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Copywork
About This Passage
Mrs. Murry says this to Meg the morning after the storm, when Meg is still hoping Mrs. Whatsit’s visit was only a dream. L’Engle makes the move with deceptively plain sentences: a short, hard idea — that something can be real even when you cannot understand it — sits quietly inside what is really a mother’s apology. Notice how the simple, declarative rhythm carries a difficult thought, then softens into ‘I’m sorry I showed you I was upset.’ Copying it slowly trains the ear to hear how a serious claim and an honest feeling can share the same breath. Criteria A, B, C, and D.
“No, Meg. Don’t hope it was a dream. I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be . I’m sorry I showed you I was up...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the events of Chapter 2 in order, from Meg waking up the morning after the storm through the visit to the haunted house. Include at least three specific moments from the chapter.
Discussion Questions
- Mrs. Murry tells Meg that 'you don't have to understand things for them to be,' while Mr. Jenkins points to a year of silence from her father as if that settles the matter. Both adults seem genuinely concerned about Meg, so why do their ideas about what she should believe pull in opposite directions, and what does the gap between them reveal about the kind of evidence each adult actually trusts?
- Charles Wallace says he keeps quiet at school so the other kids 'won't hate me quite so much,' but in the very same scene he studies Calvin with what the text calls an 'almost glazed look' and then decides to trust him. Why does he hide from the crowd while showing Calvin his real self, and what does that contrast tell us about how he decides when it is safe to stop hiding?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
Without meaning to; by accident rather than intention.
Item 2
An irresistible urge to do something, even when you can't fully explain why.
Item 3
Expecting immediate obedience and not allowing for argument or delay.
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Critical Thinking
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