Think about…
Sometimes in life, or in books and stories that we
read, unexpected things happen; things we did
not anticipate the twist or surprise in the end.
Write about…
In your journal, briefly explain an event in your
life, in a story, or in book that you read that
turned out unexpectedly or surprised you.
By Ursula Le Guin
• Write your heading in the top right corner of
your story.
• With a black pen or pencil number the
paragraphs. There are 20.
• Write “STOP” after these paragraphs:
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 20
• Take out a colored pen or colored pencil and
write “a hint that something bad is going to
happen” at the top of the story.
• As you read, circle, in one color, “a hint that
something bad is going to happen”
• With your partner, compare notes at each
stopping point.
• Be ready to share what you discussed at the
end of each stopping point.
• Take out a different colored pen or colored
pencil and write “describes the husband” at the
top of the story.
• Revisit the text and underline, in the second
color, anything that “describes the husband”.
• With your partner, compare notes at each
stopping point.
• Be ready to share what you discussed at the
end of each stopping point.
• Take out a third colored pen or colored
pencil and write “Events in the story” at the
top of the page.
• With your partner, write in the margin, in
the third color, each event you encountered
as you read the story.
• Be ready to share what you and your
partner wrote in the margins.
After Paragraph 1
What words does the narrator use to describe her husband?
What did you learn about her character?
After Paragraph 5
How has the narrator’s relationship with her husband changed?
After Paragraph 8
What happens between the father and the child?
Why does the narrator scold her child?
After Paragraph 16
What transformation has taken place?
What assumptions had you made about the characters that had
to be changed?
After Paragraph 20
How has the narrator’s feelings changed toward her husband?
• Le Guin purposely misleads her reader as
to the true identity of the narrator. How
does this technique help the reader
understand the motivation behind the
narrator’s actions? Cite text evidence in
your response.