Alternate ending for God is not a fish inspector

From the beginning of the last page

        The back door flew open and Fusi felt a chill run up his spine. Fusi turned to see a large man in a brown coat standing in the doorway to the aging elderly home. The man glanced around the room, his dark eyes narrowing as he noticed the fish wrapped in crumpled brown paper sitting on the counter. He closed the door as he stepped inside, his large muddy boots leaving markings on the laminated white floor.
        "Can I help you, sir?" Rosie asked, studying the man.
        " Yes, I'm here from the fish inspecting company. We had a woman by who claimed to be Mr. Bergman's daughter contact us about his fishing. She told us everything ."
         Fusi glared at the man in total shock. This couldn't have been happening. His own daughter had ratted him out. He sat there for a moment, deep in thought. Fusi's eyes had a spark in them as he realized that they would need to catch him the act before they could take his skiff.
          " I'm here to tell you that we've known about your fishing for a long time now. We've been watching from the shore since you lost your fishing licence. " The man stared at Fusi, his eyes cold and unhelpful.
          Fusi gave a start. His entire world was falling apart as he was given the truth about what he had believed to be his secretive fishing. They had been letting him fish for all these years. It couldn't be true, it wasn't true he thought to himself.
          The fish inspector walked across the room and sat down at the table across from Fusi and Rosie. They all sat for a moment in silence, Fusi still thinking, and Rosie looking worried.
          " We've decided that it's time to stop fishing Mr. Bergman." Fusi looked distraught at the words coming from the man's mouth. " Some of our employees will be by your house later today to collect your skiff and your net."
              Fusi's entire world was crashing around him. For four years he had believed that he had been sneaky, like he had the upper hand on the Fish inspector's, but it was all a lie. They'd known all along.  Fusi's eyes darted towards the fish inspector.
        " But thats impossible." Rosie put a hand on Fusi's back in support as he started to breath heavily.
             "There is more." The fish inspector said, walking towards the fish. He picked up the brown package and put it under his arm.
          "We've decided to put you in this home. From what we've seen of you, and what your daughter has told us, it's about time you stayed here." He said coldly. The room fell silent for a second time that day. After what seemed like hours the fish inspector spoke once more.
            " You'll have a few hour to pack your things before we come to take you to the home." Fusi still sat silent. He didn't know what to do. After all the years of being independant and working on his own to catch his fish everyday, the truth came out that he was being watched. And now he was being pushed into a home for the elderly. The fish inspector turned and walked out with the package of fish under his arm, the door slamming shut.
Rosie took Fusi by the hand and led him to the front door,  his eyes still showing him in deep thought. “ Best get you ready to leave.” She said quietly, and then she led him out the door and to his house.  Fusi looked upon his home with a sad look on his eyes. The last time he’d see his own home. This was the last time he’d fish on his own.

       

God is NOT a Fish Inspector

Title and Author:  God is not a fish inspector by W.D. Valgardson

Biography: William Dempsy Valgardson was born May 7, 1939 in Winnipeg , Manitoba.  He is a Canadian author and poet. He was raised in Gimli, Manitoba.  He is a writing professor at the university of Victoria.  One of his stories, Bloodflowers was included in the best American short stories 1971.

Symbol: 

This picture represents stereotypes.

