PART 3 World War II and Its Aftermath
It’s a Long, Long Way, 1941. Henry Lamb. Oil on canvas. South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
“What is absurd and monstrous about war is that men who have no personal quarrel should be trained to murder one another in cold blood.”
—Aldous Huxley, “Words and Behavior”
1165 Henry Lamb/ South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa/Bridgeman Art Library
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Be Ye Men of Valor
MEET WINSTON CHURCHILL
“ lood, toil, tears, and sweat.” These unforget- Political Career Churchill’s military experience table words of Winston Churchill were not and his background as a writer gave him a unique Bmerely a rallying cry, but his approach to advantage in the political realm. He served in life. He is perhaps one of the most renowned prime numerous positions in Parliament, including home ministers of Great Britain, inspiring a nation and secretary, first lord of the Admiralty, minister of leading it to victory in the face of World War II. munitions, secretary of state for war and air, and secretary for the colonies. In 1940 Churchill became prime minister just as the Germans invaded Belgium—a post he held until the end of the war and “You ask, what is our aim? I can the defeat of the Axis powers. answer in one word: Victory—victory A Literary Knight At the age of seventy-one, at all costs, victory in spite of all Churchill was voted out of office as prime min ister, terror; victory, however long and hard but he was reelected six years later. In 1953 the road may be.” he was knighted and awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work on history and politics, —Winston Churchill The Second World War (published in six volumes, 1948–1953), in particular. Ten years later Churchill left Lasting Influences Churchill’s childhood pro- public office foundly influenced his beliefs and career (in addi- to spend his tion to his political positions, Churchill was a last years soldier, journalist, writer, historian, and painter). writing, paint- Born to Lord Randolph Churchill, a conservative ing, and trav- member of Parliament, and the American heiress eling. The Jennie Jerome, Churchill was unable to form a bond scope of his with either of his parents, particularly his aloof achievements father, whom he greatly admired. From an early age impacted not he was fascinated with soldiers and historic battles, only England and his father enrolled him in England’s Royal but the entire Military College at Sandhurst. After graduation world. Churchill served as a junior officer in the British Winston army and later as a war correspondent in Cuba, Churchill was India, and South Africa. After his famous escape born in 1874 and from a Pretoria prisoner-of-war camp, Churchill died in 1965. used the profits from his writings and lectures to pursue a career in politics. Throughout his career— even after his father’s death—Churchill’s political interests would mirror those of his father.
Author Search For more about Winston Churchill, go to www.glencoe.com.
1166 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Art Resource, NY
11166-1172166-1172 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11661166 66/27/06/27/06 3:37:033:37:03 PMPM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Speech Reading Strategy Distinguishing Fact and Early in Churchill’s career as prime minister, his cour- Opinion age was tested by World War II. What major event has A fact is a statement that can be proved true. An tested your courage? As you read, think about the fol- opinion, however, is a statement of someone’s per- lowing questions: sonal beliefs or feelings, and it cannot be proved. • How did you respond to the event? • If you could relive the experience, how might you Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart to distinguish respond differently? facts from opinions in Churchill’s speech.
Building Background Fa c t s Opinions During World War II, Churchill inspired the English peo- ple with his words of patriotism and hope. Delivered “our heavy “It would be foolish, on May 19, 1940, “Be Ye Men of Valor” was Churchill’s bombers are however, to disguise first radio broadcast to the British public as prime min- striking nightly . . .” the gravity of the ister. In the speech Churchill insists on victory, and he hour.” refuses to negotiate or compromise with Adolf Hitler. Initially Churchill believed Britain would be fighting the Nazis alone. “There is one thing that will bring Hitler down, and that is an absolutely devastating, extermi- Vocabulary nating attack by very heavy bombers from this country upon the Nazi homeland,” Churchill wrote, describing ravage (rav ij) v. to lay waste to; to destroy; the bombing plan. He was still carrying out these strat- p. 1169 The air raids will ravage the city, destroy- egies when the United States joined the war after the ing churches, homes, and factories. attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. grapple ( rap əl) v. to attempt to deal with; to struggle; p. 1169 He grappled with the idea of Setting Purposes for Reading conceding but realized victory was the only option. Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath imperious (im pe¯r e¯ əs) adj. imperative; urgent; As you read, notice how Churchill inspires confidence p. 1171 The nation faced imperious problems and and courage in the British people. needed to utilize all of its resources to survive. indomitable (in dom ə tə bəl) adj. incapable of Literary Element Rhetoric being subdued or overcome; p. 1171 The cap- Rhetoric is the art of using language to present facts tain infused an indomitable spirit in his men. and ideas in order to persuade an audience. As you Vocabulary Tip: Context Clues Context clues are read Churchill’s speech, notice how he combines logic, words and sentences surrounding an unfamiliar emotion, and artful phrases to inform the public about word that can help you determine the meaning of the German advance and to express his confidence in that word. his troops and the Allied cause. • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R15.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • understanding rhetoric and rhetorical devices • reading and analyzing a historic speech • distinguishing fact and opinion WINSTON CHURCHILL 1167
11166-1172166-1172 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11671167 11/10/07/10/07 11:00:4411:00:44 AMAM Prime Minister Churchill inspects a bomb crater.
Winston Churchill
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1168-1171 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1168 6/27/06 3:54:41 PM BBC, LONDON, 19 MAY 1940 are therefore in an extremely dangerous position. And if the French Army, and our own Army, I speak to you for the first time as Prime Minister are well handled, as I believe they will be; if in a solemn hour for the life of our country, of the French retain that genius for recovery and our Empire, of our Allies,1 and, above all, of the counter-attack for which they have so long been cause of Freedom. A tremendous battle is raging famous; and if the British Army shows the dogged in France and Flanders. The Germans, by a endurance and solid fighting power of which remarkable combination of air bombing and there have been so many examples in the past— heavily armored tanks, have broken through then a sudden transformation of the scene might the French defenses north of the Maginot Line,2 spring into being. and strong columns of their armored vehicles are It would be foolish, however, to disguise the ravaging the open country, which for the first gravity4 of the hour. It would be still more foolish day or two was without to lose heart and cour- defenders. They have age or to suppose that penetrated deeply and “No officer or man, well-trained, well- spread alarm and confu- no brigade or division, equipped armies num- sion in their track. bering three or four Behind them there are which grapples at close millions of men can be now appearing infantry quarters with the enemy, overcome in the space in lorries,3 and behind of a few weeks, or even them, again, the large wherever encountered, months, by a scoop, or masses are moving for- can fail to make a worthy raid of mechanized ward. The regroupment vehicles, however for- of the French armies to contribution to the midable.5 We may look make head against, and general result.” with confidence to the also to strike at, this stabilization of the intruding wedge has Front in France, and to been proceeding for several days, largely assisted the general engagement of the masses, which by the magnificent efforts of the Royal Air Force. will enable the qualities of the French and We must not allow ourselves to be intimidated British soldiers to be matched squarely against by the presence of these armored vehicles in those of their adversaries.6 For myself, I have unexpected places behind our lines. If they are invincible confidence in the French Army and behind our Front, the French are also at many its leaders. Only a very small part of that splendid points fighting actively behind theirs. Both sides army has yet been heavily engaged; and only a very small part of France has yet been invaded. There is good evidence to show that practically 1. At the date of this speech, Britain’s allies were France and the whole of the specialized and mechanized several smaller countries that were occupied by German troops. forces of the enemy have been already thrown 2. The Maginot Line was a heavily fortified line of defense in into the battle; and we know that very heavy France that was assembled to stave off the Germans. losses have been inflicted upon them. No officer 3. Lorries are British motor trucks. or man, no brigade or division, which grapples at
Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath How do close quarters with the enemy, wherever encoun- Churchill’s opening lines reflect the attitude of the British tered, can fail to make a worthy contribution to during World War II?
