Group+7

** The Umbrella Man By Roald Dahl ** By Antionette Timpano, Jessica Vellucci, Priyanka Walia & Mary Zia // 1. Plot: (As a group) // The umbrella man by Roald Dahl is a short story about a little man. He appears to be a gentleman but looks can be deceiving. He approach’s a young girl and her mother and tells them a story about how he supposedly forgot his wallet in his other jacket which is at home. He politely asks for one pound to get a taxi home in exchange for his silky 20 pound umbrella. The mother looks at him suspiciously but eventually gives in because her daughter and she were getting soaked by the rain. The little man rushes away into the mist but does not appear to be looking for a taxi. The mother then decides that it would be sensible for her daughter and her to follow him. Then they saw him enter a door that was a pub. They watched him from outside in disgust whilst he was approaching the bar. The little man placed the one pound on the counter and in return received a treble whiskey. Down his throat it went in one long pour. Then he turned away from the bar and grabbed his hat and coat. He lifted another one of the many umbrellas from another patron and went off. He then approached a tall skinny man and the story repeats. The little man never goes to the same pub twice and could go on doing this all night. We bet her prays like mad for rainy days!

//2. Vocabulary words: (Mary) // Beastly: Of or like a beast. Bustling: To move or act with a great show of energy (often followed by about). Scuttling: To move about or proceed hurriedly. Stammer: To speak with uncontrollable breaks and pauses, or with occasional repetitions of syllables or sounds. Trotted: To go at a gait between a walk and a run, in which the legs move in alternating diagonal pairs.  You are a beastly young girl. The old woman was bustling about the crowd of people in a hurry. The lady was scuttling down the street. The man spoke with a stammer. I trotted down the street. 

//3. Connection between the short story & the outside world: (Individual)// This story reflects things that happen in real life because there are people in this world that are liars and use people for money or their possessions. In this story the little man steals umbrellas and gives them to strangers for money. In real life we have a lot of crooks who steal or cheat their way through life. But it happens in things much simpler than that. At school, kids go around asking for money claiming they haven’t eaten or don’t have money for the bus but they go to the canteen and buy lollies or an icy pole. They really want an icy pole and some people don’t mind but people give these people money so they can get home or eat and they take advantage of the situation and use the money for something they don’t need. **(Jessica)**

The connection I have found from the story and the outside world is that it is true there are liars upon us. Some people will tell us anything to make us feel sympathy towards them and persuade us to give them what they want. The story reflects that we shouldn’t judge people by the way they look because the little man appeared to be sweet and innocent. Then we found out he was a manipulating liar. Looks can be very deceiving. The little man stole from strangers and never returned to the place. In the outside world this happens to. We have burglars who go around robbing stallholders at the shops, steal from peoples’ homes, steal people’s possession etc. An example of this is when housebreakers brake into people’s homes when they are either on holiday, at work or simply just not at home. They take all the valuable possessions and leave. They will never be caught or pay the price for what they have done unless they are unfortunate enough to get caught by the police. **(Mary)** The story and real life have a connection by the true fact that there are people like the umbrella man who roam the streets, make people feel for them and then ask people to simply give them small amount of money in exchange for an umbrella on a rainy day. Which at the time seems fair as the poor man or woman might use the money for food or to buy something to make them more comfortable like a pillow or a blanket. Though most of the time the poor person has gone and used the money to buy alcohol or cigarettes, something totally irrelevant to what can help them. I have never actually encounted someone selling me something so they could use the money. I try to most likely only give money to people who seem sick or actually have a fundraiser. Though in the city if they re asking me for money so they can buy a burger or something, I most likely would just buy them the burger so they wouldn’t have to waste my money on something bad for them. **(Antoinette)** The story umbrella man is about a little man. He appears to be a gentleman but looks can be deceiving. This little man happens to be a cheeky fellow who steals random umbrellas from pubs and finds people and tells them ‘I have no money for my taxi fare give me a pound in exchange for this umbrella.’ So the people do exactly as he says and he goes to a pub and buys great whisky with that one pound, steals another umbrella and gets out of the pub. He never goes to the same pub twice to get caught. This story reminds me of a episode of ‘the Simpsons’ where everything slowly gets stolen by a cat burglar and no one knows who it was. Grandpa Simpson found out who it was when none of the younger generation could. The mastermind cat burglar happened to be a old man from the retirement village’ He was so much older and he outsmarted everyone, so pretty much looks can be deceiving. **(Priyanka)**

