Why The Chrysalids Deviant

The Chrysalids-John Wyndham

INTRODUCTION

John Wyndham was born in England, on July 10, 1903. When he was growing up, he went to a series of boarding schools because his parents were separated. He then attended an advanced co- educational school until he reached the age of eighteen. After he left school, Wyndham studied farming for awhile, then "crammed" to write the examinations for Oxford University.

Finally, in 1929, Wyndham picked up a copy of an American magazine called Amazing Stories, and became very interested in science fiction. Not long after that a series of stories under the name of John Beynon began to appear in Amazing Stories, and in another publication called Wonder Stories. He wrote English science fiction stories under the names "John Beynon Harris," "John
Beynon," and "Lucas Parkes," as well as John Wyndham. By 1937, he was being called the best, living British science fiction writer.

Wyndham's work in science fiction is interesting in its emphasis. He does not generally concentrate on amusing the reader with strange inventions of technology from a bewildering future. The settings he employs for the future are logical, identifiable extensions of the world of today. His consuming interest lies in speculation about human nature and human behaviour. This would account for his attention to customs and moral codes displayed in the different societies in his books. Thus, time and again he points out the hypocrisy, bigotry and ignorance which are so often a part of our social life, and he stresses that changing conditions demand new ways, new customs and new codes of conduct.

Wyndham died in 1969.

Novels include: The Day of the Triffids (1959); The Kraken Wakes (1953); The Chrysalids (1955); and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). Several of these were turned into successful movies.

The Chrysalids

Science fiction demands a certain suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader. For example, light-year speed is explained away by the term "space warp" or "warp speed", and the reader accepts this. (Cowboy stories don't explain how to run a ranch either!) But generally, science fiction has a healthy respect for fact.

The Chrysalids maintains this respect. It is not at all "way-out" science fiction. There are only two assumptions: (1) that a nuclear holocaust took place that destroyed civilization as we know it, and (2) that certain members of Waknuk can communicate through telepathy.

Both these factors are at least scientific possibilities. The threat of Tribulation, although we don't call it that, needs no explanation for today's reader. As far as the group's ability to communicate telepathically is concerned, some major universities are doing research in parapsychology, and although there is no scientific proof that telepathy exists, the possibility remains.

The Chrysalids is a story of the future. Most stories of the future fall into one of three categories:

1. total destruction of a civilization

2. total redemption

3. or a combination of both

This novel looks beyond the pessimistic future shrouded in the "mushroom cloud" into the time of reconstruction after such an event. Following "tribulation" we are shown a world of the frontier. As North America has moved recently from the world of the frontier we look at our past as a quaint heritage, a stage in the development of our civilization which has gone forever, except in Hollywood and made for TV movies. In The Chrysalids the frontier has returned and the people are beginning again. They have emerged from the chaos of an after-the-holocaust world and have reached a stage of organized community life, farmlands, and a strict and stern inflexible morality based on a dark, incomprehensible fear of an unknown past. The people of this frontier do not look towards a new future, but instead have an all consuming passion for stability. Things must not change. The past of the "Old People" must be resurrected and preserved. The scattered communities of Labrador and the Waknuks are unconsciously creating a "fossil world" as the Sealand woman maintains. Paradoxically, then, Waknuk is a society of the future with a setting from the past.

This community's obsession against change can be answered by the scientific realities of the present. Physical mutations can be produced by intense doses of radiation and the people of Waknuk have a basis for their fear that physical conformity could break down. The winds which from time to time blow in from the "badlands" to the south west are winds of change in grim physical reality. Out of their fear of physical change, a severe conformity to the "true image" has developed, a set of beliefs which stifles the human mind and much worse, the human spirit. The beliefs of the people in Waknuk are anti-intellectual and try to eliminate both logic and imagination. All this is done in the name of God who, in this case, is used as an excuse, a shield to hide behind for purposes of persecution.

Humans have not survived because they are physically superior to other creatures but because of their minds. If the mind stagnates so will the human race. This is the message of the novel. Why the author felt it necessary to make this statement is clear. If the human race acts with indiscretion, its fate, or the fate of the few possible survivors, might be a life in "the fringes" or Sealand. We cannot, however, be sure that there will be a choice.

Once the author has made the two fictional assumptions, he never moves beyond the limits established. The society of Waknuk is perfectly plausible, as are the characters in it.

At the end of the story Wyndham doesn't neatly tie everything together, but leaves us with a number of unanswered possibilities.

The word "chrysalid" is a scientific term meaning the state into which the larvae of most insects pass before becoming adults. In general usage, the word can mean a sheltered state or a stage of growth. Thus, as with all good titles, the reader of The Chrysalids is left to extend this definition so as to apply it in an appropriate way to the novel itself.

Characters in the Novel

The Strorm Family

David Strorm: Hero of the novel; possesses a peculiar telepathic ability which causes the main conflict in the novel.

Joseph Strorm: David's father; champion of purity in all forms of life; leading figure in Waknuk.

Emily Strorm: David's mother; a pathetic woman who lives in the shadow of her husband.

Petra Strorm: David's younger sister; possesses awesome telepathic powers; causes the crisis of the novel and ultimate brings rescue.

Aunt Harriet: Emily's sister; gives birth to a slightly deviate infant and, after failing to conceal it, commits suicide with the baby.

Mary Strorm: David's older sister; somewhat sympathetic to him.

Uncle Axel: David's uncle; knows about David's ability; broad-minded and philosophical; acts as protector of David during the latter's youth; functions as mouthpiece to express the author's opinions.

Elias Strorm: David's grandfather; not part of the novel but was founder of the community of Waknuk, and largely responsible for its philosophy.

Spider Man: The older brother of Joseph Strorm; deprived of his rights as a boy because of deviational developments in his arms and legs; lives in the Fringes.

The Group

David: Protagonist and son of Joseph Strorm

Petra: Sister of David; has strong abiliites

Michael: Eldest of the group; best educated; acts as leader and philosopher.

Rosalind Morton: David's half-cousin and sweetheart; flees with him to the Fringes.

Anne: Only member of the group to violate its solidarity; marries a "norm"; commits suicide.

Rachel: Anne's sister; loyal to the group.

Katherine: First to be discovered by Waknuk; under torture reveals David, Rosalind and Petra.

Sally: Neighbour of Katherine; captured with her.

Mark: Lives farthest from the group; along with Michael and Rachel, he is not discovered.

The Others

Sophie Wender: Childhood friend of David; discovered as a deviate and banished to the Fringes; most pathetic victim of Waknuk's philosophy.

The Wenders: Martie and Johnny, Sophie's parents; because they concealed Sophie, they, too, were banished.

Angus Morton: Rosalind's father; in constant feud with Joseph Strorm over deviations; seems to have more common sense than his enemy.

Old Jacob: Keeper at the Strorm farm; ultra conservative believer in Waknuk's religion.

Alan Ervin: Anne's husband; had reported Sophie Wender and planned to blackmail the members of the group; dies a violent death.

The Sealand Lady: Woman in distant civilization who communicates with Petra.

Jerome Skinner: Stranger to Waknuk, but partially responsible for discovery of some of the group.

The Inspector: Responsible for purity in Waknuk; carries authority of the government in Rigo; a reasonable man, but not intelligent enough to think his way past the limits of his job.

OUTLINE

Plot Summary

The society of Waknuk has survived a nuclear war. The people have, however, only a dim memory of that period and refer to it as Tribulation, a time during which mankind had to pay for its sins. Although the war happened a long time ago, radiation still contaminates the living world outside the small community. Whenever any evidence of contamination is found within Waknuk, the inhabitants immediately eliminate the offending plant, animal, or...... person.

The story centres around the narrator, David Strorm, his small group of friends who all possess E.S.P., or extrasensory perception, and David's sternly religious family.

As a child, David has learned the strict morality of his society: "Watch Thou for the Mutant," "The Norm is the Will of God," and "The Devil is the Father of Deviation." This all meant that any living things - plant, animal, or man - had to be destroyed soon as it was discovered to be deviant. David's father, Joseph Strorm, was considered by the inhabitants of Waknuk to be a leader in the vigorous pursuit of deviations from the norm.

Waknuk, though, was relatively fortunate, because it was situated in Labrador, far away from the major centres of nuclear war - the Badlands - further to the south. Since God had sent Tribulation down upon the Old People, mankind had been struggling to return to the level of civilization that the Old People had enjoyed. Because the past generations of Waknuk had been very careful, the community was now fairly free of deviations that were the result of Tribulation. Any that did appear were destroyed or, in the case of deviant humans, banished to the Fringes country that lay towards the south, south-east, and south-west of the district.