Response: 1. what is the source of conflict between Fusi and his daughter?
The conflict between Fusi and his daughter is that she believes that he is doing wrong in the eyes of god to take fish from the lake without a licence. It could also be that she believes that he is to old to be sneaking out and trying to drag nets in on his own like that. She wants him to be in the home across the street and to finally be retired. Fusi wants to remain independent and believes that if he is still able to fish even one net, he should be able to go on fishing, even without a licence.
     2. Do you agree with Emma's decision to tell the fish inspectors about Fusi? Write a paragraph giving reasons to support your opinion.
 No, I do not believe in Emma's decision to tell the fish inspectors about the fishing that Fusi had been doing. She had absolutely no right to tell them about what he was doing and she shouldn't have told Fusi that they already knew. He wasn't doing any harm with only one net and he wasn't doing any damage to anyone. It gave him the thought that he could still be independent and do what he wanted without anyone knowing. Even when she learned that they already knew, she shouldn't have told him. They were always there to help him if he needed it.
       3. What foreshadowing is there of Emma's concluding revalation about the fish inspectors? Why do you think she reveals this information to Fusi?
  The foreshadowing is that the fish inspectors already knew what Fusi was doing out on his boat. I believe that Emma reveals this information to show Fusi that he isn't as smart or as cunning as he might have been a long time ago. She wants to show him that they're letting him to do, not him trying to sneak around. She seems to be an almost fanatical religious person and Fusi defied her when she said that he was doing wrong against god. She wanted to show him what she believe to be gods will. She thought she was doing the right thing.
      4. What criticism does this story make about attitudes toward religion and toward the elderly in todays society? 
  I think that this story is trying to show us that many people these days see elderly people as weak and unable to do anything on their own. Many people believe it should stay that way. Emma wants Fusi to retire and go live in the old folks home. Our views on religion can be the same as this story as well. It shows them to be cruel, fanatical people. It shows them to do everything in the name of god, or for god.

Critical thinking:   i) Why do you think the author wrote this text?
 I think the author wrote this short story  to show us our views of people, and to show us that we may not be as independent as we think we are.
ii)  What does the author want you to think?
 The author wants to think about how we view people today. What do we think of old people, religious people. and young people. There are a lot of stereotypes about people like old people are senile, and young people who are teenagers are more likely to steal than other people.
  iii) Do you belong to any groups in this text?
       No I do not.
  iv) Does this story remind you of a real life event?
   No, it doesn't.
 v) Does this story remind you of a movie or story on a similar subject?
  Nope, I cannot think of any stories or movies like this.
 vi) How does this story help you think about social issues and social justice?
  It helps me think about the stereotypes about different folks and how many people actually believe them. It makes me realize that everyone believes in these stereotypes sometimes.
 vii) What action might you take from what you have learned?
I'd stop believing in any obvious stereotypes there are of any people.
 viii) what is the big question this text has left you with?
 My question is, Are any of these stereotypes true?

All the Troubles of the World

Title and Author:  All the Troubles of the World by Isaac Asimov

Biography:  Isaac was born between October 4 ,1919 and January 2, 1920 in Petrovichi. He was considered a master of hard scientific writing and was also one of the big three of his time of science fiction novels. His most famous series that he wrote was the Foundation series. He had several things named in his honor such as an asteroid, a school and even a literary award. Isaac Asimov died April 6 1992, in New York City.

Symbol:  This is a picture of Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders. Just like multivac does, but in a less physical and more mental way. Having to predict every one's crime and know about all of these terrible things that will happen if you don't say something about it is an absolutely terrible burden to have to carry.

