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Year 10 English

Carlier 09

Stories of Ourselves
Study Questions
Below are study questions to help you understand and analyse the short stories in Stories
of Ourselves. Always answer in complete sentences, and use examples from the stories
where relevant. I would also like to encourage you to write detailed, complete answers;
dont be too easily satisfied with what you have written.
The Lemon Orchard by Alex la Guma
See Wikipedia Alex la Guma.
1.
Underline all the words in Afrikaans and find out what they mean. How effective
is the writers use of local language?
2.
Find examples of la Gumas use of leitmotif(s). What is the function of these
motifs in the story?
3.
What can you say about the point of view in The Lemon Orchard? Is it fixed?
Give examples to support your ideas. Point of view determines what the reader sees in
a story. How important is this in The Lemon Orchard?
4.
Consider the title. How important in the lemon orchard in this story? Is it an
effective title? Can you think of an alternative title?

How It Happened by Arthur Conan Doyle


1.

Find out about Arthur Conan Doyles interest in mysticism.

2.

What genre of short story is this? Explain.

3.
In this short story, the narrator often refers to himself. Find examples of such
references and discuss the importance of this.
4.
How does Arthur Conan Doyle create the characters in his story? Look for
specific techniques. Does he rely mostly on dialogue, character description, narration?
What is the effect of Conan Doyles method of characterisation? Is it intended to make
the reader laugh? Create suspense?

5.

Did you think the story had a good ending? Why or why not?

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman


Arbour
1.
2.

noun

a leafy, shady recess formed by tree branches, shrubs, etc.


a latticework bower intertwined with climbing vines and flowers.

Piazza
1.
2.
3.

an open square or public place in a city or town, esp. in Italy.


Chiefly New England and Inland South. a large porch on a house; veranda.
Chiefly British. an arcade or covered walk or gallery, as around a public square or in front of a
building.

Arabesquenoun
1.

Fine Arts. a sinuous, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif.

(dictionary.com)
1.
Copy out three different descriptions of the wallpaper, and comment on each.
This story is an example of authors telling stories through imagery. How effective do you
find this technique? Explain your answer.
2.
And dear John gathered me up in his arms(39). Find the references to the
narrators husband. Copy out a few significant ones. What can you say about the role of
John in this story? Think about what he says, his profession, his relationships with others
and how he is described.
3.

Who is the woman behind the wallpaper? Develop your answer.

4.
Why is the story called The Yellow Wallpaper? Do you think it is an
appropriate title? Is it misleading? Why or why not?
5.
A great deal of this story takes place in the narrators mind. Find instances in the
story that really occur. How are these relayed to the reader? What can you say about the
authors story telling technique?
6.

Wikipedia states (September 2009) that


[The Yellow Wallpaper] is regarded as an important early work of American
feminist literature, illustrating attitudes in the 19th century toward women's
physical and mental health.

Do you agree? How can this be perceived as a piece of feminist literature? Give
examples.
7.
Write a short pastiche (a creative piece of writing in the style of an author) based
on this story. You can either continue the story, write a new paragraph to be inserted in

the story, or write a different story with the same style. Create a characters state of mind
through showing not telling.
8.
If you had to put this story to music, which piece of music would you choose?
Explain your choice.
Also read Why I wrote The Yellow Wallpaper at
http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/whyyw.html

The Signalmanby Charles Dickens


1.
Copy out three descriptions of setting and comment on the techniques Dickens
uses to establish setting. How effectively is setting used in the story?
2.
Reread p19 I resumed.natural world. Write an imaginative piece in which
you describe a character or animal in its own setting. Use Dickens paragraph as a model.
3.

What is the role of the narrator? Give examples to support your ideas.

4.
Find references to work. What is Dickens saying about work and working
conditions? What can you say about the date of publication in relation to this?
5.

Reread the last paragraph. What can you say about the tone of the ending?