At the beginning of the story David meets Sophie Wender and discovers that she is a physical deviant with six toes on each foot.
Both she and her family are forced to flee. They are captured and banished to the Fringes. David finds it difficult to reconcile the laws of his society with his own conscience. This problem is intensified when he sees his aunt driven to suicide because she has given birth to a deviant baby.

David is concerned for his own personal safety when he realizes that he and his group of E.S.P. friends are also deviants, because their ability to communicate with each other in thought forms or by mental telepathy is not compatible with Waknuk's idea of the "true image."

Although they manage to disguise their deviation, the birth of David's little sister, Petra, causes innumerable problems. Because she is still an infant, she is unable to control her powers. An incident occurs in which she, David and his sweetheart, Rosalind, are found out. They are declared deviates and outlaws, and are forced to flee to the Fringes, where they are pursued by the people of Waknuk, including David's own father. In the Fringes they are captured by the deviate inhabitants
there.

All this time, Petra has kept, through her awesome telepathic powers, in touch with a distant civilization in New Zealand (Sealand). These people, who are all telepathic, rescue the fugitives in the middle of a battle between the Waknuk and Fringes people. David, Petra, and Rosalind escape per helicopter to New Zealand.
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Setting

Historical

The society of Waknuk resembles what we know as the beginning of the eighteenth century. It is based on agriculture, with little evidence of any industrialization. Like eighteenth-century England or North America, the people are very provincial in their outlook; their lives are controlled by a rigid code of morality, and religious beliefs are repressive and, often cruel.

The people of Waknuk justify these standards by referring to Tribulation, a period in the past when God's wrath was visited upon His people or, more specifically, the Old People.

The Old People are clearly twentieth century society, the readers of the novel. Frequent references are made to air planes, automobiles and other twentieth-century inventions.

Strangely, however, the Old People who are held up as an ideal were the ones who were punished by Tribulation which was, in all probability, a nuclear holocaust. The effect of radiation is the cause of all the deviations that afflict David's society.

Paradoxically, then, Waknuk is a society of the future with a setting from the past.

Sealand, on the other hand, has escaped Tribulation to some degree, and has advanced beyond the level of the twentieth century, both in physical setting and in outlook.
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Geographical

Although both Labrador and New Zealand escape nuclear destruction, the similarities end there. Whereas Sealand is industrial and progressive, Waknuk is agricultural and regressive or, at best, stagnant.

The middle of Labrador is affected by the nuclear holocaust to the extent that its climate is now temperate and suited to agricultural development. The farming appears to be somewhat communal, with one large farm having a great number of dependent workers. Houses are built close together for mutual protection.

Although the immediate area is fairly free of deviations, the further one goes in a southerly direction, the more the abnormalities increase. In those areas there is little control of nature by man, and all types of deviant form of life thrive.

The Fringes, which follow the Wild Country as one moves further south, contains practically no normal forms of life as we know them, and beyond this belt is a vast area known as the Badlands, where the worst results of radiation are found. In the some areas nothing grows at all; everything is black char or even polished glass. Evidence in the novel indicates that the Badlands are areas of what was once southern Canada and the United States.
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Social

The single, dominant fact of life in Waknuk, as David learns in his lessons in Ethics, is the process of climbing back into the grace of God. Tribulation has been a punishment, like expulsion from Eden, the Flood and so on, and the road back to God's favour is not an easy one.

Since there is only one true path and, since this is determined by learned writings such as Nicholson's Repentances, only the church and lay authorities could properly rule on what is right and proper. Anything that deviates from what they say is normal has to be destroyed, for it was not only a temptation leading away from the true path, it was, also, an insult directed at God. Above all, mankind's greatest duty is to see that the human form is kept true to the divine pattern.

For guidance, the people of Waknuk could turn to the Bible, which has survived Tribulation but, more often, they turn to Nicholson's Repentances. This is a series of lessons written during the age of barbarism, just after Tribulation, and it is the only place where the True Image is described. Consequently, this volume is both a rule book and a justification for the stern morality of Waknuk.

The normal factors that influence an agricultural community are minor in relation to the power of religion. Even marriage is affected, for a husband may turn out his wife if she produces three consecutive deviant children.

Because it is so dominant, little else but religion penetrates David's existence as a child.
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Atmosphere

In The Chrysalids, atmosphere varies extensively. There is the normal interest at the beginning of a novel as the characters reveal themselves, and the plot unfolds. But the stronger curiosity in this novel arises from the urge to identify the society. It is familiar, yet unfamiliar. Just when the reader has determined that it belongs to the eighteenth century, somewhere in the Western Hemisphere, a vague reference is given to suggest that this is not so.

Then, there is the peculiarity of the society itself. These people seem like ourselves, but they have a disturbingly different set of beliefs, further piquing our curiosity.

As the setting, characters and background are established, the atmosphere begins to change to one of fear. This occurs for two reasons. The amazing lack of charity, and unbending set of rules in David's community are frightening in themselves but, by this time, we have come to know and like David and, realizing that he, too, is a deviant, we fear for him.

Several incidents such as the flight of the Wenders, and the suicide of Aunt Harriet, increase this fear. We now anticipate and expect that David will be discovered. When it finally does happen there is almost a sense of relief.

By this time, though, an air of hope is present. Petra's communication with a whole society of "thought-makers" gives some assurance that the fugitives will escape.

It is significant that the only other atmosphere of importance is the pathos which surrounds Sophie and a few other unfortunates. Only at the very end of the novel are there any feelings of joy.
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Theme

Theme and satire are very closely interwoven in The Chrysalids. Many of the critical ideas in the novel are pointed directly at the shortcomings of David's society and, indirectly, at our society. The people of Waknuk, for example, purge from their midst anything that is not normal or, at least, does not look like their concept of normal. In the history of mankind, certain groups have always reacted negatively to other groups they feel are different. Recent history includes some horrendous events that make what the Waknuk people do look like child's play. Genocide has occurred, for instance, during World War II, when 6 million Jews were exterminated, during the expulsion of the Armenians from Turkey, in Cambodia during the 1970's, and in 1994 in Rwanda. Unfortunately, there are many more examples in the history of mankind. Our own society has institutions and clinics to educate and administer to the abnormal; yet there are "freak" shows in every large midway.

David's society, despite its concern for the True Image, allows the great-horses to be bred and used. These horses are huge, far bigger than any normal horse. But, they do twice the work of a normal horse at less than twice the feed. For the sake of profit the True Image can be ignored. Hypocrisy is shown to be a universal human condition and the people of Waknuk are no different from us.

Another of the author's statements directed at us is no less bitter. The graphic description of the Badlands, the deviations, the age of barbarism, the horror of Tribulation , all point out the inherent dangers of nuclear war and, perhaps more effectively, the finality of such a war.

The chief critical theme, however, is the one implied by the title of the novel. Chrysalid is a term taken from biology. It describes the state through which a larva must pass before becoming an insect. In this state, the larva is wrapped in a hard case or shell, takes no food and is totally inactive. This is precisely the state that Joseph Strorm and his kind are trying to maintain and force on humanity

As the Sealand lady points out, evolution cannot be denied and the chrysalid cannot be stopped in its development to the next stage. The Waknuk society's anti-intellectualism, which tries to eliminate both logic and imagination, and its efforts to deny evolution, are doomed to be a dead end.

Wyndham's attacks on this kind of thinking varies from satire to outright bitterness. The satire is chiefly directed at Joseph Strorm. Since he personifies all that is wrong with the community's religious ideas, he is made to appear as a frustrated and dangerous buffoon.

But criticism can take a crueler form, such as Sophie's fate, or Aunt Harriet's suicide. Their stories introduce a sense of helpless frustration as they point out not only the foolishness of the Waknuk philosophy, but also the futility of trying to defeat it.

Uncle Axel, as the mouthpiece of the author, supplies the most apt analysis of the situation. He tells David that every group of people he has seen in his travels thinks that the True Image is their own. No one, he points out, could ever be sure that the True Image is right because it comes from Nicholson's Repentances, which was written after Tribulation.

Only the Sealanders offer hope to David and his friends and in their wish to improve and develop mankind; they give hope to the novel.

Style

This is a novel of plot and theme. The author is mainly concerned with sociological and psychological issues in a society faced with the after effects of a nuclear holocaust. Wyndham aims at a general impression, rather than writing an in-depth analysis of an individual's character faced with a specific set of circumstances.

Although there are many opportunities for long descriptive passages, the author refrains from doing so. To give a gruesome description of various forms of deviation would only sensationalize the story, and the author has a more serious purpose.

Only the character of David is revealed to any extent, and he is the only one who develops appreciably. With the exception of Sophie, the other characters are one-sided representative characters like Jacob or Joseph Strorm. Most of the characters of the novel fall into groups. The Waknuk group is held together by its religion, the Fringes people by their deviations, and David and his group by their telepathic abilities.

