Digger, Vol. 1, by Ursula Vernon. Sofawolf Press, 2005. 978-0976921226
Summary: Digger, a wombat architect, gets lost tunneling and encounters many adventures.
Analysis: Digger is marvelously odd yet surprisingly deep. It goes from wacky fantasy adventure to intense discussion of morality at the drop of a hat, sneaking in the philosophy when you aren't looking. One of the minor points that I like best about this story is that Digger is female. And it has no bearing on the plot whatsoever. We meet a male wombat later on and as far as we know, they have no physical or social gender dimorphism other than presumably having the requisite bits for making more wombats. Hyena culture gets into all sorts of fascinating gender role questions, but our "heroine" is for all intents and purposes androgynous. The conversations with Ed and the Shadowchild have one of the best discussions of the concept of evil I've ever seen, and a heartbreaking domestic abuse story told entirely through Ed's evocative yet childlike paintings. I love the onomatopoea scattered through the story...it will have some marvelous sound effect phrase, then a footnote by Vernon explaining how, for example, that word can't possibly fully evoke the sad little crunching sound of a daisy being stepped on, but it was the best she could do.
Illustrations: Detailed pen-and-ink drawings.
Rating: 5Q/5P
Curricular Connections: I'd love to use this for a 6-10th grade comparative religion or ethics unit.
-- SLH
Inventing Ethics (Sarah Hartman)
Text: Digger, by Ursula Vernon
Audience: 9-10th grade language arts class
Materials: A copy of the text for each student.
Time allotted: Two class periods, plus homework time.
Goals:
• Students will read and understand Digger.
• Students will discuss the reasons behind moral rules and what situations and beings they are appropriate for.
• Students will contrive a set of rules of behavior for a fictional character and defend their selections.
Students will read the first volume of Digger, paying particular attention to the character of Shadowchild and the scene in which Digger comes up with a spur-of-the-moment list of rules for the creature. In class, a discussion of Digger's rules will talk about why each item is important for Digger, and whether the list is appropriate for Shadowchild. (For example, even though the rule is vitally important for the architect wombat, Shadowchild probably does not need to be told to check its math when explosives are involved.) For homework, each student will come up with a list of rules that they would give Shadowchild or a similarly morally-blank being. Lists should be between 5 and 15 items -- too few rules leaves too much room for ambiguity, and too many will simply overwhelm Shadowchild. Students will hand in their lists along with reasons why they selected each item. Lists will be graded according to appropriateness for the scenario and effectiveness of the arguments presented, as well as basic spelling and grammar. Bullet-points are appropriate, however, so this is not a test of prose style.
Wrapup: Students will share their lists with the class, and have a brief discussion of which rules they think would work best.
Modifications: None needed, other than allowing extra time for students who require it.
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