1. Do you think that Anatole France observed jugglers?

What details in the story tell you

this?
- I believe Anatole France observed jugglers, but he is not a character in the novel, and as
the author, he should know something about jugglers. The portion where the narrator
recounts what Barnabas performs while going from place to place while performing,
including postures, equipment, and so on, made me think he observed jugglers.

2. Do you think that he observed convent life and the lives of monks? How do you
know? Give varied activities in the monastery as picture in the story.
- I believe he recognized the convent life and monks' lives because he stated
knowledge about the monks and what they do in the monastery, such as how they
most exquisitely celebrated the cult of the Holy Virgin, each of them bringing to her
service all the knowledge and skill that God had bestowed upon them.

3. Do you think that he was familiar with the life of the poor? How can you tell?
- I guess we are all familiarized with the lives of the poor, we are always exposed to
individuals and their circumstances. I can tell he is indeed in the lives of the poor
because he mentioned some of the issues they face, such as Barnabas' difficulties
working and earning money to cover his costs.

4. Do you think that he arrived at the truth that the poor and the simple of hearts are
close to God and that their faith was stronger? How can you tell?

- Certainly, because I believe he discovered the reality that God is close to the poor and simple
hearts. Because, in my opinion, they are the type of person that puts their complete trust in God
and is willing to devote all to Him. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," says a
phrase at the end of the story. This is one of the portions where I can tell how he came to the
truth, and as I read and ponder on the story, I understand why they are closer to God.

5. Do you think that the author believed that God accepts and rewards the sacrifices of
the poor if these sacrifices are given with love and faith? Explain your answer. Is
this the theme of the story?
- I think the writer believed that God welcomes and rewards poor folk's sacrifices. We
had love and faith in God and trusted him since we worked hard for it and gave it our
all. And He compensates us for the accomplishments we've made with His help. Yes
it's the theme of the story.
 6. What was the author’s purpose for writing the story? State this purpose in a
sentence.
- The author's goal in writing the narrative is to teach/inform the readers about how
difficult life is, to entertain the readers by showing how we achieved our goals despite
adversity, and to share his thoughts on the story.

7. To project this purpose, what setting did he need?

- He need a one-of-a-kind setting, according to what I've learned, the place he chose for
this narrative is an abbey in France, namely the Benedictine abbey in Cluny. Because it is
a former monastery, I believe it matches the plot nicely. And I suppose the aim matches
as well, it's amusing for me to know that it takes place in an abbey, which piqued my
curiosity in the story, and we get to know more about activities that are doing in the
monastery.

8. What characters did he need?

- A character who demonstrates how difficult the life of the poor is who works hard to
survive, a character who is willing to help in any way he/she can just to help the other
person. and, most importantly,  a character who is willing to listen about the main
character's sufferings who chose to remain silent rather than tell someone about his
pain.

9. Why did the Virgin descend from the altar and with her blue mantle wipe the sweat
from the juggler’s forehead? What does this action symbolize?
- I truly think The Virgin migrated from the altar to erase Barnabas' sweat because he
is a faithful man, he has a pure heart that he chose to remain silent while suffering,  I
believe it is an act of thanksgiving and compassion for a guy because he has been
through a lot. he is very humble and his talent is very amusing and it's a great talent,
but most importantly, he trusted the Virgin and he was faithful. 

10. Was the author able to project his purpose successfully to the reader?

- Without a doubt, the author was able to successfully project this purpose, the novel's message
is informative, the characters are somewhat relatable, and, most significantly, the story is
beautiful, it is a piece of art. And as a reader, I'm impressed with what he wrote because I learned
that a lot of things can be difficult, but sometimes we just have to trust ourselves and have faith
because our hard work will be rewarded with something we wanted to achieve. 
Submitted by: Apollo O. Freno

Submitted to: Ma’am Aleta Alvior