Hanna's Suitcase/Charlottes Web Essay - March 28 2018

 

        Throughout this paper, there will be reflections regarding the purpose and development of Wilber from Charlottes Web, as well as Hanna from Hanna’s suitcase.

 

        In the book Charlotte’s Web, Wilbur was the runt of the litter of piglets. Since he was the smallest, Mr. Arable went out to the barn with a shotgun because the pig was going to be useless to him. When his daughter Fern saw her father walk outside with his shotgun, she asked her mother where her father was going. She kindly replied that there was a runt within the litter that was no good for the farm, so there had to be something done. Fern ran outside and said to her father “I see no difference this is the most terrible case of injustice I've ever heard of” and because of that her father gave her a chance to see the responsibility of raising a pig. For the first month of Wilber’s life, Fern raised him and fed him with a bottle. Throughout the next few months, Wilber grew bigger and stronger, and because of this, Ferns father told her that Wilber would have to be sold. Not soon after Wilbur was purchased by her uncle Homer from a farm down the road for six dollars. When Wilbur got to the farm he was having trouble adjusting to living in a pile of manure and having no freedom, since this wasn’t what he was used to. He was hungry because his food kept getting stolen from the other animals which made him feel dejected and friendless. However, one evening things changed when he heard a friendly voice saying that she has been watching him since he arrived at the farm, but he was puzzled as to where the voice was coming from. The next morning, he spotted where the little voice came from, which was from a spider named Charlotte. Finally, he found a friend he could talk to and trust. When Fern was visiting she noticed that Wilber looked healthy and had gained a lot of weight, to which he was very proud of. However, Wilbur found out, from the old sheep that lived at the farm, that he was being fattened up to be killed and made into bacon, “Well, I don't like to spread bad news" said the sheep "but they are fattening you up because they are going to kill you."[pg49] Of course he wanted to live. His friend Charlotte told him she would find a way to keep him alive. She would send Templeton the rat to find her scraps of paper. She would then pick one and write words on her web it astonished and amazed everyone. People came from afar to see Zuckerman's famous pig. Wilbur became very popular and was happy with what was going on. He tried his very best to keep up with the amazing words that charlotte was writing about him. “Some pig terrific.!” Because Wilbur was getting so much attention they brought him to the fair to enter him in the pig contest. He didn’t win first prize, but he did get a special prize. They were called up on stage in front of anyone announcing “Mr. Zuckerman and his distinguished pig” [ pg157]. Charlotte did not go back to the farm with Wilbur. He did take the little egg sac that she had laid back to the barn to watch over them. All of charlottes hard work and friendship helped Wilbur and saved his life. He watched over charlotte’s grandchildren year after year.

 

        Hanna was a strong fun-loving 8-year-old Jewish girl from Czechoslovakia. Her purpose was to show her determination to meet the future. At the beginning of 1938, there was talk of war. In March 1939 the rules for the Jewish people started to change. Three had a specific curfew to be in by and got their radios taken away so they couldn’t hear about what was going on. Eventually, it was said that people that were not Jewish would not be associated with them at all. Hanna was sad as she lost all her friends. All she had was her brother Georgie that she held onto through everything. First Hanna's mother was taken away to a concentration camp. Then they were no longer allowed to go to school. Hanna and her brother held onto each other they were with their housekeep and father until some men came and took her father one night, their uncle who was Christian came by and took them in to care for them. In April 1941 Hanna received a deportation document [picture pg. 50] Stating she had to go to a meeting about her leaving. Her aunt and uncle told her and Georgie they were going on a trip. When they reached their destination, they were sent to separate houses. Hanna continued to stay strong when she was in the girls' house she was taken under the wing of an older girl with who they stayed close together, Eventually, Hanna was able to go out and see George. She would always ask about her parents or any news. He always told her what she could handle and did his big brother's duties to protect her, one day George's name was on the list to be sent somewhere else. Hanna was devastated but still stayed strong and hopeful that one day her name would be on the list and be united with her brother.  Finally, her day had come and her name along with her friend was on the list. They took a long train ride and when they got off the train they were told to leave their suitcases and were taken into a gas room and killed… From the day everything started with the Nazis and the Jewish people. Hanna stayed strong and hopeful to be reunited with her family.

---The journey and development of Wilbur and Hanna are amazing stories to read. They give everyone an amazing aspect and look at different lives and struggles. Wilber's development went from a small innocent runt who almost lost his life. He was then saved and raised with the love of a little girl named Fern.  Later on, he faced the big world of living on a farm, where he learned how to live in the world of a farm animal. He was taught the facts of life and being a pig. He was born to be fattened up and eaten. He had faced the scared vision of that.  And fought his way through and survived as Mr. Zuckerman's famous pig.

 

 

Hanna’s development went from an innocent fun-loving adventurous little 8-year-old girl. 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

EB, Webb Charlottes Web

Karen Levine Hanna’s

© A.Rickards March 28, 2018