A tiny mouse with a big heart (and bigger ears) falls in love with a princess in this tale of heroism, bravery, and hope.
HAL Novel Study
The Tale of Desperaux
Characters
Summary
Theme
Curiosities
Book 1 - Despereaux
The Tale of Desperaux
Summary
Dig Deeper
Theme
Character Development
Book 2 - Chiaroscuro
The Tale of Desperaux
Summary
Vocab
Theme
New Characters
Motivations
Book 3 - GOR! THe tale of Miggery Sow
The Tale of Desperaux
Summary
Vocab
Theme
New Characters
Motivations
Book 4: Recalled in the Light
The Tale of Desperaux
Theme
Character Maps
Characters
Motivations
One of the novel’s main antagonists, Botticelli is an elderly rat who lives in the dungeon. He is Roscuro's mentor and friend who tries to get him to behave like other rats
Botticelli
Gregory is the jailer in the castle dungeon—though he’s also a prisoner there. He has a truce with the rats in the dungeon to not chew his rope off.
Gregory
Unlike most rats, which love pain, suffering, and darkness, Roscuro discovers early on that he craves light and beauty
Chiaroscuro
Conformity means fitting to the ideals and ideas of everyone around you. It is really just "going with the flow" or "Doing what the crowd is doing" This theme is found in Despereaux's differences between him and other mice: His love for music, light things, books, and the fair princess.
Conformity
Often portrayed as light vs dark, this theme shows up throughout the novel when we contrast Despereaux with the darkness and evil around him. It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world (and the story) depth and meaning
Good VS Evil
Ahhh, love. The author mentions that love is a crazy thing and it often makes people do crazy things. In Despereaux's case, it makes him crazy enough to break the most sacred of mouse rules - NEVER REVEAL YOURSELF (OR TALK TO) HUMANS! Despereaux's love is so crazy that it lands him in the rat-infested dungeon of the castle... A little extreme, in my opinion.
Love
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right. Armed with this confidence, he is able to withstand constant pressure, ridicule, and darkness around him.
Bravery, Courage, and Principles
Welcome to the Dungeon
As Despereaux makes his descent into the deep, dark dungeon, we are introduced to a new character. The narrator steps backward in time several years to the day that a rat named Chiaroscuro, nicknamed Roscuro, is born in the dark dungeon. Despereaux will be born upstairs in the light in a few years. Chiaroscuro, the narrator explains, refers to how lights and darks are arranged together in art. Arguably one of the novel’s antagonists, Chiaroscuro (or Roscuro) is a rat who lives in the castle dungeons. Unlike most rats, which love pain, suffering, and darkness, Roscuro discovers early on that he craves light and beauty.
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
Our main character. An odd mouse, obsessed with light, music, and fairy tales. He is banished to the dungeon for his love for the princess, which sucks for him.
Despereaux
Miggery Sow is a young girl who eventually becomes a castle servant, though not a good one. She helps Roscuro carry out his plan to exact revenge on the Princess Pea.
Miggery Sow
Gregory is the jailer in the castle dungeon—though he’s also a prisoner there. He has a truce with the rats in the dungeon to not chew his rope off.
Gregory
Our sort-of villain... Again, a misunderstood rat. He wants to learn about the light, but his mentor, Boticelli, tries to convince him that a rat's sole purpose is to exist the dark and torture people.
Roscuro
Pure evil.. You want a villain? It's probably this old dude. He is the evil rat that everyone is picturing when they think of rats.
Boticelli
This is the sweet princess that our hero falls in love with. Since she is kind and gentle, he falls quickly in love with a human.. CRAZY.
Princess Pea
The castle's cook (duh) who works with Miggery Sow to deliver food to Gregory the Jailor.
