Civil War test pt 2

The first paragraph opens the "frame" to this story. What tone or attitude does the speaker display? What words/phrases best display that tone?

Factual , formal, peevish tone Reports incident in a straighfoward way, with long sentences and sophisticated words and through these explanations he reveals how irritated he is in admiting that his friend had successfully played a joke on him Words that display the factual/straightforward tone: In compliance with the request of a friend of mine A lurking suspicion that Leonidas S Smiley is a myth Formality: Garrulous simon wheeler Inquired after my friends friend I hereunto append the result Such a personage He only conjectured

What are Clark's childhood memories of his aunt? How does he feel about her?

He remembers her taking care of him and 6 other kids Cooking, cleaning for them She taught him about music (piano) and Latin He feels reverential towards her because she practically shaped Clark into the person he is now

Identify one example of Farquhar's distorted perceptions. What causes this distortion?

Hears this metallic percussion (jackhammer, knife), but it's really the ticking of his watch Way he was describing the forest: vast Captain/soldiers drawing the pistols and shooting him (removes bullet from neck) Hearing and seeing things more than what they are Distortions are caused by the fact that he is trying to imagine what he wants to imagine what will happen to him (dying)

How do Clark's feelings toward his aunt change during the story?

His feelings change for his aunt because he begins to appreciate her more due to the fact that he sees what she has been deprived of all these years He understood her at the play and why she cried Also because she practically raised him into the person he is today

Summary

Husband is supposedly dead bc of a train accident In her room, contemplating everything In the end, her husband is not dead and shows up and she instead dies due to the fact of shock and she does not want to lose her freedom (situational irony)

Is Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's death appropriate or inappropriate?

I personally think the way she acted is sort of sick in a way bc she should at least grieved about it for some time, not just be like oh yay my husband is dead. On the same note, I think it's good that she was able to move on but she should not have done it as fast as she did.

sensory language when she is describing the outside from her window, what does this do?

It makes the scene very depressing due to the fact that this was her realization that her husband is dead (clouds and rain) and that she is happy (sky) Cycle of life (birds, sun)

In your opinion, would it have been better for Aunt Georgiana if she had not come back to Boston? Explain.

It would have been best of she had not come back because it reminds her of everything that she gave up because she moved to Nebraska Love of music The love she had for her husband made her lost her love for music permanently

How might the diagnosis of Mrs. Mallards cause of death might be an example of dramatic irony?

It's an example bc the ppl in the play think she died bc of overjoy/shock due to the fact that indeed her husband is alive but in reality she died bc she was scared she lost her freedom

Do you think the portrayal of Farquhar's final thoughts is realistic? Why or why not?

Portrayal of final thoughts are not realistic bc it was a way of coping of what was currently happening this is why everything was distorted

Why would Mrs. Springer be taken aback by Aunt Georgiana's appearance?

She looked haggard/a mess (teeth were horrible, wardrobe was full of soot) Very unkept Boston women are very pristine and clean not like georgiana

What part did Boston play in Aunt Georgiana's earlier life? In what ways would you compare and contrast life in Boston and life in Red Willow County?

She was a music teacher at the Boston conservatory She had a love for music, but her love for her husband took away her love of music because she moved to Nebraska In red willow county she is unhappy because she is not able to fulfill her love of music

what was the actual cause of her death

Shock, bc she found out her husband is actually alive and her freedom being taken away

How does the narrator (Clark) feel about his aunt's impending visit?

Shocked (hasn't seen her in a long time) Surprised Nervous (afraid she won't fit in Boston) Complex (fond memories of her)

in story:

Spring Birds: represent freedom (flying, independence) Rain: fresh start ( Mallards new life w/o husband) Window: seeing her new life through window

Summary:

The narrator of the story is asked by a friend to call on old Simon Wheeler and ask about his friend's friend, Leonidas W. Smiley. The narrator now suspects that his friend never knew anybody named Leonidas W. Smiley, and that this was the pretext to get Wheeler to tell him about another guy named Jim Smiley. It turns out that Wheeler is a boring man who talks ad nauseam. The narrator begins to narrate the story of his meeting with Wheeler. The narrator finds Simon Wheeler taking a nap in a bar at a mining town called Angel's Camp. Wheeler is pudgy and bald and looks simple and gentle. So far, so good. The narrator tells Wheeler he's trying to find out some information about the Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley who was once a resident at Angel's Camp. Simon Wheeler backs the narrator into a corner and traps him there. Throughout his tale, the narrator says, Simon maintained the utmost gravity, as if his story was the most important thing. Yet, the narrator says, it was an absurd story. Wheeler admits that he doesn't know a Leonidas Smiley, but one time there was a "feller" named Jim Smiley in '49 or maybe it was '50. Here begins Wheeler's story within the narrator's story. Jim Smiley is the sort of man who will bet on anything. If he suggests a bet and the person doesn't want to take it, he offers to bet on the other side. He just wants to bet, that's all. But he's lucky and almost always wins the bet. He bets on dog fights or horse races or even on the minister, Parson Walker. One time, Parson Walker's wife was really sick, and Smiley bet that she wouldn't get well. Clearly the guy doesn't have the best social graces. Smiley had a mare that the boys liked to call the "fifteen-minute nag." She seemed really old and slow, and she had asthma. She'd get a head start, then amble along until the end of the race, when she'd suddenly start bolting ahead like crazy, wheezing, until she would win, but barely. He also had a small "bull pup" named Andrew Jackson that didn't look like it could do anything, but as soon as somebody bet on him, he'd manage to beat any better-looking dog in a fight. He had a trick of catching the other dog's back leg in his mouth with a tight grip until the fight was over, and he'd won. This worked until Andrew Jackson ended up in a fight with a dog that didn't have back legs. Not knowing what to do, he gave Smiley a look like his heart was broken, then crawled away and died. (It was too bad, Wheeler comments. A dog like that probably had some "genius" in him - he hadn't had opportunities in life, and here he managed to come out on top. He must've had talent.) So one day, Smiley catches a frog and takes it home, saying he plans to educate the animal. For then next three months, he does nothing but sit in his backyard and "teach" that frog to jump. He gets the frog to jump so well that it looks like a doughnut whirling in the air - then the frog comes down "flat-footed" like a cat. Smiley teaches the frog to catch flies, to the point that the frog just needs to be able to see the fly and it's his. The frog's name? Dan'l Webster. The frog is "modest and straight-forward" despite his many gifts. When he's on level ground, he can jump higher than any frog you could ever see - that is his specialty, it's important to understand that. Smiley keeps Dan'l Webster in a box and every once in a while, he fetches the frog down for a bet. One day, a stranger in the camp asks what's in the box. Smiley grins and says it might be a parrot or a canary but actually, it's just a frog. The stranger eyes him and asks what the frog is good for. Smiley says he's good for one thing: he can outjump any frog in Calaveras County. That so, says the stranger. He looks at the frog, then says he doesn't see anything about the frog that makes him so special. Well, maybe you understand frogs and maybe you don't, says Smiley. But I'll bet forty dollars that he can outjump any frog in Calaveras County. So the man thinks about it, then says that if he had a frog, he'd bet against Smiley. Smiley offers to go get him a frog. He gives the other man the box and goes to get a frog. The stranger sits there with the box and waits. Soon, he gets Dan'l out, opens the frog's mouth, and begins to fill him full of quail shot. Then he sets him on the floor. Smiley comes back from the swamp with a frog and gives him to the stranger. They set the frogs side by side, and Smiley says, "One two three jump!" The stranger's frog jumps. Dan'l tries to heave upwards but can't budge. Smiley is surprised, and a little "disgusted," but he gives the stranger his money. The stranger starts to leave and, just to rub it in, he repeats what he said earlier - that he doesn't see anything special about Dan'l that should distinguish him from any other frog. Smiley scratches his head and stares down at Dan'l. Finally, he wonders aloud what the matter is. He picks Dan'l up and exclaims that he weights five pounds! He turns Dan'l upside down, and Dan'l belches out the quail shot. Smiley gets mad as hell. He runs out to catch the stranger, but the stranger has already gotten away. Here Wheeler's story ends. Wheeler hears his name called from the front yard and goes to see what's up. He tells the narrator to sit and wait, he'll only be gone a moment. The narrator is pretty certain that he's not going to find out anything about the Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley, so he starts to leave. At the door, he meets Wheeler, who starts back up with his story, telling the narrator about Smiley's yellow one-eyed cow that didn't have a tail and— The narrator interrupts, saying, oh-so-good-naturedly, that he basically doesn't give a hoot about Jim Smiley or his cow. He says goodbye to Simon Wheeler and leaves.

What two different points of view does Bierce use? What is the effect of each?

Third person omniscient and limited Omniscient: effect is to give background info, detached feeling Limited: stream of consciousness (allows us into Peyton's thoughts especially when he is about to die)

What does this story suggest about the psychology of a person facing a life or death situation?

