Short Story Analysis and Themes

Short Story Study Notes

• The Lottery: A tradition where families sacrifice a family member for a good crop. The sacrifice is chosen by picking slips of paper from a black box. Themes include human nature (are people inherently bad?), tradition, and family structures/gender roles.

• The Box-Social: Sylvia, ill, returns to an event where women make lunch boxes. The boxes are auctioned among men. A stillborn baby is discovered in one box. Sylvia, feeling betrayed by the father, commits suicide. Themes include women's rights, tradition (especially concerning marriage and family honour), and societal shame.

• The Gift of the Magi: A poor couple, the wife sells her hair to buy a watch chain, and the husband sells his watch to buy her combs. The sacrifice they make highlights their selfless love, showing the importance that love outweighs materialistic goods.

• The Necklace: A wife covets a wealthy lifestyle, borrowing a necklace to attend a social event. She loses the necklace and, with her husband, must work tirelessly to replace it and gain it back. She realizes it was a fake. The story emphasizes that greed and wanting material possessions for others is not essential.

Literary Devices

• Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "The sun was like a burning ember").
• Metaphor: A comparison without using "like" or "as" (e.g., "The world is a stage").
• Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (e.g., "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers").
• Imagery: Vivid descriptions that appeal to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste).
• Pathetic Fallacy: When the weather or environment mirrors the mood of the story (e.g., rain falling during a sad scene).
• Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect (e.g., "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse").
• Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., "The wind whispered secrets").
• Allusion: A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.
• Symbolism: Using an object or action to represent an idea or quality.

Julius Caesar Analysis

• Pathos: Evokes pity or sadness (e.g., Antony's speech using emotion to sway the crowd).
• Logos: Uses logic and reason (e.g., quoting Caesar's will).
• Ethos: Appeals to an audience's sense of credibility and trust (e.g., Antony emphasizing his relationship with Caesar).

The Chrysalids Analysis

• Importance of Adaptability and Change: The story explores the importance of accepting differences.
• The Dangers of Blind Conformity: The negative consequences occur in societies that adhere to strict traditions. Characters discover that conformity hinders acceptance of differences and advancements.