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Copywork
About This Passage
Kate DiCamillo grants Mercy a small interior negotiation in four sentences. The narrowing of the eyes is the visible sign of an internal calculation. The 'slowly, very slowly' is the sign of a creature giving up something she wants for something she wants more. This is rational deliberation in miniature.
Mercy narrowed her eyes. She loved hot buttered toast. She also loved extra helpings. Slowly, very slowly, she moved over to the passenger side.
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Summarize the chapter and explain what Kate DiCamillo wants you to notice about how Mercy decides.
Discussion Questions
- Force (Mr. Watson pushing) does not move Mercy. Persuasion (Mrs. Watson's toast offer) does. What is Kate DiCamillo claiming about the kind of creature Mercy is — and about the difference between force and persuasion in general?
- Mercy 'narrows her eyes' and moves 'slowly, very slowly.' These are gestures of weighing, not just feeling. Aristotle distinguishes appetite (orexis) from rational deliberation (bouleusis). Is Kate DiCamillo giving Mercy something closer to deliberation than to mere appetite?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
the act of weighing options before deciding
Item 2
convincing through reason or offer rather than force
Item 3
physical pushing; the opposite of persuasion
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Critical Thinking
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