England Book Club: The Wind in the Willows – part 1
In June of 2013, we’ll be heading to England for TAP’s 7th educational adventure. That’s still 522 days away, but you’ll be surprised how quickly that time goes by, and there’s tons to learn before we get on that plane to London.
Each of our meetings will cover all the important stuff that we want to know before we start exploring England and Wales – stuff like history, art, music, culture, architecture, and literature. On top of all that educational stuff, we’ll also talk about surviving long distance travel, discussing passports, airports, foreign money, cell phones, and suitcases.
We’re going to put you to work outside of those meetings too. Each week (all 75 of them) that you’re a part of the program, we have an online book club. The TAP teachers have selected some incredible books for us to read and discuss as a group. Each of these books relates to the things you’ll see and experience in England and will make your trip better.
Each week we’ll assign a small section of a book to read, then ask you to visit our website. On minnokatap.com, there will be a weekly set of questions to discuss. Some will be simple, some will need deeper thought, some might require you to do a little research, but all will help you understand the book and the trip better. With each assignment, you’ll be asked to answer the questions right there on our website – in the comments section – then return a few days later to respond to what the other students have said. In total, each assignment is worth 5 points – 3 points for your answer and 2 points for replying to other kids (so reply to at least two of them). If you want to reply more – awesome – the better and longer conversation we can get going, the better it will be for all of us.
The first book we’ll be reading is The Wind in the Willows, a classic piece of children’s literature written by Kenneth Grahame way back in 1908. The book is almost like two stories in one. Most of the odd numbered chapters are slower paced, talking about the characters thoughts, feelings, and showing how people in the Thames River Valley may have lived a century ago. The even numbered chapters are more of an adventure story, following the exploits of Mr. Toad – who was voted the 38th best character in the history of literature by Book Magazine.
This week we want you to read the first two chapters of The Wind in the Willows. Once you’re done reading, come back to our site and answer the questions. Then reply to two other students (more if you want).
Here’s the assignment: While you read, pay careful attention to characters. There are four main characters in this book. By the end of chapter two, you have met three of them: Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad. All three of them are very different “people.” With just 3-5 sentences for each of them, describe the personalities of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad.
Every student in our England group is required to participate. You must comment on this post with your thoughts, then come back and comment on what other people have said – you are required to make an effort to keep the conversation going by replying to at least 2 other students (more than just “I agree” or “you are right.” Give them reasons why you agree/disagree or what they said that was meaningful – make this a discussion).
Minooka TAP 
The chracters in The Wind In the Willows are all very different in many ways. To begin with I think Mole is a daring “person” who really is looking for a change in his formal life style . I think Mole is also a loyal.compian to all his friends . I think that rat is laid back and hates change and is not as aventurious as Mole or Toad. I think Toad has good intentions for adventure but sometimes lack judgement skills.
A good start Meghan, but give us more about the characters. 2-3 sentences per character should be enough.
Alright Can I redo it ?
Of course.
All the chracters in The Wind and The Willows are very different in many different ways ,Mole is a daring animal who is trying to break away from his normal life. I think he is a loyal compian to Rat.I also think that he has a kind spirit and tries to please everyone of the animals he will meet in the story. I think Rat is an easy going person, who just wants to lie about . I don’t think Rat is as aventourious as Mole or Toad . I also think he is more serious to the point where he doesn’t approve to much nonsense. I think Toad is adventourious to the point where he doesn’t seem to mind the consinqusinces he makes. I think he takes life as one big joke. I also think he is smart and has many tricks up his sleeve , so in away I think he has some good intentions 🙂
Much better. What about Rat makes you think he’s not adventurous?
I agree with you about rat not being adventurous, I think he is not adventurous because he doesn’t like change, he wnts to stay around his house. I also think Toad has ideas to turn this trip from bad to good.
i agree with you. they all act totally different. like mr. toad is controlling and stuck up. mole is very shy and not sure of him self , and the rat is very nice and set in his ways.
I do agree that rat is an easy going person. During the story, he was very calm when mile did something wrong. Like when mole flipped his boat over. He told Mole it was ok and was calm about it
I agree with what you are saying about Rat. He doesn’t seem like an adventurous person… he’s much more laid-back . He seems to have some tolerance with mischief though .
Ya I noticed that too he puts up with alot
I also agree with you saying that Rat is not adventurous. He is more cool and collected than the other characters. Do you think he could be adventurous if he needed to be?
Rat doesnt seem anventourious to me because he got mad at Toad so to me that made me feel like he would rather be home doing his own thing but thats just my thought
Its not that Rat dislikes adventure, he just dislikes Toad. Everyone has somebody that he/she dislikes very much. I have a person like that ***not naming names*** but if rat is like me, it makes him sick to his stomach when he hears their voice or when he has to go on long adventures with Toad. Sometimes, you just despise having something in common with them, like enjoying adventures!
i disagree i think rat loves adventures because if you recall in the begging of the book when he met mole he took him down the river for a picnik and tough him how to mole how to swim and how to row a boat
I have to agree with Nate here when you are reading you can just feel the tension between Rat and Toad.
Okay, I have different perspectives on all of the characters, very different, and I keep on seeing the different characters do different things of course. Umm.. Anyway. I view the rat as a person that could not be mean. He stands up for what he thinks is right, but also seems like a pushover. He also seems extremely tolerant of friends wrongs. Now onto Mole. He seems adventurous and impatient. He wants to get out of his comfort zone and try new things. He made Rat as a friend, and Mole even tried to row the boat. He wanted to try new things, but that proved fatal. That showed me he was a little too keen to try new things after no practice. Finally, Toad seemed oblivious to anything. Like he was higher than everyone else. He also seemed to drag stuff out way too easily and that he was a bit foolish.
I agree with you on your perspective on Rat, he sticks up for what he believes but yet still lets people push him around . And I also agree with you about Toad other then I do think all he did wasn’t completly foolish.
