Cora Did Nothing Wrong - Debate on “Dear Mr. Winston”

The story Dear Mr. Winston written by Ken Roberts, it talks about a girl named Cora who writes apology letters to the librarian of school Mr. Winston. She brought her pet snake to school. She wants to get a book about snakes and use it to help herself to raise the snake. She put the snake in a box in the grass. She wanted to get the book outside but Mr. Winston said no to her. She just got the box inside the library, when she came in the library, Mr. Winston saw her box and wanted to help her but she said no. Although Mr. Winston still opens the box and the snake runs out. Mr. Winston was very afraid of snakes so when he saw Cora’s pet, he fainted from fear. Cora can’t get back her pet snake and she needs to write a apologize letter to Mr. Winston. Her parents said that she shouldn’t get the pet to school and this made her feel bad. I think that Cora did nothing wrong.

I think that Cora did nothing wrong, she didn’t want to open the box. When she went to the library, the box was locked so the snake wouldn't run out of it, but Mr. Winston opened the box and dropped it on the floor. This makes the snake run out of the box. If Mr. Winston didn’t touch the box, the snake won’t run out, everyone in the school won’t be worried about the snake, Mr. Winston won’t even get hurt, you won't faint. In the story, when Cora was writing a letter, she had written, “There is no way that snake could have escaped. If you hadn't opened the box and dropped it on the floor” this shows the helpless Cora had felt through those things. Cora did nothings wrong, she didn’t ask Mr. Winston for help, if he didn’t try to help her, the snake wouldn't run out. When she goes home her parents said that she did something wrong but I don’t think so.

I think that Cora did nothing wrong, for the opposite, she was the one that lost something. The snake pet was Cora bought from her friends, it cost her one months’ allowance, normally she can own it for one whole month but because of Mr. Winston she just owned it for one hour. In the story, after the things the snake was missing, and if they can’t find the snake, she is going to give more money to her friend because she lost the snake. She said that “I paid one month's allowance for it, which means that snake has cost me a total of three months' allowance and I only owned it for one hour!” If Mr. Winston didn’t open and drop the box, she won’t miss a month of allowance. In the thing, Cora was the one that lost the most, she lost the snake and more than a month’s allowance.

I think that Cora did nothing wrong, after the thing, Cora could not watch Galactic Patrol if not true genuinely sorry. I can’t understand why her parents do that to her. The show has no relation with the snake. The parents should not do those things. In the text, Cora went back home, her parents let her write an apology letter, and she felt genuinely sorry. I don’t think her parents’ have a good way of doing things, it was kind of forcing her to do something, it can’t really let Cora know what she did wrong, not to mention that she did nothing wrong. If the parents try to talk to Cora with patience instead of blaming her, she won’t feel upset when writing the letter. Throughout Cora’s parents' way of doing things, I think they were not very competent, Cora needed time to relax her mind at home. I don’t think Cora did anything wrong, instead, I think it was her parent’s fault.

In conclusion, the story talks about a girl named Cora who gets her pet snake to the school library, the librarian wants to help her but instead of help, he lets the snake run away and  he sees it and he faints from fear. Cora was writing an apology letter to him. I think it was innocent for Cora to write an apology letter, she did nothing wrong. The one that needed to say sorry was Mr. Winston, if he didn’t try to open the box, the snake won’t run out of it, the whole school won’t be worried that a snake will run out and bite them.