Teaching Companion · Chapter 12 · Little Women

This chapter's big question

When Jo holds her tongue among the nettles and beats Fred generously while her rage is still simmering, is that the fruit Marmee's note promised, or only a lid on the same temper?

The tension The chapter opens with Marmee's private praise that Jo's resolution begins to bear fruit, and then tests it in public. Jo checks a rude word, disappears into the bushes until she can hold her tongue, and leaves Kate's ball untouched, yet tells Meg not to praise her because she could box Fred's ears this minute. Later, in the game of Truth, she and Laurie "give it to him" and make Fred confess the cheat before everyone, after which peace is declared. The day keeps setting surface against substance in other pairs too: Kate's perfectly correct, perfectly expressionless German beside Meg's timid reading that makes poetry of the words, and Beth's terror of the dreadful boys dissolving the moment she pities one.

Today's focus

Notice what Jo does with her anger at the croquet game, and what she says is still simmering afterward.

Two core ideas

Marmee's note says Jo's efforts are bearing fruit, and the croquet game tests it at once: Jo holds her tongue, leaves Kate's ball alone, and tells Meg she could box Fred's ears this minute.
The day sets surface beside substance in other pairs too: Kate's correct, expressionless reading beside Meg's timid one, and Beth's fear of the dreadful boys beside her pity for Frank.

The shape at a glance

Beth brings the morning mail, including Marmee's note to Jo and Laurie's invitation to a picnic. At Camp Laurence the party plays croquet, Fred cheats, and Jo holds back her temper. After lunch they play Rigmarole and Truth, Meg reads German with Mr. Brooke while Kate looks on, and Beth befriends Frank. The day ends with the boats going home and the Vaughns leaving for Canada.

A way in

Start with Marmee's note and ask what it feels like to be seen trying at something no one knows you are working on.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the day back in order: the mail, the hat, the boating, the croquet, the lunch, the games, and the ride home.

Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern about a moment when someone held back a sharp word.

Debate Take sides: was Jo's restraint at croquet the fruit Marmee wrote about, or only a lid on the same temper? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why Alcott lets Jo say she is still simmering right after Meg praises her.

Easier Read the croquet scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 3 only.

On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence.

Harder Ask the student to find one more place where someone's manner and feelings do not match, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.

Discussion

Marmee writes that she has watched Jo's efforts to control her temper, though Jo thought no one saw. Why might that note mean so much to Jo?Inference
What it asks It asks why being seen matters to someone who is working privately at a fault.
One reading

Jo had believed her efforts went unnoticed, so being seen gives her strength to go on.
- for she had thought that no one saw and appreciated her efforts to be good
- That does me good! that’s worth millions of money and pecks of praise.
Another reading

The note comes from the person whose opinion she values most, and it promises help as well as praise.
- from the person whose commendation she most valued
- O Marmee, I do try! I will keep on trying, and not get tired, since I have you to help me.
Listen for
- Notices that Jo thought no one saw.
- Uses what Jo does with the note, not only what she says.
If stuck
- What did Jo think about whether anyone saw her efforts?
- Who wrote the note?
- What does Jo do with it after she reads it?
A strong answer Marmee says she has seen Jo's trials, failures, and successes, none of which Jo ever mentioned. Jo had thought no one saw, so the note comes as a surprise, and it comes from the person whose praise she most values. She pins it inside her frock as a shield and a reminder. A strong answer says what being seen gives her: not only praise, but help to keep trying.
Beth begs that none of the boys talk to her, yet spends the afternoon chatting with Frank. What changes for her?Character
What it asks It asks what is stronger than Beth's fear of boys, and what makes the change possible.
One reading

Pity is stronger than fear. Frank is alone and lame, and Beth cannot leave him sitting.
- Bless her heart! She pities him, so she is good to him
- the poor boy looked so wistfully at her, that she bravely resolved to try
Another reading

