Student Question
What misunderstood phrase does Doon learn from the past in The City of Ember?
Quick answer:
In "The City of Ember," Doon encounters misunderstood phrases such as "heavens above," "hogwash," "batting a thousand," and "all in the same boat." These phrases confuse him because he lacks context for terms like "heaven," "hog," "baseball," and "boats," which are unfamiliar concepts in his world. This highlights the disconnect between the past and the present in Ember, where much historical knowledge has been lost or forgotten.
In Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember, Doon Harrow is best friends with our protagonist, Lina Mayfleet. After Lina comes across the instructions to escape the city, she shares her finding with Doon, and together they try to solve the mystery and save their friends and families. In chapter 8, Doon is completing some research in the library and comes across a book that is full of words and phrases that he doesn't understand.
Doon reads the phrases "heavens above," "hogwash," "batting a thousand," and "all in the same boat," and he has trouble understanding what they mean. Doon has never heard of heaven, doesn't know what a hog is or why you'd wash it, has no familiarity with baseball—let alone statistics—and isn't familiar with boats.
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