A Cow Called Boy Study Guide

A Cow Called Boy Study Guide

by C. Everard Palmer

About the Author

C. Everard Palmer (Cyril Everard Palmer, October 15^th, 1930 - June 16^th, 2013) was born in Kendal in the Jamaican parish of Hanover. He had his early education in the rural community after which he attended Mico Teachers’ College in Kingston. He worked as a journalist with the Gleaner Company before starting a career as an author. All his stories have so far been inspired by the memories of his childhood, and though the people and incidents are imagined they could easily have been real. He has been living in Canada for the past 25 years. These popular works of junior fiction are all exciting stories of life in rural Jamaica, told with warmth, affection and insight.

Synopsis:

1. Mini summary

A Cow Called Boy is a coming-of-age text which displays the connection that a boy, Josh, and his pet calf, Boy, have and how this relationship teaches the boy responsibility as well as to stand up for what is right; even against the authoritarian and objectionable demands of adults.

2. Expanded summary 
Part A

It is the start of a new school year in Kendal, Jamaica, and Josh is determined not to be late. He sets off in good time - but so does his beloved bull-calf (bullkin), Boy, who follows him everywhere like a dog. Josh's teacher is horrified to see Boy in the classroom but Josh manages to turn the situation to good advantage - until things start to go badly wrong. When the headmaster tells Josh's mother the story of Boy's disastrous visit to school she insists that the calf is sold at once. The local storeman buys him in spite of Josh's protests, driving a hard bargain. But Josh is a fighter; he organises his school friends to mount first a demonstration and then a hunger strike in his campaign to get Boy back. The villagers, hostile at first, are soon on his side. Before long the embarrassed storeman realises that he has not been as clever as he thought. Josh's picketing classmates (joined by their teacher who was impressed with Josh's report on Boy, his "summer project") force the new owner to sell it back and induce the principal to set up an animal centre at school. Their vigorous display of loyalty is not surprising: Josh is a likable boy and he should go far.

Part B
A Cow Called Boy is a humorous and dramatic true-to-life novella or novelette which can be enjoyed by all ages. A young and small bullkin, by the name of Boy, insists on invading a class in a small rural school, to the unsuccessful objections of his owner, schoolboy Josh Mahon. Boy’s insistence triggers off a stream of reactions, crises and consequences, some serious, but others mostly humorous. Josh is late for school when the bullkin defies all efforts to prevent him from going to school with his owner. Mrs. Anthony, Josh’s class teacher, “amazed and afraid,” immediately objects to the calf entering her classroom. “Get him out of here! Are you crazy?” she shouted at Josh, and almost fainted. She soon relents and accepts Boy as Josh’s holiday project. She cleverly engages an enthusiastic and animated class of boys and girls in an object lesson from Josh’s holiday project. “She too was catching some of the excitement.” 

Boy is intelligent. He impresses the class by doing Josh’s commands like a circus animal. But he is also disobedient. Although ordered to remain under the school until dismissal, he wanders off into the school hall, and sets off more serious reactions. A little girl shouts, “Teacher, Teacher, there is a cow in the school!” She panics and jumps through a glass window. Pupils and teachers pour out excitedly, some in fear, into the school hall.

The incident becomes increasingly dramatic and critical when a frightened Mrs. Redmond, the Head Teacher’s wife, fainted. However, the Headmaster quickly restores order in his school, and brings everything under control, including the angry mother of Maria, the girl who jumped through the glass window. Josh’s mother insists on selling Boy. The selling of Boy to Mr. Benjamin Watson sparks off a concerted and successful objection by children, parents and other villagers that Josh should not be deprived of his pet calf. “It was a glorious morning” when Mr. Watson resells Boy to Josh Mahon. A sensible, courageous and resolute boy gains a victory, but his repeated efforts to correct his schoolmates, some of the teachers and the villagers from calling Boy “a cow”, regardless of the sex of the animal, remonstrating, “He is not a cow, sir”, are futile. The plot rapidly advances, after this highly sensitive and critical consequence of Boy’s intrusion, towards a happy denouement (resolution/ending).

Palmer has, with insight, dramatically explored the psychology of a simple incident as to create a theatrical stage effect. The novel reads like a play being acted.

The Characters and Rural Settings:

The major characters are Josh Mahon, Boy, Mrs. Anthony, Mr. Kelly, Mr. & Mrs. Redmond, Mr. Watson and Mrs. Mahon.

The story is set in Kendal, Jamaica on the first day of a new school year after the summer holiday. A specific time is not mentioned anywhere throughout the novel but based on certain information presented, one could safely guess it was during the 1950's.

