All Summer in A Day Questions
All Summer in A Day Questions
All Summer in A Day Questions
“Aw, you didn’t write that!” and “What’re you William is jealous of Margot’s experiences on Earth and her
looking at?” are the first responses that William history of the sun. He is angry that he isn’t able to specifically
utters to Margot. Why does William have these articulate his feelings about the sun like she can because he
reactions? never experienced the sun.
What evidence shows that it is vital for Margot to Margot is frail, depressed, doesn’t want to play games, stands
return to earth even though it may result in the loss alone silently and as a result has no friends. Even when songs
of thousands of dollars to her family? are sang about the sun, she doesn’t raise her voice in singing;
she only moves her lips.
Consequence in the context means “importance”. Little consequence/importance – pale snow face, waiting,
The levels of importance vary. Bradbury states, "and silence, thinness
the children hated Margot for all the big and little Big consequence/importance – her possible future; she will be
consequences”. Some were not very important able to escape life without sun and return to Earth where she
reasons while one was especially an important will grow. They will be left behind.
reason to the children. What are these “big and
little consequences?”
Bradbury states," the students surge about her" to The big and little consequence –her possible future. She
shove Margot into the closet. What motivates remembers life on Earth, where she could see the sun most
them to do this act? days and where rain wasn’t always pouring down the way it is
on Venus. The other children are jealous of her memories,
they don’t like her because she is different from them because
of those memories.
Bradbury carefully chooses his words. Connotation Bradbury's use of vocabulary creates intensity. For example,
means the emotional feeling attached to a word. surge creates more intensity than flood, gush, or flow; bore
What is the connotation of the words surge, bore creates intensity rather than surrounded; and protesting
and protesting? creates intensity rather than yelling or disputing.
What theme can be inferred by the students’ Students are wickedly happy to have Margot locked away by
wicked smiling? their own hands. Envy can lead people to commit awful acts.
Compare how the children walk away from the door They stood back, wickedly smiling, proud of their actions after
when they push Margot into the closet with how shoving her in the closest. At the end of the story, they walk
the children walk back to the closet to let her out at hesitantly to the door, stood at it with “lightning on their
the end. faces, blue and terrible, and slowly opened the door.” They
realize the gravity of their actions.
Why are the children able to empathize with They were able to experience the joy that the sun brought into
Margot at the end of the story? their lives. They could also empathize with her noting “the
girl”[…] “began to cry looking at it (rain)” once the sun
vanishes. Additionally, the children stand in similar stance as
Margot “like so many stakes, into the floor”. Now, “their faces
were solemn and pale and they looked at their hands and feet,
their faces down”.
The children have lived without the sun for 7 years. It shocks them back to the reality of their situation. It helps
Why did “a boom of thunder startle them”? What them to be able to share the same external conflict with
is the BEST answer? Margot.
Differences between people often cause conflict. Margot refuses to play games like tag with the other students,
How does Margot contribute the conflict she is she does not sing songs in class about happiness and life, she
having with the other children? responds to social situation awkwardly such as her shower
incident, her depression doesn’t make her much fun to be
around.
Tier II/Academic Vocabulary
slackening solemn surged
seized resilient
concussion
protested tumultuously
civilization
muffled
stir consequence
crushed compounded bore
savagely frail apparatus
savored vital repercussions