A Mother in Mannville
Majorie Rawlings When I took the cabin, I asked for a boy or man to come and chop wood for the fireplace. The first few days were warm, I found what wood I needed about the cabin, no one came, and I forgot the order. I looked up from my typewriter one afternoon, a little startled. A boy stood at the door, and my pointer dog, my companion, was at his side and had not barked to warn me. The boy was probably twelve year4s old, but undersized. He wore overalls and a torn shirt, and was barefooted. He said, “I can chop some wood today.” I said, “But I have a boy coming from the orphanage.” “I’m the boy.” “You? But you’re small.” “Size don’t matter, chopping wood,” he said. “Some of the big boys don’t chop good. I’ve been chipping wood at the orphanage a long time.” I visualized mangled and inadequate branches for my fires. I was well into my work and not inclined to conversation. I was a little blunt. “Very well. There’s the ax. Go ahead and see what you can do.” I went back to work, closing the door. At first the sound of the boy dragging brush annoyed me. Then he began to chop. The blows were rhythmic and steady, and shortly I had forgotten him, the sound no more of an interruption than a consistent rain. I suppose an hour and a half passed, for when I stopped and stretched, and heard the boy’s steps on the cabin stoop, the sun was dropping behind the farthest mountain, and the valleys were purple with something deeper than the asters. The boy said, “I have to go to supper now. I can come again tomorrow evening.” I said, “I’ll pay you now for what you’ve done,” thinking I should probably have to insist on an older boy. “Ten cents an hour?” “Anything is all right.” We went together back of the cabin. An astonishing amount of solid wood had been cut. There were cherry logs and heavy roots of rhododendron, and blocks from the waste pine and oak left from the building of the cabin. “But you’ve done as much as a man,” I said. “This is a splendid pile.” I looked at him, actually, for the first time. His hair was the color of the corn shocks and his eyes, very direct, were like the mountain sky when rain is pending --gray, with a shadowing of that miraculous blue. As I spoke a light came over him, as though the setting sun had touched him with the same suffused glory with which it touched the mountains. I gave him a quarter. “You may come tomorrow,” I said, “and thank you very much.” He looked at me, and at the coin, and seemed to want to speak, but could not, and turned away. “I’ll split kindling tomorrow,” he said over his thin ragged shoulder. “You’ll need kindling and medium wood and logs and backlogs.” At daylight I was half wakened by the sound of chopping. Again it was so even in texture that I went back to sleep. When I left my bed in the cool morning, the boy had come and gone, and a stack of kindling was neat against the cabin wall. He came again after school in the afternoon and worked until time to return to the orphanage. His name was Jerry; he was twelve years old, and he had been at the orphanage since he was four. I could picture him at four, with the same grave gray-blue eyes and the same—independence? No, the word that comes to me is “integrity.” |
2. Which sentence proves that this story is told in first person? a. The boy was probably twelve years old, but undersized. b. He said, “I can chop some wood today.” c. I went back to work, closing the door. d. An astonishing amount of solid wood had been cut. 3. Which method of characterization does the author use in lines 12-13? a. the boy’s own words (speech) b. a description of his physical appearance (looks) c. a description of another character’s reaction (relationships) d. a description of his actions (actions) 4. Which method of characterization does the author use in lines 34-36? a. the boy’s own words (speech) b. a description of his physical appearance (looks) c. a description of another character’s reaction (relationships) d. a description of his actions (actions) 5. Which of the following words best describes Jerry? a. thoughtless b. irritable c. reliable d. talkative 6. Which sentence shows that Jerry is a confident person? a. “The boy said, ‘I have to go to supper now. I can come again tomorrow evening.’” b. “The boy was probably twelve years old, but undersized.” c. “He looked at me, and at the coin, and seemed to want to speak, but could not, and turned away.” d. “‘Size don’t matter, chopping wood. Some of the big boys don’t chop good. I’ve been chopping at the orphanage for a long time.’” 7. Why is the boy speechless when the man gives him 25 cents? a. It was a small, worthless amount b. He has never seen money before c. He really deserved 15 cents for only working an hour and a half d. The boy is mute (unable to speak) 8. Why is Jerry’s physical description (looks) important to the plot of the story? a. You realize later in the story why the boy was underestimated b. It really isn’t important c. All authors need to give a physical description of characters d. Because it’s a nice way to start the story 9. Read the following passages and answer the question below. Excerpt 1: “The boy was probably twelve years old, but undersized. He wore overalls and a torn shirt, and was barefooted.” Excerpt 2: “I looked at him, actually, for the first time. His hair was the color of corn shocks and his eyes, very direct, were like the mountain sky when rain is pending--gray, with a shadowing of that miraculous blue. As I spoke, a light came over him, as though the setting sun had touched him with the same suffused glory with which it touched the mountains.” Why is it important to note the lengthy, detailed description in Excerpt 2 in contrast to the short description of Jerry in Excerpt 1? a. It really isn’t important to note b. It shows how the narrator becomes a better writer over the course of the story c. It shows the setting of the story d. It shows how the narrator actually took the time to really look at Jerry after judging him quickly in the beginning 10. Which of the following is the correct sequencing of events. a. The boy shows up at the house to chop wood. The man is impressed and pays him. He chops wood. He comes back and finishes the job for the man. b. The boy shows up at the house to chop wood. He chops wood. The man is impressed and pays him. He comes back and finishes the job for the man. c. The boy comes back and finishes the job for the man. He chops wood. The boy shows up at the house to chop wood. The man is impressed and pays him 11. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: “I visualized mangled and inadequate branches for my fires. I was well into my work and not inclined to conversation. I was a little blunt. ‘Very well. There’s the ax. Go ahead and see what you can do.’” a. What does “inclined” most likely mean? i. Dull ii. In the mood iii. Leaning back iv. Awake b. What clues from the text support your definition? ___________________________________ 12. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: “We went together back of the cabin. An astonishing amount of solid wood had been cut. There were cherry logs and heavy roots of rhododendron, and blocks from the waste pine and oak left from the building of the cabin.” a. What does “rhododendron” most likely mean? ___________________________________ b. What clues from the text support your definition? ___________________________________ 13. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: “‘I’ll split kindling tomorrow,’ he said over his thin ragged shoulder. ‘You’ll need kindling and medium wood and backlogs.”” a. What does “kindling” most likely mean? ___________________________________ b. What clues from the text support your definition? ___________________________________ 14. Short Answer: In 3-5 sentences, write what you think the theme of the story is. In addition, cite at least one piece of textual evidence to support and explain your theme. Don’t forget to use quotes and cite the page number in parentheses. _______________________________ Short answer scoring: Theme theory ___/1 Evidence used ___/1 Evidence cited in quotes & with page number ___/1 Commentary used (explanation of how the evidence supports the theme) ___/1 |
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