Literary Analysis of a Family Scene

What is the old grandmother doing with the almanac?

What is the child watching in the kitchen?

What does the grandmother do when she thinks the house feels chilly?

What does the child draw with crayons?

What falls from the almanac into the flower bed?

What is the atmosphere in the house during the story?

What is the significance of the almanac in the story?

What does the kettle do on the stove?

What does the child observe the grandmother doing?

What does the grandmother do with the almanac after reading it?

What does the child draw with crayons?

What is the significance of the 'little moons' in the story?

What is the relationship between the grandmother and the child?

What is the tone of the story?

Setting

The story takes place on a rainy day in September, in the evening when the light is failing.
The scene is set in the grandmother's kitchen, where she sits with the child near the Little Marvel Stove.

Grandmother's Actions

The grandmother reads jokes from the almanac to the child, trying to hide her tears.
She cuts bread and prepares tea for the child.
She tidies up the kitchen and hangs the almanac on its string.
She adds more wood to the stove when she feels the house is chilly.

The Child's Actions

The child watches the teakettle's steam rising from the stove, comparing it to the rain outside.
The child draws a picture of a rigid house with a winding pathway, and adds a man with buttons like tears.
The child secretly places a flower bed in the front of the house.

The Almanac

The grandmother believes the almanac predicts the rain and her own tears.
The almanac is hung on a string in the kitchen, hovering above the grandmother and child.
The almanac says "I know what I know" and "Time to plant tears".
Little moons fall from the almanac's pages into the flower bed.

The Little Marvel Stove

The stove is the central heating source in the kitchen.
The iron kettle sings on the stove.
The grandmother talks to the stove, saying it is to be, implying a sense of destiny.
The stove is personified as a character that responds to the grandmother's actions.

A quiz about a passage depicting a heartwarming moment between a grandmother and a child, exploring themes of love, comfort, and the passing of time. Analyze the literary devices and symbolism used in the text to uncover its deeper meaning. Test your understanding of the passage's characters, setting, and emotional tone.