JOURNAL 1: In
“Killings,” to what extent is the killing of Strout
an act of revenge? In other words, is
Matt solely out for personal revenge? If
so, why does he lie to Strout? Write about this for about 7-8 minutes,
and fill up at least half the page.
Journal 2: Re-read the
third paragraph of the second column on page 109 of Faulkner's "A Rose for
Emily," and notice the word "evidently" (109). Why does Faulkner use this word? Did Emily really shut up the top floor of her
house? Also, why did the townspeople
wait until after the funeral to open the closed room? What word in the story informs you about the
reasons for this delay? Does it make
sense to you that they would wait? Write
about this for about 7-8 minutes, and fill up at least half the page.
JOURNAL 3: Time for another story mystery. First, copy this statement in your journal:
In “A Good Man is Hard
to Find,”O’Connor states that the Misfit’s face looks
“familiar” to the grandmother, “as if she had known him all her life but she could
not recall who he was” (42).
Now,
speculate. Why would O’Connor suggest
that the Misfit looks “familiar” to her?
Is it simply because she read about him in the paper? Use
Journal 4: What is your opinion of the film adaptation
of "A Rose for Emily"? Does it
attempt to answer any of the questions that the original short story raised for
you? Is it different in any noticeable
way?
Note: If you missed the
day we watched the film, you can view the videocassette at your convenience in
the library.
JOURNAL 5: The narrator of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's
"The Yellow Wallpaper" describes her residence as "a haunted
house" (Gilman 289). Is it really
haunted, in your opinion? If it's not
haunted, how do you explain the narrator's strange behavior? If
time: What about the narrator of
“The School”? Would you describe his
behavior as strange? How responsible is
he for the strange occurrences in his classroom?
Journal 6: Write about possible symbols in “The Only
Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Anymore.” Can you tie their possible meanings to issues
and problems presented in the story? If
you run out of things to say, do the same with “Fiesta 1980.”
Journal
7: Regarding “The Lottery,” write about
any of the following:
1.
“I tell
you it wasn’t fair,” Mrs. Hutchinson says to the townspeople in “The Lottery”
(Jackson 369). Is it fair? Why or why not?
2.
“People ain’t what they used to be,” says Old Man Warner in “The
Lottery” (370). Are they? What does he mean?
3.
Discuss the
significance of this passage at the end of the “Lottery”: “The children had stones already, and someone
gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” (
4.
Discuss the
degree to which the tradition of the lottery has been kept. Why does no one want to make a new box? Why is the whole institution not abandoned?
5.
One reason that
the ending can surprise the reader is that the villagers never speak directly
of what they are about to do. Why
not? Are they ashamed? Afraid?
6.
Why are the
people in such a hurry to finish the ritual?
7.
After her family
has received the black spot, Tessie complains, but
Mrs. Delacroix tells her, “Be a good sport, Tessie” (
JOURNAL 8: In Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a True War
Story,” both the narrator and Rat use the phrase “dumb cooze”
to refer to two different people.
Why? Think about the
circumstances. Are they justified in using this phrase to refer to these
women? Also, review the definition of “metafiction” from several classes ago. Why might this story be called a work of metafiction? (See if you understand the term.)
JOURNAL
9: Krebs thinks a lot about
"lies" in this story. What kinds of lies does he tell or refuse to
tell? Why do they nauseate him? In what way might this be connected to his war
experiences?
JOURNAL 10:
Raymond Carver once claimed that in “the best fiction, the central
character, the hero or heroine, is also the ‘moved’ character, the one to whom
something happens in the story that makes
a difference. Something happens that
changes the way that character looks at himself and hence the world.” To what extent did Carver practice this
philosophy in “Cathedral”? Can you see a
“moved” character? Who? In what way?
JOURNAL 11: Look at the word “disturbed” in the last
paragraph of “The Cask of Amontillado.”
Why does Monstressor use this word and not
something like “discovered”?
JOURNAL 12: While your book does not indicate this, the
subtitle of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is “A
Tale for Children.” Is it? Where does it seem like a child’s tale? Where does it seem like something different?
JOURNAL 13: Think about Bill and Betty, the two
characters in Sure Thing. How
consistent do they remain throughout the play?
In other words, does Ives have them change in any particular way
throughout the play? Is there just
EXTRA CREDIT JOURNAL: A creative assignment! Using the voice of Honest Sancho,
write a tv ad for “Honest Sancho’s Used Mexican Lot.”
What would Honest Sancho sound like if he were
advertising his store on television?
Post your attempt on the class blog for 3
extra points.
JOURNAL
14: Re-read “This Is Just to Say” on
page 609, and think about the tone of that poem. Remember that tone is the poet’s
(or speaker’s) apparent attitude to the subject. How does the speaker seem to feel about his
or her actions? What sort of relationship
do you think the speaker has to the person being addressed? Imagine what sort of life that they have
together, and describe it in this journal.
JOURNAL
15: How many different ways can you read
the figurative language in “Chess” on page 687? Who are the two players? Think of as many different possibilities as
you can and explain them in as much detail as you can.
JOURNAL
16: You make the topic today. Select one of the two poems you have
identified for discussion today. Take
someone else’s journal, and write down the title and page number of the
poem. Then, ask write a question about
the poem that you would like the person to answer. You will answer someone else’s question in
your own journal. Do your best to help
them understand the poem by offering your perspective. If you
miss today’s class, you will need to write about one of your own selections.
JOURNAL 17: What kind of emotional changes take place for
the speaker in “The Raven”? How many
times does his emotional state change? Find
as many lines as you can that show such a change, and quote them in your
journal (remember to cite line numbers).
Analyze why they are taking place.
To what extent is his own imagination over-powering him?