Christmas Morning - from Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott (Roots)
Start Here
Look at the things given below and sort them into 'needs' and 'wants'. Which of these are necessary? Which of these are nice to have but not essential?
=
|
‘needs’ |
‘wants’ |
|---|---|
|
Clean water, clean air, education, medical care,
nutritious food. |
Junk foods, holidays, mobile phone, designer
clothes. |
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. The lesson uses pictures to tell us a story. Given below is a summary of all the main events from the story. Write numbers from 1 to 7 in the boxes to show the correct order in which they take place.
❐ On Christmas Eve, the four sisters are sad because their family cannot afford presents, and their father is away at war. [1]
❐ On Christmas morning, Marmee asks her daughters if they would like to give their breakfast to the Hummels, a family who are in need of a good meal more than them. [3]
❐ The March family spend a lovely time with the Hummels, and head home. [5]
❐ Marmee tells them that their neighbour, Mr Laurence, is a very kind and generous man. He saw the girls' kind deed and decided to reward them. [7]
❐ The family makes their way over to the Hummels with their packed breakfast. [4]
❐ When they reach home, the family is surprised to find a much fancier meal waiting for them. They wonder who could have sent them this food. [6]
❐ Marmee comes home and reads them a loving letter from their father. The sisters realize they have been acting selfish. [2]
2. Write True or False against each statement based on your reading of the story.
a. The children's father at the war.
= True.
b. The children did not receive any Christmas presents.
= True.
c. The family had milk and bread for breakfast on Christmas day.
= False.
d. The children were surprised by what Mr Laurence did.
= True.
Reference to context
3. "I know they will remember all I said to them, that they will be loving children to you, will do their duty faithfully, that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women."
a. Who says these lines?
= The father of the four girls says these lines in his letter.
b. What could be the 'duties' that the children are supposed to be doing?
= The children are supposed to be doing the 'duties' to their family. Those could be doing the household chores. Those could be taking care of their mother.
c. Who is being referred to as 'little women'? What does the last line tell us about the speaker?
= The four girls - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are referred to as 'little women'.
The last line tells us that the father is very much affectionate towards his daughters. He misses them. He loves them unconditionally. He inspires and cheers them as he knows that his daughters are living life in poor condition.
4. "There is noting to eat; and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?"
a. Who says these lines? What does it tell us about them?
= Marmee - the mother of the four girls, says these lines.
It tells us that they are very much helpful and compassionate towards their neighbours who are in need. They are ready to sacrifice their slightest fortune for the betterment of their poorer neighbour. They have golden hearts and pure souls.
b. What is the girls' answer to this question?
= The girls were unusually hungry. They were waiting nearly an hour to have their breakfast. They spoke nothing for a minute. And then they set to work, packing the food for their neighbours.
Reflect and write
5. The girls agree to give the Christmas breakfast to the Hummels, even though they were sighing about being poor earlier in the story. Go back and look at the pictures on page 43. Can you see them making this decision? Write about it.
= The girls were waiting for their mother to come and join them at breakfast. They were unusually hungry. Then their mother came and told them about Hummels. Mother asked them to give their breakfast to the Hummels as a Christmas present. For a minute, the girls did not speak anything. This shows that they have their pangs of hunger which they can not deny. It is a biological need.
Yet, on the other hand, they have golden hearts with immense compassion for their neighbour. This made them agree with their mother's proposal at the next moment. They set to work, packing the food for their neighbour. Amy exclaimed that she is glad that Marmee came before they started eating. Unless they could not give their food to Hummels.
Their mother said that she had the belief that her daughters would do it according to her wish. Marmee had the confidence in her daughters' upbringing with her moral values. They were soon read and set out for the Hummels with the food.
6. Do you agree that the spirit of sharing and caring for those less fortunate than us can lead to happiness?
= Yes, I do agree that the spirit of sharing and caring of those less fortunate than us can lead to happiness. The is the godly feeling. It has the double happiness in sharing than in getting or in taking. Sharing and caring is the most blessed action in this world. If we help someone in need, he becomes happy. His happiness returns us good vibes which make us happier.
7. What is the main lesson that the author is conveying through this story? Write about it in connection to the idea of 'needs and wants'.
= The author is conveying the lesson of being compassionate. She is making us realize that we are blessed with the things of our minimum needs. There are people in this world who less fortunate than us. They do not have the opportunity to fulfil their daily basic needs.
We need food to live but we should not live to eat. None would die in lack of junk food or designer clothes. There are people who are less fortunate to gather their daily food and drinks. We should feel how fortunate we are to have a roof over our head, to have healthy food, to get the opportunity of quality education.
We should value these things. We should be compassionate enough to try to share and care for those unfortunate people at our level best. We should be aware of the difference between 'needs' and 'wants'. We can live without junk food, holidays, mobile phone and designer clothes. But we can not live without clean water, clean air, education, medical care and nutritious food.
About the Author :
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), was an American novelist and poet. Alcott supported her family by working as a domestic help, a teacher and later, a nurse. She published poems and short stories under different pen names in the early stages of her career. Alcott gained popularity only after the great success of her novel, Little Women. Her other acclaimed works are Little Men and Jo's Boys.