Marriage is a Private Affair: Analysis Question

Please post a question that asks about inferences or asks to break down or explain why something occurs.

Marriage is a Private Affair: Evaluation Question

Ask an evaluation question that asks for a judgment about a character, a decision, a culture, etc.

Marriage is a Private Affair: Creation Question

Come up with a creation question that predicts what will happen after the story, thinks about how the story could have gone differently, or asks about something not shown in the story.

Debate: Doing Nothing is Something

Please comment with a short paragraph which contains a piece of factual support, an emotional appeal, and an appeal to ethics.

Debate: Doing Nothing is Nothing

Please comment with a short paragraph which contains a piece of factual support, an emotional appeal, and an appeal to ethics.

Doing Nothing is Something

"Perhaps it is not too late for American kids to be given the gift of enforced boredom for at least a week or two, staring into space, bored out of their gourds, exploring the inside of their own heads. 'To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do,' said Victor Hugo. 'Go outside and play,' said Prudence Quindlen. Both of them were right."

The article "Doing Nothing is Something" ends strongly with two quotes that describes to us completely what the author believes that we should do. After reading the article and contemplating all her arguments, we invariably realize that she is right about the busy schedules and the lack of family time. By ending with the quotes, she basically summarizes her points for the entire article and puts them in actions. Also, the sentence before the two quotes states what the author believes the kids should get instead of studying or going to some class for college or talent preparations. It is important to be just a kid every now and then, and after reading her article, you can clearly see why she believes this. In conclusion, she ends a persuasive essay well by giving two quotes summarizing what we should do, and therefore, giving the article a goal, which is to change our ways. 

Quotes from Doing Nothing is Something

"I don’t believe you can write poetry, or compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel creativity." I strongly agree with this quote. Unlike other families, my parents don't really strictly set standard for my grade and academic in school that much (well, as long as I pass the subject at the end of the semester). Conversely, they support what I like to do more than academic and schoolwork since they know that's what I am going to do and want to do in the future. My parents give me time to learn, play and write music, also buy and upgrade the instruments and musical device I am using just to help create a better environment for me to play music and accomplish my goal in future. I have a band in Taipei, and my band members are not that lucky. Their parents send them to cram school after school although daily school time is already 8 hours long, and different from junior high, homework and academic in local high school is way heavier than one in junior high, my band members won't really have time to play music and accomplish our common goal until they go to college in Taiwan. Therefore I strongly agree with this quote: the downtime is the time to develop and stimulate your creativity; the more you miss the more creativity you bury.

Quote from Doing Nothing is Something

"It is not simply that it is pathetic to consider the lives of children who don’t have a moment between piano and dance and homework to talk about their day or just search for split ends, an enormously satisfying leisure-time activity of my youth. There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call “doing nothing” is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call."

I really like this part of the essay, because it's very clear and straight forward about her idea, and the best part is that it is exactly what a teenager might argue with their strict parents. There are many students that are just spending all their time on studying and practicing instruments that they don't actually have the time to think, dream, and love. Also, she supported her argument with a scientific sounding evidence, yet it is still very understandable, because most people would agree that one can think better in their lalaland than anywhere else.

Doing Nothing is Something

"Let me make a suggestion for the kids involved: how about nothing? It is not simply that it is pathetic to consider the lives of children who don’t have a moment between piano and dance and homework to talk about their day or just search for split ends, an enormously satisfying leisure-time activity of my youth."

Doing Nothing Is Something Quotation

I don't believe you can write poetry, or compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel creativity.

The quotation is suggesting us to give ourselves some free time for improving our imgination and creativity skills. I agree with this quotation, because overcrowded schedule can indeed demage your brain, hence your ability to think actually degrades.

Doing Nothing is Something Quotation

"It is not simply that it is pathetic to consider the lives of children who don’t have a moment between piano and dance and homework to talk about their day or just search for split ends, an enormously satisfying leisure-time activity of my youth."

This sentence by the author is telling people that it is pathetic not to have any free time. This is a strong judgment on the part of the author, and also may evoke strong reactions from readers. Also, the author subsequently relates to her own childhood, and how leisure time is satisfying. 

Doing Nothing is Something Quotation

     "There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call "doing nothing" is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call. Perhaps we are crating an entire generation of people whose ability to think outside of the box as the current parlance of business has it, is being systematically stunted by scheduling.

