Read the following excerpt from Little Women.

"Really, girls, you are both to be blamed," said Meg, beginning to lecture in her elder-sisterly fashion. "You are old enough to leave off boyish tricks, and to behave better, Josephine. It didn't matter so much when you were a little girl, but now you are so tall, and turn up your hair, you should remember that you are a young lady."

"I'm not! And if turning up my hair makes me one, I'll wear it in two tails till I'm twenty," cried Jo, pulling off her net, and shaking down a chestnut mane. "I hate to think I've got to grow up, and be Miss March, and wear long gowns, and look as prim as a China Aster! It's bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boy's games and work and manners! I can't get over my disappointment in not being a boy. And it's worse than ever now, for I'm dying to go and fight with Papa. And I can only stay home and knit, like a poky old woman!"

What question would be most effective to encourage a good group discussion?

What does Jo wish she could go and do with Papa?
In what other ways might Jo be frustrated about her life?
According to what she says, why is Jo disappointed?
During her lecture, what does Meg tell Jo she should do?

What does Jo wish she could go and do with Papa?

What does Jo wish she could go and do with Papa?

What other examples of Jo's defiance or unconventional behavior can you find in this excerpt?