Cat at the Wall

Read the title of the book and the publisher’s blurb on the back cover. Examine the front cover. What can students tell about this book from the artwork? Does it help convey a mood? What do students think this book will be like — funny, serious, suspenseful, etc.? Why?

One of the major themes of The Cat at the Wall is perspective and how our point of view shades how we see things. A good way to illustrate this idea to students is by showing them a few classic optical illusions. Search “optical illusions for kids” on the internet and print out several to share. Ones that are particularly effective include “The Rubin Vase”, “My Wife and My Mother-in-Law” and “The Rabbit-Duck”. These illusions contain more than one image, so while everyone is looking at the same picture, there is more than one image that they see. It is an impactful way to show that there can be more than one way to look at something.

As a class, locate Israel on a map. Identify the locations of Bethlehem, the West Bank and where the wall of the book’s title is located. How would students feel if they lived in a community surrounded by a wall?

Arrange for your Social Studies/History teacher to come and speak to the class about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in order to provide background for this book.

Discuss with students the following questions: Why does a classroom or school have rules? How are these rules enforced in your class or school? How do these rules prepare students for the world outside the classroom?

Have students keep a list of unfamiliar or interesting words and phrases that they encounter in their reading. Can they derive a definition for the word or phrase from context? Have them consult reference materials for the precise meaning of the word or phrase, the part of speech and pronunciation. Come together as a class to share words and compare lists. What phrases and words appeared on lists most frequently? Analyze how these specific word choices impacted the tone of the story. Are there any words where the meaning is still unclear?

As a class, look at images of the West Bank Barrier or “wall” online, to give students an impression of what it is really like. Then, working with an adult if necessary, have students use resources from the library and internet to write a short research paper on the history of the wall. What is the wall and what is it intended to do? What have been the results of building the wall? What has been the impact on the communities it separates? Have students break into pairs to share their work and revise based on peer feedback. After students have completed their papers, discuss their research, as well as the role of the wall in this novel. What does Clare as a cat say about the wall? What does Aaron say about it? What happens to Omar’s parents as a result of the wall?

In The Cat at the Wall, Clare lives her life in two different Bethlehems — one in Pennsylvania and one in the Middle East. Come together as a class to compare and contrast how the author presents these settings to the reader. What words, phrases and descriptions of life in the Palestinian sector of Bethlehem stand out to students? Discuss how the setting helps communicate the tone of the story.

“Desiderata” is a critical element of this book. It helps illustrate Ms. Sealand’s philosophy. Come together as a class and read the poem aloud. Clare called it the punishment poem, but is it really? What role does it play in the life of Omar and his classmates? How would they describe it? Does Clare change her mind about it through the course of the story?

When speaking about “Desiderata”, Ms. Sealand says, “the words of the poem will challenge you to think about who you are and who you want to be.” Have students write an opinion piece analyzing this statement from Ms. Sealand, and how it applies to the poem. What does the title of the poem mean? What parts of this poem do students feel are most inspiring, or speak most to them as individuals? What does the poem say to them about how to live their lives?

Come together as a class and discuss Clare’s feelings for her grandmother. Instruct students to use evidence from the text as support for their statements during discussion. Conclude the discussion by examining the passage where Ms. Sealand and Clare recite “Desiderata” together. As they finish reciting the poem, how does Ms. Sealand remind Clare of her grandmother? What does this similarity say about Ms. Sealand’s point of view? What does Clare mean when she says, “The universe was not unfolding as it should. The universe was a big freaking mess where good people got killed and where people like me were able to keep on living.”

We get to know the two IDF (Israel Defense Force) soldiers through Clare’s observations when she is in the house with them and Omar. Have students make a list of the character traits for each soldier, drawing on the following categories: what they say, what they do, what they say about each other, Clare’s observations and opinions about them. Come together as a class and compare and contrast the two soldiers. What are their backgrounds, motivations for being in the army, attitudes towards the Palestinians, hobbies, and goals in life? How are they the same? How are they different? Do the Palestinians see any difference between these two soldiers? Between these soldiers and the rest of the army?

Come together as a class and discuss the themes of this book and how they are developed over the course of the story. Have each student select one for further analysis and reflection and write an essay about it. Have them track the development and presentation of the theme through the story, using evidence from the text. How does this theme relate to their own life? How does the theme tie into the overall plot and message of The Cat at the Wall?

Come together as a class to discuss the structure of this book. How do the narrative and flashbacks combine to tell the story of Clare as a person and her experiences after her transformation? How does structuring the story this way keep reader interest and build suspense? How does it work to convey the author’s message?