     This quote is persuading our generation to think outside the box by "doing nothing", not by always "doing something". It is effective because it is backed up by a concrete detail of psychological research.

Doing Nothing is Something Quotation

"There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call "doing nothing” is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call. "

Doing Nothing is Something

Quotation: There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call “doing nothing” is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call. 

"Doing Nothing is Something" Quotes

 I don't believe you can write poetry, or compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel creativity.

Doing Nothing is Something Quote

"Stories about the resignation of presidential aide Karen Hughes unfailingly reported her dedication to family time by noting that she arranged to get home at 5:30 one night a week to have dinner with her son. If one weekday dinner out of five is considered laudable, what does that say about what's become commonplace?"(Doing Nothing is Something).

Doing Nothing is Something quote

"Downtime is where we become ourselves, looking into the middle distance, kicking at the curb, lying on the grass or sitting on the stoop and staring at the tedious blue of the summer sky."

doing nothing is something

Summer is coming  It used to be a time part for kids, a respite from the clock and the copybook, the organized day. ( Doing nothing is something)

quotation of "Doing Nothing is Something"

“This has become so bad that parents have arranged to schedule times for unscheduled time (641).”

F451 Analysis Question

Come up with an analysis question for Fahrenheit 451.

F451 Evaluation Question

Come up with an evaluation question for Fahrenheit 451.

F451 Creation Question

Come up with a creation question for Fahrenheit 451.

Which text seems like to would be the most interesting to read?

Tell us, based on your browsing of the websites, which text you would most want to read and give a short explanation of why.

What is the overall best website?

Vote for what you think is overall best website (presentation, content, etc.) of your classmates (sorry, you cannot vote for your own).

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine: SS Creation Question

Post a creation (prediction) question for the Socratic Seminar we will have for "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine."

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine: SS Evaluation Question

Post an evaluation question for the Socratic Seminar we will have for "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine."

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine: SS Analysis Question

Post an analysis question for the Socratic Seminar we will have for "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine."

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

“Really, Mr. Pirzada,” my mother protested. “Night after night. You spoil her.”
“I only spoil children who are incapable of spoiling.”
It was an awkward moment for me, one which I awaited in part with dread, in part with delight.

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

"The reporter mentioned Dacca, and we all turned to listen: An Indian official announced that unless the world helped to relieve the burden of East Pakistani refugees, India would have to go to war against Pakistan. The reporter’s face dripped with sweat as he relayed the information. He did not wear a tie or a jacket, dressed instead as if he himself were about to take part in the battle. He shielded his scorched face as he hollered things to the cameraman. The knife slipped from Mr. Pirzada’s hand and made a gash dipping toward the base of the pumpkin."

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

“Lilia has plenty to learn at school,” my mother said. “We live here now, she was born here.” She seemed genuinely proud of the fact, as if it were a reflection of my character. In her estimation, I knew, I was assured a safe life, an easy life, a fine education, every opportunity. I would never have to eat rationed food, or obey curfews, or watch riots from my rooftop, or hide neighbors in water tanks to prevent them from being shot, as she and my father had. “Imagine having to place her in a decent school. Imagine her having to read during power failures by the light of kerosene lamps. Imagine the pressures, the tutors, the constant exams.” She ran a hand through her hair, bobbed to a suitable length for her part-time job as a bank teller. “How can you possibly expect her to know about Partition? Put those nuts away.”

It was an awkward moment for me, one which I awaited in part with dread, in part with delight . I was charmed by the presence of Mr. Pirzada's rotund elegance, and flattered by the faint theatricality of his attentions, yet unsettled by the superb ease of his gesture, which made me feel, for an instant, like a stranger in my own home.

When Mr.Pirzada Came to Dine

"Don't worry," I said. It was the first time i had uttered those words to Mr.Pirzada, two simple words I had tried but failed to tell him for weeks, had said only in my prayers. It shamed me now that I had said them for my own sake.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

(In Mom's perspective)

You have a good organization of memory, my son. Your memory is like a film. That is why you are really good at remembering things, like the conversations you have written down in this book, and what people were wearing, and what they smelled like, because your memory has a smell track which is like a soundtrack. And when people ask you to remember something you can simply recall them just like pressing Rewind and Fast Forward and Pause on a video recorder, but more like a DVD player because you don’t have to Rewind through everything in between to get to a memory of something a long time ago. And there are no buttons, either, because it is happening in your head.