There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury


1.
Discuss the writers personification of the fire and the house. How is
personification used here? Does the writer use a similar approach for both? Why is
personification important in this story?
2.

What is the function of the poem in the story? Also comment on the title.

Meteor by John Wyndham

1.
Reread the speech transcribed in Onns journal entry on page 172. What is the
purpose of this speech? Does it work? Are there any flaws with this method of
informing the reader?
2.
Discovery is crucial to this story. In your textbooks, mark each place where you
make a new discovery essential to your understanding of the story (example: page 173
blue pearl is earth). How successfully does the author build up suspense?
3.
Discuss the effects of the changing point of view. Firstly, describe using the
correct terminology how the writer uses point of view in this story. Then try to come up
with several ideas about the effect of the point of view and support each idea with
relevant examples.
4.

Is there any irony in the story? Explain?

Comparative Question: science fiction and social commentary


1.
Review the two science fiction stories you have read. Keeping in mind that
science fiction can sometimes be a form of social commentary, how do Wyndham and
Bradbury use their stories about futuristic technology to comment on human behaviour?
How important is it to be aware of the dates these stories were published, and why?
Brainstorm, find quotes to support your ideas and write up an outline. Then answer the
question. This answer should be at least 300 words. You must use paragraphing.

Secrets by Bernard MacLaverty

1.

Find and copy out three examples of imagery and comment on each.

2.
Using details from the text, discuss the different methods the author uses to
characterise Mary and the boy. Organise your answers in a chart. For example:

Mary

Boy (Protagonist)

Example
P293 letter-she was
a school teacher

Comments/notes
-background
information-how
does this influence
my understanding of
Mary?
-perhaps she is strict
because of her
professional
background

Example
p294 He folded the
paper carefully into
its original
creases

Comments/notes
-has an eye for
detail
-meticulously covers
his tracks
-

p 293 He
pretended

The Taste of Watermelon by Borden Deal


1.
Write a brief description of the characters motivation for each of the following
quotes:
Well, yes I said. As a matter of fact, I was. (313)
Then I set methodically to work, destroying the rest of the melon. (315)
Then I saw; he was destroying every melon in the patch. (316)
Because Ive got to, I said. (317)
You may want to cite previous parts of the text in your answers.
2.
Trace the character development of Mr. Wills. Find five quotes that show the
change in Mr. Wills; copy these into your workbook or notes. Then write a paragraph
underneath these quotes explaining how and why Mr. Wills changes.
Make sure you treat Mr. Wills as a character, a fictional construct invented by the author;
dont write about him as if he were a real person.
3.
Discuss the role of setting in this story.
4.
Write a brief review of this story. Do you think it is a good story? Why or why
not? Try to be specific. You should aim to write about one paragraph.
On Her Knees by Tim Winton

1.

This story was published in 2004, later than the other stories you have read. In
what ways does it feel like a modern story? In what ways does it not?

2.

Study the writers use of characterization. Make a chart and fully address the
points below:
-How the son sees his mother
-How the mother and son characters come to life through their dialogue
-How the son is characterized through his observations of the house
-How the character of the employer is created

3.

How does the sons perception of his mother change?

The Third and Final Continent by Jhumpa Lahiri


1.

Analyse the writers use of narrative voice. Referring to the text in detail, explore
how the main character is created through the use of first person point of view
storytelling. Break your answer down into 3-5 different subcategories and find
examples for each. For example, the protagonist has an eye for detail, as can be
seen in his descriptions of the old woman. Breaking down ideas into
subcategories is preparation for your essay and your exam. It is important you
come up with the ideas and subdivisions yourself.

2.

(Optional) Write a pastiche of the story, with particular focus on the narrative
voice.

Paragraph Checklist:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Topic sentence that supports the essays thesis statement


quoted evidence from the text, correctly formatted
3-5 different ideas about the quote just given
transitional devices (transition from topic to quote, transitions between
arguments, and transitions at the beginning or end of paragraphs)
5. concluding statement or transition into next paragraph

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