(a) What makes the earth the one and only living planet? (b) Name a few things that make the earth a unique planet.

Answer

(c) Do you enjoy watching movies? What type of movies do you like to watch? Here are the pictures of a few blockbuster movies.

Classify the movies based on the following categories: Historical/ Comedy/ Horror/ Cartoon/ Science Fiction

Discuss: Gravity is a science fiction movie.

Student A: Gravity, a 2013 blockbuster science fiction movie, received an overwhelming response for its realistic depiction of the various conditions and challenges faced by astronauts to save themselves after their spare shuttle gets clobbered by space debris from a destroyed Russian satellite.

Student B: As much as we loved watching Gravity, it is important that we get acquainted with the various scientific aspects depicted in the movie.

Student C: Let me tell you about the opening scene of the movie. Three astronauts, including Dr. Ryan Stone (played by Sandra Bullock) and Lieutenant Matt Kowalski (played by George Clooney), are seen space walking and having a nice informal chat.

Student D: Allow me to explain what the movie tries to convey to us. The crew members of the space shuttle Explorer are servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Suddenly, they are informed by mission control in Houston that a cloud of debris (caused by the destruction of a Russian defunct spaceship) is headed towards their location. They are advised to abort the mission to avoid a nasty collision. But the collision happens. Dr. Stone and Kowalski head for the ISS after their shuttle is hit. The ISS is destroyed. Kowalski and Stone get separated as their tethers get twisted. She couldn't dock the Soyuz with the Chinese station. She ejects herself from the Soyuz via explosive decompression. She uses pressure from a fire extinguisher to push herself towards Tiangong, which is also abandoned in space. She enters the Shenzhou capsule but is unable to separate the capsule from the space station. The space station begins to break up and the capsule gets separated. As the capsule falls to the earth, it corrects its position and descends through the atmosphere. The parachute opens up. Stone lands in a lake and comes out with unsteady legs.

Question (a)

Which aspect of the movie is real science?

Answer

It is true that space debris can indeed cause uncontrolled collisions between objects present in the lower earth orbit (LEO), the orbit that encloses every orbit below 2000 km. The Kessler syndrome, which is the excess of "trash" in the space orbit, could cause problems. The world's communication can be blacked out.

It is also true that a space station can fall out of orbit. The ISS has to be boosted to make sure that it maintains its orbit. But this process doesn't take place suddenly. It takes a few years. It is true that the earth's atmosphere is thin relative to the Earth's size. In the film, the fantastic shots of the earth enveloped in a thin translucent layer of atmosphere were truly mesmerising. The best thing is that they have correctly depicted the atmosphere's thinness relative to the earth's size without any exaggeration.

Question (b)

Which aspect of the movie is fictional?

Answer

Informal chats during a space walk are fictional. Every action during a space walk is premeditated in order to avoid unnecessary ambling and to minimise the use of oxygen.

The possibility of the Hubble Telescope and a destroyed Russian satellite colliding in space is fictional because of the following reasons:

The Hubble Telescope orbits at an altitude of 500 kilometres above the earth. The film claims that the Russian satellite is also in orbit at the same height. This is wrong because this type of communication satellite, which is called TDRSS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System), stays in the geosynchronous orbit, which is much higher, that is, almost 35,000 km above the earth. The film showing the Hubble Telescope, the ISS and Tiangong-1 located close to each other is fictional. In fact, these three man-made structures are not only at different heights but also lie in different orbits around the earth.

The scene where Dr. Stone's tears roll down her cheeks and then float about is pure fiction, as tears simply don't behave that way in space.

1. Based on your understanding of the story, answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

Question (a)

What do children get ready for at the beginning of the story?

Answer

The children get ready to catch a glimpse of the Sun on the planet Venus after a gap of seven long years.

Question (b)

How is life in the planet Venus described?

Answer

It had been raining continuously for seven years without any sunlight. Trees grew and perished on the planet.

Question (c)

Who is Margot? How is she different from the rest of the children?