The story is told in the first person. This narrative method has advantages for the novel. It is a more personal account and David is more likely to win the reader to his side, against the horrors of Waknuk. Although the method necessitates a limited view-point, it is, therefore, a better one for moulding the reader's impressions. The reader is taken into David's confidence and asked to share the secret of his deviation. Above all, there is an air of truth to what David is saying, and this fact intensifies every situation in the novel.

Background in a novel of this type is often very involved. Science fiction by its very nature deals with situations apart from the reader's experience and, therefore, requires long explanations. But the conditions of David's civilization differ only in detail from our own and can be related partly by the child-David as he explains them to Sophie. For David to do all of the narration would be tiresome, and as he is only a child, he is not likely to know all the information. Conveniently, Uncle Axel explains it to him. Because Axel is a broad-minded, thinking person, the reader is given a fuller, less prejudiced account than he might have received from someone like Joseph Strorm.

CHAPTER ONE A Dream and the Definition

Vocabulary

to cluster - Tribulation - hind-sight - germinate - dungarees - runnel - valiantly - predicament - emphatic - baffled - apprehensively - conventions - to be awed - commandments - rote - affirmation - cold-poulticed - potent - tight-strung - perturbed - blasphemy - offence - cleft - Sunday precepts - Definition of Man

Analysis

In Chapter One, the author introduces some baffling things, some are explained, others are not, because as readers, we see the world through the eyes of a confused ten year old. To be able to answer the questions properly, you should read the whole chapter first.

1. The bank was no puzzle to me then: (page 6) What do you think the high bank is? Why does the author not tell you that right away? Why doesn't he tell you who the Old Ones are?

2. What is unusual about part of Sophie's clothes? Why does the author slip it into the text so casually? (page 7)

3. Explain the paragraph I hesitated, but childhood..... I turned around. (page 9)

4. Explain the section that begins with "Oh, my poor darling!" (page 10) and ends with And so on again (page 11) Why do these religious rules mean little to David?

5. On page 11 it is said that David "was the one regrettable and unreliable factor in an otherwise orderly life". What is meant by that and what does it tell you about David's home life. How does it contrast with Sophie's childhood?

6. On page 12 it says: "There was a pause - at least, her voice paused, but her thoughts went on, ...." What is revealed in that paragraph and why does the author do it so casually?

7. At the bottom of page 13, things, called the Sunday precepts click into place for David. Explain what exactly clicks into place, and how it all relates to the Definition.

8. If Mrs. Wender wears the "conventional" cross from hem to hem and from breast to breast, why is it "conventional"?

9. What is David's curious understanding with Rosalind?

10. What is David's society obsessed with, it seems? Are there any similarities with societies existing today? Explain.

11. In what ways is David a normal ten-year-old, and in what ways isn't he? [pic]

NOTICE

David notices many things in his environment. The word notice comes from the Latin word nota, which means "a manner of designating; a brand or mark." Ten other words which derive from nota are listed below. See if you can use them correctly in the following sentences.

notable - notarized - notations - noted - notion - notary - noticeable - notify - notification

1. It would have been very dangerous if David had made _______________ about his dreams. (marks or signs)

2. Mrs. Wender's concern was _______________ as soon her daughter told what had happened. (conspicuous, capable of being observed)

3. Sophie's parents were afraid that David might _______________ his father. (point out, inform)

4. Waknuk was so small that they didn't have a _______________. (public officer who affirms the authenticity of writings)

5. David's _______________ about the geographical position of Waknuk was very vague. (general concept)

6. The "Definition of Man" doesn't seem _______ ________ for its open- mindedness. (remarkable)

7. It took a while, before David's mind _________ ______ the fact that Sophie at six toes on each foot. (observed carefully)

8. If David had informed on the Wender's, an immediate _______________ would have been sent to the Inspector. (written matter that informs)

9. Whenever a baby is born in Waknuk, its "certificate of normalcy" is ______________. (certified or attested)

10. The telepathic skills David possessed would have cause him _______________ if they had been known. (being unfavourably known)
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YOUR TURN

At the end of Chapter One, David is in a serious dilemma. On the one hand, he believes in the religious teachings he has received, while on the other hand, he cannot accept that having six toes on your feet can be a serious offence.

How would you feel if you found yourself in a situation where your believes clashed with what you really wanted to do?

Create such a situation in a short essay.

* What do you believe in?

* In what ways will your actions clash with your believes?

* Is it worth keeping your believes, or would it be better not do?

* What damage might be done either way?

It is not the purpose of this essay to come up with a final solution, but to carefully cover all the pros and cons of the situation. Be specific, and don't deal with a simple conflict, for which there is an easy solution. You should still have very mixed feelings about any position. Use (hypothetical) examples to better illustrate your position.

CHAPTER TWO

Watch Thou for the Mutant

Vocabulary

lapped up - to prospect - rambled off - leeward - roughly-dressed - wattle - aspect - tediously - unrelieved - virtue - credible - creditable - sophisticated - staunch-minded - to persuade - husky - fierce - rectitude - evangelical - timorously - dusty - to generate - to enable - to compensate - admonitions - wraith - heir - sinews - legalistic - to harmonize - of consequence - laws temporal - magistrate - elastic - principles - deviations - Repentances - mutant - midden - meticulousness

Analysis

In this chapter, the author supplies answers to some of the questions raised in Chapter 1 and to fill in background information about the religion of the people of Waknuk in general, and specially what David's family believes in. Although, religion may not particularly interest you, it is very important for your understanding of the rest of the book, that you read this chapter carefully. Hopefully, the following questions will help you comprehend the text better.

1. In your own words describe how and why grandfather Strorm came to Waknuk.

2. What kind of a man was grandfather? What kind of woman was his wife when he married her? Why did he marry her? Did it work out? Why or why not? What did he do to his wife?

3. What kind of man is David's father? In what ways is Joseph Strorm similar to, and different from his father?

4. Joseph Strorm was a man of local consequence. What does he do, besides farming, that makes him so important?

5. In your own words describe the farm, David lives on.

6. There are all kinds of religious slogans on the walls of the rooms in David's house. What do they all deal with? Why is Joseph Strorm so preoccupied with Offences and Deviations. Why is he so afraid of them? Why is he so angry when his neighbours are less strict? What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell you?

7. How does the landscape change when one moves south to south-west from Waknuk? What happens to a person who moves all the way into the Badlands? Why would that be so? What is the cause of all this, you think? Why doesn't author tell you?

8. Who live in the "Fringes"? Why do they have become a problem lately? What is the government doing about it?

9. In what ways is Angus Morton different from Joseph Strorm?

10. At the end of this chapter, the author leaves us with several areas of suspense, which are they? [pic]
NO TURNING BACK

In this chapter, we learn that the damage done by the nuclear holocaust is not totally irreversible. The word irreversible means "not capable of going either backward or forward." The word is a combination of the negative prefix ir-, and the Latin words revertere and reuersare, which mean, respectively, "to turn back" and "to turn around". Ten other words deriving from these Latin words are listed below. See if you can use them correctly in the sentences that follow.

adverse - advertise - invertebrates - reversed - reversible - reverted - version - versatility - vertically - vertigo

1. Joseph Strorm had an _______________ attitude towards any form of deviation. (unfavourable)

2. We do not learn if the _______________ living around Waknuk were effected by the radiation also. (animals that have no spinal column, or backbone)

3. In the Strorm family, David's _______________ of things counted for very little. (opinion)

4. According to father Strorm, Nicholson's Repentances were the God-given truth and could never be _______________. (overthrown or made void)

5. It seems as if the people of Waknuk had _______________ to many forms of superstition. (gone back)

6. A farmer in Waknuk had to possess great _______________ to be successful (quality of having a variety of skills)

7. For his birthday, David received a __________ _____ coat from his mother. (wearable with either side out)

8. As everyone knew each other, it wasn't necessary to _______________ in Waknuk. (call attention to one's business or service with a paid, printed notice)

9. The many slogans on the walls in David's house, could only be hung ________ _______. (lengthwise or upright)

10. When David looked down the steep banks of the gully, he suffered a moment of __________. (disordered state in which the individual or his surroundings seem to swirl dizzily)
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YOUR TURN

A Humorous Character Portrait

For purposes of a good story, writers will often take a certain person's character trait and focus on it, even to the point of exaggeration. In the story, father Strorm is made excessively stern.

You are asked to think of someone who has a strong personality trait or eccentricity. For example, the person never goes anywhere without a basketball in hand, or likes to make speeches so much that he or she "speechifies" to everybody, or is a surfing nut... to the point of "practising" on a surfboard in the middle of the living room.

