Setting/Plot
How would you describe the jungle on planet Venus? How is it different from the jungle on Earth?
It is gray from years without sun.
"But they were running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron."
What types of figurative language is it?
a simile
Name some reasons why the other children are jealous or dislike Margot.
She has seen the sun many times, her experiences are different from theirs, and she has more opportunities in her life than the other children.
What happens in the resolution of the story?
The children let Margot out of the closet, after the experience of seeing the sun has passed.
"They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus, that grew and never stopped growing, tumultuously, even as you watched it. It was a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed, wavering, flowering this brief spring."
What type of figurative language is it?
a metaphor
Margot's parents plan to take her back to planet Earth.
What inference can we make about why they decide to do this?
Margot is depressed. She is suffering, both mentally and physically. It is in her best interest to go back to Earth.
How does the setting of the story affect/impact the characters' feelings?
The constant rain makes the children feel desperate or jealous, while the brilliant sun brings moment of joy and excitement into their lives.
"The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under them, resilient and alive. They ran among the trees, they slipped and fell, they pushed each other, they played hide-and-seek and tag, but most of all they squinted at the sun until the tears ran down their faces."
What sense is being described?
sight
"A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and their mouths. The sun faded behind a stir of mist. A wind blew cool around them. They turned and started to walk back toward the underground house, their hands at their sides, their smiles vanishing away."
What inference can we make about the children in this part of the story?
We can infer that the children are unhappy that the rain has returned.
Why is the setting important to the conflict?
The setting causes the conflict because it makes the children jealous of Margot, who moved from Earth and remembers the sun.
"They looked at everything and savored everything. Then, wildly, like animals escaped from their caves, they ran and ran in shouting circles."
What type of figurative language is it?
a simile
"They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down."
How do the children feel at the end of the story?
They feel guilty or ashamed because of what they have done.
How does the setting affect Margot?
The constant rain and lack of sunshine cause her to become pale, frail, and depressed, ultimately making her a target for bullying.
"They walked slowly down the hall in the sound of cold rain. They turned through the doorway to the room in the sound of the storm and thunder, lightning on their faces, blue and terrible. They walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it."
What sense is being described?
sight
What inference can we make about how the children act when the sun finally comes out?
They act like 'wild animals' or in a slightly chaotic way due to the sudden change in their environment.