Answer

Margot had joined the children only recently. She had spent her first five years in Ohio and was sent to Venus by her parents. She remembered the appearance of the Sun vividly, while the other children had seen it only when they were two years old. Her knowledge of the Sun made her different from the rest.

Question (d)

What does Margot like the most – the sun or the rain?

Answer

Margot liked the Sun the most.

Question (e)

What was Margot waiting for? Why did William say that it was a joke?

Answer

Margot was waiting for the reappearance of the Sun. She believed in the prediction that the Sun would reappear in the seventh year. William hadn't seen the Sun for seven whole years, so he called the possible reappearance of the Sun a joke.

Question (f)

Why does Margot wish to return to the earth?

Answer

Margot was accustomed to the systematic change of day and night on the earth. She hated the wretched rain which lasted for seven years. She even refused to take a shower because she never felt like living a normal life on Venus. So, she wanted to go back to the earth.

Question (g)

Why did the children lock Margot in a closet?

Answer

The children, like those in the novel "Lord of the Flies", considered Margot's logic and reasoning as stupid. Her faith in the definite appearance of the Sun was ridiculed by her classmates. She kept asserting that the prediction of the Sun would come true. She even described the Sun as being like a lemon but hot in nature. Fed up with her optimism, the children locked her up in a closet.

Question (h)

Margot could recall what the sun looked like while the other children could not. Why?

Answer

Margot had come to Venus only four years ago. She had seen the sunlight almost every day in Ohio. So, she could recall the appearance of the Sun vividly.

Question (i)

How long did the Sun shine on Venus?

Answer

The Sun shone on Venus for only one hour.

Question (j)

Why did one of the girls wail?

Answer

One of the girls wailed because the rain resumed after just one hour of sunlight. She caught a droplet of rain in her palm and reacted to the abrupt end of sunlight and the resumption of rain.

2. Based on your understanding of the story, answer the following in three or four sentences.

Question (a)

What is the significance of the particular day described in the story "All Summer in a Day"?

Answer

That particular day, all the children were clamouring for a glimpse of sunlight, which was predicted to appear for an hour. Only Margot had a clear memory of sunlight that she had seen five years ago. The others had not seen the Sun for about seven long years. When she explained that it was an orb like a penny and its colour was that of a lemon, the children got annoyed and could not believe her words of experience.

Question (b)

What happens to Margot while the teacher is out of the classroom?

Answer

Margot was gazing out of the glass window. William asked her what she was looking at, but she didn't speak. They shoved her and edged away from her. The children in the school hated Margot, the snow-faced girl. They hated her for her knowledge of the Sun. She was firm that they would see sunlight that day as per the prediction of the scientists. The boys got annoyed, seized her roughly, took her to a closet and locked her in, ignoring her pitiful cries of protest.

Question (c)

How did Margot describe the sun to others?

Answer

Margot explained that the Sun looked like a penny. When the other children objected, she said, "It's like a fire in the stove." She even wrote a poem, "I think the Sun is a flower, that blooms for just one hour." One of the boys even protested that Margot did not write the poem.

Question (d)

How did the children react when the sun came out after seven years?

Answer

It was the colour of flaming bronze and it was very large. And the sky around it was blazing in blue tile colour. The jungle burned with sunlight, and the children, released from the spell, ran out yelling into the springtime.

Question (e)

Why did William and the other children bully Margot?

Answer

William and the other children did not have deep living knowledge about the Sun. They had seen it for an hour seven years ago when they were only two years old. But Margot had the fortune to enjoy the warmth of sunlight till she was five years old in Ohio. The others got used to living in the dark, but Margot wasn't comfortable living in the dark planet in the underground tunnel. She longed to see the Sun. She wrote a poem on the Sun. She distanced herself from others and spoke less. The feeling that she was different from them was the cause that made the other students in the school bully her.

Question (f)

What were their feelings towards Margot at the end of the story?