Reading Strategy Distinguishing Fact and Opinion 4. Here, gravity means “seriousness” or “importance.” What major fact is Churchill talking about? In his opinion, 5. Formidable means “arousing fear or dread.” how should the British deal with that fact? 6. Adversaries are opponents.
Vocabulary Vocabulary ravage (rav ij) v. to lay waste to; to destroy grapple ( rap əl) v. to attempt to deal with; to struggle
WINSTON CHURCHILL 1169
1168-1171 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1169 6/27/06 3:56:29 PM the general result. The Armies must cast away the idea of resisting behind concrete lines or natural obstacles, and must realize that mastery can only be regained by furious and unrelenting assault. And this spirit must not only animate the High Command, but must inspire every fighting man. In the air—often at serious odds—often at odds hitherto thought overwhelm ing —we have been clawing down three or four to one of our enemies; and the relative bal- ance of the British and German Air Forces is now considerably more favorable to us than at the beginning of the battle. In cutting down the German bombers, we are fighting our own battle as well as that of France. My confidence in our ability to fight it out to the finish with the German Air Force has been strengthened by the fierce encounters which have taken place and are taking place. At the same time, our Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Brendan Bracken survey bomb damage to the heavy bombers are striking Houses of Parliament, London. nightly at the taproot7 of Viewing the Art: How does seeing this photograph of actual war damage add to your appreciation of the speech? German mechanized power, and have already inflicted serious damage upon the oil refineries on which the Nazi effort to dominate and to retaliate against it—to any extent that the world directly depends. the unwritten laws of war permit. There will be We must expect that as soon as stability is many men, and many women, in this island reached on the Western Front, the bulk of that who when the ordeal comes upon them, as come hideous apparatus of aggression which gashed it will, will feel comfort, and even a pride—that Holland into ruin and slavery in a few days, will they are sharing the perils of our lads at the be turned upon us. I am sure I speak for all Front—soldiers, sailors, and airmen, God bless when I say we are ready to face it; to endure it; them—and are drawing away from them a part at least of the onslaught they have to bear. Is not this the appointed time for all to make the utmost exertions in their power? If the battle is 7. As it is used here, taproot means “the most important part.” to be won, we must provide our men with Reading Strategy Distinguishing Fact and Opinion ever-increasing quantities of the weapons and Which elements of this paragraph are fact and which are ammunition they need. We must have, and opinion? have quickly, more airplanes, more tanks, more
1170 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Hulton Getty Picture Collection/Tony Stone Images
11168-1171168-1171 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11701170 33/8/06/8/06 88:28:29:28:29 AM shells, more guns. There is imperious need for past; but now one bond unites us all—to wage these vital munitions. They increase our war until victory is won, and never to surrender strength against the powerfully armed enemy. ourselves to servitude and shame, whatever the They replace the wastage of the obstinate8 cost and the agony may be. This is one of the struggle; and the knowledge that wastage will most awe-striking periods in the long history of speedily be replaced enables us to draw more France and Britain. It is also beyond doubt the readily upon our reserves and throw them in most sublime. Side by side, unaided except by now that everything counts so much. their kith and kin in the great Dominions and by Our task is not only to win the battle—but to the wide Empires which rest beneath their win the War. After this battle in France abates9 shield—side by side, the British and French peo- its force, there will come the battle for our ples have advanced to rescue not only Europe island—for all that Britain is, and all that Britain but mankind from the foulest and most soul- means. That will be the struggle. In that supreme destroying tyranny which has ever darkened and emergency we shall not hesitate to take every stained the pages of history. Behind them— step, even the most drastic, to call forth from our behind us—behind the armies and fleets of people the last ounce and the last inch of effort Britain and France—gather a group of shattered of which they are capable. The interests of prop- States and bludgeoned10 races: the Czechs, the erty, the hours of labor, are nothing compared Poles, the Norwegians, the Danes, the Dutch, with the struggle for life and honor, for right and the Belgians—upon all of whom the long night freedom, to which we have vowed ourselves. of barbarism will descend, unbroken even by a I have received from the Chiefs of the French star of hope, unless we conquer, as conquer we Republic, and in particular from its indomitable must; as conquer we shall. Prime Minister, M. Reynaud, the most sacred Today is Trinity Sunday.11 Centuries ago words pledges that whatever happens they will fight to were written to be a call and a spur to the faith- the end, be it bitter or be it glorious. Nay, if we ful servants of Truth and Justice: “Arm your- fight to the end, it can only be glorious. selves, and be ye men of valor, and be in Having received His Majesty’s commission, readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to I have found an administration of men and perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of women of every party and of almost every point our nation and our altar. As the Will of God is of view. We have differed and quarreled in the in Heaven, even so let it be.”12
8. Obstinate means “stubborn.” 9. Abates means “reduces in intensity.” 10. As it is used here, bludgeoned means “bullied or beaten.” 11. Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost (the Literary Element Rhetoric In what way does Churchill fiftieth day after Easter) in the Christian calendar. use rhetoric here? What is the effect? 12. In this quotation from 1 Maccabees 3:58–60, Judas Maccabeus, the leader of a Jewish rebellion during the Vocabulary second century b.c., urges his army before a battle against the Syrians, who then ruled Judaea. imperious (im per¯ e¯ əs) adj. imperative; urgent indomitable (in dom ə tə bəl) adj. incapable of being Literary Element Rhetoric Is Churchill exaggerating in subdued or overcome this passage? What rhetorical technique does he use?
