The Countess and the Impossible

The Countess and the Impossible

Richard Y. Thurman

Theme: "Always want to do the best job possible."

Text Evidence: "It was the five dollar job I had to do not the four dollar one."

Summary: When the Countess offers a boy a job to mow her lawn. She lets him rate himself on his job and how much he should get paid on a scale from one to five dollars. She makes  the five dollar job seem impossible. With this goal soon set the boy does the "impossible".

Characters: The boy and the Countess.

Setting: A small town in Utah.

Conflict: Character v.s. self

Figurative Language: Metaphor.

Point of View: First person

Text Evidence: "I didn't dare not come on that next Thursday."

Being a Public Character

Being a Public Character

(as told by the dog)

Don Marquis

Theme: "Fame can change your life"

Text Evidence:  "And the next day I had bit that lion and was a Public character, and fame came so sudden I scarcely knew how to act."

Summary: Spot was a normal dog till one day he just happens to mistake a lion for a dog and bites it. Spot's life changes the fame gets to his head. Soon him and his boy are being picked on. Then when a house catches on fire Spot's inside! He grabs what he thinks to be his boys sweater to take it to him when it turns out to be a baby. Resulting for Spot to thus again become a Public character.

Characters: Spot, Freckles, Doc Watson, Henie Hassenyager, Mutt Milligan, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkin, three Wilkin girls, and the Wilkin twins.

Conflict: Character v.s. society.

Significant Literary Device: Amplification

Point of View: First person.

Text Evidence: "My daily hope was that I could live up to it all."

The Right Kind of People

The Right Kind of People

Edwin Markham

Theme: "The people's attitudes you surround yourself with are reflections of your own attitude."

Text Evidence: "What sort?" the packman scowled; "why knaves and fools."

"What sort?" the pilgrim smiled and lifted head; "Good true, and wise."

Summary:  Once there was three man a packman, wise man, and a pilgrim. Both the packman and the pilgrim asked the wise man what the city they were about to travel into was like. The wise man asked both what the city they left was like. The packman with a scowl replied "why knaves and fools." The pilgrim replied with a smile "Good, true, and wise." The wise man replied to both "You'll find the people here the same.

Characters: Packman, wise man, and pilgrim.

Setting: Under a palm tree near a city.

Conflict: person v.s. society

Figurative Language: Assonance

Point of View: Third person.

Text Evidence: "What sort?" the pilgrim smiled and lifted head; "Good true, and wise."

Nothing Ever Happens

Nothing Ever Happens

Dorthy Canfield Fisher

Theme: "Actions speak louder than words."

Text Evidence: "-almost as if one action could make a natural channel along which other actions like it could flow more easily."

Summary: Mrs. Hunter lives near the top of a mountain in Vermont. She stays out of public afraid of humiliation because of her being half Indian. When Great-Grandmother hears this she's determined to make a new friend and invites her to church. Mrs.Hunter shows up Sunday with her best clothes but with an apron over them. To help her not be humiliated Great-grandmother quickly takes her daughter and grand daughter and puts aprons over there clothes to.

Characters: Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, Aunt, Mr. Hunter, and Mrs. Hunter.

Setting: The green mountains of Vermont.

Conflict: Person v.s. society.

Significant Literary Devices: Amplification

Point of View: Third person.

Text Evidence: "My aunt who was Great-Grandmother's granddaughter, and who was the little girl on the front porch that day, used to tell me, when I was a little girl, about what happened next.

The Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:29-37

Theme: "God looks in the heart.

Text Evidence: "And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou like wise."

Summary: Jesus told this story. It is about a man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. The man was attacked by robbers and left half dead. A certain priest saw him but passed on the other side of the road. A Levite soon came and passed like the priest did. Then came a Samaritan he cleaned the mans wounds the put him on his own beast. He took him to an inn and took care of him. He left the owner with two pence,and a promise to back any extra expanses.

Characters: Priest, Levite, Traveler, and the Samaritan.

Setting: A road from Jerusalem to Jericho.

Conflict: Person v.s. person.

Figurative language: Parable.

Point of View: Third person.

Text Evidence: "And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him he passed by on the other side."

The Adventure of the Three Students.

The Adventure of the Three Students

Arthur Conan Doyle

Theme: "The truth will find it's way out.

Text Evidence: "The unfortunate young man staggered back, and cast a look of horror and reproach at Bannister.

"No,no,Mr. Gilchrist,sir, I never said a word-never one word!" cried the servant. "No,but you have now," said Holmes"

Summary: When Mr. Gilchrist copies the examination for a prized scholarship, he thought he got away with it until Sherlock Holmes was called. Gilchrist was safe until his servant accidentally gave him away.

Characters: Hilton Soames, Bannister, Gilchrist, Daulat Ras, Miles McLaren, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Setting: Unnamed English University in 1895.

Conflict: Person v.s. person.

Figurative Language: Metaphor. 

Point of View: First Person

Text Evidence: "It was the year '95 that a combination of events, into which I need not enter, caused Mr. Sherlock Holmes and myself to spend some weeks in one of our great University towns, and it was during this time that the small but instructive adventure which I am about to relate befell us."

Doc Bracket

Doc Brackett

Damon Runyon

Theme: "People love kind hearted souls, unless they have a sour soul themself."

Text Evidence: "He was supposed to marry Miss Elvira Cromwell, the daughter of old Junius Cromwell, the banker, but on the day the wedding was supposed to take place Doc Brakett got a call to go out into the country and doctor a Mexican child."

Summary: This story is about Doc Bracket and some of his noble acts in life. How he got his own wedding canceled to help a sick child. It also shows how Doc Brackett's death showed how "famous" he was with one of the biggest funerals the town had ever had. How how some of his patients couldn't afford a tomb stone but still found a way to honor him. 

Characters: Doc Brackett, the Hispanic family, Miss Elvira Cromwell, Junuis Cromwell, and George Gruber.

Setting: Doc Brackett's office, and graveyard.

Conflict: Person v.s. Society. Even though most people loved Doc Brackett some questioned his judgment.

Significant Literary Devices: Amplification.

Point of View: Third person

Text Evidence: "Doc Bracket didn't have black whiskers."