Good morning, my name is Jasmine, the prosecutor, and it is my pleasure to represent the people of the state in this very important case. The defendant, Ike LaRue, is usually a great dog, but due to some incidents, he was just recently sent to obedience school. Ike was sent to obedience school for eating a chicken pie that he was not supposed to eat, ripping an expensive camel’s fur coat, howling, and chasing the neighbor’s cats. Due to these crimes, at the conclusion of this case, we will ask for a verdict of guilty. Ike is sent away for things he is not responsible for, like eating a chicken pie his owner had been saving for dinner, chasing the Hibbin’s cats, howling in the middle of the night and waking and startling the neighbors, and ripping an expensive camel’s coat. This all displeases his owner, who, as a punishment, sends him to obedience school.
The first incident that Ike committed was the incident of the chicken pie. Ike ate a chicken pie without permission, and that really made Mrs. LaRue angry. Ike thought that Mrs. LaRue could have told him, but he is putting the blame on someone else when it is his fault. He did it without permission, which makes it his fault that Mrs. LaRue got mad at him. If Ike didn’t know if he could eat the pie, he shouldn’t have. He should have just played it safe and not have eaten the chicken pie at all. Ike didn’t know if he should do it or not, but he chose to do it, which resulted in Mrs. LaRue getting mad at Ike. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ike is also not taking the responsibility for it. He keeps saying that Mrs. LaRue didn’t tell him not to eat it, but he shouldn’t have eaten it in the first place! If something happens and it is your fault, take responsibility! Don’t blame others when they are innocent.
The second incident was that Ike was howling too much and too loud, which started to irritate the neighbors. Ike thought that his howling was quite moderate, but his judgment, can’t really count, because he can say it is moderate because he might be able to howl louder, while the neighbors might think it is already at ear splitting point. Besides, everybody vacuums, right? Who would save the vacuuming for midnight, when everyone is asleep? It’s a natural habit for dogs to howl, so they shouldn't be the ones giving judgment on the noise. Besides, the neighbors NEED to vacuum to get rid of harmful germs and bits of trash, while Ike is just howling with no purpose or usefulness. Also, by howling, Ike was not just waking the neighbors, he could have also woken up the other people in town. Before you do something, think about if it is useful, needed, or just for fun.
The third incident was the cat incident. The Hibbins’ cats were out on the fire escape, and Ike was just trying to get them down, but the Hibbins’ and Mrs. LaRue both thought that he was chasing the cats up the fire escape. It is a dog’s nature to chase cats, so Ike shouldn’t really blame Mrs. LaRue for thinking that he was chasing cats. Also, Ike could have taken some alternatives to standing below the fire escape and waiting for the cats. Instead, he could have called the owner, the Hibbins’, and left the job to them instead. That way, it could have prevented some misunderstandings about whether he was just kindly trying to get the cats down for the fire escape or chasing the cats up the fire escape. If you want to help, but you don’t know if you should, alert someone else instead.
In conclusion, Dear Mrs. LaRue, written by Mark Teaue, is a funny and humorous book for kids that can also offer a chance to practice debating. There are four incidents each, and it is up to the reader to decide which side they will take. In the story, Ike eats a chicken pie, tries to get the neighbor’s cats down from the fire escape, howls and wakes up neighbors, and also rips a camel coat. When Ike was helping Mrs. LaRue cross the street, Mrs. LaRue was in danger of a car, and Ike pulled her down, ripping her new coat. Even though Ike thought that her life mattered more, he should have apologized to her after. He did break and damage some of her property in the process, after all. Dear Mrs. LaRue is a great book for readers, full of humor and is a great read.
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