"The Box House and the Snow" by Cristina Henriquez
Interpretive Questions: Answer all questions in complete sentences, provide quotes to support.
1.) Why does the daughter continue to hold up the ceiling throughout the story?
The daughter does this because she is obeying her father.
2.) Why does the father make the daughter hold up the ceiling?
The father wants the daughter to do this because he does not want the house to fall.
3.) Why does the daughter say, “I don’t think it will fail”? (p.93)
The daughter says this because she does not think the "perfect house" would fall.
4.) Why does the daughter have “no choice” but to hold up the ceiling? (p.95)
The daughter has no choice but to do this because she wants to obey the father.
5.) Why does the mother leave the daughter alone even after the daughter repeatedly tells her mother she is tired?
The mother does this because she is bored.
6.) Why does the father blame the daughter for ruining the house?
The father does this because he thinks the daughter purposely let the water through.
7.) Why is the father afraid the house will be ruined?
The father is afraid of this because he wants it to stay together.
8.) Why does the father tell himself that “if he could keep his house standing, it would be God’s way o telling him he had a reasonable sort of pride, one for which he did not deserve to be punished”? (p. 88-89)
The father tells himself this because it is a message from God that his house is not perfect.
9.) At the end of the story, why does the father insist the house is ruined?
The father insists that the house is ruined because he can then have a reason to blame the daughter.
10.) Why does the father whisper at the end, “She let it through”? (p. 98)
The father whispers this because he is placing the blame on the girl and basically saying she is horrible.
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Derision (p. 84)
Quote: "So when it crumbled, though they were nothing but kind and supportive to his face, the people in town whispered behind the man's back about how embarrassing it was that the house had collapsed like a bad soufflé, and they laughed with derision and agreed that the man's pridefulness had been met with just punishment."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Mockery and sarcasm.
Synonym: laughter.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): As the child told his friends a joke that made no sense, they didn't get it of course, but instead laughed with derision.
2.) Collectively (p. 84)
Quote: "Later, this is the story they would collectively decide upon, the legend they would pass down to their children and their children's children."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Together.
Synonym: Commonly.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): As a family, we collectively decided what our new year resolutions were.
3.) Opaque (p. 84)
Quote: "The world was black, caked on and opaque."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Foggy.
Synonym: Dark
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): As we explored further inside the cave, the air got thicker and it began to look opaque.
4.) Cascading (p. 85)
Quote: "And later still in a last heroic push before the sun came up in the morning, the snow grew so dense that it gave the appearance of cascading walls of snow, a world made from snow, solid all the the way through."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Falling.
Synonym: Collapsing.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): After the earthquake, the wall of rocks outside the house began cascading."
5.) Invincible (p. 91)
Quote: "It was not invincible."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Indestructible.
Synonym: Invulnerable.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): People thought that the Titanic was an invincible and unsinkable ship, but they were proven wrong.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when a character behaves reasonably or unreasonably. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
1.) Why does the daughter continue to hold up the ceiling throughout the story?
The daughter does this because she is obeying her father.
2.) Why does the father make the daughter hold up the ceiling?
The father wants the daughter to do this because he does not want the house to fall.
3.) Why does the daughter say, “I don’t think it will fail”? (p.93)
The daughter says this because she does not think the "perfect house" would fall.
4.) Why does the daughter have “no choice” but to hold up the ceiling? (p.95)
The daughter has no choice but to do this because she wants to obey the father.
5.) Why does the mother leave the daughter alone even after the daughter repeatedly tells her mother she is tired?
The mother does this because she is bored.
6.) Why does the father blame the daughter for ruining the house?
The father does this because he thinks the daughter purposely let the water through.
7.) Why is the father afraid the house will be ruined?
The father is afraid of this because he wants it to stay together.
8.) Why does the father tell himself that “if he could keep his house standing, it would be God’s way o telling him he had a reasonable sort of pride, one for which he did not deserve to be punished”? (p. 88-89)
The father tells himself this because it is a message from God that his house is not perfect.
9.) At the end of the story, why does the father insist the house is ruined?
The father insists that the house is ruined because he can then have a reason to blame the daughter.
10.) Why does the father whisper at the end, “She let it through”? (p. 98)
The father whispers this because he is placing the blame on the girl and basically saying she is horrible.
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Derision (p. 84)
Quote: "So when it crumbled, though they were nothing but kind and supportive to his face, the people in town whispered behind the man's back about how embarrassing it was that the house had collapsed like a bad soufflé, and they laughed with derision and agreed that the man's pridefulness had been met with just punishment."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Mockery and sarcasm.
Synonym: laughter.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): As the child told his friends a joke that made no sense, they didn't get it of course, but instead laughed with derision.
2.) Collectively (p. 84)
Quote: "Later, this is the story they would collectively decide upon, the legend they would pass down to their children and their children's children."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Together.
Synonym: Commonly.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): As a family, we collectively decided what our new year resolutions were.
3.) Opaque (p. 84)
Quote: "The world was black, caked on and opaque."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Foggy.
Synonym: Dark
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): As we explored further inside the cave, the air got thicker and it began to look opaque.
4.) Cascading (p. 85)
Quote: "And later still in a last heroic push before the sun came up in the morning, the snow grew so dense that it gave the appearance of cascading walls of snow, a world made from snow, solid all the the way through."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Falling.
Synonym: Collapsing.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): After the earthquake, the wall of rocks outside the house began cascading."
5.) Invincible (p. 91)
Quote: "It was not invincible."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): Indestructible.
Synonym: Invulnerable.
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): People thought that the Titanic was an invincible and unsinkable ship, but they were proven wrong.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when a character behaves reasonably or unreasonably. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
Reasonable
1. For the father to brag about the house. 2. For the daughter to obey the father so long. 3. For the daughter to cry. 4. For the snow to be a message from God. 5. For the daughter to think the house won't fall. |
Unreasonable
1. The amount of snow from the storm. 2. Making the daughter hold up the roof for days and nights. 3. The mother leaving the daughter alone in the house. 4. The daughter crying enough to wet the whole floor. 5. The father coming in the house and blaming the water on her. |