Well, that’s what I got from the characters in my perspective. It was hard to understand, so I had to read it through a few times. I may have missed something. I should go back and read again, but I did see how you think that. :] There is just so many big words there!
I agree on mole and toad. Because mole does want to try everything and his imagination does get the best of him. Toad can be oblivious to everything and he likes to do everything and always has a new fad. For rat though I disagree on some parts. He can get mad at his friends. But mostly just toad. At first he said that he had to follow through with toads crazy idea, but then when they got to an inn rat and mole went to the train station and went home.
i disagree , with the statement that rat is a pushover,I think that he just seems more relaxed than toad and mole but i see your direction of thinking .However i do agree with the fact that toad seems oblivious to the world and also think he is that way about what his friend do for him to and i think the reason is that its because hes so focused on one thing at once he has a hard time with having other thoughts and recognition with the world around him.
I think Rat needs to learn how to voice his opinion and not go along with the crowd. But it’s probably how he’s going to stay. 🙂
I agree about the Toad and Mole, but for the Rat, I really don’t. I think he can be mean at times he just doesn’t want to show it sometimes. But other than that I pretty much agree with everything!
I would like to tell you 3-5 sentences about the personality of each of the three main characters. The mole, the rat, and Mr. Toad. They all have very different personalities. The mole is an adventurous underground creature that is trying to get away of his natural habits of life, and mole and rat are best friends. Mole is very kind and generous animal to all of the animals in the book. Now what I think about rat, well, he always sticks up for what he believes in, which is good because a lot of us just go with the flow. But if we stick up for what we believe in, then good but not bad things will happen and you will be more dependable. And now we are going to talk about toad, he is very forgetful. He would not care what people had to say because he was very forgetful. And he can be foolish and selfish sometimes or I would say most of the times (:
I agree with you on mole. he does usually lives underground and is very adventurous. also, he is trying to get out of his natural habitats because he is very curious and that would explain why he is living with rat riverside.
I agree about how Mole is very compassionate to other animals, and how Rat sticks up for what he believes in. But I disagree about Toad I don’t think he is very forgetful I just think he means well but it ends badly. But he is very selfish.
I agree with Karina’s statement that mole is adventorous but I think that he still wants to keep his old life but just taks a break. I also agree that if you stick up for what you believe in good things will come out of it. Rat is that kind of person. You also can’t wait for things to come to you, you have to take action and become a leader. I think Rat is the most mature and laid back of the group always sticking up for what he believed in! 🙂
YES! exactly!(:
i completely agree!
I didn’t really think about Toad like that, but I kinda think he is selfish and foolish sometimes.
Toad isn’t like that alot. He is just trying to be fun all the time and he wants to share the experience with others.
I think that the three characters that were introduced so far in the book are different in many ways and are all different in their own way. To begin, mole. Mole is full of curiosity and lets his imagination get the best of him. This shows when he tries to row the boat that belongs to rat. Another example of this is when he convinces rat to go on the journey with toad. Also, mole likes to go out of his comfort zone to try different things. He likes to be adventurous a lot. Now onto rat. Rat lives in a hole riverside. He is usually really kind. He is also fond of mole and kind of took him under his wing. Rat is really impatient with toad because he is obsessive with something for one second. Then the next moment he is onto a completely new fad. Also, rat is very friendly and knows a lot, he seems wiser. I intemperate him to have an English accent. Finally, onto toad. Toad has many interests and cannot put his mind to something longer than about three days. In the beginning of the book he was really into boating, then a little bit later in the chapters he is onto carts. Towards the end of chapter two he then goose on to motor cars. He is always changing his interests. Also, by the house that he lives I he is rich and wealthy. But, toad is also foolish, and acts like a kid in a candy store, always changing his mind never knowing what to choose.
All of the characters are vey different. There are comparisons between them that are almost like toad and rat are almost complete opposites and thats what makes the second chapter the open road interesting. Because you have rat who comes off as adventerous at first but as you read on you see that he has all these adventures, but he didnt plan for them or try to hard to have an adventure as much as he just sailed with no care on where he ends up. Another thing I found about rat was that he could just be by himself and still have fun but when he meets mole I see him as kind and generous to the friends that he does have and that shows me that he has a deep relationship with all of his friends. The relationship that I see that Rat has with mole is that he is a leader in moles eyes and he reminds me of being like moles teacher that helps him to make a change in moles life. Moles character is very interesting, he is curious and observant of his surroundings but with that he is cautious about what he does but looks to rat to break away and change his outlook on life a little bit. I also think that he looks at rat as a teacher because rat has had all of these adventures and mole probably spent most of his time in the past in his house but now he’s like that little first grader on the first day of school. He is so excited to learn and to start right away but then theres the exact opposite of both of them, which is toad who is a character who live in his own world and doesn’t really get reality and I think in movie and books when you see a rich character they come off that way because they think they can buy happiness. The thing is that he trys to be a good friend but then he gets lost in his own world and starts to brag and is kind of obnoxious. Since he is living in his own world, he doesnt realize what other people do for him, which means he is self centered . He is also obsessive which is shown through when he gets bored he is so determined to do the next thing and gives up on his last interest. the overall message that im trying to get across is that mole is a mole who wants to change but fears to much change, rat is to himself and but has a good relationship with his friends , but he darasticly compares to his friend toad who has the need to always have a new interest and he is so focued on one that he can’t have a couple interest or thing he likes to dobut all of there comparisons is why there good friends in my opinion.
I think Mole, Rat, and Mr.Toad all have different personalities that make them unique in many ways.
Mole is a very generous person, who is willing to try new things, and go on adventures. I say this because he was willing to go on a boat, and go somewhere he hasnt been before. He was willing to help clean up the luncheon when the Rat asked him, and determained to row the boat they were on, even though he didnt know how to. If mole was a real person I would be glad to meet him because of his generousity.
