When focusing on the order of the sentences for "The Man in the Well," I tried to consider what I personally considered the theme to be. The main theme seemed to be that these children did not really understand that their actions affected others. The closest of the ten statements to my idea of the theme was number two. Number two states, "Children may have difficulty sharing the perspective of another person." This statement expresses that the children in the story did not see that in the man's perspective their actions could have been a big impact on his life. The next statement I chose was number three. Statement three says, " Even in their later years, people may have trouble forgiving themselves for bad things they did when they were young." This shows that when the children were dealing with the issue of the man that they did not feel bad about leaving him in the well at the time. Later in their lives though, these children regretted their decision to leave the man in the well.
The next statement I chose was number four. This statement claims, "Within groups, people may engage in conduct that is wilder, stranger, or more uncivilized than their usual behavior when alone." This is very true for the children in the story. They did not feel as bad for the man in the well because they were all working together to bring him food. They also worked together in not helping the man out of the well which made it somehow better in their minds. The next statement I chose was number seven. This statement explains that "When dealing with an adult, even a helpless one, children may have in their minds images of parental authority that affect how they treat the person." For example, maybe one of the child's parents emotionally scared them and thats why they would not help the man in the well.
The fifth statement I chose in order of the themes was number eight. This statement says, "Children may fail to understand when an adult is in danger." This is true seeing as the children do not ask for help but just assume that the man can handle himself. Nextly, I chose statement ten that says, "The psychological reality of children and the adults is a deep well within themselves they cannot see into." For examples, the children may think that they are doing the right thing by not letting the stranger out of the well. Later in their lives though, these children will consider this decision a mistake. Statement nine is next. This statement explains that, " Children are capable of conspiring with one another against the adult world." This means that alone one child is helpless but in numbers, children can do whatever they put their mind to. Children are stronger in numbers.
The next statement I put was number one which claims, " We should be mmore compassionate toward people who are trapped." Being trapped puts people in not only a weaker place but also a more defeated and weak state of mind. Next I put statement five which says, "People project their fears or suspicions onto others, even those who do not actually pose a threat to them." I believe that because the children could not see the man in the well that that was part of the reason they did not find him help. He could have been dangerous for all they knew. This also ties into the last statement I put which claims, " People need to see one another's faces if they are to trust one another." This applies in life today even. If you meet someone on the internet you are less likely to trust them then if you meet them in person.
All in all, I truly think that the theme of the story is that children do not understand the consequences of their actions. Everyone has their effect on the world and I think that all the statements listed can somehow relate back to that. I wished that the man in the well would have been saved but I could not save him it had to be the children's doing.
By: Rebecca Belliveau September 13, 2012
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