English Notes PDF

Miss Brill - POV = limited omniscient - Until late in the story and it moves to objective Setting – time and place - Fall - France (because of French words) in a Public Garden - Sunday - After WWI (written in 1922) What does she do for a living...

Miss Brill - POV = limited omniscient - Until late in the story and it moves to objective Setting – time and place - Fall - France (because of French words) in a Public Garden - Sunday - After WWI (written in 1922) What does she do for a living? - Teacher - She reads the newspaper to an old man What does she imagine herself to be? - Actress How does she view other people? What does she imagine about them? Describe them? - THE PASSAGE ON THE CUPBOARD WILL BE ON THE EXAM: ITS DRAMATIC IRONY - “They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they’d just come from dark little rooms or even—even cupboards!” What causes her to “see” herself as others see her? - The young couple In the past, her treat was an almond in cake. This shows how her life is so boring if she gets excited about almonds. At the end, she goes back to her dark room/cupboard and puts away her fur and cried. The themes of the story are loneliness and alienation Theme statement: o Humans ache for acceptance. o Some elderly people try to avoid loneliness by living in a fantasy world, but when faced with reality, they become disillusioned and rejected by society. o Loneliness and a sense of rejection can cause an individual to be unable to tell the difference between perception and reality. “Hills Like White Elephants” Author’s Name: Ernest Hemingway Setting: Spain  Written in 1927 (post-WWI, pre-WWII) Characters: - The man: he’s American - The girl: her name is Jig and she’s pregnant - These characters are kind of flat Conflict: the pregnancy POV: objective (we do not have thoughts) Author’s style: iceberg approach. Only 10% is thru words and action and the other 90% is beneath the story’s words and actions. Symbolic elements: o White elephant: it’s a gift or something that you don’t want o The setting represents her choice: The two settings in the story were also significant. One side was completely barren and without any shade. On the other hand, the other side had greenery, and fields of grain and trees. The settings symbolized the juxtaposition in Jig and the American man’s choices in the conversation. The barren land is like abortion and the green side is if the baby lived. The effect of dialogue between the man and Jig: o They are unable to communicate o Demonstrates the moral bankruptcy We don’t know if she had an abortion or not “Everyday Use” Alice Walker Setting: the south; the 1970s The setting tells us that Maggie, Dee, and Mama are poor. We assume the dad is dead because he is not in the picture. Tone: Mama is not mad Mama’s memories and thoughts provide information about the characters Maggie is shy but Dee is confident, and no one says no to her. Maggie has to marry John Thomas, who seems to be a good fit. Mama: she’s a strong woman. She does the work of a man and is the mother and father of this family. She knows what Dee would want. Dee/Wangero: Before Dee left home, Dee hated her life. Dee burnt down her house because she hated it so much. Dee had very few friends. She chased off her boyfriend because she tried to change. She goes to school and comes back with the name Wangero. Symbols o Quilt: To Dee, it’s just something to hang on the wall. For Mama and Maggie, they find heritage important. Themes: the idea of heritage; the power of education. Important quotes: o “She used to read us without pity; forcing words, lies…” and this quote is about Dee. o “Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car…” shows what Maggie is like. “Araby” by James Joyce Setting: Ireland; not a rich neighborhood; their religion is Catholic. He goes to the bazaar so he can bring something back for the girl he’s obsessed with. Images of his neighborhood: o Blind o Brown Characters o The boy (13/14 yrs old) = he’s a round dynamic character o Mangan’s older sister = round character o Aunt and uncle = flat characters POV: 1st person Images throughout the story: o Passion for…? o Characteristics of the priest? What does this suggest about the church? ▪ The “charitable” priest died and left the money to institutions and his sister instead of giving it to the church people, so irony. The church is not interested in its people. o Idea of shadows: ▪ It’s not exactly bright and nice ▪ Absence of names: suggests that this is not an isolated situation and this could be happening in other neighborhoods too Title of the story? o Sounds exotic like Arabian Nights but Araby isn’t actually like that The bazaar o The bazaar should be an exotic but it was empty because it was late at night o The stall attendants: they’re English and mean. o Boy realized that the trip to Araby was not worth it. The color brown: gloomy and dark. No life, no hope. The idea of blind: it shows that the boy is blind to reality. The idea of growing up. The last sentence in the story is the theme sort of. “I Stand Her Ironing” by Tillie Olsen Time and Place: she’s looking back during the Great Depression, but the present time is after WWII (bc she talks about writing V mail). So maybe 1940s. POV: 1st person Tone: Regretful In this story: o First husband couldn’t accept his inability to take care of his small family o Mother must provide both economic and emotional support for Emily  o Susan was the complete opposite of Emily The counselor’s comment forces the mother to reevaluate her life with Emily This is not an ideal family and Emily has been through a great deal Emily: o Doesn’t look like the other children o She’s really good at impressions though The mother is helpless and cannot provide a “key” to her daughter’s character The last line: o The mother ironing out the wrinkles means no one needs to iron Emily out and she can be what she wants Overall, the story provides a glimpse of a women’s experience of economic deprivation The narrator’s biggest problem is that she had too many domestic duties and the constant demands of a large family run counter to a life of thoughtful consideration The symbol: iron = chores and responsibility EXAM: - Matching section of authors and works = 6 stories - Fiction terms list can be matching, or define, short answer, etc. - Passage identification