Dora Harper
Wilson-Scott
Period 5
Television is Evil
Prologue:
No TV.
No Internet.
No video games.
No radio.
My siblings and I can’t do anything! All we do is play cards. But, somehow, after playing cards for our only entertainment—for two years straight, well, it’s just lost it’s interest. But, luckily for me, playing cards isn’t the only thing I like to do. I also like to read.
My siblings and I, though we aren’t allowed to do anything, have a lot of freedom. This freedom is only possible because my uncle John convinced my grandmother, who my siblings and I live with, that television is evil. My grandmother doesn’t have cable or anything, so it’s not like we’re missing a lot by not being able to watch TV—in fact, we have gained more by the absence of the television. Because, now, if my siblings and I get into trouble, it’s not like we can really get on punishment or anything, because, in order to be put on punishment, the punisher has to take something dear from the punished. But, since my siblings and I can’t do anything, like watch TV, it’s not like my uncle or my grandmother have anything to take from us in order to sufficiently punish us—well, at least that was what I thought.
Phase One:
“Dora, you're a really smart student. I don't understand why you have a F in my class. Is the work too hard?”
“No.”
“Do you understand the math?”
“Somewhat.”
“Then why haven't you been doing your math work?”
I shrug.
“I don't know. I guess...it's because I haven't really felt like it.”
Ms. Delaney studies me for a few seconds then breathes in real hard.
“It's too late in the quarter for your grade to improve. You haven't done any homework, or class work, since school started—because of that, your test scores aren't as good as they can be. Why don't you write me a note about why your grade is what it is, then maybe we can figure something out...?”
I nod my head at her question that I'm sure was meant to be a statement. She smiles, goes back in her classroom, and closes the door. I kinda feel bad, because Ms. Delaney is a really nice lady, but, no matter how nice she is, I have no intention of writing her a letter. I have more entertaining things to do, like reading.
“Thanks for coming tonight...and you are?”
“John Mosley, Dora's my niece. I'm co-guardian with my mother, Mildred Mosley.”
Ms. Delaney nods.
“Well, I've called this meeting because as you may or may not know, Dora is currently failing my class.”
My uncle's head jerks toward me.
“What!!!”
A short pause.
“Does she have a D?”
“No, she has a F.”
My uncle continues to look at me. The room is so silent I can hear the clock...tick, tock, tick, tock. I lower my head in shame.
Phase Two:
“You doing your homework?”
“Yeah.”
My uncle John points.
“That's not your book, is it?”
I glance around. Ender's Game.
“No.”
He squints his eyes at me. Looks me in the eyes real hard, trying to see if I lied.
“You sure?”
I don't even twitch under his intense gaze.
“Yeah.”
He stares at me hard for a few more seconds then looks down—homework.
“Let me see your homework.”
I give it to him.
Now he stares at my math. I'm not sure if he understands what solving for variables is but he studies my papers nonetheless.
He gives it back to me.
“Whose book is that?”
“Moya's.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, she's reading it for class.”
He studies me for a few more seconds with that intense gaze then leaves my room. I hold my breath until I hear the front door close then I pick up Ender's Game and continue to read.
Phase Three:
“Erin, it’s so not fare. When people get on punishment they can’t watch TV, play video games, or, like, get on the Internet. You can’t put someone on punishment then tell them that they can’t read any books. That is so…so, ugh!”
“Now Dora, you know how your uncle John is…”
“Yeah, but this punishment should be like, illegal or somethin’.”
“Your uncle John’s punishments are…eccentric, to say the least. You know he just wants you to do better in school.”
“Well, even if I wasn’t reading in class my grade would still be the same ‘cause I read in all of my classes, and the rest are all A’s.”
“Well, why math?”
“I don’t know, I just didn’t fell like doing any work, you know?”
Erin nods her head slightly.
“Well, what type of punishment do you think you should have gotten?”
“I don’t know, just not this punishment. I mean…” I shift my eyes around nervously, then drop my voice to a whisper. “It’s not like I haven’t stopped reading books anyway.”
A long silence.
“Well…you know I don’t agree with your uncle John’s way of disciplining. I’m more of a positive reinforcement person. You know. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your uncle John about you reading any books. I know you’ll get an A.”
I smile.
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and for a little positive reinforcement: if you get an A, I'll give you 20 bucks.”
I smile, and then we both laugh as Erin says goodbye to my grandmother and my siblings. It's a shame that my uncle can't be more like my auntie Erin. She always seems to understand.
Phase Four:
I hear my sister's laughter.
“Dora, you so stupid...”
“Moya, shut up! And be quiet for someone comes in here...”
