The Village Blacksmith Questions

Your Response

1) Do you admire the blacksmith? Explain

I do admire the blacksmith, because I think that he is a hard workingman, because he works hard on his job. I also admire him, because he has a family to take care of, now that his wife died.

Recalling

2) Why is the blacksmith able to look the whole world in the face?

The blacksmith is able to look the whole world in the face, because he is a honest man, so he doesn’t owe anything to anyone.

3) Why does his daughter’s voice make his heart rejoice?

His daughter’s voice makes his heart rejoice, because it sounds like her mother’s voice, and she is now dead, so her voice makes him remember her, and makes his heart rejoice.

Interpreting

4) Which details tell you that the blacksmith is an honest, hard-working man?

With these details you can see that the blacksmith is an honest hard-working man:
• “His brow is wet with honest sweat.”
• Week in, week out, from morning till night, you can hear his bellows blow.”

I think that these are some of the most important details of why you can see the blacksmith is an honest, hard-working man.

5) What does the tear in his eye indicate about him?

A tear in his eye indicates that he is sad about his wife’s death. It also means that even if he is really sad about his wife’s death he doesn’t cry much.

Applying

6) President Theodore Roosevelt once said in a Labor Day address: “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Do you think the village blacksmith would agree or disagree with this sentiment? Explain your answer.

I think that the blacksmith would agree. I think this because he works so much and so hard to maintain his family. I think that he enjoys working at this because I know that if you don’t like a job you wouldn’t work so hard. I also think that he enjoys his work because when kids come out from school they see all the sparks, and he can amuse them, and that is a good thing.