//<span style="font-size: 125%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">4.Question about the story: (Priyanka) // __<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">Did the story have sophisticated language? __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">In the short story umbrella man the language was not so sophisticated; it was language mature 20th centre people would speak. The ‘umbrella man’ used language that was more classy and old. Words like ‘Oh, goodness gracious me’ and ‘madam’ aren’t words that average people would speak. __<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';"> Did the story have a good twist? __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">We believe that umbrella man had a great story line and twist. We all found it rather funny how the umbrella man stole random umbrellas from pubs and started his routine all over again. It all made sense because it was all realistic. __<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';"> Was the story predictable? __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">No, the story was so interesting none of us knew what was going to happen next; we wanted to keep reading on. We all thought that the old umbrella man was innocent and the story was about the mums suspicions. None of us expected an old man to be cheeky. __<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';"> Did the story have too much unneeded information? __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">In the story we found that there was some parts that were un necessary, but then we came to the conclusion that the ‘un necessary’ things were there to keep the story flowing. ‘My mother is thirty-four but I am nearly as tall as her already’ we thought that the fact that she was telling us how tall she was, was un necessary, but then we realised that the author was describing her appearance to us. This other bit was very random: "I wish we had a car with a chauffeur," my mother said. But then we all agreed that that was added to make the story sound like an actual conversation. __<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';"> How would you improve the story? __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">In our group we all found the story funny, good and interesting. We had a discussion on what we would like to have changed and we couldn’t think of a thing. We did come up with minor changes that might make the story better for other readers such as the 12 year old girl being a boy instead, that might make more boys read it. But other than that we couldn’t think of anything major. __<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';"> Did the author describe the characters and setting well? __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">Well not really but we did get the picture. The author said that they were in a cafe and after that they came out of the cafe and it started raining. All we girls imaged something similar.

<span style="font-size: 125%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">//5.// <span style="font-size: 125%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">//Analysis of a paragraph or sentence// : <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> //"You can always spot a gentleman by the shoes he wears," was another of my mother's favourite sayings. This man had beautiful brown shoes.// I decided to choose this line because I thought it was quite odd. I find it strange that one of the mothers sayings was that you can always spot a gentleman by his shoes because what some one wears has nothing to do with the kind of person someone is. I find it interesting that the author has chosen shoes of all things. You would think he would choose something more like a suit or how they have their hair. The shoes that people wear have nothing to do with it and I can’t figure out why shoes would show how much of a gentleman the man is. In the story the shoes theory backfires because the man is not a gentleman but an alcoholic. **(Jessica)**

