Comparing Literature

M argie even wrote about it that night in

her diary. On the page headed May 17, 2157,
she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real
book!”
It was a very old book. Margie’s
grandfather once said that when he was a
little boy, his grandfather told him that there
was a time when all stories were printed on
paper.
They turned the pages, which were
yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny
to read words that stood still instead of
moving the way they were supposed to—on
a screen, you know. And then, when they
turned back to the page before, it had the
same words on it that it had when they read
it the first time.
“Gee,” said Tommy, “what a waste. When
you’re through with the book, you just throw
it away, I guess. Our television screen must
have had a million books on it and it’s good
for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.”
“Same with mine,” said Margie. She was
The Book, 1913. Juan Gris. Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris,
eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks1 as
Paris, France. Tommy had. He was thirteen.
She said, “Where did you find it?”
“In my house.” He pointed without

The Fun
looking, because he was busy reading. “In the
attic.”
“What’s it about?”
“School.”

They Had
Margie was scornful.2 “School? What’s
there to write about school? I hate school.”
Margie always hated school, but now she
hated it more than ever. The mechanical
teacher had been giving her test after test in
A Short Story by Isaac Asimov geography, and she had been doing worse
1. telebooks. Books displayed on a television screen
2. scornful. Having an attitude of dislike or disgust

82

0074-0103_Lit3eG06_U01.indd 82 11/30/07 10:24:08 AM

 ▲ ▲
and worse until her mother had shaken her a while, then said, “Anyway, they had a
head sorrowfully and sent for the county teacher.”
inspector. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a
He was a round little man with a red face regular teacher. It was a man.”
and a whole box of tools with dials and “A man? How could a man be a teacher?”
wires. He smiled at her and gave her an “Well, he just told the boys and girls
apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie things and gave them homework and asked
had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it them questions.”
together again, but he knew how all right, “A man isn’t smart enough.”
and after an hour or so, there it was again, “Sure he is. My father knows as much as
large and ugly, with a big screen on which all my teacher.”
the lessons were shown and the questions “He can’t. A man can’t know as much as a
were asked. That wasn’t so bad. The part she teacher.”
hated most was the slot where she had to put “He knows almost as much I betcha.”
homework and test papers. She always had Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute5 that.
to write them out in a punch code they made She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in
her learn when she was six years old, and the my house to teach me.”
mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no
time.
The inspector had smiled after he was
finished and patted her head. He said to
!"#$%#&"'()&'*$+#'&"#,$
her mother, “It’s not the little girl’s fault, "'-$.##($/)0)(/$"#,$+#1+$
Mrs. Jones. I think the geography sector3 was
geared a little too quick. Those things happen '2+#,$+#1+$)($/#3/,'4"56$
sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average
'(-$1"#$"'-$.##($-3)(/$
ten-year level. Actually, the overall pattern of
her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he 73,1#$'(-$73,1#888$
patted Margie’s head again.
Margie was disappointed. She had been
hoping they would take the teacher away
altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s Tommy screamed with laughter. “You
teacher away for nearly a month because the don’t know much, Margie. The teachers
history sector had blanked out completely. didn’t live in the house. They had a special
So she said to Tommy, “Why would building and all the kids went there.”
anyone write about school?” “And all the kids learned the same thing?”
Tommy looked at her with very superior “Sure, if they were all the same age.”
eyes, “Because it’s not our kind of school, “But my mother says a teacher has to be
stupid. This is the old kind of school that adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl
they had hundreds and hundreds of years it teaches and that each kid has to be taught
ago.” He added loftily,4 pronouncing the differently.”
word carefully, “Centuries ago.”
3. sector. Area or division
Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know 4. loftily. In a proud or superior tone of voice
what kind of school they had all that time 5. dispute. Disagree with

ago.” She read the book over his shoulder for

ALL SUMMER IN A DAY / THE FUN THEY HAD 83

0074-0103_Lit3eG06_U01.indd 83 11/30/07 10:24:22 AM

 “Just the same, they
didn’t do it that way then. If
you don’t like it, you don’t
have to read the book.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like
it,” Margie said quickly. She
wanted to read about those
funny schools.
They weren’t even half
finished when Margie’s
mother called, “Margie!
School!”
Margie looked up. “Not
yet, Mamma.”
“Now,” said Mrs. Jones. !"#$%&'$%'()&'*+$
“And it’s probably time for
Tommy, too.”
,'*'$-'.-/'0000
Margie said to Tommy,
“Can I read the book some
more with you after school?” when her grandfather’s grandfather was a
“Maybe,” he said, nonchalantly.6 He little boy. All the kids from the whole
walked away whistling, the dusty old book neighborhood came, laughing and shouting
tucked beneath his arm. in the schoolyard, sitting together in the
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was schoolroom, going home together at the end
right next to her bedroom, and the of the day. They learned the same things so
mechanical teacher was on and waiting for they could help one another on the
her. It was always on at the same time every homework and talk about it.
day except Saturday and Sunday, because her And the teachers were people....
mother said little girls learned better if they The mechanical teacher was flashing on
learned at regular hours. the screen: “When we add the fractions ½
The screen was lit up, and it said: and ¼—”
“Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition Margie was thinking about how the kids
of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s must have loved it in the old days. She was
homework in the proper slot.” thinking about the fun they had. ✤
Margie did so with a sigh. She was 6. nonchalantly. In a relaxed or unconcerned manner
thinking about the old schools they had

W How do you feel about a system of education where students learn only
IRRORS by computer? What do you think the advantages and disadvantages of
W INDOWS such a system would be for middle school students?

