Pollyanna

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“The Many Faces of Pollyanna: From Hayley Mills to Mitsuko Horie and Beyond”

In this activity, students will sharpen their cross-cultural comparative analysis skills by comparing the original Pollyanna to the Japanese anime adaptation from 1986 and to the 1960 Disney film adaptation starring Hayley Mills.

Since the novel was originally published in 1913, the character of Pollyanna has captured the popular imagination in America and beyond. As the years have gone by, Pollyanna continues to symbolize the power of perennial optimism but also the naiveté that can sometimes accompany such optimism.

How has the story of Pollyanna morphed over time in its many adaptations? In this activity, you will compare Pollyanna adaptations from various times and across cultures. Focusing on two particular adaptations—the Japanese anime version from 1986 and the 1960 film by Disney—you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the original novel and learn more about why the story of Pollyanna is so enduring:

• Watch Episode 1 (“The Little Church Girl”) of the Japanese anime adaptation of Pollyanna and the “Pollyanna Trailer” for the 1960 Disney movie. Take notes as you watch both adaptations. What strikes you about how Pollyanna is portrayed? Is there anything surprising in this episode, particularly if it does not align with the original book?
• Complete a T-chart that compares the book to both adaptations. Using this T-chart template by Smekens Education, perform a deeper analysis of each adaptation to the original book. Be sure to complete separate T-charts for each adaptation.

Discuss your T-charts as a class. In your opinion, which of the adaptations is truest to the original book? Why or why not might Japanese culture have different ideas around individualism and/or optimism? In that case, how might we interpret the themes and messaging of the anime adaptation differently, in the context of Japanese culture? In your opinion, is Pollyanna a positive influence on culture or not?

Teaching Suggestion: The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate, in a tangible and concrete way, the enduring power of the story of Pollyanna. Emphasize the lapses in time between each adaptation: It was practically 50 years between the original book’s publication and the Disney film’s creation, and then nearly 30 years later after the Disney film, the Japanese animation was released. This means that, for over a century, the story of Pollyanna remained captivating to audiences worldwide. For added context, you may want to have students watch the brief video  “Why We Love Pollyanna” for further discussion on the legacy of Pollyanna.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout Pollyanna, societal attitudes around social class affect Pollyanna’s experiences.

• What role does social class play in the novel? (topic sentence)
• To what extent does Pollyanna’s work eradicate class boundaries?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explore how Pollyanna’s optimistic spirit has the effect of Redressing Classism in Beldingsville.

2. Pollyanna’s motor car accident in Chapter 23 is a pivotal moment in the narrative.

• What is the symbolic significance of the motor car that hits Pollyanna? (topic sentence)
• How might Pollyanna’s accident serve as a warning against unchecked optimism?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe the irony in how Pollyanna’s Optimism helps her cope with the aftermath of the motor car accident, even while her optimism simultaneously may have potentially contributed to her getting into the accident in the first place.

3. Aunt Polly’s character goes through a transformation over the course of the novel.

• How is Aunt Polly misunderstood, both by Pollyanna and by the people of Beldingsville? (topic sentence)
• Would you describe Aunt Polly as an unlikeable figure? Why or why not?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, enumerate the ways in which Pollyanna’s Optimism helps drive the change in Aunt Polly’s character.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Pollyanna is A Child in an Adults’ World. How do you think the novel addresses adult concerns rather than childish ones? Reflect upon the tragedies, heartbreaks, and assorted difficulties that Pollyanna must contend with over the course of the novel. In your concluding sentence or sentences, consider how Pollyanna’s youthfulness and childish spirit, ironically, help her cope with these struggles.

2.How does Pollyanna present romance as a disruptive force? What role does Porter give Pollyanna in these romantic intrigues? Analyze two moments in the text that deal with the novel’s turbulent romantic relationships. In your concluding sentence or sentences, explore how Pollyanna’s Optimism helps resolve and/or smooth over the disruption caused by these romantic relationships.

3. Discuss the significance of the glad game in Pollyanna. To what extent is Pollyanna alone responsible for changing the attitude of an entire village? Reflect upon at least three examples of how Pollyanna’s glad game transforms citizens of Beldingsville for the better. In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the glad game is, arguably, the most tangible, outward manifestation of Pollyanna’s Optimism.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following words best describe Aunt Polly’s temperament in the early chapters of Pollyanna?

A) Quiet and neurotic

B) Adventurous and career-oriented

C) Kind-hearted and sweet

D) Fussy and ill-humored

2. What perspective does Porter deploy to provide an acute impression of the world and Pollyanna’s impact on the various characters?

A) A third-person close perspective

B) A first-person perspective

C) A second-person close perspective

D) A third-person omniscient perspective

3. When Mr. Pendleton tells Pollyanna in Chapter 17 that she reminds him “of the thing [he] was so wanting to forget,” what is he alluding to?

A) The death of his mother after a lingering illness

B) His unsuccessful business collaboration with the Ladies’ Aid committee

C) His broken leg

D) A failed romantic relationship

4. Focusing on Aunt Polly, which of the following statements best describes the shift her character makes over the course of the novel?

