Lesson Plans A&P | "Everyday Use" | "A Rose for Emily" | "Gimpel the Fool" | "Greasy Lake" | "Shiloh" | "Cathedral" | "Revelation" Below find my lecture notes and the group questions for the short stories we'll be reading. Have fun. Note: This is a work in progress and will be amended – please be forgiving with spelling and grammar errors. "A&P" Class Discussion Who is telling the story? What effect does this have on your feelings about Sammy? Consider, for example, if Stokesie was observing and reporting what was happening. Would it change your opinion of Sammy? How? What’s a hero? What’s the difference b/t a realistic hero and a "hero"? How does Updike complicate Sammy's character? Why or why not? What tarnishes his "heroism"? Why? What does Updike gain by making the girls' savior less than attractive? What is he saying about the nature of heroism? (And especially its reward) Why does Updike go into so much detail describing "Queenie" -- and does her name seem to fit? America is a classless society, right? (are there elements of class tension here?) bottom of page 15, 16 How does Sammy know what class the girls fit in (consider, for example, the girls's nickname)? How does it contrast with his own? How does he characterize typical A&P customers? (¶5 ¶19 ¶29) of the customer's reactions? What, through Sammy, is Updike saying about "Supermarket Society"? (Consider Sammy's comments on "policy" ¶18, p. 16 Sammy – and Queenie – are the "Other," the people feared by the dominant society (¶18, 29). And what does a society usually do when it fears something? DRAW CIRCLE TO ILLUSTRATE THIS – PLACE LENGEL AND QUEENIE IN THEIR PLACES Note that at the end of the story, he is literally outside of the circle – he has physically left the A&P. The entire story he is static – trapped behind the register. When he leaves, Why does Sammy feel that "once you begin a gesture it's fatal not to go through with it." ¶30 What does this illustrate about his character? Does this story seem "real"? Why or why not? Where does Sammy's feelings towards the girls begin to change? (page 15) How do you know? Small Group Discussion: "A&P" Beyond the obvious – he quits - how does Updike separate Sammy from the rest of the people in the A&P? Consider everyone, Lengel, Stokesie, the girls, the customers. Okay, how why does he do this? Why does Sammy quit? Is it only because Lengel was rude to the girls? What’s a hero? Is Sammy in any way a realistic (and what do I mean by realistic?) hero? Who does Updike seem to favor – Sammy and the values he represents or Lengel and the values he represents? How can you tell? Which paragraphs contain the exposition of the story? How can you tell? When does the conflict begin? How can you tell? Which phrases, etc., suggest this? What is the climax of the story? Again, how can you tell? Why does Sammy quit his job? Is it only because Lengel "embarrasses" the girls? Is there an epiphany in the story? What is it, and what does it mean? "Everyday Use" Before discussion What is heritage? Heart v. Head? What is Mrs. Johnson like? What contrasts or dichotomies is the narrator setting up in paragraph 5, and at other points in the story (consider, for example, the title v. Dee)? Is each view justifiable? Can these be reconciled? Before we even meet Dee, how is she characterized? Why, for instance, doesn't she have friends? Black Nationalist What does Dee do right when she arrives? Why does Dee take pictures before she kisses her mama? What does she take pictures of? What could taking pictures suggest? para 22 -- what does she want to do with the quilts? "Hang them" ¶72. She doesn't want to enjoy her family, she wants to objectify (EXPLAIN) them. Objectifying is a way of distancing yourself from something. Here, Dee transforms simple things into art – she aesthetizes her life, turns it into art – to keep from being ashamed of her upbringing – and family. How does Dee feel about her past? By collecting family artifacts, what is she doing to it? She doesn't want to enjoy her family, she wants to objectify them ("My Last Duchess") Why does Dee change her name -- is it only because she doesn't want to be named after her oppressors? How is this ironic? (she doesn't want the name, but she wants the things) How sincere are Hakim-a-barber and Dee about their religion? (see 44 and 45) What small note does Walker include to show Maggie feels about the quilts? After discussion How does the mother's view of Dee change in the story? How does her view of Maggie change? What caused this? What different meanings can you find for the title? Quilts in "Everyday Use" Small Group Discussion: "Everyday Use" 1 Before we even meet Dee, how is she characterized? Why, for instance, doesn't she have friends? 