When you die you can imagine what you really want in the end (happier end)

definition

Writing that presents thoughts and ideas the way the human mind experiences them - in short bursts, without full sentences, and often without clear or logical connections.

universal symbol that evokes deep and sometimes unconscious responses in a reader

archaetype

dialect

certain way ppl talk, specifically in a place

devices

dramatic irony situational irony

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

shift from 3rd person limited to stream of consciousness

goes into her bedroom to contemplate everything

what causes her death

heart disease

Dramatic Monologue

speaker is telling his/her story

what was this a part of

spoon river anthology

frame story

story within a story (seen within first page of jumping frog)

what does bierce use in this story

stream of consciousness

epitaphs:

things written on tombstones

Explain one example of situational irony in the story.

when smileys frog loses to the stranger (was played)

what is situational irony

when you think that something will happen, but instead another thing occurs

regionalism

writing style that deals with a specific geographical location

Summary

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is divided into three sections. In section I, Peyton Farquhar is standing on a railroad bridge, twenty feet above the water. His wrists are bound behind his back, and around his neck is a noose that is tied to a beam overhead. He is positioned on loose planks that have been laid over the crossties of the train tracks to create a makeshift platform. Two soldiers from the Northern army, a sergeant, and a captain immediately surround him, awaiting the execution. Beyond them, armed sentinels stand at attention. The bridge is bordered on one side by forest and, across the stream, open ground that gives way to a small hillock on which a small fort has been erected. A motionless company of infantrymen, led by their lieutenant, stands assembled before the fort. As the two soldiers finalize the preparations, they step back and remove the individual planks on which they had been standing. The sergeant salutes the captain then positions himself on the opposite end of the board supporting Farquhar, as the captain, like the soldiers, steps off and away from the crossties. Awaiting the captain's signal, the sergeant is about to likewise step away, sending Farquhar to dangle from the bridge's edge. Farquhar stares into the swirling water below. He watches a piece of driftwood being carried downstream and notes how sluggish the stream seems to be. He shuts his eyes to push away the distractions of his present situation and focus more intently on thoughts of his wife and children. He suddenly hears a sharp, metallic ringing, which sounds both distant and close by. The sound turns out to be the ticking of his watch. Opening his eyes and peering again into the water, Farquhar imagines freeing his hands, removing the noose, and plunging into the stream, swimming to freedom and his home, safely located outside enemy lines. These thoughts have barely registered in Farquhar's mind when the captain nods to the sergeant and the sergeant steps away from the board. In section II, we learn that Farquhar was a successful planter, ardently devoted to the Southern cause. Unable to join the Confederate army, he yearned to help the South's war effort in some significant way. One evening in the past, Farquhar and his wife were sitting on the edge of their property when a gray-clad soldier rode up, seeking a drink of water. The soldier appeared to be from the Confederate army. While his wife was fetching the water, Farquhar asked for news of the front and was informed that Northern forces had repaired the railroads in anticipation of launching another advance, having already reached the Owl Creek bridge. Any civilian caught interfering with the North's efforts in the area, the soldier went on to reveal, would be hanged. Farquhar asked how a civilian could attempt some form of sabotage. The soldier told him that one could easily set fire to the driftwood that had piled up near the bridge after the past winter's flood. The man, who was actually a Northern scout in disguise, finished his drink and rode off, only to pass by an hour later heading in the opposite direction. Section III brings us back to the present, at the hanging. Farquhar loses consciousness as he plummets down from the side of the bridge. He is awakened by currents of pain running through his body. A loud splash wakes him up even more abruptly, and he realizes that the noose has broken—sending him falling into the stream below. Farquhar sees a light flicker and fade before it strengthens and brightens as he rises, with some trepidation, to the surface. He is afraid he will be shot by Northern soldiers as soon as he is spotted in the water. Freeing his bound hands, then lifting the noose from his neck, he fights extreme pain to break through the surface and take a large gasp of air, which he exhales with a shriek. Farquhar looks back to see his executioners standing on the bridge, in silhouette against the sky. One of the sentinels fires his rifle at him twice. Farquhar can see the gray eye of the marksman through the gun's sights. Farquhar then hears the lieutenant instructing his men to fire, so he dives down to avoid the shots. He quickly removes a piece of metal that sticks in his neck. Farquhar comes back up for air as the soldiers reload, and the sentinels fire again from the bridge. Swimming with the current, Farquhar realizes that a barrage of gunfire is about to come his way. A cannonball lands two yards away, sending a sheet of spray crashing over him. The deflected shot goes smashing into the trees beyond. Farquhar believes they will next fire a spray of grapeshot from the cannon, instead of a single ball, and he will have to anticipate the firing. Suddenly he is spun into a disorienting whirl, then ejected from the river onto a gravelly bank out of sight and range of his would-be executioners and their gunfire. He weeps with joy and marvels at the landscape, having no desire to put any more distance between him and his pursuers, when a volley of grapeshot overhead rouses him. He heads into the forest, setting his path by the sun and traveling the entire day. The thought of his family urges him on. Taking a remote road, he finds himself in the early morning standing at the gate of his home. As he walks toward the house, his wife steps down from the verandah to meet him. He moves to embrace her but feels a sharp blow on the back of his neck and sees a blinding white light all about him. Then silence and darkness engulf him. Farquhar is dead, his broken body actually swinging from the side of the Owl Creek bridge.

