Question 1
In this quote; “Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life thinking it’s stupid” (p. 159); it means that we are not supposed to judge people based on their weakest points r aspects in life. I understand that if a fish is told to climb a tree, this is impossible, and if the fish bases his intelligence on this one task, then he may think that he is dumb. In every aspect of life, we all have our weak and strong points, and should not let the weak parts determine our fate. This quote can be related to Ally’s life; in the novel Fish in a Tree, Mullaly Hunt presents Ally as the protagonist, she had dyslexia, and because of this reason she could barely write and had problems readings, this made her friends call her dumb, they had no idea that she had problems, her classmates and especially Shay, judged her using the weakest point. However, later in the novel, Alley’s classmates who thought that she was dump came to realize that they were wrong all along. If Ally stayed there feeling sorry for her, she could not have been good at anything, but because she did not listen to the one side of her disability, she excelled in other things through Mr. Daniel’s help. She could perform well in mathematics, and she was a talented artist. Mr. Daniel once told Alley that “just like there are different ways to get home […] there are different ways for information to reach the brain” (167). This was motivating for Alley, as she knew that she could try to become better.
Question 2
In the first chapters of the book, Ally can be described as evasive and timid. There are several instances in the first chapters which illustrate that Ally was not bought on the idea of being courageous enough to face her fears and limitations. Due to her reading difficulties, she devises ways of avoiding reading so that the teacher and peers do not know of her dyslexia problem. This shows her fear to neither face her challenge nor seek help among her teachers who would have happed her. However, in the final few chapters, a lot has changed in her life as she has grasped the confidence to seek help from her teacher, Mr. Daniels, regularly. Despite previously using humor to avoid responsibilities, she has become a class president who shows that she has become more responsible. These instances show the extent that she has grown in confidence and her education by expressing more desire to prosper and take responsibility for her future: she even convinces her brother to seek help as well. The moment that caused this change in Ally’s life was when her teacher realized the evasive strategies she was using in class: the subsequent need for help made the change and transition negativity to an optimistic life full of positivity.
Question 3
Alley, Keisha, and Albert became friends, and together they were inseparable; each one of them had their weaknesses and strongholds, which bounded them together for a long. Keisha was the strong one; she would come into the defense of Alley whenever Shay mocked her. For example, Keisha defended Alley when Shay came on to her laughed at her for being dyslexia; this was after a lesson with Mr. Daniels, who had mentioned various scientists who were believed to have had dyslexia. Albert had problems of her own; he used to be beaten by boys, but the three friends came on to the boys, and Albert beat one of them after an attack of Keisha, who was trying to defend Albert. Therefore, it can be deduced that their friendship was one of a kind, they all looked out for one another, and through that concept, they were in a position to remain friends.
Question 4
Mr. Daniels plays a very significant role in Ally’s development because he is the teacher who realizes and helps her overcome the reading and writing problem. Had he not spotted the hidden ability in Ally, her story would have turned out differently. The confidence and academic excellence that is observable in the final chapters of the story only happen so because of the role that Mr. Daniels plays in instilling the belief that she is just as good as her peers. There is a difference between Ally’s previous teachers to Mr. Daniels in their approach to helping their students. Despite Mrs. Hall knowing that Ally was avoiding doing her homework, she does not follow up to know why this is the case. Similarly, in her baby shower, she is given the wrong card, but this does not prompt her to act. However, from the first day, Mr. Daniels wants to help all the students, and after realizing the uniqueness in Ally’s answer – by drawing a cube – he begins to create circumstances to help her. The confidence and personalized training – such as playing chess – that he offers Ally help her understand herself and appreciate that she is uniquely qualified to succeed as a learner despite dyslexia.
Question 5
The book was so important to Lynda Hunt because it is based on her own story and how a teacher, Mr. Christy, saved her. She was a relatively slow student in school, and teachers had given up on her by not taking her homework; this made her have self-esteem and confidence in herself. However, this changed when Mr. Christy took an interest in her academic life; he helped her regain self-confidence, and this boosted her self-esteem leading to her eventual success to become a teacher as well. Being based on her experiences, she is proud to commend teachers for what they do, even if they are rarely appreciated for the extra work they do for their students. Given that she was able to get help and become a successful teacher and mentor, it serves to motivate the people with dyslexia that it is not the end of the road for them; there is still hope if they get the self-confidence and mentorship like she did when was in the same situation. Therefore, people with dyslexia are likely to appreciate that somebody has addressed their challenges on top provided great insights on how they can also prosper academically despite the assumed limitations.
Question 6
The book was educative, and especially to people who take advantage of the disabled, it tears their actions down by showing that it is important to embrace all people regardless of their looks. I think that the book is important, and especially to middle school children. I believe that it is the right age for them to get to know between right and wrong; the book demonstrates how it is wrong to take advantage of the disabled; it teaches that these children if taught, are unlikely to forget. Towards the end of the book, Shay realized that what she had been doing to Alley was wrong, and she regrets having done what she had done; this is a good example to show middle school children how wrong it is to be a bully posing that even bullies themselves regret their actions.