2-A+Sorrowful+Woman

Kyle Seago Costa's Questions Level 1- Describe the setting in te story. Level 2- Compare and contrast all of the characters. Level 3- Image you were one of the characters, what would you have done defferently?

Character Tracker

The husband is helpful. I said this because the author stated "...the husband brought her breakfast in bed and let her sleep until it grew dark again. He took the child for a walk... made supper."

The girl is friendly. I stated that because the author said "...girl who cried and said " I love the little boy, what will become of him now?" She said this just after knowing the kid for a little bit.

The wife is needy in the beginning of the story. The author states "...the husband brought her breakfast in bed and let her sleep until it grew dark agian."

The wife is lazy. The author proves this by stating "the woman now spent her winter afternoons in the big bedroom...and sat in the big chair and stared out the window at snow'ridden branches..."

The boy is playful. The author proves this by stating "We've been out playing in the park." Before that the author said that the boy was playing with his father.

__Vocabulary Builder__
 * 1) Durable- long lasting without breaking down. In //A Sorrowful Woman// the husband is described as durable because through the wife's sickness he never left her or gave up.
 * 2) Draught- a dose of medicine. In this story, the wife has to drink draught every evening. The husband prepares the drink for her and it makes her go to sleep, cures her sickness somewhat.
 * 3) Frightened- scared or anxious. The playful little boy in this story accidentally scratched his mother from excitement, and when it drew blood, she ordered him away. This made the boy upset, and scared to be around his mother.
 * 4) Dynamic- productive activity, energy. The husband decided to find a babysitter for the son because the mother did not want the boy to be around her all day. The babysitter is described as a very dynamic person in that she has many talents and is very bright.
 * 5) Burden- heavy load, big responsibility. After the wife fired the babysitter, all the household responsibilities fell onto the shoulders of the husband. Dealing with the mother being sick is a burden on the husband's back. The wife expresses to the man how she realizes how her sickness has affected him.
 * 6) Dismayed- to cause distress or lose of enthusiasm. The husband began to loose hope and he was very sad when the wife moved out of their room and into the guest room. In the end he persevered, and continued to show compassion to his wife through the tough time.
 * 7) Painstaking- very careful, diligent work. The notes that the husband and the boy wrote to the wife were very painstaking at first because they were offering her the best parts of their day, trying to give her hope. Those notes kept the bond between the man and the women going, it set the tone for their struggling relationship.
 * 8) Joyful- happiness, excitement. The wife's sickness began to ease, so she made her husband and son a loaf of bread. The happiness and relief the two of them felt was expressed in the notes that they slipped under her door. This gave them hope that she will soon be better from her sickness. Sudden change of tone in story.
 * 9) Contain- control, to hold back. The tone of this story continued to change dramatically, and when the husband found the dinner prepared and the pies, he could not control his excitement. The new found hope of his wife's health overpowered him.
 * 10) Delicate- fragile, frail. Although the woman is returning to health, the chronic sickness affected her body and bones. The husband coming into her room and gently touching her face is a sign that change is in the air, and she will begin to recover.

__A Sorrowful Woman__ is alot like the book __The Memory Keeper's Daughter__. In both of these stories, the Mother is not a big part of the child's life. In __A Sorrowful Woman__, the Mother hardly spends any time with her three year old son because she is sick. In __The Memory Keeper's Daughter__, the Mother gives birth to two children, and one of her babies is a girl with a disability. The baby girl's Mother and Father decide that they won't be able to care for her, and they decide to send her off to an Institution. The Mother in this book does not play a big part in her child's life as she abandoned her little girl as a newborn baby.
 * Extender** by: Rachel Mutzabaugh

__A Sorrowful Woman__ reminds me of the song //If I Die Young// by The Band Perry. In __A Sorrowful Woman__, the Mother dies from a sickness at a pretty young age. Right before she dies, the Mother cooks and bakes alot of food for her family. In the song //If I Die Young//, The Band Perry sings "Lord, make me a rainbow shine down upon my Mother. She'll know I'm safe with You when she stands under my colors", and that line made me think that the woman made all of that food because she wanted her husband and son to know that she was okay and that she loved and cared about them both very much. Also, that line made me think that the Mother wanted her father and her son to go about their lives as normal, and enjoy life.

The Mother in __A Sorrowful Woman__ reminded me a little bit of Rapunzel because, as the story states, the Mother "sat in her window and brushed her hair for hours". In the story of Rapunzel, Rapunzel is locked up in a tower and always looking out from the tower hoping to be set free. She is also constantly brushing her long hair.

The husband in __A Sorrowful Woman__ reminds me of my Dad. The husband in this story is a really good father, and my Dad is a really good father. The husband in this story works to support his family, entertains and cares for his son, and takes care of his sick wife. My Dad works hard to support our family, takes care of three kids, and helps my Mom to do everything that needs to be done around our house. The husband in __A Sorrowful Woman__ and my Dad are both very good fathers, and extremely determined, hardworking men.


 * Costa's Levels of Questions**
 * 1.** What season does this story begin in?
 * 2.** Compare and Contrast the Mother and the Father in this story.
 * 3.** What sickness do you think that the Mother has? Why do you say that? Do you think that the Mother wished she could have done anything else before her death?

Image finder: Vicky Donnelly 1) The story starts out on a winter evening. 2) The little boy followed his mother from room to room pretending to be a Tiger hissing and scratching and actually cut her. 3) The girl they hired brought watercolors and painted her room. 4) The mother took bread and cheese into her room. 5) The son would draw his notes and pass them under the door to his mother.

Ouestions: 1) Why was the girl hired? 2) Compare and contrast how the mother feels and how the father feels. 3) predict what happened to the mother.