84 UNIT 1 FICTION

0074-0103_Lit3eG06_U01.indd 84 11/30/07 10:24:22 AM

SET A

Comprehension Questions (Focusing on Transactional Theory)

These questions encourage personal engagement and interpretation:

1.​ Personal Connection: How did you feel when you read about Margie’s reaction to the old
book? Have you ever experienced something similar—discovering an old object or way of
doing things?

2.​ Interpretation: Why do you think Margie was so fascinated by the idea of a school with real
teachers and students together in a classroom? How does this compare to your experience
with education?

3.​ Perspective-Taking: If you were living in Margie’s world, would you prefer the mechanical
teacher or a real teacher in a school setting? Why?

4.​ Reader Response: The title, The Fun They Had, is ironic. What do you think Asimov
wanted readers to understand about education and technology?

5.​ Efferent vs. Aesthetic Reading: If you read this story just for facts (efferent reading), what
would you learn about future education? If you read it for emotion and experience (aesthetic
reading), how does it make you feel about learning and schools today?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
SET B

Discussion Questions (Based on Chambers’ Tell Me Approach)

Tell me is a ‘booktalk’ strategy which involves individuals thinking about fictional texts,
sharing their ideas with a group, and listening and responding to what others think. It
can be used to help students think and talk about books that have been read to them or
which they have read themselves.

1. What did you like?

●​ Was there anything in the story that you really liked or found interesting? Why?
●​ Did you enjoy Asimov’s vision of future education, or did it seem too bleak?

2. What puzzled you?

●​ Were there parts of the story that confused you or made you wonder about something?
●​ Why do you think Margie dislikes her mechanical teacher so much?

3. What connections did you make?

●​ Does this story remind you of anything in real life, such as online learning or
homeschooling?
●​ How does Asimov’s vision of future education compare to the technology we use in schools
today?

4. What patterns did you notice?

●​ Asimov wrote this story in 1951. How do you think his ideas about education and
technology compare to the reality of today?
●​ What similarities and differences do you see between Margie’s world and the present-day
classroom? Would you like me to refine these questions further or add different
perspectives?
The Fun They Had-Creative Writing Ideas and Text Intervention Prompts

Do ONE of the writing tasks listed below

1.​ Diary Entry from the Future: Write a diary entry from Margie’s perspective a few
weeks after she learned about traditional schools. Has her opinion about her
mechanical teacher changed? Does she still think about the "fun" that students had
in the past?
2.​ Letter to Tommy: Imagine you are Margie. Write a letter to Tommy explaining your
thoughts about old-fashioned schools. Do you wish you could experience one? Why
or why not?
3.​ A Different Ending: Rewrite the ending of the story where Margie finds a way to
experience a real classroom. How does she do it, and what happens next?
4.​ The Mechanical Teacher’s Perspective: Write a short scene from the point of view
of Margie’s mechanical teacher. Does it have thoughts or feelings about teaching?
How does it react to Margie’s frustrations?
5.​ Time Travel Story: Imagine that Margie and Tommy somehow travel back in time
and attend a traditional school for a day. Write a story about their experiences and
reactions.
6.​ Future of Education Debate: Write a dialogue between Margie and a student from
today’s world. What would they say to each other about schools, teachers, and
technology?
7.​ Margie’s Dream: The night after reading about old schools, Margie has a vivid
dream where she attends one. Describe her dream in detail. What does she see,
hear, and feel?
8.​ Changing the Setting: What if the story took place in a completely different
future—one where learning happens through virtual reality or brain implants?
Rewrite a passage of the story with this change in mind.
9.​ Modern School Comparison: Imagine that Margie somehow receives a video or
message from a student in the present day describing their school experience. Write
her reaction to it.
10.​ Adding a New Character: Introduce a new character into the story—a rebellious
student who finds a way to bring back traditional schools. How does this affect
Margie and Tommy?
11.​Alternate Perspective: Retell the story from Tommy’s perspective. Does he feel the
same way Margie does, or does he have a different opinion on old schools?
12.​ Margie’s Protest: Suppose Margie starts a movement to bring back traditional
schools in her futuristic society. Write a speech or social media post (as if she lived
in a digital world) where she explains why old schools should return.