Half a Day Study Guide

The story, which takes place in Egypt, begins with a father taking his son to his first day of school. The boy is proud to be wearing his new school uniform, but wonders whether going to school rather than staying home with his mother represents some kind of punishment. As they walk along a garden-lined street the boy's father tells him that school is not a punishment but a place where boys are transformed into useful men. "Today you truly begin life," he says. (read more)