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Elaine M. Votraw EDLA Summer 2005 Extension Project
Tuck Everlasting By Natalie Babbitt Reflection
I selected inspiration to assist me developing my thoughts. This is a great program, easy to navigate. I hadn’t used inspiration and thought this would be a good time to try it. The project promoted a better understanding of the story and its themes.
Tuck Everlasting is about life. It illustrates the choices and decisions we face each day. These very decisions can change our lives forever. Winnie Foster is the main character in the book that is searching for something more meaningful in her life. She meets up with the Tuck family and her whole life changes. What makes this story so intriguing is the way the author developed underlying themes. Initially Winnie is your typical child dreaming of something more. As the story develops, it’s apparent that theme is life and the choices we make. It encourages us to think about our lives and if living forever is the answer. Interesting book, it was written in1975 and living “forever” is very popular as evidenced by the latest medical breakthroughs, movies and novels. This was a fun book to read. It brought me back to my childhood days and time spent thinking about all the things I wanted to do.
The initial issue is seeking out the spring which is the secret to immortality. The Tuck family is the “protector” of the spring. They are aware of consequences if the spring were to become public knowledge.
I used the forest to portray the woods where the life altering spring is located. The “wood” was depicted as a scary place. I wanted it to be a serene, peaceful area so I chose a picture with a blue sky. The boy and girl depicted the friendship established between Winnie and the Tuck family. This was something she had longed for, adventure in her so called dull life. She gained a memory and loyal friendship. Winnie was able to give of herself to help the Tucks escape. This taught her two lessons. The first was how to be a good friend and he second was loyalty. Winnie might not have comprehended the impact of the spring, but she knew it was precious. I selected the poem to reflect the meaning of their friendship, how we can make a connection with people we’ve known for a short time. This poem can be applied to our own friendships. Winnie proved her loyalty by not divulging the Tucks’ secret. The fairy represents the dreams we have as children and adults. Sometimes our dreams don’t turn out the way we want them to, but we accept what life offers us. Winnie had hoped to marry Jessie, this dream didn’t come true but she did marry and have children. The Chinese symbol for the yin and the yang was used to represent the meaning of life and death. This story compels us to think about our thoughts and feelings regarding our mortality. Do we really want to live forever? Should we tamper with the life cycle? Some people have gone to extremes, such as preserving their bodies for the future.
I would rate my extension project as Expert. All of the themes were addressed and explained. All skill levels will be able to interpret the diagram. I think the diagram is intriguing. Click here to listen to a soothing sound.
Resources
Fairy picture http://www.midsummerfairies.com/
Soothing Sounds www.soundsthatsoothe.co.uk/listen.htm
Loyalty poem www.ugdsb.on.ca/laurelwoods/poems.htm
Pictures and locating sounds
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