2 How does the theme of education figure in this story? What kinds of education are contrasted? Point to specific passages to back up your point. Which kind of education do you think the author favors? Why? 3 What is Dee's view of heritage? What is her mother's and Maggie's? (see for example, ¶74) Whose does the author (through the narrator) seem to validate? 4 What different meanings can you find for the title? 5 What contrasts or dichotomies is the narrator setting up in paragraph 5, and at other points in the story (consider, for example, the title v. Dee)? Is each view justifiable? Can these be reconciled? "A Rose For Emily" Words: cupola, scrolled, lightsome, august, temerity ¶15, diffident deprecation ¶21, tableau ¶25, spraddled ¶25, cabal ¶46, sibilant ¶54, acrid ¶57, cuckolded ¶59 Note: Homer is not a homosexual Start off with timeline. Fractured narrative meant to evoke memory and the strange jumps it can make – the difference between linear time, and mind time. born in 1852, father dies 1884, Homer appears 1884-1885, dies in 1885 or 1886, lime and smell -- first visit 1885/86; early 1900's gives lessons in china-paiting; Colonel Sartoris dies in 1906-07; alderman go to see about taxes 1916; Dies, 1926. Southern Aristocracy To understand this story you have to understand Southern Aristocracy. In the ante-bellum (explain "before the war" – and which war am I refering to?), period, Southern wealth was based on property because it was an agraian economy – made money from farming. To be a member of the Aristocracy you had to have a lot of land – and thus slaves (this was a pre-industrial time) – to earn your living. These people who had the land looked down on those who had to actually work for a living. It was an attempt to transfer the landed gentry/aristocratic culture of England/Europe to a democratic country. This was a heraditary culture, because land is inherited. Thus, in any given area, the family that owned the most land remained rich – and thus powerful – for several generations. Of course, because these people had the money, they also had the power – both social and political – to set the tone/manners (i.e. way of life) for the Southern society. For instance the "Grierson’s" became a name associated with a wide array of social values that represented the vibrancy of the Aristocracy before the war. Immediately after the war – the post-bellum period – many of these people lost their land and their slaves. But they retained much of their power – why? Because the people who had fought and lost the war still looked to them as embodiments of their lost way of life. They are a reminder of when the South was powerful. Would they be able to retain this power forever? Why or why not? The difference b/t the "grey-beards" and the "rising generation." P.O.V -- again. What would be different if Homer Barron was telling the story? Who is the narrator a stand-in for? The town he uses "we" Looking at the adjectives and describtions associated with Emily in ¶s 1, 2, and 3 what does the author suggest she stands for? What does she represent? What is Faulkner, again through the narrator, saying about class differences? Consider ¶ 16, 25, 31 How does Emily "vanquish" (¶15) everyone? Where is Homer Barron from? Is there any significance to this? What is "really so" in ¶32? Any dark humor here? What does the last line show. Make connection to previous stories: Does this story reflect at all on "Everyday Use"? (Think of race and P.O.V.) What about "A&P" (think of class – and POV as well) Small Group Discussion: "A Rose For Emily" 1 What foreshadowing is given to 1) finding the body; 2) Emily's reaction to death; 3) The murder of Homer Barron? 2 What is the narrator's attitude towards Emily? Why, after her father's death, does she have a "vague resemblance to those angels in colored church windows -- sort of tragic and serene." (¶29). Does the narrator seem judgmental towards Emily (she is, after all, a murderer)? Why does Faulkner choose this simile to describe Emily. What's the meaning of the title -- who is offering the Rose? 3 How do the sentences "They were admitted by the old Negro into a dim hall from which a stair mounted into still more shadow. It smelled of dust and disuse -- a close, dank smell" (¶5) resonate throughout the story? Pick apart the sentence and examine the associations of each word and associate them with different aspects of the story. 