If someone says to you, “Christopher, tell me what your mother was like,” you can Rewind to lots of different scenes and say what I were like in those scenes.

I know you could still Rewind to 4 July 1992 when you was 9 years old, which was a Saturday, and we were on holiday in Cornwall and in the afternoon we were on the beach in a place called Polperro. And I was wearing a pair of shorts made out of denim and a light blue bikini top and I was smoking cigarettes, which is bad, called Consulate which were mint flavor. And I wasn’t swimming. I was sunbathing on a towel which had red and purple stripes and I was reading a book by Georgette Heyer called The Masqueraders. And then I finished sunbathing and went into the water to swim and I said, “Bloody Nora, it’s cold.” And I said you should come and swim, too, but I know you don’t like swimming because you don’t like taking your clothes off. And I said you should just roll up your trousers and walk into the water a little way, so you did. And you stood in the water. And I said, “Look. It’s lovely.” And I jumped backward and disappeared under the water, I wasn’t meant to scare you but you thought a shark had eaten me and you screamed and I stood up out of the water again and came over to where you was standing and held up my right hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and tried to lead you, “Come on, Christopher, touch my hand. Stop screaming. Touch my hand. Listen to me, Christopher. Come and try with me.” And after a while you stopped screaming and you held up your left hand and spread your fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other and I soothed you, “It’s OK, Christopher. It’s OK. There aren’t any sharks in Cornwall,” and then you felt better.

Just like these, I know you could remember even the slightest detail. Except you can’t remember anything before you was about 4 because you wasn’t old enough and your brain was still too small, so they didn’t get recorded properly.

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

" I remember some nights helping my mother spread a sheet and blankets on the couch so that Mr. Pirzada could sleep there, and high-pitched voices hollering in the middle of the night when my parents called our relatives in Calcutta to learn more details about the situation. Most of all I remember the three of them operating during that time as if they were a single person, sharing a single meal, a single body, a single silence, and a single fear. " ( When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine)

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

"When I said I thought that was the date of India’s independence from Britain, my father said, “That too. One moment we were free and then we were sliced up,” he explained, drawing an X with his finger on the countertop, “like a pie. Hindus here, Muslims there. Dacca no longer belongs to us.” He told me that during Partition Hindus and Muslims had set fire to each other’s homes. For many, the idea of eating in the other’s company was still unthinkable" (When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine).

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

"He stepped into the foyer, impeccably suited and scarved, with a silk tie knotted at his collar. Each evening he appeared in ensembles of plums, olives, and chocolate browns. He was a compact man, and though his feet were perpetually splayed, and his belly slightly wide, he nevertheless maintained an efficient posture, as if balancing in either hand two suitcases of equal weight. His ears were insulated by tufts of graying hair that seemed to block out the unpleasant traffic of life. He had thickly lashed eyes shaded with a trace of camphor, a generous mustache that turned up playfully at the ends, and a mole shaped like a flattened raisin in the very center of his left cheek. On his head he wore a black fez made from the wool of Persian lambs, secured by bobby pins, without which I was never to see him. Though my father always offered to fetch him in our car, Mr. Pirzada preferred to walk from his dormitory to our neighborhood, a distance of about twenty minutes on foot, studying trees and shrubs on his way, and when he entered our house his knuckles were pink with the effects of crisp autumn air. "

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

"Eventually I took a square of white chocolate out of the box, and unwrapped it, and then I did something I had never done before. I put the chocolate in my mouth, letting it soften until the last possible moment, and then as I chewed it slowly, I prayed that Mr. Pirzada's family was safe and sound. I had never prayed for anything before, had never been taught or told to, bur I decided, given the circumstances, that it was something I should so. THat night when I went to the bathroom I only pretended to brush my teeth, for I feared that I would somehow rinse the prayer out as well. I wet the brush and rearranged the tube of paste to prevent my parents from asking any questions, and fell asleep with sugar on my tongue"(462).

When Mr. Prizida Came to Dine

"Mr. Pirzada handed me his coat, for it was my job to hang it on the rack at the bottom of the stairs. It was made of finely checkered gray-and-blue wool, with a striped lining and horn buttons, and carried in its weave the faint smell of limes. There were no recognizable tags inside, only a hand- stitched label with the phrase “Z. Sayeed, Suitors” embroidered on it in cursive with glossy black thread. On certain days a birch or maple leaf was tucked into a pocket. He unlaced his shoes and lined them against the baseboard; a golden paste clung to the toes and heels, the result of walking through our damp, unraked lawn. "

When Mr. Prizida Came to Dine - Quotation

Though I had not seen him for months, it was only then that I felt Mr. Pirzada’s absence. It was only then, raising my water glass in his name, that I knew what it meant to miss someone who was so many miles and hours away, just as he had missed his wife and daughters for so many months. He had no reason to return to us, and my parents predicted, correctly, that we would never see him again.

