Socratic Questions for "A Good Man is Hard to Find

Where does the Grandmother want to go instead of Florida?

          -Tennessee

Why does the Grandmother not want to go to Florida?

          -The children go there every year and she would like a variety and also a           convicted felon just broke out of jail in the south.

Would the children be more or less grateful/thankful for the trips if they were born 100 years ago? Explain?

          - They would be much more grateful because 100 years ago one couldn’t have        just travelled 300 miles in one day. Also they would be more grateful because    they wouldn’t get very many “road trips” because it would be too expensive to        travel.

If the theme of the story is, “one should be more thankful for what he/she has,” how can this apply to a s\child who is bitter about riding the bus home? Explain?

          -The child should understand that even though he may think it is bad, some    people don’t have as much as him. Some people have to walk 5 miles just to go     to school and he should be more thankful that he even has transportation.

Would the theme change if the story was written in the first person view of the child? Explain?

          -Yes, the story would have been written with a short patience, a bored attitude       and a very small attention span. The theme would have been somewhat close    to, “Unexpected things can happen very fast,” which is completely different than         the theme listed above. Also the story would have been cut short because the       boy died earlier than the end of the short story.