In paragraphs 2 and 3, we meet Simon Wheeler. What does the description of his appearance and actions suggest about him?

Bald, fat, dozing in a tavern Not employed Not eager to be employed by the speakers question Blockades the narrator with his chair into the corner Never changes tone or demeanor in the story Does not find anything ridiculous In the story he tells ----> suggests that he has seen a great deal of the world

In what ways are Mrs. Mallards reaction to her husband's death situational irony?

Bc she had a tinge of happiness, due to the fact that after he died she knew she could be free. She was also thinking of how she would live an independent life.

Why do you think the author does not elaborate about her death?

Bc the story line already explains everything (heart couldn't take shock, died bc she wanted to be free)

What do the contrasting details of Aunt Georgiana's life in Boston and Nebraska reveal about her character?

Boston: Wealthy Music teacher at the conservatory Nebraska: Works by her husband (farm) Not as rich She is detached from her old life Her skin has yellowed due to the Nebraska environment She also happens to be a bit jealous of clark because he has been enjoying the benefits of Boston's culture while she has sacrificed her life to live in Nebraska

examples

Characters, images, themes These embody universal meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of when or where they live

Summary:

Clark gets sent some mail from his uncle stating that aunt Georgiana is coming into town to settle some business When she arrives she looks haggard and unkept Clark reminisces about his aunt from his childhood and what she did for him There's also background info on his aunt: she loved music ( was a teacher), how she met her husband, and why she moved to Nebraska He takes her to an opera to make her feel better because it seems she has been upset ever since she came back to Boston At the opera she cries because she realizes how much she misses music since she gave it up In the end, she does not want to leave the opera which makes Clark feel pitiful towards her because it was then he realized how much she truly gave up

Summary:

Describe Richard Cory: rich (well dressed), everything looked okay from the exterior (looks, life, had everything together), educated, well-mannered Who is the speaker, how are they different: speakers are the ppl in the town around him, they are diff bc they are jealous of him (wanted what he had) Meaning of "waited for the light": the ppl were waiting to be as satisfied for their lives as Cory was, wanted to be of the same status as him, waiting for a new day, can also be interpreted as waiting for death to come Were you surprised about Richards suicide? What might have ended his life? Yes, very surprised bc it looked like he had everything together (rich, happy) ----> "dont judge a book by its cover" and that he was okay from the exterior. Died bc he felt under a lot of pressure from the ppl (put him on a pedestal bc they basically worshipped him)

Summary:

Description of Lucinda's life: traumatic (most of her children died), mentally strong (worked hard throughout her life and got through her children's death), long marriage, recalls meeting husband at dance, garden ( gathering flowers and shells) Was 96 when she died "I had lived enough" - content with her life and she feels she had a full life " what is this I hear of sorrow and weariness. Anger, discontent, and drooping hopes? Degenerate sons and daughters, life is too strong for you -- it takes life to love life" Talks to the ppl who are still living, specifically the younger generations that are still living Younger generation according to Matlock are sad/discontent with their lives Her message to them is to enjoy their lives like she did Uses life twice in last line bc you have to experience life to love life

Realism and Regionalism in the story:

Realism: Social pressures to get married (class issue) End of story (bc the pleasure she felt, must go away and that she must return to regular life in Nebraska) Regionalism: All other women who go to matinee - what they wear (surroundings) Contrast between Nebraska and Boston Nebraska is portrayed at dirty and old - run down

How does Aunt Georgiana react to the music? How does Clark feel about her reaction?

She cries during the concert bc she remember how important music is to her Clark is a bit taken aback because he thought this would make her happy She misses the music and overwhelming Remembers Boston and how much it has changed