Answer

At the end of the story, they felt sorry for Margot, whom they had locked up. They realised that they had done a cruel thing to her. Their faces had become solemn and pale as they were feeling guilty, and they moved slowly towards the closet and opened the door to let her out.

Question (g)

What does the title of the story convey?

Answer

The title of the story suggests that the summer on Venus does not last a few months. It lasts only for an hour in a day. The entire season is capsuled in a single day, which is quite unusual.3.

Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 100-150 words each.

Question (a)

What is the conflict between Margot and the other children in the story, "All Summer in a Day"?

Answer

Margot had a vivid memory of having seen the Sun till she was five years old on the planet Earth. Though she had come to the Venus planet school, her heart longed for the 'Sunny day'. Preparations were going on to send her back to Earth because one day she threw tantrums refusing to take a shower. Her intended visit could cost thousands of dollars to her parents. She drew paintings of the Sun and clarified the shape of the Sun and the warmth it generated. All the other students hated her superior understanding of the Sun and her possible return to the Earth. She was not their "kind". She kept her convictions and refused to mix with them. This was the conflict between Margot and the other children in the story.

Question (b)

How do the children react to the long awaited event in the story?

Answer

The children get really excited. They want to see the touch of sunlight on all forms of life on the planet. They want to tan themselves in the newfound warmth of the Sun. The children persist that they be allowed to go out into the Sun. The teacher allows them with a warning that they must be back in two hours. They start running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the Sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They take off their jackets to allow the Sun to burn their arms. They gladly shout, "Oh, it's better than Sun lamps!" The children stand in the great jungle on Venus. The jungle was the colour of stones as they had not seen the Sun for years. The children lie out laughing on the jungle mattresses and hear it sigh and squeak under them, resilient and alive. They run among the trees, they slip and fall and push one another. They play hide and seek. But most of them squint at the Sun until tears run down their faces. They put their hands up to the yellowness and the amazing blueness. They breathe in the fresh air and listen to the silence in a blessed sea of soundlessness. They look at everything and savour everything. Like animals escaped from their caves, they run shouting in circles. Their mirth continues for one hour.

Question (c)

The sun brought about a positive change in the attitude of the children. Illustrate the statement.

Answer

After really enjoying the brief summer that lasted for an hour, they quietly returned to the tunnel. Suddenly they remembered that they had locked Margot in a closet, and a sense of guilt pervaded among all the students. Margot, who was most anxiously waiting to see the Sun, had been locked up. They had the opportunity to play in the brief summer, but she had to stay in the dark, feeling lonely. She did not deserve that punishment. Realising their folly, they went back and opened the door very slowly. There was silence. They let Margot out slowly. The arrogance in their behaviour was gone. They were sorry for Margot, whom they had punished just because she was sharing her real experiences of sunlight. She had lost the chance to see the Sun.

Question (d)

Did the children regret having locked Margot in a closet? Answer citing relevantly from the story.

Answer

Yes, the children did regret it. Young children can't keep feelings like anger and hatred for long. The collective sense of guilt tormented them. The joy they experienced under the sunlight for an hour vanished. A kind of uncomfortable gloom and silence fell among them. They looked at one another with remorsefulness. They couldn't meet each other's glances. They felt as if someone had driven them like so many stakes into the floor. One of the girls said, "Margot." Another girl whispered, "Go on." They could perceive only silence behind the door. They unlocked the door even more slowly and let Margot out. After all, all her descriptions of the Sun turned out to be correct. They had unjustly punished her. Their arrogance and aversion had abandoned them. They were guilt-driven. They did not know how to appease her. They were penitent but had no words to seek Margot's forgiveness.

Question (a)

What kind of vegetation was seen in the forest of Venus? How was it different?

Answer

The jungle continued to grow tumultuously. The children saw a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh like weed, wavering and flowering in that brief spring. It was the colour of rubber and ash, this jungle, from the many years without sunlight. It was the colour of stones and white cheeses and ink. It was the colour of the moon. The grass was not green. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rains. They had grown again a thousand times to be crushed again. This was the way the jungle existed on Venus.4. Based on your understanding of the story, complete the story map.

