What's this? What's this?
There's color everywhere
What's this?
There's white things in the air
What's this?
I can't believe my eyes
I must be dreaming
Wake up, Jack, this isn't fair
What's this?
What's this? What's this?
There's something very wrong
What's this?
There's people singing songs
What's this?
The streets are lined with
Little creatures laughing
Everybody seems so happy
Have I possibly gone daffy?
What is this?
What's this?
There's children throwing snowballs
Instead of throwing heads
They're busy building toys
And absolutely no one's dead
There's frost on every window
Oh, I can't believe my eyes
And in my bones I feel the warmth
That's coming from inside
Oh, look
What's this?
They're hanging mistletoe, they kiss
Why that looks so unique, inspired
They're gathering around to hear a story
Roasting chestnuts on a fire
What's this?
What's this?
In here they've got a little tree, how queer
And who would ever think
And why?
They're covering it with tiny little things
They've got electric lights on strings
And there's a smile on everyone
So, now, correct me if I'm wrong
This looks like fun
This looks like fun
Oh, could it be I got my wish?
What's this?
Oh my, what now?
The children are asleep
But look, there's nothing underneath
No ghouls, no witches here to scream and scare them
Oh ensnare them, only little cozy things
Secure inside their dreamland
What's this?
The monsters are all missing
And the nightmares can't be found
And in their place there seems to be
Good feeling all around
Instead of screams, I swear
I can hear music in the air
The smell of cakes and pies
Are absolutely everywhere
The sights, the sounds
They're everywhere and all around
I've never felt so good before
This empty place inside of me is filling up
I simply cannot get enough
I want it, oh, I want it
Oh, I want it for my own
I've got to know
I've got to know
What is this place that I have found?
What is this?
Christmas Town? Hmm...
Instead of answering questions that the teacher asked us, we were told to generate our own questions based on Frankenstein. The challenge was that it couldn't include anything about style analysis. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Style analysis includes anything from themes, comparisons, organization, unusual , and even specific details. That covered so many of the potential questions I came up with. In addition, they all had to be open-ended questions, that could lead to further discussion. However, this experiment really helped me to understand how teachers feel while writing up tests. It's almost as bad as taking the tests...
Why has asking become so difficult? It's not because curiosity, the thirst for knowledge, is less prevalent. The problem is that people don't know how to voice their questions. I have noticed in Socratic seminars or brawls that many people have ideas that they want to declare, and confuses that with questions they want to ask. Instead of asking questions that are likely to enhance the discussion, most people only bring details that they want to point out. When someone asks a question, most people just continually add on to a previous commentator's ideas. Not many people are willing to be the first to move on from the topic. Instead, the conversation goes round and round in circles. In extreme cases, some classes will talk about some ducks for forty minutes.
Begin your question with the traditional interrogatory words: who, what, where, why, when, how. A concise, clear question is an important contribution in its own right. This link might help readers better understand the book they're reading, and help stimulate discussions:
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