1. © Let’s Think in English

4.  Decide who was most responsible for the woman’s death and write this first under My list  Decide who was second most responsible  And so on down to the one who was least to blame (5 th ) © Let’s Think in English

5.  Now share your list with your group and see if there are any differences.  If there are, explain your reasons to each other  Agree on a group list and write it down © Let’s Think in English

6.  This story is a fable – a story to make us think about how people behave.  A difficulty with a fable is that it doesn’t say why the people behaved as they did, their motive.  What ‘good’ or acceptable reasons might there be for the woman to take a lover? © Let’s Think in English

7.  She was vulnerable; there is an army of unattached men in the town and she is alone  Her husband hadn’t left her enough money to live on; during the American Civil War prices shot up because of scarcity  If her husband has gone to fight in the war, he may be dead; very large numbers of men died in the American Civil War and the news of their death could take months to arrive  Her relationship with her husband was unhappy; perhaps he has a lover  Her husband treated her badly; perhaps he was abusive (her desperation to cross the bridge may show she fears him)  She loved the lover before she was forced by her family to marry her husband © Let’s Think in English

8. Can you think of a ‘good’ or acceptable reason why  the lover  the boatman  the soldier behaved as they did? © Let’s Think in English

9. We don’t usually read fables like this one. We usually read longer stories – 5 pages, 10 pages, 100 pages, whole novels. Why do people read fiction? Why do you read stories? (It’s the most popular pastime.) © Let’s Think in English

10.  Suppose you had to rewrite The Bridge as an is enjoyable story.  What would you need to add to the story to make it enjoyable to read? © Let’s Think in English

11.  what the characters look like; how they dress; how they behave  description of where they live, of the bridge  good descriptive language  dialogue  suspense  a good beginning and end © Let’s Think in English

12.  If you were to tell the story from one character’s point of view, which would you choose and why?  If you are going to rewrite the story for readers to enjoy, what is the most important change you would make? Why? © Let’s Think in English