Literary Devices
Provide a theme statement for "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant".
Ex: W.D. Wetherell uses symbolism to illustrate how compromising one's values will lead to regret, yet reflection can teach people to learn from their mistakes.
Define "gentrification".
The rent of apartments or businesses raises, forcing residents to move out and find more affordable housing.
Define two of the mother's character traits seen in this quote:
"She works from home one day a week so that she can help me with drills after school" (31).
caring, controlling, etc.
a monstrous jukebox, blasting out salsas from open windows as the residents, mostly new immigrants just up from the island, tried to drown out whatever they were currently enduring with loud music. But the day President Kennedy was shot there was a profound silence in El Building; even the abusive tongues of viragoes, the cursing of the unemployed, and the screeching of small children had been somehow muted.
True or false: The title is properly capitalized and punctuated
"the Bass, the River, and Sheila mant"
False.
Correct: "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant"
Which literary device does Reynolds use to convey the double meaning of Dante's pain?
"It hurts, Shay. It hurts. It didn't hurt at first, but now it does"
repetition
How does the couple moving in treat Shay and Dante in the following excerpt:
“Dante shook his head, first at Shay, then at the young man and woman now carrying a mattress toward them. They started up the stoop, but Dante and Shay had no more space to scoot over. They were already up against the railing."
The couple disregards Shay and Dante and treats them with disrespect.
Why does the narrator open her mother's window "just an inch"?
Now, each morning before she leaves for work, Mom checks to make sure every window and door in our house is locked. “What period is your Euro exam?” (Click.) “And did you finish the second draft of your Tom Stoppard essay?” (Click.) I sip on my orange juice and wait until she leaves. Then I go into her bedroom, unlock the tiny window, and leave it open just an inch."
The narrator feels suffocated by her mother's control. To provide herself with relief and independence, the narrator feels the need to rebel.
Why was President Kennedy "a saint" to the residents of El Building?
He was an advocate for equality, and he held much power in his role as president.
True or false: The paragraph is correctly cited:
After Shay burns an “eraser tattoo” into his skin of her initial, Dante confides that, “It hurts. It didn’t at first, but now it does” (45).
True
What does imagery appeal to?
the five senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound)
What does Dante realize at the end of the story?
"He knew the sting wouldn’t last forever.
But the scar would."
He will eventually get over the pain of heartbreak, but his relationship with Shay has changed his identity for good.
Why did the narrator’s mother put so much pressure on the narrator to succeed in school and on the SAT?
“‘Back in China, college entrance exams were serious stuff,’ he says. ‘We had one shot — the gaokao — and that test meant the difference between becoming a scholar and a laborer, between a chance at America and no chance at all. Those scores? They mattered.’”
The mother had to take a test in China that would determine her entire future. She sees the SAT in a similar light, meaning that it holds great significance in determining Elena's future.
Eugene's mother rejecting her; the assassination of JFK
Which word does the writer need to change by using brackets to keep the pronouns the same as in their own writing?
When he realized what he did wasn't worth it because he wasn't staying true to himself he felt distraught. For the rest of summer "that lost bass haunted me”(60).
When he realizes what he does isn't worth it because he isn't staying true to himself he feels distraught. For the rest of summer "that lost bass [haunts] [him]”(60).
True or false: the theme of "Eraser Tattoo" is heartbreak.
False--heartbreak is a topic that the author explores. A theme would be "The realities of adulthood can cause teens to experience heartbreak".
What does the narrator's mother hope to achieve when she advises the narrator not to go study with Eugene on the day JFK was assassinated?
She wants the narrator to honor her Puerto Rican identity by mourning the loss of JFK, since he advocated for equality.
Are titles of short stories italicized or in quotation marks?
Quotation marks. Longer works like novels are italicized.