Build your character portrait gradually, step by step. Here are some suggestions for each step.

* Use a first-person point of view. Explain your relationship to the character.

* Describe the person you are portraying, explain the person's character trait, and give several examples, exaggerating a little more with each example.

* Show other people's reactions to it. Use dialogue to dramatize these reactions.

* Then put the character in a situation that highlights the trait and further exaggerates it.

* End by telling what finally happens to the character, and whether or not the person changes.

* After finishing, read over what you have written and ask yourself these question: Is my character realistic? Is his/her character trait believable, yet broad enough to be humorous? Is the conversation natural?

CHAPTER THREE

The Purification - a Dream

Vocabulary

norm - implacable - to rummage - to tempt - incredulous - omission - pulpit - implacable

Analysis 1. What references give you more clues to identify the Old People?

2. Comparing the civilization of Waknuk to those of our historic past, in what century would you place the technology of Waknuk? Explain your answer. (For some specific information, see p.24)

3. What is John Wender's occupation? (See p.25)

4. He greeted me more gravely. Mr. Wender is suspicious of David. Why? What incident would have reassured him about David. Why?

5. What evidences does the author give that reveal Joseph Strorm is a man to be feared. Is he "crazy"? Explain your answer.

6. It is during the "splinter incident" that the author first begins to satirize David's society in general, and his father in particular. Explain the literary term satire and also explain how the "splinter incident" is used for satire.
SURPRISES

Among the joys of giving and receiving gifts is the satisfaction it brings to all involved, not to mention how it surprises. Surprise means "to come upon suddenly or unexpectedly; to take unawares". This word reached the English language through the Latin word prehendere, which means "to grasp or seize". Below are ten other words that derive from prehendere. See if you can use them in the sentences that follow.

apprehended- apprehensive - comprehend - incomprehensible - reprise - enterprise - reprehensible - comprised - comprehensive - reprisal

1. Mr. Strorm had made a _______________ study of "The Norm" as the "Image of God". (thorough)

2. In _______________ for the Old One's sinful lives, God had sent Tribulation. (retaliation)

3. If David had betrayed Sophie, she would have immediately been _______________. (captured or arrested)

4. The "Commandments and Precepts" _______________ many laws about how to behave. (consisted of; were composed of)

5. For David, many of the Commandments were _______________. (condition of not being understood)

6. For Mr. Strorm, David's blasphemy was extremely _______________. (deserving reprimand)

7. David was very _______________ about what would happen to Sophie if she was ever found out. (fearful, uneasy)

8. David's intelligence and gift made him _______________ things. (understand)

9. This show is a _______________ of an earlier performance. (repeat the performance of)

10. The people of Waknuk were full of _______________, and had reclaimed their fields from fringe lands. (willingness and initiative)

SETTING

The setting of a story is simply the time and place in which its events happen. An author uses the settings of his story to tell something about his characters and their feelings. The author will have to use good descriptive words if the reader is to get a clear picture of the settings.

Your task is to go through Chapters 1-3 and list ten descriptive words the author has used in describing the settings.

CHAPTER FOUR

The Group

Vocabulary

placid - spell t- o dissemble- seasoned - helve - to regard - gnomes - rick - gravity - intensity - vowing - to crystallize - verge - co-operative - to stir up - dissent - able-bodied - to harry - to contain (2x) - rallying points - a bustling - uncannily - to jolt - to beckon - temperament - acquisition - corrupt - immoral - incentive - awkward - public apology - confirmatory - bigots - searing - sullied - peroration - scathed - hireling - pulpit - trenchant - authority - religious mania - slander - to waive - oblivion - strands - Newf - traps - deceits - ecclesiastical - penance - restoration - pestilence - unrevealed - precedent - irreligious - sub judice - spinney - pedant - demise - rectitude - attested pedigrees

Analysis 1. In Chapter Four, a series of successive crises temporarily relieve David of his concern for Sophie. List these crises.

2. Why does Uncle Axel warn David about his gift?

3. David never asks his father about the Spider Man from the Fringes. Who do you guess he was? Does it explain in some way Mr. Strorm's efforts to rid the region of deviations?

4. What does the incident about Angus Morton's great horses tell you about the people's general attitude towards deviations?

5. In what ways has the climate of Labrador changed since Tribulation? Why doesn't the author give you this information in a straight forward manner, and instead lets in come out, during David's talk with Sophie? [pic]
PREPARE

Making New Year's resolutions is one way many people prepare themselves for a new year. Prepare means "to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity." It comes from the Latin word parare, meaning "to set in order; get ready". Below are ten words spawned by parare. Can you use them correctly in the sentences that follow?

inseparable - irreparable - preparation - preparatory - separate - reparable - reparation - separable - separation - repair

1. The people from Waknuk failed to _______________ themselves properly for an attack by the people from the Fringes. (process of making ready)

2. _______________ from civilization and banishment to the Fringes was a punishment for all mutants. (a parting of company)

3. The crises David encounters in this chapter are just _______________ trials for what is to follow. (characterized as preliminary to something else)

4. Mr. Strorm had to pay _______________ for the damage he had done to Ben Daker's wife in connection with the tailless cat. (paying of compensation)

5. There were few manuals in Waknuk explaining how to _______________ anything because the farmers had learned by watching their fathers. (restore or make good)

6. Equipment in Waknuk was so simple that everything was _______________. (capable of being repaired)

7. Stating that all mutations should be destroyed and really doing so were two ____________ issues in Waknuk. (not associated or connected with)

8. The math problem is _______________ into three different questions. (capable of being taken apart)

9. If David hadn't been warned by his uncle, _______________ damage would have been done. (that cannot be repaired or mended)

10. David's gift and his whole attitude towards the society he lived in were _______________. (that cannot be parted)
[pic]

YOUR TURN
Mastering a Skill

As David uses his E.S.P. talent, he is mastering the skill of communicating with it. Think of a skill you have mastered. Skate-boarding, swimming, a video-game, ping-pong, photography, drawing, dancing, diving, knitting, gardening, riding a bike, building a campfire, cooking, ice- skating, sewing, flying a paper aeroplane, typing, and delivering a speech are a few examples out of many more. Write an essay about "conquering" your skill.

You might begin by explaining how and why you were attracted to this skill. Then outline the steps you took in becoming proficient at it. If you had setbacks - and most people do - mention them. At the end, describe your moment of personal conquest. Be sure to include:

* the objective or goal

* an indication of the setting

* a description of any obstacle that occurred

* how the obstacle was overcome

* your feelings about it

REVISING

* Read your essay over and cross out any details that seem unimportant

* Make certain the steps are presented in chronological order.

* Ask yourself if your imagery is vivid enough. If not, you might want to substitute more descriptive words and phrases.

* Use a figure of speech to make at least one point. For example, instead of saying how good you feel about mastering your skateboard, you could say: "...it came to me that a ghost or a spirit was controlling the board's movements as I ..."

CHAPTER FIVE

Discovery and Flight

Vocabulary

solonaceae - retribution - timidity - shingle - desolation - satchels - self-contempt - abasement - wretchedness

Analysis 1. In this chapter, David's character is described more completely. He is now at the crucial stage of boy-man, having characteristics of both stages. Give some examples of David's behaviour that show each stage.

2. There is something ironic in the fact that Sophie is discovered in a "good" season. What is meant with "ironic"? What might have happened if the crops and newborn animals had been deviant?

3. Give a short character description of the Inspector. Will he do his job if David is ever found out? Who is the greater threat to David, the Inspector or his father? Why?

4. On page 46, Mrs Wender says: "Oh, Johnny dear. Why are you so sweet to me, when all I've brought you is-" What does she mean with that? What does it say about the position of women in Waknuk society?

