Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 10 Notes All Summer in a Day 

Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 10 Notes All Summer in a Day – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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About the Author

Ray Douglas Bradbury (22 August 1920 – 5 June 2012) was an American fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction author. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and for the science fiction and horror stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles (1950) and The Illustrated Man (1951), Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th- and 21st-century American genre writers. He wrote and consulted on many screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works have been adapted into comic books, television shows, and films.

Ray Bradbury was born on 22 August 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois, to Esther Bradbury, a Swedish immigrant, and Leonard Spaulding Bradbury, a power and telephone lineman of English descent. He was given the middle name “Douglas,” after the actor Douglas Fairbanks. An aunt read him short stories when he was a child. This period provided foundations for both the author and his stories. The Bradbury eventually settled in Los Angeles in 1934, when Bradbury was 14. Bradbury—who was in love with Hollywood— was ecstatic.

Bradbury was a reader and writer throughout his youth. He knew as a young boy that he was “going into one of the arts.” In 1931, at the age of eleven, young Ray began writing his own stories. In his youth, he spent much time in the Carnegie library in Waukegan, reading such authors as H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Edgar Allan Poe. At age twelve, Bradbury began writing traditional horror stories and said he tried to imitate Poe until he was about eighteen. In Beverly Hills, he often visited the science fiction writer Bob Olsen for mentorship as well as friendship while Bradbury was a teenager. They shared ideas and would keep in contact.

Ray Bradbury was free to start a career in writing when, owing to his bad eyesight, he was rejected admission into the military during World War II. Bradbury sold his first story, “The Lake”, for $13.75 at the age of twenty-two

It was in UCLA’s Powell Library, in a study room with typewriters for rent, that Bradbury wrote his classic story of a book-burning future, The Fireman, which was about 25,000 words long. Bradbury was once described as a “Midwest surrealist” and is often labelled a science fiction writer

About the Story

This story is set on the planet Venus, where the sun shines for only two hours once every seven years. It opens on the day that the sun is due to make its appearance once again. Margot and the other children in her school on Venus are nine years old. “All Summer in a Day” is a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury, first published in the March 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Plot

Only two things happen in terms of plot: the sun comes out and Margot, who longs so deeply to see it, is locked away in a closet by the other children. The rest is the longing mood Bradbury evokes.

1. Introduction: The story is about a class of schoolchildren on Venus, which in this story is a world of constant rainstorms, where the Sun is only visible for two hours every seven years.
2. Conflict: One of the children, Margot, moved to Venus from Earth five years earlier, and she is the only one in her class to remember sunshine, since the Sun shone regularly on Earth. She describes the Sun as “a penny”, or “like a fire in the stove”, and the other children, being too young ever to have seen it themselves, do not believe her. She is bullied and ostracized by the other students and is locked in a closet down a tunnel.
3. Climax: As the Sun is about to appear, their teacher arrives to take the class outside to enjoy their two hours of sunshine and, in their astonishment and joy, they all forget about Margot. They run, play, skip, jump, and prance about, savouring every second of their newly found freedom. “It’s much better than sun lamps!” one of them cries.
4. Rising action: Suddenly, a girl catches a raindrop in her hands. Thunder sounds, and they start to cry and run back inside. At this point one of them remembers Margot, who is still locked in the closet. Ashamed, they let her out of the closet, standing frozen, embarrassed over what they had done, and unable to “meet each other’s glances.”
5. Conclusion: The precious Sun had come and gone and, because of their despicable act, Margot, who loved the Sun the most, had missed it.

Theme

The theme for “All Summer in a Day” is bullying and jealousy. Kids, and people alike, can be so mean when they are confronted with someone different than their current understanding or when they are jealous. Margot had known what the sun looked and felt like when she lived on Earth; but, the children of Venus who get to see the sun for two hours once every seven years could not relate to her experience

Highlights of Speech/or Summary

In “All Summer in a Day,” a group of schoolchildren live on the planet Venus with their families. They are nine years old, and they are eagerly awaiting a momentous occasion. After 5 years of continuous rain, the scientists on Venus have predicted that the sun will come out that day today for a brief period of time. The children have only seen the sun once in their lives, but they were two years,old then and don’t remember how it looked. To prepare for the day, they had constantly read about the sun and completed classroom activities, such as writing a poem, about the sun.

This is true for all but one of the children. Margot, a thin, pale girl that the rest of the children resent for various reasons, had lived in Ohio until she was five. She still had many memories of the sun, and the sun continued to fascinate her. Margot refuses to participate in any classroom activity that doesn’t include the sun. In fact, she had been in a depressed state for most of her time on Venus. Rumours have it that her parents were strongly considering taking her away from the underground colony on Venus and back to her home on Earth.

