Victoria+Pennex


 * __ Literary Critique on “All Summer in a Day” __** #15

Moving to a new place can be distressing for a child, especially when an Earth child has to move to Venus where it rains everyday and the sun can only be seen every seven years. This is what poor Margot, a young girl from Earth has to go through. In the story, a class of nine-year-olds who live on Venus are waiting to see the sun. These kids have lived on Venus for all of their lives and can not remember the sun, except for one girl named Margot who lived on Earth. Margot could remember the warmness of the sun on her skin and how the sun is “…like fire in a stove.” (Bradbury 291) Instead of letting Margot enjoy the sun’s warm embrace with them, the class’ envy overpowers their conscience and they lock Margot in a closet right before the sun comes out. Unlike other stories, the setting has a huge role to play. The conflict is created by the unnatural and melancholy setting. In the story “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury Margot and the children acted the way they did because of the depressing, gloomy and dark setting. If the setting was not so bitter and the sun came out maybe the children wouldn’t be jealous and Margot would be more sociable. The conflict of the story revolved around the setting. Margot wasn’t participating in any of the activities because of her surroundings and the strange new world she had to live in. Margot does not sing or play with any of the other children. Her environment has caused her to dislike water because once “…she had refused to shower in the school shower rooms, had clutched her hands to her ears and over her head screaming the water mustn’t touch her head.”(Bradbury 291) This is what starts to cause the conflict. Margot’s parents became worried about her and they might be going back to earth. “And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness and her possible future.”(Bradbury 291) This shows that because of all these things the children envied her and took out some of there frustration out on her. The class’ actions were also caused by the gloomy weather. These actions were caused by the setting in some way or another. The setting not only created the conflict, but it triggered the characters’ emotions. The emotions of the characters are greatly affected by the setting. Sometimes when the weather changes, it can affect a person’s mood and that is exactly what happened in “All Summer in a Day”. In the story while everyone else is congregating by the window waiting for the sun to come out, Margot is by herself lonely and depressed. Ever since she got to Venus, the reader can tell that Margot wants to see the sun because she wrote a poem that says “I think the sun is a flower that blooms for just one hour.”(Bradbury 290) The constant rain is dampening her spirit and the fact that she has seen the sun before make her crave it even more. It is not only Margot’s emotions that have been affected by the setting. The children’s mood has also been changed because of Venus’ weather. While the weather made Margot dreary, it made the class more jealous. When Margot says “But this is the day, the scientists predict, they say, they know, the sun…” William, the bully says “All a joke! Hey, everyone, let’s put her in the closet before teacher comes!”(Bradbury 291) They pretend the sun not coming out and lock Margot in the closet because they think she is different plus she has an advantage that they don’t have. If they had seen the sun before or the sun came every week or so this situation could have been avoided. I hope that the readers of the story now know that your surroundings and the people around you can sometimes cause you to do the wrong thing. I am sure if the rest of the class did not follow William and did not let the setting affect them; they could have stood up for Margot and stopped William from locking her in the closet. Setting can be very important; it can even determine whether one will make a mistake or do something wrong. Your setting or the people around a person should not determine one’s actions. Like Margot, other people can be affected by their surroundings. “SAD” disorder (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year develop depressive symptoms during winter, spring, summer or autumn every year. “SAD” is one of many examples how one’s setting can affect their actions.

By Victoria Pennix

__I am from Easter Buns and Teddy Bears__

I am from dirty drool covered dog toys, dull bird feathers,

And red handle scissors. From miscellaneous mail and unfinished

Craft projects. There are ripped up elderly blankets stuffed in a cage,

And spread out paper plates with matching forks, knives and spoons.

I am from Mrs. Michel’s gorgeous arrangement of flowers and

Mrs. Wales’s spectacular holiday decorations.

From a legion of kids who play with grins reaching from cheek to cheek,

And the Raritan Bakery with a frenzy of sweets just down the block.

I am from curry goat, cranberry sauce with a hint of cinnamon,

And delectable cookies, brownies, cookie cakes and coconut drops.

From saltfish with ackee, floats, spicy curry chicken

And my grandma’s secret recipe, scrumptious Easter buns.

I am from fun games of Horse, throwing the ball on the roof.

From Hopscotch, Tag, and Basketball.

From lively games of Baseball darting around the bases, and

Bike riding up and down the hill racing one another.

I am from Aunty Andrea, who gives me mountains of books,

Baby Jordan pulling my brown curly hair and calling me Toria. From

Grandma spoiling us with candy, and my sister who never, ever stops talking.

My dad who lectures me and my mom who can sometimes be bossy, but still loves me.

I am from family and friends who love me and

The one place where all those memories are stored,

Is a scrawny, worn out and soft old teddy bear that reminds

Me of all those precious memories, that’s where I am from.

Victoria Pennix