preview

Where The Red Fern Grows Analysis

Decent Essays

What does a ten-year-old have to look forward to in the fifth grade? Honestly, nothing much. Learning to drive and getting to stay out late does not become a way of life for, at least, another six years. In the days of learning about reciprocals and chloroplast I found myself looking forward to the thirty minutes of story time after recess the most. At that age, it was the sole activity that could hold my attention for any given time. Excited and attentive, we would all gather around Ms. Powell's old, wooden rocker and listen to story after story. In the fifth grade books became more than just stories; I fell in love with reading for pleasure. It has been nearly a decade since I have been in the tiny portable that housed Ms.Powell's fifth …show more content…

One of the most memorable being, Where the Red Fern Grows By Wilson Rawls. Up until then, we listened to books like My Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, all light hearted and humorous. Though Where the Red Fern Grows was not unsettling or overly depressing, it was off beat from the others. For about two months we followed Billy and his two coonhounds, Old Dan and Little Ann, through the hills of the Ozarks. With Ms. Powell's unique tones and voices she delegated to each character, she effortlessly breathed life into these stories. She would take on the character of Mr.Kyle, a hunter in the championship coon-hunt, with a rugged deep voice. She would scruff out the lines, "People been trying to understand dogs since the beginning of time...Some people call it loyalty...but I call it love, the deepest kind of love." Not only could she imitate a realistic impression of Mr. Kyle, but she knew how to differentiate her voice between other male characters like Papa and Grandpa. No two characters ever sounded alike. My favorite was when she impersonated Mama, making her sound sweet like apple pie and as gentle as a lamb. As our teacher read, the words danced off the page and painted pictures in our minds. We were all transported to the Cherokee Land in northeastern Oklahoma during the 1930's. Lucky for us, we had a front seat witnessing how this wondrous story …show more content…

One of the smallest, yet most important lessons, was how to empathize. The power of empathy and imagination opened up the world around me. How could it be that I found and continue to find myself a better person through reading someone else's words? I do not know, but it happened. I am thankful for Ms.Powell and the stories she would read after recess. Nothing has stuck with me more than that special activity. In the fifth grade books became more than just books, and it has been that way ever since. Word count:

Get Access