Miss Awful

Miss Awful

Theme

"Don't judge a book by its cover "

When Miss Orville arrived to St .Geoff's as a substitute teacher for Roger's class, she made lot of changes that required the students obedience. She was a harsh and strict teacher, that's why Roger called her ''Miss Awful". However on Miss Orville's last day before she leaves Roger's class, Roger found out that Miss Orville's point of being harsh and strict was that she wanted to teach them how to be good humans in society, which will help to reduce violence. Roger have learned that we shouldn't judge people before we get to know them.

Roger, the main character of the story, had the best teacher before, Miss Wilson. She used to play with the students during classes and even let the students take some rest. When she gave homeworks Roger didn't even care about it. Once she left for a week to Omaha, the students got a new substitute. She was old, the meanest, and the strictest teacher ever. She came to the classroom with her beloved plant one hand, and bunch of works on the other. She was Ms. Orville which students referred to as Miss Awful or the witch. The first day, Miss Orville took Roger's toys (that he brought to play with his friends,) ripped the papers of students who didn't do the homework correctly, marched them in and out from the schools, and complained about the students to their parents. "You know, of course, that Roger is a prodigy,...A prodigy of misspelling." Then she asked Roger to spell flower and castle but he couldn't. After this embarrassment of Mrs.Clark in between other parents, she and Mr. Clark were surprised to see how Roger took his education seriously and was afraid of her. Another day when parents came to pick up their children Nancy Reeves, Roger's friend's Bruce Reeves mother remembered that she knew Miss Orville and said that she was evicted from her apartment and was left homeless with her plants.

Since the students hated her they thought of many horrible ways of getting rid of her like beating her up. One of Roger's classmate came up with the idea to rip the leaves of her plant. Miss Awful started her last day with what is going on in the world. "If I have been severe with you this past week, it was for your benefit. The world needs good citizens." Then after when she saw the plant all bare she said "You see.... Violence and destruction... Whoever is responsible, I beg of you only to be sorry." After the class ended there was no forming lines and some students were silent ,or in regret while others were happy. She gave Roger his toys,he understood how much it was to be educated

and to show how she helped him he spelled the two words she gave him before beautifully and left the room.

Roger:

• the narrator of the story
• third-grader attending St.Geoff elementary school
• bad at spelling
• "tender and soft, which worried about people"
• always has his school bag full of games

Characters

Conflict

Miss.Orville/Miss Awful

• Roger's substitute teacher
• a woman with gray hair and witch's eyes. Her voice is stern and raspish.
• She is a lonely and independent woman that has a lot of pride.
• She loves plants. She thinks that plants and children should be raised in the same way, both will grow with proper care.

With Roger's teacher, Miss.Wilson, absent, their class got a substitute teacher, Miss.Orville, which Roger refers to as Miss.Awful, Miss.Orville was nothing like what he had expected. With her presence, there was tremendous amount of works, military training, and homework that got rip out of the notebook because it wasn't written neatly.... the students felt like they are living in hell.

The plot broken down

Mr.Clark:

• Roger’s dad
• wanted to lose weight
• “He happened, at that moment, to glance at his waistline and reflect that a brisk hike might do him some good.”(p3)

Climax

Characters

Miss Wilson:

• has to take care of a crisis in Omaha
• Roger’s teacher.
• “she was a large woman”(p3)
• fun

Rising Action

Falling Action

Resolution

Nancy Reeves:

• point out that Miss Orville was one of the tenants that got evicted

Virginia Clark/Mrs.Clark:

• Roger’s mother
• Always worried about Roger

Elizabeth/Roger’s sister:

• Roger’s sister
• mean

Exposition

The Setting of the Story

Arthur Cavanaugh

In a peaceful town, at the Clark family house's dinner table, they are discussing Roger's teacher's absence and his request to go to the park with Mr.Clark. Then the setting shifted to the St.Geoff school, where Roger saw his new substitute teacher, Miss Orville. The setting keeps changing from his house to the school through out the story.

Exposition: The story begins with the Clark family at the dinner table which Roger announces the Ms. Wilson's leave.

Rising Action: Miss Orville puts strict rules on the students, marches them like they are on an army and complains about students.

Climax: Nancy Reeves tells how Miss Orville got evicted from her apartment.

Falling Action: The students rip the leaves of the plant.

Resolution: She informs them to be good citizens of the world and Roger shows how he improved since she came.

Arthur Cavanaugh was born in August 13, 1918 in New York and died in September 12, 1973. He was a soldier during the World War II. He joined the army in June 6, 1942 and released in March 31, 1947. Miss Awful was written due to his own experience in life. Frank, Cavanaugh's son was compared to Roger in the story. He had the same experience in school with his substitute teacher as it said in the story.