Rat on the other hand can be a nice animal at one point and a mean one at another. He isnt willing to try new things and go anywhere but his home. An example would be that he doesnt go to the Wild Woods, and he doesnt want to try and live with Mr.Toad even when he offered, instead he yelled and got a temper.I think he is a good friend, that should be open to new ideas and should try new things.
Mr.Toad is also a generous person, who offers things to others and isn’t afraid to try new things. It was very kind of him to ask the Rat if he wanted to settle in with him, and show them his movable cart. He wasnt afraid to start a new “buisness” of the moveable cart, which carried items. I thought this was a brilliant idea, and it was sad to see it get ruined.
I really agree on your view on Mr.Toad, I find him to be very bright although the other chracters think he is foolish.
Tori, this is a very good thought process and I agree entirely. Your descriptions were spot on and precise. What I still don’t understand is why Rat and Toad don’t get along. Rat is bipolar but I don’t belive that it is 50/50. Rat is more temper than Joy and Happiness. Its almost like Scrooge who hates the very sound of Christmas. Rat is a person who hates the sound of Toad and his happiness…
Yes I noticed that too I wonder if the two have a bad history or somthing
I think Rat and Toad don’t get along since they want two completely things. Toad wants things to constantly chage and alter, while Rat wants things to stay exactly the same, how they’ve always been.
I don’t quite understand either. I mean, I too wonder if there was a past event that has caused their relationship to be like this. That’s one thing that I’m finding weird about both Rat and Toad.
I agree with you Nate, I don’t understand why Toad and Rat can’t get along. After all they have known each other for a long time. Mole has just met Toad and seems to be getting along better than the rest of the pack
meghan, as you said before, toad has a feeling that makes others feel happy and Kenneth Grahame pursues this deeply in the story even thought the others think he is foolish and stupid
Victoria is right the mole is a generous ”person”. He is also very tender and loving
I completely agree! The Mole is adventurous, Rat is iffy on things. And Mr. Toad is generous and nice. But I also should add Rat is more layed back too..
The characters are all different in the Wind In The Willows and one charecter sticks out a lot to me and thats the mole . Mole is curious and is eager yo learn about the other animals in the wood he also wanted to unpack the food he and rat were going to eat and marveled at all the different packets. Mr.Mole is also very gratefull and kind hearted . You can tell beacuse he was sincerely sorry for tipping over the boat and happy he was taught to swim and row. Rat is a little different than mole mostley because he knows a lot about the world around him and his approach to life is a good one because he wants every day to be a good one. Also he loves his life, he just sits by yhe river , swims, and goes about his chores for the day. Rat is a kind person and teaches mole things he didn’t know like how to swim well, and row a boat. He is very livley and mole is just curious about the world around him. The last charecter we met was Mr. Toad and he was a nice felloew . Toad always ha a knew hobby and he just recentley gave up boating for outdoor activity and ridind in his pride and joy car. Toad wants to help people ,I know this because he wanted mole and rat to come with him on his adventure to have them share in his knew hobby together. Mr. Toad is also rich and can get the expensive things in life, while mole and Rat enjoy the plain riverside and boating instead of fancy vehicles nad manssions even though Rat does like Toads house.To me Toad seemed silly but he still has a good heart.
I agree with Peter on Mole. He was very curious while on his adventures with Ratty. He became so curious that it caused Rat’s boat to capsize in the river. Like, Peter said, Mole was very kind for apologizing. I also noticed that while I was reading the chapters.
I agree with you too. Mole is also sort of simple minded. He is always happy and smiling and willing to go along with almost anything.
I agree with Peter on the mole, he is a very generous person that helps people out a lot. Like when he helped out Rat by packing the basket. Its almost like he was asking him to unpack it for him.
The characters of the Wind and the Willows has four main characters. There is the Badger who is dark, mysterious, and does not like civilization. He would not stay when the Mole and Water Rat we having lunch. The Mole is a nice, generous, and caring. The Mole can make friends easily and helps people with the things other creatures wouldn’t think of doing. The Water Rat has the ability to make others surround him and make creatures look up to him. He has the ability to make people happy, sad, and he is also very forgiving. The Toad is the last but certainly not the least. He is the type of character who wants to be in the in crowd. Someone who buys all the best things to impress other people just for the joy of it. All these characters are in the the book and have great effect in the story.
i agree with you on how Water Rat can make others surround him with his personality.
i think you’re right, emily. Rat’s a warm person that’s appealing to everyone he meets. Except those ducks…
So far we have met all of the four main characters except for Badger. They all have very different personallities. In all of the books that I’ve read where there are “more than one main character,” There is always one that stands out above the rest. In this case, It would be the Mole.
All the Mole wants to do is learn new things and go on adventures! Thoguht his friends don’t seem to get along well. He is the “glue” that holds these three together. He always tries to be kind and generous as much as he can. Instead of continuing a fight, he would conclude it and end it before it gets any worse. He is the first introduced and obviously has no problems in him. That is why they add the other three, to add challenges; to make a rising action and climax for him to resolve.
The Rat is one of these three that add situations for Mole to resolve. He isn’t a bad person, or always angry, he can also be happy and make good, possotive comments along the way. Other times, he storms off angry at Toads loopiness and lack of concentration. He is very bipolar throughout the story. Rat is happy until you anger him in any which way. He has a very short temper. I guess you could say he has “The case of the Mondays” every single day!
Toad is another problem. He is personally my favorite. I love how easily he gets side-tracked and stares off at something else. He is almost the opposite of Rat completely! Though, Toad doesn’t just easily get distracted. It’s not that he thinks about something stupid everytime he drifts off into space; he looks at the best things in life. “Oh how wonderful it could be to do this” or “Its amazing that the brids are always calm and what not”. He is still very loopy, but possitive. I love how crazy he gets. He adds humar and verbal irony to the story.