Cook
Characters
Miggery Sow (Mig) Another one of our story's antagonist (anti-hero)
Despereaux Tilling Our story's protagoinst (hero)
Chiaroscuro (Roscuro) Our story's antagonist (anti-hero/villain)
Princess PeaThe love interest of Despereaux
Main character Brave, unique Exiled for being different than other mice
Evil rat who tries to teach Roscuro to be like other rats and hate the light
Young girl who was sold by her father for a tablecloth, a hen, and a carton of cigarettes Wants to be princess
Boticelli
Despereaux
CharacterMap
Miggery Sow
Roscuro
Princess Pea
Gregory theJailor
Sort-of evil rat living in the dungeon Obsessed with the light from the castle
Prisoner/Jailor in the dungeon of the castle Saves Despereaux fom being eaten by rats
Princess in the castle that our main character falls in love with Kind and caring
We now find ourselves in the deep, dark dungeon of the castle. How do you think the darkness of the castle relates to the evil in our story & theme? How do you think Despereaux's arrival will change things in the dungeon?
Good VS Evil
(Light VS Dark)
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
What do you think?
In novel studies or book reviews, readers are often asked to take a stance on a certain question or topic. In the Tale of Despereaux, we are seeing an overarching theme of bravery, chivalry, noncomformity, and good vs evil. That leads me to ask you: If you were in Despereaux's shoes, what would you have done? Would you have told the truth or would you have lied to save yourself? Why would you choose that?
The Six Levels of Motivation
All actions can have different motivations – and those motivations can be positive or negative. For instance, when I get up early and workout, my motivation is to seek rewards - the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. In the Lion King, when Simba goes back to fight his uncle, his motivatio is to help society and the residents of pride rock. Challenge: Think of a character in a TV show or movie. What is one of their actions? Why do you think they do it?
The Six Levels of Motivation
All actions can have different motivations – and those motivations can be positive or negative. For instance, when I get up early and workout, my motivation is to seek rewards - the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. In the Lion King, when Simba goes back to fight his uncle, his motivatio is to help society and the residents of pride rock. Challenge: Think of a character in a TV show or movie. What is one of their actions? Why do you think they do it?
Book 4 goes back to our theme of the whole story: Good VS Evil Dark VS Light What all can you think of from this book that has represented each side? What is the GOOD in our story? What is the BAD/EVIL?
Good VS Evil
(Light VS Dark)
Miggery Sow is a young girl who eventually becomes a castle servant and helps Roscuro carry out his plan to exact revenge on the Princess Pea.
Miggery Sow
Gregory is the jailer in the castle dungeon—though he’s also a prisoner there. He has a truce with the rats in the dungeon to not chew his rope off.
Gregory
Uncle is the man who purchases Mig from her father. He’s not her uncle.Uncle tasks Mig with cooking, cleaning, and looking after his sheep, and he regularly gives Mig “a good clout to the ear” for various, often invented reasons.
Uncle
Book Three Vocab Words
Inquire (page 128): To ask or try to receive information about something Clout (Page 128): A heavy hit with someone's hand or a large object Innumerable (Page 139): Too many to count or keep track of Curtsy (Page 145): A bow or a symbol or royal respect or admiration Olfactory (Page 158): Your system and sense of smell Ominous (Page 160): Giving the impression that something bad is going to happen Aspirations (Page 169): Hopes or dreams; something you are striving toward or working for
Enter Miggery Sow (Mig)
When Miggery Sow was six, her mother died, and her father sold her to a man named Uncle, who makes Mig work very hard and who delivers painful clouts to her ears. On Miggery’s seventh birthday, she sees the royal family and decides she wants to be a princess. Five years later, when soup is outlawed, a soldier enforcing the law sets Miggery free from her slavery. She is taken to the castle, where she works as a servant and has a hard time learning the tasks. But she does meet the princess. When Cook gives Mig the job of bringing Gregory, the jailer, his dinner, Roscuro escapes to the upstairs castle in Miggery’s skirt. By making her an absurd promise that he in NO WAY can fulfill, Roscuro convinces Miggery to aid him in his plan for revenge . . . To make the Princess Pea suffer.
The Six Levels of Motivation
All actions can have different motivations – and those motivations can be positive or negative. Think about these motivations: 1. Why did Despereaux's dad turn him into the council? 2. Why did Despereaux not lie to save his life? 3. Why did Roscuro go up into the castle? 4. Why did Miggery Sow's dad sell her to "Uncle"?