Response: 1: Why do Ali Othman and Rafe Leemy wait before they tell Bernard Gulliman the whole truth? Are their actions believable considering the seriousness of the crime?
  I believe that Othman and Leemy decided against telling Bernard about the crime because they thought it was totally outrageous. They didn't want him panicking about something with such a low chance of happening. And the chance that it could happen was so low that they believed it to not even be worth telling him. Their actions are completely believable given the circumstances. Though you have to think that, when something this important has even the slightest chances of being destroyed or murdered, you should take any and all precautions which would include telling Bernard about the crime.
                 2. What evidence from the storytells you that Ben and the other characters see Multivac as a kind of god? What effect does their view have on the stories ending?
  They keep saying that no one could kill multivac on his own, he would have to have many, many, many accomplices to even plan the crime! They also believe in absolutely everything that multivac says. They believe his every word when it comes to crime. They believe that he is saying that other men are planning to murder him when really, all he is trying to do is to get somebody to kill him. This makes you realize that even gods want to die, even computers do. They believe that they have created a god, but it still feels the burden that a human in the same situation would.
             3. What does the ending suggest about the ability of technology to bring about a perfect world? Do you agree?
 It suggests that it can bring a perfect world but only for so long before it grows tired. Machines can malfunction and computers can get viruses. Nothing can truly make it a perfect world because no technology made an imperfect man can be perfect. And I totally agree with what this story is trying to say.
           5. What do you believe the world will be like in 2100?  I believe that in the year 2100, British Columbia will have a skytrain that runs from Vancouver to abbotsford. I would hope that a few more of the world's problems would be solved such as homelessness in cities and world hunger. I would think that our medicines would have improved by quite abit by then, making cancer seem much more like the dangerous diseases from the 20th century seem like they do now in the 21st century.  I hope that they will have figured out a better means of travel than the cars we drive today, maybe something faster as well.
Critical thinking:
   i) Why do you think the author  wrote this text?
I believe that the author wrote this text to show us that not even the technology we create to be perfect cannot carry the entire weight of societies crimes.
  ii) What does the author want you to think?
I believe hat the author wants us to realize that technology cannot solve all of our problems. We can't quite make the perfect machine, or even the perfect world. Nobody should have to or has the capability of handling all that pressure.
  iii) Do you belong to any groups in the text?
I would belong with Ben Manners. A person who doesn't quite understand why his family is being detained for something that never happened , but might end up doing what multivac wants.
   iv) Does the story remind you of a real life event ( Your own or others)
Yes, my computer once asked me to kill it. But I didn't.
  v) Does this story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic.
Well, the idea that machines can bring about a perfect world makes me think of many movies where a machine malfunctions. Such as I Robot. The main computer has a glitch causing the machines that were made to make life easier turn against everyone.
   vi)  How does this story help you think about social issues and social justice?
 It helps me to think about the fact that, a world run by machines might not be any better than a world run by humans.
   vii) What action might you take from what you have learned.
I doubt I'd do anything at this point in time. I wouldn't be rebelling against the machines. I'd just seem like a crazy person.
   viii) What is the big question hat this text has left with you?
 Could a world like this be achieved, at least for a short time?

The possibility of Evil

Title and Author: The possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson

Biography: Shirley Jackson was born December 14, 1916  in San Fransico, California. Her best known short story is "The Lottery" which she wrote in 1948. It suggests the possibility of a secret and sinister underside to small-town America. She has influenced many of the writers today such as Stephen King and Richard Matheson. One of her later stories, the haunting of hill house is regarded by many, including Stephen King, as one of the more important horror stories of the 20th century. She died august 8th, 1965.

    

Symbol:    This envelope represents the letters that miss Strangeworth sent to all the people of her town. Letters that could ruin lives.

Response:  1. What is Miss Strangeworth trying to accomplish by sending her letters? Does she succeed?
 Miss Strangeworth is trying to prevent possible crimes that may happen with her letters. When she believes that someone is about to do something they shouldn't, take more money from someone they should, or just something that in her eyes is wrong, she sends out one of her anonymous letters.  And she did succeed to an extent. She prevented what she believed might turn into a crime through blackmail. She said things about people that she shouldn't know. She sent letters to people to make them think about it. She made them ask questions. And in doing this, they discovered secrets and she stopped evil.
                2. how would you describe the stories atmosphere at the beginning? How does this atmosphere help to emphasize the ending?
  It starts off, seemingly like a completely average town filled with friendly people. Even miss Strangeworth seems friendly and shows off her roses though she never sells them. She sometimes thinks about a time before know, which often people do. I believe this helps to emphasize the ending in that it reveals the fact that evil can exist anywhere and it exists everywhere. Even in this perfectly peaceful town with few troubles and Miss Strangeworth doing all she can to prevent evil, even if she is going about it wrong.
              3. Why don't people ignore the letters they receive? If you received one of Miss Strangeworth's letters, what would you do?
   I think that the reason people don't ignore the letters is because it may spark their curiosity or fears. Some who receive these letters may fear that their secrets are out or that the person who sent this accusing letter may start to spread rumors or reveal the truth about what they do. Some folks receive questions. It makes them want to know exactly whats going. And by what the letter says, they may become more or less interested in the situation. If I were to receive one of the letters, there is a good chance I wouldn't ignore at first. It would be gnawing away in the back of my mind, bothering me day after day.  But eventually, I would forget about the harsh letter, and go about my business, whatever it may be.
             6. Consider both Miss Strangeworth's anxiety about evil and the final crime in the story. Do youu think humans will ever be able to create a crime free society?
  I do not believe that we will ever have or be able to create a crime free society.
You cannot change human nature. Whenever someone has something more, or something in a larger quantity of someone else, that person will feel greed. Emotions control us easily, causing us to commit crimes of hate, passion and depression. These are the things that may us commit crimes. Everyone has at least a little evil in them. Whether you are a pope or a construction worker, you're only human.