The scenery, pastoral and idyllic, as well as the characters are both realistic and typical of rural Jamaica but is also applicable to many West Indian island states. Houses with thatched roofs were common dwellings, eked-out subsistence and simple living, widespread poverty, peasant pride, morality and independence were common in country parts long before the 1940’s, and after the Second World War. The post-War Diaspora to England and the U.S.A, somewhat brought about vastly improved living conditions for the peasantry. 

• Josh Mahon is the insightful and clever protagonist of this amusing and delightful little novel. The only child of his widowed mother, Josh takes loving care of his pet bull-calf, Boy; a gift from a neighbouring farmer, Mr. Kelly. Josh unquestionably loves Boy. Even when faced with the perplexing problem of the latter’s obstinate refusal to stay at home, he warmly embraces Boy while protesting before the animal,“‘You are bad, Boy. Very bad. But I love you.’” Mr. Kelly, observing the devoted care evidently given to the calf by its new owner, proudly declares to Josh, “‘I don’t regret at all that I gave him to you.’”  Again, the former’s keen sense of observation is noted in his remonstrance to Josh’s mother when offering the calf to Josh, “‘That kid’s lonely as a single pea in a bowl o’ soup. He’s no brothers or sisters to play with. It’ll be something for him to get his hand into….’” Acting in the vein of a seasoned freedom fighter and animal activist, Josh Mahon fights to save Boy from the butcher's greedy hands. Josh comes up with this plan to get Boy back and he convinces his schoolmates to protest with him for the villagers not to buy from the shopkeeper and leads them on a hunger strike until he eventually gets Boy back.

• Boy, a clever but mischievous bull-calf, so affectionately yet paradoxically named by his owner Josh, is equally central to the story. Providing entertaining fodder for both author, as the main plot catalyst, and reader/audience in this highly suspenseful tale of a momentary glimpse into the sometimes absurd world of rural community life. The enforced sale of Boy then involves the whole village. Josh has reared him all through the summer; where he goes, Boy goes too, like a dog with his master. That’s the relationship they have.

• Mrs. Bertha Mahon is the widowed, single-parent breadwinner of this threesome and sometimes trying small family; consisting of mother, son, and (to Mrs. Mahon’s initial chagrin but eventual placated acceptance) bull-calf. Sporting high-top rubber boots and all, “She steps Bram! Bram! –like a man” but goes about her daily chores as a typical rural female small-farmer, common to Jamaican countryside.

• Mrs. Anthony is a teacher at the school, at which Josh goes to. She is a kind, understanding, patient, and easily persuaded teacher.

• Mrs. Redmond is symbolic, in character, of the type of teachers who still exists in West Indian classrooms today, “She was as solid as a wooden barrel and was shaped like one.”  Mr. Redmond is typical of village schoolmasters, a sturdy leather strap―a tool of his trade―dubbed “Dr. Cure-All”, is reminiscent of the type of strict code of discipline that defined many West Indian homes and schools, even today. 

• Mr. Watson is a store keeper. He is fat around the waist and hammered, he has a solid apron covering his entire front, and his face is as round as a frying pan. 

  

Language and Style, Illustrations:

Part of the author’s genius and craft is his play (clever use of pun) on words and titles; a feature seen throughout many of his stories. This is no less true of A Cow Called Boy. The title of which should prompt some clever boy or girl in class (particularly those familiar with farm animals) to inquire of their teacher or other students: 

Are cows boys?

The emphatically scientific answer: NO!!! 

Cows are female mature bovines. Bulls are adult males. Thus there is no such thing as a "boy cow" or "male cow." Young cattle (plural of cow or bull) are called calves; this applies to both sexes. The offspring of a cow and a bull is called a calf. If the calf is female, she is referred to as a heifer calf. If the calf is male, then he, unless castrated after birth, is called a bull calf. Castrated calves are called steer calves. As the calf grows the name changes depending on the sex of the animal. A female is called a heifer and a male is called a bullock. To tell a cow apart from a bull, look for the udder between the legs. The udder is a large pendulous sack with four teats presented in a square-like formation hanging below. A cow will also urinate out the back end. But also look at the base of the belly. With bulls (and steers) you will see a hairy prepuce hanging down which is where the penis is housed, and comes out when the bull is about to mate with a cow. Bulls and steers also urinate from this area.

