Skip to main content

Why does Leigh read Moose on Toast in Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw?

In the opening letters Leigh Botts writes to the author Mr. Henshaw in Beverly Cleary's Dr. Mr. Henshaw, we learn that Leigh first learned about Henshaw's book How To Amuse a Dog when his second-grade teacher read it to his class. In the third grade, Leigh reads it for himself and is so fond of the book that, for the next two school years, Leigh uses the book to fulfill class assignments, including making a diorama of the book in the fourth grade and writing a book report in the fifth grade. Since Leigh has not been reading anything other than How to Amuse a Dog, it is in the fifth grade that Leigh receives a letter from Mr. Henshaw suggesting that Leigh read a new book written by Mr. Henshaw, which is Moose on Toast.

We learn that Mr. Henshaw suggested Leigh read a new book when, in his letter dated November 7, Leigh responds to Mr. Henshaw, saying, "I got your letter and did what you said. I read a different book by you. I read Moose on Toast." Leigh says he liked it almost as much as Ways to Amuse a Dog. He especially thought it was funny that the boy's mother in the story needed to figure out enough ways to cook moose to get through 1,000 pounds of moose meat. However, it's clear that Leigh prefers Ways to Amuse a Dog because he can relate to the story more.

Leigh can relate to the dog story more because he has his own dog named Bandit, and Bandit howls when he hears singing, just like the dog in the story. In contrast, Leigh cannot relate to the moose story because he is uncomfortable with the idea of hunting. But, he pacifies himself by thinking that, since there are so many moose in Alaska, the father in the story was justified in shooting the moose if the family "needed it for for food."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more