The Hundred Dresses_II

Summary

In this lesson, the author teaches us a lesson not to hurt anybody’s feelings. All the girls in the school made fun of Wanda, a Polish girl. As a result, she left the school. Then the feeling of repentance arose among the students who teased Wanda. Peggy and Maddie even go to her house to stop her from leaving that place but they could not meet her as she had already left. They write a letter to her accepting their fault. Wanda sends a letter to Miss Mason on the eve of Christmas. She greets everybody ‘Merry Christmas’ and gives them the gifts of her paintings.

Comprehension Questions

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. Why has Wanda’s father written a letter to Mrs. Mason? 

Jan Petronski wrote a letter to Miss Mason, Wanda’s teacher, to inform her that Wanda and Jake would not come to school anymore as they had shifted to a big city where no one would make fun of their names because there would be many funny names and foreigners like her in the big city. The letter was also an indirect complaint. 

2. What excuses does Peggy think up for her behavior? Why? 

Peggy was also upset over the incident she said that she had never called her a foreigner. She never made fun of her name. She thought she was too dumb. 

3. How did Peggy and Maddie know that the Petronskis were gone? 

Peggy and Maddie reached Wanda’s house at Boggins Heights. There was no sign of life about the house. Peggy knocked firmly on the door, but there was no answer. She and Maddie went round to the backyard and knocked there. Still, there was no answer. There was no doubt about it that Petronskis were gone. 

4. What did Wanda’s shabby but clean house remind Maddie? 

The two girls reached Boggins Heights where Petronskis lived. They lived in a little white house. Wisps of old grass stuck up here and there along the pathway. The house and its little yard looked shabby but clean. It reminded Maddie of Wanda’s faded blue dress which also looked shabby but clean. 

5. What did Wanda write in her letter? 

Wanda Petronski wrote a letter to her previous teacher Miss Mason requested her to tell the girls of Room Thirteen that they could keep those hundred dresses. She wished that Peggy would have the drawing of the green dress and Maddie of the blue one. She wrote that she missed her old school. Her new teacher couldn’t equalise Miss Mason.

6. What did Maddie and Peggy notice on the designs, prepared by Wanda?

When Maddie hanged the design in her bedroom, she was surprised to I see her own picture in it. She looked at it very carefully. She was very curious to tell Peggy. She told this to Peggy and she also notice the same thing.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. How far do you agree to judge people on the basis of money, possessions and caste? What enduring values should we actually look for in a person before developing a friendship with that person? 

It is absolutely wrong to judge people on the basis of money, possessions and caste. Wanda was a polish girl at an American school. Her name sounded funny to the other students who made fun of her name. Peggy and other girls teased her about a hundred dresses which she claimed she had but wore the same faded blue dress everyday. Fed up with the teasing Wanda left the school and went to a big city. Before leaving she took part in the art competition and submitted a hundred drawings of different dress designs. They were so beautiful that all her classmates were wonderstruck. Peggy and Maddie not only realised their mistake but were also impressed by her talent. They felt guilty about their behaviour. Hence, one should actually look at a person’s nature and talents before befriending him/her. One should not judge others with their status.

2. Draw the character sketch of Peggy. 

Peggy was a rich, pretty girl with curly hair. She was the most liked girl in her class. She had many beautiful dresses. She was intelligent, good in studies, scored good marks and sat in the front row. She could understand the hidden message of Wanda’s gifts that she liked her and Maddie and was not angry with them for teasing her. At times she seemed bossy and dominated Maddie who was her close friend. She loved fun and enjoyed teasing Wanda, playing the game of hundred dresses with her.

3. Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be different for the family? 

Wanda’s family could no longer tolerate the mockery she was subjected to other students made fun of her name and called her ‘Pollack’. Peggy and other girls often teased her by asking her about her hundred dresses which she said she had ‘all lined up in her closet’ but wore the same faded blue dress that was too long and hung loosely on her body. Fed up by this teasing Wanda’s family shifted to a big city where there were a lot of foreigners with unfamiliar names. One cannot be certain whether the life of Wanda’s family was going to be different in the city. But one thing seems certain that no one would have made fun of Wanda’s name or looks.

4. What did Wanda’s father write in his letter? How did Maddie feel after listening to that letter? 

In his letter, Wanda’s father had informed Miss Mason that Wanda and Jake would not come to the school any more. They were moving to a big city. In that city, nobody would consider her name funny and laugh at her. The entire class became silent and felt bad about it. Miss Mason understood their feelings. She told them that no one should hurt anyone’s feelings because his or her name was long or funny. She said that what had happened in the school about Wanda was bad. She asked them to think about that. Maddie listened to what Miss Mason said about Wanda. She could not concentrate on her studies. She had a sick feeling. She had never made fun of Wanda herself. But at the same time, she had not objected Peggy’s asking Wanda about her dresses. She felt that she was a coward.

