Response Question One:
• In Maupassant's "The Jewelry," the author seems to treat morality as something elusive. Once the secret of Madame Lantin's jewelry is revealed, what details from earlier in the story take on a different significance? How and why might the story's end - - especially the last paragraph -- defy expectations? Do you think that Lantin would have been happier with an unfaithful wife who doted on him, as opposed to a faithful wife who is difficult to get along with? Why or why not?
Response Question Two:
Background Information
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is considered one of the greatest stories for irony and also symbolism. For example, Fortunato's name means "Fortunate One," which is ironic considering how he dies. He is dressed as a fool for carnival or the equivalent to Mari Gras, and as the story develops, Monstressor plays him for a fool. Even Monstressor "black" cloak is symbolic of death. In fact, in almost every line, a reader can find something that is either ironic or symbolic.
Foreshadowing also plays a part in the story. The catacombs are filled with bones and death. When Fortunato tell Monstressor that he will not die of a cold, Monstressor agrees; Fortunato certainly doesn't die of a cold.
• I've given you several examples of how irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing play an important part in the telling of this story. What are other examples that you can find? Also, we are only told the story from Monstressor's viewpoint. Do you think that he is a reliable narrator? Why or why not.
Response Question Three:
• One of the themes of William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning" deals with loyalty. Sarty is continually torn between his sense of morality that he inherited from his mother and his father's obsession with the only loyalty Sarty should feel is family loyalty. Do you think that Sarty is disloyal to his family or is he simply showing good judgment at the end of the story?
Other themes in this story are poverty and class conflicts. What evidence can you find in the text to support this?
Response Question Four:
Background Information
Susan Glaspell's A Jury of her Peers was written in 1917, which was a time where women had no real freedom. The husband ruled the house, and the woman was at the mercy of whether the man was kind or cruel, whether emotionally or physically.
Questions
• In A Jury of Her Peers, what evidence does Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale find that would give Minnie a motive for killing her husband? Do the men ever pick up on these clues? Do you think that Minnie Foster Wright was justified in killing husband? Why or why not?
• How is the birdcage symbolic of Minnie Foster's life, and what is the significance of the title of the story?
Response Question Five:
Background Information:
Bobbie Ann Mason writes about people beset and befuddled by change -- change most often brought on by modern technology and modern civilization. Often we see her rural or blue-collar protagonists struggling to make sense of shopping malls, housing developments, and the latest topic on the Phil Donahue Show. But above all, I think, we see the men and women of her stories struggling to make sense of themselves and one another. She is primarily explaining the crises in individual lives that are provoked or intensified by radical changes in society. Certainly one of her foremost concerns in Shiloh is the change in social relationships between men and women and how evolving and rapidly shifting gender roles affect the lives of simple, everyday people and is the theme of many of the stories in this collection. Norman Jean tries to forge a new identity and throws off many of the traditionally feminine behaviors while Leroy takes on what had traditionally been considered "female" behaviors or characteristics; in fact, sometimes Norman Jean and Leroy seem to be trading roles.
With the post-feminist movement attitudes taking shape in the United States, many 1980s men found themselves at a loss as to how to define themselves as "male." Traditionally, men were the sole providers for their families and carried most of the stress for providing for their wives and family monetarily.
Questions
• What elements in the story support the ideas discussed above? How has Norman Jean taken on more male characteristics and how has Leroy taken on a more feminine role? How does this impact their marriage?
• I would also be interested to hear if you were able to spot any symbolism or foreshadowing in the story also.
Attachment:- response question.zip