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Copywork
About This Passage
This is the book's first full paragraph, and it rewards close attention: an appositive ('wrapped in an old patchwork quilt') folded into a long opening sentence, vivid verbs ('tossing,' 'scudded,' 'ripped'), and 'wraithlike shadows' that turn weather into something almost alive. Copying it trains the eye for how L'Engle uses syntax and diction to press the storm's unease onto the reader before Meg's troubles are even named (criteria A, B, and C).
In her attic bedroom Margaret Murry, wrapped in an old patchwork quilt, sat on the foot of her bed and watched the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind. Behind the trees clouds scudded fr...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Summarize this chapter, then explain what you think L'Engle most wanted the reader to notice or feel. What techniques did she use to achieve that effect?
Discussion Questions
- Meg calls herself 'dumb' and a 'monster,' but this chapter also shows real failure, anger, and loyalty in her. How accurate is her judgment of herself at this point in the story? Defend your reading with evidence from the chapter, then answer the strongest objection to it.
- L'Engle keeps us very close to Meg's perceptions in this chapter. How does that point of view shape the way we read Mrs Whatsit and the events around her, and where might it lead us to judge too quickly? Support your analysis with specific moments from the chapter, and explain why this narrative choice matters.
+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
A young person who repeatedly breaks rules or the law — the harsh word Meg pins on herself.
Item 2
Set far apart from other people or places, like the Murrys' house on its back road.
Item 3
A sense of balance that avoids extremes — what Mrs. Murry teases Meg for lacking.
+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 6 more questions in the complete study guide
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