Goodnight Ms.

Tom (Malexander, Digor, Mossian,

Snabriel Hedvig, Dastor)

What theme do we find throughout the book?

What type of characters, static, dynamic, protagonist, antagonist, supporting characters, flat,
round? BASE YOUR DISCUSSION ON EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT

76 pages per session.

Session 1, Wednesday week 39.
Läs till kapitel 6

Session 2, Wednesday week 41

Läs till 157 kapitel 13

Session 3, Wednesday week 43

Läs till 227 kapitel 18

Session 4, Wednesday week 45, book finished

Läs ut, till 304

Vocabulary:
Adamant = Orubblig
Low peg = Undervalued
Mackintosh- raincape
Hem – edge of something
Unperturbed - unbothered
Prepare for each session:
- Read your set pages
- Choose a quote to discuss
- Collect useful vocabulary
- Prepare a discussion question

Today, 12/10/22, we discuss:

- Setting
The atmosphere painted can be described as dense, in the sense of a heavy, restraining
environment. We’re currently embossed with the war, preparing with shelters, hanging
up cloth by the windows, anxiously waiting for a German invasion.
- Tom contrasts the enclosing and restraining British countryside with his reassuring
and protecting of Willie. Overall, this creates a quite calm bond between the two,
despite not knowing each other very well. For example: Willie messing up doesn’t end
up in a “lecturing”, rather Tom takes care of the scared boy.

How is the setting important to the story?

- The “stiff” nature of the setting creates a tension within the storytelling, later on
uncovering/supporting actual tensions within the story as supposed to only the general
setting. (berättarstilen)
How does the language (dialogue, descriptions, sentence complexity, dialects, literary
devices) influence story and the reader’s experience?
- The book is written in third person, but there’s a good balance between telling and
dialogue. We get the inside perspective of the characters while also maintaining the
overall narrative.
- Unique words: perched (balanserade), range (spis), grange (lantgård), reveries
(dagdrömmar), vicar (kyrkoherde), corduroy (Manchester material), haversack
(ryggsäck),
- Concrete examples/quotes: “Bag of bones, aren’t they” (simile/symbolism)

26/10/22

One major conflict of the book is between Willie and his mother. She wants him to return to
London. Upon returning we get to see how his mother treats him and how different Willie has
become regarding confidence and well-being. Willie has discovered himself and his mom
feels like its infringing upon her authority. “Su’enly, naw, when his Mo’a referred to him as
Willie it was as though she was talking to someone else. He felt like two people. He knew she
wouldn’t accept the Will side of him, only the Willie, and he didn’t feel real when she called
him that.”

This drives the plot forward since it pushes Tom to go to London to find Willie. He returns to
Weirworld after having been taken care of by Tom and the hospital.

Vocabulary:
Prompter – anstiftare
Towered – tornar upp sig
Parcel – paket
Jarmers – pyjamas

9/11/23

Quotes

“The tales he had heard about evacuees didn’t seem to fit Willie. ‘ungrateful’ and ‘wild’ were
the adjectives he had heard used or just plain ‘homesick. He was quite unprepared for this
timid specimen.” (p.19)

“Willie stroked him. His fur felt silky and soft. Sammy gave his fingers a long lick. ‘E likes
you, see. When he licks you that’s his way of sayin’ “I likes you and you makes me happy”.
‘Willie held his hand out stiffly while Sammy lathered it with his tongue. (p.22)

“Wizard! Caloo Callay!” (p.83)

“Wrapped up in tissue paper were a pencil, a rubber and a sharpener. Something was carved
at the end of the pencil. It looked familiar. He traced it slowly with his finger. ‘William
Beech’. (p.110)

“Me mum ses that theatres and pitcher houses are dens of sin” (p.120)
“Oh, I dunno, said Tom. He’s changed quite a bit in these last few weeks. So has you and all,
thought Mrs. Fletcher.”

Vocabulary:
Grinned: “The strange boy grinned and wiped it on the seat of his shorts” - flinade. grin- flin
Dull: “He stared out at the graveyard. It was a dull day” - not interesting or exciting in any way.
boring.
Perturbed: “, asked Tom, a little perturbed at so many dramatic entrances in one evening”
Leapt: “Willie leapt out of bed” - To make a large jump or sudden movement, usually from
one place to another
Persuaded: “When he had finished his chores he sat down at the table and copied out `I am
William Beech´ over and over again until Tom, after much effort, finally persuaded him to go for a
run and exercise Sammy” - to make someone do or believe something by giving them a
good reason to do it
Parcels: In the center stood jam jar with flowers in it and surrounding Willie´s place were parcels
and envelopes. - an object or collection of objects wrapped in paper, especially so that it can
be sent by post
Declared: It was a shame that there where nothing from the boy´s mother, but then it was only
Thursday and perhaps since war had been declared the post was being delayed. - a
declared fact is one that someone has publicly said or admitted:
Plunging: Yeh. They got pockets too´, he said, plunging hos hand deep into them. -
dropping suddenly or having a shape that drops a long way down
Agony: It would save the agony of trying to write letters and Tom thought it would be a good
opportunity for Willie to meet them. - physical or mental pain or suffering.
Pulpit: He was conscious only of the pulpit and his sketchpad. a raised place in a church,
with steps leading up to it, from which the priest or minister speaks to the people during
a religious ceremony.

We discussed and reached the conclusion that “family” seems fitting for the theme. Motives
driving the plot and theme include abuse, the countryside-city dichotomy,