Summary
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As the author would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
Book Two Vocab Words
Chiaroscuro: In art, this word deals with the light and shade in a drawing or painting Inordinate: Unusually or abnormally large or excessive Illumination: Lighting something up or producing light Confessor: A priest who hears confessions and gives absolution and counsel Solace: Comfort or consolation in a time of sadness Revelation: A surprising or previously unknown fact, especially in a dramatic way Dire: Of the utmost importance and having severe consequences
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage
Theme
80%
of what see, we remember
50%
of our brain processes visuals
90%
of the information we assimilateis received through sight
So Far...
Despereaux is a strange mouse.. He doesn't think or act like a normal mouse. He was born with his eyes open, he is extremely small and has absurdly large ears, he reads, loves music, and isn't obsessed with finding crumbs like a normal mouse is. This causes him to get into trouble with the mouse council when he breaks one of the biggest rules of all... Never interact with humans! As he hears the sweet sound of the King's music, he wanders out in front of humans to listen more closely. There, he allows the Princess to HOLD him and, worst of all... HE TALKS TO HER. Crazy little Despereaux has unrealistically fallen in love with a human princess. His desire to hear the music and be a true, brave knight lands him in the dungeon in these chapters where he meets a new character - Gregory the Jailor. How will he escape the dirty, dark, rat-infested dungeon?
Curiosities
Interactive visual communication, step by step:
- Plan the structure of your communication.
- Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
- Add secondary messages with interactivity.
- Establish a flow through the content.
- Measure results.
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
Mig’s experience of seeing the royal family mirrors both Despereaux’s and Roscuro’s first experiences seeing the light. What do you think this suggests about all three of these characters?
Good VS Evil
(Light VS Dark)
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage
Novel Study
Jachob Wiedeburg
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Transcript
A tiny mouse with a big heart (and bigger ears) falls in love with a princess in this tale of heroism, bravery, and hope.
HAL Novel Study
The Tale of Desperaux
Characters
Summary
Theme
Curiosities
Book 1 - Despereaux
The Tale of Desperaux
Summary
Dig Deeper
Theme
Character Development
Book 2 - Chiaroscuro
The Tale of Desperaux
Summary
Vocab
Theme
New Characters
Motivations
Book 3 - GOR! THe tale of Miggery Sow
The Tale of Desperaux
Summary
Vocab
Theme
New Characters
Motivations
Book 4: Recalled in the Light
The Tale of Desperaux
Theme
Character Maps
Characters
Motivations
One of the novel’s main antagonists, Botticelli is an elderly rat who lives in the dungeon. He is Roscuro's mentor and friend who tries to get him to behave like other rats
Botticelli
Gregory is the jailer in the castle dungeon—though he’s also a prisoner there. He has a truce with the rats in the dungeon to not chew his rope off.
Gregory
Unlike most rats, which love pain, suffering, and darkness, Roscuro discovers early on that he craves light and beauty
Chiaroscuro
Conformity means fitting to the ideals and ideas of everyone around you. It is really just "going with the flow" or "Doing what the crowd is doing" This theme is found in Despereaux's differences between him and other mice: His love for music, light things, books, and the fair princess.
Conformity
Often portrayed as light vs dark, this theme shows up throughout the novel when we contrast Despereaux with the darkness and evil around him. It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world (and the story) depth and meaning
Good VS Evil
Ahhh, love. The author mentions that love is a crazy thing and it often makes people do crazy things. In Despereaux's case, it makes him crazy enough to break the most sacred of mouse rules - NEVER REVEAL YOURSELF (OR TALK TO) HUMANS! Despereaux's love is so crazy that it lands him in the rat-infested dungeon of the castle... A little extreme, in my opinion.
Love
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right. Armed with this confidence, he is able to withstand constant pressure, ridicule, and darkness around him.
Bravery, Courage, and Principles
Welcome to the Dungeon
As Despereaux makes his descent into the deep, dark dungeon, we are introduced to a new character. The narrator steps backward in time several years to the day that a rat named Chiaroscuro, nicknamed Roscuro, is born in the dark dungeon. Despereaux will be born upstairs in the light in a few years. Chiaroscuro, the narrator explains, refers to how lights and darks are arranged together in art. Arguably one of the novel’s antagonists, Chiaroscuro (or Roscuro) is a rat who lives in the castle dungeons. Unlike most rats, which love pain, suffering, and darkness, Roscuro discovers early on that he craves light and beauty.