5. What did Peggy and Maddie write to Wanda? What happened on the last day of the school before Christmas? 

Peggy and Maddie wrote a letter to Wanda. They praised her drawings and informed her that she had won the contest. As days passed, there was no answer from Wanda. Peggy had begun to forget the whole incident. Maddie tried to sleep at night making speeches about Wanda. Then it was Christmas time. On the last day of the school, Miss Mason received a letter from Wanda. She showed the letter to the class and read it. Wanda had written that the girls could keep those hundred dresses because in her new house she had a hundred new ones. She had gifted the green dress with the red trimmings to Peggy. She wrote that Maddie could have a blue dress. She wished Merry Christmas to all. They accepted the drawings. On the way home Peggy and Maddie held their drawings very carefully and realised that the girls in the drawings resembled them.

6. ‚The Hundred Dresses – II‛ gives out a moral lesson of what a man should be like as Wanda displays herself in the given situation. Wanda by her behaviour towards Peggy and Maddie shows her exalted character as is seen in her letter. How far would you agree with her and justify such behaviour in all persons as essential? Write a paragraph on such an aspect. 

Wanda Petronski’s letter highlights her greatness which gives us a view of her nature as a simple, loving, caring, and friendly human being. She gifts her drawings to Peggy and Maddie though they tease her a lot. It shows how great she is as it requires a lot of courage and patience to do so. An ordinary person cannot do that and would definitely hate them but Wanda shows polite and peaceful traits of her character. In our society it is very difficult to find such a character but such traits are a must to be a good human being. Here, in our society, people tease others with racist remarks, which is not a sign of good culture. By answering in a polite and friendly manner Wanda displays to be a humble person. We all should try to have or acquire such traits in our character so that everyone could praise us and we can live peacefully.

Questions from the text book. 

Thinking about the Text

1. Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be different for their family?
Wanda’s family moved to a different city due to the racism and the humiliation Wanda and her brother suffered at school. They were teased by other students for their funny names and old clothes. Life was definitely going to be different in a different city because people there would not have a narrow mindset and would not tease them because of their name or status.

2. Maddie thought her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. Was she right?
Yes, Maddie thought that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing because it is often said that turning a blind eye to a crime is worse than committing a crime.So by being silent she indirectly encouraged Peggy to tease her.

3. Peggy says, ‚I never thought she had sense to know we were making fun of her anyway. I thought she was too dumb. And gee, look how she can draw! ‛What led Peggy to believe that Wanda was dumb? Did she change her opinion later?
Wanda never reacted to Peggy‘s misbehaviour towards her. This unusual behaviour led Peggy to think that Wanda was dumb. Furthermore, Wanda spoke of having hundred dresses in her closet when in reality she wore the same old faded blue dress everyday. But later Peggy’s opinion changed after looking at Wanda’s sketches and Wanda’s gesture of gifting her and Maddie beautiful drawings from her collection.

4. What important decision did Maddie make? Why did she have to think hard to do so?
Maddie decided to go to Wanda’s house with Peggy to apologise and amend for all that had happened but Wanda had left the house with her family. She felt bad because she thought of herself as a coward who did not stop Peggy from insulting Wanda. So, she decided to raise voice against injustice and bullying. She was firm of not being a mute spectator anymore.

5. Why do you think Wanda gave Maddie and Peggy the drawings of the dresses? Why are they surprised?
Maddie and Peggy had written a letter to Wanda. Though it was friendly letter, Wnada must have understood the feelings behind their letter. Therefore Wanda’s request that two of her drawings be given to Maddie and Peggy could be her way of telling them that she had forgiven them that she had forgiven and forgotten. When Maddie and Peggy did not receive a reply to their letter for a long time, they felt that perhaps Wanda was still hurt and angry. Therefore they were surprised when they came to know that Wanda had asked Miss Mason to give them two of her drawings in which the girls looked liked Peggy and Maddie.

6. Do you think Wanda really thought the girls were teasing her? Why or why not?
Wanda was aware of the misbehaviour of the girls who teased her everyday but she remained calm. To stop them from teasing her, she exaggerated and told them that she hundred dresses and sixty pairs of matching shoes in her closet.

Thinking about Language

a). What adjectives can we use to describe Peggy, Wanda and Maddie? You can choose adjectives from the list above. You can also add some of your own.

1. Peggy- sarcastic, thoughtless, zealous, unforgiving arrogant, cruel, haughty, proud, vain

2. Wanda- kind, courteous, introverted, talented, lonely, determined, complacent, contented, generous, friendly, intrepid, sensitive, compassionate, creative

3. Maddie- insipid, timid, placid, stolid

b). Find the sentences in the story with the following phrasal verbs.

