Brooke being literate
The quote, "Ah! Poor man, Rip Van Winkle was his name, but it’s twenty years since he went away from home with his gun, and never has been heard of since-his dog came home without him; but whether he shot himself, or was carried away by the Indians, nobody can tell. I was then but a little girl”(Irving, Rip Van Winkle, page 22) is important because...
What is the development of characters and their relationships to each other?
The definition of "alacrity"
(Rip Van Winkle, page 14, paragraph 3)
What is brisk and cheerful readiness?
The everlasting effect that "Rip Van Winkle" has had on the Catskills
What is a trail route being named after the story?
The descriptive setting of "Rip Van Winkle" in the Catskills helps to accentuate the story by...
What is creating a connection with the characters and sets a tone of what Irving wants the readers to see the Catskills as?
Irving's use of these two writing techniques parallel the writing of John Steinbeck.
What is imagery and descriptions?
The quote, “What seemed particularly odd to Rip was, that thought these folks were evidently amusing themselves, yet they maintained the gravest face, the most mysterious silence, and were, withal, the most melancholy party of pleasure he had ever witnessed”(Irving, Rip Van Winkle, page 15) is puzzling because...
What is the confusion in Rip in this moment as he tried to figure out his environment. Irving puts an eerie tone into this scene and makes the reader question quite what is going on?
The definition of "akimbo"
(Rip Van Winkle, page 20, paragraph 1)
What is with hands on the hips and elbows turned outward?
How the signs put up throughout the Catskills about Rip Van Winkles story effect the community
What is passing down the story for decades to come?
Washington Irving was apart of this style of writing...
What is romanticism?
Women are portrayed as this in Irving's writings, "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Devil and Tom Walker"...
What is crude and insensitive?
The quote, “Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property, with the loss of his wife, for he was a man of fortitude. He even felt something like gratitude toward the black woodsman, who, he considered, had done him a kindness”(Irving, The Devil and Tom Walker, page 3) is comical because...
What is the pure carelessness Tom, like many others of his time period, had for their wives? What is the almost-feeling of satire being given off by this quote?
The definition of "termagant"
(The Devil and Tom Walker, page 2, paragraph 15)
What is a harsh-tempered or overbearing woman?
A scale is a symbol of...
What is Tom not being able to obtain the true glory he desires, but rather ends up straying further and further away from it?
Irving was residing in this country when he discovered a newfound love for the folktales "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Devil and Tom Walker"...
What is Germany?
What is to teach a lesson?
The quote, “she urged her husband to comply with the black man’s terms, and secure what would make them wealthy for life. However Tom might have felt disposed to sell himself to the devil, he was determined not to do so to oblige his wife; so he flatly refused, out of mere spirit of contradiction”(Irving, The Devil and Tom Walker, page 3) is powerful because...
What is the tone of power coming from Tom to get an upper-hand on his wife and contradict what she wanted him to do?
The definition of "obstinate"
(The Devil and Tom Walker, page 3, paragraph 13)
What is stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so?
The idea of a scale while reading "The Devil and Tom Walker" is important in realizing...
What is the lesson portrayed in the story: becoming greedy will only stray you farther away from your initial desires?
Washington Irving wanted to create a similar sense of time period in Boston by using these two events to set the scene in "The Devil and Tom Walker"...
What is the Salem Witch Trials and discrimination of native tribes?
There is a common trait shared between Tom Walker from "The Devil and Tom Walker" and the tale of King Midas.
What is greed that ended in terrible ways?
BONUS QUESTION
The summary of "The Devil and Tom Walker"
What is Tom Walker was a man of few talents and feelings, not even caring for his own wife. He went through life with little worry and little wonder. When he comes across an unfamiliar man, he engages in conversation, which plants a seed in his mind for the future. He convinces his wife of what he saw, who refuses to believe anything unless she sees it herself. She winds up dead after investigating herself, left for Tom to find. As he finds her, he seeks out the black-man and makes a deal with him, but not for the sake of his dead wife, but for himself. This deal drives Tom and his towns-people into the ground, metaphorically and physically. Tom ends up dead when he reveals the deal to an unknowing man, and no one feels guilt or sorrow for the man, as they think he deserves this?
BONUS QUESTION
The summary of "Rip Van Winkle"
What is Rip Van Winkle was no extraordinary man with no outstanding achievements in life. He was a coward with his own wife and was merely a follower. When he chooses to leave on a hunting trip, he meets some people playing ninepin. He speaks with them, and takes a drink of liquor that they offer him. After this, he falls asleep for 20 years and wakes up in the same location. He finds that the War has been won and many of his friends and family are dead or gone. Only one man remembers him, and thanks to this he can move in with his daughter and live out the rest of his life. He ended up with no idea what happened or what the truth is?
BONUS QUESTION
The answer to the discussion question "Why do you think people make such sacrifices for a little amount of glory? If you were given the opportunity to make one of these deals, would you take it? Why or why not."
-for "The Devil and Tom Walker"
What is the need for societal approval? What is the group says no, because it would not be worth it to end up in the same position Tom ended up in for the pathetic amount of material value he initially gained.
BONUS QUESTION
The answer to the question "What role does Rip Van Winkle’s children play in the story? How do their roles change throughout the story?"
-for "Rip Van Winkle"
What is an initial insignificance growing into a huge significance through the needs of Rip Van Winkle? What is the symbolism of parents needing their children as they get older, portrayed in a 20 year coma?
BONUS QUESTION
A dog's average life span.
-related to "Rip Van Winkle"
What is 10-13 years?