Margot looks out of the window, waiting silently for the rain to stop and the sun to ,  come out. The other children become upset with her and begin to push and taunt her.Suddenly, the children seize Margot and conceive the idea to hide Margot in a closet while their teacher is gone. Margot resists but they overpower her and lock her in a faraway closet.

The teacher returns and they all go to the tunnel’s exit, as she thinks everyone is present and accounted for from her class. Then, moments later, the rain stops and the sun appears. All of the children exit the tunnels and begin to run around and enjoy the sun. It is unlike anything they could imagine. They exult, “It’s better than the sun lamps, isn’t it?” as they run around the jungles of Venus.

After playing, and enjoying the weather, one of the girls cries out because she was ,cradling a big, fat raindrop in her hand. Everyone stopped. They stood for a moment,thinking about how wonderful the sun felt on their skins. While they do this, the rain clouds move in. The sun retreats; the rain falls harder. All of the children stop for a moment before re-entering the tunnels, reflecting on how wonderful the past hour was.

As they re-entered the hallway, they asked their teacher questions. “Will it really be seven more years?” Once again, another student gave a muffled cry. She remembered that Margot was still in the closet. She had been there for the entire time that they were outside enjoying the sun-soaked weather. They slowly walked towards the closet where they had left Margot, and they were all nervous to approach it. They slowly walked to the closet door, and no noises were emitted from behind the closet door. They unlocked the door and Margot slowly emerged.

Characters

Margot

Margot was a thin and delicate girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away and her voice wa thin and raspy like that of a ghost.

Margot, is a sensitive, melancholy little girl whose soul’s sadness seems reflected in the ever present rain. The sun in this story becomes the metaphor for all our longings and desires.
Margot is a child who just doesn’t fit in. Margot is from Earth, and the other children are from Venus. In addition to that, Margot is delicate and sensitive and just doesn’t associate with the other kids.’ They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes. Margot stood alone.’

Margot came from Earth to Venus five years ago. She accurately recalled the sun and the way it looked and felt as it shone on her when she was back in Ohio. However, this is not the case with the other children. They were far too young to remember what the sun was like when last it shone upon them. They could only imagine the warmness of that sun upon their arms and legs. Margot tells the others that the sun is round like a penny and hot like a fire in the stove. The other children accuse her of lying, and they show their resentment of her seeming superiority.

Other children

They are pale and colourless, not just physically but also emotionally. The lack of the sun has not only washed away the colour on their skin but also their compassion and empathy for other people. They do not gain this until they’ve spent time under the sun’s rays. The sun is life giving for the landscape as well as the inhabitants of Venus. The children are mean and jealous when confronted with someone different than their current understanding. The children are cruel to Margot because she is different, and because they are jealous. Due to their actions, she misses seeing the sun. Only then do the children regret what they have done.

Title

The story is about the wonderful experience that the sun brings to the inhabitants of Venus. This story is set on the planet Venus, where the sun shines for only two hours once every seven years. It opens on the day that the sun is due to make its appearance once again. Margot and the other children in her school on Venus are nine years old. Margot came from Earth to Venus five years ago. Therefore she accurately recalls the sun and the way it looked and felt as it shone on her when she was back in Ohio. However, this is not the case with the other children.They were far too young to remember what the sun was like when last it shone upon them. They can only imagine the warmness of that sun upon their arms and legs. Margot tells the others that the sun is round like a penny  and hot like a fire in the stove. The other children accuse her of lying, and they show their resentment of her seeming superiority by locking her in a closet. When the Venus rains finally stop and the sun comes out, it sends a flaming bronze color throughout the jungle growth. The children soak up the life-giving sunshine until the rains start to fall again. The children now know that Margot was telling the truth about the sun. Then and only then do they remember that Margot is still locked in the closet.

Thus the story being about the short lived experience of the benefits of the sun we can correctly say that the title, ‘All Summer in a Day,’ is apt and suggestive.

Setting

This story is set on the planet Venus, where the sun shines for only two hours once every seven years. It opens on the day that the sun is due to make its appearance once again. Margot and the other children in her school on Venus are nine years old. Margot came from Earth to Venus five years ago. Therefore she accurately recalls the sun and the way it looked and felt as it shone on her when she was back in Ohio. However, this is not the case with the other children. They were far too young to remember what the sun was like when last it shone upon them.

Style

Bradbury uss very evocative and picturesque language. His style is lucid and descriptive. Bradbury doesn’t just say it rained all the time, but describes the rain: “the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy … A thousand forests had been crushed.” Likewise, Bradbury lingers over descriptions of the sun. It is like “gold” or a “lemon crayon,” “flaming bronze” and a “warm iron.”

