A Day No Pigs Would Die

By: Robert Newton Peck

Author's Biography:

Born on February 17, 1928 in Vermont, Robert Newton Peck was the youngest in a family of seven children. Just like the character of the same name in A Day No Pigs Would Die, Robert Peck's father's name was Haven. Robert, although the youngest of his brothers and sisters, was the first to attend school. It is said that when Mr. Haven Peck met Robert's teacher for the first time, he said, "We hope he's got manners, and whatever he breaks, we'll pay for." Also like the character in the book, neither Robert's father, mother, nor aunt could read or write. However, the author says he learned more from them than anyone else in his life. Nature was also a great teacher to Peck, and that today's youth know so little about his second greatest teacher he finds sad. Mr Peck says he flunked out of Cornell Law School with the "lowest scholastic average ever recorded in Ithaca, New York." Mr. Peck served our country during the second World War, earning a commendation. He now loves to play ragtime music on the piano, play golf, and "show-off" (in his ownwords). His friends call him Rob, and he stands 6'4" tall and weighs two hundredpounds. Mr. Rogers (from PBS) was the best man at his wedding to a librarian. Theynow have two grown children, one boy and one girl. A self-described "flag-waving,redneck patriot," Robert Newton Peck is the author of some of the finest Young Adult Literature that has been written in the world. (This author's opinion.) In addition to the 46 books he has written, including the Soup series, Millie's Boy, Bee Tree and Other Stuff, Clunie, and Kirk's Law, Robert Newton Peck has also written 100 poems, 35 songs, and created three TV specials. (These figures stop at1990, perhaps many more since then.)

Write to RNP, he answers 100 letters a week, maybe one of them could be yours!

Robert Newton Peck

500 Sweetwater Club Circle

Longwood, Florida 32779

Historical Background:

About the Shaker Creed:

From "Needful Counsel," Gentle Manners

Published by the Shaker Community at New Lebanon, New York: 1823

"Whoever would live long and happy, let him observe thefollowing rules:-----

Let your thoughts be rational, solid, godly.

Let your conversation be little, useful, true.

Let your conduct be profitable, virtuous, charitable.

Let your manners be sober, courteous, cheerful.

Let your diet be temperate, wholesome, sober.

Let your apparel be frugal, neat, comely.

Let your sleep be moderate, quiet, seasonable.

Let your recreations be lawful, brief, seldom.

Let your prayers be short, devout, sincere."

• The Shakers are a Christian religious organization whose leader and members set sail for America in 1774.
• Mother Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers, began life as a member of the Quaker religion, but later founded an offshoot religion (Shakerism) which she would have called the "United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing."
• There are still Shakers alive today, although only fewer than a dozen remain. Real Shakers are in fact not much at all like the Peck family as portrayed in the book.
• Shakers do not live in family units like Robert and his mother, father, and Aunt. In fact, Shakers do not marry and are completely celibate (abstaining from sexual intercourse). In fact, Shakers live in communities where men are completely separated from women. While men and women may maintain friendships, relationships must never develop into romantic love. To help ensure the Shaker doctrine on celibacy is followed, Shakers built houses, worship facilities, and all buildings with two sections and two doors--one for men and one for women.
• If a worldly (outside the Shaker religion) family went to live with the Shakers, they would be split up according to sex. For example, all male children would live with men. All female children would live with women. Parents would not necessarily live with their own children, and married men and women would no longer live as husband and wife.
• You may wonder why Shakers would find this celibate, separate lifestyle so important. Shakers hope by maintaining this lifestyle to retain the innocence of childhood. They believe also that by remaining celibate, they are most closely imitating the life of Jesus Christ. You may also wonder how the Shakers intend to survive as a people without having children. The answer is that Shakers are unconcerned about maintaining their membership. They answer that they are only living the lifestyle which seems most right for them. They do not try to recruit other members and are unconcerned about their dwindling numbers. Mother Ann predicted that when the number of Shakers was as few as the fingers on the hands, there would be a great revival. We may soon find out if her prediction is true.
• Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Shaker life to us worldly people is the order and simplicity self-imposed by the Shakers themselves. You have probably seen "Shaker Furniture." If so, the furniture itself was most likely not made by Shaker people but inspired by original shaker designs. Shakers have a system for almost everything in hopes of making life as simple, clean, and orderly as possible. Their extreme need for the preceding qualities have led them to produce important inventions such as the circular saw and memorable ones such as the apple peeler.

