Critical Appreciation of the Story All Summer in a Day The story entitled ‘All Summer in A Day’ written by Ray Bradbury, is set on the planet Venus, where the sun shines for only one hour once every seven years. Ray Bradbury wrote this story in March 1954 in a science fiction magazine. In this story, Bradbury reflects how children act today towards one another by discriminating those who are different. In the story, the characters are on Veuns to set up civilization and live out their lives. It is only Margot who had come on Venus five years ago from Earth, rest others had been on Venus all their lives. The story does not tell us the reason of their immigration from Earth to Venus despite the incessant rain. In the story, the waiter wants to convey that the power of the sun over the children living on Venus is notable. They are pale and colourless. The lack of the sun has washed away their compassion and consideration and empathy for other people. They do not regain this until the sun reappears. The sun is life-giving for the landscape as well as the inhabitants of Venus. As the story…

Theme of the Story All Summer in a Day In the story ‘All Summer in A Day’, there is the theme of the darkness of the unenlightened mind. As the children who had lived on Venus most of their lives, had not seen the sun. They were limited to their perspectives. For this reason they resented Margot’s little verse that was superior to theirs. They even accused her of not having written these lines : ‘I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour. Further, in the darkness of their mind, they hated Margot for her memory of the experience of the heat and colour of the sun, an experience that they (the children) were too young to remember because they came to Venus sooner than she. When the day arrived for the sun’s appearance after seven years, one cruel boy pretended that it was not the day that the sun came out. He declared that nothing was going to happen. In the absence of the teacher who would correct the boy, the others went along with him. The cruel boy seized her and the others assisted him in putting Margot into a dark closet. They…

All Summer in a Day Summary by Ray Douglas Bradbury The story ‘All Summer in a Day’ is a science fiction. It is set on the planet Venus. In the story, the real and fantastic details have been combined. Ray Bradbury wrote this story in March 1954 in a science fiction magazine. In his fictitious description of the planet Venus, the writer tells us that Venus is a planet where it rains constantly except for one hour after every seven years, when the sun appears. The idea of incessant rain on a planet for seven years is a fantastical element, which is not possible on earth and may not be the case with planet Venus either. As the story has been set in a different planet, there is constant reference to scientists and their predictions regarding sun. The characters in the story are on Venus to set up civilization and live out their lives. It is only margot who had come on Venus five years ago from Earth. Rest others had been on Veuns all their lives. The story does not tell us the reason for their immigration from Earth to Venus despite the incessant rain. In the story, the…

Treasure Trove Short Storie Workbook Answers All Summer in a Day All Summer in a Day Questions and Answers Extract Based Question 1. “Ready?” “Ready” “Now?” “Soon.” “Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it?” “Look, look; see for yourself.” The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. It rained. (a) Where is the story ‘All Summer in A Day ’ set ? Why did the children living on the planet Venus seem to be happy ? Answer: The story ‘All Summer in A Day’ is set on the planet where the sun shines for only one hour once every seven years. The children were happy because they had heard from the scientists that the sun was going to appear for a short period. (b) Why were the characters sent on the planet Venus ? Who came later on Venus and when ? Answer: The characters were sent on the planet Venus to set up civilization and live out their lives. It was Margot who had come on Venus five years ago from Earth. (c) How has the writer depicted the planet…

Character Sketch of Margot’s Classmates in All Summer in a Day The Antagonists Support: The Children Margot and Willian are the only named characters in the story while the rest students in the classroom are referred to as the children. These children speak the voice of Willian. They are wholly motivated by Willian’s words and thoughts. They blindly follow him and never try to ask him any question. By following William blindly, they do not consider the impact their actions might have on their own feelings. They are creatures of the moment and they experience enjoyment and displeasure according to the nature of the strongest stimulus in front of them. The revelation of Children’s Outer Characterization In the story, the children have been depicted as a collective character, sharing the same wishes and fears. Their outer characterization reveals that they are the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a rainy world to set up civilization and live out their lives. Although they are not individualized, we can easily assume that they look pale because they have spent almost all their lives without the sun. The revelation of Their Inner Characterization Regarding inner characterization, the children…

Character Sketch of Teacher in All Summer in a Day Her Playing Insignificant Role In the story, the teacher who is an unnamed character does not have any significant role. She performs the role of teacher but does not seem to be aware of a teacher’s duties and responsibilities. She is not efficient to maintain discipline in the class. She is not so much strict towards her students as she should be. It is right to say that the teacher should be liberal and friendly towards his or her students, but it is absolutely wrong not to intervene in any chaotic situation among the student. The Inaccessible Authority The teacher is neither named nor described by Bradbury, making her more of a token outside authority than a true part of the children’s world. She performs the teacher’s duties, reprimanding William for being cruel to Margot, but only in a limited capacity. This is why William crosses all the limits of a tyrannical attitude and succeeds in ruling over the minds of the other children. He begins to fill his own thoughts in their minds. He creates a chaotic situation among the students against Margot. The teacher does not see or…

