The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be the doorway to wondrous adventures. This theme is supported by the fact that Heidi faces many obstacles such as Fräulein Rottenmeier's cruelty and her difficulties in learning her ABC's and how to read, but is able to overcome them with the help of her friends. When Heidi overcomes these obstacles it leads to new adventures such as having fun living in Frankfurt and learning to love reading. The theme is also supported by Heidi going to live with her grandfather which seems like a bad situation at first, but she is able to improve her grandfather's life and enjoy living with him in the Alps. These are just some of the examples of how this theme applies to Heidi.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Post #14 Heidi by Johanna Spyri Chapter 11 Summary
Chapter 11 begins by talking about how Heidi had given up praying because her problems were not being fixed, but Klara's grandmother convinces Heidi to try again. Then Heidi was reading a story out of the book that Klara's grandmother had given her and she burst into tears because the story was about a grandmother dying. Heidi thought that the grandmother in the story was Peter's grandmother and that this was actually happening, eventually Klara explained to Heidi that the grandmother in the story was not real and that Peter's grandmother wasn't actually dying, but this just made Heidi cry more because she started thinking about her grandfather or Peter's grandmother dying while she was away and then being all alone. Fräulein Rottenmeier yells at Heidi when she hears her crying over the story in the book and she says that if she does it again she will take the book away, this makes Heidi stop crying because the book is one of her dearest possessions. Heidi's homesickness gets worse and she gets paler and loses her appetite because of it despite Sebastian's attempts to make her feel better.
Post #13 Heidi by Johanna Spyri Chapter 10 Summary
In chapter ten Klara's grandmother comes to visit. When Klara's grandmother first meets Heidi she takes a liking to her, Fräulein Rottenmeier tries to get Klara's grandmother to not like Heidi and to think of her as she does, but she is unsuccessful and Klara's grandmother continues to like Heidi and grow close to her. Klara's grandmother is very kind to Heidi, unlike Fräulein Rottenmeier and she helps her learn to read. Heidi feels very homesick and it is starting to take a toll on her health, Klara's grandmother notices this and tries to see what is wrong, but Heidi doesn't want to tell her because she thinks that if she does Klara's grandmother will think she is ungrateful and will not be nice to her, so she tells Heidi that if she has something that is bothering her, but she can't tell other people she can just pray and this makes Heidi feel a lot better. The chapter ends when Klara's grandmother decides to go home.
The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be a doorway to wondrous adventures. This theme applies to Heidi because even though she faces many obstacles she is able to overcome them and make new friends, be happy, and enjoy life. One of the obstacles that Heidi faces is having trouble learning her ABC's and how to read, but she is able to overcome this obstacle with the help of Klara's grandmother which opens a doorway into reading which Heidi ends up loving. This is how this theme applies to Heidi.
The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be a doorway to wondrous adventures. This theme applies to Heidi because even though she faces many obstacles she is able to overcome them and make new friends, be happy, and enjoy life. One of the obstacles that Heidi faces is having trouble learning her ABC's and how to read, but she is able to overcome this obstacle with the help of Klara's grandmother which opens a doorway into reading which Heidi ends up loving. This is how this theme applies to Heidi.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Post #12 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapter 9 Summary
Chapter nine starts off with Herr Sesemann coming home and greeting Klara and Heidi. As Herr Sesemann sits down to have lunch Fräulein Rottenmeier tells him that she had been decieved, that Heidi is a frightful child, and that Heidi is "out of her mind". Then Herr Kandidat, the teacher comes to tell Herr Sesemann about Heidi, but he takes to long to get to the point, so Herr Sesemann just asks Klara instead. Klara tells her father how much she likes Heidi and wants her to stay and he decides to let Heidi stay. Herr Sesemann tells Fräulein Rottenmeier that Heidi is in her right mind, Klara enjoys her company, she is going to stay, Heidi must be treated kindly, and that Klara's grandmother is coming to stay.
The theme of Heidi is that adversity can lead to wondrous adventures. Fräulein Rottenmeier's cruel and unkind attitude towards Heidi is an adversity that Heidi overcomes. Heidi overcomes this adversity because she never lets Fräulein Rottenmeier's attitude towards her get to her and is still able to enjoy life and have fun despite this adversity. This is an example of how this theme applies to the book Heidi.