Links and Information about the Setting:

Vermont: Abbr. VT, Vt.

"A state of the northeast United States bordering on Canada. It was admitted as the 14th state in 1791. Explored by Samuel de Champlain in 1609, the region was first permanently settled by the British in 1724. Claims to the area were relinquished by Massachusetts in 1781, New Hampshire in 1782, and New York in 1790. Montpelier is the capital and Burlington the largest city. Population, 564,964. The name Vermont comes from French words meaning "green mountain." Vermont is known as the Green Mountain State." "In Vermont, winters are generally long and cold, and summers are short but warm. The mountains receive considerable winter snowfall. Soils are generally thin and stony. Forests cover about three-quarters of Vermont. The state tree is the sugar maple, and the state flower is red clover. The hermit thrush is the state bird."

ASSIGNMENTS:

Discussion Questions:

Chapters 1 and 2

1. In chapter 1, why does Robert run away from school? Has any similar situation ever happened to you?

2. Why does Robert stop to help Apron?

3. What is Robert's father's name?

4. What does Papa say will help Robert's arm heal where Apron bit him? Is this medical practice still usedtoday?

5. What does Robert tear out of Apron's throat?

6. Describe Papa's smell and why his smell is important.

7. What does Papa bring for Robert to chew? Why would Robert want it?

8. Why does Robert decide not to complain about his pain? Think about what Papa says to him.

9. What is the name of Robert's home town?

10. Why do you think Robert's parents don't take him to the doctor?

Chapters 3 and 4

1. Why does Papa say fences are good?

2. What is the most "evil thing" in a Shaker household? Why?

3. What does Robert name his pig? What are your pets' names?

4. How does Papa know that you can't keep pigs and cows, or kine and swine, under the same roof?

5. How does Papa justify taking the milk from the lost cow?

6. Describe how and why Robert and Papa move the heavy corn crib away from the barn.

7. What is Robert's least favorite Shaker law? Which would be your least favorite?

8. Why can't Haven Peck vote?

9. How does Papa think the townspeople feel about him? Why?

10. Why does Papa say the family is rich? What does he mean?

11. What is Papa's "mission"?

After reading Chapters 3 & 4, read the poem "Mending Wall"

Compare the meaning of fences from Papa's point of view to that of the Robert Frost poem "Mending Fences."