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
Our main character. An odd mouse, obsessed with light, music, and fairy tales. He is banished to the dungeon for his love for the princess, which sucks for him.
Despereaux
Miggery Sow is a young girl who eventually becomes a castle servant, though not a good one. She helps Roscuro carry out his plan to exact revenge on the Princess Pea.
Miggery Sow
Gregory is the jailer in the castle dungeon—though he’s also a prisoner there. He has a truce with the rats in the dungeon to not chew his rope off.
Gregory
Our sort-of villain... Again, a misunderstood rat. He wants to learn about the light, but his mentor, Boticelli, tries to convince him that a rat's sole purpose is to exist the dark and torture people.
Roscuro
Pure evil.. You want a villain? It's probably this old dude. He is the evil rat that everyone is picturing when they think of rats.
Boticelli
This is the sweet princess that our hero falls in love with. Since she is kind and gentle, he falls quickly in love with a human.. CRAZY.
Princess Pea
The castle's cook (duh) who works with Miggery Sow to deliver food to Gregory the Jailor.
Cook
Characters
Miggery Sow (Mig) Another one of our story's antagonist (anti-hero)
Despereaux Tilling Our story's protagoinst (hero)
Chiaroscuro (Roscuro) Our story's antagonist (anti-hero/villain)
Princess PeaThe love interest of Despereaux
Main character Brave, unique Exiled for being different than other mice
Evil rat who tries to teach Roscuro to be like other rats and hate the light
Young girl who was sold by her father for a tablecloth, a hen, and a carton of cigarettes Wants to be princess
Boticelli
Despereaux
CharacterMap
Miggery Sow
Roscuro
Princess Pea
Gregory theJailor
Sort-of evil rat living in the dungeon Obsessed with the light from the castle
Prisoner/Jailor in the dungeon of the castle Saves Despereaux fom being eaten by rats
Princess in the castle that our main character falls in love with Kind and caring
We now find ourselves in the deep, dark dungeon of the castle. How do you think the darkness of the castle relates to the evil in our story & theme? How do you think Despereaux's arrival will change things in the dungeon?
Good VS Evil
(Light VS Dark)
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
What do you think?
In novel studies or book reviews, readers are often asked to take a stance on a certain question or topic. In the Tale of Despereaux, we are seeing an overarching theme of bravery, chivalry, noncomformity, and good vs evil. That leads me to ask you: If you were in Despereaux's shoes, what would you have done? Would you have told the truth or would you have lied to save yourself? Why would you choose that?
The Six Levels of Motivation
All actions can have different motivations – and those motivations can be positive or negative. For instance, when I get up early and workout, my motivation is to seek rewards - the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. In the Lion King, when Simba goes back to fight his uncle, his motivatio is to help society and the residents of pride rock. Challenge: Think of a character in a TV show or movie. What is one of their actions? Why do you think they do it?
The Six Levels of Motivation
All actions can have different motivations – and those motivations can be positive or negative. For instance, when I get up early and workout, my motivation is to seek rewards - the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. In the Lion King, when Simba goes back to fight his uncle, his motivatio is to help society and the residents of pride rock. Challenge: Think of a character in a TV show or movie. What is one of their actions? Why do you think they do it?
Book 4 goes back to our theme of the whole story: Good VS Evil Dark VS Light What all can you think of from this book that has represented each side? What is the GOOD in our story? What is the BAD/EVIL?
Good VS Evil
(Light VS Dark)
Miggery Sow is a young girl who eventually becomes a castle servant and helps Roscuro carry out his plan to exact revenge on the Princess Pea.
Miggery Sow
Gregory is the jailer in the castle dungeon—though he’s also a prisoner there. He has a truce with the rats in the dungeon to not chew his rope off.
Gregory
Uncle is the man who purchases Mig from her father. He’s not her uncle.Uncle tasks Mig with cooking, cleaning, and looking after his sheep, and he regularly gives Mig “a good clout to the ear” for various, often invented reasons.