She laughs again.
“Is the book really that good?”
Without hesitation.
“Yes!”
She laughs again.
“Dora, I swear, you is not no Mosley...”
More laughter.
“...sneaking and reading books.”
She snickers.
“Of course I'm not no Mosley, my last name is Harper.”
Her wandering eyes fasten on me.
“That don't mean nothin'!”
A pause.
The creak of the floorboards.
“Better put that book up Dora. Someone's coming. Could be uncle John or Eya.”
“Shut up,” I growl as I shove my book under my pillow.
Phase Five:
“Hey—Imma, Moya, Kehinde…”
“Dora, Mother. My name is Dora.”
“Girl, I know what your name is. I was getting there...”
I stare at her skeptically.
“You don’t hate me do you? I love you and your sisters so much. I don’t know what I would do if you hated me. You don’t hate me, right? You forgive me?”
I sigh.
“No. I don’t hate you.”
She hugs me.
I try not to recoil.
She draws back.
“Anyway, Eya told me you on punishment. What happened?”
Before I can open my mouth.
“You not out there havin’ sex, are you?”
I answer indignantly. “Of course not! I’m only in the seventh grade!”
Now she stares at me skeptically.
“Well, just make sure
you use a condom. If you don’t you’ll get pregnant...”
“Mom, I’m not stupid. We do have Sex Ed at school.”
“Oh, and if you do have sex, don’t let ‘em hit it from the back. That’s how they trick you. If you let ‘em hit it from the back they’ll take the condom off and you won’t even know it. Then you’ll get pregnant, and then…”
“Mom. First of all I’m not even out there havin’ any sex. And second of all, I’m not stupid enough to get pregnant—seven times.”
I give her a look. It clearly says, unlike you.
Phase Six:
“Girl, what you been doin’ in that bathroom, you been in there for hours. You sick or somethin’?”
“No, Eya. I’m fine.”
“Well, what are you, constipated or somethin’?”
“No, Eya.”
My grandmother gives me an accusatory look. I’m sure if the cordless phone weren’t clutched in her hands she would have accused me of sneaking and talking to boys. She accuses me of having a boyfriend—literally everyday. And when she does spout out her false accusations, when she demands to know where I go after school, I tell her the truth: the library. When I say this she just gives me that same accusatory look and goes, mmm hmm.
My grandmother turns to leave, though that same accusatory look remains on her face.
My hands are behind my back.
She notices.
“Girl, what you got behind your back?”
I nervously clutch Girl With A Pearl Earring.
Frantically my eyes dart around.
“Nothin,” I say, but my voice waivers, she knows!
She takes a step towards me. My hands tremble and I clutch my eyes close real tight. I can feel her getting closer and closer…
BANG!!!
My eyes jerk open. I see my grandmother’s face contorted in fury.
“Kehinde! Tywoa! What are yall doin’ in there!?”
I hear giggling and shuffling feet.
My grandmother storms into the dining room.
I can hear my grandmother’s voice, and though I’m not paying any attention to what she is yelling, I recognize the familiar angry tone.
“It wasn’t me, Eya! It was Tywoa! Tywoa broke it!”
“Uh, uh,” retorts Tywoa, Kehinde’s twin. Though I’m not in the dining room I’m sure that Tywoa has an angry scowl on his face. “She did it! Kehinde’ did it!”
As I quickly walk into my room, which I share with my older sister Omoya, I can hear the continuous angry yelling of my grandmother.
Phase Seven:
“I talked to your math teacher today.”
I glance up.
I wait.
Silence.
“Yes?” I ask.
“She says your doing really good.”
“Uh, huh.”
“She says that you have an A.”
I smile.
It annoys my uncle.
“You clown! You better be happy you got a nice math teacher, because if you didn't you would have gotten a C for the semester—instead, she's going to give you a B.”
I purse my lips.
We stare intently at each other.
My uncle turns the other way.
“Erin wanted me to give this to you.”
Out of nowhere my uncle pulls out a book.
He holds it out for me.
I glance down.
Speaker for the Dead.
“Oh,” I breath. “I can't believe it! It's the sequel to Ender's Game! I heard it was really good! I've been wanting to read it since I finished the first book...!”
I take the book.
My uncle smiles.
“Yeah, it's really good. Erin would have given it to you a few months ago if you hadn't been on punishment.”
I nod.
He stares.
“Don't let anything like this happen again,” he says as he trails out of the room.
As I quickly open the book I can barely get out a coherent response. I flip through the first few pages, pass the dedications and the glossary, until I get to where the novel starts. As I begin to read, I can't help but think that's why I've been reading books for the past few months anyway.