American Novels
Final Jeopardy
CATHEDRAL BY RAYMOND CARVER
1.What is the cultural context of this story?
A: Poor lower class uneducated 1970-80’s the generation after the Summer of Love Generation
2.What evidence does Raymond Carver give to suggest the narrator is a complete jerk?
A: Cigarettes:The narrator smokes throughout the story, which can be seen as a negative habit or a symbol of his apathy or detachment.
Creepy:The narrator initially perceives Robert’s presence as creepy due to his blindness, showing a shallow and judgmental attitude.
Beulah:The narrator makes derogatory comments about his wife’s deceased first husband, mocking his name and suggesting a lack of respect or empathy towards his wife’s past.
Beird:The narrator expresses discomfort and disapproval of Robert’s beard, indicating his tendency to judge and dislike people based on their appearance
Sexism:See it.Name it.Stop it.:The narrator’s casual sexism and objectification of women. He makes inappropriate comments about women’s bodies and expresses a lack of understanding and
empathy towards his wife’s experiences
Bowling: The narrator’s attitude towards his wife’s interest in bowling is dismissive and condescending. He shows little enthusiasm or support for her hobby, considering it unimportant
and beneath him. This reflects his self-centeredness and a lack of appreciation for his wife’s passions and activities.
3.Who wrote poems about what?
A:The narrator’s wife wrote poems about moments that made an expression on her, In particular, the blind man touching her face
This all relates to the main impressive transformational moment when the narrator and Robert draw a Cathedral with their hands together
4.What nickname did the blind man call the narrator and what’s the significance?
A:Lil Bub
Robert’s use of the nickname “Bub” emphasizes the difference in their ages. Robert, in his late forties, is probably 10 or more years older than the narrator. Calling the narrator “Bub” suggests the kind of casual familiarity Robert might have for a favorite nephew or other young person under his charge. The narrator’s comment about being called Bub indicates surprise, but not indignation, as might have been expected based on his previous complaints about the blind man’s visit. This benign reaction from the narrator may indicate that his initial impressions of Robert are favorable and are beginning to help him overcome his reservations about his wife’s friend.
5.What’s odd about the blind man’s household appliances?
A:I have two TVs. I have a color set and black-and-white thing, an old relic. But if I turn the TV on, and I am turning it on, I turn on the color set.
Surprise!Surprise!
6.What are their names? Who are they a parody of?
A: The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Tom & Jerry
7.What decade?
A: The 60’s the year that changed America
1960s fashion was all about creativity and self-expression that started bending gender norms. The mod fashion movement in London and the ever so popular band, The Beatles, gave way for colorful menswear, fringe jackets, miniskirts, and the hippie style. Along with the eye-catching prints and patterns, white and silver were becoming more popular with newly developed ‘futuristic’ fibers. 1960s fashion was bi-polar in just about every way. Bright, swirling colors. Psychedelic, tie-dye shirts and long hair and beards. Woman wore unbelievably short skirts and men wore tunics and capes. The foray into fantasy would not have been believed by people just a decade earlier. Political developments also had its influence, as hippy movements, rebelling against the Vietnam war, gained popularity as a look, and political figure Jacqueline Kennedy also became a huge fashion icon for the 60’s onwards. Jackie Kennedy’s biggest influence can be seen in the 1960s Hat Pattern of the pillbox hat.
8.What is it? And where can we eat it?
A: Corn Bread! In the South
9.Which of the 27 amendments protect these rights?
A:The first Amendment
10.In the short story “Lottery” what is the name of the unfortunate woman chosen as the victim of the ritual? How does it relate to American history?
A: Mrs.Hutchinson. The name of Jackson’s victim links her to Anne Hutchinson, whose anti-patriarchal beliefs, found to be heretical by the Puritan hierarchy, resulted in her banishment from Massachusetts in 1638. While Tessi Hutchinson is no spiritual rebel, to be sure, Jackson’s allusion to Anne Hutchinson reinforces her suggestions of a rebellion lurking within the women of her imaginary village. Anne Hutchinson was basically “thrown out” of Puritan society because she went against the teaching of the church by holding her own meeting in the home.
11.10-15% Women’s Movement The end of Slavery?
Tipping 10-15%
OMELAS by Ursula K Le Quin
12.What’s the cultural context of this story?