A) At first, she is a miserly woman; by the end, she is extremely generous with her wealth.

B) At first, she is oblivious to the plight faced by orphans like Pollyanna; by the end, she embraces the plight of abandoned, unwanted, and otherwise alone children in her community.

C) At first, she is influenced by social and religious duty; by the end, she is motivated by genuine care and real feeling.

D) At first, she is overly political, wanting to take a stand against the institution of marriage; by the end, she embraces a more traditional gender role by entering a romantic relationship.

5. Of all the characters who benefit from Pollyanna’s glad game, which of the following characters is most resistant to participating?

A) Pollyanna herself

B) Mrs. Snow

C) Mr. Pendleton

D) Nancy

6. What do the characters Mrs. Snow, Mrs. Benton, and Mrs. Payson all have in common?

A) They all are members of the Ladies’ Aid committee.

B) They all benefit greatly from Pollyanna’s glad game.

C) They all are related to the original founders of Beldingsville.

D) They all tease Pollyanna for her shabby clothes.

7. Which of the following facts best demonstrates how Old Tom is loyal to Aunt Polly and the Harrington family in general?

A) Old Tom has his son, Timothy, working in Aunt Polly’s service.

B) Old Tom is made the beneficiary in the Harrington family will.

C) Aunt Polly tells Old Tom the secret location of the Harrington family treasure chest.

D) Aunt Polly tells Pollyanna that Old Tom is the only man in her life that she can ever trust.

8. How does Pollyanna’s childish personality, and the fact that she is A Child in an Adults’ World, have a direct impact on the lives of the people of Beldingsville?

A) She is privy to their secrets, which makes them feel a sense of relief.

B) It causes them to want to take care of her, which thus gives them a sense of purpose.

C) She can approach adult problems with a fresh, unprejudiced perspective, allowing new solutions to be found.

D) It gives her a playful spirit, which inspires the serious, stoic people of Beldingsville to lighten up and have some fun.

9. When Pollyanna realizes that she does not have a mirror in her attic room in Chapter 4, this scene is most directly connected to which of the book’s themes?

A) Pollyanna’s Optimism

B) Redressing Classism

C) A Child in an Adults’ World

D) Pollyanna’s Secret Vanity

10. Which of the following best describes how the glad game is connected to the theme of Redressing Classism?

A) Because the glad game allows participants to look beyond the crude, harsh facts and find the hidden positive, it is an egalitarian game.

B) Because the glad game causes Aunt Polly to realize that her extreme wealth is unfair, she is able to renounce it.

C) Because the glad game is rooted in a Buddhist belief about overcoming social distinctions, it can lift the spirits of all who practice it.

D) Because the glad game helps Pollyanna explain to Mr. Pendleton that being optimistic is for both rich and poor people alike, it broadens his perspective.

11. Who first teaches Pollyanna about the glad game?

A) Aunt Polly

B) Old Tom

C) Her father

D) Her mother

12. How does Pollyanna’s room in Aunt Polly’s mansion serve as a metaphor for their relationship?

A) The room’s temperature is a metaphor for the closeness of their relationship: When the room is hot, they’re content with each other, but when it’s cold, they’re estranged.

B) The room’s location is a metaphor for the closeness of their relationship: When the relationship is intimate, Pollyanna’s room is in the center of the house, but when they’re distant, Aunt Polly has her staying in the attic. 

C) The room’s wall colors are a metaphor for the closeness of their relationship: When the walls are a placid color like white, their relationship is peaceful, but when it’s a bright color like red, the relationship is turbulent.

D) The room’s size is a metaphor for the closeness of their relationship:  When Pollyanna is in a small room, their relationship is strained, but when she’s in a big room, the relationship is easy and flowing.

13. Which paraphrased line best describes Mr. Pendleton’s idea of what qualities make a house a home?

A) “It takes a lively kitchen and a warm meal to make a house a home.”

B) “It takes just one room, filled with your favorite books, to make a house a home.”

C) “It takes a woman’s touch or a child’s presence to make a house a home.”

D) “It takes just a roof over one’s head and a pillow to rest your head at night to make a house a home.”

14. Which is the correct order of events?

A) Pollyanna relocates to Beldingsville; Pollyanna’s father dies; it is revealed that Aunt Polly and Dr. Chilton had a past relationship.

B) Pollyanna’s father dies; Jimmy Bean is adopted by Mr. Pendleton; Pollyanna is struck by a motor car.

C) It is revealed that Aunt Polly and Dr. Chilton had a past relationship; Pollyanna relocates to Beldingsville; Pollyanna’s father dies.

D) Pollyanna’s father dies; Pollyanna is struck by a motor car; Jimmy Bean is adopted by Mr. Pendleton.

15. Which of the following words best describes the tone of Chapter 32, entitled “Which Is a Letter From Pollyanna”?

A) Scared

B) Curious

C) Fearful

D) Joyous

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What do you learn about Pollyanna’s life before she arrives in Beldingsville? How does her Western past influence her outlook and actions?

2. Discuss Pollyanna’s general attitude toward disability. How does the novel’s depiction of disability reflect the time in which the novel was written?