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

Since January, each night before bed, I had continued to eat, for the sake of Mr.Pirzada's family, a piece of candy I had saved from Halloween. That night there was no need to. Eventually, I threw them away.

Quotation of "Mr.Pirzada Came to Dine"

"What are you doing back here? Mrs.Kenyon's in the library. She came to check upon us." I slammed the book shut, too loudly. Mrs.Kenyon emerged, the aroma of her perfume filling up the tiny aisle, and lifted the book by the tip of its spine as if it were a hair clinging to my sweater. She glanced at the cover, then at me. "Is this book a part of your report, Lilia?" "No, Mrs.Kenyon.""Then I see no reason to consult it," she said, replacing it in the slim gap of the shelf. "Do you?"

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time 500 Words

These are the things Christopher told me that he remembers. There are 19 cows in the field, 15 of which are black and white and 4 of which are brown and white.
There is a village in the distance which has 31 visible houses and a church with a square tower and not a spire.
There are ridges in the field, which means that in medieval times it was what is called a ridge and furrow field and people who lived in the village would have a ridge each to do farming on.
There is an old plastic bag from Asda in the hedge, and a squashed Coca-Cola can with a snail on it, and a long piece of orange string.
The northeast corner of the field is highest and the southwest corner is lowest (He had a compass because his family were going on holiday and he wanted to know where Swindon was when they were in France) and the field is folded downward slightly along the line between these two corners so that the northwest and southeast corners are slightly lower than they would be if the field was an inclined plane.
Christopher can see three different types of grass and two colors of flowers in the grass. The cows are mostly facing uphill.
And there were 31 more things in this list of things Christopher noticed but I said that he  didn't need to write them all down. And I told him that it is very tiring if he is in a new place because he see all these things. Christopher remembers them so well that if someone asked him afterward what the cows looked like, he could ask which one, and he could do a drawing of them at home and say that a particular cow had patterns on it like this:
Then Christopher realize that he told a lie in Chapter 13 because he said “I cannot tell jokes,” because he does know 3 jokes that he can tell and he understands and one of them is about a cow, and I told him that he didn't have to go back and change what he wrote in Chapter 13 because it doesn't matter because it is not a lie, just a clarification. And this is the joke.There are three men on a train. One of them is an economist and one of them is a logician and one of them is a mathematician. And they have just crossed the border into Scotland (Christopher doesn't know why they are going to Scotland) and they see a brown cow standing in a field from the window of the train (and the cow is standing parallel to the train).
And the economist says, “Look, the cows in Scotland are brown.”
And the logician says, “No. There are cows in Scotland of which one at least is brown.”
And the mathematician says, “No. There is at least one cow in Scotland, of which one side
appears to be brown.”
And it is funny because economists are not real scientists, and because logicians think more
clearly, but mathematicians are best.

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

"Though I had not seen him for months, it was only then that I felt Mr. Pirzada's absence. It was only then, raising my water glass in his name, that I knew what it meant to miss someone who was so many miles and hours away, just as he had missed his wife and daughters for so many months."

Quote Analysis: When Mr. Prizada Came to Dine

My father rapped his knuckles on top of my head. “You are, of course, aware of the current situation? Aware of East Pakistan’s fight for sovereignty?” I nodded, unaware of the situation. We returned to the kitchen, where my mother was draining a pot of boiled rice into a colander. My father opened up the can on the counter and eyed me sharply over the frames of his glasses as he ate some more cashews. “What exactly do they teach you at school? Do you study history? Geography?” “Lilia has plenty to learn at school,” my mother said. “We live here now, she was born here.” She seemed genuinely proud of the fact, as if it were a reflection of my character. 

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

"It made no sense to me. Mr. Pirzada and my parents spoke the same language, laughed at the same jokes, looked more or less the same. They ate pickled mangoes with their meals, ate rice every night for supper with their hands. Like my parents, Mr. Pirzada took off his shoes before entering a room, chewed fennel seeds after meals as a digestive, drank no alcohol, for dessert dipped austere biscuits into successive cups of tea. Nevertheless my father insisted that I understand the difference, and he led me to a map of the world taped to the wall over his desk."