I agree that the Mole likes adventure and trying new things. I also agree that Mole is the glue between Rat and Toad.
I agree with you, Nate, that Mole is the main focus of the story. Everything seems to sort of lead up to what Mole is thinking or doing, especially since the story started off with Mole.
YES! you are exactly right, i completely agree!
I agree with Nate that the mole is the “glue” that keeps the three friends together. I like how that was thought out and put together. It really puts a visual on the relationship between the three.
i completely agree, mole is kind of like the ”glue” of the three friends he does keep them all together.
I have to agree with Nate because they are all very different from each other but its is weird that they are all freinds
Yes it is very weired that all the characters are different but they all get along
I agree with Peter’s view on Mole. He is always eager to explore and is always curious to learn more about his unknown surroundings. Mole is constantly suprised full of joy to try new things that he has missed from staying in his hole. Along with that, Mole is always eager to complete the interesting tasks that the other animals loath to do. Like the “other House” (Victoria) said, I believe that all three, toad, rat, and mole, have different and very unique personalities. I see Rat as someone who is afraid to venture out of his own boundries, like the river side. He never plans to try something new.Also, he changes personalities. One point, he can be Joyful and kind, but at another point, he can be mean, just like House said.(haha!) Now toad, he is another unique personality. From my knowledge, I see toad as someone who can’t follow through on something that he plans to try. He starts to do something, but soon gets tired of it and tries something else. He may be not afraid to try new things, but doesn’t always follow through on it for an extended period of time. I think that the other animals should try to realize that Toad is a generous man, and isn’t as foolish as he looks. (Please excuse the time of this post 😀 )
I agree with you on how Mole wants to try new things and how rat doesn’t like to try new things I think in that aspect they are very different. But I disagree that the Rat is mean think he is very nice and puts other people first
I agree with the House’s 🙂 that the three friends are extremely unique but that’s what makes their friendship work. Toad does seem generous but not everyone is they seem at first.
I agree with Taylor on Toad, people should see him more clearly! I thought he had a wonderful idea of having a movable cart, and Rat and Mole should have thought that too. They kinda thought the guy was a bit crazy at first.
I agree with you about Mole he is definitely the one who holds most of the adventure compared to the others, he seems like a very curious creature.
I have to agree with you Karina on your view on Rat. He always sticks up for what he believes in, and Mole is very adventurous.
i agreee mole is adventorus but in the first couple pages he seems very cautious abput what he does but opens up as the story goes on
Yeah, I noticed that as well. He is opening up to new things more and more as the story progresses.
He does open up as the story moves on, but I still think he is a little cautious when it come to trying new things. Even towards the end he is a little shy about it.
In the beggining, Mole was active. He was a mole that loved his home, but hated spring cleaning. Eventually he leaves his secluded home and ventures through the grass. Finding the river bank, he becomes anxious to this new sight. He eventually meets the rat. A friendly rat who takes care of mole. He lets Mole help out by packing up the food, but it takes a wrong turn when he tries to row the boat. He does not think bad of Mole but tells him it takes skill to row. Mole then becomes curious and wants to meet Mr. Toad. A kind hearted toad who was always friendly.It turns out Toad is very wealthy and is happy about it. During the story, Mr.Toad becomes very good friends with Ratty and Mole. With all his great personalities, he is not the most intelligant.
The characters in the book The Wind in the Willows are very different from one another. The Rat is the kind of animal that is laid back and knows the town he lives in inside and out. He also very compassionate his friends. He puts them before himself. But the Rat doesn’t like change. He likes everything to stay the same. He also is a great problem solver. But on the other hand the Toad he is rich and brags about all the time but at the same time he likes having friends with him for company. The Toad has good intentions but he doesn’t execute them well. He also likes adventures. And the Mole is like the Toad and the Rat in some ways. Like the Mole is very adventurous but he is also compassionate. But the Mole will always stand by he friends no matter what.
I agree with your view on Mole. especially durring the part in the book where he got mad because he couldn’t control Rat’s boat so he got up and made them both go overboard. He was seeking for a new adventure for himself. It really showed how compassionate he was for his friends when he apologized to Rat for his misbehavior. You could tell that Mole sincerely felt bad for acting up.
Mole is a hard working creature. Although, he is very impatient and wants to do something when he wants to do it. He is loyal, still, to close friends. He is also happy with small, sort of trivial things. Rat likes being out on the water. He lives for the river. To him, it’s the ONLY thing there is. He likes living a simple life. All he needs is his boat, the river, and his new best friend, Mole. Toad is a character who doesn’t really know what he wants. He changes his hobbies every little while. When he finds a new hobby, he acts dreamily, not really knowing what’s going on. He is stubborn and needs things to go his way. Although, Toad is a happy creature and tries to be a good friend, even though sometimes his efforts don’t get him anywhere.
I agree carli. Mole knows how to stay loyal to his friends, i think this is a good quality is a person. Toad is definatley stubborn and lieks thing his own way.
I think the mole is very nice and adventorous I think. He has a brown little face and wiskers and says hi to everyone and very friendly. Also seems like he knows everyone and takes care of his house with spring cleaning while painting his house and loves sunlight. The rat is very kind and he seems to be good friends with the mole and live near each other. He seems he also saved the mole from drowning. I think that takes a lot of corage and seems really nice. Now my favorite character in this book has to be Mr. Toad the person to always be in his boat. Although he does not do the best at rowing the boat and proably take a minuate to get out of the boat the way he is rowing he eventually makes it off the water and on to land. But some reason he is my favorite character of all the book. Eventually he joins a bunch of other animals on a trip he is not any mmore the only one in the boat. I wonder whats going to happen in the book and when thay are going to meet the forth character in the book.
