Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
...and they lived happily ever after
There have been many interesting quotations throughout the book. Do you have any that you want to explain?
The ending of this piece does conform to the fairly tale ending "and they lived happily ever after..." Explain why this is so in your own way.
Is this a good choice of reading for SLI? Consider the reading level, content and length of the piece.
If you read Of Mice and Men, did you think it was a good choice for SLI?Consider the reading level, content and length of the piece.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Magda...Which is she--good witch or bad witch?
The author begins and ends her fairy tale with the words of the wise witch Magda, who is the children's savior. She is an outsider from the village of Piaski, with Gypsy heritage, but she's also relative to many of the characters.
How is she a traditional witch? What abilities mark her as such? How does she display her unconventional morals when considering the affairs of others? Why does the author make her a narrator?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A modern fairy tale...
In many ways, this novel details a fairy-tale world, one with magical animals, the true love of Nelka and Telek, and a woman known as a witch. A traumatized Gretel spends part of the novel in the realm of madness, and for her it ultimately becomes important that she leaves behind her immersion in fantasy and face reality. Hansel, too, must give up playing war and lead his sister in a very real struggle for survival.
Do you think that the author is suggesting that too much belief in fantasy can be an obstacle to reality, or do you think she shows how belief--in fairy tales, magic, and natural beauty--can help us overcome our trials?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Some words need to be chewed before digested...
"Wasting a little shows you believe in tomorrow."
"The wheel moves on and we must move with it."
One of the students brought up these quotes from the book in their bloggings...I find them fascinating to think about. How would you interpret them? Or have you found some other quote that you would like to share
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