Answer

5. Find out and encircle the following words in the word grid. (The words have been placed horizontally, vertically, diagonally and even back to front)

Answer

Now read the sentences below. Complete them appropriately with the words you identified from the grid.

1. The scientists ______ that the Sun would come out on Venus that day after seven years.

2. The children are getting ready for the _____ event.

3. The children Margot as she _____ the Sun.

4. William and other children have bullied her and _____ her in a closet.

5. When the Sun comes out, the children _____ the sun.

Answers

1. predicted

2. anticipated

3. discriminate, recalls

4. locked

5. experience

Pair Work

Ray Bradbury’s “All Summer in a Day” is a piece of science fiction. Discuss plots of similar stories with your partner and share your ideas with the class.

Pair Work

Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day" is a piece of science fiction. Discuss plots of similar stories with your partner and share your ideas with the class.

Suggested Names: Rahaman, Raja

Rahaman: Hello Raja! Our teacher has asked us to discuss science fiction stories that have plots similar to Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day". Have you given it a thought?

Raja: Yes Rahaman, I have. "All Summer in a Day" is set on Venus, where it rains continuously for seven years, and the Sun appears only for one hour. The story shows how Margot, who remembers the Sun from her life on Earth, is treated cruelly by the other children because she is different. It is a classic piece of science fiction.

Rahaman: Absolutely! The story uses a scientific setting to explore human emotions like jealousy, bullying and regret. I feel it reminds us of Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall". In that story, people live on a planet where darkness falls only once in two thousand years. When the darkness finally comes, the people cannot handle it and panic grips them. Just like Margot's classmates, they react with fear and violence to something they cannot understand.

Raja: That is a wonderful comparison! I also thought of Ray Bradbury's own story "The Veldt". In that story, children become so attached to a virtual reality nursery that they turn against their own parents. It shows how technology and unusual circumstances can bring out the worst in children. The bullying of Margot in "All Summer in a Day" is somewhat similar.

Rahaman: Very true! Another story that comes to my mind is "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Though it is not science fiction, it shows how a community blindly follows a cruel tradition and turns against one of its own members. The children locking Margot in the closet reminds me of that blind cruelty.

Raja: Excellent point! So, we can say that many science fiction stories use strange planets or future settings to highlight real human problems like jealousy, fear of the unknown and the need to belong. "All Summer in a Day" is a perfect example of this.

Rahaman: Well said, Raja! Let us share these ideas with the class. Our teacher will be happy with our analysis.

Raja: Sure, Rahaman! Let us do that.

Ray Douglas Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. He worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, and fiction. Widely regarded as the most important figure in the development of science fiction as a literary genre, Ray Bradbury’s works evoke the themes of racism, censorship, technology, nuclear war, humanistic values and the importance of imagination. Ray Bradbury is well-known for his incredibly descriptive style.

He employs figurative language (mostly similes, metaphors, and personification) throughout the novel and enriches his story with symbolism. On April 16, 2007, Bradbury received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize jury “for his distinguished, prolific, and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy.” Bradbury also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted to comic book, television, and film formats.

Introduction

Bradbury's story "All Summer in a Day" revolves around a day's happenings on the planet Venus after it has been colonised by humans. This story falls under the category of science fiction. So far, Earth is the only planet supporting human beings and the survival of millions of plants and thousands of animals. But in this story, we come across children who are settled on Venus in an underground tunnel.

Excitement of Children

Scientists predicted that the Sun would be visible on the planet Venus for an hour. The children, in the dark planet, were overjoyed about the event. Each one tried to visualise how the Sun would appear. Except Margot, all the children had seen the Sun seven years ago. Margot had come only four years ago. Till the age of five, she was in Ohio and had seen and enjoyed many "sunny days" and summer lasting three months. She says it is an orb like a penny. It is a kind of ball with yellow flame. It is burning like a stove. The more details she gives, the more she is hated by her peers. Realising the unspoken but obvious contempt in the eyes of her peers, Margot keeps quiet. William teases Margot. Her silence of deep understanding of the Sun annoys her peers.

