On Thursday, we experienced a bittersweet moment: We finished The City of Ember together. In the end, we learn that Lina and Doon do find their way out of Ember, but the most important discovery is that they have been living underground all their lives. Picture for a moment witnessing your very first sunrise, hearing a bird soar above your head for the first time, or walking through soft grass after a lifetime of walking on hard dirt. Doon knows that he has finally found the world he belongs, where he can breathe in the fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun. This is the city of color that Lina had only dreamed about until this point—where green life springs up all around her. DuPrau writes, “Lina felt as though a lid that had been on her all her life had been lifted” (256). On the very last page, we see that Lina, using her strength, tosses a message down below to the citizens of Ember; in a stroke of luck, the very person who finds this note is Mrs. Murdo. However, we are still left wondering what this means for the citizens of Ember. Will all citizens manage to escape from Ember simply because of this note? Is it that easy? Will the mayor or guards possibly try to prevent anyone else from leaving? Even if people escape Ember, will Doon’s father be able to find his son? The list of questions goes on! Again, since this book is part of a series, interested readers can certainly read the others books and find out the answers to some of these questions! Hold on to your copies of The City of Ember and continue to bring them to class. Even though we’re done reading, we’re not finished discussing! Take a look at my "Friday Fun Facts" to see how Jeanne DuPrau chose the title of this book. (By the way, I rented out the auditorium for Wednesday, so Team 6A will watch City of Ember together on that day.)
The issues of greed and selfishness discussed in The City of Ember make this a book that has not only a good plot but also a good message. We see Lizzie, Looper, and Mayor Cole allow greed to take hold of them, but there is a “price to pay” for greediness. This message is made clear in “Button, Button,” the science fiction short story we discussed on Edmodo. What I like about “Button, Button” is that it forces us to think more deeply about ethics (morals and values). As middle school students, you are now at a time in your life when you are especially starting to consider what’s right and what’s wrong. In “Button, Button,” Arthur clearly has better morals than Norma. This husband and wife seem to have very different views, causing Mr. Steward to comment to Norma at the end that she must never have really known her husband. One of my favorite television shows is What Would You Do?, a hidden camera show that focuses on how random people deal with ethical dilemmas when they don’t know they’re being watched. Do you remember when Poppy goes missing during the blackout and none of the citizens seem to care? Think about this particular clip where a helpless dog is left inside a car on a sweltering day, which you can find by following this link: http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/dog-left-car-6800375. Does anyone care that the dog may be suffering? Will anyone help? Just as the host John Quiñones asks viewers, I’ll ask you: “When you think no one is watching, do you step in, step up, or step away?”
-Ms. Sanford