5. At the end of the chapter, David is full of bitterness, self-contempt, and abasement. Why is that so? Is he correct in feeling that way? Explain your answer carefully. [pic]
DAILY RECORDS

It would have been very unwise for David to keep a journal (or diary). The word journal means "an account of day-to-day events". It comes from the Latin word diurnalis, which means "pertaining to the day". Below are ten words that derive from diurnalis. See if you can put them in the appropriate blanks.

adjourned - journalese - journalism - dial - diary - journalists - journey - sojourn - dismal - diurnal

1. The judge _______________ the trial of the Wender's for three days. (suspended indefinitely or until a later stated time)

2. My parents plan to _______________ for a month at their country home. (stay temporarily)

3. By accident, David broke the _______________ on the old steam engine. (device to regulate the operation of a machine)

4. The _______________ of the "Waknuk Monthly" lacked depth. (collection, editing, and delivery of the news via the media)

5. Dogs and cats are _______________ animals, unlike owls and bats which are night creatures. (active chiefly in the daytime)

6. The _______________ in Labrador should have reported the news accurately and fairly. (writers or editors for a news medium)

7. The Wender's tried to _______________ to a safe part of the country, far away from Waknuk. (travel)

8. Luckily, David never kept a _______________. (daily record of current activities and feelings)

9. The _______________ weather ruined the Waknuk crops. (bleak, dreary)

10. The _______________ of the "Waknuk Monthly" was terrible. (style of newspaper writing)
[pic]

WRITING

If kept on a daily basis, a diary can become -

* a record of events

* a place to clarify your goals

* a place to express yourself freely

* a memory aid

* a way for releasing your imagination

All you need is a pencil or pen and notebook. Make sure to include the following:

* vivid details that will help recreate events

* descriptions of people

* brief conversations, especially those concerning important occasions, events, or situations

* thoughts and observations, no matter how ordinary or banal they seem

* feelings, no matter how embarrassing they may seem now; ten years from now, or even next week, they probably won't be

REMEMBER: Don't censor yourself.

Of course, your diary is your business! Other people, including your parents, have no right reading your diary. If they do so, they are TRESPASSING, and are breaking your RIGHT TO PRIVACY, regardless of the "good" intentions they might have! Make sure they understand that.

Chapter Six

A Geography Lesson from Uncle Axel

Vocabulary

monstrosity - consolation - plodding - detached - decreed - concocting - abetting - concealment - Purity - anguish - humiliation - saprophytes - fathom - fungus - succulents - agitation - canvas - mizzen - jury-rigged - foul

Analysis 1. Uncle Axel is used in this chapter as a mouthpiece for the author's own commentary on the beliefs and behaviour of the people of Waknuk. What is the most important part of his account? What is the author satirizing? What is the major sin committed by the people of Waknuk according to uncle Axel?

2. Let's do some geography: On page 58 uncle Axel says: "If you make north and keep along the coast, and still keep along when it turns west and then south, you reach the other side of Labrador." Where would you be according to a present-day map?

Still on page 58, he says: "After that you bear south-east awhile and then south, and pick up the mainland coast again to starboard." Where would you be according to a present-day map?

On page 59, he says: "Soon you're following round a big bay, and you get where there are no gaps: it's all Badlands." What is the name of the big bay today? Where are the "Badlands" situated according to a present- day map?

3. What truth did the explorer Marther discover? What was the result when he published his findings? Explain why that happened.

4. In the story told by Uncle Axel there are truths and fallacies (flaws). List two interpretations that are obviously wrong.

5. What advise does uncle Axel give David? Why was it good advise?

6. Explain why it is "ironic" that David's telepathic associates find it difficult to agree with his acceptance of Sophie.

7. The character of the Inspector is in strong contrast to that of David's father. He is kind, and tries to be understanding with David. However, he has a serious weakness. Explain what it is, and also tell why it makes David's father's position so strong.

8. When David's father comes in to announce the capture of the Wender's, he shows unreasonable fury. How does that short passage increase the tension in the novel? [pic]
THE CONTENDERS

In Waknuk, people, no doubt, elected their officials by casting ballots for the candidate of their choice, just as we do today. A candidate is "one who aspires or or is nominated or qualified for an office." It derives from the Latin word candere, which means "to glow white". In ancient Rome, those who sought political office wore white togas. Below are ten words deriving from candere. See if you can use them correctly in the sentences that follow.

candelabras - candescence - candidacy - candid - candles - incandescent - incandescence - incensed - candor - chandeliers

1. One can be sure, there were no _______________ in David's house, even though the Strorm farm was large by Waknuk standards. (branched, ornate lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling)

2. The Strorm farm was lit by _______________ at night. (molded or dipped masses of wax or tallow that contain wicks for burning)

3. David's father was _______________ when he heard what his son had done. (extremely angry; enraged)

4. Rosalind's face was _______________ with pride when she heard what David had done. (marked by a white glow)

5. Conversations between David and Rosalind were always _______________, because of their telepathic abilities. (marked by honest, sincere expression)

6. Uncle Axel spoke with _______________ about David's plan to run away. (forthrightness)

7. Joseph Strorm announced his _______________ at a meeting with the people of Waknuk. (state of being nominated or qualified for an office)

8. Joseph Strorm had married his wife for her lack of _______________. (quality of brilliance and wit in expression)

9. The large and old _______________ cast ghostly shadows in the Strorm's big kitchen. (branched candlesticks)

10. Welding produces such _______________ that protective gear for the eyes is imperative. (glowing or dazzling light resulting from great heat)

GIVING ADVICE BY TELEPATHY

In the story, David and Rosalind communicate by telepathy. Check the story how that is done, then take Rosalind's position giving David advice after he has told her he wants to run away.

Remember the following:

* David and Rosalind communicate through Images and ideas, NOT words.

* Don't make fun of David or be accusatory. Respect his point of view. Try to express sympathy.

* Remind David that he is not alone. Explain how things might turn out when he carries out his plan

* Tell him that you have confidence in his ability to make a sound decision.

* Conclude with your advice to David, and offer strong evidence to back up what you are advising.

CHAPTER SEVEN

A Baby and a False Image

Vocabulary

attributable - malicious - aggravated - undignified - unconscionable - hideous - substitution - to abet

Analysis

1. This chapter provides the ultimate comment on the society in which David lives.

a. What happens in the Strorm household when a baby is born?

b. What would have happened if the inspector had not issued a certificate?

c. It is Harriet's parting statement that reveals what this world really is. What does she say?

2. The chapter also gives more information about David's father and mother, as well as about the Inspector. What does the chapter tell you about each?

3. What does the Inspector do to annoy Joseph Strorm?

On page 68, the sentence Nobody could blame the inspector for that; she did appear to be as normal as a new-born baby ever looks.... Why does that sentence ends with four dots?
[pic]

Feelings

Feelings have different degrees or strengths. For example, you may be hurt, or sorrowful, or suffering great grief. This can be the same feeling but with different degrees of strength. What words can be used to describe increasing strengths of these feelings?

In what ways do David's mother's feelings for her sister Harriet changes during this chapter? Why do her feelings change? What are her feelings based on? What are her feelings at the end of the chapter? What does this tell about her character?

How would you describe Aunt Harriet's feelings? How does she "solve" her problems?

What are your feelings about the whole situation described in this chapter? In what ways is the author shaping your feelings?

How do you usually handle your strong feeling? Do you express them through action or do you tend to "internalize" them, that is to say you push your feelings back inside yourself? Describe a situation which created strong feelings in you and tell how you handled those feelings? Example: Someone falsely accused you of something!

Mood

What is the mood of this chapter? (more than one answer possible)

___ thrilling and illuminating

___ humorous and lighthearted

___ bleak and depressing

___ tender and teasing

___ violent and vengeful

___ gloomy and tense

For each of the moods you selected, list a detail from the chapter that helps create that mood.

Selecting one of the moods listed above, create a school situation and list at least four details to include in a scene that will help communicate the mood you have chosen.

CHAPTER EIGHT

A Rusted Mirror - Axel Has Doubts

Vocabulary

poker - work texts - funking - fruition - accursed - stronghold - Sodom and Gomorrah - lewd - travesties - brought forth - unflaggingly - obscene - omnipotent - culminated - gist - reflectively

Analysis 1. Once again uncle Axel is used as a mouthpiece to explain the author's view and to prepare the reader for future possibilities. How does he explain the Waknuk people's religious beliefs? What does he have to say about David's "deviation"?

2. What does the fact that Michael's parents send him to a school in Kentak tell you about Waknuk society?

3. Explain uncle Axel's metaphor of the "rusted mirror".

4. At the top of page 81, the author make a short comment about the dead boy being distantly related to David. Why is that done? How does it tie in with what uncle Axel has told David?

Self respect and self-esteem

People who are comfortable with themselves and feel that they are worthwhile human beings are usually comfortable with their physical appearance. By what has happened in the previous chapter, David is very worried about the whole question of mutants - "Accursed is the Mutant!" He. Rosalind and the others are different. Uncle Axel tries to put him at ease. What arguments does he use?

How do you built a positive self-concept? You can act in a positive or negative way when faced with situations in your life. Give an example of how a person could act both ways in each of the following situations.

• A new students at school dresses in an "old-fashioned" ways. The students spends a great deal of time alone. • Your little brother or sister wants to hang around you all the time. • Your neighbour always looks angry when you walk past his house. Once he yelled at you when you cut across the corner of his lawn. • You feel your teacher always picks on you.
When you feel good about yourself as a person, when you are proud of yourself and what you do, you have self-respect and you have positive or high self-esteem. How does Uncle Axel try to build David's self-respect and self-esteem?
[pic]

Character Reference

The author uses a process called characterization to create memorable details about personalities in the novel.
This can be done as follows:

• what the author states directly about the character • what the character says and does • what others say or think about the character • how authors act toward the character
Since the story in The Chrysalids is told by David - not the author or an all-knowing narrator - you must rely on the on the last three methods to gain information about characters.

