THEME
POWER OF NATURE
BULLYING, JEALOUSY, & ISOLATION
ANTICIPATION & DISAPPOINTMENT
NOSTALGIA & DISCONTENT
LITERARY DEVICES
100
Define "theme."
What is a universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature?
100
"It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain...And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives."
Describe the type of setting/mood does Bradbury establishes in the opening passages of the story.
Bradbury quickly establishes the extreme setting of a futuristic inhospitable planet. He establishes a separation from nature; people are stuck indoors dreaming about enjoying outside.
The mood comes across as dreary/gloomy.
100
Margot is the scapegoat for the children's grievances in missing the sun.
What does scapegoat mean?
A scapegoat is someone who is made to take the blame for the wrong-doings of others. In literature, it's the character who is blamed for everything that goes wrong in the story.
100
In what order do we see the following appear in the story?
A. anxiety/fear
B. violence
C. hostility
D. anticipation
D, A, C, B
D. anticipation - awaiting the sun's arrival
A. anxiety/fear - what if the sun doesn't come?
C. hostility - verbally discrediting Margot
D. violence - turning on Margot physically and shoving her into the closet
100
Find a quote from the text that relates to the theme of nostalgia and discontent. Briefly comment on the connection.
Varied possible answers.
100
"They were all nine years old, and if there had been a day, seven years ago, when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world, they could not recall."
Identify the device used.
What is personification?
200
True or false: Themes are ideas that only apply to the specific characters and events of a story/play.
FALSE, not "only"
200
The sun has the power to make humans both physically and mentally stronger, while its lack has the opposite effect.
How do we see these opposite/negative effects on Margot? On the children?
Margot lacks physical vitality; she's a shadow of her former self.
The children lack emotional warmth; their environment has made them unruly and cruel.
Neither she nor they are whole without the sun. These correlations suggest a definitive relationship between humanity and nature.
200
Bradbury suggests bullying is motivated by...
What is jealousy?
Margot remembers the sun, while the children can only speculate. Jealousy and longing lead them to commit a profoundly cruel act against Margot.
200
Bradbury seems to suggest anticipation followed by finite pleasure is worse than never experiencing that pleasure.
Do you personally agree or disagree, Why?
No right answer.
200
Margot's nostalgia dominates her life so much so that the present is unbearable.
Find or summarize evidence from the text that supports this statement.
She only participates in activities related to the sun (writing the poem, singing songs about the sun).
She is fixated on her memories of Earth, which isolates Margot from her peers and negatively affects her health (pale, thin, overwhelmed).
200
"The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun."
Identify the device used.
*Describe the significance of the quote.
What is simile?
The first instance of foreshadowing - a hint that the children are not all sweetness and innocence
300
True or False: Themes express broader truths about human experience.
TRUE. Readers can apply them to their own lives.
300
"The sun came out. It was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large. And the sky around it was a blazing blue tile color. And the jungle burned with sunlight as the children, released from their spell, rushed out, yelling into the springtime."
Zoom in on the use of the word "spell" in this passage.
The rain put this "spell" on them. In its sudden absence, they're released. There is a sudden sense of peace and a shift in the mood, illustrating the power of nature.
300
What is the significance of this quote:
"There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to Earth next year; it seemed vital to her that they do so, though it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family. And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness, and her possible future."
Not only was Margot able to experience the sun for years before Venus, but also her family can presumably afford to return to Earth.
* It's not right, but the children's envy is understandable
* Margot is privileged enough to dislike Venus because she can afford other options
300
How does the title "All Summer in a Day" relate to the overall theme of Anticipation and Disappointment throughout the story?
It establishes a single day of great importance, one that the inhabitants of Venus have anticipated eagerly for seven years. High expectations often equate to disappointment if not met.
*Bradbury shows a fate worse than unmet expectations: the unimaginable amount of joy their brief moment with the sun brings them consequently leaves them longing for the future, the next all summer in a day. This anticipation brought on by fleeting joy prevents them from enjoying their day to day lives.
300
True or False:
The sun is a source of cultural meaning; the children long to be a part of that cultural experience.
True
This is a reason why memories of the sun are such a source of cultural conflict on Venus.
300
"She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost"
Identify the device used.
*Describe the significance of the quote.
What is metaphor?
It is used to paint Margot as pale and delicate. It shows the negative effects that rain and life on Venus have on Margot.
400
Describe the Theme Triforce. What goes on the outside? inside the outer triangles? within the inner triangle?
OUTSIDE AND AROUND the triforce are minor themes. These are ideas which are explored, but may not be fleshed out entirely.
