Saturday, May 7, 2011

A Rose for Emily

Roles:
Leader: Johanna
Recorder: Savannah
Analyst: Ylenia
Comparer: Olivia

Questions:

1. Why do you think Emily never married?

2. How do you think the town views Emily?

3. Why do you think Emily poisoned Homer?

4. Why do you think Emily refused to believe her father was dead?

Analysis:

In "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, the author utilizes Gothic cacophonic diction to potray Emily as a lonely recluse. When the story begins, Faulkner automatically begins to apply cacophony when he describes Emily's home as "coquettish." The whispering "sh" sound and the stumbling "q" sound emitt a feeling of abandonment from her home and her character. Although her father did not abandon her, she was left alone after his death. Moreover, many men were rejected by her father throughout the years, leaving her alone. In addition, Faulkner illustrates Emily as "spare," a cacophonic word due to the pessimistic "p" sound that illustrates her vulnerability and loneliness. In conclusion, in "A Rose for Emily," William Faulkner applies Gothic cacophonic diction to illustrate Emily as a lonely recluse.

Comparing this story to another:

In "A Rose for Emily," Emily is very similar to Boo Radley from To Kill A Mockingbird. Like Boo Radley, Emily is a recluse that is talked about in her town. She is not feared as Boo Radley was; however, she is certainly talked about and a very curious character. Additionally, people are very curious about Emily which compares to the curiousity surrounding Boo Radley.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Miss Brill

Roles:
Leader/moderator: Savannah
Recorder: Johanna
Analyst: Olivia
Comparer: Ylenia

Questions

1. Why do you think Katherine Mansfield describes the coat as "crying" when it is put away?

2. Why you think Miss Brill is a lonely character?

3. How does Miss Brill react to the couple that speak badly about her?

4. How do people generally react to Miss Brill and how does Miss Brill see the world?

Analysis:

In "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield, the author utilizes personification and nostalgic cacophonic language to exert a feeling of loneliness coming from Miss Brill. As the story begins, the author automatically begins to use personification to demonstrate the loneliness of Miss Brill's character. Miss Brill, excitedly reflecting her clothing choice of a fur coat, describes her reunion with with the coat as having "rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes." Miss Brill has given the coat facial features, revealing her lonesomeness. Additionally, by the end of the story, she gives the coat emotionally feelings as she depicts the coat as "crying." Moreover, the cacophonic word "crying" contains a stuttering "c" sound, emitting a feeling of solitude. To conclude, Katherine Mansfield portrays Miss Brill as a lonely character by utilizing personification and cacophonic language in "Miss Brill."

Comparing "Miss Brill" to Another Story:

While reading "Miss Brill," the story reminding us of Boo Radley from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Boo Radley, a feared recluse, is an extremely lonely character that Miss Brill certainly identifies with. Although Miss Brill is not feared as Boo Radley was, she is similar to him because she watches everyone rather than being watched. In addition, she is not well thought of throughout the community. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Boo Radley was thought of as strange. Similarly, at the end of "Mill Brill," we learned that people also think strangely of Miss Brill.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Everyday Use

Roles:
Leader: Ylenia
Recorder: Olivia
Analyst: Johanna
Comparer: Savannah

Questions:

1. The internal and external conflict in this story is very vague, do you think this is done on purpose, or are the conflicts tied together in some way?

2. The character Dee has her own opinions on her heritage. Do you think this gives her the idea that she is superior to the others and if so why?

3. Why do you think Maggie and her mother let Dee boss them around and talk bad about them, without feeling the need to make her feel more gracious until the end?

4. Do you think that the relationship between Dee and Maggie shows more hatred than normal siblings?

Analysis:

In "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, the author carefully applies dialogue to demonstrate a constrast between Dee and her family. As the story commences, the narrator, Mama, is preparing for her daughter, Dee, to arrive for a visit. Dee, an educated woman, is linguistically different from the rest of her family. The contrast between Dee and Maggie's dialect is very evident when Maggie says, "I can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts." Additionally, Mama illustrates her incorrect grammar when she states, "God know I been saving 'em for long enough with nobody using 'em." Moreover, while Maggie and Mama speak improperly, Dee demonstrates sophistication in her speech when she declares, "Maggie's brain is like an elephant's," due to her use of a metaphor. To conclude, Alice Walker applies dialogue to demonstrate a contrast between Dee and her family in "Everday Use."