WINSTON CHURCHILL 1171
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RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. If you had been listening to the live broadcast of 5. Is Churchill’s use of loaded words—language that this speech as a British citizen, how might you expresses strong emotion—effective? Explain. have felt? Explain. 6. Churchill ends his speech with a quote: “it is better Recall and Interpret for us to perish in battle than to look upon the out- rage of our nation and our altar.” (a)What outrage 2. (a)What does Churchill describe in the first might he be referring to? (b)Is this an effective end paragraph? (b)What emotions does he convey with to his speech? Explain. (c)Do you agree with his his use of descriptive language? assertion? Why or why not? 3. (a)How does Churchill describe the British and French armies? (b)Why might he describe them Connect
this way? 7. Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath 4. (a)What information does Churchill report about Churchill chooses to foster the idea that war is a Holland? (b)How does this information support his noble, even a sublime, effort. Why do you think he argument that Britain’s men and women must pre- portrays war in this manner? pare to fight?
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Rhetoric Reading Strategy Distinguishing Fact and Common rhetorical devices include rhetorical ques- Opinion tions, or questions to which no answer is expected; Distinguishing fact and opinion enables listeners and parallelism, in which words, phrases, or sentences are readers to evaluate the information they receive. balanced in structure; and loaded words, which appeal to emotion. Does Churchill rely more heavily on facts or on opin- ions to persuade his audience? Explain. Why does Does Churchill appeal primarily to emotions or to Churchill include his opinions in his speech? intellect? How might this choice have helped persuade his audience? Vocabulary Practice Practice with Context Clues Based on the Writing About Literature context clues, choose the vocabulary word that Analyze Structure In one sentence, summarize what best completes each sentence. Churchill is hoping to persuade his listeners to do or a. ravaged c. grapple believe. Next, outline the speech, showing how his b. imperious d. indomitable argument progresses from beginning to end. Then, in two or three paragraphs, evaluate the way in which he 1. They our home, destroying everything. structures his argument. Does his arrangement of 2. He delivered the message to the anx- ideas make his speech persuasive? Be sure to support ious general—Paris had fallen. your opinion with evidence. 3. They will need to with the problem until they reach an agreement. 4. They began to fear that their adversaries were Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to and unconquerable. www.glencoe.com.
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Recognizing Loaded Words º Vocabulary Terms “We must expect that as soon as stability is reached on the Western Front, the Loaded words express bulk of that hideous apparatus of aggression which gashed Holland into ruin and strong opinions or emo- slavery in a few days, will be turned upon us.” tions. Some reveal bias, or prejudice. Hyperbole is —Winston Churchill, from “Be Ye Men of Valor” the use of exaggeration to make a point. Propaganda Connecting to Literature In this excerpt from his World War II speech, is language that may Winston Churchill’s language is charged with conviction. He appeals to the distort the truth to be British people directly, using a persuasive tone and words loaded with emotion. persuasive. Highly charged phrases such as “hideous apparatus of aggression” and “gashed Holland into ruin and slavery” helped Churchill mobilize the British people to º Test-Taking Tip fight a brutal war. While his loaded words helped inspire a country’s commit- When you read test ment to a necessary action, people often use such words to manipulate public passages, consider the opinion for their personal, political, or commercial gain. author’s purpose and point of view. Look for • Bias is language that expresses a one-sided point of view. The connotations of evidence in the text that words reveal an author’s bias. Note how Churchill states his positive bias indicates the author’s directly, giving his words honesty and authority. position. For myself, I have invincible confidence in the French Army and its leaders. º Reading Handbook • Hyperbole is a statement that uses exaggeration for effect. For more about denotation After this battle in France abates its force, there will come the battle for our and connotation, see island—for all that Britain is, and all that Britain means. Reading Handbook, • Propaganda is language used to influence the public. It often includes bias and p. R20. hyperbole and may distort the truth. Nay, if we fight to the end, it can only be glorious.
eFlashcards For eFlashcards and other vocabulary activities, go to www.glencoe.com. Exercise
For each of the following quotations from speeches by Churchill, underline OBJECTIVES the loaded words and identify the persuasive techniques being used. Write • Identify intended effects of your answers on a separate piece of paper. persuasive language. • Recognize influence of 1. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to propaganda. so few.” 2. “Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.” 3. “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” 4. “[W]e would rather see London laid in ruins and ashes than that it should be tamely and abjectly enslaved.”
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The Demon Lover
MEET ELIZABETH BOWEN
lizabeth Bowen once said, “If you look at life one way, there is always cause for alarm.” EThough she may have experienced more causes for alarm than most people, Bowen main- tained her sense of perspective and her composure throughout her life. In view of the many hardships she faced at an early age, this strong sense of self and her world no doubt came in very handy. included such literary heavyweights as Virginia Woolf and E. M. Forster. A Difficult Childhood Born into the Anglo- In 1930 Bowen inherited her family’s home, Irish gentry, Elizabeth Dorothea Cole Bowen spent Bowen’s Court, in County Cork, Ireland. But she her early childhood in Dublin and at Kildorrey. remained in London until 1940, when, as part of Before her eighth birthday, Bowen’s father was her job with the English Ministry of Information, hospitalized with a long-term illness, and she and she was posted in Dublin. Her function was to her mother left for England to live with family. send back to England reports on the Irish people’s Five years later her mother died of cancer. Bowen sentiments about World War II. Bowen moved was then taken in by her aunts on the Kentish sea- into Bowen’s Court in 1952, but after a few years coast of England and sent to a boarding school. she moved back to London, where she would When World War I broke out, Bowen, still in her reside for the rest of her life. teens, went to work in an Irish hospital for soldiers Bowen’s work was influenced by the grim changes suffering from shell shock, or what is now typically World War II brought to English life. The brood- referred to as post-traumatic stress syndrome. ing silence of London’s abandoned bomb-torn neighborhoods fills many of her works, including her novel The Heat of the Day. Many of her short “I feel happiest, in the sense of poetic stories, such as “The Demon Lover” and “The Cat truth, in the short story. Yet if I wrote Jumps,” also subtly weave in supernatural ele- ments. Her work is filled with small but powerful only short stories, I should feel I was details and an unfailingly accurate sense of time shrinking.” and place. Bowen’s most effective work deals with Britain’s —Elizabeth Bowen upper class. Her stories won her a reputation as an acute observer of both human nature and English society. Her work lives on at least in part because The Literary Life After World War I, the of her flair for description and her particular gift twenty-year-old Bowen began to write. She pub- for revealing subtle changes of light, sound, land- lished her first collection of short stories, scape, and human emotion. Encounters, in 1923 at the age of twenty-four. She Elizabeth Bowen was born in 1899 and died in 1973. also married Alan Cameron. The couple lived together for a number of years in London. By the time she was thirty, Bowen had become associated Author Search For more about with the renowned Bloomsbury Group, which Elizabeth Bowen, go to www.glencoe.com.
