations, because life itself is complex and often confusing. I think Madelein L'Engle does a masterful job of looking at life through the eyes of a child. I’m looking forward to rereading this book as an adult. I can’t remember a lot about book but I promise not to read ahead!
I agree Robin, I constantly am finding myself making connections between what characters say and their wisdom and school. I surpingly took a lot of notes while reading and most of them revolved around how Ai could use this book to teach different reading strategies and life lessons during interactive read alouds and shared reading.
I am in love with this book! I love its imagery language …” the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind. Behind the trees clouds scudded frantically across the sky. Every few moments the moon ripped through them, creating wraithlike shadows that raced along the ground. The house shook.”“Silence fell between them, as tangible as the dark tree shadows that fell across their laps and that now seemed to rest upon them as heavily as though they possessed a measurable weight of their own.” WOW!
I love the naïve romanticism between Meg and Calvin. I absolutely love Meg, her stubbornness and courage, her sharp mind yet impulsive. The dialogues are very interesting; they are meta-cognitive, especially between Meg and the other characters. While the story is simple and straight forward, the emotions are raw and complex. I see how Steven and other teachers could plan many critical thinking and meta-cognitive lessons, especially for adolescents that struggle with peer acceptance and finding a niche in the world for themselves.
As for predictions, I think that Charles Wallace will save the day with his cleverness and Meg’s courage and Calvin’s common sense. I am ready for the adventures in the fifth dimension!
Final Post After Reading the BookI really like the subtle life lessons this boom offers to both its young and old readers.
For example, Meg is told that her strengths lie in her faults, which include stubborn control anger, and impatience. She is also told that she is different. Hopefully from reading this book, students can see that even their faults can be useful at times. For instance, if Meg was not stubborn or angry, she would have never been able to save Charles Wallace. In this way her stubbornness was an asset since it allowed her to not give up hope, faith, or love, no matter what others said and what dangerous risks lied ahead. This stubbornness also allowed her to follow her own feelings and heart and not just blindly conform and follow others like the drab people on Camaztoz. The whole part about IT not being used to being resisted lead me to this conclusion. Whenever IT was mentioned, I viewed It as representing the status quo and those who are in charge and wrongly use their power to negatively influence the actions of others. As the characters like Father in the book said and implied, although IT wanted then to rest and be complacent, there is no time for rest. Although ignorance can be bliss, knowledge is powerful and this book seems to teach its readers to stand up for themselves and fight against injustice in the world ( not just for themselves, but for the entire universe).
Also, as the ghost like people with tentacles tried to explain to Father and Calvin, why is it that people on Earth tend to be afraid and want to hurt (in this case shoot) those who are different from them? This part of the book can serve as a great introduction for teachers in to a discussion with students on accepting and appreciating the diversity that exists in our world.
Other possible discussion topics like what really is progress were hinted at in this book
You hit on all my points Steve! I think a line can also be drawn from Meg's faults to what love can be. Love is stubborn, and doesn't follow rules and when you fall in love sometimes you have to fight and go against the status quo and it can be uncontrollable and impatient. Love isn't logical and IT was all about logic. So God, or good is pure love. When you Reach Me was also a story about love in many ways. I know the obvious connection between the two books is the time travel, but Rebecca Stead also wrote about the way love can move you in life. The way Julia loved Annemarie, Marcus and Julia, Richard and Miranda's mom, Miranda and her mom, etc. I'm still thinking this one out.
Final Post After Reading The BookMeg makes a good character. She's modest and has a lot of faults but actually is a pretty good person and fairly normal underneath it all. She just wants to be herself. Charles Wallace is very mysterious and unique and he really adds a lot to the novel. I found Calvin's character a bit unbelievable, but he was still nice enough. All the other characters were very well done and imaginative and I enjoyed reading about them as well.
The story as a whole is for children but could probably be complicated for a lot of them. There are difficult words for one, and difficult concepts that may prove to be too much for some. Even some adults could have trouble! But the themes in this novel are very understood and what's not to love about a novel that involves growth and love? While sending her characters on a magical/scientific journey, L'Engle does her best to teach important lessons at the same time. She does a great job at mixing thoughts of science with beliefs of faith as well but still explaining the concepts so that they are relatively understandable. It is a very engrossing read. It still cracks me UP that we all finished this book before we were suppose to!!!
Final ThoughtsI really liked the book. Although the book is certainly marked by the 60s’ mood, with the space travelling, “all you need is love”, and the fear of communism, it is well written, imaginative and the characters have a lot of personality. It is full of life lessons, on how difficult experiences can make people bitter and angry, like Meg’s accusatory attitude against her father for almost killing her through tessering and leaving Charles Wallace behind in Camazotz. As Stephen mentioned, there are lessons on prejudice, how people tend to fear and reject the unknown and people that do not look like them. For example, the beasts but also Charles Wallace and Meg suffered prejudice from their family situation and for who they were. Lesson on how people can be very intelligent, and yet never do well in school. At the same time that I agree with Robin that the book may be difficult for children, I think they would enjoy the adventure and boldness of the characters. I heard yesterday a children’s book author on NPR saying that adults and teachers often try to explain the stories as they, as adults, understand them, and in doing that, they miss a whole opportunity to get a fresh, creative understanding from the perspective of the child. In this author’s opinion, there is not a right or fixed conclusion, but an array of interpretations possible for any single story.
I think this book would be great for my students since they like science fiction and I feel it takes an older audience to truly appreciate and understand the book without being completely confused and frustrated. I never read or watched "Lord of The Rings" or "Harry Potter" because I have trouble buying into movies that are on topics that are so unrealistic and impossible when related to every day life. I like how this book though, kept the impossible (time traveling) plot elements to the end and had more realistic characters so my attention interest was kept longer.
Usually when I read books I am left with many questions, and that is why I think it is very funny how a book that had me asking so much questions while reading it, has now left me with all of my questions answered. This would be a great book to use in a lesson about predicting. I am now ready to read "A Wrinkle in Time" and make some text-text connections.