The Friday Everything Changed
The Friday Everything Changed. Plot line. Exposition (introduction, setting) One room school house Rural North America Post World War II Likely 1950s. Plot line. Complication or initiating incident : Alma Nile’s question: Why can’t the girls carry the water bucket ?
The Friday Everything Changed
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Presentation Transcript
Plot line • Exposition (introduction, setting) • One room school house • Rural NorthAmerica • Post World War II • Likely 1950s
Plot line • Complication or initiating incident: • Alma Nile’s question: Whycan’t the girls carry the water bucket? • Conflict: Man vs. Society • Girls vs. Boys on a basic level • Women vs. Society to gain equalrights
Plot line • Rising action: • Miss Ralston surprises them by taking the question seriously • The boys intimidate and beat up the girls • The girls come together in eachother’sdefence • Miss Ralston observes but does not intervene
Plot line • Climax: • Miss Ralstongrabs the bat and tells the pitcher, ‘Come on!’ • She has taken up the girls’ fights and wants to show that girls are just as good as boys, even in baseball.
Plot Line • Falling action: • Miss Ralston hits the ballinto the oxpasture • Dénouement (resolution): • Two girls are chosento carry the water, therebychanging tradition • Miss Ralstonsweeps the dust off her desk in a gesture of satisfaction and pride
Miss Ralston • Story’sprotagonist • Round character • representsthe new ‘modern woman’ • Pretty and feminineyetfirm and tough • Role model for the girls • Becomes an advocate for the girls (stands up for them in theirfight for equalrights) • Able to competewith the boys • Isn’tafraid to stand up for whatis right
Characters • The boys and girls are mostlyflat characters • Not described in detail • Not identifiable fromeachother • Not somuch ‘individualpersonalities’ as they are ‘boys’ and ‘girls’
Similes • National Geographics… ‘likehugebutterfliesfolding up theiryellowwings’ • As for Alma… ‘westuck to herlikeburrs’ • ‘when… we’rehangingaround the entry doorlike a lot of scaredchickens’
Irony • Girls fighting to carry water • What do you know about thosedeveloping countries theyread about in the National Geographic? • Whatis one the daily occupation for girls? • Whogets to go to school? • Miss Ralston’sballsoarsinto an oxpasture • An oxisusually a castrated male bovine (not a cow or bull) • The authordid NOT choose a ‘wheatfield’!
Metaphors • The story itself • Fighting for the right to carry the water bucketrepresentswomen’sfight for equalrightsthroughouthistory. • ‘such a bombshell’: Alma’s question • The dancing dustmotes • Only visible when the sunshines and otherwise invisible • Miss Ralstonislike the sunlight enabling the girls to beseen and recognized. • the girls can dance and celebratetheirrights. • It feels good to help othersachieveequality.
Topic and Theme • Topic: Challengingtradition • Theme: • Directlystated: Equalrights • Indirectly: • The courage, patience and determinationittakes to change any tradition • Specifically, change for women’srights but alsogenerally, for everyone’srights: children, LBGT, the poor, mentallyill, seniors, etc.
Characterization • Direct • Author’s description of the character and how shebehaves • ‘shewasyoung…shewasprettybig…shewas strict’ • Indirect • What the readerunderstands or interprets by what the charactersays or does
Indirect characterization • But the unusualthing about Miss Ralstonwas the wayshesometimesstopped in the middle of a lesson and lookedat us as if wewere real people… • ‘I’llthink about that,’ shesaid, -- as if, you know, shewould – ‘and I’ll let you know next Friday.’