1174 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Mary Evans Picture Library/Robin Adler
11174-1183174-1183 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11741174 33/8/06/8/06 88:37:59:37:59 AMAM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Story Reading Strategy Analyzing Sensory Details In Bowen’s short story, a woman is unexpectedly and In creating effective images, writers use sensory frighteningly confronted by her past. As you read, think details, or descriptions that appeal to one or more of about the following questions: the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Like diction and sentence structure, sensory details What makes a story or movie scary? • influence the tone and meaning of a literary work. • Have you ever experienced a suspenseful or uncer- tain moment? How did it make you feel? Reading Tip: Using Your Senses Create a chart like the one below to keep track of the senses you use as Building Background you read “The Demon Lover.” This story, which is based loosely on a gothic ballad, takes place during World War II during the German bombing of London known as the Blitz. On fifty-seven Image or Description Senses consecutive nights, the German Luftwaffe bombed “it had been a steamy, touch London in an effort to obliterate the city and destroy showery day” the fighting spirit of Britain’s people. Many families moved to the country to get out of harm’s way. Those who could not afford to move had to take shelter where they could find it. The story also contains a flashback to World War I, when the main character Vocabulary became engaged to a young soldier. prosaic (pro¯ za¯ ik) adj. commonplace; ordinary; Setting Purposes for Reading p. 1177 The students’ more prosaic expectations were upset by the instructor’s nontraditional approach. Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath intermittent (in´ tər mit ənt) adj. alternately As you read “The Demon Lover,” take note of the set- starting and stopping; p. 1178 During the storm, ting, as well as the main character’s dark pessimism weather bulletins interrupted regular programming and overwhelming sense of foreboding. on an intermittent basis. precipitately (pri sip ə tət´ le¯) adv. without Literary Element Flashback deliberation; hastily; abruptly; p. 1178 Rushing A flashback is an interruption in the chronological out of the store, Cal precipitately knocked the vase order of a narrative to show an event that happened off the shelf. earlier. This gives readers information that may help em ə na¯t´ them to figure out the main events of a story. As you emanate ( ) v. to come forth from a read, examine how details from the flashback frame source; to issue; p. 1181 On Thanksgiving Day, the rest of the story. wonderful smells emanate from the kitchen. impassively (im pas iv le¯) adv. in an emotion- See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R7. • less manner; p. 1181 Surprisingly, the patient accepted the grim diagnosis impassively.
Vocabulary Tip: Word Origins Learning the origin of words can help you build vocabulary and deci- Interactive Literary Elements pher unfamiliar words. Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • analyzing flashback • analyzing literary periods • analyzing sensory details
ELIZABETH BOWEN 1175
11174-1183174-1183 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11751175 11/10/07/10/07 11:10:1111:10:11 AMAM The Gallery, 1952. Leonard Campbell Taylor. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
Elizabeth Bowen
owards the end of her day in London Against the next batch of clouds, already Mrs. Drover went round to her shut-up piling up ink-dark, broken chimneys and house to look for several things she wanted parapets1 stood out. to take away. Some belonged to herself, some to her family, who were by now used 1. A parapet is a low, protective railing or wall along the edge to their country life. It was late August; it of a roof or balcony. had been a steamy, showery day: at the moment the trees down the pavement glittered Reading Strategy Analyzing Sensory Details In what in an escape of humid yellow afternoon sun. ways does this paragraph appeal to your senses?
1176 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Private Collection/Bridgeman Art Library
11176-1182176-1182 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11761176 33/8/06/8/06 22:44:15:44:15 PMPM In her once familiar street, as in any unused There were some cracks in the structure, left channel, an unfamiliar queerness had silted by the last bombing,5 on which she was anx- up;2 a cat wove itself in and out of railings, ious to keep an eye. Not that one could do but no human eye watched Mrs. Drover’s anything— return. Shifting some parcels under her arm, A shaft of refracted6 daylight now lay across she slowly forced round her latchkey in an the hall. She stopped dead and stared at the unwilling lock, then gave the door, which had hall table—on this lay a letter addressed to her. warped, a push with her knee. Dead air came She thought first—then the caretaker must out to meet her as she went in. be back. All the same, who, seeing the house The staircase window having been boarded shuttered, would have dropped a letter in at up, no light came down into the hall. But one the box? It was not a circular,7 it was not a door, she could just see, stood ajar, so she bill. And the post office redirected, to the went quickly through into the room and address in the country, everything for her that unshuttered the big window in there. Now the came through the post. The caretaker (even prosaic woman, looking about her, was more if he were back) did not know she was due perplexed3 than she knew by everything that in London today—her call here had been she saw, by traces of her long former habit of planned to be a surprise—so his negligence in life—the yellow smoke stain the manner of this letter, leaving it to wait in up the white marble mantel- the dusk and the dust, annoyed her. Annoyed, piece, the ring left by a vase she picked up the letter, which bore no stamp. on the top of the escritoire; But it cannot be important, or they would the bruise in the wall-paper know . . . She took the letter rapidly upstairs where, on the door being with her, without a stop to look at the writing Visual Vocabulary thrown open widely, the till she reached what had been her bedroom, An escritoire is a china handle had always hit where she let in light. The room looked over writing table or the wall. The piano, having the garden and other gardens: the sun had desk. gone away to be stored, had gone in; as the clouds sharpened and lowered, left what looked like claw the trees and rank8 lawns seemed already to marks on its part of the parquet.4 Though not smoke with dark. Her reluctance to look again much dust had seeped in, each object wore a at the letter came from the fact that she felt film of another kind; and, the only ventilation intruded upon—and by someone contemptuous9 being the chimney, the whole drawing room of her ways. However, in the tenseness pre- smelled of the cold hearth. Mrs. Drover put ceding the fall of rain she read it: it was a down her parcels on the escritoire and left the few lines. room to proceed upstairs; the things she wanted were in a bedroom chest. Dear Kathleen: You will not have forgot- She had been anxious to see how the house ten that today is our anniversary, and the was—the part-time caretaker she shared with day we said. The years have gone by at some neighbors was away this week on his holiday, known to be not yet back. At the best of times he did not look in often, and 5. The last bombing indicates that the story takes place during World War II. she was never sure that she trusted him. 6. Refracted means “coming in at an angle.” 7. Here, a circular is a printed advertisement. 8. As it is used here, rank means “overgrown with weeds.” 2. Here, silted up means “built up.” 9. Contemptuous means “scornful.” 3. Perplexed means “bewildered” or “puzzled.” 4. Parquet is inlaid wood, often of different colors, that is Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath Why is Mrs. worked into geometric patterns or mosaic and is used Drover unable to do anything about her crumbling house? especially for flooring. Reading Strategy Analyzing Sensory Details Vocabulary What does this description of the lawns and garden contribute to pro¯ za¯ ik prosaic ( ) adj. commonplace; ordinary the story’s overall mood?