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine Quotation

In the Autumn of 1971 a man used to come to our house, bearing confections in his pocket and hopes of ascertaining the life or death of his family. His name was Mr. Pirzada, and he came from Dacca, now the capital of Bangladesh, but then a part of Pakistan. That year Pakistan was engaged in civil war. The eastern frontier, where Dacca was located, was fighting for autonomy from the ruling regime in the west. In March, Dacca had been invaded, torched and shelled by the Pakistani army. Teachers were dragged onto streets and shot, women dragged into barracks and raped. By the end of the summer, three hundred thousand people were said to have died. In Dacca Mr. Pirzada had a three-story home, a lectureship in botany at the university, a wife of twenty year, and seven daughters between the ages of six and sixteen whose names all began with the letter A.  

By the Waters of Babylon Quotation - by Hantine Hsu

“There was also the shattered image of a man or a god. It had been made of

white stone and he wore his hair tied back like a woman’s. His name was ‘ASHING’,

as I read on the cracked half of a stone. I thought it wise to pray to ‘ASHING’, though

I do not know that god.”

Comment: I found this part of the story very amusing, because from where he said

the stone was cracked in half, the reader could tell that the words he read was a

portion of someone’s name we made a statue of. This passage really shows the

irony of the story. We, the reader knows that it was a statue of a man, even though

we might not be able to guess who. (Who is it?) However, John, our main character

has no idea who the statue was, and then he even prayed for “the god, Ashing’s”

protection. To me it was quite hilarious of how a first person narrative could be so

blind and bring so much irony from the story.

By the Waters of Babylon

There was the great river below, like a giant in the sun. It is very long, very wide. It could eat all the streams we know and still be thirsty.

BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON

"I travel upon the god-roads and am not afraid. E-yah! I have killed the panther, I have killed the fawn!"

By the Waters of Babylon

"When the sun rose, I thought, "My journey has been clean. Now I will go home from my journey." But, even as I thought so, I knew I could not. If I went to the Place of the Gods, I would surely die, but, if I did not go, I could never be at peace with my spirit again."

This quote shows somewhat of a paradox, as it says, he would surely die if he went to the Place of the Gods, but if he did not god, he would never be at peace with his spirit. Therefore, if he actually went to the place of the gods, he would never be at peace anyway, since he's going to be dead. Wouldn't this whole journey be pointless, if he would simply just die in the end? 

By the Waters of Babylon Quotation

Why should I lie about it? I am a priest and the son of a priest. If there are spirits, as they say, in the small Dead Places near us, what spirits must there not be in that great Place of the Gods? And would not they wish to speak? After such long years? I know that I felt myself drawn as a fish is drawn on a line. I had stepped out of my body—I could see my body asleep in front of the cold fire, but it was not I. I was drawn to look out upon the city of the gods. 

By the Waters of Babylon

"When the dawn came, I was out of sight of the village. I prayed and purified myself, waiting for a sign. The sign was an eagle. It flew east.

Sometimes signs are sent by bad spirits. I waited again on the flat rock, fasting, taking no food. I was very still- I could feel the sky above me and the earth beneath. I waited till the sun was beginning to sink. Then three deer passed in the valley, going east- they did not wind me or see me. There was a white fawn with them-a very great sign. I followed them, at a distance, waiting for what would happen. My heart was troubled about going east, yet I knew that I must go"(313).

By The Waters of Babylon

"I am John, son of John," I sang.

By the Waters of Babylon Quote

"I saw both banks of the river—I saw that once there had been god roads across it, though now they were broken and fallen like broken vines. Very great they were, and wonderful and broken—broken in the time of the Great Burning when the fire fell out of the sky. And always the current took me nearer to the Place of the Gods, and the huge ruins rose before my eyes"(315).
 

By The Waters of Babylon

"It is better to lose one's life than one's spirit."

By the waters of Babylon

"Nevertheless, as imade the raft, the tears ran out of my eyes. The Forest People could have killed me then, but they did not come. When the raft was made, I said the sayings for the dead and painted myself for death. My heart was cold as a frog and my knees like water, but the burning in my mind would not let me have peace."