4 Through the narrator, what is Faulkner saying about life in a small town? Consider ¶s 43, 45, 45 and others. 5 What is the tension between the "rising generation" (¶21) and Emily's generation? (consider ¶4, 50) Why, for instance, doesn't Emily want the numbers on her house for postal delivery? Class #4 Character: "Gimpel the Fool" Before group work What elements of the supernatural are there in this story? Do they detract from the realism of the story? Why or why not? Go over Freud’s theory of humor and how it applies to the motives of the townspeople. The townspeople actually fear Gimpel What are the townspeople like? Guiding force of Gimpel’s life? What’s the one time Gimpel IS a fool? when he urinates on the dough. Thus you get the Reason v. Impulse idea After Group work How did Gimpel remain hopeful given the evil he was faced with -- both by the townspeople, and the devil himself? How do people in general remain hopeful? What is this story, through Gimpel, saying about the nature of faith and belief? "What's the good of not believing? Today it's your wife you don't believe; tomorrow it's God Himself you won't take stock in" 48 /// Rabbi "Belief in itself is beneficial. It is written that a good man lives by his faith" 80 ///"I heard a great deal, many lies and falsehoods, but the longer I lived the more I understood that there were really no lies . . . 112 What Does Singer suggest about skepticism? What is this story saying, ultimately, about life, and more specifically, life on earth What does the double vision mean? see para 100 Why does Gimpel listen to the Devil (think, especially, of the circumstances)? What saves him? What’s the one time Gimpel really is a fool? ¶103 Now he's a fool if he doesn't believe "You fool! Because I was false is everything false too? I never decieved anyone but myself. I'm paying for it all, Gimpel. They spare you nothing here." 103 At the end of the story, Gimpel says "No doubt the world is entirely an imaginary world, but it is only once removed from the true world." What's the meaning of this line? Is it related to his earlier beliefs, or a newfound convition? How does this relate to his opinions about how the people treat him? Is this a dangerous idea? Why does he look forward to death? Is Gimpel a prophet? How is he similar to other prophets? How is he different? Why or why isn't he one? Parables, wandering, poor, strong religious faith, tempted by the devil, mocked, Is it important that the story is told from a first-person pt. of view? Why does he tell "spin yarns"? Connection to other stories? Like Rose for Emily in that a person is attacked/attracted by a group??? Explanation of The Other Some lines to consider: "Besides, you can't pass through life unscathed, nor expect to" ¶7 "who really knows how such things happen? para 30 eternally optimistic "what did I stand to lose?" ¶13 "But I'm the type that bears it and says nothing. What's one to do? Shoulders are from God, and burdens too." para 34 "I wanted to be angry, but that's my misfortune exactly, I don't have it in me to be really angry" para 46 "You can't live without errors" 46 Now he's a fool if he doesn't believe "You fool! Because I was false is everything false too? I never decieved anyone but myself. I'm paying for it all, Gimpel. They spare you nothing here." 103 "I deceived Gimpel. That was the meaning of my brief life" 87 "No doubt the world is entirely an imaginary world, but once removed from the true world . . . . Whatever may be there, it will be real, without complication, without ridicule, without deception" 115 is this a dangerous view? Larger themes What's the townspeople's view of religion? para 6, 15, divide class into halves: one half of the class is the townspeople, the other is sympathetic to Gimpel. The object is to convince the other side to come over to your side by using evidence from the story to back up your point Group Questions for "Gimpel" Class #6 Setting "Greasy Lake" (129) We'll be going over "Greasy Lake" today, and looking in particular at the way irony and the setting influence the story. Class Discussion Words: decadence ¶1, fetid ¶2, festering ¶2, primeval susurrus ¶2, incongruous ¶2. exoskeleton ¶5, gaunt ¶5, testudineous ¶9, apocryphal ¶132, Toltec ¶9, Ur ¶17 means an orignal that is now lost, feculent ¶19, disconsolate ¶19, garret ¶19, burnished ¶20, deliquescing ¶21, feldspar ¶27, lurid ¶29, cocyx ¶31, bedraggled ¶33, forlorn ¶136, catatonics ¶43, What is the setting of a story? time (1970s) and place