i) Why do you think the author wrote the text?

I believe the author wrote this short story to make us think about our own society. Is there evil everywhere?

ii) What does the author want you to think?

The author wants us to think that no matter how nice,friendly or average your neighbourhood may be, there is always the possibility of evil there.

iii) Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?

I would probably be a person like don crane or one of the other people who have experienced a letter from  miss Strangeworth. An average person who is being accused of evil. A person who is afraid that their secret might get out or a person who wants to know the truth.

iv) Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?

 No it does not.

v) Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?

I can't think of any, but there probably is one.

vi) How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?

It reminds me that yes, evil can be anywhere and everywhere, even when it's caused with good intentions behind it.

vii) What action might you take from what you have learned?

 I don't believe I'll act any different from the way I do now. This story doesn't change the way I view the world. I already knew that evil could exist anywhere.

viii) What big question has this text left you with?

Was miss Strangeworth right to do things the way she did?

My Metaphor

 My grandmother is a flower garden. A small plain,simple, yet elegant wooden gate provides an entrance to the beautiful garden.  Rows upon rows of brightly colored flowers line the pathways of soft grass and dirt. Everything has been placed so neatly and precisely that if anything were to join this garden without permission, it would stand out. The menagerie of flowers from all corners of British Columbia lighten the air with their sweet scents. The few weeds that exist in this garden are small, and well hidden amongst the masses of blue, purple and red flowers. But visits at this garden are short lived and can easily bore those who don't know how to appreciate a garden. And thus it is often and easily overlooked by even friends and family.

Harrison Bergeron

Title and author: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Biography:   Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 11, 1922. He was born to Kurt Vonnegut Sr. and Edith Lieber, both second generation German-American.  He eventually joined the army in world war two, where he was captured during the battle of the bulge.He also witnessed the fire bombing of Dresden, where he was named leader of the POW's because he spoke German. Until he told them what he was going to do to them when the Russians arrived. When the war was over he recieved the purple heart award for what he called a ludicrously negligible wound. Some of his works include Harrison Bergeron, Breakfast of Champions and Timequake.
 Kurt Vonnegut died in New York City on April 11, 2007.

Symbol:   This picture represents the state of the world in this story. Everyone is completely equal. But they are trapped.  Those who have more skills, are smarter or better looking are punished with masks, chains and things to cage peoples talents. Nobody can truly be who they could be. If you try to break free of these things, you are punished again, by death or by being put in jail. No matter what you do in this world, you are trapped.

