All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury



All Summer in a Day by Ray BradburyBradbury uses several metaphors and similes to create vivid images in this story. Locate six of these metaphors and similes. In the left column, copy the simile or metaphor as it appears in the story (copy the format of the example). In the right column, explain the comparison being made. Be detailed and look beyond the literal.Ex: “It’d like a fire, in the stove.” Line 69 (simile)Margot is comparing the sun to a fire inside a stove.1. The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun.(simile)The author is comparing the children to roses and weeds, because just like roses and weeds they need sunlight.About how like a lemon it was, and how hot. (simile)The author is comparing the sun to a lemon, because they are both yellow.3. They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes. (simile)The author is saying the kids turning on each other is like a wheel which is moving really fast.4.The sun came out.It was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large (metaphor)The author compares the sun to a flaming bronze, because of its colour.5.But they were running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron (simile)The kids were soaking up as much sun as they could, because they knew it wouldn’t last. The author compares them to warm iron, because of how hot they must be from the sun.6.A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon each other and ran (simile)The author compares the way the ran to get inside to the way a hurricane approaching leaves make them tumble.2.Refer to page 20 of the Super Sexy Secrets and use the information to help you create a plot graph of the story. Use the space below to create a graph, label it, and then insert the information from the story. IntroductionInitial IncidentRising Action/ ComplicationClimaxFalling ActionConclusionThe students of a class on the planet Venus are introduced and their climate is discussed.Margot is called out by William and the teacher yells at William.Margot is locked in a closet by her classmates. The students than go outside to play in the sun.The students have the time of their lives playing in the sun for two hours. They realize how much they will miss it.They go inside as lightning strikes and it starts to rain again. They remember how Margot missed out on the sun.They feel horrible, because Margot missed the sun. They open the closet and the story ends.3. Direct characterization (the author tells us directly what this character is like) and indirect characterization (the author shows us what the character is like through the character’s actions, thoughts, and words) are both used in the story. Find an example of each for the character Margot.Direct characterization:When margot reads her poem about the sun aloud to the class.- “I think the sun is a flower,That blooms for just one hour”Indirect Characterization:The author tells us how Margot is the only person in her class he used to live on Earth.- “And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only five years ago from Earth”4.Refer to page 21 of the S.S.S. to help you figure out as many types of conflict as you can in the story. Fill out the chart below.Type of ConflictExample from Story (with line number/s)Person vs. personWilliam calls out Margot and says she didn’t write the poem she reads to the class.- I think the sun is a flower,That blooms for just one hour.That was Margot's poem, read in a quiet voice in the still classroom while the rain was falling outside."Aw, you didn't write that!" protested one of the boys."I did," said Margot. "I did." (Lines 35-40)Person vs. Nature/ EnvironmentThe children all hate the rain and want more sunlight.-“They stood in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was raining hard. Then they closed the door and heard the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches, everywhere and forever”."Will it be seven more years?""Yes. Seven."Then one of them gave a little cry. (Lines 149-154)Person vs. Society Everyone in the class turns on Margot and locks her in the closet.- They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door. They stood looking at the door and saw it tremble from her beating and throwing herself against it. They heard her muffled cries. Then, smiling, they turned and went out and back down the tunnel, just as the teacher arrived (Lines 93-96)5.What is the main conflict? Person vs. Nature/ Environment is the biggest conflict, because it caused the other two conflicts in the story. Margot would not be weird to the children if the sun was shining a lot in Venus and Earth.6.“All Summer in a Day” is an example of dystopian literature. A dystopia (from Ancient Greek: "bad, hard’, and "place, landscape";] alternatively anti-utopia) is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. Ideas and works about dystopian societies often explore the concept of humans abusing technology and humans individually and collectively coping, or not being able to properly cope with technology that has progressed far more rapidly than humanity's spiritual evolution There are many common traits that dystopic societies contain:a. Society: most impose severe social restrictions on community members- social stratification: social class is strictly defined and enforced- ruthless egalitarian- repression of the intellectualb. Social Groups: total absence of social groups other than the “state”- independent religion is notable because of omittance- family is attacked: the hostility to motherhoodc. Nature: characters are isolated from the natural world-conditioned to fear natured. Political: Government asserts power over citizens- flawed in some way—portrayed as oppressive- filled with pessimistic views of the ruling class—rules with an “iron fist”e. Economic: state is in control of the economy- black market—items banned or seen as contraband- often privatization in businessesf. The Hero: protagonist questions society—intuition- is a rebel, or an outsiderg. Conflict: societal group somewhere not under control of state-the protagonist puts his/her faith in these people, but futilelyh. Climax: can be unresolved- death or re-education/conformity-usually the opposite of a “happy ending”What characteristics of dystopian society are present in this story?The sun comes out from the clouds every seven years for 2 hours.- “and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out and had long since forgotten the color and heat of it and the way it really was.” c. Nature: characters are isolated from the natural world-conditioned to fear nature. g. Conflict: societal group somewhere not under control of state-the protagonist puts his/her faith in these people, but futilely. Margot is always made fun of for being different than the other children, even though she has never been mean to them.h. Climax: can be unresolved- death or re-education/conformity-usually the opposite of a “happy ending”The ending isn’t tragic, but Margot misses the two hours of sun, because the kids forgot to take her out of the closet, so it is a very sad ending.7.What kind of world does Margo live in? How does it compare to our world?Margot lives on an isolated plant (Venus). It has a feeling of isolation, because the houses are underground and their whole civilization is built underground. They never see the sunlight and when they do it just leaves them wanting more. It doesn’t compare to our world, we see the sun almost every week (usually more), they see the sun every 7 years for two hours.8.In “All Summer in a Day,” Margot is like a captive. She is trapped, living under conditions that are slowly destroying her. What are some conditions here on Earth that are similar to Margot’s? List at least three.In countries such as Kenya and Somalia they have the opposite problem that the people in this story have. Sometimes they get too much sun and see no rain. This is worse than the stories problem, because a lot of people starve to death in these countries, because too much sun and no rain for them means that their crops don’t grow. Margot cannot leave Venus unless her parents do and as a reader you can infer that she wants to go back to planet Earth. These conditions are similar to North Korea, because if you’re born in North Korea you cannot emigrate.The conditions that are slowly destroying her are similar to people around the world below the poverty line and cannot afford basic needs such as shelter, clean drinking water, and food.9.A theme in this story has something to do with why people are sometimes cruel to one another. The author says the children hated Margot for:“all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated herpale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness and herpossible future….” (lines 77-78)Tell which of these reasons you think are of “big consequence” and which are of “little consequence.”The “big consequence” reasons is her being from earth, her seeing the sun more, because she doesn’t play with them, she is quiet, and because there is talk that her family might move back to Earth.The of “little consequence” reasons are because, she is pale and her thinness.10.Do you think that the children as a group would have treated Margot as they did if there had not been many against one? What has your own experience, or your reading, shown you about group behaviour versus individual behaviour? Write a paragraph about this issue.When a group of people get together to fight for the same cause, things can either go very wrong or very right. In the case of Margot’s experience it went wrong as she was bullied and locked in a closet. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, because the age where bulling is its strongest is grade four. If there would have just been one person bullying Margot, she wouldn’t have got locked in the closet, because William was just bugging her, before everyone joined in. Others should have stuck up for her, but no one did, so she ended up being locked in a closet. It’s just like the Vancouver Stanley Cup Riots, had there only been a few people doing the rioting things wouldn’t have gotten very out of hand like they did. Everyone joined in to be part of the group, because everyone else was doing it (in both instances). If Margot had not had that many people bullying her, she might have been able to go play in the sun. ................
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