1960’s Post WW2 Baby Boomers Hippies / Rock n Roll Free love Counter Culture Communal Living
13.Where is the story set?
A: An imaginary Utopian Place:
With clamor of bells that set the swallows soaring, the Festival of Summer came to the city of Omelas, bright towered by the sea. San Francisco
14.What’s the weather like there and what was Le Quin suggesting?
A: It states that the festival of summer has begun in Omelas. While the specific details about the weather are not extensively described, the mention of summer suggests a warm and pleasant climate in the city during the time of the festival.
15.How does LeQuin describe the people of Omelas?
They were not simple folk, you see, though they were happy. But we do not say the words of cheer much anymore. But there was no king. They do not use swords or keep slaves. They were not Barbarians. They were not goody-goody. They were not naive and happy children-though their children were, in fact, happy. They were mature, intelligent, passionate adults
16.What was the abused child in the basement most afraid of?
Two mops with clotted, foul-smelling heads that stand near a rusty bucket in the corner of the room. The child finds the mops horrible and shuts its eyes, but it knows they are still there and is afraid of them.
WHY I LIVE AT THE P.O by Eudora Welty
17.What is the cultural context of the story?
A:1940’s Southern Small Town 4th of July.
18.How does this relate to the story and to American South?
A:Sister refused to communicate with her family.The South is often considered to be sore loser and just as obstinate, implacable, stubborn
19.What and/or who threatened the isolated Southern small town world of China Grove?
A:Technology from the North invading the South
20.What did Stella Rondo steal from Sister?
A:Mr.Whitaker, the photographer
21.Name at least 3 items Sister took or tried to take with her when she left to live the P.O.
A:The fan, a pillow, charm bracelet, flowers(4 o’clocks), the radio, the sewing machine, ukele, thermometer, watermelon rind preserves, jars of fruits and vegetables, the tacks on the wall
MOM, THE FLAG, and APPLE PIE
22.It winds from Chicago to L.A.
A:Route66
23.
A:The Mason-Dixon Line
24.A brutal honesty which often reveals the darker motives hidden beneath the surface of the society characters who are delusional, damaged, irrational, and odd. decay and death
A:Southern Gothic
25.What’s beside the Statue of Liberty?
A:West Coast Statue of Responsibility
26.Where did the present day divisions in America’s “Culture wars” begin?
A:The ’60s The years that changed America
27.(Bonus)What war are the 1960’s often compared to:The American Revolution, The Civil War, World War 1?
A:Civil War
Quotes
27.My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything. “It’s really something,”I said.
A:Narrator(Cathedral by Raymond Carver)
28.”If we grow up without cartoons, we will have no sense of humor and would be like robots”
A:Lisa
And Bart says “Cool what kind of robots?”
29.”But here I am and here I’ll stay. I want the world to know I am happy”
A:Sister(Why I live at P.O.)
30.”I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going”
A:Narrator(The ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula.K.Le Guin)
31.”They are afraid of __ because they are afraid of freedom.
A:They are afraid of dragons, because they are afraid of freedom. Le Quin is referring to the freedom of imagination, the ability to believe in things you know not to be real or relational. Le Quin believes that you should trust our imaginations and the eyes of our children and see other possibilities
32. Final Jeopardy
2XDNA + onomatopoeia X corn=
A:PopPop
Final Kahoot
Last Class
1.What kind of warped and twisted mind would find that funny?
A:Marge Simpson
2.I’m Popeye the Sailorman!
A:the daughter in Why I live at the P.O.
3.It’s like staring at yourself in the mirror
A:Samantha Futerman
4.You got a lot of nerve and I’ll thank you to make no future reference to my adopted child whatsoever
A:the sister in Why I Live at the PO
5.”You are not alone!”
A:The Oprah Show
6.Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.
A:Old Man Warner, Mr.Summers
7.”Do you believe it? Do you accept the festival, the city, the joy? No? Then let me describe you one more thing.”
A:The Narrator in “The ones who walk away from Omelas”
8.I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything.’It’s really something,’I said.
A:The Narrator in “Cathedral”
9.”But here I am, and here I’ll stay.I want the world to know I am happy.”
A:The narrator in “Why I live at P.O.”
10.”My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed.”