Figurative use of language: the simile

Examples of similes in the text:

• That kid’s lonely as a single pea in a bowl o’ soup

• the bull calf lying quietly as a dog would  

• she was as solid as a wooden barrel, and shaped like one

• Josh was feeling proud and sitting as light as a feather and as proud as punch

Adults and children in rural Jamaica, tend to express their thoughts, opinions and wishes in short, simple sentences. There is paucity of conjunctions (but “and” is freely used to begin a sentence) in their speech. Palmer’s style in A Cow Called Boy, as well as in his other novels, is considerably influenced by this peculiar feature of village language. His style is unsophisticated and is appropriately crisp, brisk and engaging, as most suitable and congenial for young readers. A Cow Called Boy is replete with humour, drama and suspense. The reader is cleverly induced to ask, “What next?” as  suspense stimulates curiosity and the narrative rapidly moves towards a climax.

The illustrations, by Laszlo Acs, are extraordinarily good and full of energy. They amusingly and interestingly tell a story, each on its own, especially the front cover design; Head Teacher Redmond resuscitating his wife and the demonstration in front of Mr. Watson’s Store.

Themes: 

This is a light-hearted novel, but it is not altogether frivolous, as there are lessons to be learnt from it, such as: 

• tolerance 

• appreciation and love for animals 

• empathy and understanding between children and adults 

• conscientiousness and justice

• determination and courage

Pathos: appeals to the emotions of the audience/reader

The story suggests that when emotions or passions run high against what appears to be unacceptable or objectionable, and a community becomes resolutely and peacefully united in objection, the desired effect or remedy can be achieved. Palmer leaned heavily towards maternal and feminine influence on the children and in the demonstration to recover Josh’s pet calf, while men appear to be marginalized. But Palmer should not be castigated for this. He seems to be sending a true message that men are failing in what are expected of men. Indeed, it takes the manliness of a boy to engender positive change in his community, particularly among authoritative male figures such as the obstinate Headmaster Redmond and store owner Watson.

Flash Quiz:

QUESTIONS

1.       Who is the author of A Cow Called Boy?

2.       Who is Boy in A Cow Called Boy?

3.       What is the setting (time and place) of the story?

4.       What is the name of the main character in the story?

5.       What character traits does Josh have?

6.       What was Josh's first problem?

7.       What did he do in order to get his pet to stop following him?

8.       Who was the person to give Joshua the calf?

9.       Where did Josh live?

10.   Why did Mr. Kelly give the calf to Josh’s mother?

11.   Why did Mr. Kelly tell Josh mother, "this calf's just right for your boy Josh?

12.   Describe Boy.

13.   What did Josh call his pet calf?

14.   What animal is Boy compared to in the book?

15.   State two examples of how much Josh loved his pet calf?

16.   At the beginning of the story the author describes the sun as “yellowing the land.” What do you think he meant by this?

