Answers to Questions 1-5
1. The author uses the gestures and dialogue of Mrs. LeSane, Mr. Gunderson and the other adults in the story to help us understand their characteristics and personalities. For example, Mrs. LeSane did not have much to say but she was very sensitive to the needs of the little girl. A woman who was chatty and talking all the time would not seem sensitive at all. Mrs. LeSane did not need many words for Lynda to know that her teacher was “very happy” to see her. When Mr. Gunderson, the janitor “walked across the playfield” his large number of keys would jingle. Jingling keys go well with the description of the funny, old janitor with white hair. There seems to be something about him like Santa Claus and jingling sleigh bells.
2. The children’s room at home was described with the words “we were used to giving up our bedroom” so the children’s room was being used by other relatives. The exterior of her school was first described as “a dark outline at the top of a hill.” With the rest of the narrative it fits that the school would be at a higher place. Although the school was not fancy at all and not even attractive, Barry describes the beautiful view of the Cascade Mountains. When she describes her classroom the first things she mentions are the crayons at her desk. The classroom was “thoroughly secure, warm and stable world.” Most telling was her description of her time painting at the back of the room as her “life preserver.” These were details that helped set the scene for a world where art was everything to a little girl.
3. The presentation of the causes of her childhood panic and sense of anxiety became clear when the author described the fact that her parents had been “up all night fighting.” Her description of how her parents did not miss her even though she had left home so early added to our understanding of why Lynda would feel anxiety. The sense of sanctuary that the painting table at the back of the room gave her was most clearly described when she called it her “life preserver.”
4. Television is the “light of our lives” in other words the light of the lives of Lynda and her brother. She defines the role of the television most explicitly when we read “Then the sign-off finally came and we tried to go to sleep.” The television kept the children company because they were not able to sleep well.
5. On page 85 at about the middle of the page Barry makes the point that “for the steadily increasing neglected children in this country, the only place where we could count on being noticed was at school.” That was a strong hint the public school was an important place. The point Barry is making about American public schools is that the importance for children of public schools is a safe place for them. She states her point the most directly at the end of the narrative on page 87. Her argument lasts for almost three quarters of the page. She begins by using irony when she states that “their unlucky children must fend for themselves.” Throughout her argument instead of stating her beliefs she states what some people say a public school is not; but then she talks about how fortunate she felt to have her public school and we clearly understand that she supports public schools.
Barry, Lynda. “The Sanctuary of School.” 1992. Back to the Lake. Ed. Thomas Cooley. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2012, 84-88, Print.
