Midterm Assignment: Literature Extension Project

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Midterm AssignmentLiterature Extension Project

• Jane Sheeley
• EDLA-615
• Prof. Susan Silverman
• October 31, 2006

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CD Creation Project

• You will create a CD. Research popular music and
  choose at least 10 songs that relate to the
  central themes of the book. An explanation must
  accompany each song title that you choose.
  Include the front and back cover art for your
  creation, along with any inside liner notes or
  pictures.
• Please do not forget to credit the artists!

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Good Night Mr. Tom
CD compiled by Jane Sheeley
( Front cover)
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(Inside Liner Cover)
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(Image under CD)
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• Luka Suzanne Vega
• Please Read Me Bee Gees
• Heres Where the Story Ends The Sundays
• Paint the Sky with Stars Enya
• My War Black Flag
• Waiting for the Worms Pink Floyd
• Warchild The Cranberries
• Mother Pink Floyd
• Another Brick in the Wall (part I) Pink Floyd
• Endless Vacation The Ramones
• Peace Train Cat Stevens
• London Calling The Clash
• Are you Ready for the Country Neil Young
• Take Me Home, Country Roads John Denver
• Thank God, Im a Country Boy John Denver
• Dover Beach The Bangles
• Traces of Sadness Vanilla Ninja
• Sadeness Enigma
• Sadness is to End Guided by Voices

• Happy Outside Omnisoul
• Happy Jack The Who
• Shiny, Happy People REM
• The Chronicles of Life and Death Good Charlotte
• I Will Follow You into the Dark Death Cab for
  Cutie
• Dance of Death Iron Maiden
• Don't Go Doro
• Please Dont Die Robbie Williams
• Alone Again Dokken
• Get Together Indigo Girls
• Mother Babes in Toyland
• Cycle of Abuse Biohazard
• Whats Become of the Baby Grateful Dead
• Zombie The Cranberries
• Let it Grow Eric Clapton
• Dont Give Up Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush
• Wind Beneath my Wings Bette Midler

(Back cover)
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Abuse

• Luka the story of an abused child, as told from
  his voice. The child in question has become
  complacent and accepting of his situation and
  forgiving of his abuser, much like Willie used to
  feel towards his mother when he was still living
  with her.
• The night before, he had been lying in his first
  and only bed, in his first and only room. For
  an instant he wished he had never gone to Little
  Weirwold. Then he would have thought his mum was
  kind and loving. He wouldnt have known any
  different. A wave of despair swept through him
  and he cursed his new awareness. He hadnt been
  used to this pain for a long time. He had
  softened. (p. 197/8)

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Books and Reading

• Willie loved books and was so enthralled to
  receive his first one. Is it fer me to keep?,
  he states as he hugs the one given to him on his
  birthday (p. 108).
• Please Read Me Willie feels all books call this
  out to him, and he himself has never had anyone
  try to read him.
• Heres Where the Story Ends Like the author,
  Willie, too, has been repeatedly looked down upon
  by everyone he has known before meeting Tom.

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Painting

• Paint the Sky With Stars Willie finds he has
  incredible talent as an artist. The paints he
  receives helps him to channel his emotions into
  his drawing. He is also seeing a peaceful, open,
  and star-filled country sky for the first time
  when he comes to Little Weirwold. Also, before
  she died, Toms wife had made the comment, If I
  painted the sky, I could go through life paintin
  nothin else, for its always changin. It never
  stays still. (p. 52)

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War

• My War The war is more Willies than the
  occupants of Little Weirwold, as they have barely
  been affected by it. When Willie wonders about
  the blackouts on the windows, Mr. Tom replies
  Its so planes dont see where to bomb. Waste
  of time if you asks me. Reckon itll all be over
  by Christmas, and anyways whod want to bomb
  Little Weirwold? (p. 21)
• Waiting for the Worms A soldiers song about
  World War II from the wonderfully twisted mind of
  Roger Waters.
• Warchild - As one of the evacuees, Willie truly
  is a warchild.

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Mother

• Mother Although the voice of this song is only
  mentally abused by his mother, it is still an
  abuse that he will take with him into his future
  relationships.
• Another Brick in the Wall (part I) Willie, too,
  has no father to speak of and was left with an
  abusive, controlling Mother.
• Endless Vacation Willies mother eventually
  commits suicide.

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Peace

• Peace Train Willie finally finds the peace that
  he has so desperately wanted when he comes to
  Little Weirwold. After leaving and then
  returning again, he knows that he can truly be at
  peace there.

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London

• London Calling Willie was a resident of London
  before being evacuated to Little Weirwold due to
  the impending war. The song begins,
• London calling to the faraway townsNow that
  war is declared-
• and battle come down.
• This is a fitting song for Willies situation.