of a story. Is the setting important here? For instance, how important is the lake itself? Why not a parking lot, or a grassy field? The narrator goes through a change, right? Where is he when the change occurs? Any religious significance? Okay, so he's baptized. But why is it in Greasy Lake? Isn't a baptismal font supposed to have clean water? What is irony? when you see a difference between what is said, and what you understand to be true. How is sarcasm related to irony? when the irony has a sour or bitter tone. How can you tell the narrator is being ironic -- or even sarcastic -- when he describes himself and Jeff and Digby as "bad characters"? Check the first three paragraphs. References to movies, acting -- wearing a facade After the story Why does the car look like a "steel sculpture left over from a vanished civilization"? Is the theme of civilization developed in this story -- particularly, the decline and fall of the American Empire? How? (tie in with war theme?) what kind of genre does this remind you of? See ¶12 for a hint). Why? Any humor here? Why is the narrator nameless -- why doesn't he supply his name when he says "Digby spat out my name . . ." ¶38 Group Questions for "Greasy Lake" 1 Twice (¶2 and ¶32) the narrator says "This was nature." What's the difference b/t the "natures"? Why? 2 the narrator used the word "primeval" ¶2, "primal" ¶13 "primal" ¶16, "primordial" ¶31, "gland-flooding," ¶13, and "glandular" ¶14. What connotations do these word have? How are they related? Why does he repeat it? What possible meaning could they have? 3 What is a dead body doing in this story? What is its significance? Does it fit or does it make the story seem unrealistic. Any foreshadowing? 4 What are some specific descriptions from the first 3 paragraphs and the last four paragraphs that illustrate the change in Digby, Jeff and the narrator? 5 How does Digby, Jeff and the narrator's encounter with the two girls in the story differ? List specific descriptions and actions that illustrate this change. What accounts for the change? 6 What references to war do you find in the story? Any particular war? What could they mean? Could they point to an underlying theme? Chapter 7: Symbol 236-238: "Shiloh" (490) "Shiloh" General discussion: What is Norma Jean doing when we first meet her? What has Leroy been doing? What does this say about their characters? Consider, especially, the way their actions throughout the story (see, for instance, ¶33, ¶53, differ from conventional gender roles. Why didn't Mason use a 1st person narrator? What does she gain by using a limited ominicent narrator (note that we can never see inside Norma Jean's mind)? How has Leroy changed since his accident? Point to specific sentences that describe this change. How would you describe their relationship? Why is it in trouble? "Am I still king around here?" 13 -- what's going on during this interchange, and how does Mason set it up so it seems fitting (consider previous interactions)? What about Randy? How important is he to the story? What's odd about the "connection between him and Norma Jean" (see ¶9)? Group Questions for "Shiloh" 1 Is the log cabin a symbol? If so, of what? What does it connect with in the story? 2 What meaning could the song and movie titles, and names of characters have? 3 How do the comments on the changes in the town (para 17) reflect on different themes in the story? Why, for instance, is Steve Hamilton in the story? And what does Mason mean by including "Nobody knows anything, Leroy thinks. The answers are always changing" (para 5). 4 Is it fitting that the story ends at Shiloh? Why? And why is history important in this story? See, especially, Leroy's musings on para 155 5 Where at the park are Norma Jean and Leroy at the end of the story? Is this setting important? 6 Does she jump? Why or why not -- each group should read a consensus, considering things like her character, and the symbolism surrounding her. 7 Does this story have a theme? What is it? "Cathedral" Read section on his use of language, and then discuss in relation to the story itself. Characters reveal themselves by what they say. Describe the narrator by citing specific passages that reveal the kind of person he is; then, in your own words, describe his personality. How would you characterize Robert: Consider especially two quotes: "I'm always learning something. Learning never ends." ¶87, and "The men who began their life's work on them, they never lived to see the completion of their work. In that wise, bub, they're no different from