Discussion Director

Ragweed p. 1-20

1. Effect: Ragweed decides to leave the Brook and his family. What causes Ragweed to make this life altering decision? After all, he and his family have lived in the Brook area for their entire lives.

Ragweed decides to leave the Brook area because he wishes to see what the outside world holds for him. He is tired of living in the same location as all of his past relatives. He wants to be the first one in his family to try to live and experience somewhere different.

2. Can you think of a historical organization that might parallel the F.E.A.R. organization created by Silversides and Graybar? Explain how the two organizations parallel one another.

One possible organization that parallels the F.E.A.R organization is the Ku Klux Klan. This organization parallels the organization created by Silversides and Graybar because it was committed to repressing a certain faction of the population. However, unlike the KKK, which worked to repress African Americans, F.E.A.R worked to repress rodents. Also, the two organizations parallel one another in that they worked to keep one race higher than another. For example, the KKK tried to keep the white people as supreme leaders, while F.E.A.R is committed to keeping felines on top.

3. Why does Silversides despise mice so very much? Provide a couple of examples that illustrates her hatred of rodents.

Silversides despises mice because she claims that Amperville is infested with them. She says that since the humans let the city become run down, mice have flocked to deserted buildings to find new homes. However, unlike the previous mice that lived in the city, the new mice have no respect for the true rulers (cats) and they do not know their proper place in society. One example of Silversides’ hatred of mice is on p. 18. In this episode, Silversides fusses at her grandkitty for playing with a mouse. When the kitten claims that the mouse was his best friend, Silverisdes becomes enraged. Another example of her hatred is on p. 20. This brief page describes how Silversides and Graybar wait at the train station to terrify any mice that might be getting off of the train.

4. All of the following describe the vole except which one?

1. experienced
2. helpful
3. distasteful
4. knowledgeable

5. What dimension does the author’s way of describing objects such as trains, cars, and houses add to the story? Use p. 9 par. 9 and p. 10 par. 4, for reference.

The author’s way of explaining objects that humans consider common is very unique. The author tries to describe the objects in the way that a creature, which had never seen them before, would describe them to somebody else. This adds to the story because it makes the reader feel like they are in the story. As I was reading, I thought Ragweed and the vole were talking to me. Also, the explanations make the reader really think about what is being described. The descriptions are almost like riddles.