(Access to the story - open in IE)
| SETTING | The story is set in an elementary school classroom in the |
| CHARACTERS | Rachel, an eleven-year-old girl; Mrs. Price, her teacher; other children in Rachel’s class, including Sylvia Saldivar and Phyllis Lopez. |
| PLOT | On Rachel’s eleventh birthday, Mrs. Price asks the class who owns an ugly, old sweater. When Sylvia says it belongs to Rachel, Mrs. Price believes Sylvia and insists that Rachel put it on. Rachel becomes embarrassed, starts to feel much younger than eleven, and begins to cry. After a while, Phyllis remembers that it’s her sweater. Rachel returns the sweater to Phyllis, but Mrs. Price doesn’t acknowledge her mistake or apologize to Rachel, whose birthday has been ruined by the incident. |
| CONFLICT | Rachel knows the teacher is wrong, but she can’t assert herself. She is torn between obeying an older person in a position of authority – the teacher – and asserting herself. |
| THEME | 1. children’s difficulty in asserting themselves with adults 2. sensitivity of adults to children’s feeling and needs 3. respect of adults for children’s knowledge of the world 4. the powerful effect of teachers and school on children |