the rest of us, right?" ¶96; R. as the N. is drawing a cathedral "Never thought anything like this could happen in your lifetime, did you, bub? Well, it's a strange life, we all know that." ¶118 What does the narrator think about his wife? Is it in some way related to the theme? What about their relationship? What are some reasons behind the narrator's apprehension about Robert's visit? Anything beyond "I don't have any blind friends"? How does Carver illustrate these reasons? After group discussion: There are two touches – moments of physical contact – described by the narrator in the story. What are they, and why are they important? How is it different? Is it related to any other stories we've read? Epiphany: "A Christmas festival occuring on Jan. 6 and celebrating the visit of the Magi to Christ" from Greek for "appearance." Group Questions for "Cathedral" 1 Why a cathedral? Why not, for instance, a castle? Both are from the same period and might have a special about them on TV. What does a cathedral symbolize? What did the people who were building cathedrals have? Does it relate to other ideas in the story? 2 Why does Robert ask the narrator "I'm just curious and there's no offense. You're my host. But let me ask if you are in any way religious?" ¶102 And what about the narrator's response: "I guess I don't believe in it. In anything." (¶103). Could this exchange have any deeper meaning? 3 A biggie: Why does Robert ask the narrator to close his eyes (¶126), why does the narrator keep them closed ("I thought I'd keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do [¶133])? and why is a seemingly simple action -- tracing his markings with his eyes closed -- "like nothing else in my life up to now"? (¶131) 4 What is "really something"? ¶136. Consider this both literally and metaphorically. 5 When does the narrator's epiphany seem to occur? How would you describe it? In your own words, what's the theme of "Cathedral"? "The Revelation" An intensely religious woman, O’Connor had a strong belief in manifestations of grace in everyday life. In particular, she felt that modern reader’s were so desensitized to the subtleties of life and religion that the only way grace could reach them was through violence. By grace, she means, a manifestation of God on earth – God speaking/communicating with people. For her, Grace literally involves physical contact, but since God can’t reveal himself in this world, it’s usually mediated through someone else. For O’Connor, the people who needed grace the most were those who were most assured of their eventual place in heaven. She loved attacking religious hypocrites: those who professed/believed they were "holier than thou," but who had black spots on their soul. What would it take to reach people like this? To shake them out of their complacency? Would God come in the form of a beautiful Irish girl – or a serial murderer? Which would "wake up" such a hypocrite? Review Definition of O’Connor’ s view of grace from her letters. (compare and contrast O’Connor’s use of violence with Boyle and Carver -- how did they feel) Before discussion Is the title important in this story? What kinds of Revelations are there? Is it exclusively religious or secular? How will the world end? How do we know? (The book of Revelation) Is fire always something bad? (Book of revelation B purifying fire) Is the biblical revelation good or bad? Is it violent? What’s the connection between it and story? Both destruction and enlightenment Does Mrs. Turpin believe she is prejudiced? How can you tell? Is she? What's Mrs. Turpin's view of society (para 24)? Why does this lead to problems? Who, literally, brought grace into this world? Mary. Who brings grace to Mrs. Turpin? In paragraph 138, Mrs. Turpin is compared to Job -- is the comparison apt? Why? Transparency for "The Revelation" 1 Why does O'Connor have Mrs. Turpin say "Thank you Jesus" right before she's hit with Human Development? Is it only ironic, or does it have deeper meaning? 2 Why does Mary Grace strike Mrs. Turpin -- and not the "white-trash woman"? 3 What's the climax of the story? What's the crisis? What is the conclusion? (see page 10 for definitions) 4 What is the narrator's attitude toward Mrs. Turpin at the beginning and end of the story? Point to specific examples that show this. Does it change? 5 What's the purpose of the conversation with the black farm hands? 6 What mystery does Mrs. Turpin find in the hogs (para 190) -- and why does she look to hogs to find it? 7 Respond to questions number 6 and 7 in the textbook