The Whispering Palms
by Deepa Gangwani and Tina Suchanek (Mulberry)
Which child catches the fish? Follow the lines and find out.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. This events that happen in the play make up the plot. Write the events of the day in the order they happened.
a. Mori goes to school.
b. Mori is happy to see her mother making soap and oil.
c. Mori goes to the lake.
d. Mori hears her parents talking at night.
Reference to context
2. "Mother (laughing) What a funny idea, Mori. It's time for school. Off you go!"
a. Why does Mori's mother laugh?
= Mori's mother laughed at Mori's idea that if they caught so many fish, one day there would not be any fish left.
b. What does Mori do before she goes to school?
= Mori goes to the lake with her father for fishing before she goes to school.
c. Which word is the opposite of 'serious'?
= The opposite of the word 'serious' is 'funny'.
3. "Narrator : Suddenly she woke up and called Mori's father."
a. Who is the narrator speaking about?
= The narrator is speaking about Mori's mother.
b. Where is the person sleeping? What time was it?
= The person is sleeping under the trees.
It was noon.
c. What had the person being doing before she fell asleep?
= The person was washing the clothes on a stone near the lake.
Read, reflect and write
4. Is Mori a helpful girl? How can you tell?
= Yes, Mori is a helpful girl.
She goes to the lake in the morning with her father to help him in fishing. She rescues the turtles who got stuck in her father's net. She wanted to pluck more coconuts for her mother to make soap and oil.
5. How do we know that Mori is kind to animals?
= Mori used to rescue the turtles who got stuck in her father's net while fishing. This shows that Mori is kind to animals.
6. Why is the play titled 'The Whispering Palms'?
= The palm leaves whispered to Mori's mother in her dreams. The palm leaves whispered that the waters and the land had always took care of their family but then they had to take care of them in return. This is the turning point of the play. That is why the play titled 'The Whispering Palms'.
7. How do the waters and the land take care of you?
= Water is our life. We can not live without water. We drink water. We need water for washing, bathing, farming, etc. We live on land. We produce crops on land.
8. What can you do to take care of the waters and the land in return?
= We should stop water pollution. We should stop soil erosion. We should plant more trees. We should not cut trees. We should use less plastic.