ELIZABETH BOWEN 1177 William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow, UK/Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York
11176-1182176-1182 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11771177 33/8/06/8/06 88:46:58:46:58 AMAM once slowly and fast. In view of the fact heightening apprehension she counted each of that nothing has changed, I shall rely the slow strokes. “The hour arranged . . . My upon you to keep your promise. I was God,” she said, “what hour? How should I . . . ? sorry to see you leave London, but was After twenty-five years . . .” satisfied that you would be back in time. You may expect me, therefore, at the hour arranged. Until then . . . K.
Mrs. Drover looked for the date: it was today’s. he young girl talking to the soldier in She dropped the letter on to the bedsprings, the garden had not ever completely then picked it up to see the writing again—her Tseen his face. It was dark; they were lips, beneath the remains of lipstick, beginning saying good-bye under a tree. Now and then— to go white. She felt so much the change in for it felt, from not seeing him at this intense her own face that she went to the mirror, moment, as though she had never seen him at polished a clear patch in it and looked at all—she verified his presence for these few once urgently and stealthily10 in. She was con- moments longer by putting out a hand, which fronted by a woman of forty-four, with eyes he each time pressed, without very much kind- starting out under a hat brim that had been ness, and painfully, on to one of the breast rather carelessly pulled down. She had not put buttons of his uniform. That cut of the button on any more powder since she left the shop on the palm of her hand was, principally, what where she ate her solitary tea. The pearls her she was to carry away. This was so near the husband had given her on their marriage hung end of a leave from France that she could only loose round her now rather thinner throat, wish him already gone. It was August 1916.12 slipping in the V of the pink wool jumper her Being not kissed, being drawn away from and sister knitted last autumn as they sat round looked at intimidated Kathleen till she imag- the fire. Mrs. Drover’s most normal expression ined spectral13 glitters in the place of his eyes. was one of controlled worry, but of assent.11 Turning away and looking back up the lawn Since the birth of the third of her little boys, she saw, through branches of trees, the draw- attended by a quite serious illness, she had had ing-room window alight: she caught a breath an intermittent muscular flicker to the left of for the moment when she could go running her mouth, but in spite of this she could back there into the safe arms of her mother always sustain a manner that was at once and sister, and cry: “What shall I do, what energetic and calm. shall I do? He has gone.” Turning from her own face as precipitately Hearing her catch her breath, her fiancé said, as she had gone to meet it, she went to the without feeling: “Cold?” chest where the things were, unlocked it, “You’re going away such a long way.” threw up the lid and knelt to search. But as “Not so far as you think.” rain began to come crashing down she could “I don’t understand?” not keep from looking over her shoulder at “You don’t have to,” he said. “You will. You the stripped bed on which the letter lay. know what we said.” Behind the blanket of rain the clock of the church that still stood struck six—with rapidly 12. August 1916 indicates that this flashback takes place during the First World War. 10. Stealthily means “secretly.” 13. Spectral means “ghostly.” 11. Here, assent means “resignation.” Literary Element Flashback What clues indicate that a Vocabulary flashback is beginning? intermittent (in´ tər mit ənt) adj. alternately starting and stopping Reading Strategy Analyzing Sensory Details What precipitately (pri sip ə tət´ le¯) adv. without delibera- does the pain Mrs. Drover experiences here suggest to you tion; hastily; abruptly about her relationship with the young soldier?
1178 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
1176-1182 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1178 6/27/06 4:13:52 PM St. Paul’s Cathedral from Ludgate Circus, London, England. John Atkinson Grimshaw.
“But that was—suppose you—I mean, made her feel so apart, lost and foresworn.14 She suppose.” could not have plighted a more sinister troth.15 “I shall be with you,” he said, “sooner or later. Kathleen behaved well when, some months You won’t forget that. You need do nothing but later, her fiancé was reported missing, presumed wait.” killed. Her family not only supported her but Only a little more than a minute later she was were able to praise her courage without stint16 free to run up the silent lawn. Looking in because they could not regret, as a husband for through the window at her mother and sister, her, the man they knew almost nothing about. who did not for the moment perceive her, she They hoped she would, in a year or two, con- already felt that unnatural promise drive down sole herself—and had it been only a question of between her and the rest of all human kind. No other way of having given herself could have 14. Here, foresworn means “abandoned.” 15. [She . . . troth.] She could not have pledged herself to a more evil promise. Literary Element Flashback What does the soldier’s 16. To praise without stint is to praise generously and without promise suggest about the letter Kathleen receives? reservation.
ELIZABETH BOWEN 1179 © Fine Art Photographic Library/CORBIS
1176-1182 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1179 6/27/06 4:14:33 PM consolation things might have gone much and steps. Through the shut windows she only straighter ahead. But her trouble, behind just a heard rain fall on the roofs around. To rally21 little grief, was a complete dislocation from herself, she said she was in a mood—and for everything. She did not reject other lovers, for two or three seconds shutting her eyes, told these failed to appear: for years she failed to herself that she had imagined the letter. But attract men—and with the approach of her she opened them—there it lay on the bed. thirties she became natural enough to share her On the supernatural side of the letter’s family’s anxiousness on this score. She began to entrance she was not permitting her mind to put herself out, to wonder; and at thirty-two she dwell. Who, in London, knew she meant to call was very greatly relieved to find herself being at the house today? Evidently, however, this courted by William had been known. The Drover. She married him, caretaker, had he come and the two of them back, had had no cause settled down in this to expect her: he would quiet, arboreal17 part have taken the letter in of Kensington:18 in this his pocket, to forward it, house the years piled up, You have at his own time, through her children were born the post. There was no and they all lived till other sign that the care- they were driven out by no time to taker had been in—but, the bombs of the next if not? Letters dropped in war. Her movements as run from at doors of deserted Mrs. Drover were cir- houses do not fly or walk cumscribed,19 and she a face you to tables in halls. They dismissed any idea that do not sit on the dust of they were still watched. do not expect. empty tables with the air As things were—dead of certainty that they or living the letter writer will be found. There is sent her only a threat. needed some human Unable, for some min- hand—but nobody but utes, to go on kneeling the caretaker had a key. with her back exposed to the empty room, Under circumstances she did not care to con- Mrs. Drover rose from the chest to sit on an sider, a house can be entered without a key. It upright chair whose back was firmly against the was possible that she was not alone now. She wall. The desuetude20 of her former bedroom, might be being waited for, downstairs. Waited her married London home’s whole air of being for—until when? Until “the hour arranged.” At a cracked cup from which memory, with its least that was not six o’clock: six has struck. reassuring power, had either evaporated or She rose from the chair and went over and leaked away, made a crisis—and at just this locked the door. crisis the letter writer had, knowledgeably, The thing was, to get out. To fly? No, not struck. The hollowness of the house this eve- that: she had to catch her train. As a woman ning canceled years on years of voices, habits, whose utter dependability was the keystone of her family life she was not willing to return to the country, to her husband, her little boys 17. Arboreal indicates that there were many trees where they and her sister, without the objects she had lived. come up to fetch. Resuming work at the chest 18. Kensington is a wealthy district in London. she set about making up a number of parcels in 19. Circumscribed means “restricted.” a rapid, fumbling-decisive way. These, with her 20. Desuetude (des wə t¯¯¯ood´) means “in a state of disuse.”
Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath In what way might Mrs. Drover’s home represent the whole of London? 21. Here, rally means “to calm and encourage.”
1180 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
11176-1182176-1182 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11801180 33/8/06/8/06 88:50:51:50:51 AM shopping parcels, would be too much to carry; It emanated from the basement: down there a these meant a taxi—at the thought of the taxi door or window was being opened by someone her heart went up and her normal breathing who chose this moment to leave the house. resumed. I will ring up the taxi now; the taxi The rain had stopped; the pavements steam- cannot come too soon: I shall hear the taxi out ily shone as Mrs. Drover let herself out by there running its engine, till I walk calmly inches from her own front door into the empty down to it through the hall. I’ll ring up—But street. The unoccupied houses opposite contin- no: the telephone is cut off . . . She tugged at ued to meet her look with their damaged stare. a knot she had tied wrong. Making towards the thoroughfare and the taxi, The idea of flight . . . He was never kind to she tried not to keep looking behind. Indeed, me, not really. I don’t remember him kind at the silence was so intense—one of those creeks all. Mother said he never considered me. He of London silence exaggerated this summer by was set on me, that was what it was—not love. the damage of war—that no tread could have Not love, not meaning a person well. What did gained on hers unheard. Where her street he do, to make me promise like that? I can’t debouched24 on the square where people went remember—But she found that she could. on living, she grew conscious of, and checked, She remembered with such dreadful acute- her unnatural pace. Across ness that the twenty-five years since then dis- the open end of the square solved like smoke and she instinctively looked two buses impassively for the weal22 left by the button on the palm of passed each other: women, her hand. She remembered not only all that he a perambulator, cyclists, a said and did but the complete suspension of her man wheel ing a barrow sig- Visual Vocabulary existence during that August week. I was not nalized, once again, the A perambulator myself—they all told me so at the time. She ordinary flow of life. At the is a baby carriage. remembered—but with one white burning square’s most populous cor- blank as where acid has dropped on a photo- ner should be—and was—the short taxi rank. graph: under no conditions could she remember This evening, only one taxi—but this, his face. although it presented its blank rump, appeared So, wherever he may be waiting, I shall not already to be alertly waiting for her. Indeed, know him. You have no time to run from a face without looking round the driver started his you do not expect. engine as she panted up from behind and put The thing was to get to the taxi before any her hand on the door. As she did so, the clock clock struck what could be the hour. She would struck seven. The taxi faced the main road: to slip down the street and round the side of the make the trip back to her house it would have square to where the square gave on the main to turn—she had settled back on the seat and road. She would return in the taxi, safe, to her the taxi had turned before she, surprised by its own door, and bring the solid driver into the knowing movement, recollected that she had house with her to pick up the parcels from room not “said where.” She leaned forward to scratch to room. The idea of the taxi driver made her at the glass panel that divided the driver’s head decisive, bold: she unlocked her door, went to from her own. the top of the staircase and listened down. The driver braked to what was almost a stop, She heard nothing—but while she was hear- turned round and slid the glass panel back: the ing nothing the passé23 air of the staircase was jolt of this flung Mrs. Drover forward till her disturbed by a draft that traveled up to her face.
24. Debouched (di b¯¯¯ooshd ) means “emerged.”
22. A weal is a bruise or mark on the skin; a welt. Vocabulary 23. As it is used here, passé means “stale.” emanate (em ə nat¯ ´) v. to come forth from a source; Literary Element Flashback How is this sentiment to issue reflected in the soldier’s past behavior? impassively (im pas iv le¯) adv. in an emotionless manner
ELIZABETH BOWEN 1181 Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis
11176-1182176-1182 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11811181 66/27/06/27/06 4:16:444:16:44 PMPM The Strand by Night, 1937. Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson. Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, West Yorkshire, UK.
face was almost into the glass. Through the After that she continued to scream freely and aperture25 driver and passenger, not six inches to beat with her gloved hands on the glass all between them, remained for an eternity eye to round as the taxi, accelerating without mercy, eye. Mrs. Drover’s mouth hung open for some made off with her into the hinterland26 of seconds before she could issue her first scream. deserted streets.
25. An aperture (ap ər chər) is an opening. 26. Here, hinterland means “remoteness.”
Reading Strategy Analyzing Sensory Details What details in this passage contribute to the ominous mood?
1182 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE © Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, West Yorkshire, UK/ bridgeman Art Library
11176-1182176-1182 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11821182 33/8/06/8/06 88:48:17:48:17 AM AFTER YOU READ
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. What was your reaction to the conclusion of this 5. (a)Mrs. Drover cannot, under any circumstances, story? Explain. remember her fiancé’s face. What does this suggest to you? (b)How does this detail contribute to the Recall and Interpret story’s mood? 2. (a)How does Bowen describe Mrs. Drover’s house 6. What do you think happens to Mrs. Drover at the in the beginning of the story? (b)Describe the end? Explain. atmosphere the setting creates. 3. (a)How does Mrs. Drover react to finding the letter Connect on the hall table? (b)What does her reaction sug- 7. Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath gest about her personality and way of life? (a)Why do you think Bowen chose war-torn 4. (a)What does Mrs. Drover do after reading the let- London as the setting for this story? (b)In your ter? (b)What does her reaction to the contents of opinion, how might both world wars have affected the letter indicate about her relationship with the Mrs. Drover’s emotional health? writer and her feelings about him?