I agree completely on Mole, but he can bee a little too adventurous at times. :]
In the story of The Wind in the Willows, there are four major characters. With in the 1st and 2nd chapters I have found three, Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad. these characters create a depth and personality in the book.
With in the story I found that Mole is, as some would say a “clean freak”, this is caused because the whole first page of the book is about how hard the Mole works to clean his home. He also seems very fascinated and interested in many things and is adventurous and courageous of strange things that he interacts with. He can be confused and triumphant in may situations of crisis and dire need. As if a super hero of a sort, creating a feeling of the main character even though he isn’t.
Besides Mole another character is Rat, a very entertaining, friendly, character that is inviting as well. He can crack a joke and create a smile on anyone’s face (or so it seems in the book). He is adventurous almost as much as Mole, almost. he brings courage to others just as Mole does. Enhancing the feeling of victory and happiness t many. Rat creates a likable and adventurous feeling for the character.
The final character is Mr. Toad. He is a some what a crazy nuts-o character. He has a personality that many thrive for. He can become so side tracked about positive things. he is a flat out happy person who enjoys others company. Except he cant stay focused at many times. This creates a character that many can relate to. Me personally creating a love for this character already.
So with in the book as i said before there are three characters that we have met so far and they are very relate able for many and create a real personal relation for the story of The Wind in the Willows
In the beging of the Wind in the Willows, we met Mr.Mole, a hard working ‘man’ who loves the sunlight and hates to whitewash. Before he met Ratty, he seemed to me a person who did not know how to have fun. But when ever he’s around Ratty, energy pops into him and he then tries to have fun like all the others.
When we met Ratty in the frist chapter, I knew he was a fun-loving rat who did injoy to swim in his river. He loves to have adventures with all his friends and wishes to have more. He has kindness for all animals in the woods like Mole and Toad. I don’t know how he will react with Bager, but with his kindness, he will treat him like family. And finally there is Mr. Toad. Honstly, I find him quite gay(to happy all the time). I mean he stands up for his friends but at the time he does get unfocused a lot too. He seems to be rich, no, srach that, he is rich. He also get excited about new things. And at the end of the second chapter he learns to love speed and motor cars and end ups buying one, so we can infer he likes to try new things.
I think the characters in “Wind in the Willows” are VERY differant people, but thats what makes them good friends
I think Mole is a very curious person. He is always exploring new things,like boating and the river. Mole is the type of person who asks a lot of questions, and wants an answer to every one of them. He really looks up to his good friend Rat, who has taught him a lot.
Rat is a very experianced person. He seems to know what he’s talking about when it comes to the river. He is definatley a leader in the story. Mr.Toad and Mole are always following his lead. He looks after his good, old friend Mr.Toad.
Mr.Toad really needs the looking after. He is old at age, and changes interists a lot. He is very wealthy, but doesn’t know how to finish what he starts. If he sees something he likes he quits what ever he is doing just to follow his new intrest.
I think these characters have a lot to offer each other, and their friendship is going to last a long time.
i agree with you mckenna. all of them seem like they will last a long time and that’s a good thing. same with Mr toad. i think that just maybe he is to old to be outside all the time with rat and mole.
Yeah i agree Frosty. Because of their unique qualities, they each bring something special to their little friend group. 🙂
I think that the moles personality is very hardworking, organized, curious,but wants to get away from his underground life for a while and see the world. He starts off doing some spring cleaning which seems like a usual. Then it seems as if he gets tired and wants to try something new. When he meets Rat, it seems as if he gets a little unsure about himself nad who he should be.
The Rat is calm and laidback, wise,and friendly. Mole and Rat are really good friends. Whenever mole does something that would annoy any other person, it just makes Rat want to help out even more.When he’s in the ocean(which is all the time) Rat just wants to lay back and relax at the mercy of the breeze. Rat is very friendly. By that I mean that everyone knows Rat and thinks he’s a good person and Rat knows everyone by name too. Then you get to Mr. Toad who is forgetful, lazy, undetermined, and a little bit crazy.He even commented on boating, saying that he had given up on that years ago. That he easily gives up and is undetermined. He also doesn’t work hard for anything. All his friends think he’s crazy. One bold reason is because it seems like he loves to say the word poop-poop.
It seems as if Rat has taken Mole under his wing at sea and because Rat is old friends with Mr. Toad they treat him kindly and with great measures of respect towards him. Overall, they have a very laidback and considrate friendship.
I agree with Brooklyn on their friendship, they are a little lay’ d back. But they still have fun times together. Mr. Toad even got them to try out a new thing with him, and they had a ton of fun.
i also agree with you brooklyn on how the mole is sick of his underground life and needs to get out into the open and meet new animals. i also agree with you on how you said the rat was laid back and lazy.
the rat in this story is so technical and friendly. he seems very wise and out going. he also seems to know a lot and gives very good advice to mole. he loves to talk and gets very upset when toad makes fun of his river and is not happy to be working for toad.
the mole in the winds and the willows he is very shy at first towards rat. he is not very sure about anything. he is more of a happy kind of guy. he thinks very low of him self.
mr. toad is a nice well mannered fellow at first. he is not very smart. he is the rich ones of the main the group. he seems like a very happy and energetic person. he is very controlling.
i can really agree. like when the rat and the mole first met, the mole almost seemed to be scared. he was just so shy and did not understand that much. and you could easily tell that the rat does not want ot work for Mr.toad.
Ok, so. the 3 main characters are Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad. They are all very different from each other, like Mole is very big hearted character. Hes the first character that gets introduced, and from the beginning of the first chapter, he sounds like a very clean organized person. He is also very interested in things that happen outside of his everyday life. Mole is very kind also, he tends to always apologize, to me i think he does this because he doesn’t want anyone to think of him as a bad person (but that’s just my opinion.) The 2nd character that gets introduced was Rat, he gets introduced when Mole was gazing and as the book states “Then, as he looked, it winked at him, and so declared itself to be an eye; and a small face began gradually to grow up round it, like a frame round a picture.