The theme of Heidi is that adversity can lead to wondrous adventures. Fräulein Rottenmeier's cruel and unkind attitude towards Heidi is an adversity that Heidi overcomes. Heidi overcomes this adversity because she never lets Fräulein Rottenmeier's attitude towards her get to her and is still able to enjoy life and have fun despite this adversity. This is an example of how this theme applies to the book Heidi.
Post #11 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapter 8 Summary
Chapter eight starts with Sebastian the butler answering the doorbell thinking that it is Herr Sesemann, Klara's father. When he opens the door he sees a young boy with a hand organ who asks to see Klara because he says she owes him forty pfennings. Sebastian starts to get irritated because he doesn't know who this boy is or why he is saying Klara owes him money, but he eventually figures out that when Heidi went out the day before she had the boy show her the way to the church and back to the house and told him that Klara would pay him forty pfennings. Sebastian then lets the boy in so that he can see Klara, but he tells him that he must play some music for Klara, after the boy starts playing Fräulein Rottenmeier hears the music then goes to the library to see what is going on, once she sees the boy she gets angry and tells Sebastian to make him leave. Sebastian leads the boy out and gives him the money that he is owed.
Soon after, the door rang again and a basket was dropped off for Klara, then the kittens that were inside the basket jump out and start running around, which makes Fräulein Rottenmeier extremely mad because she hates cats. Eventually, Sebastian takes the kittens away and puts them with the rest, Fräulein Rottenmeier eventually figures out that Heidi was the one responsible for the chaos that happened earlier in the day, and decides that Heidi's punishment should be to stay in the dark cellar for a while, but Klara talks her out of it. A few days later Heidi decides that she wants to go home because she misses living with her grandfather, but on her way out the door she runs into Fräulein Rottenmeier who doesn't let her go and gets mad at her for trying to leave, which makes Heidi feel sad. The next day Fräulein Rottenmeier finds the rolls that Heidi had been keeping for Peter's grandmother while she is going through Heidi's closet deciding what clothes to get rid of. Fräulein Rottenmeier decides to throw away Heidi's crumpled straw hat and the rolls she had collected, which makes Heidi cry because then she can't give Peter's grandmother any bread, but Klara consoles her by telling her that when she leaves she will give her more fresh rolls to give to the grandmother and Sebastian saves Heidi's hat from being thrown away and hides it for her. The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be the doorway to many wondrous adventures. This is supported by Fräulein Rottenmeier always being mean to Heidi yet Heidi always overcomes this and is able to enjoy being in Frankfurt.
Soon after, the door rang again and a basket was dropped off for Klara, then the kittens that were inside the basket jump out and start running around, which makes Fräulein Rottenmeier extremely mad because she hates cats. Eventually, Sebastian takes the kittens away and puts them with the rest, Fräulein Rottenmeier eventually figures out that Heidi was the one responsible for the chaos that happened earlier in the day, and decides that Heidi's punishment should be to stay in the dark cellar for a while, but Klara talks her out of it. A few days later Heidi decides that she wants to go home because she misses living with her grandfather, but on her way out the door she runs into Fräulein Rottenmeier who doesn't let her go and gets mad at her for trying to leave, which makes Heidi feel sad. The next day Fräulein Rottenmeier finds the rolls that Heidi had been keeping for Peter's grandmother while she is going through Heidi's closet deciding what clothes to get rid of. Fräulein Rottenmeier decides to throw away Heidi's crumpled straw hat and the rolls she had collected, which makes Heidi cry because then she can't give Peter's grandmother any bread, but Klara consoles her by telling her that when she leaves she will give her more fresh rolls to give to the grandmother and Sebastian saves Heidi's hat from being thrown away and hides it for her. The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be the doorway to many wondrous adventures. This is supported by Fräulein Rottenmeier always being mean to Heidi yet Heidi always overcomes this and is able to enjoy being in Frankfurt.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Post #10 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapter 7 Summary
Heidi has only been in Frankfurt for a day and she is already starting to miss living with her grandfather in the Alps. Fräulein Rottenmeier tries to get Herr Kandidat, the teacher, to declare that he won't be able to teach Heidi and Klara together because Heidi is too far behind, which would give Fräulein Rottenmeier a reason to send Heidi home, but he thinks teaching Heidi and Klara together will be fine. Heidi misses the trees and scenery of the alps and when she hears a coach on the cobblestone streets outside she thinks its the sound of the wind in the fir trees like on the alps, but when she runs out of the room she accidentally pulls the table cloth with her and makes everything fall on the floor and makes a big mess. This causes Klara to laugh but, it makes Fräulein Rottenmeier mad. All that Heidi can see from the windows in the house are other buildings and she longs to see some greenery so she goes to a church with a tall tower so that she will be able to see some greenery, but she doesn't see any. However while she is at the tower she notices some kittens and the man at the tower says she can have them. When she brings the kittens home it makes Fräulein Rottenmeier who is already mad at her for making a mess and leaving the house without permission even more mad and she orders her to get rid of the kittens. Instead of getting rid of the kittens Heidi and Klara give them to Sebastian, the butler, to hide from Fräulein Rottenmeier. That is the end of chapter 7.
