Name That Story
This story follows a barber who must decide what to do when Captain Torres sits down in his chair.
What is “Lather and Nothing Else” by Hernando Téllez?
What important choice does the barber ultimately make in “Lather and Nothing Else”?
What is he finishes the shave without killing Torres?
What is the barber's PRIMARY conflict in “Lather and Nothing Else”?
What is Character vs. Self?
What is subtext?
Meaning underneath the literal words being spoken
Which one is a theme rather than merely a topic?
A. War
B. Hatred
C. Appearance
D. Long-held hatred can become destructive when people allow conflict to matter more than reconciliation.
In this story, a couple waits at a train station while discussing an unnamed “operation.”
What is “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway?
What does John Blanchard do when he believes the older woman wearing the rose is Hollis Maynell?
What is he approaches her anyway, introduces himself, and asks her to dinner?
What is the central conflict between Jig and the American in “Hills Like White Elephants”?
What is they disagree/experience tension over the operation and what it means for their relationship and future?
In which story is subtext especially important because the central issue being discussed is never directly named?
What is “Hills Like White Elephants?"
What is the difference between summary and analysis?
Summary explains WHAT happens. Analysis explains HOW or WHY something matters or contributes to meaning.
This story gradually reveals the deterioration of a man whose addiction has increasingly limited his choices and stability.
What is “Gradation” by Geoff Peck?
TRUE OR FALSE:
The sniper's remorse begins only after he discovers that the dead enemy is his brother.
FALSE.
He experiences remorse/disgust with war before discovering his brother.
At the beginning of “The Interlopers,” Ulrich vs. Georg represents what type of conflict?
What is Character vs. Character?
In “Lather and Nothing Else,” what can the razor symbolize beyond being a literal shaving tool?
The barber's power, moral choice, potential for violence, and decision about who he will become.
Give ONE defensible theme statement for “The People with the Roses.”
This story ends when a soldier crosses the street to see the identity of the enemy he has killed.
What is “The Sniper” by Liam O'Flaherty?
In “The Interlopers,” how do Ulrich and Georg change from the beginning of the story to near the end?
What is they move from intense hatred and wanting one another dead to reconciliation/friendship.
“The Sniper” contains both Character vs. Character AND Character vs. Self.
Explain the Character vs. Self conflict.
After killing the enemy sniper, the protagonist experiences remorse and struggles psychologically with violence/war and what he has done.
Why is the ending of “The Sniper” an example of situational irony?
The person the sniper has treated as an anonymous enemy turns out to be his own brother. The reality sharply contradicts the expected separation between “enemy” and family and intensifies the human cost of civil war.
Why is the title “Gradation” important to the story's larger meaning?
The man's deterioration happens gradually/by degrees, while the reader also gradually understands the extent of his addiction and desperation.
A man believes an older woman wearing a rose is the person he has come to meet.
Two men trapped beneath a fallen tree finally end a generations-long feud.
Both the barber in “Lather and Nothing Else” and Blanchard in “The People with the Roses” face moments when a choice reveals who they are.
Explain ONE character's choice and what it reveals about his values or identity.
He chooses not to kill Torres even though he has the opportunity. His restraint reveals that his moral/professional identity matters to him and that he does not want to become a murderer.
He approaches the woman he believes is Hollis despite his disappointment. His choice reveals that he values their emotional/intellectual connection beyond physical appearance.
In “Gradation,” how does the character's struggle contribute to the story's larger meaning?
His addiction progressively reduces his stability, relationships, dignity, and choices. His deterioration occurs by degrees, supporting the idea of gradation.
Explain the situational irony at the end of “The Interlopers.”
Ulrich and Georg believe the approaching figures are men coming to rescue them. Instead, the figures are wolves.
The title “The Interlopers” may have more than one meaning. Explain TWO possible meanings.
Meaning #1: Ulrich and Georg each see the other as an intruder/interloper on the disputed land.
Meaning #2: The men themselves can be interpreted as interlopers in nature. They fight over who owns and controls the forest, while nature demonstrates that it is beyond their control.