Comparison and Contrast of Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan and Sarah, Plain and Tall by Hallmark

Hall of Fame

Proficiency #5A Option 1 ID # 991636494 28 July 2011 CIMT 512 Patterson

Indiana State University

Proficiency 5A: Apply knowledge of language structure, language

conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to develop activities designed to teach children and young people how to create, critique, discuss, and enjoy literature.
Option #5A.1:
Select one movie based on a popular childrens or young adult book. After reading the book and watching the movie, submit a paper no more than 4 pages long in which you discuss critically how the movie differs from the book? Are the audiences the same? Is the message of each the same? In comparing the movie and the book it might help to keep in mind Kiefers Evaluation Criteria outlined on p. 14 in your text. Your paper should conclude with the description of a school library activity that seeks to combine reading the book and showing the movie in a creative library program. Possible titles to consider: The Secret Garden, Jumanji, The Polar Express, Where the Red Fern Grows, Diary of Anne Frank, Shrek, James and the Giant Peach, Old Yeller, Indian in the Cupboard, one of the Harry Potter volumes, etc.

Your paper should be documented. When preparing your paper, be sure to follow the guidelines and instructions provided in the Syllabus, Write Right, and A Word to the Wise. Assistance with using MLA and APA formats is available in the Webliography.

Farnsworth CIMT 512 Proficiency 5A Option 1 3 Comparison and Contrast of Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan and Sarah, Plain and Tall by Hallmark Hall of Fame

Patricia MacLachlan wrote Sarah, Plain and Tall in 1985. It was based on a true story from her family history. The novel was written as a way for her mother, who was beginning to suffer from the effects of Alzheimers disease, to remember the real Sarah (Lipson 31). MacLachlan introduces Jacob, Anna, and Caleb Witting, a prairie pioneer family. Jacob places an advertisement in the newspaper to find a wife and mother for their family. Sarah Wheaton answers the advertisement and agrees to stay for a trial period of one month. In 1991, Hallmark Hall of Fame produced a television movie of Sarah, Plain and Tall. Patricia MacLachlan co-wrote the teleplay for this movie; therefore, it remains very true to the original book. Both address the story of Sarah as she adjusts to life on the prairie and copes with her longing for her family and the sea. Caleb and Anna long for a mother but worry that Sarah will leave because she misses the sea too much. The book and movie are very similar, although they differ in intended audience. The book was written for students ages eight to ten while the movie has an appeal for all ages of children and as well as adults. Therefore, the movie is more sophisticated and addresses the topic of the death of Jacobs wife in more detail. Finally, both the book and movie share themes of love, loss, and acceptance. The main characters in the movie and book versions of Sarah, Plain and Tall are the same, although the characters are more fully developed in the movie. MacLachlan tells readers that Jacobs wife died the day after Caleb was born (5). We also discover through conversations between Anna and Caleb that he longs to learn about his mother, especially the songs that she used to sing (MacLachlan 3). However, we learn much

Farnsworth CIMT 512 Proficiency 5A Option 1 4 more about how the loss has affected the Witting family in the film Sarah, Plain and Tall. Jacob never talks about his wife, Katherine, and has never grieved for her. He puts all of her things away after she dies and stops singing. Anna misses her mother and worries that she will forget everything about her since there are no reminders of her in the house. At first, Anna does not want to get attached to Sarah. She is afraid to let herself love Sarah when she knows that love can be so quickly snatched away (Pittman 167). Throughout the movie Sarah, Plain and Tall, Sarah helps Anna remember her mother by getting Katherines things out of the storage trunk, planting flowers at her grave, and bringing music back to the household. Additionally, Sarah encourages Jacob to finally deal with his emotions about Katherines death. The movie portrays Jacob still longing for Katherine; however, that longing is never discussed in the book. Calebs character remains consistent throughout the book and the movie. The characters of Matthew and Maggie, neighbors of the Witting family, are developed more fully in the movie. MacLachlan tells readers that Maggie also answered an advertisement in a newspaper to become a wife and mother for Matthew and his two daughters (8). Maggie tells Sarah that she sometimes misses her old life in Tennessee. She also tells Sarah that you will always miss things no matter where you live (MacLachlan 40). Maggies character helps Sarah learn that she can adjust to life on the prairie. However, Maggies character is even more important in the film Sarah, Plain and Tall because she is pregnant. Matthew arrives at the Witting house asking for help since the baby is coming early. Caleb worries that Maggie will die in childbirth just like Mama. Sarah helps Maggie deliver the baby, but Jacob is too upset to help because he is remembering Katherines death. Sarah finds Jacob in the barn trying to cope with his

