“The White Umbrella”
27 01 2010What is most important to our main character? Why is that significant? (Support your response with specific evidence from the story.)
What is most important to our main character? Why is that significant? (Support your response with specific evidence from the story.)
To me, it seems that the most important thing to the main character, is her hertiage, she doesn’t seem happy with her race, and wants to be more like Eugenie Roberts. This is significant to the story because the story is all about a white umbrella that was given to her by Ms. Crossman, in my mind, Ms. Crossman gave her the umbrella because she feels pity for her, because of her race. In the end, the main character throws the umbrella into the sewer, which shows that she finally understands that the umbrella was given because of pity, not kindness.
Question: What do you think the main characters mom feels when the man yells at her while he’s crossing the street?
Answer to June’s Question:
I think that the girl’s mother feels disgust for the man who yelled, ‘”Who do you think you are? You’re blocking the crosswalk! Didn’t you hear me?” He went on, starting to thump on the hood with his fist. “Don’t you speak English?”‘ and felt a loss of respect for others who were not the same heritage as her. The mother probably thought that she needed to keep her children safe, as the man seemed unpredictible as he slammed his fist on the car and stomped his foot, showing a sign of anger and annoyance.
Question: Since Mona and her sister were always arguing, and the girl (the main character) always lied, what do you think their relationships at home, away from piano practice?
I think that the main character was in control of her sister and always conscience of her environment around them. M.C. (main character) probably bosses her Mona around at home, and tries to act more mature. She doesn’t want anyone to know how much their family struggles to keep them content.
Question: Why did you think the main character threw the white umbrella into the sewer?
I think the main character threw the white umbrella down the sewer because she wanted to be done with all of the horrible acts that she had done the followed her wanting the umbrella. The worst and biggest reason why she wanted the umbrella was because of Eugenie Roberts. Eugenie is a grade ahead of her, had a boyfriend in high school, had auburn hair, blue eyes, and what she thought was Eugenie’s, the white umbrella. She wanted to be better that Eugenie, but by wanting to do that, she wanted her white umbrella. The umbrella actually turned out to be Mrs. Crossman’s. To add on to to our discussion this morning, I think Mrs. Crossman respects the main character’s heritage and rase but still would like to make the main character have some competition, push herself to be better than Eugenie, and give more attention to the better student to let the worse students know Mrs. Crossman would like her students to be as good as the highest piano player.
Hot question: Why do you think Mrs. Crossman hugged Eugenie and not the main character of the story? Do you think it is because of the main character’s rase or not? Explain.
Mrs.Crossman hugged Eugenie Roberts because she was more proud of Eugenie than of the main character. The main character was hurt by that but after she played the more difficult piece of music and Mrs.Crossman hugged her she felt appreciated but at the end of the story realized that she did not need to be accepted by all but just needs to be accepted by her self. I do believe part of it was of her race because many people disrespected the Chinese people.
Question: If the story continued, what do you think would have happened.
Why did Miss Crosman hug Euginie and not the main character? I think that she only hugged Euginie because she was at a higher level in piano than the main character. Miss Crosman was very proud of Euginie and always gave her hugs, but nt to the main character. I think that she didn’t give a hug to Mona’s sister because she wasn’t as goodas Euginie Roberts. I can support my answer by when Miss Crosman says, “If you had started playing piano earlier, you would be playing like Euginie Roberts by now.” I think that would be an insult to the main character because she is saying that she is not as good as Euginie Roberts. I would be upset if I were Mona’s sister. That is my opinion on why I think Miss Crosman hugged Euginie and not the main character.
Question:Why do you think the author didn’t give a name to the main character?
I think that Mrs. Crossman hugged Eugenie roberts and not the main character because, I think that it is parcially because of her race. I know this because, On the first page it says that the lees were the only other chinese familly in town. But in the book Mrs. Crossman takes care of the main cahracter. So it dose show that she does have a nice side to her heart. So after all I think hat it is parsially her race but not compleatly.
H.O.T ?s Why do you think that Mrs. Crossman started to be nice to the main character once Eugenie left the studio?Explain.
I think that Mrs. Crossman was nice to the main character after Eugine left becuase she might have been lonely since she never had kids, and as long as there was a kid in the house, she might have tried to be as nice to them as possible becuase she wanted kids so badly, so she might have treated them like her own.
H.O.T ?s Why do think the main character was embarased by her mom going to work? Explain.