Making
Choice
Nightingale and the Rose
Section 1:
Q1. What examples of making choices are there in the story?
- Nightingale makes the decision to give up its life for the
student.
- Student's decision to pursue the girl.
- Girl's choice to peruse another man.
- Boy's decision to give up on the girl and love.
Q2. What influenced the nightingale's choice?
- The nightingale's character influences its decision because it
has so much faith in love; its value for love contributes to its
decision. "Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird
compared to the heart of a man?" "It is more precious than
emeralds and dearer than fine opals".
- Its perspective on the importance of its own life compared to
humans. The value of its life compared to love.
- Nightingale feels sympathetic for the boy, that the boy can't
peruse the girl he loves because he doesn't have a rose. "His
beautiful eyes filled with tears"
- Nightingale feels guilty that it can't help the boy
- Nightingale feels that it's its duty to help the boy, no matter the
cost.
Q3. What can you infer about the student from his actions in the
story?
- Not a very persistent character, gives up easily (when rejected
by the girl)
- His feeling for the girl was just an infatuation because he
makes no effort to pursue it.
- Doesn't make an effort to pursue what he loves, only sits at
home depressed and waiting for a miracle to happen.
Section 2:
Why the author chooses to have little dialogue?
Why was there vague and no in depth description of characters?
-The story is more about getting across the message, that looks
can be deceiving and people don't always turn out to be what
they seem.
Why is it in a fairytale format?
- Talking nightingale
- Using the format of fairytale to reflect on modern life and to
debate ideas.
- Characters/things in the story symbolizing aspects of modern
society.
Why does the student have no name?
- The author gives the student no name because it's easier to get
across the message of the story, that it concerns every man.
- Without a name, the reader is allowed to know the character of
the nightingale better.
Why was the story told through third person?
- Writing in third person allows the reader to learn all the
perspectives in the story. Allows the author to manipulate how
the readers see each character. For example the reader is
inclined to think the student is an ungrateful character because
the reader can make an contrast with the perspective of the
nightingale.
What if the nightingale decided not to help the boy?
- Based on the student's characteristics shown in the story, the
student probably would have just stayed home and stopped
pursuing the girl.
What if it hadn't been a nightingale but a human who had to give
up their life for a rose?
- One of the main incentives for the nightingale giving up its life is
that it saw its own life as less valuable. If it had been a human in
the place of the nightingale maybe the human would have just
ignored the student's cries.
What if the story had been told through the perspective of the
boy?
- Reader would have been more sympathetic towards the boy
because the reader only sees a depressed boy unable to pursue
his love.
Country Living
Section 1:
Q1. What examples of making choices are there in the story
"Country Living"?
- Wealthy couple's decision to adopt a kid
- Family's decision to give up their child to the couple
- Other family's decision to keep the boy
- Charlot's decision to run away
Q2. What influenced the second family to give up their child?
- The second family was very poor; their decision was influenced
by the wealth of the couple. They believe their son would be
better off with the wealthy couple. Monsieur d'Hubieres made his
proposal very subtle and 'put honey in his voice', influencing the
family's decision to give in to the proposal.
Q3. What influences the boy to leave at the end of the story?
- He sees the success of the other boy and jealousy sparks. He's
jealous that the other boy's life is a lot more fortunate than his,
he is angry towards his parents because he believes if they had
given him up he would live a better life. This causes him to run
away from home.
- Throughout his life, his mother had been held up as a model
mother, for not giving him away. He is disappointed because in
his eyes, that image is false, he believes he would be better off
with the wealthy couple.
- The fact that he had lived such a hard life while watching the
other family live comfortably also infuriated him.
- Return of the other boy as a rich young man was the turning
point and made the boy decide to leave home.
Section 2:
Q1. Why does the author use a lot of dialogue in the story?
- The author uses a lot of dialogue in the story; through these
dialogue the reader is able to discover a lot of characters.
- The dialogue of Charlot shows lack of education.
- Instead of using description, the author uses dialogue to show
emotions of characters, "I would very much like…. I would very
much like to….to take your little boy away with me" shows the
woman is nervous.
Q2. What can be inferred about the relationship between the
wealthy couple, Madame Henri d'Hubieres and her husband?
- The woman is very dependent on her husband, she is often
very submissive, talk nervously and the husband intervenes her
during the middle of her speech
- The husband is the one who proposes to the second family,
showing his dominance in their relationship.
- The wife is described as very headstrong and spoilt
- The husband is the more rational and stable person in their
relationship as she is often seen crying and breaking down.
Q3. By looking at the characteristics of the boy from the first
family, what if it had been him who was taken away by the
couple?
- The boy is very hot tempered, he may be angry that his original
family had given him up to the couple
- The family would live a much wealthier life if it had been their
boy who was taken away.
- The boy is seen in the story as ungrateful, he becomes very
angry with his parents for not giving him up when he was
younger. Therefore if he had been the one given up, maybe he
wouldn't be grateful to his birth family as much as the second
boy is.
Van Bibber’s Burglar
Section 1:
Q1. What examples of making choices are there throughout the
story?
- Van Bibber's decision to engage in lower class lifestyle, to go
see a 'go'.
- Decision to stay and find out what the man behind the door was
up to.
- His decision to become involved in the situation by attacking
the burglar.
- Decision to help the burglar instead of turning him in.
Q2. State 2 decisions made by Van Bibber throughout the story
and what influenced him to do so?
- HIs decision to engage in lower class lifestyle is influenced by
the fact that he found the upper class lifestyle boring. He seeked
excitement and wanted to breakaway from their structured
lifestyle.
- Van Bibber's decision to help the burglar is mainly influenced
by the sympathy induced by the story, which the burglar told him.
However Van Bibber is aware that a criminal can very easily lie,
he might have wanted to break the rules because he actively
seeked to breakaway from ruled way of lifestyle.
Q3. What can we infer about the character Van Bibber from the
story?
Van Bibber is very adventurous; he likes to hang out in the
lower-class suburban areas, contradicting with the social status
in which he comes from. He is bored of the normal lifestyle he
has. He is a very curious character, knowing the dangers of
stopping the burglar but still continued to do so. Van Bibber is
very witty and quick thinking. He's very street smart.
Section 2:
Q1. Why did the author choose to write the story in third person?
- Gives an unbiased perspective
- Gives the view of every character instead of focusing on one
- By having a narrator, the story is told easier, for example the
setting of the story.
Q2. Why does the author use so much detail?
- By describing the little details, it gives the reader a better
insight on the setting and the life of Van Bibber.
- Detailed description about the bar which Van Bibber was in
allows the reader to know that Van Bibber was not at a place that
fits his social status.
Q3. What if the burglar had not told him the story about his
family? Would that have affected Van Bibber's decision knowing
his characteristics?
- The fact that Van Bibber was at the underground boxing match
shows that he has street smarts; he knows how to get around.
So without the story, Van Bibber may not have been sympathetic
and may not have let the burglar go.