Be Different and Be Punished

Margot is different from the students in the school. One day she even threw tantrums and wanted to be sent back to her parents on the Earth. The other children realised that it would cost a fortune for her parents. But she was helpless. She stopped talking to her peers, who did not hide their hatred. They teased her. She ignored them and started anxiously waiting for the brief encounter with the Sun. She deeply believed that as per the prediction of the scientists, they would see the Sun for an hour on the planet Venus. Her knowing silence and unwillingness disturbed her peers so much that they forcefully locked her up in a room.

Vivid Memory

When the other children had nightmarish dreams recalling how the Sun was seven years ago, Margot remembered the yellow lemon-like ball of fire she had seen almost every day in Ohio for five long years. She secretly disdained the inadequate knowledge of her peers.

Pride and Prejudice

Margot was in love with the Sun. Margot wrote a poem, "I think the Sun is a flower, that blooms for just one hour." She read out the poem when it was raining outside the classroom. She knew for sure that her friends were dreaming and remembering gold or yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. They were often woken up by the tatting drum of rainfall. Her unexpressed pride over her knowledge of the Sun had really caused a prejudice among the children. They locked her up on the anticipated day of sunlight.

அறிமுகம்

பிராட்பரியின் "ஆல் சம்மர் இன் எ டே" என்ற கதை, மனிதர்களால் காலனி அமைக்கப்பட்ட வெள்ளிக் கோளில் (Venus) நடக்கும் ஒரு நாளின் நிகழ்வுகளைச் சுற்றி வருகிறது. இந்தக் கதை அறிவியல் புனைகதை (Science Fiction) வகையைச் சார்ந்தது. இதுவரை பூமி மட்டுமே மனிதர்களையும், மில்லியன் கணக்கான தாவரங்களையும், ஆயிரக்கணக்கான விலங்குகளையும் தாங்கிப் பிழைக்கும் ஒரே கோளாக உள்ளது. ஆனால் இந்தக் கதையில், வெள்ளிக் கோளில் ஒரு நிலத்தடி சுரங்கப்பாதையில் குடியேறிய குழந்தைகளை நாம் சந்திக்கிறோம்.

குழந்தைகளின் ஆவல்

வெள்ளிக் கோளில் ஒரு மணி நேரம் சூரியன் தெரியும் என்று விஞ்ஞானிகள் கணித்திருந்தார்கள். இருளான கோளில் இருந்த குழந்தைகள் அந்த நிகழ்வைப் பற்றி மிகவும் மகிழ்ச்சியடைந்தார்கள். சூரியன் எப்படி இருக்கும் என்று ஒவ்வொருவரும் கற்பனை செய்து பார்த்தார்கள். மார்கோட் தவிர மற்ற எல்லாக் குழந்தைகளும் ஏழு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு சூரியனைப் பார்த்திருந்தார்கள். மார்கோட் நான்கு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்புதான் வந்திருந்தாள். ஐந்து வயது வரை அவள் ஓஹியோவில் இருந்தாள், பல "சூரிய நாட்களையும்" மூன்று மாதங்கள் நீடித்த கோடைகாலத்தையும் அனுபவித்திருந்தாள். அது ஒரு பென்னி நாணயம் போன்ற உருண்டை என்று அவள் சொல்கிறாள். அது மஞ்சள் சுடருடன் கூடிய ஒரு பந்து போன்றது. அது அடுப்பு போல எரிகிறது. அவள் அதிக விவரங்களைக் கொடுக்கக் கொடுக்க, அவளுடைய சக மாணவர்களால் அவள் அதிகமாக வெறுக்கப்பட்டாள். தன் சக மாணவர்களின் கண்களில் மறைமுகமாகத் தெரிந்த அலட்சியத்தை உணர்ந்த மார்கோட் அமைதியாகிவிட்டாள். வில்லியம் மார்கோட்டைக் கிண்டல் செய்கிறான். சூரியனைப் பற்றிய அவளுடைய ஆழமான புரிதலின் அமைதி, சக மாணவர்களை எரிச்சலடையச் செய்தது.