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Country

• Are You Ready for the Country Willie is
  uprooted from the life he knew and evacuated from
  the city to the country
• Take me Home Country Roads The road into Little
  Weirwold is the country road that leads him to
  what will become his home
• Thank God, Im a Country Boy Willie grows to
  love the country and be grateful that it is now
  his home.

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Beach Vacation

• Dover Beach The Dover Beach is said to be the
  perfect place that the singer would like to run
  away to. When Tom takes Willie and Zach to
  Salmouth (Salt on the Mouth), Willie learns to
  swim, and enjoys falling into a blissful,
  peaceful sleep while listening to the wonderful
  fine sound (p. 263) of the waves.

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Sadness

• Traces of Sadness The chorus reminded me very
  much of some of the sadness that poor Willie has
  had to endure in his short life before Tom.
• Just traces of sadness(All the tears remained
  uncried)Just echoes of madness(All his
  fantasies had died)He buried his daydreams(But
  the nightmares stayed alive)
• Sadeness This song discusses finding peace in
  the company of children something that Willie
  had never been familiar with.

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Transitions to Happiness

• Sadness is to End This song speaks of sadness
  ending soon and happiness reigning supreme, much
  like Willies transition to a happy child.
• Happy Outside The voice of this song is
  surprised to find that he wakes up happy one
  morning. He goes on to say that all of the
  clouds and lightening he endures are just
  obstacles on his path to happiness.
• Happy Jack Hurtful times cannot prevent Jack
  from being happy, much like Willie.
• Shiny Happy People Willie, finding friends for
  the first time ever, has become a part of the
  shiny, happy people.

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Life

• The Chronicles of Life and Death Willies life
  before Tom had been a fine line between life and
  death. This song speaks about the way we come
  into this world covered in blood, and sometimes
  exit it the same way, as Willie almost did at the
  hands of his mother.

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Death

• I will Follow You into the Dark - Unfortunately,
  Willie faces so much loss. This song speaks of
  holding someone as they die so that they are not
  alone, much like Willie did with Trudy.
• Dance of Death This song tells a story of
  someone meeting Evil Death and barely escaping,
  prompting me to think of how Willie and his
  sister were left to die by their mother.
• Dont Go This song made me think of Willies
  being angry with Zach for leaving, visible when
  he states I ent got anythin left inside me.
  (p. 293)
• Please Dont Die This song made me think of the
  fear Willie probably feels sometimes over ever
  losing Tom.

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Alone

• Alone Again Before being evacuated, Willie is
  often alone, since his mother is his only
  interaction. When Willie is forced to leave Tom
  and return to his mother in London, again, he
  ends up alone. In the hospital, he is alone, and
  when he loses Zach he feels that he is alone
  again.

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Together

• Get Together With Tom and his friends, Willie
  finally has a peaceful existence, and finally
  realizes what it feels like to be loved. This
  version by the Indigo Girls is just a very nice
  one, and their harmonies mirror the harmony that
  Willie feels with these people.

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Trudy

• Mother The last three lines of this song are
• SisterYou are meYou are me
• I felt that this was so significant since
  Trudy was condemned to such an awful, short life
  that Willie was fortunate enough to escape when
  he was evacuated.
• Cycle of Abuse Sadly, Trudy was another of the
  victims left behind in the wake of Willies
  mother and her horrible abuse.

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Baby

• Whats Become of the Baby? This haunting melody
  reveals the line
• Whats become of the baby,
• this cold December morning?
• This was truly meaningful, as Trudy died and
  froze in the basement. There was an extreme
  freeze during that March, and this line seemed
  chillingly similar.

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Hospital

• Zombie This song signifies the catatonia that
  Willie was kept in after he was recovered from
  his cell under the stairs at his mothers house.
  He was kept so terribly sedated, that he was
  truly in a Zombie like state.

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Growing

• Let it Grow This song speaks of letting ones
  love grow as a living thing. In the last line of
  the book, Willie says,
• Dad, Im growing!
• Like the song, through Toms love, patience
  and acceptance, Willie has been able to grow.

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Support

• Dont Give Up Throughout the story, through
  trial and tribulation, neither Willie nor Tom
  ever gave up on one another and on having a happy
  life together as Father and Son.
• Wind Beneath My Wings Tom and Willie are each
  others wind. They reciprocally support each
  other and help each other to grow into loving,
  productive members of their community.

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Reflection/Rubric

• View my reflection here.
• View my rubric here.
• My score 30/30.

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Credits

• All images taken from Google Images.
• All lyrics found by using the
• Lyrics Search Engine.
• Read all of the referenced songs lyrics here.