The Spider And The Fly Summary

My favorite page of the Tony DiTerlizzi version of "The Spider and the Fly" was the illustration of the spider and fly at the entrance to the parlor. I liked this picture in particular because I thought that the warning signs for the fly to not go into the parlor were less obvious than other parts of the book, even though it was at the climax point of the fly making her decision to accepts the spider’s original offer or not. The subtle images in the picture are the butterfly wing curtains and the mirror that looks like it is made out of the shell of what used to be an insect. Along with the more subtle images, the depiction of the insect ghost being kicked away by the spider is something that I think a kid would definitely pick up on from the page. They would understand that the ghost bug is trying to warn the fly not to go in the parlor. They would also pick up on the way that the spider is trying to flatter the fly and would be able to read both facial expressions. The idea of flattering the fly would be something that a child would have most likely seen in life and they would understand the concept of flattery in at least the basic sense that it is more
likely to get someone to do what you want if you are nice.

As a parent, I would use this page of the book to talk with my child about following your instincts and not falling for flattery.
I would think that any child would know at that point of the story that the fly should not go into the parlor, but I would have my child talk to me about why, by telling me what signs there were, what the fly should have done, and what she should do next. I would talk about the common concept of “stranger danger” and how there are bad people in this world that might try and trick others, which could have very bad results. I would use the opportunity to go through certain situations where they should know what to do and tell an adult that they trust if they are uncomfortable. I would also talk to them about looking out for other kids and getting help if they see a tricky
situation.

I really enjoyed this poem and illustrated book as a whole because of its great teaching qualities and its unique approach to a very important message for youth. I admire the illustrations because it takes the somewhat morbid story of the fly’s death and twists it into enough fiction for kids to still enjoy while also being able to retain the importance of its warning. I thought that DiTerlizzi did a great job of “making the sign speak”, as Foucault would say. The first page of notes for Module 3 quotes him as saying, “Let us call the totality of the learning and skills that enable one to make the sign speak and to discover their meaning, hermeneutics; let us call the totality of the learning and skills that enable one to distinguish the location of the sign, to define what constitutes them as signs and to know how and by what laws they are linked, semiology: the sixteenth century superimposed hermeneutics and semiology in the form of similitude...” (Michel Foucault, (1970) [1966]. The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences. Tr. A. M. S. Smith. London: Tavistock, pp. 33, 38) In its own way, I think that the illustrations of “The Spider and the Fly” play into the idea that learning to discover and depict signs by having both obvious and subtle signs for both young and old readers to pick up on. Not only is it and entertaining book, it can be embraced as a learning tool for all.