The Wretched Stone

Chris Van Allsburg, USA (1949)
Unit: Television
Subject: Flax-Golden Tales

Four Levels 

Literal Comprehension:

"The Wretched Stone" is a story. It is written by Van Allsburg. This story is about the disadvantages of TV.  After completing all the preparations, a big cargo ship, Rita Anne, started its journey in good weather. The crew enjoyed reading books and telling stories. After four weeks, they reached a strange island. There were no fruits on the plants, no signs of human life, and the air smelled bad. The water from the fountains was bitter. They found a shiny stone that gave off light. They took the stone on the ship and continued their journey.

The crew became obsessed with the stone. They forgot their duties, rarely spoke, and always sat in front of it. They started behaving like animals and could not understand the captain's words. The captain made a secret plan to throw the stone into the sea. Soon, a storm came, but the crew was too distracted to help. The captain alone controlled the ship while the crew kept watching the stone like a TV. Later, the captain helped them return to normal by playing music, reading books, and telling stories. Those who could read changed faster. In the end, another ship rescued them.

Interpretation:

This story gives many messages. The stone represents modern people who are uncreative. The story suggests that watching too much TV makes people careless about their responsibilities. TV is a non-productive activity, and there are better ways to enjoy life, like reading, singing, and storytelling. The story also shows that TV distracts people from important work and changes their behavior. The title The Wretched Stone refers to the stone that causes problems, just like TV can bring more harm than good. Staying away from TV can help us be more creative, responsible, and well-mannered.

Critical Thinking:

I do not fully agree with the negative view of TV in the story. Modern technology has made life easier, and TV is one of the most useful inventions. TV is not completely useless; it gives information about the world, new inventions, knowledge, and skills. It brings the world closer to us. Can watching TV really turn people into animals? Does TV really make people careless? Can we ignore the knowledge and information TV provides? TV is not bad if we use it wisely. It has many benefits along with some disadvantages.

Assimilation:

This story made me think deeply. I see similar situations in real life. Many school children watch non-creative programs instead of studying. Housewives often spend too much time watching TV without doing creative work. If we do not use TV properly, it can make us unproductive, just like the crew in the story. The way the story compares TV to a stone made me more careful about how I watch TV. Now, I will focus on using TV for learning and creativity instead of wasting time.