A:The Narrator in “Cathedral”
11.”Now let us pray, Pray the phone won’t ring and the food doesn’t get cold”
A:The Narrator in “Cathedral”
12.”In 2012, an Alabama judge sentenced someone to jail for wearing sagging pants”
A:Richard Thompson Tedtalks
13.”Can that child talk?”I simply had to whisper!I wonder if that child can be-you know-in that anyway?
A:The Narrator in “Why I live at PO”
14.”They are afraid of dragons because they are afraid of freedom.”
A:Ursula K. Le Quin
Additional Materials
- The hoodie is considered a timeless object and a “humble masterpiece”
A: True - The earliest hoodies can be traced back to ancient Greece and ancient Rome
A: True - The hoodie is associated with dark imagery, such as grim reaper and the executioner
A: True - Monks in the Middle Ages were hooded garments similar to hoodies
A: True - Women in the 17th century used hoodies to hide themselves when meeting their lovers
A: True - The modern incarnation of the hoodie was introduced by KnickerBocker Knitting company in the 1930s.
A: True - The hoodie became popular among workmen and athletes due to its functionality and comfort
A: True - In the 1980s, the hoodie became associated with young street culture, including hip-hop and skateboarding.
A: True - Mark Zuckerberg defies conventional business attire by wearing hoodies
A: True - The hoodie has little significance beyond its physical aspects and practicality
A: False - The hoodie has gained symbolic significance such as during the Million Hoodie Marches in the United States following Trayvon Martin’s shooting.
A: True
Why I Live at the P.O
- Why does Stella-Rondo come to live at home again?
A: Stella-Rondo just seperated from her husband and came back home again - In the first paragraph, Sister tells us that Stella-Rondo stole something from her; What was it?
A: Mr.Whitaker - Stella-Rondo said that Sister is “one-sided.” Sister takes that to mean a physical defect, but what else can “one-sided” mean?
A: Not open minded/ Stubborn - What does Stella-Rondo bring with her when she comes from Illinois?
A: Shirley T - What does Sister imply when she says “H’m!” and that she is the “spit-image of Papa-Daddy” when Stella-Rondo insists that Shirley-T. is adopted?
A: Shirley shares the same DNA as their family/biological child - How does Uncle Rondo become poisoned?
A: “get out of my way, I’m poisoned” addicted to prescription drugs - What holiday is it?
A: 4th of July - Why is Stella-Rondo upset with Uncle Rondo?
A: He’s wearing the pink kimono, Mr. Whitaker has taken pictures of her wearing - What are the first words Siter and Mama hear Shirley-T.says?
A: “OE’m Pop-OE the Sailor-r-r-r-Ma-a-a-an
(If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgerous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. - What was the “horrible” thing Stella-Rondo once done to Uncle Rondo to make him to take back the radio he had given her and gave it to Sister again
A: broke a chain letter from Flander Fields_ and he took the radio back he had given her and gave it to me - What things does Sister take from the house as she prepares to leave?
A: A trunk full of clothes, a featherbed, ironing board, sewing machine, a lamp, a pitcher and washbow, a small radio, A photograph of Mr.Whitaker - What do family members say regarding their mail?
A: They would have anything to do with it “And if you think we’ll ever write another postcard you’re sadly mistaken” - Why isn’t there much mail at P.O. anymore?
A: Small town, you’re family is the main family and people will side with her father - What does Sister say she will do if Stella-Rondo tried to come and apologize to her?
A: Simply put my fingers in both years and refuse to listen
Those who walk away from Omelas
Those who walk away from Omelas
- In what season does the story takes place?
A: Summer - Omelas is located nearby what natural feature?
A: By the sea - What words does she use to describe the paradise of Omelas?
A: sweetness of the air from time to time trembled and gathered together and broke out into the great joyous clangings of the bells - Given the description of Omelas says the narrator, what would one expect to see?
A: King, mounted on a splendid stallion and surrounded by his noble knights, or perhaps in golden litter born by great-muscled slaves - What do we not find in Omelas?
A: Swords, slaves, monarchy, stock exchange, advertisements, secret police or the nuclear bomb, no cars or helicopters - What do most people associate happiness with?
A: stupidity - What were the people of Omelas like?
A: mature, intelligent, passionate adults - What did the people in Omelas think about technology?