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Flashback Reading Strategy Analyzing Sensory Details Reread the flashback sequence on pages 1178–1180. Review your chart cataloging the sensory details of the Then answer the questions about how the information story and answer the following questions. from the flashback helped you better understand Mrs. 1. (a)What sensory details does Bowen use to Drover’s present-day situation. describe her London house? (b)How do the details 1. How did Mrs. Drover’s younger self really feel when contribute to the story’s creepy atmosphere? her fiancé was presumed dead? How did the “sinis- 2. (a)What sensory details does Bowen use to ter troth” affect her? describe the day on which the story takes place? 2. Do you think Bowen’s use of the flashback inter- (b)How do these details create suspense? rupts the flow of the story, or does it intensify the suspense? Explain. Vocabulary Practice
Writing About Literature Practice with Word Parts Using the definitions of the foreign words below, select the English word that Analyze Plot In a suspenseful story, unresolved con- is derived from each one. Use a dictionary for help. flicts create feelings of curiosity, uncertainty, and even 1. Passivus (Latin): “capable of feeling” dread. Write a brief essay about the threat to the cen- a. intermittent b. impassively tral character in “The Demon Lover,” analyzing those elements that help produce suspense. 2. Emanare (Latin): “to flow” a. precipitately b. emanate 3. Prosa (Latin): “straightforward” a. prosaic b. precipitately 4. Praecipitatus (Latin): “thrown down headlong” Web Activities For eFlashcards, a. intermittent b. precipitately Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
ELIZABETH BOWEN 1183
11174-1183174-1183 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11831183 66/28/06/28/06 8:23:208:23:20 AMAM BEFORE YOU READ
Musée des Beaux Arts and The Unknown Citizen
MEET W. H. AUDEN
or much of the middle part of the twentieth century, Wystan Hugh Auden was hailed as Fthe greatest poet of his generation—the suc- cessor to T. S. Eliot and William Butler Yeats. His poetry was brilliant and political. Auden often used traditional formal techniques to explore modern social and spiritual concerns. His prolific output and versatile abilities helped clear the way for a new poetic style in the post–World War II period.
“Poetry makes nothing happen. It poetry could act as a kind of therapy, performing a function similar to psychoanalysis. survives in the valley of its saying.” An American Citizen Although his writing was —W. H. Auden primarily psychological, Auden, like many of his contemporaries, was active in the politics of his day. “I am not one of those who believe that poetry need The Auden Group Born in York, the son of a dis- or even should be directly political,” he wrote, “but tinguished doctor, the young Auden had no particu- in a critical period such as ours, I do believe that lar literary ambitions; he had originally planned to the poet must have direct knowledge of the major become a mining engineer. His absorbing interest political events.” He went to Spain in 1937 during during childhood and adolescence was science, pri- the Spanish Civil War, hoping to aid the Loyalists marily biology. However, by 1922 he discovered a in their fight against fascism. This visit inspired the knack for poetry—publishing his first poem two years poem Spain, one of Auden’s most famous works. In later, at the age of seventeen. After entering Oxford 1938, just before the start of World War II, Auden in 1925, Auden famously declared to his English moved to the United States. “The attractiveness of tutor that he planned to become “a great poet.” America to a writer is its openness,” he said. Auden While at Oxford, Auden became friends with a group became a U.S. citizen in 1946. The next year he of some of the brightest young poets in England, won the Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Anxiety. including Stephen Spender, Cecil Day-Lewis, and In the late 1940s, Auden divided his time between Louis MacNeice. Auden’s influence in this illustrious Europe and the United States. From 1956 to 1961, group was so great that it was known as the “Auden he was professor of poetry at Oxford University. Group,” and later dubbed by journalists and critics as Throughout the rest of his life he continued to the Auden Generation. After college Auden began write, creating a diverse body of work that includes teaching in Scotland and England. A somewhat not only poetry but also drama, criticism, blues eccentric teacher, he was nonetheless liked by his stu- music, musical librettos, and nonsense verse. dents. Soon after Auden began teaching, his first book of verse was published. By the age of twenty-five, with W. H. Auden was born in 1907 and died in 1973. the publication of a second volume, Auden had made a mark on the literary landscape. At the time, his Author Search For more about Author Search For more about poems were characterized, in part, by his belief that W. H. Auden, go to www.glencoe.com. Author Name, go to www.glencoe.com.
1184 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Jerry Cooke/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
11184-1191184-1191 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11841184 11/9/07/9/07 12:53:5012:53:50 PMPM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Poems Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning In the following poems, Auden expresses his ideas on To clarify meaning means to focus on difficult sections human suffering and individuality. As you read, think of a text in order to understand them better. Often this about the following questions: involves rereading, summarizing, and asking questions. Do you think people are immune to the suffering • Reading Tip: Asking Questions As you read and loss of other people? Auden’s poems, ask yourself the following questions: • In a world where we shop at the same stores, watch the same TV shows, and in general have so much in • What is the stanza basically saying? common, how do people retain their individuality? • How could I restate these lines to improve my comprehension? Building Background • What does this image seem to represent? Why The title of the poem “Musée des Beaux Arts” refers to might the poet have included it? the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium. This museum owns the painting The Fall of Icarus, to Vocabulary which Auden refers in his poem (see page 1186). This painting, by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, the great reverently (rev rənt le¯) adv. respectfully; with sixteenth-century Flemish artist, depicts Brueghel’s deep affection or veneration; p. 1186 The child interpretation of the Greek myth of Icarus. In this myth, spoke reverently about his favorite teacher. Icarus and his father, Daedalus, escape from prison by forsaken (fo r sak¯ ən) adj. deserted or lonely; making artificial wings of feathers and wax, which they p. 1186 The windswept mountains are a forsaken fasten to their shoulders. Daedalus warns Icarus not to place during the winter. fly too close to the sun because it could melt the wax, but Icarus ignores his father’s warning and falls to his sensible (sen sə bəl) adj. having good judgment death. In Brueghel’s rendition, Icarus’s legs are disap- or sound thinking; p. 1188 Most commentators pearing into the sea in a corner of the painting; the agreed that the jury’s decision was well reasoned rest of the scene has nothing to do with him. and very sensible.
Setting Purposes for Reading Vocabulary Tip: Analogies Analogies compare words based on the relationship between each Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath pair’s meaning. As you read, notice how Auden addresses human iso- lation, cultural anxiety, and disillusionment with society.
Literary Element Irony Irony is the contrast or discrepancy between appear- ance and reality. Irony can take several forms: verbal irony in a poem exists when the speaker says one thing, but the poet clearly means something different; dramatic irony occurs when the audience or reader knows something that the speaker of the poem or one of its characters does not know. As you read, pay attention to Auden’s use of irony. Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R9. go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying these selections, you will focus on the following: • analyzing irony and diction • analyzing literary periods • clarifying meaning
W. H. AUDEN 1185
11184-1191184-1191 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11851185 11/10/07/10/07 11:16:3711:16:37 AMAM W. H. Auden
The Fall of Icarus, c. 1558–1566. Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Oil on canvas, 73.7 x 111.8 cm. Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium.
About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters:1 how well they understood Its human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along; 5 How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting For the miraculous birth, there always must be Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating On a pond at the edge of the wood: They never forgot 10 That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer’s horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.
