The Secret Garden

Sholeh Sisson Feb.18.10

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett 1-358

180-250

• What advice would you give to a particular character? Why?

The advice I would give to Mary's uncle would be to live in the present and not in the past. His wife was pregnant when she was killed ten years ago, and somehow they were able to save the baby and not her. Because of that he hates his son. He is isolated form the rest of society, and therefore is known as a hunchback. He locks Colin, ( Mr. craven's son), up in a room where no one can find him. Many do not even know he exists. His son is sour and sickly, just like Mary was before she came to live with her uncle. He blames the death of his wife on his son. Mr. Craven should stop drowning himself in misery of the past, but look forward to the bright future. He should stop blaming his son, and start treating his son as if his wife were still alive.

• Which character would you like to be like? In what way? Why?

The character in the book I am mostly like would be the main character Mary Lennox. Though she is sour and repulsive in the beginning of the story she blossoms into a nice young girl. She is very curious and she likes to explore things for herself instead of hearing other peoples experiences. When a friend needs help she tries to make them feel better, and helps them through her own experiences. When she helps out a friend she knows what's best for them even if they try to stop her. She is like the peace maker, and likes to bring people together. I am a good friend that is always there, and whenever there are fights between my friends I am the one who tries to bring peace back to the group. She brings joy to all that meet her. Well most of them.

Sholeh Sisson Feb.12.10

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett pages: 40-108

68

• Which character would you like to be like? In what way? Why?

The character I would like to be like would be Martha. Martha is Mary's maid, and I like her because she is always cheery and youthful and nothing gets her hopes down. I would like to have Martha's optimism, because that is very important in life. Martha also helps Mary come out of her shell and brake the sourness that makes her so repulsive.

• If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be? Why would you change it?

In the book Mary is all by herself in the house and doesn't really have anyone to talk to but maybe the maids. The story is also very dark and drags on. The thing I would change about the book would be make it more cheery and less lonely and depressing. Another thing I would change would be Mary's character. Instead of her being "Mistress Mary quite Contrary" I would make her more like how a real little girl would be. I would have made her as pretty as her mother was and not shallow and sour like how her character is like in the book.

The Secret Garden Blog #1

Sholeh Sisson Thursday, Feb.4th / 2010

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett

1-358

1-18

How did what you read today make you feel? Why?

What I read today made feel really depressed and sad. The character in my book Mary, is a very sour self indulgent brat who just lost her parents to cholera, and thinks nothing of it. All she wants to know is why everyone forgot about her. Because she has no other relatives but her uncle she has to move from India to the Yorkshire moors with her uncle. She already has a thought of her uncle even before she meets him. By how people describe him he seems like a grouchy old hunchback living alone in the middle of nowhere.

What does this book make you wonder about? Why?

With what I have read so far I wonder how Mary's parents could just ignore her, and pretend like she doesn't exist. If Mary's mother didn't want to have a child then why did she? I also can't imagine how a little girl as young as nine years old can be so selfish. Mary's way of thinking is so ignorant and shallow, it's incomprehensible to me.