Why do students think the author chose to tell the story from the point of view of a cat who used to be a girl? Drawing on specifics from the book, discuss the nature of Clare as a narrator. How does a narrator’s point of view influence how events are described? When you are done, read the interview in the back of the book where Deborah Ellis explains her decision. What advantages does this approach have? What disadvantages?

One of the major themes of this novel is the difference that an individual’s point of view can make when interpreting events. Like an optical illusion, people looking at the same situation can view it differently. This issue of perspective is present throughout the book. Sometimes it is a straightforward question — what did Ms. Sealand mean when she waved? Other times it is a more complex issue — like the relationship between the two IDF soldiers and Omar. As a class, compile a list of examples of instances of conflicting perspectives. What is the significance of each of these events in relation to the book as a whole?

Next, have students choose a situation in their life where there is more than one side or point of view. Have them write an essay describing the situation, comparing and contrasting both points of view. Have students revise their work before creating a final copy.

While she is in the house with Omar and the soldiers, Clare uses her human intelligence to communicate with others and to influence events. As a class, discuss what things she does that are “cat-like” and what things she does that are not. How do people react to these behaviors? How do her actions drive the action of the story and shape the plot?

Discuss with students the role of a reporter in communicating the news, and how a reporter’s point of view will affect how any news story is reported. Come together as a class and review the events at the end of The Cat at the Wall as they unfolded, from the home invasion by the soldiers to the peaceful end of the riot. How might those events look from different perspectives? Next, ask students to imagine that they are reporters in the Middle East and they have been assigned to write a story about these events. What is their point of view for reporting this story — Israeli, Palestinian or some other perspective? Working independently, have each student write an article describing what happened. Come together as a class and share what they have written. What is the most common point of view selected? What is the most uncommon? How does the perspective influence the story?

In the “Conversation with Deborah Ellis” at the back of the book, the author discusses her history of activism, which began when she was a teenager. Do students feel this book can be considered a form of activism?

Visit the Common Core State Standards website to read about the individual standards listed here: corestandards.org/the-standards

What did students know about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before they were introduced to the topic and read the book? What are some of the things they learned about it while reading this book? Do readers need to know a lot about it to understand the story? Did students have to know about the conflict to get the message of the story? What aspects are they interested in learning more about?

As a cat, Clare gains a unique perspective on the situation in Bethlehem. She is an objective bystander, able to observe everyone from close up and report their points of view. In what ways does she say that people are the same? In what ways are they different? Which seems more significant, the things they have in common or the things that are different?

Many elements of this story are repeated, but with a twist or difference — such as the way that Clare lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and as a cat lives in the Bethlehem that is in the Middle East. Or two things will be related, but very different — such as Clare and her sister; or the two soldiers, Simcha and Aaron. Or events will have two very different interpretations — such as when the Ms. Sealand waves to Clare, or the Israeli soldiers end up in a house with Omar. As a class, make a list of these pairs of things that are “the same but different”. Discuss what this means in the greater context of this book.

Is Clare a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? How do you think the author intended you to feel about Clare? Why do you think the author created Clare to be like this?

Review the concept of foreshadowing with the class. Break the class into pairs and have them review the book to find examples of foreshadowing in the text. Come together as a class and compare findings. Discuss examples where this technique is used effectively to increase the impact of the story.

The following passages are brief, but powerful. Come together as a class and discuss the following:

On the first day of school, Ms. Sealand says, “Human beings tell each other stories to try to bring order to chaos.” What do students think this means? How does it apply to this story?

Aaron says to Simcha, “You Americans come over here and join the IDF and think it’s the Wild West. It’s not that simple.” What do you think he meant by that? What does it tell the reader about Aaron? What does it tell the reader about Simcha?

The Cat at the Wall has a very open-ended conclusion. What happens next? Have students write a story continuing Clare’s adventures. Will she find Omar? Will she “turn back” into a human? Will she go to live with Aaron? Will she continue to help bring peace in small ways? When students have finished their first drafts, have them revise their work based on peer and teacher feedback. Have students type their final stories into the computer and assemble them into an anthology to be distributed to all members of the class.

Learn more about the world of Deborah Ellis, award-winning author, feminist and peace activist, by exploring her official website: deborahellis.com

Visit this link for the full text of “Desiderata”: https://mwkworks.com/desiderata.html.

Education World’s lesson: “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Through Children’s Eyes” is a great resource for information, teaching ideas and a good summary of the conflict for younger students: educationworld.com/a_lesson/israeli-palestinian-conflict-through-childrens-eyes.shtml.

Check out the CIA World Fact Book website for information about the West Bank: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/west-bank/.