Complete the diagram below with the similarities and differences between the two characters in the short story Flipping Fantastic

Short Story Literature Elements

Setting

• The setting usually refers to the time and place in which the story takes place.
• The setting often influences the values, beliefs and attitudes of people.

Characters

• Characters are the people found in the story. Sometimes, a character can also be an animal or an object.
• These characters can be categorised into main characters and supporting characters. The character that dominates the story is usually the main character.
• Their characteristics are the way these characters behave and act.
• Readers can learn about characters in many ways including:

(a) physical traits

(b) actions

(c) opinions

(d) dialogue

(e) point of view

Plot

• A plot tells how events are connected or how the story is told.
• A common pattern of a plot is a course of events in a story that contains a conflict or a problem that ends with a resolution or a turning point.
• In other words, a plot is a sequence of events, the “why” for the things that happen in the story.

Point of view

1. In a story, someone is telling the story from his or own point of view.
2. The point of view could be:

(a) in the first person , using ‘I’ and ‘We’ to give the personal touch

(b) in the second person, using ‘they’ / ‘he’ / ‘she’ / ‘it’

(c) who tells the story and how it is told are very important. The tone and feel of the story and even its meaning can change depending on who is telling the story.

Flipping Fantastic By Jane Langford

‘Flipping Fantastic’ by Jane Langford is a story about twin brothers and their mother. Tristan is an outstanding, brilliant and a capable boy but James is shy, nervous and lacks confidence. Both of them are about to finish their primary education at Peter Hill Primary soon and plan to begin their new school term in two different schools.

Their mother decides to enrol James in Highfields and Tristan who is physically challenged and wheelchair bound, in a special school (Chesterlea Grange). Both brothers are confused over the thought of being separated as they have never been apart from each other. Since they rely on each other, the twins are concerned about how they are going to cope in their new school environment.

The mother wants the twins to be independent. She is confident that Tristan would be able to cope well at Chesterlea Grange. However, she worries about James and wonders how he is going to manage all alone at Highfields. Tristan changes his mind about Chesterlea Grange, in order to be with James. Besides that, the school is far away from home and he would only be able to see James once a week. On the other hand, James manages to persuade him by reminding him of all the facilities and activities in his new school that Tristan dreamt of.

Knowing James cannot cope himself alone, Tristan calls on their friend Kiara Jones to help James in Highfields. The twins at last realise that they have made the right decision and their new school environment is flipping fantastic.

the full text of the short story can be downloaded here

Mr. Nobody

I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody's house!
There's no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr. Nobody

`Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pine afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For, prithee, don't you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr. Nobody

The finger marked upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blind unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill;the boots
That lying round you see
Are not our boots - they all belong

To Mr. Nobody.

The poem talks about irresponsible behavior. The persona in the poem is most probably a parent who wants to admonish the children for always running away from responsibility and for blaming others for the mischief that they have done.

The message, though serious, is put in a light-hearted manner as a gentle reminder to children that they should not conveniently blame others for something that they could easily do themselves. It is irresponsible to claim ignorance for little misdeeds that occurs frequently in the house.

The repetition of the reference to Mr Nobody emphasizes how conveniently we blame others for our indifference, negligence and irresponsibility. There is a tinge of humour and we can sense the poet chiding us for blaming others for our carelessness and misdeeds.

Answers are available here

Fill in the positive behavior in the opposite column

Negative behavior	Positive behavior
crack plates
tear books
leave doors ajar	close the doors tightly
pull buttons from shirts
scatter pins
	oil the doors
put damp wood on the fire
feet bring in mud
soil carpets
mislay the papers
toss papers about
dirty the doors with finger marks
leave the blinds unclosed
spill the ink
leave boots lying around