She stops thinking about herself once she is busy trying to amuse someone else.
- in her eagerness to amuse another, Beth forgot herself
- Talk to me, please; it’s dull, sitting by myself,
Listen for
- Sets Beth's request to Jo beside what she later does.
- Names what Beth feels about Frank, not only that she talks.
If stuck
- What did Beth ask Jo before she agreed to come?
- What does Frank ask Beth to do?
- What does Beth have to fall back on when she starts to talk?
A strong answer Beth had said she would come only if no boy talked to her, and she called Frank and his brother dreadful boys from the window. But Frank is sitting alone with a crutch, and he asks her to talk. With no Jo to hide behind, she tries, blunders about hunting, and saves it with buffaloes. A strong answer says what took the place of her fear: pity, eagerness to help, or both.
In the game of Truth, Laurie whispers, “Let’s give it to him,” and Jo asks Fred if he cheated at croquet. Was that a fair way to settle it?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether setting a question as a trap is a fair way to make someone own up to a wrong.
One reading

It was fair: Fred did cheat, there was no other way to say so, and the game ends in peace.
- He did cheat, I saw him; we can’t tell him so, but he won’t do it again, take my word for it.
- as Jo nodded to Fred, as a sign that peace was declared
Another reading

It was not quite fair: they plan it together in a whisper, and Jo enjoys having him cornered.
- “Let’s give it to him,” whispered Laurie to Jo, who nodded
- “It’s a very good one for you,” retorted Jo, in a low voice.
Listen for
- Says what Fred actually did and what Laurie saw.
- Weighs the answer Fred gives against the way the question was asked.
If stuck
- What did Laurie say after the croquet game?
- What does Fred answer when Jo asks her question?
- What does Jo do after he answers?
A strong answer Fred did cheat, Laurie saw it, and he said they could not tell him so. The game gave them a way to ask, and Fred answers “Well, yes, a little bit,” after which Jo signals that peace is made. But the question is planned in a whisper, and Jo has already remarked in a low voice that Truth is a very good game for Fred. A strong answer takes a side and says what the other side would point to.
Kate reads Schiller in a “perfectly correct but perfectly expressionless manner,” and then timid Meg reads it. Why might Alcott set the two readings side by side?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the author wants the reader to see by putting a polished reading next to a shy one.
One reading

She wants us to see that feeling makes a better reading than polish, even with mistakes.
- Miss Kate read one of the most beautiful passages, in a perfectly correct but perfectly expressionless manner.
- unconsciously making poetry of the hard words by the soft intonation of her musical voice
Another reading

She wants us to see what Kate's polish is worth, since it goes with her patronizing tone toward Meg.
- “Oh, indeed!” said Miss Kate; but she might as well have said, “Dear me, how dreadful!” for her tone implied it
- Miss Kate put up her glass, and, having taken a survey of the little tableau before her, shut her sketchbook, saying, with condescension
Listen for
- Compares the two readings using the narrator's own words.
- Says what Meg does not know while she reads.
If stuck
- How does Kate read? How does Meg read?
- Does Meg notice who is listening?
- How does Kate speak to Meg afterward?
A strong answer Kate's reading is perfectly correct and perfectly expressionless, while Meg, making poetry of hard words, gives a little touch of tragedy to the queen's lament. Meg forgets her listener, and so does the lesson work. Kate's later condescension makes her polish look thin. A strong answer says what the contrast teaches about correctness and feeling, and uses the narrator's words for each reading.
When Meg says she is a governess, Kate says, “Oh, indeed!” and Mr. Brooke speaks up at once. What does each of them think work says about a person?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to hear two views of earning a living and what each shows about its speaker.
One reading

Kate treats work as a mark of lower rank, acceptable in its place but not for a lady.
- Oh, yes; of course it’s very nice and proper in them to do so.
- a patronizing tone, that hurt Meg’s pride, and made her work seem not only more distasteful, but degrading
Another reading

