1. The boys are so upset of the idea of the girls carrying the water bucket because carrying the water bucket was like the best part of life for them because it was real for them and they got to take about 30 minutes off school for it.
2. The strategies that boys use to pressure the girls to give in are locking them in the out house, beating them up, spitting ink balls, tripping them and not letting them play softball. The girls reacted by sticking together and teaming up on the boys.
3. Some girl in the class is telling the story and she thinks of Mrs.Ralston as a grown adult that is tough because she straps the kids but she also thinks of her like a nice person because she listens to the kids like they are people and not just kids that don’t know anything. She also thinks that the conflict over the water was worth fighting for. The point of view that the story was told is limited omniscient because its told by the perspective of one of the characters and we can read her thoughts.
4. The setting is in about 1950 because they were talking about German warplanes in this quote “If on of those German planes, like in war movies had suddenly appeared over the school and dropped a bomb…”. The setting is also in a small town because in this quote “like the coal stove and the scared old double desks” is shows that the school isn’t one of the fancier schools that would be in a big city. The setting intensifies the conflict because the conflict is about gender equality (person versus environment) and in the 1950’s there wasn’t much gender equality. Evidence of this conflict is in this quote “when it was time for the teacher to pick the two boys to get the water” where it is only boys who can get the water and in this quote “instead of saying “who ever thought of girls getting the water?”” where the kid narrating would have thought a teacher would say that.
5. The protagonist is one of Alma’s friends because she talks as if she is one of the girls in this situation like “us girls” or “we”.
6. Every thing changed on Friday because the boys now respect that girls can play sort ball with skill and that girls can do things that boys can too, like fetching the water. So now the boys stopped bullying the girls. The significance of Mrs.Ralston hitting the ball out of the field is that she showed how skilled girls can be if they try. Which is even better than boys. The theme the author is exploring is that girls can get the water too. Meaning that boys aren’t better than girls and they can do what ever boys can if they want to.
1. Galvanized=coat (iron or steel) with a protective layer of zinc.
2. Remotest=(of a chance or possibility) unlikely to occur
3. Intoxicated=excite or exhilarate.
4. Ominous=giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious.
5. Supplementary=completing or enhancing something.
6. Forlornly=without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
7. Earnestly=with sincere and intense conviction; seriously.
8. Gloating=contemplate or dwell on one’s own success or another’s misfortune with smugness or malignant pleasure.
9. Transfixed=cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment.
10. Pirouettings=to twirl around