Characters:

Tom
A boy who was misunderstood by people as addled. Little do they know that this boy will be one of the most important person in the history of mankind! He invented over a thousand devices that improved life for every one of us in the planet.

Mrs. Edison

An ever loving mother

who did not give up for his son despite what people thought. She became Toms teacher at home after she removed him from school.

Teacher

She was a very judgmental

person who indiscriminately criticized Tom without considering the factors that made him do the things he did at school and without regards in his hearing defects.

Setting:
Described the setting as full of tension and fear for Toms mother at school. Tom being resilient and hardworking, studies at home and work at the same time. Despite his hearing problem, he continues being an inventor and a train-boy in the Grand Trunk Railway. He put up a new laboratory in an empty freight car.

Summary:
Seven-year old Tom was very sad when he hurried home from school one day. His teacher had called him an addled boy, or his mind was confused with many things. Toms mother felt sad when she heard about this. So she went to the schoolhouse to talk to Toms teacher. But the teacher was straight forward in telling that Tom is not teachable.

Mrs. Edison did not give up and persuade the teacher that Tom wants so much to learn and loves to ask people everything he wants to know. But the teacher dismissed the idea and declared that Tom is a nuisance in class and had difficulty following the lessons. Mrs. Edison explained that Tom has hearing problems and that is why he did not learn to talk until he was four. But the teacher did not listen to Toms mother. Mrs. Edison promptly removed Tom from school. She became Toms teacher at home. Soon Tom became a voracious reader. He ended up teaching himself. He enjoyed reading chemistry books and was also a keen observer of anything unusual. He never stopped studying and experimenting. When he was ten years old, he set up a laboratory in the basement of their house. After a year, his hearing problem had worsened. He became totally deaf in his left ear and could hear only a little in his right ear. Toms mother could no longer stand the smell of his laboratory, but Tom could not hear his mothers complains because of his deafness. He was able to concentrate deeply on his work. He was not distracted by the noise or chatter while working, not even his mom talking to him.

Mother had to repeat what she said, but this time in a louder voice. This time, Tom replied and asked what shall I do? Toms mother asked him to do something else other than staying in his dark laboratory the whole of his life. So Tom, then twelve years old, took a job as a train-boy on the Grand Trunk Railway and he put up a new laboratory in an empty freight car. Also in the train, he sold weekly papers which he himself printed. This gave him extra money to buy chemicals and supplies for his experiments. One day, when a train stopped at a station, Tom saw a young boy playing on the tracks. Suddenly an unmanned train came rolling right toward the boy. Tom ran and pulled the child to safety. The boys father, the station agent, was so happy at Toms bravery. As a reward, he offered to train Tom as a telegraph operator. Tom got his regular job as a telegraph operator when he was sixteen years old. He liked to work at night so he could read and do experiments during the day. Yes, Tom had never been lazy in his life!

He continued learning everything and doing what he thought he could do. When he had earned enough money, he put up his own research laboratory. He hired people to help him in his experiments. Since then Tom worked on many projects. This included the phonograph machine. The phonograph was like a record player with the disc. But his most important invention is the electric light bulb. This invention not only made Tom rich, but it also made him famous. Thomas Alva Edison, the boy whom they called addled in school, had invented over a thousand devices that improved life for every one of us in the planet.

Moral lesson:
The story tells us that we should not judge a person easily. We should always give a person a chance to prove his worth and believe in him. There is no hopeless or impossible situation if we only believe and have faith... This is a perfect example of how Tom uses his God given talent despite his hearing problem and being an out-ofschool youth. We need to take courageous action in the face of insults and fearful circumstances and trust that God will fight for all of us who believes in Him. We should always remember that God's opinion is the only one that matters. Even we are facing a giant problem or impossible situation, we should not lose hope and stop for a minute and refocus so we can see the situation more clearly from God's vantage point.

Points of Interest in the Story:

Tom, despite all the obstacles and trials that he experienced, He continued learning everything and doing what he thought he could do. When he had earned enough money, he put up his own research laboratory. He hired people to help him in his experiments. Thomas Alva Edison, the boy whom they called addled in school, had invented over a thousand devices that improved life for every one of us in the planet. When the teacher criticized and insulted Tom, he didnt stop or even waver. His mother helped him overcome the situation. He knew that action needed to be taken. Tom did the right thing in spite of discouraging insults. Only God's opinion mattered to Tom.

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax Resolution Falling action

After a year, his Hearing problem had worsened. He became totally deaf in his left ear and could hear only a little in his right ear.