A Wrinkle in Time

1. A Wrinkle in Time Made by: Taylor M Written by Madeleine L ‘Engle "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty...." --1 Corinthians1:25–28

2. About the Author • born on November 29th, 1918 • spent many years living in New York City • she went to Smith College and studied in English and graduated with honors • Moved to Greenwich village, where she met the love of her life (Hugh Franklin), and was into theater and published her first 2 novels (A Small Rain & Ilsa) • She had her first child, Josephine, and moved to Connecticut into a small village and opened a general store that she raised for 9 years • Had a second child, his name was Bion • Adopted their third child from a family friend (parents died and they took her in), her name is Maria • Hugh Franklin (her husband) Died from cancer in 1986 • Madeleine died of natural causes in Rose Haven, a nursing facility in Litchfield, Connecticut

3. Awards • She was named an Associate Dame of Justice in the Venerable Order of Saint Johnin 1972 • Smith College Award awarded her "for service to community or college which exemplifies the purposes of liberal arts education" in 1981 • Won the ALAN Award for outstanding contribution to adolescent literature, which was presented by the National Council of Teachers of English in 1986 • She received over a dozen honorary degrees from many colleges and universities, such as Haverford College • Won a Newbery Medal sometime after 1960 for her novel A Wrinkle in Time • She was made a Doctor of Literature and a Doctor of Sacred Theology • In 2004, she also received the National Humanities Medal, but was unable to attend because she was sick • She also served a two-year term as president of the Authors Guild

4. Setting • The setting starts out in Margaret (Meg) Murry (the main character’s) house • Then they (Meg, her little brother, and a few very odd neighbors) travel through time and space in a tesseract which is in fact a wrinkle in time • They travel through different universes on a mission and end up on planet called Camazotz which is said to be much like earth but greyer • In the end they end up at home safely • This story takes place at all times of day in all different locations

5. Characters • Margaret (Meg) Murry- Main character who is very unique. She is an outcast in almost every scene she involves herself in but is able to find herself throughout the story. Within her whole family she favors her younger brother Charles. She cares about all her family dearly and misses her father.She is about 13 years old and is quite a nerd. She has wild brown hair, glasses and braces. She looks down on herself compared to her mother. She is the protagonist in the story. • Charles Wallace Murry- The youngest Murry child and is 5 years old. He is pretty much a genius and is quite telepathic when it comes to certain people he comes in contact with, especially his older sister Meg. Charles did not say one single word till he was almost 4 years old, but by the time he was ready to speak he could do it fluently and in complete sentences. He was the first person in his family to meet the three Mrs. W’s and he is the one to introduce the women to Meg. • Calvin O’ Keefe- He is a young boy about the age of 14 who has many family troubles and is the son of Paul and Branwen O’ Keefe. He is a junior in high school and is 1 of 11 children. He has a crush on Meg and enjoys every second he is able to spend with her and her family. His home life sucks because his parents are crappy because they were irresponsible and chose to have 11 kids! • Dr. Alex Murry- Meg, Sandy & Dennys (the middle children [twins]), and Charles’s father. He is a physicist who researches and studies the mysteries of the space/time continuum (traveling in between planets). He is missing for a year when the book begins and you come to find out that he was actually being held on planet Camazotz as a prisoner.

6. More Characters • IT- A brain that controls everything on the planet Camazotz. IT makes everything very synchronized on the planet almost as if everything that lived on this planet were robots. IT is a brain… Yup a brain, that’s all. IT communicates all it’s thoughts through THE MAN WITH RED EYES. IT is also the reason for the Black Cloud being around at all. IT lives in the CCI (CENTRAL central intelligence) building. IT is described as slightly larger than a human brain. IT’s goal is to have full and complete compliance with all of the inhibitors on Camazotz. • THE MAN WITH RED EYES- This is the man that Meg and Charles have to deal with on their mission to rescue their father. This man seems to be fully functional of himself but he states that IT just communicates through him. After Charles looks into the glowing eyes of this man he is possessed by IT. • Mrs. Whatsit- She is 1 of 3 guardians for Charles, Meg and Calvin. Out of the 3 Mrs. W’s she is the one who bonds the most with the children. She is an older woman (about 2 million years old), but is the youngest of the Mrs. W’s. She wears layers and layers and layers of clothes. In one chapter of the book she transforms in front of the children into a winged, horse-like being. She also destroys part of the Black Cloud. • Mrs. Who- This woman is also a guardian of the children and speaks through other peoples words through out the entire book. She quotes the Bible and speaks in many different languages. She is described a fat and wears glasses. • Mrs.Which- She is the last guardian that the children have throughout the book. She is the leader out of the 3 Mrs. W’s and by far the most intelligent. She gives hints to the children (Meg) to fulfill their mission of finding their father. Mrs. Which speaks very weirdly and talks with extra syllables in her words.

7. Literary Elements • Theme: Love, Religion (Christianity), Hardships, and Family Bonds • Tone: Dreamlandish; the book describes everything very big and exciting like almost trippy in a sense. Its like that moment where you are still laying in bed right after you wake up and your not thinking about the day your not really even there your just off not quite awake yet but not asleep anymore. No worries about the rest of the day or what is going on, just there and not all at the same time. The book starts out very realistic but throughout the rest of the story they go through world after world on one sole mission, not even really understanding how or what they are going to do when they get to a stopping point. • Language: Today’s English. Everything was easy to read except when Mrs. Which talked sometimes.

8. Plot Summary • Meg, Charles and Calvin travel through a wrinkle in time on a mission to find Dr. Alex Murry (Meg and Charles father). The children go on this adventure with 3 elderly woman, the Mrs. W’s. These women help them travel through the universe and teach them lessons on life so they can win the battle in the end to save Dr. Murry. The children learn who they really are within themselves and become much more confident while trying to succeed on their mission. They encounter a MAN WITH RED EYES, and he controls a planet called Camazotz. He is being used by IT. IT is a brain that is completely 100% evil. IT is all about war and mass destruction. Meg almost is killed by IT when IT tries to get into her head, and Charles is captured while saving their father by THE MAN WITH RED EYES when he gets possessed and is now under IT’s control. Meg, by her self, has to go back to Camazotz to save her little brother and is able to accomplish that by pouring out her heart to him about how much she loves and cares for him. The possession of IT is broken and the children and their father all make it safely back home, where oddly enough nobody even noticed they were missing.

9. Thoughts I thought the book was very well written and has a lot going on. The book seemed a bit juvenile for somebody in high school. I feel like the book taught me that loving the people around you unconditionally can mean saving them. I liked the book and would read it again and recommend it to people I know, but to younger people.

10. Work Cited • http://www.madeleinelengle.com/books/wrinkleInTime.htm • http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/wrinkle_in_time.pdf • http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs/A_Wrinkle_in_Time.pdf