The Friday Everything Changed - A Story of Equal Rights and Courage
In a rural North American one-room schoolhouse post-World War II, the story unfolds as Alma Nile questions why girls can't carry the water bucket, sparking a conflict between genders and the pursuit of equal rights. Miss Ralston, the protagonist, challenges tradition by standing up for the girls, leading to a climax where she demonstrates that girls are just as capable as boys. Through courage and determination, the characters break societal norms and pave the way for change.
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Presentation Transcript
The Friday Everything Changed
Topic and Theme Topic: Equal rights Theme: Directly stated: Challenging tradition Indirectly: The courage, patience and determination it takes to change traditions
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? Conflict: Man vs. Society Girls vs. Boys on a basic level Women vs. Society to gain equal rights
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 each other s defence Miss Ralston observes but does not intervene
Plot line Climax: Miss Ralston grabs 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 ball into the ox pasture D nouement (resolution): Two girls are chosen to carry the water, thereby changing tradition Miss Ralston sweeps the dust off her desk in a gesture of satisfaction and pride
Miss Ralston Story s protagonist Round character represents the new modern woman Pretty and feminine yet firm and tough Role model for the girls Becomes an advocate for the girls (stands up for them in their fight for equal rights) Able to compete with the boys Isn t afraid to stand up for what is right
Characters The boys and girls are mostly flat characters Not described in detail Not identifiable from each other Not so much individual personalities as they are boys and girls
Irony Girls fighting to carry water What do you know about those developing countries they read about in the National Geographic? What is one the daily occupation for girls? Who gets to go to school? Miss Ralston s ball soars into an ox pasture An ox is usually a castrated male bovine (not a cow or bull) The author did NOT choose a wheat field !
Metaphors The story itself Fighting for the right to carry the water bucket represents women s fight for equal rights throughout history. such a bombshell : Alma s question The dancing dust motes Only visible when the sun shines and otherwise invisible Miss Ralston is like the sunlight enabling the girls to be seen and recognized. the girls can dance and celebrate their rights.
Similes National Geographics like huge butterflies folding up their yellow wings As for Alma we stuck to her like burrs when we re hanging around the entry door like a lot of scared chickens
Characterization Direct Author s description of the character and how she behaves she was young she was pretty big she was strict Indirect What the reader understands or interprets by what the character says or does
Indirect characterization But the unusual thing about Miss Ralston was the way she sometimes stopped in the middle of a lesson and looked at us as if we were real people I ll think about that, she said, -- as if, you know, she would and I ll let you know next Friday.
