Work with a partner to answer these questions.
1. Where does this story take place? What are the clues to the setting of the story? Are the specific or general? Why do you think the writer chose them?
2. "Did the mountain totter? Did the river dry up? Did the moon fall out of the sky?" Describe the tone of these question. What effect do they have?
3. How does the writer's opinion differ from the opinion of the characters in the story? How does the writer convey his
opinion? Is the writer's style effective? Why or Why not?
4. In this story, the characters are used to represent abstract ideas. What ideas do they represent?