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Copywork
About This Passage
Captain Crewe is telling Miss Minchin how much his daughter loves to read. Burnett does not simply say Sara likes books; she gives a vivid picture and a memorable simile, comparing the small, well-mannered girl to a hungry 'little wolf' who 'gobbles' books down. Copying these two sentences lets a student study how a precise image and a surprising comparison make a character come alive, and it captures the hunger of mind that matters so much to Sara.
She is always sitting with her little nose burrowing into books. She doesn’t read them, Miss Minchin; she gobbles them up as if she were a little wolf instead of a little girl.
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell the story of Chapter 1. Which moments matter most, from Sara's arrival in foggy London to her goodbye with her father, and how do you know they are the ones that matter most?
Discussion Questions
- When Miss Minchin praises Sara as beautiful, Sara silently decides the headmistress 'is beginning by telling a story,' and the chapter later shows that Miss Minchin says the same thing to every parent. What does Sara's quick reading of this flattery suggest about her, and why might such a habit of mind matter for a girl living under Miss Minchin's care? Use the chapter's details to explain.
- Burnett often lets us hear Sara's private thoughts, such as her belief that she is plain or her sense that Miss Minchin is insincere, rather than only describing her from the outside. Why might the author choose to show us Sara's inner thoughts so directly, and what do we understand about her that we would otherwise miss? Use the chapter's details to explain.
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Vocabulary
Item 1
Strange and hard to explain or understand.
Item 2
Worth having or wanting very much.
Item 3
Very strong or deep in feeling.
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Critical Thinking
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