Uncle
Book Three Vocab Words
Inquire (page 128): To ask or try to receive information about something Clout (Page 128): A heavy hit with someone's hand or a large object Innumerable (Page 139): Too many to count or keep track of Curtsy (Page 145): A bow or a symbol or royal respect or admiration Olfactory (Page 158): Your system and sense of smell Ominous (Page 160): Giving the impression that something bad is going to happen Aspirations (Page 169): Hopes or dreams; something you are striving toward or working for
Enter Miggery Sow (Mig)
When Miggery Sow was six, her mother died, and her father sold her to a man named Uncle, who makes Mig work very hard and who delivers painful clouts to her ears. On Miggery’s seventh birthday, she sees the royal family and decides she wants to be a princess. Five years later, when soup is outlawed, a soldier enforcing the law sets Miggery free from her slavery. She is taken to the castle, where she works as a servant and has a hard time learning the tasks. But she does meet the princess. When Cook gives Mig the job of bringing Gregory, the jailer, his dinner, Roscuro escapes to the upstairs castle in Miggery’s skirt. By making her an absurd promise that he in NO WAY can fulfill, Roscuro convinces Miggery to aid him in his plan for revenge . . . To make the Princess Pea suffer.
The Six Levels of Motivation
All actions can have different motivations – and those motivations can be positive or negative. Think about these motivations: 1. Why did Despereaux's dad turn him into the council? 2. Why did Despereaux not lie to save his life? 3. Why did Roscuro go up into the castle? 4. Why did Miggery Sow's dad sell her to "Uncle"?
Summary
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As the author would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
Book Two Vocab Words
Chiaroscuro: In art, this word deals with the light and shade in a drawing or painting Inordinate: Unusually or abnormally large or excessive Illumination: Lighting something up or producing light Confessor: A priest who hears confessions and gives absolution and counsel Solace: Comfort or consolation in a time of sadness Revelation: A surprising or previously unknown fact, especially in a dramatic way Dire: Of the utmost importance and having severe consequences
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage
Theme
80%
of what see, we remember
50%
of our brain processes visuals
90%
of the information we assimilateis received through sight
So Far...
Despereaux is a strange mouse.. He doesn't think or act like a normal mouse. He was born with his eyes open, he is extremely small and has absurdly large ears, he reads, loves music, and isn't obsessed with finding crumbs like a normal mouse is. This causes him to get into trouble with the mouse council when he breaks one of the biggest rules of all... Never interact with humans! As he hears the sweet sound of the King's music, he wanders out in front of humans to listen more closely. There, he allows the Princess to HOLD him and, worst of all... HE TALKS TO HER. Crazy little Despereaux has unrealistically fallen in love with a human princess. His desire to hear the music and be a true, brave knight lands him in the dungeon in these chapters where he meets a new character - Gregory the Jailor. How will he escape the dirty, dark, rat-infested dungeon?
Curiosities
Interactive visual communication, step by step:
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
Mig’s experience of seeing the royal family mirrors both Despereaux’s and Roscuro’s first experiences seeing the light. What do you think this suggests about all three of these characters?
Good VS Evil
(Light VS Dark)
Character Development
Our protagonist (main character), Despereaux, is a tiny mouse who lives in a castle. From the moment he’s born, Despereaux doesn’t fit in with his fellow mice and he doesn't want to conform to what the rest of the mouse community wants. Rather than expressing interest in crumbs, scurrying, or nibbling paper, Despereaux becomes enchanted by the light coming through stained-glass windows, reading a story about a knight who rescues a beautiful maiden, and music.
Despereaux believes in "happily ever after" when he reads about the knights in the stories. What makes him question that later in the story?
The novel shows how mice, rats, and people alike experience major pressure to conform to whatever their society deems is appropriate. The consequences for not conforming, Despereaux’s story shows, can be grave and even deadly—but they can also create situations where unsuspecting heroes, like Despereaux, can triumph.
Conformity
Love, the narrator says, is extremely powerful, if a bit absurd—it’s ridiculous that a mouse falls in love with a human princess, but that love causes Despereaux to believe that he can rescue Pea.
Love & Forgiveness
VS
It proposes that good and evil are both necessary to give the world and the story depth and meaning, and that good and evil coexist inside all people
Good VS Evil
As Despereaux loses his innocent and youthful belief that good things will just happen in the world, he gains the armor—or the courage—he needs to be a force for good in his own right.
Principles & Courage