Directions

Each of the following charts lists some traits possessed by a character in the book. Find several specific pieces of evidence for each trait (from anywhere in the book as you read the text) to prove the character does have that characteristic.

Then decide which characterization method (or methods) in each piece of evidence is used to reveal that trait. Check the appropriate column.

a. what the character says or thinks

b. what the character does

c. what others say or think about the character

d. how others act toward the character

Below you will find an example of a chart for David. Make a similar chart for each of the following characters in the book:

Joseph Strorm - Emily Strorm - Aunt Harriet - Uncle Axel - Spider Man - Rosalind Morton - Anne - Sophie Wender - The Sealand Lady - The Inspector:

| David | | |
| Trait | Evidence | How trait is revealed |
| curious |questions the validity of The Definition of Man. | a |
| persistent | | |
| sensitive | | |
| brave | | |

|2. Joseph Strorm |3. Emily Strorm |4. Aunt Harriet |
|a. narrow-minded |a. narrow-minded |a. compassionate |
|b. authoritarian |b. compassionate |b. understanding |
|c. hardworking |c. pathetic |c. pathetic |
|5. Uncle Axel |6. Spider Man |7. Rosalind |
|a. open-minded |a. proud |a. proud |
|b. compassionate |b. narrow-minded |b. loving |
|c. honest |c. pathetic |c. sensible |
|8. Sophie Wender |9. The Sealand Lady |10. The Inspector |
|a. proud |a. proud |a. understanding |
|b. loving |b. understanding |b. shrewd |
|c. pathetic |c. sensible |c. obedient |

One Step Further

Choose a character from the preceding charts for an interview. First write that character's name, then write down three questions that are designed to gain information about that character's personality traits.

Finally, prepare answers for your character that seem consistent with his or her personality and speaking style. Write the character's initial before each response.

NINE

Old Jacob's View, and a Problem

Vocabulary

atrociously - scythe - stooking - echelon - to prop up - to pelt off - incredulously - to chafe

Analysis 1. Petra's membership to the group adds several new dimension to the story. Which two are mentioned in this chapter?

2. David is changing into an adult. Mention two examples of this.

3. Explain Michael's statement that the stupidest "norm" is happier than the members of the group are. How does it show him becoming the leader of the group?

4. Old Jacob represents the extreme "right wing" of Waknuk religion. In a few words tell what he believes in. Then explain the term "right wing".

5. The author uses in this chapter again a device of style called juxtaposition, contrasting two incidents in such a way that make each other seem worse simply because they occur together. In the previous chapter, the joy of Petra's birth offered strong contrast to the sorrow of Harriet and her baby. What is the "juxtaposition" in this chapter? [pic]
Decision Making

In this chapter David learns a lot about deviations and he will have to make many decisions in the future because of the attitudes of the people in Waknuk towards deviations.
What decisions do you have to make in your daily life?
You will be held responsible for your decisions. What consequences have you suffered because of a wrong decision?
What kind of decision making skills do you use? Do you follow a process by analysing possible consequences of your actions?
How do other people influence the decisions you make? Give some examples.

In the story, David will have to make many decisions. In this and subsequent chapters, see if he uses a decision making process.

• Identify and understand the problem. • Get information. • Consider all alternatives. • Make a decision. • Decide on a plan of action. • Be responsible for your decision. • Carry out your plan of action. • Evaluate your plan and decision. • Depending upon the evaluation, change the decision or make this type of decision again.
The moral of the story is...

In The Chrysalids, David learns many - mostly painful - lessons. These morals (principles or lessons taught by a story or experience) prepare David to become a responsible adult.

Directions

Throughout the following chapters prepare a list of learning experiences in The Chrysalids and create a moral that expresses what David gains from the learning experience.

Examples:

Both he and Rosalind rush towards Petra after they "hear" her "cry" for help. What is the learning experience? What is the moral?

David listens first to Old Jacob and then to Uncle Axel. What is the learning experience? What is the moral?

CHAPTER TEN

Love, Marriage, Murder, Suicide

Vocabulary

ambitious - to flounder - gravitated - lugubriously - to ponder - blinkered - expiated - remorse - abnegations - to dissuade - impasse - disowned - dilemma - emphatically

Analysis 1. The marriage of Anne to a "norm" is the central theme of this chapter. What arguments to the members of the group use to try and stop Anne from marrying Alan? Do you think they are valid? Why or why not?

2. What does uncle Axel suggest as a solution to the problem of Anne and Alan? Why can't David go along with it?

3. What problems do David and Rosalind face?

4. Why do you think did Anne denounce the group, beside of thinking that they had plotted Alan's murder?

5. Who do you think killed Alan?
The Group

The Group is extremely important for its members and when one of them breaks away it is a traumatic event. • What is the group and what does it do? • How do the members take care of each other? • What responsibilities do the members have? • What makes this group special? • Is there any rivalry? • Where does David fit in? • Write a short description of your family group. Did you include all the members? • Who does what in your family? • Make a list of all the responsibilities you have in your family. How do these responsibilities help your family function better? • How would you describe your role in your family. [pic]
Character Connections

|The Chrysalids has a large cast of characters and they |CHARACTER BOX |
|relate to David's life in a number of ways. To distinguish | |
|all these characters and understand their relationship to |David Strorm |
|David, a simple visual diagram can be helpful. |Joseph Strorm |
|Directions |Emily Strorm |
|In each circle below, write the names of at least three |Petra Strorm |
|characters that fit the label. Pick the names from the |Aunt Harriet |
|character box; some names will be used more than once. Then |Mary Strorm |
|answer the questions that follow. |Uncle Axel |
| |Elias Strorm |
| |Spider Man |
| |Petra |
| |Michael |
| |Rosalind |
| |Anne |
| |Rachel |
| |Katherine |
| |Sally |
| |Mark |
| |Sophie Wender |
| |Old Jacob |
| |Alan Ervin |
| |Sealand Lady |
| |Jerome Skinner |
| |The Inspector |
| | |
| |
| |
|[pic] |

[pic]
1. Give an example of a character who serves as both foe and friend to David. Give examples to show the character's hostile and friendly actions.

2. Which characters seems to influence David the most? Why do you that might be so?

3. Which character seems to influence David the least? Why do you think this might be so?

4. Which character seems most admirable to you? Why?

5. Which character seems least admirable to you? Why?

6. Which two groups seem to overlap the most? Why?

7. Which group do you think influences David the most? Why do you think this is so?

8. Which group do you think influences David the least? Why do you think this is so?

9. Which group seems most admirable to you? Why?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Education of Petra

Vocabulary

propitious - abeyance - compulsive - to radiate - to blot out - amorphous - splodge - the forge - to forge - circuit - haunch - retrousse - incisors - placatory - to appease - to fluctuate - bridle - assents - lament - perceptible - tranquil - proprietorial - inclusive - exclusive - to crop up - the dive (in Rigo) - deposition - overt - orthodoxy - tribunal

Analysis

1. The group is unquestionably in trouble now, and their detection is imminent. How does the author maintain suspense, considering that the reader knows that the groups cover will be blown?

2. What little hint of a future development is given during the teaching of Petra by David?

3. In this chapter, the characters are further developed. Using one or two words, how would you describe the character of (a) Michael, (b) David, (c) Rosalind, (d) Uncle Axel?

4. The punishment of deviates is clearly revealed for the first time in this chapter.What is it? Why is it done? How do the people of the Fringes react to this?

5. In a short paragraph describe how David tries to teach Petra? What problems does he encounter? [pic]
[pic]

[pic]

In this chapter the Group has to deal with possible betrayal and blackmail. It is becoming clear that the Group will be in conflict with the Waknuk society soon.

Growing up means meeting a number of challenges and the Group, with the exception perhaps of Michael, has some very fast growing up to do as conflict has become unavoidable.

Conflict, or a clash of opposing forces, is a vital part of most novels. Five types of conflict are defined below.

|character vs. character |the character faces a problem with one or more other characters in the story. |
|character vs. self |the character faces a physical or emotional problem or struggle |
|character vs. society |the character faces a problem with a part, or in this case, the whole of society (government, |
| |school, traditions, rules, laws) |
|character vs. nature |the character faces a problem with some force of nature (cold, storm, radiation) |
|character vs. fate |the character faces a problem with a force such as fate, God, or luck (good or bad) |

[pic]
Directions

List one conflict that arises in each of the following situations. Some of them may have more than one type of conflict, but you need list only one.

