1. The Friday EverythingChanged

2. Plot line • Exposition (introduction, setting) • One room school house • Rural NorthAmerica • Post World War II • Likely 1950s

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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

8. Characters • The boys and girls are mostlyflat characters • Not described in detail • Not identifiable fromeachother • Not somuch ‘individualpersonalities’ as they are ‘boys’ and ‘girls’

9. Similes • National Geographics… ‘likehugebutterfliesfolding up theiryellowwings’ • As for Alma… ‘westuck to herlikeburrs’ • ‘when… we’rehangingaround the entry doorlike a lot of scaredchickens’

10. 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’!

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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.’