Before I checked this book out from the library I had never heard of it. The description compared it to Animal Farm and Charlotte’s Web and its short length made it an easy choice to read.
“Sprout was an egg laying hen, which meant she was raised for her eggs. She had come to the coup over a year before. Since then all she had done was lay eggs. She couldn’t wonder around, flap her wings, or even sit on her own eggs. She had never stepped outside the coop. But ever since she had seen a hen running around the yard with the adorable chicks she had hatched Sprout had harbored a secret desire to hatch an egg and watch the birth of her chick.”
Hwang quickly introduces the reader to Sprout and the “secret desire” of her heart. The reader then follows Sprout on her life journey as she refuses to lay eggs and is sent to die, only Sprout survives and is now free.
Sprout learns the dangers of the wild including the weasel. She also finds an egg and sits on it until it hatches. Sprout then learns she has been sitting on a duck egg. It doesn’t matter to her, the animal that hatched is her son and she will raise him as such.
Hwang portrays the difficulties that Sprout has trying to raise a duckling and does an excellent job of showing Sprout’s love and determination throughout.
Overall this was a compelling story that shows the cycle of life. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
Sydney Carton appears to be a man resigned to his fate.
He recognizes the deterioration of his own character and seems convinced that his circumstances will only worsen. He is “overshadowed” by a “fatal darkness,” yet when Lucie asks why he does not change, he offers little hope that such a transformation is possible.
This resignation is particularly striking when we consider what Carton has already demonstrated himself capable of accomplishing.
He helped save Charles Darnay from a possible death sentence. His intelligence and legal abilities have contributed substantially to Stryver’s successful career. Yet despite these accomplishments, Carton seems unable to imagine a promising future for himself.
He has spent considerable time in the Manette household, often remaining withdrawn from the conversations around him. He sleeps little, continues to drink heavily, and wanders the stone streets near the Manettes’ home. Perhaps, during these solitary walks, he remembers the conversation about the echoes...
In the early 1780s, London was undergoing significant improvements to its streets and public walkways.
Many major roads were paved with stone blocks, while pedestrian footways were increasingly surfaced with broad, flat slabs of limestone. Legislation passed during the 1760s encouraged improvements in paving, drainage, and street maintenance.
Despite these improvements, London’s streets remained crowded, noisy, and frequently dirty.
Horse-drawn carriages and wagons rattled across the uneven stones, while the sound of iron-rimmed wheels and horses’ hooves echoed between the buildings. Rainwater collected along the gutters, carrying mud, manure, and other waste through the city.
Sydney Carton would have encountered these conditions as he walked through London’s streets.
One location particularly associated with Carton is King’s Bench Walk in the Inner Temple, the historic legal district where barristers maintained their chambers.
Dickens specifically describes Carton walking along King’s ...