After you list the conflict, explain who or what is involved. See the example below.

Example

David discovers that Sophie Wender has six toes on each foot.

a. Conflict: Character vs. Self

b. David believes that having six toes is such a little thing, but he is very much aware of the teachings he has received, "Beware thou of the Mutant!"

1. David jokingly wishes he had a third hand and his father and mother overhear him. 2. Uncle Axel tells David to keep quiet about his picture-talking with Rosalind. 3. Sophie Wenders has six toes on each foot. 4. Aunt Harriet kills herself and her baby. 5. Anne announces that she going to get married. 6. Members of the Group meet Jerome Skinner.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Flight to the Fringes

Vocabulary

spoor - hobble - the horse - imminent - tinder-box - latch - to grope about - halter - tinkle of - bits - reprovingly - to divert - trot - the ford - to ford - pannier baskets - to dodge - stamina - a posse - desolation - retrospective law - obliterating - fortissimo

Analysis 1. David's group is finally in open conflict with the district of Waknuk. As a matter of fact, as Michael puts it, they are at war. Why does Michael say that? Give some proof by which the reality of war is demonstrated.

2. The group presents a threat that goes beyond the problem of the True Image. What is the threat David's group presents to the society of Waknuk?

3. Mrs. Morton has assisted in the escape of her daughter. What does that tell about Waknuk society?

4. Rosalind makes an excellent partner for David. What are the qualities of each? How do these compliment each other?

5. Petra receives a message from far off. What is the message? How does she explain it? What is the connection with David's childhood dream? [pic]
A World of Differences

The Chrysalids is told from David's viewpoint. But the various conversations he has with other characters in the story give the reader different views on the same subject.

The inclusion of these different views serves two important purposes. First, it allows the reader to get a clearer picture of the other characters and perspectives. Second, the views serve as a force of change. Being exposed to other thoughts help David mature from a naive small boy into a mature young man.

Directions

Determine what the characters listed feel about each of the following topics. You may use quotes, passages, or inferences (logical conclusions) in your responses. 1. the religion of Waknuk a. David b. Uncle Axel c. Joseph Strorm d. Old Jacob e. The Inspector

2. the Group a. David b. Michael c. Anne d. Joseph Strorm e. Ellen Ervin

3. the marriage of Anne a. David b. Michael c. Rachel d. Uncle Axel

4. the Fringes a. David b. Sophie c. Spider Man d. Uncle Axel e. Joseph Strorm

5. the people of Waknuk a. Uncle Axel b. Old Jacob c. the Sealand lady

6. the destruction of the Waknuk posse a. David b. Rosalind c. the Sealand lady

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Message from Sealand

Vocabulary

Disemboweled - sententiously - to cringe - at a canter - the tableau - a copse of trees - to converge - a cordon - judicially - vagrant - unwontedly - complacently - deflatingly - prattle on - no small beans - obliquely

Analysis

1. Petra takes on a special importance in this chapter. Explain why?

2. What is David's opinion about Sealand's intention to rescue them? Why?

3. David tries to explain to Petra why they are running for their lives. His explanation is used by the author to satirize Waknuk society. Explain.

4. In what ways does the author not only comment on Waknuk society, but also on our own world?

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Figures in the Round

By showing more than one side of a character's personalities, the author makes them seem well rounded or realistic.
These realistic portraits are not only a challenge to the author but to the reader. As in dealing with real people, the reader must decide how to merge into one personality many different - even contradictory - traits.

Directions

Some statements about the personality of the characters in The Chrysalids follow. Give evidence from the book to first support the statement (pro). Then contradict the statement (con). Finally, based on that evidence, draw your own conclusions that explain the character's nature. An example has been done for you.

Example:

The Inspector upholds the law on deviations.
a. Pro: He agrees that Sophie is a mutant
b. Con: He approves of Angus big horses
c. Your conclusion: He upholds the law only as far as he has to, but is willing to bend when it is convenient.

1. David's mother strictly follows the rules of Waknuk's religion. 2. Rosalind is compassionate. 3. The Seland woman has high morals. 4. David is cautious. 5. Sophie is caring and unselfish.

One Step Further

Rate a fictional character from a TV sitcom. First give the name of the character, then for each of the following character traits, answer with a never, seldom, sometimes, often or always and provide evidence for your answer.

1. Acts unwisely. 2. Is compassionate. 3. Shows a good sense of humour. 4. Is moral. 5. Becomes angry. 6. Is this character well rounded? Explain your answer.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Spider-Man

Vocabulary

symbiosis - aberrateously - miscegenate - homogeneal - consensus

Analysis 1. This a chapter of crisis. What predicament are David, Rosalind, and Petra in?

2. The author now follows two major directions to sustain suspense. Mention them, and explain how the author uses them to maintain suspense.

3. In your own words retell the Sealand woman's explanation of her country. In what ways is the novel made more believable as a result?

4. In your own words tell what the Sealand philosophy is.

5. David's conversation with the Spider-Man serves two purposes. Mention them.

6. In what way is the philosophy of the Fringe people similar to that of the people of Waknuk?

7. In what way does the Spider-Man's story explain Joseph Strorm's behaviour?

Links in the Chain

One way of tying a story together is through the use of motifs. Motifs are incidents, Images, or ideas which appear again and again in a novel. Like links in a chain, they serve to unite a story.

Directions

Some motifs in The Chrysalids are listed below. List four examples of these motifs from the book. Then answer the questions that follow.

Motif 1. Death 2. Lack of personal freedom 3. Cruelty 4. Punishment 5. Humiliation 6. Weather conditions 7. Kindness and compassion 8. Jealousy 9. Superstition
Questions
1. Mention one way in which motif 3 is linked to motif 5 in the book? 2. Mention one way in which motif 2 is linked to motif in the book? 3. Mention one way in which motif 6 is linked to motif 9 in the book? 4. Mention one way in which motif 4 is linked to motif 7 in the book? 5. Mention one way in which motif 1 is linked to motif 2 in the book? 6. Mention one way in which motif 1 is linked to motif 7 in the book? 7. Mention one way in which motif 3 is linked to motif 9 in the book?
One Step Further

Review your study of motifs. Then write an essay explaining how three of the motifs below are in some way present at or connected to the climax of the novel. 1. Death 2. Intolerance 3. Punishment 4. Weather conditions 5. Kindness and compassion 6. Devote a paragraph apiece to the discussion of each motif.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sophie

Analysis
1. In this chapter the author uses Sophie to make some of his most devastating comments about the effects of Waknuk religion by pointing out the ways in which Sophie has changed. What are these changes?

Matching Causes and Effects

Match each effect (action or decision) with its cause (the reason that something occurs). Each answer may be used only once.

| | Effect | | | Cause |
|1.|Jerome Skinner becomes suspicious of the Group. | |a.|Petra's powers of picture-making are enormous. |
| | | | | |
| 2|The crops show more deviations than usual. | |b.|The Sealand people have to detour around the Badlands. |
|. | | | | |
| 3|Uncle Axel puts an arrow on his bow. | |c.|Beware thou of the Mutant! |
|. | | | | |
| 4|The Sealand people come to rescue members of the Group. | |d.|At the end of the story Rachel is all alone in Waknuk. |
|. | | | | |
| 5|Aunt Harriet kills her baby and herself. | |e.|David and Rosalind come to the aid of Petra as she is |
|. | | | |attacked by a wild cat. |
| 6|Michael does not go to Sealand | |f.|In the past there has been a massive nuclear war. |
|. | | | | |
|7.|The Spider Man becomes the leader of Fringe people. | |g.|South-Western winds bring radiation to Waknuk. |
|8.|David and Rosalind hide in a cave in the Fringes. | |h.|Allen Erwin finds out the secret of the Group. |
|9.|The Sealand people have to detour around the Badlands. | |i.|Sophie loves David. |
|10|Not every member of the Group can be rescued. | |j.|Joseph Strorm had a brother who developed a deviation |
|. | | | | |

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A Place Among the Fossils

Vocabulary

tableau - applique - treacle

Analysis 1. In this chapter Joseph Strorm dies. Why is his death necessary and symbolic?

2. Explain the Sealand woman's comments about the extreme Badlands.

3. Explain the short conflict between Sophie and Rosalind. In it the author hints at what might have been if Sophie had not been chased out of Waknuk. What does Sophie stand for in the novel? How is the issue solved? Why in that manner?

Book Report

A Review Of The Book You Read

Criticism is concerned with the exposition, analysis, comparison, and evaluation of works of literature.

To be able to do so, you have to establish first by what criteria or "standards" you will judge the book you have read to be "good" or "bad".