A brown little face, with whiskers.” that’s the moment when you meet Rat. Rat is very friendly and enjoys boats and just being on the river because Rat said that it always keeps you busy. He lives a simple life, but it seems to make him happy. Because he’s ALWAYS on the river. And finally, Toad. He’s my favorite character so far. Only because of his spoiled and conceited personality, i never get bored of him. He’s the 3rd character that gets introduced. I think toad isn’t the smartest person in the book, but i predict that he gets smarter and more clever through out the book. Toad also seems to be super happy ALL the time. I think that toad is happy all the time because he thinks it makes everyone else happy. 🙂 So, every character is different and special in their own way, and I like every character. They catch my eye in some way.
I do really agree on Mole, His cleaning makes him seem neat. But i also think he is acting impatient because he gets bored and fed up of his cleaning and leaves. On toad I dont really agree though, I think he is not very smart and makes stupid decisions.
I agree with you too Madi. Mole does seem like a very organized person or animal. He cleans to much and up to the point were he ‘hangs’ spring cleaning.
so i think that all the characters in the story are really diffrent. like the mole seems to be like one of those animals that will be friends with anyone that he meets. he seems to trust everyone. as soon as the mole met the water rat he said a few words and they became friends. the water rat seems like that animal that is nice to all friends. so far the rat was being very helpful to all of the others. and then there is Mr. toad to be honest i dont think that he is all that smart. just through out the things he started to say and do made him look like not so much the smartest. so the characters are all every diffrent. one of them seems to be very gulible the aother seems to be one of the animals that most animal or people want to be friends with and the last one just is not the smartest.
i agree with you bree about how the moles personality is i also think that he will be friends with anybody
I agree with you all of the characters do seem very different, they all have indivigual attitudes and personalitys towards there lives each other and there setting’s.
I think all the characters introduced so far in The Wind in the Willows are very different. To me, the Mole is a very adventurous person, because he is willing to try new things. I also think he is a loyal “person” because he stayed with Rat and respects all of Rats opinions and decisions. However, Rat is not a very adventorous “person”. He wants to stay where he is, and doesn’t like change very much. I think Rat gives everyone a chance and tries to be friends with everyone, but he isn’t exactly friends with everyone. Mr. Toad is kind of like a careless “person”. He takes most things as a joke. Rat is defianitly not a big fan on Mr.Toad. Mr. Toad doesn’t mind the consequences as long as it was worth while.
While I was reading I came up with alot of differences between the water rat, mr.toad, and the mole. Mole seems to be one of those ”people” that are more curious than adventures. While toad seems to be more adventures than anything else. The water rat seems to be the odd one of the three. He is like in love with a river (?) and living in a hole!
Mr.Curtis, I didnt see any other questions for these chapters I just wanted to make shure there arent any.
These are the only questions, but pay close attention to the directions. Your answers should take 3-5 sentences per character.
There are many characters in the wind in the willows and thay are all very different.
Mole is a very tender and loveing ”person” who seems to be a very curious. You know that mole is loveing by seeing how fast he became friends with the water Rat. Also you can see that he is curious by how he asked so many questions to the rat about the river.
The water rat is almost like a hippie.Hes very, in love with the river and the nature around him. The Rat is also extremely melow and forgiving.
Mr.Toad is kind of crazy. When I read I picture him being almost hyper. He is the adenturer type.
i agree that all the characters are different by their personallity. They all have their own discription
All the characters in this book are very interesting and also love to make friends. Also some things Mole fascinates are boats and rivers. The reason he likes rivers and boats are because of his new friend Rat. Something he doesn’t like is spring cleaning. I forgot to mention another thing he doesn’t like, is when other animals don’t think he is capable of doing things. One of those animals is Rat. A summary of Rat is that he is a kind and generous animal who loves where he lives. Rat lives by the river the reason he loves where he lives is because he gets all he needs and more. Rat has food, water, shelter, and even souvenirs. By souvenirs I mean stuff that falls off of careless peoples boats. The last animal we met out of the three is Toad. He is also kind and good at making friends just like the other two (Rat and Mole). Although Toad doesn’t know Mole he invited him into his house with Rat for lunch. After Toad invited them in Toad kindly showed Mole around his house. Mole was happy that he met Toad because now he has another good friend that he is comfortable around. Toad is very trusting person and also very generous. I think this because when he let Rat and Mole stay the night.
The characters in the Wind In The Willows are very different from each other. Toad is very kind to everybody, and very caring. He is also very wealthy, and a very well-mannered person. Mole, was the first character introduced. Mole seems like the adventurous type. He likes to explore everything, in fact, that’s how he met Rat. Rat is very out going. He loves the river and knows everything about it. He also loves to go boating down the river, although he can sometimes be very controlling like when he wouldn’t let mole control the boat. But overall, all the characters seem very nice and i am anxious to see what will happen in the rest of the book.
I agree with you about Mole. I think he is really adventurous
All the charecters suit the book very well. Mole almost reminds me of myself, very adventurous and curious about his surroundings. To prove this statement, ill refer to the part of the book where the mole meets rat and is very amused by the boat and when rat offered to take mole on a ride, mole aceepted, because he is once again adventurous. Now the rat,in my veiw is really nice to everyone but has issues with toad. Rat kinda has mood swings too, or maybe its just depending on the person its talking to. Like Rat is usually happy and all but once again Toad can irritate him. Now Speaking of Toad, he is not the brightest color in the box, He seems to be very air headed, like he kinda reminds me of snobby rich peoplel in a way, but not completley. Only because he is always happy but annoying.