17.   Why did Joshua not want to miss the first day of school?

18.   The children arrived early for school because they were ______________ about returning to school. (an emotion)

19.   Why was Josh Mahon the only child who was late?

20.   What does the word truant mean?

21.   What did Joshua do to prevent him from getting in trouble for bringing the calf to school?

22.   Describe Mrs. Anthony?

23.   What caused Mrs. Anthony to change her expression from worry to relaxed?

24.   What was the girl's name who got scared of the calf when she saw him in the hallway?

25.   Who did Josh go to when Mr. Watson didn't give Vera credit?

26.   What happened when Boy got into the grade two class?

27.   What happened to the children who were in the demonstration?

28.   What does Mr. Redmond call his strap?

29.   What color clothes does Mr. Redmond wear when he is angry?

30.   What does Mr. Watson work as?

31.   What did Josh and his classmates do in front of Mr. Watson’s store?

32.   When Mrs. Redmond saw Boy, what happened?

33.   What type of grass did Boy eat during the presentation?

34.   What grade did Josh earn on his summer report?

35.   What expression does the children have on their faces?

36.   Who did Mr. Redmond blame for allowing the calf into the school?

37.   Did Josh feel guilty about lying to Mrs. Redmond?

38.   Who bought Boy from Josh?

39.   How much did Mr. Watson pay Josh for Boy?

40.   What is the approximate value of 40 shillings?

41.   What did Mrs. Anthony say was the reason Mr. Watson purchased Boy?

42.   Who picked up Boy from Josh after the sale?

43.   When did Josh tell his mother that he would eat again?

44.   How did Josh and his classmates 'picket'?

45.   What were he and his classmates protesting?

46.   How did Mrs. Anthony feel about the children's demonstration?

47.   Name the adults who joined the demonstration.

48.   What character traits does Mr. Watson have?

49.   What did Mr. Redmond suggest because of Boy and Josh?

50.   How did Mr. Watson respond to their protests?

51.   Who was the other storekeeper?

52.   What happened to Mr. Tobias' store as a result of Mr. Watson's attitude?

53.   When Mr. Redmond admitted to making a mistake regarding Boy, how did Mr. Watson react?

54.   How much did Josh pay to get Boy back and why?

55.   What happened to most of the children who had joined Josh's protest?

56.   Why did Mr. Redmond beat Josh a second time?

57.   What did Mr. Watson learn from this situation?

58.   What themes could be applied to this story?

A Cow Called Boy Play

Who Is Stupid? Chapter 9

Narrator: Josh had a cow who he called Boy. Boy went everywhere with him. One day Boy followed Josh to school and created quite a ruckus. That prompted Mrs. Mahon, Josh’s mother, to put him up for sale. He was bought by a Mr. Ben Watson, who underpaid Josh for him. Mr. Watson was, in Josh’s opinion, ill-treating Boy and Josh decided that he had to get Boy back. Mr. Watson refused.

(Demonstrators marching quietly across the stage with their posters)

Mrs. Mahon walks in displaying her poster.

Josh: Mom! Are you on our side?

Mrs. Mahon: Of course child!

Josh turned to face the demonstrators: Hey class, my Mom’s with us!

Mrs. Mahon walks to the back of the line. Mrs. Anthony is at the front.

Demonstrators: We want Boy! We want Boy! We want Boy!

Mr. Tobias walks across the stage rubbing his finger tips and chuckling: Hmmm! Hmmm! Money boy!

Mr. Watson, looking straight at Mrs. Anthony, hands akimbo: Teacher, or no teacher, I will not sell Boy! You hear me! Never!

Demonstrators: We want Boy! We want Boy! We want Boy!

Mr. Watson walks away.

Mrs. Anthony (raises her hand): We’ve won this one children. We’re getting to him. But we better go home now. We’ll continue tomorrow.

Sometime later in the school yard.

Mr. Redmond: It’s out of my hands Ben.

Mr. Watson: How you mean it out of your hands? Fire her! She is the ring leader!

Mr. Redmond: I don’t hire nor fire you know. Beside this is not a firing matter. Anyway, you must admit that you drove a hard bargain. You underpaid the boy for his cow and now you want to cage it up?

Mr. Watson: You can say what you want sir, I am NOT SELLING MY COW!!!!

Mr. Redmond exits…. Mr. Percy arrives on scene.

Mr. Watson: Percy I just came from your house looking for you. I have a cow to kill.

Other fellows busy talking amongst themselves. Watson whispers to Percy, trying to persuade him to buy Boy for butchering.

Percy: Boy you mad! Cows I does butcher!

Mr. Watson: But he’s a cow!

Percy: Oh no! You mean a calf!

Mr. Watson: So what?

Percy: That don’t have enough meat to supply the whole village man.

Mr. Watson: Hold on, hold on. You mean to tell me you does kill goat and pig and you cyah kill a whole cow? Goat don't have more meat than cow man!

Others gather closer to listen.

Percy: Cow is weekend meat. When I kill on Fridays I sell out over the weekend. Is on the weekend that have all the buyers. That calf of yours is about 100 pounds. You alone going to want 10 pounds.

Mr. Watson: Stupid!

Percy: Is you that stupid? If that was 300 pounds I would never buy it from you! Whoever butcher that cow there will never sell a pound from it nor another pound from that day. So, who really stupid? Me or you?

Other fellows agree one by one and make remarks about Boy.

Mr. Watson: Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!

Narrator: In about three minutes all of the patrons had fled the scene. By the next morning, Mr. Watson was ready to sell Boy back to Josh. He had finally figured out that he was indeed stupid.

Demonstrators walk across stage shouting: “We got Boy! We got Boy!”

Additional Review Exercises:

A Cow Called Boy Lesson Plan

Using DRTA to teach the book A Cow Called Boy

Age group: 11-12 years

Area of focus: Characterization

ü  When I get to class I will write the name of the book on the board and ask students what they think the book is about? The responses will be documented in a semantic map. Students will also be required to give reasons for their answers.
Example of semantic map:

ü  Next we will scrutinize the layout of the text. Students would be required to respond to the following questions:

1.       What do you think about the cover page? Is it appealing?

2.       Do you think there is a relationship between the picture on the cover page and the title? What is the relationship?