வேறுபட்டவளாக இருந்தால் தண்டனை

மார்கோட் பள்ளியில் உள்ள மாணவர்களிடமிருந்து வேறுபட்டவள். ஒரு நாள் அவள் கோபமடைந்து, தன்னைப் பூமியில் உள்ள தன் பெற்றோரிடம் திரும்ப அனுப்புமாறு கேட்டாள். அது அவள் பெற்றோருக்கு ஒரு பெரிய செலவாக இருக்கும் என்பதை மற்ற குழந்தைகள் உணர்ந்தார்கள். ஆனால் அவள் உதவியற்றவளாக இருந்தாள். தன் வெறுப்பை மறைக்காத சக மாணவர்களுடன் பேசுவதை நிறுத்திவிட்டாள். அவர்கள் அவளைக் கிண்டல் செய்தார்கள். அவள் அவர்களைப் புறக்கணித்துவிட்டு, சூரியனுடனான அந்தச் சிறிய சந்திப்புக்காக ஆவலுடன் காத்திருக்கத் தொடங்கினாள். விஞ்ஞானிகளின் கணிப்பின்படி, வெள்ளிக் கோளில் ஒரு மணி நேரம் சூரியனைப் பார்ப்போம் என்று அவள் ஆழமாக நம்பினாள். அவளுடைய அறிவுள்ள அமைதியும் விருப்பமின்மையும் சக மாணவர்களை மிகவும் தொந்தரவு செய்ததால், அவர்கள் அவளை வலுக்கட்டாயமாக ஒரு அறையில் பூட்டினார்கள்.

தெளிவான நினைவு

மற்ற குழந்தைகள் ஏழு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு சூரியன் எப்படி இருந்தது என்பதை நினைவுகூர்ந்து பயங்கரமான கனவுகள் கண்டபோது, மார்கோட் ஐந்து நீண்ட ஆண்டுகளாக ஓஹியோவில் கிட்டத்தட்ட தினமும் பார்த்த அந்த மஞ்சள் எலுமிச்சை போன்ற நெருப்புப் பந்தை நினைவுகூர்ந்தாள். தன் சக மாணவர்களின் போதாத அறிவை அவள் மனதுக்குள் இகழ்ந்தாள்.

பெருமையும் முன்தீர்ப்பும்

மார்கோட் சூரியனை நேசித்தாள். மார்கோட் ஒரு கவிதை எழுதினாள், "சூரியன் ஒரு மலர், ஒரு மணி நேரம் மட்டுமே பூக்கும்." வகுப்பறைக்கு வெளியே மழை பெய்துகொண்டிருந்தபோது அவள் அந்தக் கவிதையைப் படித்தாள். தன் நண்பர்கள் தங்கம் அல்லது மஞ்சள் நிற கிரையான் அல்லது உலகத்தையே வாங்கக்கூடிய அளவுக்குப் பெரிய நாணயத்தைக் கனவு காண்கிறார்கள் என்றும் நினைவுகூர்கிறார்கள் என்றும் அவளுக்கு நிச்சயமாகத் தெரியும். மழையின் முரசொலியால் அவர்கள் அடிக்கடி எழுப்பப்பட்டார்கள். சூரியனைப் பற்றிய தன் அறிவின் மீதான அவளுடைய வெளிப்படுத்தப்படாத பெருமை, குழந்தைகளிடையே உண்மையிலேயே ஒரு முன்தீர்ப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியது. சூரிய ஒளி வரும் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட அந்த நாளில் அவர்கள் அவளைப் பூட்டி வைத்தார்கள்

.

Glossary section heading was present in the supplied text, but no glossary entries followed it.