Bradbury repeatedly uses similes and poetic language to describe this sun and this world. Rather than hurtle us forward from event to event in this story, Bradbury encourages us, through his description, to stop and to experience being drenched in what it is like to be on this imaginary Venus.

Critical Appreciation

Prior to the sun’s appearance, the children are described as being so pale that they are almost colourless. The rain had washed the yellow from their hair, the blue from their eyes, and the red from their lips. The good qualities in their personalities have also seemingly been washed away because the children are quick-tempered and spiteful. That they are cruel by locking Margot in a closet never occurred to them. The sun, however, depicts a restoration for the children. It gives colour to their washed-out appearance, and it also enables them to possess new encouragement, strength, and wholeness in their lives. Finally the children remember Margot, but for her, it is too late — she must wait seven years to see the sun again.

Bradbury uses a variety of metaphors to depict an image of life on Venus, an idea that is foreign to us yet familiar through Bradbury’s language. Not only does his language bring us a clear image of Venus, but it also creates the tangible feeling of discovering the pleasures of the sun. Venus ‘was the colour of rubber and ash, this jungle, from the many years without sun. It was the colour of stones and white cheeses and ink, and it was the colour of the moon.’ The reader is instantly able to picture Bradbury’s Venus landscape with his illustrative language.

The power of the sun over the children living on Venus is notable. They are pale and colourless, not just physically but also emotionally. The lack of the sun has not only washed away the colour on their skin but also their compassion and empathy for other people. They do not gain this until they’ve spent time under the sun’s rays. The sun is life giving for the landscape as well as the inhabitants of Venus.

Margot’s initial exclusion from the group may speak of the difficulties of integrating immigrants into a community. Margot struggles to fit in everyday of her time on Venus, and she does not get along with the other children. They resent her for her past experiences on Earth with the sun, and they are also angry and jealous that she had the opportunity to travel back to Earth regardless of the financial costs. Though abstract, Margot represents one version of an immigrant story.

At the conclusion of the story, the children who were once hypercritical of Margot begin to arrive at an understanding of what she had been feeling since arriving in Venus. They did not understand her depression or refusal to participate in certain activities, primarily because they did not understand how Margot was so enraptured by the sun. It is not until they spend time outside, basking in the sunlight, that they begin to comprehend how much Margot sacrificed when she moved from Ohio to Venus.

This development in the story highlights a broader theme of ignorance and its presence and absence throughout the story. When the children only knew “sun lamps” and could not remember the last time the sun had shone, the daily monotony of rain was not a major concern in their lives. They were ignorant to the possible benefits of the sun. Now that they have experienced the sun and their ignorance has lifted, it would be difficult to shift back to the constant rain. As the rain begins to fall once again, they are disheartened when they ask their teacher, “Will it be seven more years?” They finally comprehend the gravity of their teacher’s answer.

Bradbury doesn’t just say it rained all the time, but describes the rain: “the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy … A thousand forests had been crushed.” Likewise, Bradbury lingers over descriptions of the sun. It is like “gold” or a “lemon crayon,” “flaming bronze” and a “warm iron.”

Bradbury repeatedly uses similes and poetic language to describe this sun and this world. Rather than hurtle us forward from event to event in this story, Bradbury encourages us, through his description, to stop and to experience being drenched in what it is like to be on this imaginary Venus. Only two things happen in terms of plot: the sun comes out and Margot, who longs so deeply to see it, is locked away in a closet by the other children. The rest is the longing mood Bradbury evokes.

There is conflict in the story. The central conflict of the story is that Margot does not fit in with the other children. It had been raining on Venus for seven years. The children, who are nine years old, do not remember ever seeing the sun. The sun is scheduled to come out, so the kids are very excited. Margot is excited too, but she is a child who just doesn’t fit in.Margot is from Earth, and the other children are from Venus. In addition to that, Margot is delicate and sensitive and just doesn’t associate with the other kids.’They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes. Margot stood alone.’

Glossary

1. Weeds: wild plants
2. Peering: looking closely
3. Concussion: a temporary loss of consciousness.
4. Spokes: thin bars of metal.
5. Drenched: soaked.
6. Savagely: brutally.
7. Predict: forecast.
8. Surged: moved quickly.
9. Avalanche: a mass of snow that falls.
10. Tornado: a violent storm.
11. Muffled: making an unclear sound.
12. Tumultuously: loudly
13. Resilient: able to feel better quickly.
14. Squinte: looked at.
15. Savoured: relished.
16. Wailed: moaned.
17. Hurricane: a violent storm.
18. Gigantic: huge.
19. Solemn: serious.
20. Glanced: liked
21. Vanishing: disappearing.

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