INSIDE THE OUTER TRIANGLES of the triforce are the three key themes. These are three extremely important themes in the text. These are fleshed out fully.
Within THE INNER TRIANGLE is the central theme. This is the most important idea explored in the text. It also encompasses all of the minor and key themes.
400
The children's behavior mirrors the hostility of their outside environment in their taunting and treatment of Margot. It is only after experiencing the sun that they remember Margot and show signs of remorse.
Why do you think this is?
Either seeing the sun instilled the warmth and empathy the children were previously lacking,
or having and subsequently losing the sun made them sympathetic to Margot's suffering.
400
Margot stands out. Why doesn't she engage in tag/activities with the other children? Why does this frustrate the children further?
In one sense, we can infer Margot's means of coping with the negative physical and mental effects of life on Venus is disassociating. It's also possible that she thinks it's pointless, "her waiting silence" and "her possible future."
In either case, it reinforces the absence of sun for the other children and their inability vs. her potential ability to change her circumstances (return to Earth).
400
"You’ve only two hours, you know. You wouldn’t want to get caught out!" But they were running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron; they were taking off their jackets and letting the sun burn their arms. "Oh, it’s better than the sun lamps, isn’t it?"
Explain the significance of this quote. How is the teacher's warning received?
The sun has an immediately pleasurable effect, seeming to physically revive the children. The long-anticipated moment is better than they could possibly have imagined—but, because of the teacher’s warning, we know that this brief moment of happiness will be fleeting.
*Though the children seem to brush the warning aside, after they are forced to return indoors the children face the magnitude of their waiting compared to the brevity of their happiness.
400
The characters are obsessed with their memories of the sun.
Explain what general effect that has on them?
Margot is stuck in the past; her detailed memories of the sun keep her going but looking backward.
The children lack concrete memories of the sun, leaving them anxious and uncertain.
The imbalance leaves the children frustrated and leaves Margot more vulnerable to bullying.
400
"The world ground to a standstill. The silence was so immense and unbelievable that you felt your ears had been stuffed or you had lost your hearing altogether."
Identify the device used.
*Describe the significance of the quote.
What is hyperbole?
The silence is juxtaposed against the constant sound of rain.
500
Define "thematic statement."
Optional Bonus Point: Provide an example theme and thematic statement for "All Summer in a Day"
What the work says about a broad topic
Ex.
Theme: The Power of Nature
Thematic Statement: Separation from nature takes a physical and emotional toll on humanity.
500
"It’s like a penny," she said once, eyes closed.
Why does Margot choose a penny, a seemingly low-value coin, for this comparison to the Sun?
A penny is the lowest value coin; few people would stop to pick it up if they saw one on the street. It is not until you lose someone or something important that you took for granted that you realize how precious they or it really were.
*Bradbury suggests that nature is taken for granted, but that without this vital connection to nature/the sun, humans are incomplete and lacking something essential to the human experience.
500
The children's age is significant. At 9 years old, they are young enough to be easily led by the likes of William, but as we can see from their collective reaction when they realize they have left Margot locked in the closet, old enough to know the difference between right and wrong.
Make an inference about what message Bradbury was trying to pass on here. How could the story have been different for Margot?
We can infer that if any of the other children had had the compassion and courage to speak out against William when he started to bully Margot, the ending of the story could have been very different for her.
500
When the children put Margot in the closet, she is described as, "pleading," "beating and throwing herself again [the closet door]."
In contrast, in the final moments of the story, "behind the closet door was only silence," as slowly they "let Margot out."
Describe the significance of this contrast.
*What is a takeaway from this theme?
Margot has experienced the shattering disappointment of expectations for a day that had become all-important in her mind, demonstrating the danger of relying on such fleeting moments. A day that should have brought joy to all has instead brought a powerful sense of loss.
500
Considering nostalgia on a deeper level, nostalgia for the sun can be seen as a longing for a pre-Venus, for when all humans lived on Earth.
Why may the characters (subconsciously or not) long for a pre-Venus existence?
The characters have not adapted new expectations/values based on their Venus reality, independent from Earth.
500
Identify one instance of symbolism from the story. What is ______ a symbol for?
What is the Sun, Margot, or weeds?
The Sun is a symbol for all the important things in life we take for granted.
Margot is a symbol for all the people in the world who are victimized or discriminated against, simply because they are “different”.
Weeds are used to emphasize the damaging effects of deprivation from the sun. They are a symbol for the ugly behaviors that have proliferated unchecked in this harsh environment.