Mr. Brooke treats supporting yourself as a reason for respect.
- Young ladies in America love independence as much as their ancestors did, and are admired and respected for supporting themselves.
- There’s no place like America for us workers, Miss Margaret
Listen for
- Uses what each speaker says and how they say it.
- Notices how Meg feels at the beginning and at the end of the exchange.
If stuck
- What does Kate's tone imply when she says “Oh, indeed!”?
- What does Mr. Brooke say American girls are admired for?
- How does Meg feel about her work by the end?
A strong answer Kate says it is very nice and proper for girls to work, but her tone implies how dreadful it is, and it makes Meg's work seem degrading. Mr. Brooke answers quickly that girls who support themselves are admired and respected, and says there is no place like America for workers. By the end Meg is ashamed to lament her hard lot. A strong answer compares the two views and says what each shows about the speaker's idea of a person's worth.

Critical thinking

Jo wears Laurie's old broad-brimmed hat to the picnic, though Meg objects. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why she does.
What it asks It asks what the hat means to Jo, and to back the answer with two pieces of evidence.
One reading

She wears it for comfort and to show she does not care about fashion.
- I don’t mind being a guy if I’m comfortable.
- I’ll wear it, for fun, and show him I don’t care for the fashion
Another reading

She wears it for the fun of it, and the hat does the party good.
- It will make fun
- it broke the ice in the beginning, by producing a laugh
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why Jo holds out against Meg.
If stuck
- What did Jo say she wanted in a hat?
- What does the hat do for the boating party?
A strong answer Jo says she had wished for a bigger hat because she burns her face, and she says she will wear it to show she does not care for the fashion. She also says it is shady, light, and will make fun, and the narrator adds that it broke the ice with a laugh. A strong answer uses one piece on comfort or independence and one on fun, and says which matters more to Jo.
Laurie sets up camp and tells his guests who is who. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how he makes everyone welcome.
What it asks It asks what Laurie does, before and during the picnic, that makes his guests feel at home.
One reading

He gives everyone a place in a game, so nobody is left out.
- Brooke is commander-in-chief; I am commissary-general; the other fellows are staff-officers; and you, ladies, are company.
- Welcome to Camp Laurence!
Another reading

He takes care of the details ahead of time, including the guest who is most shy.
- Don’t bother about rations⁠—I’ll see to that, and everything else
- can’t let Beth off, at any price, and nobody shall worry her
Listen for
- Evidence from what he writes and from what he says at the camp.
- A reason that explains why each act makes guests feel welcome.
If stuck
- What does Laurie tell the guests about the oaks?
- What does he promise in his letter about Beth?
A strong answer Laurie welcomes the party to Camp Laurence, giving out roles and calling the ladies company, and tells them the oaks are their drawing-room and mess-room. Earlier in his letter he promises to see to rations and everything else, and says nobody shall worry Beth. A strong answer uses one piece of the camp speech and one of the letter, and explains why playfulness and forethought both count as welcome.
Meg keeps away from Ned Moffat all day. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why, and what Sallie says about her.
What it asks It asks why Meg avoids Ned, and how a friend who knows her reads the reason.
One reading

Meg remembers how the Moffats talked about her and is wary of Ned because of it.
- it was quite true that she had shunned him, remembering the Moffat party and the talk after it
- You’ve kept close to that starched-up Englishwoman all day, and now you snub me.
Another reading

Meg simply has no interest in flirting, and finds Ned's sentimental airs funny.
- he looked at Meg with such a lackadaisical expression that she laughed outright and spoilt his song
- Not a particle; but she’s a dear
Listen for
- Uses what the narrator says and what Sallie says.
- Notices that Meg says she did not mean to snub him.
If stuck
- What does the narrator say Meg remembers?
- What does Meg do when Ned sings to her?
- What does Sallie say when Ned asks if Meg is a flirt?
A strong answer The narrator says Meg shunned Ned because she remembered the Moffat party and the talk after it. On the river she laughs at his lackadaisical look and spoils his song, and Sallie, defending her friend, says there isn't a particle of flirt in her, but she's a dear. A strong answer uses the memory and Meg's laugh, and says whether the wariness or the lack of interest explains more.