Midterm Assignment: Literature Extension Project

1. Midterm Assignment:Literature Extension Project Jane Sheeley EDLA-615 Prof. Susan Silverman October 31, 2006

2. 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!

3. Good Night Mr. Tom CD compiled by Jane Sheeley ( Front cover)

4. (Inside Liner Cover)

5. (Image under CD)

6. Luka – Suzanne Vega • Please Read Me – Bee Gees • Here’s 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, I’m 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 Don’t Die – Robbie Williams • Alone Again – Dokken • Get Together – Indigo Girls • Mother – Babes in Toyland • Cycle of Abuse – Biohazard • What’s Become of the Baby – Grateful Dead • Zombie – The Cranberries • Let it Grow – Eric Clapton • Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush • Wind Beneath my Wings – Bette Midler (Back cover)

7. 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 wouldn’t have known any different. A wave of despair swept through him and he cursed his new awareness. He hadn’t been used to this pain for a long time. He had softened.” (p. 197/8)

8. 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. • Here’s Where the Story Ends – Like the author, Willie, too, has been repeatedly looked down upon by everyone he has known before meeting Tom.

9. 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, Tom’s wife had made the comment, “If I painted the sky, I could go through life paintin’ nothin’ else, for it’s always changin’. It never stays still.” (p. 52)

10. War • My War – The war is more Willie’s 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 “It’s so planes don’t see where to bomb. Waste of time if you asks me. Reckon it’ll all be over by Christmas, and anyways who’d want to bomb Little Weirwold?” (p. 21) • Waiting for the Worms – A soldier’s song about World War II from the wonderfully twisted mind of Roger Waters. • Warchild - As one of the evacuees, Willie truly is a warchild.

11. 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 – Willie’s mother eventually commits suicide.

12. 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.

13. 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 Willie’s situation.

14. 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, I’m a Country Boy – Willie grows to love the country and be grateful that it is now his home.

15. 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.

16. 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 discussesfinding peace in the company of children – something that Willie had never been familiar with.

17. Transitions to Happiness • Sadness is to End – This song speaks of sadness ending soon and happiness reigning supreme, much like Willie’s 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.

18. Life • The Chronicles of Life and Death – Willie’s 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.

19. 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. • Don’t Go – This song made me think of Willie’s being angry with Zach for “leaving,” visible when he states “I ent got anythin’ left inside me.” (p. 293) • Please Don’t Die – This song made me think of the fear Willie probably feels sometimes over ever losing Tom.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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 Willie’s mother and her horrible abuse.

23. Baby • What’s Become of the Baby? – This haunting melody reveals the line “What’s 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.

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

25. 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, I’m growing!” Like the song, through Tom’s love, patience and acceptance, Willie has been able to grow.

26. Support • Don’t 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.

27. Reflection/Rubric • View my reflection here. • View my rubric here. • My score: 30/30.

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