Response: 2. What parts of the story are exaggerated? What do you think was the author's purpose in using exaggeration so extensively? 
 I believe that the most exaggerated parts of this story are the handicaps. Such as the handicaps for Harrison himself. Earmuffs made to give him headaches along with glasses that make him half blind, helping with the headaches. Not only is there that, but he also has enough weight on him to stop any normal man in his tracks. And nearly everyone has a handicap! The weight some of these people are forced to wear would seem impossible for the average human being to be able to take now.
        3. What do George's and Hazel's reactions at the end of the story reveal about the quality of life in their society?
 The end of this story reveals that these people have a very low quality of life. Even the emotions of people must seemingly be equal. No one may be sad while someone else is happy. They are made to forget the whole ordeal. As if it had never happened. Or maybe it's just that people have grown so accustomed to seeing these terrible things happen on t.v that humans have developed a way to simply block out the bad memories.
      4. a) What is the situational irony in the story? What would you suspect a society to be like where everyone is equal?
  I would expect a society where everyone is equal to be almost a paradise. There would be no need for war, crime or anything terrible. There would never be any greed, or famine or hate. There would be no reason to hate because everyone is equal. There wouldn't be any world hunger because everyone would have the same amount of money, food, light and heat. Instead, it's forcing people into depression. Punishing those who have anything better, making them suffer.
          b) What point do you think the author is making through the irony?
  Not everything in the idea of equality is great.  And even though we think it may be great now, what will we think when it actually happens? We will simply accept it and move on? Or will we fight to keep things the way they are. People are competitive by nature, and if everyone is the same,  nobody can win in the competition.
   5.  What are some other books/ movies you know of about planned utopias that turned out to be the opposite? If you could create a utopia, what would it be like?
  The island is seemingly a paradise for many people, or so they think. They then discover that the people in the island are just clones, made for organs, children and blood for their real human counterparts.  In my ideal utopia, not everyone would be completely equal in the sense of the story Harrison Bergeron.  Everyone would be equal as a person, but people who have advantages on other would be able to keep those. They wouldn't suffer for being better.   Competitions would still be held, people would be able to train for things as much as they want, and get as good as they want. There wouldn't be any hunger or homelessness because everyone would have a home, and food!

i) Why do you think the author wrote the text?
 I think the author wrote the text to make us think about what the world might be if everyone were equal. There are many different views of a world of equality. And this just represents one of them.

ii) What does the author want you to think about?
 The author wants us to think about what a future utopia may be like. Some people may see it as a terrible thing, where people live depressed and suffering because of their advantages over other people. Then again, some people see it as the perfect place. The latter would be better.

iii) Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
I would probably belong with the handicapped people. I wouldn't want to be handicapped, I'd hate it and would want to fight it. But would I really fight? I'd probably to scared of what might happen to me if I joined Harrison. But not only to me, but also the people I know.

iv) Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?  
It does not remind me of anything.

v) Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Again, this reminds me of the island. A seemingly perfect utopia, until people get called to the island, and are killed for the benefit of others.

vi) How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
    It helps me think about social issues because in society we need people to have different talents to make society function! If we didn't have some genius's, we'd never have gotten to where we are today with technology. We shouldn't handicap someone who has talents to make them the same as others.

vii) What action might you take from what you have learned?
       I can't really think of how this would apply to the things happening today but, if we were to come to earth being a world like this one, I would be on Harrison Bergeron's side. Fighting against the injustice. 

viii) What big question has this text left you with?
 Is this really what the world could end up being like? Are we all going to end up being controlled like this?

The Metaphor

Title and Author: The Metaphor by Budge Wilson

Biography:  Budge Wilson was born and raised in Nova Scotia. She attended Dalhousie  University and graduated with a B.A in philosophy and psychology.  Since her first book was published in 1984 , she has successfully written and published another 33 books. Some of which have gotten awards such as 23 Canadian children's books "our choice" awards, a city of Dartmouth book award, and countless others. She is a very highly acclaimed Canadian author.  Her most recent work as of now, is her prequel Before Green Gables.

Symbol:     This cake represents Miss Hancock. A cake with frosted with unschooled cake decoration skills.

