Lesson 10

[penny WINGERT]

Penny Wingert, The earth is not dying, It is going to survive the global warning, Nuclear War, Civil war and famine. Aliens are our friends, It is possible for humans to live on another planet. We can survive outside our bodies in another dimension. What I learned from this assignment is we can question anything

[Madeleine Vessel]

Madeleine’s Counterexamples

What I learned doing this assignment is that considering questions and counter examples that challenge the Old Ways opens up the story. So many more possibilities have emerged. Yay!!!!

5 Questions that challenge the Old Ways:

1. Comparing the artistry of Anna-Maude Stone and Sally Oxley, Murl Gayle says, “Of the two, Sally was the real artist, nature being her specialty.”

Anna-Maude’s facial reconstructions are spot on. The question is, isn’t Anna-Maude a real artist, too?

This challenges Murl’s Old Way of regarding Anna-Maude’s talents.

2. Searching Jack’s cabin with Sheriff Mike Williams, he asks her, “Who else had a beef with Jack? She responds, “No one… Honestly. Everyone liked him. He was a really good guy.

The question is, if Jack was such a good guy, why did someone shoot him?

This challenges the community’s Old Way of believing that Jack was a good guy.

3. Pete Candelaria has size 14 boots and a .308 rifle that reeks of gunpowder.

Question #1: Is Pete the only one in the neighborhood with size 14 boots?

Question #2: Did Pete fire his .308 to shoot Jack and his dog, or was he out shooting something else like coyotes, foxes, feral dogs, or targets?

This challenges Mike and Umberto’s Old Way of thinking about what they can consider evidence.

4. Sheriff Sergeant tells Anna-Maude that her Uncle Jack and Owen Cross were on the mountain with Eloy when he went missing.

Question from Anna-Maude: Are you saying Jack had something to do with Eloy’s death? The Sheriff Sergeant’s response is, “Can’t rule him out. Not yet anyway.”

This further challenges Anna-Maude’s Old Way of regarding Jack.

5. Anna-Maude and Tony study the painting of the cowboy. Suddenly, she sees something she hadn’t noticed before.

Anna-Maude’s Question: Why aren’t there any rosebushes?

Tony: “I noticed that, too. Someone must have planted them after Dad and I left.

Anna-Maude: Why would someone plant rose bushes on someone else’s property?

Anna-Maude answers this question herself: “Sally loved yellow roses… Of course, the garden is a memorial. Sally isn’t missing. She’s dead.”

This challenges the Old Way of thinking that Sally disappeared. The truth more likely is that she died.

5 Counterexamples that challenge the Old Ways:

1. Anna-Maude questions that Jack had Chinese artifacts. They aren’t in his ledger, and they aren’t in inventory.

Her friend Stella answers the question with another possibility: They belong to someone else, and Jack was just doing them a favor.

This challenges the Old Way Jack had of doing business.

2. Anna-Maude suspects Tony of killing her Uncle Jack because he blames her for Sally’s disappearance and his mother’s drowning.

He offers a counter example: “My mother was always trying to do herself in. You just happened to be there when she succeeded. And Sally? Sally was as runaway train. No one could stop her.

This challenges Anna-Maude’s Old Way of thinking that she was to blame for the terrible things that happened to Tony’s family.

3. Li Fang is afraid Chen Diu will break the law in her desire for revenge.

Her response counters his fears. “I’m not a fool. Meili betrayed me. It’s within my rights to fire her. As for him, he has overstayed his visa. It is my civic duty to report him to U. S. Customs and Border Protection.

This challenges Chen Diu’s Old Way of behaving when she has to deal with a problem.

4. At Jack’s funeral, Anna-Maude tells Tony that Sally and Kenny were in a relationship.

Tony can’t believe it, “They were just kids.”

Anna-Maude counters with, “Sally was always sneaking out her window and not just for art class.

This challenges Tony’s Old Way belief about his sister.

5. After Anna-Maude’s house burns down and her friend, Stella, wants her to come to town and stay with her, she protests, “I can’t just pull up stakes. I still have five horses to feed.”

Tony counters, “I’ll feed the horses.”

Anna-Maude counters, “You don’t like horses.”

Tony counters, “Do I have to like them to feed them?”

Anna-Maude concedes, “No, of course not.”

Tony not waiting for a further response, “While you’re away, I’ll have fire alarms installed.”

This challenges Anna-Maude’s Old Way of insisting on doing things herself. She’s not as self-sufficient as she thought.