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Copywork
About This Passage
This passage is worth slow study because of how Peterson uses a tiny grammatical irregularity — the repeated 'when they' — to convey a father's anxiety without naming it. A smoother version would have had Mr. Little say 'when they come' once, cleanly. Peterson instead lets Mr. Little stumble, because stumbling is what nervous people actually do. The reader hears the fear in the rhythm rather than in any adjective.
'When they, oh when they come, be careful of that light switch, Tom,' said Mr. Little. 'Likely as not, the first thing they'll do is turn on the whole light.'
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the chapter, then identify the single sentence that best captures Mr. Little's state of mind during the long wait. Defend your choice.
Discussion Questions
- Chapter 3 is entirely about waiting. No plot event occurs until the very end (when Mr. Little hears a noise). Why does Peterson devote an entire chapter to preparation without action?
- Mr. Little takes Tom with him to the lookout, and they wait together all day. Is this a father-son bonding moment, a practical teaching moment, or a strategic choice to have a second set of eyes? Make a case for one.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
the close watching of someone or something, often without their knowledge — a form of power exercised through observation
Item 2
relating to or produced by anticipation — the mental state of waiting for something that has not yet arrived
Item 3
a deviation from expected pattern, which in prose or speech can carry meaning that smooth regularity cannot
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Critical Thinking
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