By the Waters of Babylon

When the sun rose, I thought, " My journey has been clean. Now I will go home from my journey." But, even as I thought so, I knew I could not. If I went to the Place of the Gods, I would surely die, but, if I did not go, I could never be at peace with my spirit again.

By the Waters of Babylon Quotation&Analysis

But they were men who built the city, not gods or demons. They were men. I remember the dead man's face. They were men who were here before us. We must build again.

Quatation of "By the water of Babylon"

That is all of my story, for then I knew he was a man-I knew then that they had been men, neither gods nor demons. It is a great knowledge, hard to tell and believe. They were all men.

By the Waters of Babylon Quotation.

" ' Truth is a hard dear to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth. If was not idly that our fathers forbade the Dead Places.'  He was right-it is better  the truth should come little by little. I have learned that, being a priest. Perhaps, in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast." ( By the Waters of Babylon)

By the Waters of Babylon Analysis

All these things were magic, but I touched them and lived- the magic had gone out of them. Let me tell one thing to show. In the washing- place, a thing said "Hot"but it was not hot to the touch- another thing said "Cold" but it was not cold. This must have been a strong magic but the magic was gone.

By the Waters of Babylon

"We shall go to the Place if the Gods-- the place newyork-- not one man but a company. We shall go look for the images of the gods and find the god ASHING and the others-- the gods Lincoln and Biltmore and Moses. But they were men who built the city, not gods or demons. They were men. I remember the dead man's face. They were men who were here before us. We must build again" (By the Waters of Babylon).

Socratic Seminar Questions

Possibility of Evil:
What drove Ms. Strangeworth to doing this? Other than boredom, what would be some potential reasons?
People don't just do things for the good of it; they always hope to gain something in return. Why did the boy choose to hand deliver the letter rather than to simply slip it into the mail?
Why would Dave and Linda be "evil"? People have the freedom to do whatever they want; it may be against the wishes of their respective parents, but they do not harm others with their relationship. Why does Miss Strangeworth view it as such?

Characterization CIOTSTNT

Now that several people know Christopher is conducting his investigation, has any of them displayed indirect characteristics of wishing to do harm to Christopher and/or hampering progress on his investigation?
Based off f his actions, how does Christopher feel about his mother "doing sex" with a man other than his father?
Why would Mrs. Alexander reveal to Christopher, a mere child, of his mother's affair? What does this reveal about her character? Is she trying to mislead Christopher because she killed the dog?

Socratic Seminar Questions

"The Possibility of Evil" 1. Why did someone want to destroy Mrs. Strangeworth's roses? Is it because of the mean things she did? 2. What do you think about Mrs. Strangeworth's name? Does the author try to symbolize something when he creates this character, Mrs. Strangeworth? 3. What kind of thought make Mrs. Strangeworth think it's her responsibility to "eliminate the evil in the town"? "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" 1. Why did Christopher try to solve the murder of Mrs. Sheers' dog? It's not even his dog! 2. Do you think Christopher should be considered as a round character or a flat character? Why and why not? 3. Is the motivation of Christopher's investigation related to his mother's death? What do you think?

Socratic Seminar Questions

Possibility of Evil
-------------------------
- Describe the atmosphere at the beginning of the story.
- Why do you think Mrs. Strangeworth did all these actions?
- What do you think about the way Mrs. Strangeworth's actions?

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
-----------------------------------------------------------
- Do you think Christopher would go and talk to Mr. Shears?
- What did you think about the illustrations in the story? 
- What was Christopher's relationship with his mother?

Socratic Seminar Questions

Possibility of Evil

What might the reaction be after Miss Strangeworth received the nasty letter and the destroyed garden?
How her life is likely to change in the community?
Does the roses have any symbolism? 


Characterization in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Why Mrs. Alexander decided to tell Christopher about her mother and Mr. Shears when his father try to conceal the secret from him?
Is it possible that Christopher's mother is still alive? If yes, will Christopher meet her mother again?
Who may be the dynamic character in the story?

Socratic Seminar Questions

Possibility of Evil:

• Why does Miss Strangeworth write "trash"? There must be other ways to "cleanse the town of evil" without hurting anyone. Why do you think she chooses to do this by writing hurtful things?
• How did Miss Strangeworth write the letters without having anyone find out for a whole year? Won't the people in town get suspicious of the author of the notes?
• What do you think about Miss Strangeworth and her actions?