The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be the doorway to wondrous adventures. This theme is supported by the plot and progression of the story. When Heidi's parents die and she is sent to live with her grandfather who is known to be a recluse her situation seemed bleak. However, once she meets her grandfather they make each other's lives better because they discovered they needed each other. Heidi goes on many adventures and rediscovers happiness after she is sent to live with her grandfather.
Post #9 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Characters
The main character in the book is Adelheid or Heidi, as she likes to be called. Heidi is an orphan who had been living with her aunt Dete up until the beginning of the book when her aunt brought her to live with her grandfather. At the beginning of the book when Heidi comes to live with her grandfather she isn't sure how much she will enjoy living there, but she soon grows to love it there and sad when she has to leave to go to Frankfurt. Heidi is a very kind girl who always wants to help other people and animals and is very loyal to her friends and cares a lot about them. This is shown in this passage,
Dete is Heidi's aunt who brings her to live with her grandfather. She is a static and minor character who's only purpose is to move the plot along. She moves the plot along when she brings Heidi to live with her grandfather and when she takes her to live in Frankfurt with Klara. Dete is a character who undergoes very little change and we, the readers, don't know very much about her other than that she is Heidi's aunt. These are just two of the many characters in the book Heidi.
When Peter had the goat in safety once more, he raised his rod to beat him soundly as a punishment, and Distelfinck timidly drew back, for he saw what was going to happen. But Heidi cried:—
"No Peter! no, you must not beat him! See how frightened he is!"
"He deserves it," snarled Peter and was going to strike the goat. But Heidi seized his arm and cried indignantly: —
"You shall not do it; it will hurt him! Let him alone!"
Peter looked in astonishment at the commanding Heidi, whose black eyes snapped at him. He reluctantly dropped his rod.
"He can go if you will give me some of your cheese again tomorrow," said Peter, yielding; for he wanted some compensation for his fright.
"You may have it all—the whole piece—tomorrow and every day; I do not want it," said Heidi with ready assent; "and I will give you a good part of my bread, too, as I did today. But then you must never, never beat Distelfinck, nor Schneehöpli, nor any of the goats."This passage shows how much Heidi cares about her friends, in this case the goats. Heidi is willing to give up some of her food just so that Peter will never beat the goats which shows that she is very protective and cares a lot about her friends.
Dete is Heidi's aunt who brings her to live with her grandfather. She is a static and minor character who's only purpose is to move the plot along. She moves the plot along when she brings Heidi to live with her grandfather and when she takes her to live in Frankfurt with Klara. Dete is a character who undergoes very little change and we, the readers, don't know very much about her other than that she is Heidi's aunt. These are just two of the many characters in the book Heidi.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Post #8 Heidi By Johanna Spyri: Chapter 6 Summary
In chapter 6 the reader is introduced to Klara Sesemann, the twelve year old sickly daughter of Dete's employers' relative, Herr Sesemann. The reader is also introduced to Fräulein Rottenmeier, who was in charge of the Sesemann household after Klara's mother died. Heidi and her aunt Dete arrive late at Klara's house and Fräulein Rottenmeier tries to learn about Heidi to see if she will be a good playmate for Klara. Fräulein Rottenmeier is dissatisfied with Heidi for a number of reasons, such as her being four years younger than Klara and not being very well educated because she hasn't gone to school yet. However, Klara unlike Fräulein Rottenmeier takes a liking to Heidi and begins to talk to her to get to know her.
