The Emissary story
An invalid boy's dog brings him people and things that it feels he needs, including a kindhearted schoolteacher. Afterthe schoolteacher dies, the dog decides it must perform one last task for its master. Directed by: Sturla Gunnarsson. Story by: Ray Bradbury.
18 total · 1 choice · 5 major · 12 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| master and pet | choice | The story concerns Martin, a bedridden boy, and his unusual dog, Dog, that seemed able to somehow go out and fetch Martin whatever he needed. |
| coping with being ill and indisposed | major | Martin was confined to his house and, for the most part, his bed because of some unspecified illness that seemed to border on a handicap. |
| coping with the death of someone | major | Martin was hit hard by news of Miss Haight's sudden and unexpected death in a car crash. |
| mentor and protégé | major | The story concerned Martin and his kindhearted schoolteacher, Miss Haight, who went out of her way to teach Martin in private, indeed in his bed, when he was unable to attend school. |
| wish-granting being | major | Martin's dog had an uncanny ability to fulfill his master's desires by bring back whatever he needed. |
| zombie | major | Sensing that Martin desperately wanted his teacher, Miss Haight, to return, his dog went out and dug up her grave, causing her to come back as an animated corpse. |
| creative writing | minor | In the introduction, Ray Bradbury shared with the viewer the wellsprings of creativity that inspire his writing. Martin wrote romantic prose about his teacher, Miss Haight. |
| father and son | minor | Martin conversed with his father at the dinner table. |
| funeral rite | minor | Martin shed a tear as Miss Haight's funeral procession passed his bedroom window. |
| human aspiration | minor | Martin aspired to be a writer. |