Characterization in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

• Is any other character in the story except for Christopher considered a round character? Why?
• What is Christopher's motivation as he tries to solve the murder case of Mrs. Sheers' dog?
• Do you think any of the characters have changed from the beginning of the story so far?

Socratic Seminar Questions

Possibility of Evil 

1. What motivates Ms.Strangeworth to write such letters?

2. What exactly is the problem between the girl and the Harris boy?

3. Who actually destroyed Ms.Strangeworth's roses?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

1. Why did Christopher's mom cheat on his dad?

2. Why does Christopher have such an anti-social personality?

3. Why does Christopher's dad strongly disagrees with him investigating the death of the dog?

Socratic Seminar Questions

The possibility of Evil
1. What makes Ms. Strangworth think that she should start to write the letters?
2. Why do you think the residents decided to destroy the roses instead of solving the problem peacefully?
3. What will Ms. Strangeworth do next?
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
1. What's the relationships between the characters? (Christopher, his dad...)
2. Why did Christopher appear in the garden at the midnight?
3. What shapes Christopher as a flat character?

Socratic Seminar Questions

The Possibility of Evil:

1. What do you think will be Ms. Strangeworth's next move/ reaction? Do you think she would apologize?
2. Do you think the townspeople will treat her worse and worse? E.X. kicking her out of town?
3. Do you think anyone would still have pity for her?

The Curious Incident:

1. What does Mrs. Alexander actions show about her character?
2.  Based on what is described of Mr. Shears, what do you think of the kind of person he is?
3. Through Chris's father's reaction to a question about Mr. Shears (which is outrage), how do you think his reaction will be when he finds out Chris hasn't given up on investigating yet?

Socratic Seminar Questions

The Possibility of Evil
1. Do you think it is right to send the letter?
2. Do you think it is right to break someone else's stuff even if they are evil?
3. Do you think she was really trying to help the town by writing those letters?
The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime
1. Will Christopher meet Mr. Shears?
2. Do you think Ms. Alexander is right to tell Christopher about his mother?
3. Is the father telling the truth? 

Socratic Seminar Questions

The Possibility of Evil
1. What made Ms. Strangeworth think that she was eliminating evil in this town?
2. Do you think it is justice evil to be sending these letters to her fellow townspeople?
3. Do you think she will change after getting her precious roses eradicated?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
1. Why does Mrs. Alexander act so creepy and never gets to the point?
2. Do you think Christopher will come out as successful?
3. Do you think Siobhan will help Christopher on his investigation?

Secratic Seminar Questions

The Curious incident...

1. What is Mrs. Alexander ‘s relationship with Christopher? How does Christopher view Mrs. Alexander at this moment? A friend? A passerby? Is she of any importance to him? 
2. Did you think Mrs. Alexander should have told Christopher about his mother’s affair? Would it be better for certain things to remain hidden? 
3. What do you think Mr. Shears will be like? 

The possibility of Evil. 

1. Mrs. Strangeworth justifies her notes as a way to fight evil, and yet she refused to admit she was the one sending them. Do you think she wrote notes out of a pure and genuine heart or do you think she could merely be doing so out of the thrill of gossiping?
2. Could roses in the story be a symbolism or an element to create irony? 
3. Would the spread of malicious humor increase or decrease overall after Mrs. Strangeworth's doing?  

Socratic Seminar Questions

The Possibility of Evil 1.Do you think the neighbors will take even more revenge on Miss Strangeworth? 2.What is a possible reason for Linda’s farther to reject the Harris boy? 3.What kind of horrible conflicts might had happened in Miss Strangeworth’s childhood that made her such a strange old woman? The Curious Incident of the Dead Dog 1.Is Christopher’s Dad described in a direct or indirect characterization? 2.Do you think Christopher will become more aware of his mother’s death? 3.Why is Christopher so insistent about finding out who is the killer of the dog?

Socratic Seminar Questions

The Possibility of Being Evil

1.        What do you think would change about Ms. Strangeworth when she sees her roses are ruined?

2.        How do you think the town will view her now that people knows she is the one sending all the letters?

3.         Do you think Ms. Strangeworth's action in sending the letters is justified?

The Curious Incident of the DOg at Nighttime

1.        What do you think shows about the family when it is revealed that they don’t know about the cheating?

2.        Do you think Christopher knows/acknowledges/cares about his mother cheating on his father?

3.        Do you think the affair will affect Christopher’s relationship with other people (specifically his dad) later on?