Chapters 5 and 6

1. What does Robert build in the tiny river? Describe it. Why would Robert build such a thing?

2. What point was there in Robert trying to teach a bullfrog to jump backward?

3. After whom was Robert named?

4. Robert points out many beautiful things in nature. Describe one of them.

5. Who is Aunt Matty?

6. Why does Aunt Matty want to tutor Robert? Describe the misunderstanding Robert has about tutoring.

7. What religion is Aunt Matty? What does Robert think of members of her religion?

8. What does Aunt Matty draw for Robert? What might it have looked like?

9. What does Aunt Matty think of the lesson she has with Robert?

10. How did Robert feel on the last day of school? How will you feel?

Chapters 7 and 8

1. Describe what Robert sees in the scene with the hawk.

2. What and how much does Pinky eat?

3. What will be Pinky's job when she grows up?

4. Describe the sunset that Robert sees.

5. What is Mr. Hillman doing out in the storm? Why?

6. Why does Papa say he brought a gun?

7. Why do you think Mr. Hillman feels so good when he gets into the wagon with Robert and Papa?

8. What does Mrs. Hillman say about the incident?

9. What does "desecrate" mean?

10. Do you agree with Mr. Hillman's decision to move the body? Explain.

Chapters 9 and 10

1. What is Mama's opinion on the Widow Bascom and her "hired hand."

2. What is Aunt Carrie's opinion about the same?

3. Tell about Robert's "run-in" with the Widow Bascom.

4. What happens when Robert meets the widow after she has hired Ira Long?

5. Why can't Robert and his family go to the fair?

6. How does Robert get to go to the fair?

7. Why does Robert decide not to ask Mr. Tanner "why he didn't just wed twins"?

8. According to Robert, what is a "pervert"?

9. How does Robert feel when he is in the ring with Bob and Bib?

10. Why doesn't Robert care at the moment he sees the judge putting the ribbon on Pinky's neck?

11. On what does Robert spend the 10¢ his aunt gave him?

Chapters 11 and 12

1. Was Pinky the only pig to win "first prize"?

2. What doesn't Robert tell his parents about the fair at Rutland?

3. What happens with the weasel and Hussy?

4. At the end of chapter 10, Robert acts in a very grown-up, demanding way. What does he do?

5. Robert swears on the Book of Shaker at the end of chapter 11. What does he swear?

6. What problem do Pinky and Aunt Matty share?

7. What happened to this year's apple crop?

8. According to Papa, how can you judge a man by his farm?

9. How does Papa feel about being a butcher for others?

10. Just before Papa tells Robert he is dying, Robert asks for something. What is it and why does it seem so silly

to the reader after what Papa says?

11. Why does Robert stay in by the fire after Papa tells him he has only one winter to become a man?

Chapters 13 and 14

1. Why does Mr. Tanner bring over his prized boar?

2. How does Robert feel about the act of breeding the two pigs?

3. Robert says of his father to Mr. Tanner, "Papa works all the time. He don't never rest. And worse than that,

he works inside himself. . . . Like he's been trying all his life to catch up to something. But whatever it is, it's

always ahead of him, and he can't reach it." What do you think "it" is?

4. What happened to Robert's brothers?

5. What religion are Mr. and Mrs. Tanner? What is so unusual about that?

6. Why does Papa stop sleeping with Mama?

7. Why do they have to kill Pinky?

8. What does Papa say being a man is all about?

9. Why does Papa say Robert is a man after they kill her?

10. What significant event happens at the end of chapter 14?

11. How have things changed for Robert?

Chapter 15

1. How does Papa die?

2. What does Robert do after he finds Papa dead?

3. What importance does this quote by Robert have: "When you're the only one to do something, it always gets done."

4. What does Robert find in Papa's cigar box? Why is this important?

5. What is "the day no pigs would die"?

6. Why does Robert now agree that Papa wasn't poor?

7. Robert figures out without asking why it would be improper to bury ropes with a coffin. Why?

8. What does Robert do after Papa's funeral?

9. Why is Papa being buried in the land he had sweated on so long ironic?

10. What is the last thing Robert says to Papa?

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS:

Fences

A Day No Pigs Would Die: Robert Newton Peck

In chapter 3, Robert and his father have a discussion about Fences.

1. What does Robert think about fences when the discussion starts?

2. List 3 good reasons Papa says fences are used:

3. Why does Robert think fences are "like war"?

ESSAY question:

4. In your own opinion, are fences good or bad? Necessary or unnecessary? Use your own neighborhood and neighbors to make your point.

Complete the following for Robert Peck:

1. Robert feels happy when:

2. Robert feels angry when:

3. Robert feels sad when:

4. Robert likes to:

5. For Robert, school is:

6. For Robert, family means:

Now, complete the same sentences for yourself:

1. I feel happy when:

2. I feel angry when:

3. I feel sad when:

4. I like to:

5. For me, school is:

6. For me, family means:

List three FACTS you have learned from this book:

Example: Cows and pigs should not live next to one another.

1.

2.

3.

Robert uses vocabulary that is unfamiliar to us. He calls pants "britches" and talks about "ornery" animals. Write sentences using words you use that Robert wouldn't know. Example: That book was the bomb!--Then, tell what Robert might think you mean. Example: The book contained a bomb which blew up.

1.

2.

3.