"House Taken Over"
What is the setting of the story?
The story takes place in Buenos Aires in the 1940s.
What is magical realism?
Magical realism is a mode of writing in which life appears quite ordinary and then something supernatural or unexplainable appears.
What vocabulary word can you use to describe the house in "House Taken Over"?
The house is spacious.
What is an allegory?
An allegory is a story with a hidden meaning. It has a literal meaning (just the story) but is also trying to tell you something else (the symbolic meaning)
Who are the characters in the story?
The characters are Irene and her brother.
How do the characters react to the magical elements in magical realism?
They don't see the magic as anything out of the ordinary. They just take it as totally normal.
Irene had two _______________ she decided not to marry.
What are suitors?
What is a moral allegory?
A moral allegory is one that tells you some life lesson through a story.
How long has the family had the house?
The house has been in the family for four generations.
What is symbolism? Give an example.
Symbolism is using signs and objects to represent ideas in books and films. A common example is the heart is a symbol for love.
My apartment building has a small __________ where the panel to buzz all the apartments is.
What is a vestibule?
What is the moral of the allegory of the tortoise and the hare?
The moral of the allegory is that we should not rush through things. Slow and steady wins the race.
What is one activity the siblings do that shows us how stagnant and inactive they are?
There are a few possible answers: they clean the house for hours each day, Irene knits and the narrator watches her. She packs away what she knits into a drawer and never does anything with them. Every Saturday he goes downtown and buys wool for Irene to knit with and checks in at a bookstore, asking the same question about French literature and getting the same negative answer.
How is magical realism different from Gothic literature (spooky tales from the past)?
Magical realism sees the supernatural as part of reality, not something scary and weird. The setting is also different: in magical realism, it is set in "normal" life whereas in Gothic literature it is set in some old spooky place where everything is slightly off.
What is obscure?
What is the moral of allegory about the dog and his reflection?
The moral of the allegory is that you should be happy with what you have. You don't always need to go for something better. You could lose what you have.
What is the point of view narration? (First, second, third)
It is first person narration.
How is magical realism different from fantasy (like Harry Potter stories)?
Magical realism is set in the real world where magic can occur. Fantasy is set in a totally invented world where magic is normal.
We couldn't hear the MTA announcer over the loudspeaker because her voice was completely __________ and unclear.
What is muffled?
What is the allegory in the story of the fox and the crow?
The allegory in that story is that you should never trust people flattering you too much.