1. lined up: She thought of the glowing picture of those hundred dresses all lined up in the classroom.
2. thought up: Peggy who had thought up this game and Maddie her inseparable friend, were always the last to leave.
3. took off: Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her soft white handkerchief.
4. stood by: She had stood by silently and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done.

c). Colours are used to describe feelings, moods and emotions. Match the following ‘colour expressions’ with a suggested paraphrase.

i. the Monday morning blues : sadness or depression after a weekend of fun 

ii. to go red in the face : feel embarrassed /angry/ashamed

iii. look green : feel very sick, as if about to vomit

iv. the red carpet : a special welcome

v. blue – blooded : of noble birth or from a royal family

vi. a green belt : land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law

vii. black guard : a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong

viii. a grey area: an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear

ix. a white flag : a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting

x. a blue print : a photographic print of building plans; a detailed clan or scheme

xi. red-handed : in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong

xii. the green light : the sign of permission to begin an action

Practice questions

Q1 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

(a) Miss Mason read it several times and studied it thoughtfully for a while. Then, she clapped her hands. ‚Attention, class. Everyone-back to their seat.‛ When the shuffling of feet had stopped and the room was still and quiet, Miss Mason said, "I have a letter from Wanda’s father that I want to read to you"

i. What happened when the class was circling the room?
a. The principal brought a note to Miss Mason.
b. Miss Mason entered to the classroom.
c. The monitor from the principal’s office brought a note to Miss Mason.
d. Peggie from the principal’s office brought a note to Miss Mason. 

ii. Why did Miss Mason read the letter of Wanda’s father several times?
a. because the letter was written in Polish
b. because the letter was too long
c. because she couldn’t understand the handwriting
d. because it had feedback about the class 

iii. What did Wanda’s father indirectly complain about in the letter?
a. about students teasing Wanda and Jake for their names
b. about students teasing Wanda and Jake for their shabby clothes
c. about students teasing Wanda and Jake because they were poor
d. about students teasing Wanda and Jake for they lived in Boggins Heights 

iv. Find the word from the passage which means ‘to walk slowly without lifting your feet’.
a. shuffling
b. attention
c. thoughtfully
d. still

(b)Peggy knocked firmly on the door, but there was no answer. She and Maddie went around to the backyard and knocked there. Still, there was no answer. There was no doubt about it. The Petronskis were gone. How could they ever make amends? 

i. Why did Maddie and Peggy go to Wanda’s house?
a. to call her to play
b. to say sorry for what they had done to Wanda
c. to find out why she wasn’t coming to school
d. to give her the medal she had won in the drawing contest 

ii. How did Wanda’s house look?

a. shabby but big
b. shabby but unclean
c. shabby but clean
d. shabby but spacious 

iii. What did Wanda’s house remind Maddie of?
a. Wanda’s faded blue cotton dress
b. Wanda’s faded green cotton dress
c. Wanda’s hundred dresses
d. Wanda’s sixty pairs of shoes 

iv. Find a phrase from the passage which means ‘show one is sorry by doing something good’.
a. make amends
b. wondering
c. listless
d. depressed

Q2 Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. 

(a) Why did Peggy and Maddie go to Boggins Height? What did Maddie want to tell Wanda? 

Maddie and Peggy went to Wanda’s house at Boggins’s Height to find out whether Wanda was still there or she had left. If they found her there they would tell her that she had won the contest and that she was talented. They wanted to tell her that her designs of the hundred dresses were beautiful and also wanted to apologize for teasing her. 

(b) Where did Maddie keep Wanda’s drawing? 

Maddie carried Wanda’s drawing carefully. She pinned her drawing over a torn place in the pink-flowered wallpaper in her bedroom. The shabby room came alive from the brilliancy of the colours. 

(c) What important decision did Maddie make when she found that the Petronskis were gone? Why did she have to think a lot to do so? 

The important decision Maddie took when she found that the Petronskis were gone was that if ever she heard anyone picking on someone because of his/her looks or funny names she would not stand by silently, she would speak up. 

(d) Which act of Wanda made the girls know that she liked them even though they had teased her? 

The letter of Wanda to Miss Mason showed that she loved room number thirteen. She had gifted her a hundred drawings to her class. She mentioned that she missed her school and friends and felt that her teacher was not equal to Miss Mason.

Q3 Answer the following questions in in 100 -120 words. 

(a) How did Maddie feel when she and Peggy could not find Wanda? What important conclusion did Maddie reach then?
When Maddie and Peggy did not find Wanda at Boggins Heights, Maddie felt much disturbed. The whole night she kept thinking about Wanda, the way they used to make fun of her, her drawings of a hundred dresses, her faded blue dress and the little house they lived in. She thought hard and made a resolution. From then onwards she would never stand by and remain silent if anyone made fun of or treated someone unkindly for their name or looks. She would speak up at the cost of losing Peggy’s friendship. 

(b) 'Though Peggy and Maddie made fun of Wanda, she gifted them her special drawings.’ In the light of this statement draw a character-sketch of Wanda Petronski.
Wanda Petronski was a Polish girl at an American school. Her name sounded unfamiliar to other students who made fun of her name. They also teased her by asking her about her hundred dresses which she claimed she had but wore the same faded blue dress every day. She never felt embarrassed or cried. She was calm and tolerant. When others thought she was lying about having a hundred dresses, she knew that she was truthful as she did have a hundred dresses but only the drawings and not the real ones. And she proved that she was right when she submitted them for the contest. Wanda had gifted two of her special drawings—a green dress with red ash to Peggy and a blue dress with colourful trimming to Maddie with their faces on the respective drawings. This showed that she liked them in spite of their teasing her. She was understanding, forgiving and a talented.