I agree with how you described Mr.Toad as being air headed and sort of resembles a snobby rich person. He seems to always put himself in the spotlight. But he does care for his friends, so he’s not COMPLETELY self absorbed. Great description!
I agree with your opinion, mostly due to the fact that the characters do act like that but i also think that over the course of the book so far they have kind of changed or evolved if you will.they have gone from one personality to another over a small course of time, you are right but i belive they will change a lot more over the rest of the book.
I agree, Mole is a lot like you i just noticed. Because your always trying to prove something of yourself. I would know, I’v known for to long 🙂
Hmm, I overall agree with your character explanations.. but I don’t believe Mr. Toad is completely unintelligent or conceited like a snobby-rich kid . Kind of like Maisie said in the comment above, he has a kind heart and he cares about the people precious to him like friends.
I do agree with you Kathy on mole. he does sound very adventurous in the book and also quite curious in a little way.
I agree that Toad is annoying, but not all the time. He usually is just not thinking and when people don,t think, they can be entertaining or annoying. He is both
Mole, Rat, and Mr.Toad are the three main characters in this story and were introduced from the first two chapters. The only think they really have in common is they live in the same area; well sort of. Mr.toad lives on the other side of the river. Mole and Rat live on the same side as each other. I think that since Mole is new to the RIverbanks, so it really brings out how curious a person he seems to be. He asks Rat a bunch of questions about the Riverbank, who lives there, and what lies outside and beyond of the Riverbank. Mole is also a person who is seeking acceptance in this new community by communicating with Rat and others living along the Riverbank. It sort of made me feel that Mole was either insecure or short tempered when he jumped up and took control of Rat’s boat even though he wasn’t allowed to because he hadn’t learned how to control the boat yet. But later he apologized. Rat accepted his apology and taught Mole how to properly control his boat.
Rat has a very adventurous personality. I found this out from the long adventure he had taken Mole on to get him acquainted with the land. You can really tell that Rat puts his friends first before himself in any situation. He took all he had in him to get Mole familiarized with the land and the people who live there. He is also care-free seeming and a “go with the flow” kind of person. He stays calm about any situation. for example, falling over the edge of the river with Mole. Rat just sat back like nothing was happening and singing along without a care in the world.
Mr.Toad is very different from Mole and Rat. Mr.Toad lives on the opposite side of the river from Rat and Mole. He first comes off as conceded basking in all his glory. But along with Rat, he has an adventurous side to him also. When they gave a description of Mr.Toad’s estate, I pictured him as being rich and having a nice home. I also pictured him after the reading as being anything but modest and reserved. Even though of his different personality, he is very loyal to his friends. He is also very loud and definitely assertive.
Honestly I do not think rat is very adventurous at all. To me it seems he likes his river life and wants to stick to it and nothing else. I do agree on toad though.
Why don’t you think Rat is adventurous?
I think he his because he is the one who went out of his way to show Mole around the lands of the riverbanks, but he had a great time with it! And it seemed like he really enjoyed roaming around the lands with Mole. I found Rat adventurous because of his boating trip with Mole. It gave me a sense of adventure with Rat’s character. But now since we’ve finished the book Rat even seems more adventurous to me now for some reason!
Mole is obviously a very adventurous and courios character, he is ready and excited to try knew things. He seems to have the personality of an explorer. One exemple from the book is when he got in the boat with Rat, and begged him to paddle the boat. Even though he failed at it, his effort was good. And also even though he had never seen or even been to a River before he still got on it. Thats is pretty adventurous in my opinion! Rat on the other hadn is very dreamy and goes off into his own little world alot in the story. His love for the river is HUGE. He seems like a pretty happy and polite guy. I think this because He was very nice to mole when he first met him even though mole was a comeplete stranger. (and very clueless about alot of things) Anyways Rat was very kind to mole and let him go on his boat. I think his personality is cute, and silly. especiallyn when he gets all dreamy. Rat is my favorite character! Toad is really kind of stupid in alot of ways, but he’s also very nice, and happy-go-lucky. Everyone else on the river seems to like him alot too. Whats not to like really? He does alot of silly things, and seems to be fun to be around even though sometimes he is not all that smart.
Also i agree with madi that the toad isnt ever dull and is always interesting because he adds like a wow factor to things going on lol
The characters mole, rat, and toad all have very different personalities. All of the characters love to make friends with the other animals.
The very first character, Mole, is a very adventerous and curious animal. He is also very friendly and loyal. When he meets rat, they almost imidetally become friends. When the two go for lunch, mole is curious, and amazed by everything. An example of this is when he takes the paddles from rat and attempts to row, flipping the boat.
On the other hand, rat is very different from mole. He is very friendly, but he hates change. He doenst like to venture off to areas he isnt familliar with. For example, he says to mole that he never goes in the woods, and he also doesnt want to go on the trip with toad. But although he is friendly he seems to get pretty angry at toad when he is acting stubborn.
The last character is toad, he is friendly, but very stubborn. He doesnt even know mole, and he invites him into his home, and on a trip with him. but he is also the adventerous type. He finds something that he thinks will be great, but he quickly gets bored of it and does something else. just in the second chapter alone, he gets a caravan, crashes it, and goes and buys a car. throught the story, i think he will go through many different obsessions.