Farnsworth CIMT 512 Proficiency 5A Option 1 5 memories of Katherine. He tells her about his life with Katherine, how much he loved her, and how she died. Sarah encourages him to work through his grief and visit Katherines grave. Maggie serves an important purpose by telling Sarah that she never expected to love Matthew the way that she does now. This illustrates that love can be found in unexpected places and gives viewers the first hint that Sarah might stay. The setting, which is the same in both the book and the movie, is essential to the plot. Sarah moves to the prairie, yet she longs for the sea. Caleb and Anna worry that Sarah will leave to return to her family and the coastal landscape of Maine. She describes the seas colors: blue, green, and gray (MacLachlan 11). Sarah also tells Caleb and Anna about seals, fishing, shells, and sand dunes. They try to make Sarah see the beauty in the prairie by comparing it to the sea. Caleb points out that the stormy sky has similar colors to the sea (McLachlan 49). Jacob tells Sarah that the prairie has dunes. He leads them to the barn where the family takes turns jumping on the hay mound, which he calls a prairie dune (MacLachlan 30). MacLachlan compares the hail on the ground to the sun shining on the sea giving it the appearance of glass (50). The book emphasizes the setting as the author weaves in the colors of the prairie as the seasons pass (Jones 92). Despite all of their convincing, Caleb and Anna still fear that Sarah will leave. The conclusion of the book is less dramatic than the movie. Sarah is very independent and wants to learn how to ride a horse and drive the wagon. MacLachlan describes Sarahs trip to town when Sarah kisses each family member, tells them to take care of Seal, dresses in her best clothes, and takes the wagon (53). Caleb and Sarah fear that she is going back to Maine. In contrast, Caleb and Annas fears are more realistic in the film Sarah, Plain and Tall. Anna has seen the one-way ticket to Maine that Sarah

Farnsworth CIMT 512 Proficiency 5A Option 1 6 keeps in her bureau drawer. Now the train ticket is missing. She tells Papa about the missing ticket and convinces him to go to town to prevent Sarah from leaving. When he arrives at the train station, Sarah is still there. She has taken the ticket back to get a refund and has decided to stay. She returns home with colored pencils in the shades of green, blue, and gray (MacLachlan 57). Sarah will use the pencils to draw pictures of the stormy prairie sky for her family in Maine. The movie concludes with Jacob and Sarahs wedding while MacLachlan alludes to an upcoming wedding (58). While the movie is more sophisticated than the book, both develop themes regarding family, love, loss, and coping with death. MacLachlan uses ordinary people and situations to express the deepest feelings of loss and fear, love and hope (Saxton 20). The film addresses the topics of pain and loss in an honest way (Pittman 167). The book and film appeal to children and adults who enjoy historical fiction or who are coping with the loss of a family member. Sarah, Plain and Tall Library Activities Materials: writing paper, pencils, sketch paper, watercolor paints, water, paintbrushes, water containers, newspaper for table coverings, pictures of the Maine seacoast, chart paper, markers, Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan, Sarah, Plain and Tall by Hallmark Hall of Fame Instructions: After reading the text and viewing the film, students will participate in the following literacy activities. 1. Students will view color photographs of the Maine seacoast. They will use sketch paper, pencils, watercolor paints, water, and paintbrushes to create a watercolor painting of the sea to help ease Sarahs longing for the seacoast. 2. Students will write a letter from Sarahs point of view to her family in Maine. The letter will describe the ways that the prairie reminds her of the sea and the reasons why she decided to stay. 3. Students will create a group Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the novel and the film. An adult will scribe the ideas onto chart paper using a marker.

Farnsworth CIMT 512 Proficiency 5A Option 1 7

Works Cited Jones, Trev. Sarah, Plain and Tall. School Library Journal 31.9 (1985): 92. Educational Resources Information Center. Web. 27 July 2011. Lipson, Eden Ross. A Childrens Author Joins the Immortals. New York Times Book Review. 29 June 1986: 31. Educational Resources Information Center. Web. 26 July 2011. MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall. New York: Harper & Row, 1985. Print. Pittman, R. Sarah, Plain and Tall. Library Journal 117.6 (1992): 167. Educational Resources Information Center. Web. 28 July 2011. Sarah, Plain and Tall. Dir. Glenn Jordan. Hallmark Hall of Fame, 1991. Videocassette. Republic Pictures Home Video. 1991. Saxton, Martha. Sarah, Plain and Tall. New York Times Book Review. 19 May 1985: 20. Educational Resources Information Center. Web. 28 July 2011.