A: Or they could have none of that: it doesn’t matter. As you like it. - What is dooz?
A: A non-addictive drug that causes visions and enhances sensations - What is in the basement
A: In the room, a child is sitting. It could be a boy or girl. It looks about six but is actually is nearly ten. It is feeble-minded. - What is the child afraid of ?
A: It is afraid of the mops - Do the people of Omelas know about the child
A:Yes - At what age do the children learn about the child?
A: Betweem eight and twelve - What are the terms scripts and absolutes ?
A: There may not even be a kind word spoken to the child. - Do the ones who leave Omalos know where they are going?
A: But they seem to know where they are going.
Cathedral Guided Questions
- Where does the story take place?
A: In Conneticut - Where does the narrator’s idea of blindness come from?
A: The movies - How did his wife know the blind man?
A: Part time job/reading - How did they communicate with each other?
A: Audio Cassette - What did his wife try to write a poem about the last day at the office?
A: he touched his fingers to every part of her face - Why is Robot sleeping at the narrator’s house?
A: To visit his wife - Who is Beulah?
A: The Blind man’s deceased wife - How does the narrator describe the marriage of Beulah and Robert?
A: Pathetic because he could not see her - What physical feature was “too much” to the narrator?
A: The blind man had a beard - What joke does the narrator make at the dinner prayer?
A: “Pray the phone won’t ring and the food doesn’t get cold,”I said. - What did the blind man look like?
A: Late forties, a heavy-set, balding man with stooped shoulder as if he carried a great weight there. He wore brown slacks, brown shoes, a light-brown shirt, a tie, a sports coat. Spiffy. He also had this full-beard - What nickname does Robot give to the narrator?
A: bub - What question does the blind man ask the narrator?
A: But let me ask if you are in any way religious - What does he use to draw the picture on?
A: A shopping bag with onion skins in the bottom of the bag. I emptied the bag and shook it.
Lottery Guided Questions
- What type of tone does the title and beginning of story set?
A: It sets a tone of ambiguity and intrigue. The term “lottery” typically connotes luck, chance, or a prize, which may lead readers to anticipate a positive or exciting event. However, the title alone does not reveal the true nature of the lottery in the story.
- Where does the story take place? In what way does the setting affect the story?
A: It takes place in a small, unnamed village in rural America. - What are the boys doing in the square at the beginning of the story??
A: The boys in the square are gathering stones. The text describes them as “piling up stones in one corner of the square” and making “a great pile of stones in one corner of the square.” - What time of year is the story set?
A: It is set during the summer season. The story mentions specific details that indicate it takes place in late June, shortly before the summer solstice. The narrator mentions “the fresh warmth of a full-summer day” and describes the flowers and plants in bloom, as well as the grass being described as “richly green.” These details suggest a vibrant and lively atmosphere that is characteristic of summer. - Who draws for the household?
A: The head of each household draws for their respective family. - Who was late for the gathering?
A: Tessie Hutchinson is the character who arrives late for the gathering where the lottery is held. - Who was exempt from the lottery?
A: The only individuals who are exempt from the lottery are the young children who have not yet reached the age of being able to draw slips of paper. - Name three pieces of paraphernalia used for the lottery?
A: The Black Box, The Slips of Paper, and The Three-Legged Stool
he Black Box: Worn and shabby container used to hold the slips of paper for the lottery drawing.
The Slips of Paper: Small, folded slips of paper are used for the lottery drawing. Each slip of paper is blank, except for one slip that is marked with a black dot.
The Three-Legged Stool: During the drawing of the slips, a three-legged stool is brought forward for the selected individual to sit on while they draw their slip of paper. - What is Old Man Warner’s reason for keeping the lottery?
A: Old Man Warner believes that the lottery is a long-standing tradition that has been carried out in the community for countless years. He believes that it is necessary to preserve this tradition because it has always been done that way. - At the end of the story, what does Mrs. Hutchinson scream?
A: At the end of the story, Mrs. Hutchinson screams, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.” This outburst occurs when her family is selected during the final drawing of the lottery, and she realizes that she has become the chosen victim. - What similarities can you find with Le Quin’s short story “Those who Left Omelas”?
A: Both stories explore the concept of sacrificing the well-being or happiness of a few individuals for the supposed benefit of the larger community.