// With strange men she has a golden rule which says, "The nicer the man seems to be, the more suspicious you must become." // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">I chose to write about this sentence because I find it rather interesting and in a way I see its importance. It’s true "The nicer the man seems to be, the more suspicious you must become". Looks can be very deceiving. A nice man who appears to not be doing any harm could turn out to be a crook, just like the sweet little man in the story. I think it’s an excellent idea that the author has chose to include this sentence in his story. On the other hand he could just genuinely be a nice man. That is why you should never judge anyone by their looks instead what is inside.<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> **(Mary)** //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> But the little man on the pavement with the umbrella over his head didn't bat an eyelid. He gave a gentle smile and said, "I beg you to believe, madam, that I am not in the habit of stopping ladies in the street and telling them my troubles." "I should hope not, " my mother said. I felt quite embarrassed by my mother's sharpness. I wanted to say to her, "Oh, mummy, for heaven's sake, he's a very very old man, and he's sweet and polite, and he's in some sort of trouble, so don't be so beastly to him." But I didn't say anything. The little man shifted his umbrella from one hand to the other. "I've never forgotten it before," he said. "You've never forgotten what?" my mother asked sternly. "My wallet," he said. "I must have left it in my other jacket. Isn't that the silliest thing to do?" "Are you asking me to give you money?" my mother said. "Oh, goodness gracious me, no!" he cried. "Heaven forbid I should ever do that!" "Then what are you asking?" my mother said. "Do hurry up. We're getting soaked to the skin standing here." "I know you are," he said. " And that is why I’m offering you this umbrella of mine to protect you, and to keep forever, if . . . if only . . ." "If only what?" my mother said. "If only you would give me in return a pound for my taxi-fare just to get me home." My mother was still suspicious. "If you had no money in the first place," she said, "then how did you get here?" "I walked," he answered. "Every day I go for a lovely long walk and then I summon a taxi to take me home. I do it every day of the year." "Why don't you walk home now," my mother asked. "Oh, I wish I could, " he said. "I do wish I could. But I don't think I could manage it on these silly old legs of mine. I've gone too far already." My mother stood there chewing her lower lip. She was beginning to melt a bit, I could see that. And the idea of getting an umbrella to shelter under must have tempted her a good deal. ** The Umbrella Man (Roald Dahl) Page 1[Column 2]: Through internet. ** // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> I felt this passage is telling us that, when a man or woman comes to you and asks you for money, most of the time you feel that they are just asking you this to by alcohol or something bad which was the mothers initial idea, though after a bit of a chat and some persuading you seem to feel for the person and give in, whether you start to believe them or you just want to hurry up and get onto what you were doing. Though I feel the mother was smart enough as later on in the story the mother follows him to find out what he had actually done with the money. **(Antoinette)** //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Just then, a man came up to us. He was a small man and he was pretty old, probably seventy or more. He raised his hat politely and said to my mother "Excuse me. I do hope you will excuse me. . . ." He had a fine white moustache and bushy white eyebrows and a wrinkly pink face. He was sheltering under an umbrella which he held high over his head. // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">I have chosen a paragraph from the short story ‘Umbrella Man’ which describes the umbrella mans appearance and his personality. I find this paragraph very important as it tells you about the main character and how the narrator feels about him. The 12 year old girl (narrator) describes the umbrella man in a lot of detail and it gives us as the readers a clear image in our heads of what he might look like. Also the umbrella man sound very polite and innocent, when he really isn’t! **(Priyanka)**
 * // The Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl (Page 1, Column 1): Internet version. //**

//<span style="font-size: 125%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">6. Setting of the story: (Jessica) // <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">The main setting of the story is in a busy street of London. It is raining and there are many taxis on the roads and all of the taxis are full. Many people have flooded the streets trying to walk as fast as they can to get out of the rain. Many have umbrellas but are still in a hurry. There is a lot of traffic on the roads as the little man dodges through to get to the other side of the road. The other main setting is the Red Lion Pub. The pub is very crowded and it is a squeeze to get through the crowd to the bar. It is very squishy at the bar. It is so crowded in there that no one notices the little man stealing the umbrella when he gets his coat and hat. The scenery changes many times though only two places are described with much detail. The story starts off in a dentist appointment and when that is finished it continues on into a cafe and then out to the streets of London. After that there is a scene in a pub called the Red Lion Pub and it finishes back in the busy street. I don’t think that the Dentist was a vital piece of information that we needed in the story and neither was the cafe. They started off the story but we would still know what was happening without that information. The street is very important because if it was set in an indoor setting we would have no need for the little man asking for money in return of an umbrella. Also the fact that there are no taxis available, without this in the setting there would be no story. The pub is also important because this is when we see what the little man is really doing with his time and other people’s money. The setting also sets the mood of the story of it being a lousy day in London with it being too busy on the streets to get home.

<span style="font-size: 125%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">//7. Picture related to what we have read// : <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> This image I think really resembles what I think the mother would look like. I think this story was set a while back shown by the silk umbrella. She would have looked quite wealthy I think especially for the little man to approach her for money. I think she may have been a little older than what is shown in the picture but I think this is a very close representation.
 * (Jessica** **)**

This picture I feel is showing the umbrella man just coming out from another bar and walking to a busy street to find the next person who he can next sell the umbrella to. ** Website: ** [] ** Google images website [individual pic]: ** [] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**(Antoinette)** <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">I think this image is related to the story because it is of a man walking with an umbrella in his hand. This is just like what the old man did in the story before he approached the little girl and her mother and also the tall thin fellow. Despite the fact that the umbrella is not silk it still looks like a rainy dark day, just like in the story. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Website:** [] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This picture reminds me of the story a lot. It looks like it is set in London, like the story is. It also looks very vintage like the language in the book. The umbrella in this picture looks like silk, and the man (even though you can’t see his face) looks a lot like my image. In my head I imagined his in grandpa shoes and a long black jacket. Like this picture. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">
 * (Mary)**
 * (Priyanka)

<span style="font-size: 125%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">*Antoinette was absent for two lessons* **