Railway Children Chapter 1-2
1) How would you describe Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis?
The three siblings have a vast difference in personality, from what I have
inferred from chapter 1-2. To start with Roberta, we know she is the eldest
and along with that she takes the responsibility of being the most mature
and understanding from all. Throughout the story her maturity and her
consideration towards her siblings and her mother reflects through her
dialogues and actions. On the other hand, Peter the middle child, he can
be described childish to some extents. For instance, the whole drama
about Peter’s coal mine unveiled Peter’s mischievous side in him. He is
also known to be courageous and intelligent. He has a passion for
engineering and has followed his dad’s footsteps, a chip of the old block!
Lastly, there is Phyllis the youngest sibling. She is a sweet and charming
little girl who is yet innocent and sensitive too. She is usually accompanied
with her elder sister Roberta. She tends to be curious at times and
sometimes goes overboard but means well.
2) What do you think their life at home was like?
There is a wide range of juxtaposition present while comparing these two
entirely different homes. They lived in a suburban red brick house in
London. The three lucky children led a life full luxury to a considerable
number of servants to parents that always supported them. Life was
almost perfect until their father had to leave them mysteriously and a
whole new life began. Life in the country as I said is incomparable. The
house was not at all spacious. The rooms were as small as cabins and the
fireplace was always covered with pitch black ashes. They had to start
playing poor. They weren’t able to afford much fires meaning coal was
expensive. They had suffered especially at the times of winter. The garden
was full of depressed looking plants. Rats and mice wandered around
making the poor children feeling frightened to sleep at night. Mother was
busy with work most of the time and it was only at night time she used to
tell stories to the children. However, the never endless meadows and hills
was something that the no one could never ever miss.
3) Explain what Peter’s coal mining was about. Was it right or
wrong? Why?
Chapter 2 was just the beginning of the adventures of the three children.
Peter made the coal mine with the intention that they can make enough
fires to survive in the shivering winters. Mother had told them that coal
was costly and they couldn’t afford heaps of coal to make fires often.
Therefore, he started stealing coal from the Railway station. Stealing was
not a good option anyway, so even though he didn’t have a bad intention
it didn’t define that his coal mine was the right thing to do. He even knew
that there was a white line above the heaps of coal which told how much
coal was there and helped in catching thieves. Peter being aware of the
consequences and still was doing it, was a crime to himself.
4) Describe the big adjustment this family had to make.
The biggest and the most noticeable change the family had to make was
that to live without father. The Mother had to face a large change and she
had to start working endlessly day and night. Living in the Railway was
also something that everyone had to adapt which was a big adjustment as
well.
5) Describe a time when your family had to move
The most significant event in my life was the time I had to move from
Shanghai to Gurugram. I had to face an enormous change in atmosphere,
people, school and food indeed! Living in a city full of amazing
infrastructure and cleanliness for more than a decade, believe me it is
something no one can ever want more. Therefore, leaving a place was like
throwing all my memories of that certain place into a trash bin and
starting a new chapter. I wasn’t ready to do that. None of us were. All of us
felt nostalgic. Coming to India was a change I had to adapt which in a
month or so I had.
Chapter 3-4
1) What do you think about the author’s personal comment in
parentheses?
2) How did the children gain the “old gentlemen’s” friendship?
In this chapter we know that once again they interact with the old
gentlemen. As Mother was ill, they wrote an envelope to him regarding if
he can buy some of the following items for Mother. They even said that
they would repay him if their father comes back or when Peter gets older
to do a job. This only strengthens their friendship with the old gentlemen.
Fortunately, the old gentlemen send a hamper and a box with extra items.
He too replies to them with a thoughtful note.
3) Which one of the children would you say is the most mature?
Support your answer.
From all three of the children, Bobbie is the most mature. While mother
was sick the Doctor addressed her as the head nurse. She slept with her
mother and even woke up at some times at night. Bobbie took all the
responsibility of getting the required food and medicines for mother. She is
worth being dependant on and really showed great amount of solicitude
towards her mother especially at this point of time.
4) Why was Peter reluctant to tell Mother the “whole truth” about
the hamper?
Peter was apprehensive to tell Mother about the whole truth about the
hamper because they feared how mother would react about getting help
from strangers. Apparently, they were not wrong, Mother rebuked them
and told them that it wasn’t right to plead about these sorts of things to
others. Mother was still thankful and wrote a letter back to the old
gentlemen.
5) If you were in a similar situation, would you seek help for your ill
parent?
Yes, I would try to help my ill parent in all circumstances. Afterall it’s the
child’s responsibility to take care of the parent when the situation is
abnormal.
6) Describe how Roberta (Bobbie) tries to help others.
Roberta is a girl full of good will and sympathy. She has always had a
persisted instinct to help others. There are two instances I can give which
are present in chapter 3-4. Firstly, when her mother was ill and when she
went to the Railway station to go and fix Peter’s toy engine. Her
persistence and willing to give a hand are an exceptional and amazing
quality of hers which we should virtue.
7) What kind of person is Mother?
Mother has a very playful personality; her poems are the most eloquent
ever heard. She is honest and kind-hearted, however after the sudden
change she has started to be concerned and worried about how will she
raise her children with a limited amount of money. Therefore, at times she
tries to save money. All in all, she is a sensible and she is empathetic
towards her family and expresses that with her poems especially.