Comparing this story to another:

"Everday Use" really reminded us of the film New York Minute starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Like Dee and Maggie, Mary-Kate and Ashley's characters differ in many ways. While Dee is much more educated than Maggie, Ashley's character is much more organized and determined to further her education while Mary-Kate's character is not focused on academics in the least.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Interpreter of Maladies

Roles: 
Leader/moderator: Olivia
Recorder: Ylenia
Analyst: Savannah
Comparer: Johanna

Three Questions:
1.  How does the Das family differ from traditional Indian families?

2. Due to Mrs. Das's upbringing in the United States, is she less accepting of Indian culture?


3. Due to the fact that the story was written in the 2oth century,  is the contrast between the American and Indian cultures more prominent?

4. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Das believes that India is not her home. At the end of the story, her child gets injured by monkeys. Does this occurance reinforce the idea that India is not her home?

Analysis:

In "The Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri, the author focuses on the perceptive observations of Mr. Kapasi and his use of euphonic diction . Throughout the story, Mr. Kapasi, a translator, closely interprets the characters as they embark on their journey. As Mr. Kapasi is a translator, he soon begins to understand the characteristics of the Das family. When the story begins, he quickly learns of the irresponsibility of Mr. and Mrs. Das, describing them as "not yet settled into maturity." Additionally, Mr. Kapasi observes that Mr. and Mrs. Das act more as "older brother and sister, not parents." Moreover, as he begins to feel a romantic inclination towards Mrs. Das, he utilizes the euphonic word "flourish" to describe his hope for a relationship with her. To conclude, Mr. Kapasi percetively observes the characters by utilizing euphonic diction in "The Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Comparing this story to another:

We think that "The Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri is very similar to Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins. In Monsoon Summer, the protagonist is in the same situation as the Das family. She is an Indian living in America visiting India. The protagonist also views India as a foreign place, just as the Das family does.

The Most Dangerous Game

Roles:
Leader/moderator: Johanna
Recorder: Savannah
Analyst: Ylenia
Comparer: Olivia

Three Questions:

1. At the beginning of the story, Rainsford is disturbed by General Zaroff's idea of hunting humans; however, by the end of the story, Rainsford becomes similar to General Zaroff as he too hunts humans. How does his character develop and become more similar to General Zaroff?

2. Does Rainsford become a lesser human than General Zaroff was to begin with?

3. How does the author, Richard Connell, incorperate diction, especially cacophony, in the story?

4. Can you compare this story to another story, book, or movie you have seen?

Analysis of Style/Language:
Throughout the story, Richard Connell utilizes situational irony and a wide variety of harsh diction. When the story begins, Rainsford is not aware of the practice of hunting humans as he has only hunted animals. As General Zaroff explains to him that he hunts humans rather than animals, Rainsford is primarily disgusted. When General Zaroff first tells him of hunting humans Rainsford begins to exhibit shock as he applies the cacophonic word "grisly" to describe his feelings. The "g" sound and the buzzing "s" sound portray Rainsford's disgusted view on hunting humans. Furthermore, as the story continues, Rainsford begins to accept the idea of hunting humans after he has killed General Zaroff. General Zaroff, planning to hunt and kill Rainsford, is killed by Rainsford towards the end of the story. Situational irony is carefully applied during the climax, as Rainsford, the hunted, eventually becomes the hunter. Additionally, Rainsford becomes characteristically similar to General Zaroff as he, too, begins to accept hunting humans. Moreover, directly prior to killing General Zaroff, Rainsford's voice is described as "hoarse," a cacophonic word due to the harsh sounding "h." To conclude, Richard Connell applies situational irony and a wide variety of harsh diction to convey Rainsford's transition from the hunted to the hunter.

Comparing this story to another:

This story is very similar to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In the beginning of the story, Katniss hunts animals; however, as the story progresses, she must begin to hunt humans. Like Rainsford, she was a hunter of animals. Additionally, she is both the hunter and the hunted, as she must kill others and prevent herself from being killed.