Response:   3. Is Charlotte right in blaming herself for Miss Hancock's death? Would being more friendly to Miss Hancock at senior high have made any difference?
  I do not believe that Charlotte was right in blaming herself for the death of Miss Hancock. Though many times when someone very close to us dies we may blame ourselves. If we had been neglecting or not acknowledging the recently deceased when they still breathed, we see it as if we killed them by our actions. Even if Charlotte had absolutely nothing to do with her teacher's death , she still believes that she could have stopped it from happening if she had only payed more attention to miss Hancock. Maybe just smiled at her every so often. I don't believe that her being friendly would have averted this tragedy. She did not commit suicide, she didn't die from depression. She died because of an accident. An occurrence that could have happened to absolutely anyone. It just happened to happen to someone Charlotte cared about.
            1. a) Why do you think Miss Hancock got along so well in junior high school, but had so much difficulty in senior high?
  In my opinion, Miss Hancock had a much easier time teaching the junior high students, simply for the fat that they were younger. They didn't care who they impressed or what they did to get a laugh. They had found a teacher that they loved to learn from, and who made all this learning seem so much funner that some teacher might make it seem. Senior High becomes a much different story.  The older we get, the more unruly we may become. Sure, some teenagers may become more mature, but appearance and what people think of you become more and more important. People may start acting out in class, doing stupid things for a cheap laugh. Miss Hancock was totally unprepared for this kind of behavior. She didn't know how to react to kids who didn't share the same excitement for English as she did.
             b) In your experience, what were some of the differences you noticed between your teachers in grades 7-9 and your teachers at grades 10 - 12?
      I personally haven't noticed much difference in the teachers I had from grade nine to ten, but there have been some changes. It seems to me that as I got older, teachers started to treat me with more respect, if I had earned it. They seem to treat you more like a young adult rather than an immature teenager. Unless of course you acted like one.  Which brings me to the point of me saying, teachers become much more strict every year. Some not as much. It probably has something to do preparing us for adulthood, and working for someone who may be that strict.
           5.  What do you think was the author's main purpose for writing this story?  One of the purposes for this story, in my opinion, is to show how much high school can change us. Charlotte used to be a young girl who didn't really care about what people thought of her. She loved to write metaphor's and just play with words for hours on end. She was totally innocent, only hanging with friends she liked, and enjoying school to the fullest. And then she went to high school. She seemed to changed quite a bit. She had a self-centered and self-conscious sophistication about her that wasn't there when she was younger. She still loved literature and all that, but wasn't willing to speak out about it. Instead of trying to help Miss Hancock, or even just speak with her about the things that had been happening, she decided to ignore her. She sat quietly, snickering at the jokes of her fellow classmates.   High school can change you in many ways,  and not all of them are good.
      4. How were the metaphorical descriptions similar to the actual characters of Charlotte's mother? And Miss Hancock?   The metaphors for Charlotte's mother and miss Hancock are different in the sense of, her mother is something rigid, but always seems to be hidden behind something. Whether it be a bush or some other means of hiding, while Miss Hancock is something very vibrant and big. They are similar because they both have something hidden in them. While miss Hancock had many layers to her, hidden throughout the cake, her mother is also hidden behind something, but in a different way.
   Critical Thinking:
       
                    i) Why do you think the author wrote the text?
                      I believe that the author wrote this story to show kids that they are not the only ones having a difficult time transitioning from elementary or junior high to senior high. Teachers are feeling just as out of place as us.

ii) What does the author want you to think?
The author wants us to think about how the person on the opposite end feels. Think about how a teacher may feel coming to a new school for she or he has absolutely no respect.

iii) Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
   I would belong with Charlotte's group in the sense that I feel a little uncomfortable being a new kid at my school. So I could also belong to miss Hancock's group. It's never easy to be going to a new school no matter how old you are.

iv) Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?  
     This does not remind me of any real life event.

v) Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
 To my knowledge there is no book or movie on a similar topic.

vi) How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
     One of the social issues that I believe this story tackles is people ignoring their teachers and new students. Charlotte seemed to be ignored at first, but she in turn totally ignored her teacher.  This had made me think that teachers probably feel the exactly the same way as us. Even substitute teachers would have difficulties like this, a lack of respect. Reading this makes you understand how they may feel. Exactly like you as a new student.

vii) What action might you take from what you have learned?
  I would definetly treat any future substitute better than I have to date. Acknowledge them more, treat them with the respect they deserve. They've earned if they have the courage to come in and teach us when the teacher had enough of us for a day.

viii) What big question has this text left you with?
       Would Charlotte acknowledging actually have changed the fact that Miss Hancock died. I don't believe that it would have made much of a difference, but it makes you wonder.