ReadthefollowingextractfromRayBradbury’sshortstory,‘AllSummerinaDay’andanswerthequestions
that follow:
“Margot”
They stood as if someone had driven them like so many stakes into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked
away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each
other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down.
(i) Who is Margot?
How does the author describe her?
(ii) Who are ‘They”?
Where do they live?
Mention any one reality of the planet on which they live.
(iii) What two words would you use to describe what the children were experiencing in the above extract?
Why does the mention of Margot’s name affect them in this way?
(iv) What event had the children awaited eagerly that day?
What made this event special?
Why did this event mean so much to Margot in particular?
(v) What is the central theme of Bradbury’s story, ‘All Summer in a Day”? What important lesson have the
children learnt from this experience? Why do you suppose the story is said to end on a note of hope?
SECTION D
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)
POETRY
(Treasure Trove - A Collection of Poems and Short Stories)
Show SolutionHide Solution↓
(i) Margot is a nine year old girl whose family had
moved from Earth to Venus when she was four
years old.
The author describes Margot as a ‘very frail girl’
who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for
years. She looked very pale as if the rain had taken
the ‘blue from her eyes’, the red from her mouth,
and the yellow from her hair. The author also
describes her as an ‘old photograph’.
(ii) ‘They’ are the classmates of Margot. These children
live on planet Venus. One fact about planet Venus
is that it rains heavily throughout and the sun can
only be seen once in seven years.
(iii) The two words that describe what the children
were experiencing is remorse and guilty.
The mention of Margot’s name affect them because
they had locked her in the closet and so she could
not see the sun.
(iv) The children had eagerly waited to see the sun
that day. This event was special because on planet
Venus it always rained and only after seven years
sun could be seen. That day was the day when the
sun would appear for two hours.
This event meant so much to Margot in particular
because she remembers the warmth of the sun and
she has tried to explain to other children what sun
was like and what sunshine was. But the children
hardly believed her. So now when the sun would
appear the children will agree that whatever
Margot had told them about the sun was true.
(v) Thecentralthemeofthestory“AllSummerinaDay”
isjealousy,bullying,andisolation.Thestoryisabout
a group of children ostracizing and bullying a child
who doesn’t fit in. Margot, who moved to Venus
from Earth several years before, has real memories
of the sun, unlike her classmates who have seen
only constant rain. As sunlight is the experience
thatthechildrenonVenuscherishthemost,Margot
becomes a scapegoat for the children’s frustration
and longing. Their jealousy of her experiences leads
them to a profound act of cruelty, which suggests
that jealousy and deprivation, rather than outright
hatred, are the engines of bullying. The children
are jealous of Margot because, while they can only
speculate about what sunlight is like, Margot spent
her early childhood on Earth. As the classroom
prepares for Venus’ short period of sunlight,
Margot writes a clever poem about the sun. Because
only Margot remembers the sun. The children who
inflict great harm on Margot do so not because
they personally hate her, but because of a very real
sense of deprivation. Margot is unjustly tormented
for having seen the sun, but the children are also
intensely aware that she has access to the thing that
is most scarce and desirable to them. Ultimately, the
story shows that even extremely cruel bullying is
driven by more complicated motives than hatred
alone.
Since the children had always treated Margot
badly, they must have felt ashamed. The only
grounds of discrimination were because Margot
had actually seen the sun and the other children
hadn’t. Now, that they too had seen the sun, they
must have realised why Margot remained sad
and cut off from them. They must have regretted
locking her in the closet and must have felt guilty
that she alone had missed witnessing the sun. The
realisation that Margot had always been right and
they had been wrongly mistreating her must be
very strong among them.
The story is said to end on a note of hope because
the children towards the end realise that they have
treated Margot wrongly and bullied her. There is
a possibility that the children will become friends
with Margot and treat her well.
SECTION D