You will also have to establish what you will judge. For instance, you may want to analyse plot and character, and/or language. You may also want to deal with the "message" the book has for the reader, but, under all circumstances, you will have to present evidence to back up your criticism. In this way, you have to behave like a real judge, weighing the evidence brought before him. Wild charges written down in your book report will be just as unacceptable as they would in a court.

Having stated that, let's look at what you have to do to get a good mark for your book report.
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Your book report is going to be an appraisal, and a good appraisal should tell the reader your evaluation of the book in such a way that the reader can then make his own estimation of the book. To do this you must meet three requirements: 1. you must report what the book does

2. you must judge how well it does it

3. you must provide enough evidence from the book itself to support or illustrate your judgment

Each of these obligations is important. The more you slip up on them, the more the value of your book report decreases, and with it, of course, your mark! 1. If you do not report what the book does, then your reader, who has not read the book, will have difficulty following your analysis.

2. If, however, you only report what the book does, but do not tell how well it does it, then you are only writing a synopsis (retelling the story), not a critical review.

3. Finally, if you fail to support your judgments, you give the reader no opportunity to form his own judgment. You do not have the right to think that your unsupported opinions should be accepted as facts. If you say that the book is "boring", "disorganized", "slow", or that it "doesn't make sense", you should present evidence for these statements.

A fourth obligation is taken for granted. You must be fair to the book you are judging. You must not allow your prejudices on a subject to influence your appraisal unduly.
If you hate "science fiction", then don't read such a book, but do not condemn such a book because you dislike such fiction.

The preparation of a good review requires careful reading as well as careful writing. Lazy or uncritical reading, for instance of a teener romance, will always result in a poor review. You should read the book with the intention of reviewing it. Keeping this in mind will make you read the book more purposefully. Don't make up your mind after reading thirty pages of the book. If you want to be an honest reviewer, you should not than will not make a final judgment until you have read the whole book. If you read carefully, you will begin to make tentative judgments as you go along.

You could begin your book report with an introduction of the author, telling the reader who he/she is, what other books he/she has written, or how he/she came to write this one.
If you can't, or don't want to do that, you may start with a paragraph on the problem the book deals with, for instance, juvenile delinquency, divorce, alcoholism, love, and with an example from the book, introduce the author's attitude toward the subject.
You can also start your report with a quotation from the book that sums up the purpose of the book.

Or you may start by giving a description of the book in general to give the reader a brief, but complete, picture of it.
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Avoid the following mistakes 1. Write too much about the content of the book, so that the book report is nothing but "a retelling of the story".

2. Picking out parts instead of dealing with the whole book. The reader will be confused.

3. Drifting into your own personal biases instead of dealing with the book.

4. To exaggerate one characteristic of the book instead of dealing with the whole book.

5. Keeping your report general and vague by failing to provide specific examples to support your statements.

Judge the following reviews. What is wrong with them?

The book I read is The Chrysalids and it was written by John Wyndham. This book is really dumb. It deals with science fiction and the main character is a boy with E.S.P. Would you believe that, that is weird, man! I don't like science fiction because it is all about weird societies and that is boring. The book is nothing but facts about religion and such stuff, and the author gives the characters funny names, such as Strorm and the whole story doesn't make sense. If the author would of put in one real thing that really could have happened, may be it could have been better, but now it is really dumb, with nothing happening very much between the first page and the last, just one boring thing after another. There is also some Sealand woman in the story who can mind read across the world, that is dumb too. I found this book not every interesting because it was science fiction and I don't like that kind of books.

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I liked the book, even though the main character is a boy, because I enjoy science fiction. Although the religion is weird in the book the members of the Group are exciting. I didn't like what the author did the people in the Fringes, because they are ugly and deformed. The fact that the members of the Group have E.S.P. is real cool. It wasn't their fault that they had that skill. It had to be. David's father should not have judged the book by its cover. That is message of the book. But the best parts of the book are the parts about mind reading, what the Group has and what they can do with it. The Sealand stuff was good too. Very exciting and the author describes the helicopter ride well. I could believe I was sitting in it. Eight out of ten for this one.
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The title of the book I reviewed is Don't Give Up Melissa and was written by Geraldine Humperdinck. This is a high school romance and I just love romances. The story is about that girl Melissa who is turned down by all the good looking boys at Brainless High because she has a birth mark on the lobe of her left ear. Poor Melissa really suffers, but with the support of her loving parents and her devoted dog Snarls she wins the big Florida dog sled race, thus proving that when you set your goals clearly and if you persevere, you can win. From a distance Eugene, the quarterback of the high school football team, has always admired that ear lobe, but although he is tough and big, he is too shy to tell Melissa. When, on the way back from the dog sled celebrations, Melissa runs him over with her car, he has just enough time to whisper in that wonderful ear that he always loved her, then he dies. The ending is so sad, that I cried. What a fantastic book and the author uses real language and real situations that could off happened anywhere. The message of the book: never judge a book by its cover!

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Checklist: Did I do the following? 1. Give title of book

2. Give name of author

3. Give a synopsis of the book

4. Tell what the book does, for instance, is the book a love, a detective, or an adventure story, or does it perhaps talk about relationships between people, etc.

5. Is there a special "message" for the reader?

6. In your opinion, how well did the author do the above mentioned things. Discuss them in order of their importance.

7. Give support for your opinions, for instance, with quotations from the book.

8. Sum up your arguments in a few sentences at the end of the book report.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A Brave New World

Vocabulary

apologia - superior variant

Analysis 1. This final chapter is designed to close the plot of the story, and leave the reader with things to think about. Initially, this is done by destroying the Fringes people and the Waknuk posse. How does the Sealand woman justify this? Do you agree with her explanation? Why or why not? Be careful to look at both sides of the issue.

2. In the description of the relationships between David and Rosalind, and between Rachel and Michael, the author points towards the most redeeming quality of the human race. What is it?

3. At the end of the story, David recognize the great city in Sealand as the city of his dream. Why does the novel begin and end with that vision?

4. The basic structure of events traces the movement of David's own self-discovery. Mention the four stages in this process of discovery.

5. In your own words describe the Setting of the novel. Make sure to mention both the geographical and social settings.

6. All novels have a theme. What is the major theme in The Chrysalids?

7. Give a short character sketch of: (a) David, (b) Rosalind, (c) Petra, (d) Sophie, (e) Old Jacob, (f) The Inspector, (g) Alan Ervin, (h) Joseph Strorm, (i) Emily Strorm, (j) Harriet Strorm, (k) Angus Morton, (l) Uncle Axel, (m) The Wenders, (n) Anne, (o) Michael

Pyramid of Action

The plot of The Chrysalid is made up of a number of episodes or separate incidents. These incidents are connected in some way so that the plot is tied together.

The Chrysalids breaks down into a traditional five-part plot structure. These parts are as follows: • exposition - an introduction to the main characters, settings, and situations of the plot • rising action - the events and complications that lead to an important and dramatic point in the plot • climax - the point of greatest interest and emotional involvement in the plot • falling action - the events that develop from the climax and lead to the conclusion • resolution or denouement - the final outcome which ties up any loose ends left in the story
This structure can be depicted as a lopsided pyramid, with two base lines.

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Directions

Below is a list of major episodes in The Chrysalids. Copy these episodes on a chart in your notebook (similar to the chart found on the next page) in the order in which they occur.
After you finish putting the events in proper order, turn the diagram sideways and draw the pyramid diagram (right over your answers in a different colour ink) to reflect where the five elements of the plot occur. Then label the parts of the pyramid.
Note: Your pyramid may look lopsided (one side longer than the other).

Major Episodes: • Petra, through her awesome telepathic powers, gets in touch with a distant civilization in New Zealand (Sealand).

• David meets Sophie Wender and discovers that she is a physical deviant with six toes on each foot.

• David sees his aunt driven to suicide because she has given birth to a deviant baby.

• David, Rosalind, and Petra flee to the Fringes, where they are pursued by the people of Waknuk, including David's own father.

• The birth of David's little sister, Petra, causes innumerable problems.

• Under torture Katherine and then Sally admit that David, Rosalind, and Petra also have the ability of mind reading.

• In the Fringes, David, Rosalind, and Petra are captured by the deviate inhabitants.

• David, Petra, and Rosalind escape per helicopter to New Zealand.

• David is concerned for his own personal safety when he realizes that he and his group of E.S.P. friends are also deviants

• As a child, David has learned the strict morality of his society: "Watch Thou for the Mutant," "The Norm is the Will of God," and "The Devil is the Father of Deviation."

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Map 1

MAP TWO

The Waknuk World placed on a present-day map.

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MAP THREE

Uncle Axel's Trip

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