All of the people who work at Klara's house look down on Heidi and don't think that she is a good playmate for Klara. Heidi thinks that she will be leaving Frankfurt in the morning and going back to Dörfli to give some bread to Peter's grandmother because that is what her aunt told her when they were leaving for Frankfurt to convince her to leave. Heidi doesn't know that she will be staying there for a long time, to keep Klara company. During supper Heidi takes a bread roll to bring to Peter's grandmother because she still thinks that she is going back to her in the morning. Heidi's lack of table manners become clear to Fräulein Rottenmeier and she goes on to explain all of the rules of the house to Heidi, while she is doing this Heidi falls asleep, which amuses Klara. That is what happened in chapter 6.
All of the people who work at Klara's house look down on Heidi and don't think that she is a good playmate for Klara. Heidi thinks that she will be leaving Frankfurt in the morning and going back to Dörfli to give some bread to Peter's grandmother because that is what her aunt told her when they were leaving for Frankfurt to convince her to leave. Heidi doesn't know that she will be staying there for a long time, to keep Klara company. During supper Heidi takes a bread roll to bring to Peter's grandmother because she still thinks that she is going back to her in the morning. Heidi's lack of table manners become clear to Fräulein Rottenmeier and she goes on to explain all of the rules of the house to Heidi, while she is doing this Heidi falls asleep, which amuses Klara. That is what happened in chapter 6.
Post #7 Heidi By Johanna Spyri: Chapter 5 Summary
In chapter 5 the reader learns that a few years have passed since Heidi first came to live with her grandfather and now she is eight years old. Heidi hasn't gone to school yet and the teacher and the pastor try to convince her grandfather to send her, but he refuses to do so because he thinks that it is too dangerous for her to travel up and down the mountain in the winter to go to school. This shows that Heidi's grandfather cares a lot about her and he doesn't want anything bad to happen to her. When the pastor goes to Heidi's grandfather to convince to send Heidi to school and he refuses, then the pastor tries to convince him to move down into the village to Dörfli so that Heidi won't have to go all the way down the mountain in the winter to go to school. Heidi's grandfather also refuses the pastor's suggestion of moving down to Dörfli because the people there don't like him and he doesn't like them.
I want to know some of the reasons why the people of Dörfli and Heidi's grandfather don't like each other. After all of this, Dete, Heidi's aunt and the woman who brought her to live with her grandfather comes to visit Heidi and says that Heidi should come back with her to Frankfurt where she is a housekeeper, to become the playmate of the sickly daughter of her employers' relatives. Heidi's grandfather does not like this idea and gets angry at Heidi's aunt and tells her, "'Take her [Heidi] and be gone! Never bring her into my sight again. I never want to see her with feathers in her hat and words in her mouth such as you have spoken today!'". Heidi is mad at her aunt at first for making her grandfather mad and doesn't want to go with her at first, but eventually convinces her to come. When Peter sees Heidi leaving with her aunt he tells his grandmother and they are both very sad that she is leaving. After Heidi leaves her grandfather is even more unfriendly when he goes into town. That is the end of chapter 5.
I want to know some of the reasons why the people of Dörfli and Heidi's grandfather don't like each other. After all of this, Dete, Heidi's aunt and the woman who brought her to live with her grandfather comes to visit Heidi and says that Heidi should come back with her to Frankfurt where she is a housekeeper, to become the playmate of the sickly daughter of her employers' relatives. Heidi's grandfather does not like this idea and gets angry at Heidi's aunt and tells her, "'Take her [Heidi] and be gone! Never bring her into my sight again. I never want to see her with feathers in her hat and words in her mouth such as you have spoken today!'". Heidi is mad at her aunt at first for making her grandfather mad and doesn't want to go with her at first, but eventually convinces her to come. When Peter sees Heidi leaving with her aunt he tells his grandmother and they are both very sad that she is leaving. After Heidi leaves her grandfather is even more unfriendly when he goes into town. That is the end of chapter 5.
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