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Mind Map/Brainstorm for A Wrinkle in Time Culminating Activities - Option…
Mind Map/Brainstorm for
A Wrinkle in Time Culminating Activities - Option 2: Survival Guide: The Black Thing
The Black Thing
Who
Who can the Black Thing infect?
It can infect humans for sure, and can infect creatures of the other planets in the story.
Is there anybody fighting the Black Thing?
There are those who fight this darkness (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, those from Earth they mentioned, etc.) for all that is good.
What
What is the Black Thing?
The Black Thing is a being of evil that presents itself as a dark shadow. The Black Thing is associated with IT due to the negativity both characters or things bring. The book does not explicitly mention whether the two are the same thing. The Black Thing is mentioned to encapsulate certain planets.
When a person is "infected" by the Black Thing, they feel cold. They start to act and think negatively; being brash to even loved ones and harbor ill-will towards others, for no particular reason or just more than usual. When Meg is affected by the Black Thing after Mr. Murry tessers to Ixchel, she is paralysed and shows the symptoms above. This suggests that infection can also lead to loss of control or feeling in the body (paralysis).
Where
Where can you find the Black Thing?
You can find the Black Thing on certain planets where negativity is present. Planets that are affected by it are called "dark planets", two examples being earth and Camazotz. There are places where the Black Thing is not present, like the planet of Ixchel, even though they share the same sun as Camazotz.
When
When is the Black Thing mentioned in the story? -Page 39, PDF -Page 46, PDF -Page 49, PDF -Page 52, PDF -Page 84, PDF -Page 88, PDF -Page 91, PDF -Page 92, PDF -Page 95, PDF -Page 97, PDF
When was the Black Thing created? This question cannot be answered by readers as the answer was never mentioned. What the readers do know is that it has been around for many many years, as mentioned by Mrs. Which when talking about the Black Thing around the earth.
Why
Why is the Black Thing dangerous? The Black Thing is dangerous as it influences us and our feelings; not only towards ourselves, but our feelings towards others too. It makes us act selfishly and in a hurtful manner (even when we do not intend to), and can even harm us in terms of our wellbeing. It takes out all the warmth from the bodies of those who are infected (literally and figuratively), and could leave the infected person paralysed.
This is why it's vital for people to learn what the Black Thing is and defend themselves against it. They should also learn about what to do when infected by it.
How
How does the Black Thing infect people?
It was not explicitly mentioned in the story, but judging from how Meg was affected by the Black Thing, passing through the Black Thing can let it influence and paralyse you. Looking at it will not affect you. The Black Thing also affects people by planting negative thoughts into their heads, so even if you are not directly infected by it, there can be negativity coming from you and others.
How can we protect ourselves from the Black Thing? Overall, the biggest thing we can do to protect ourselves or prevent the Black Thing from affecting us is by spreading love, joy, and positivity. Examples include; respecting others, helping out wherever we can, taking care of and expressing love to our loved ones, and by being less pessimistic. We should also stray from; being rude or disrespectful, bringing harm or wishing ill-will unto others, and by giving in to being pessimistic.
How can we recover from being infected by the Black Thing? The book mentioned how warmth was needed to combat the Black Thing. They probably meant literal warmth (heat), and joy or positive things since the Black Thing replaces positive things as such with negativity, so that is what is needed.