I think all of the characters in The Wind in The Willows have very different, yet well-suited personalities. Mole is very adventurous, curious, and ready to try new things. Also, the Mole is very friendly and respectful, because he listens to the Rat’s opinions and ideas. He also wants to get out of his underground hole so he can explore the world above him. The Rat is a very outgoing, and wise character. The Rat doesn’t go out of his way to make friends, but is willing to let people be his friend. Rat is also what you could call “popular” because everyone knows him and thinks he’s a good guy. Then, we meet Mr.Toad, who isn’t very bright. He is very lazy, and seems TOO carefree and laid back. His personality is way different than Mole and Rat, which to me, gives the story more character. If all the characters had the same personality, the book would probably seem boring.
in my opinion the Mole is very clean and organized. he also seems a little rambunshious, when it come’s to spring cleaning. He seem’s to be the kind of Mole (person) who enjoys lounging around and relaxing. He also has some issues with messy, so in all he seem’s to have a very tidy personality. The water rat seem’s to be a new face in town, however he does seem a little inviting. He is very out going and a little messy and disorganized. He also kind of likes beeing the center of atention , so i would say his personality consists of atention, and being and out going person. Mr.toad is more along the kind hearted side. Yet he is also a little conceited. His home is very well kept witch makes him kind of organized. He is rich. He also seem’s to like people (company). Witch in my opinion make’s his personality kind but conceited.
All three characters are different in there own way, For example Mole. Mole is a adventurous animal who one day wanted to get out of the house and do something. He is very curious. Not just that, but he is a very friendly person. When mole met rat he offered to go for lunch and he did. Mole is a kind and generous character. Next is Rat. Rat is not quite as adventurous as mole or toad. He seems not interested with trying new things. Throughout the first two chapters of the book, rat can be mean and unhappy at times, and at other times he’s nice and friendly. In the story i would say toad is one of the most friendly character. He was very helpful and nice when he offered rat to stay with him for awhile if he wanted. Toad is kind, adventurous, and loveable. He is always up to try new things.
Through out chapters one and two you see that Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad have very different personalities.
Mole is a very curious animal that has lot to learn and open to new adventures. He two friends Rat and Mr. Toad do not get along very well. You could say that he is the bond between them. Mole appears to be a courageous and very willing character. One occasion that proves Mole to be adventurous is when he gets on a boat. He had never been on a boat before so that shows that he is willing to take risks.
Rat is a calm and very nonchalant, friendly character. Mole and Rat are very close friends. When every Rat is just relaxing in the ocean, which is almost all of the time he just wants to kick back and relax. Rat is also a people person, he is very talkative and knows everyone by name.
Mr. Toad is almost the complete opposite of Rat. I think he gives the humor to the book. He is almost like the outcast of the story. Toad also looks at the best things in life. “Oh how wonderful it could be to do this” Mr. Toad is also rich and can get very expensive things. While mole and Rat enjoy the plain riverside and boating instead of fancy vehicles and mansions even though Rat does like Toads house. Even thought Toad has all of these things he still has a good heart.
The first character in the story to be introduced is Mole. Mole seems to be a mild- mannered animal/person. After leaving his hole to explore the outside world, he is excited by all he sees and hears. The next character to be introduced is the rat. He seems to be a laid back, overall friendly type. Rat’s character is content with how things are and feels no need to go out on adventure unlike Mole. Lastly, the frog was brought to our attention. His kind heart is shocking because he is very rich. Frog does seem to be a bit impulsive sometimes. Frog and Rat dislike each other (do to their contrasts in personality and life style), but they stick together ’cause of their friend Mole.
The characters are very different. Like Mole is more of the guy that will always be tidy and clean, everything needs to be perfect. At times though he can have an additude, he can have a lot of mood swings it seems like. He seems to have a problem with Mr. Toad and Rat, but that could just be the way he is. Now for Rat, he seems like a generous guy and “Layed Back I Can Do What I Want” kind of person. When he found out Mr. Toad had a boat, he laughed at him, he does not like him it seems and thinks he’s an airhead. For Mr. Toad he seems like the airhead, rich guy. He can snooty, but the funny way, because he’s kind of dumb. These characters are funny, and it seems like something big will happen with all of them. I also think they say hello funny, they are like “Hullo..” just saying. 🙂
I agree with you about the tidiness of Mole, he sounds like my mom when we spring clean, Mole seems like the kind of “person” who always has a tidy house.
The characters in this book are all very unique in their own ways. One of the characters names is Mole; he is a very grateful animal and appreciates the world. He seems to be a very reliable and trust worthy character. It also seems he love to fill himself with knowledge and he most likely contributes the knowledge from his curiosity.
Mole meets up with Rat on the river bank while he is soaking in the water. He is a very adventurous soul and has a passion for boating on the river. I believe Rat is the friendliest out of the small bunch; he just seems more outgoing than the others.
The most joyous of them all is the great Mr. Toad. He is a very peppy character with a positive attitude and is also the most successful character of the three. Mr. Toad is also a very friendly pick of the bunch and loves company.
All the characters in this book are diffirent in their own unique thing about them. Mole is one of the main characters that are important. Mole is the character that needs everything in the right place. he needs everything to be nice and neat. the word that best discribes him is perfect. Rat is the type of character that is layed back. Rat is the smooth going with any thing. Rat is easy going with most things. Mr. Toad is the happy type of the group. He is very happy and joyful. Mr. Toad is the peppy animal.
All of the characters in “The Wind in The Willows” are very different. Mole, for instance, is one of the main characters. He always wants everything spick and span, never cluttered or dirty. I would say that one word describing Mole is clean. Rat is the second of the main characters. He is the kind of “person” who is “in the middle” because he barely yells and is always calm and nice around the others. Mr. Toad is the third of the main characters. He is the animal who is happy under any circumstance. Toad is happy, cheery, and sometimes, weird.
I agree. All the characters are different in the way you said, but is that the only way you see Mole. I think he’s more than just ‘clean’. I see him shy too. But that’s only because he’s new there.
Jack, I agree with you on your perspective on Mr. Toad.Yes, he seems like the peppy “person” in the group of animals
The characters in The Wind in the Willows have very different personalities. For example, the mole is curious to see the outside world. He likes to try new things and he is eager to go on his first adventure. The mole is adventurous and knows how to row a boat. He also is the one who pretty much looks out for everyone. Mr. Toad is a rich toad who picks up something, gets bored of it, and does something else. H seems to be the clumsy one of the gruop,too.