Instruction
1. Compare and contrast the key points of Vonnegut’s rules of/theories of writing fiction with those of Cather or Welty and of Boyd or Lawrence. What do they have in common, and in what ways do they differ?
2. “The Cask of Amontillado,” “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” and “The Open Window” offer stories with decidedly unhappy endings and somewhat disturbed characters, yet each of them uses a different point of view to tell the tale. Choose one story’s point of view and imagine applying it to the other stories. Explain what specifically would necessarily change in the story as a result. Be specific.
3. In “Bartleby the Scrivener,” “Araby,” and “A & P,” we confront plots that essentially travel very little distance and lack much action, yet they do possess all five elements required of plot. Choose ONE of those elements and explain why you think it bears the greatest importance in all three stories. Use specific details and quotes from the texts.
4. What role does setting play in creating the character of Percivil William Williams in “Wee Willie Winkie”? Explain fully. Use and cite from the text.
5. Compare and contrast the ways names are used to emphasize characterization in “The Path to the Cemetery” and “Luck of the Roaring Camp.” Do the names represent stereotypes or something else? Explain fully.
6. In what ways do the conflicts in “Sanctuary” and those in “The Lottery” parallel one another, and in what ways do they differ? In what ways do the authors’ portrayal of those conflicts parallel one another and differ from one another? Be specific. Use and cite the texts.
7. In what ways does setting contribute to the shifting attitudes of the narrator in “The Scarlet Ibis”? Explain fully and use and cite from the text.