Character Sketch of William (One of Margot’s Classmates) in All Summer in a Day Introduction William who is the antagonist of the story is the main bully. He is a boy without feelings and emotions. He is the leader of the children. Whatever he asks the children to do, they follow him. He enjoys suppressing the weak and gloomy girl, Margot who remains silent and does not oppose him whenever he tortures her. He might be said to fuel the feelings of the rest of the children and the one who encourages his classmates to move on. He may be acting from a sense of jealousy and inability to understand Margot. He speaks to her harshly and shoves her, encouraging other students to treat her in the same cruel manner. His Being Dishonest and Bossy William tells Margot that nothing special is going to happen the day the sun would appear. He makes sure that the others begin to agree with him as well. He acts as if he is a leader. However, he is a bad leader. He likes to order people around especially Margot. He does not treat her like the others. He makes the children turn against…

Character Sketch of Margot in All Summer in a Day Introduction Margot is the protagonist of the story ‘All Summer in A Day. She has been presented as a frail girl. She has come from the Earth five years back and she is now nine as her classmates. On the planet Venus, she finds herself unable to adapt to the conditions of Venus where it had been remaining continuously for seven years, without the appearance of the sun. She likes to live in a secluded state. She does not like the company of other children as she thinks that they, without having knowledge about the sun, are orthodox. She feels highly dejected in the glum and gray atmosphere of the planet Venus. As she comes from the Earth to live on the planet Venus, she is able to preserve the memories of the sun. Whenever she feels sad she recalls her life on the Earth where the sun greets with its golden rays. The Impact of the Atmosphere of Venus on her Physical Appearance and Mental Strength The constant rain on planet Venus makes an intense impact on her physical appearance. It seems as if the rain has washed out…

Character Sketch of Luz Long in My Greatest Olympic Prize Introduction Luz Long was a tall German athlete. He was a talented athlete. He was a rival of Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympic Games which were held in Berlin, Germany. He was a trump card in the Olympic Meet that year with whom Hitler wanted to prove the racial superiority of Aryans. He was a true embodiment of sportsmanship. He was a good human being. He appreciated the talent. Though he knew that Jesse was his opponent in the competition, he did not hesitate to advise him in qualifying for the trials. His Physical Traits and His Not Believing in Hitler’s Theory Luz was an inch taller than Jesse. He had a lean muscular frame. He had clear blue eyes. He had blond hair. His face was chiseled. In addition, he was strikingly handsome. Luz Long, though trained in the Nazi youth school, evidently did not possess the sly characteristics of Nazis. His Spirit of A True Sportsman and A Man of Golden Heart Luz Long’s leader, Hitler had brought him to take part in the Olympics to win. Long, though knowing the pressure on him, had not lost…

Character Sketch of Jesse Owens in My Greatest Olympic Prize Introduction Jesse Owens was a great short-distance runner and an Olympic Champion. He was an African-American athlete. He participated in the 1936 Olympic Games and won four gold medals in the hundred and two hundred metre races, the broad jump, and the four hundred metre relay. Though he was a world-renowned athlete, he was very humble and down to earth. His Practising Hard to Win the Medal Jesse Owens seemed to be firmly determined to participate and win the medal in the 1936 Olympic Games. Though he knew that Adolf Hitler believed in Aryan Superiority theory and thought that his German athletes belonged to a master’s race and they would perform better than other participants in the 1936 Olympic Games, he (Jesse) wanted to break Hitler’s theory. So, he trained, sweated, and disciplined himself for six years with the games in mind. He had already made a world record in the long jump just in the last year, so he expected to win the medal easily this time. His Making Fouls Due to Anger and Hatred In the beginning, Jesse seemed to be a very calm and relaxed athlete. He…

Character Sketch of Sibia in The Blue Bead Introduction Sibia is a twelve years old girl. She lives in the vicinity of the forests. She belongs to a very poor family. She is an immature child-woman who passes a struggle some life of hardships. Due to belonging to a poor family, she owns no materialistic possession but a rag. She is an undernourished girl. She remains half-starved. She cherishes a dream of having beads for making necklaces. Her dream comes to be true at the end of the story when she encounters a crocodile. She saves a Gujar woman from the grip of the crocodile by piercing its eyes with her hayfork. While collecting her things, she gets the blue bead from the water and she picks it up and keeps it to herself. Sibia has been shown as a girl of strong willpower and determination. Her Utter Poverty As Sibia is bom in utter poverty, she can not desire of having any materialistic possession. She does not have good finery. She dresses in earth-coloured rag. She has tom the rag in two to make a skirt and sari. Besides it, whenever she goes to the bazaar with her family,…

Character Sketch of The Little Match Girl Introduction The little match girl is a major character of the story because the whole story revolves around her. She is a dynamic character. She is an embodiment of suffering, poverty, and hunger. The utter poverty of his family deprives her of her childhood. When she should be at her home on such bitter cold and enjoy New Year’s Eve, she is asked by her cruel father to sell the matches. Her tenderness is crushed by the cruel behaviour of her father. Her dreams and desires remain unfulfilled. She longs for love but in vain. Ultimately she dies due to severe cold and gets rid of this world of inhumanity. A Match Seller On a terribly cold and dark evening i.e., the last evening of the year, the little poor girl is sent by her father to sell matches. She walks bareheaded and barefoot through the streets in the cold weather to find customers for her matches. .Throughout the day as she is not being able to sell anything she does not to go home to get scolded by her father. Her Suffering and Poverty The girl belongs to one such poor family…