Answers to The Friday Everything Changed Questions
Comprehensions
Why are the boys so upset at the idea of the girls carrying the water bucket?
I think the boys are upset because when they carry the water bucket it represents how they are powerful and when the girls did that they took that away from them.
What strategies do the boys use to pressure the girls to give in? How do the girls react?
The boys don’t let the girls participate in their softball game as well as when Alma’s cousin tried talking her into not wanting to carry the water bucket.
Elements of Fiction
Who is telling the story? What does she think of Ms. Ralston and the conflict over the water? From what point of view is the story told?
The person who is telling the story is Alma’s seatmate. Alma’s seatmate thinks Ms. Ralston doesn’t know the situation between the 2 groups and doesn’t know what is going on. She also thinks that this situation might change when Ms.Ralston hits the softball. The kid’s all admired the teacher for how she dresses and for supporting them when they wanted to show that girls can do anything guys can.
What is the setting? How does the setting intensify the conflict? What kind of conflict is it?
The setting in this story is an old classroom that is by a railroad station. They live in Ontario because they talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey team. The setting intensifies the conflict by it being an old place and having to use the fact that they need a bucket of water to be the centre of the story. This is one of 2 conflicts (Person vs Person or Person vs Society) Person vs Person, there is an argument between the girls and the boys about who gets to carry the water bucket. Person vs Society the girls try to show that they can do anything that guys can do.
Who is the protagonist? How do you know?
The protagonist in this story is a girl named Alma. I know this because she was the only one who asked and was willing to know about why the girls don’t carry the water bucket.
In what way has everything changed on that Friday? What is the significance of Ms. Ralston’s action in the last paragraph? What is the message (theme) the author is exploring?
On that Friday everything changed just because of one simple question that Alma had the courage to ask the teacher. This changed the course of the story and now both girls and boys are of the same power and equality. In the last paragraph, the teacher hit the ball out of sight and that proved that girls could do anything guys could. This had a huge significance as it led to her telling Alma and Joyce they could get the water. The message of the story is that girls can be just as capable as boys.
Vocabulary
- Galvanized: A coat of iron or steel that includes a protective layer of zinc.
- Remotest: something that has a possibility of unlikely occurring
- Intoxicated: exhilarated or excited
- Ominous: A threatening atmosphere was something unpleasant or bad is going to happen
- Supplementary: Completion or Enhancement
- Forlornly: sad or lonely
- Earnestly: Serious or sincere with intent
- Gloatingly: being smug and arrogant
- Transfixed: causing someone to become motionless with horror or astonishment
- Pirouetting: gerund or present participle