3.       Does this look like a book that you will pick up to read in your free time?

4.       Who do you think the people in the picture are?

5.       Do you think they are important in the story? Why?

ü  Now, let us read the blurb.

6.       We will go through the predictions made as to what the story is about and see whether they are still valid based on what we read. Students will provide reasons for refuting or validating the predictions.

ü  Next we will go through the table of content and analyze the chapters.

7.       Again we will go through the remaining predictions and try to see whether they can be validated or not. Students will provide an explanation for their answer.

8.       Based on what was discussed in the class, students will make their own predictions in their prediction logs.

ü  As we read the text, we will stop at strategic points to discuss what has happened, validate or refute predictions and make new ones.

For example:

As we read Chapter One, we will stop at the point where Josh is late for the first day of school and the calf follows him a third time. Students will be asked questions such as:

9.       What could have been done to prevent the situation from occurring?

10.   If you were in Josh’s place what would you have done? Why?

11.   What do you think Josh will do?

12.   What makes you believe that this is what he will do?

13.   What do you think about the cow?

14.   How does the situation make you feel towards Josh?

15.   What do you think will happen next?

ü  Another point we can stop at is the scene when Boy gets into the school and Josh had to beg his class teacher, Ms. Anthony, to allow boy in as his class project? The questions could probably be:

16.   What do you think Ms. Anthony will do?

17.   If you were the teacher what would you have done?

18.   Do you think Ms. Anthony did the right thing?

19.   Put yourself in Josh’s shoes. Describe how you would feel while giving the report.

20.   Should animals be allowed in schools? Why?

ü  After reading the text I would give students an opportunity to talk openly about the text. They will speak along these lines:

21.   Say what feelings where evoked while reading?

22.   Which parts seemed to be most interesting and why?

23.   Which parts did you dislike most?

24.   Which characters were your favourite? Why?

25.   Which characters did you dislike the most? Why?

26.   If you had to be one of the characters which one will you choose? Why?

27.   We will review students’ character sketches.

A closer look at how to write a character sketch:

28.   Students will also revisit their predictions. They will be discussed and students will either validate them or refute them.

29.   In their prediction logs student will write about two instances where their predictions were accurate and two where the predictions differed from what happened.

  Evaluation: Journals

✔Throughout the readings, students will be working on character sketches of the different characters. As we study the characters in different situations and settings the students will add to what they already have.

✔Students will also write about their reading experience.

Directed Reading/Thinking Activity

Description: Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) is an instructional strategy designed to increase students’ comprehension of reading material.  DRTA allows students to actively seek an understanding of the selection by using prior knowledge and/or visual clues to anticipate content, then reading the text to confirm or reject predictions.  This creates a purpose for reading, as students seek to answer their own questions or predictions.

Process:  

•         Use whole group instruction, pairs, or cooperative groups.  Model with the whole group several times if the class is inexperienced with the strategy.

•         Brainstorm with students (or have students brainstorm in groups) a list of what they think the selection will be about.  Generate a list of possibilities, predictions, or questions that students want to have answered.

•         After reading a segment, discuss (or have students discuss in groups) what they have discovered regarding their initial questions and predictions.  Students must substantiate their statements by citing evidence from the text.

•         Students circle or check correct predictions and cross-out or erase incorrect predictions. Identify which predictions remain inconclusive (without adequate evidence to support them, as yet).

•         Repeat the cycle of Predict-Read-Confirm/Reject throughout the selection.

Variations may include the following: 

a)  Students individually write their predictions in a double-entry journal.

b)  Students discuss or draw part of the predictions.

c)  Set up the model for DRTA as students might in a Science class: State Hypothesis (predict), Gather Data (supporting evidence), and Reach Conclusions (confirm/reject predictions based on the data).  When reading literature, this variation is particularly effective when a major conflict has appeared in a story, and students use the model to make guesses about the outcome.  In groups, students can gather evidence to support, refute, or revise their predictions and share evidence with the class.

-- Ann Jaramillo and Kelly Smith from Salinas Union High School District

DRTA Prediction Log Text Title/Author/Chapter:
Hypothesis/Prediction	Confirmed? Rejected? Inconclusive?	Textual Evidence

DR/TA

Directed Reading/Thinking Activity

What I know I know:

What I think I know:

What I think I’ll learn:

What I know I learned:

Billmeyer, Rachel and Mary Lee Barton. Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me. Then Who?

Aurora: McREL (Mid-continental Regional Educational Laboratory), 1998

Click on link below to watch short video on text:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvOX6VFD2ZM

OOW
2019