In Bruegel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away 15 Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen 20 Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.
1. The Old Masters refers to great European artists of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.
Literary Element Irony What is ironic about the ship sailing “calmly on”?
Vocabulary reverently (rev rənt le¯) adv. respectfully; with deep affection or veneration forsaken (for sak¯ ən) adj. deserted or lonely
1186 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium/Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York
11186186 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11861186 66/28/06/28/06 8:24:498:24:49 AMAM Motor Manufacturing – Empire buying makes busy factories, 1928. Poster. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
W. H. Auden
W. H. AUDEN 1187 Victoria & Albert Museum/Art Resource, NY
11187-1188187-1188 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11871187 33/8/06/8/06 11:54:23:54:23 PM (To JS/07/M/378 This Marble Monument Is Erected by the State)1
He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be One against whom there was no official complaint, And all the reports on his conduct agree That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint, 5 For in everything he did he served the Greater Community. Except for the War till the day he retired He worked in a factory and never got fired, But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc. Yet he wasn’t a scab2 or odd in his views, 10 For his Union reports that he paid his dues, (Our report on his Union shows it was sound) And our Social Psychology workers found That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink. The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day 15 And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way. Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured, And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured. Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan 20 And had everything necessary to the Modern Man, A phonograph, a radio, a car, and a frigidaire. Our researchers into Public Opinion are content That he held the proper opinions for the time of year; When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went. 25 He was married and added five children to the population, Which our Eugenist3 says was the right number for a parent of his generation, And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education. Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
1. A quotation or a short inscription at the beginning of a poem is called an epigraph. 2. A scab is slang for someone who does not want to join a union. 3. A Eugenist is someone who studies or supports the hereditary enhancement of the human race by controlled breeding.
Literary Element Irony How do you know that this passage is ironic?
Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath Do you think Auden believes that this is all people in the modern world need? What do you think he is suggesting in these lines?
Vocabulary sensible (sen sə bəl) adj. having good judgment or sound thinking
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RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond 5. (a)What questions are posed at the end of “The Unknown Citizen”? (b)Why does the speaker state 1. What is your opinion of Auden’s portrayal of that these questions are “absurd”? Consider the humanity in both poems? identity of the speaker. Recall and Interpret Analyze and Evaluate 2. (a)According to the speaker in “Musée des Beaux 6. (a)What is the message of “Musée des Beaux Arts,” what did the “Old Masters” understand about Arts”? (b)Do you agree with this message? Explain. suffering? (b)What do the dogs do and how does “the torturer’s horse” behave? (c)What does this 7. (a)How does Auden use imagery to convey his suggest about nature’s reaction to human suffering? ideas about suffering in “Musée des Beaux Arts”? (b)Which image do you believe is most effective? 3. (a)What “disaster” occurs in the second stanza? Explain. (b)According to the speaker of the poem, how does “everything” in Brueghel’s painting react to 8. (a)What is the message of “The Unknown Citizen”? this disaster? (b)Do you agree or disagree with this message? 4. (a)In “The Unknown Citizen,” how is the citizen Connect described? (b)What effect does the epigraph have on the poem as a whole? 9. Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath In what ways do these poems suggest the disillusion- ment of British writers during this time?
VISUAL LITERACY: Graphic Organizer
Visualizing Auden’s Arguments
A sound argument must be supported by convinc- My Evaluation ing evidence. While not all poems contain an overt Poet ’s Supporting of the argument, those that do can be evaluated in much Argument Evidence the same way that a persuasive or analytical essay is Argument evaluated. For example, in Auden’s “Musée des “how it takes place Beaux Arts” the poet is making an overt argument / While someone about the nature of human suffering and the way in else is eating or which others respond to suffering that is not their opening a window own. While less overt, Auden is also making an or just walking argument in “The Unknown Citizen” concerning dully along” dehumanization in contemporary society.
To understand and evaluate Auden’s arguments, reread the poems and compile any evidence pre- sented by the poet. Use this evidence to complete a 1. In what ways are the arguments in both of these chart like the one on the right. Then answer the poems similar? questions. 2. How does Auden use Brueghel’s painting to sup- port his argument in “Musée des Beaux Arts”? 3. Do you agree or disagree with Auden’s arguments regarding human nature? Explain.
W. H. AUDEN 1189
11184-1191184-1191 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11891189 33/8/06/8/06 88:53:37:53:37 AMAM LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Irony Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning Irony is an important element to identify and analyze The meaning of a poem can sometimes be difficult to because it can completely shade the message of a lit- determine. Poets often use figurative and elevated erary work. For example, if you do not grasp the irony language, rhetorical devices, and narrative techniques in Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen” you will miss the to convey their meaning. When the meaning of a pas- main message of the poem. sage in a literary work is not entirely clear to you, it is important to ask yourself questions about that pas- 1. Find several examples of dramatic irony in “Musée des Beaux Arts” and explain how they support the sage and rephrase it in your own words so that you poem’s theme. can gain a better understanding of the work. Paraphrase lines 10–13 of “Musée des Beaux Arts.” 2. Cite several examples of verbal irony in “The 1. Unknown Citizen” and explain how they help to In what ways do these lines contribute to the convey the poem’s message. theme of the poem? 2. (a)Examine lines 24–26 in “The Unknown Citizen.” What does the citizen do? (b)How would you Review: Diction describe the tone of these lines? As you learned on page 854, an author’s word choice, or use of appropriate words to convey a particular meaning, is called diction. Good writers choose their Vocabulary Practice words carefully to express their intended meaning pre- Practice with Analogies Choose the word that cisely. Diction is particularly important in poetry, which best completes each analogy. To complete an anal- uses language more economically than most prose ogy, decide on the relationship represented by the does. In “Musée des Beaux Arts,” Auden deliberately first pair of words. Then, apply that relationship to uses language that is plain, straightforward, even the second set of words. earthy—as when he describes a corner “where the 1. violently : peacefully :: reverently : dogs go on with their doggy life.” In this example, a. disrespectfully b. happily c. swiftly Auden’s diction creates an unromantic matter-of-fact tone. 2. bold : brave :: forsaken : a. unhealthy b. desolate c. meaningful Partner Activity Work with a partner to answer the 3. vivid : bright :: sensible : following questions. a. cluttered b. sensational c. reasonable 1. Find another example of mundane or earthy lan- guage in “Musée des Beaux Arts.” What effect is created by this choice of language? Academic Vocabulary 2. In your opinion, how does Auden’s diction help convey the theme, or message about life, of Here are two words from the vocabulary list on “Musée des Beaux Arts”? page R82.
colleague (kol e ¯ ) n. an academic or profes- sional peer; an associate adjacent (ə ja¯ sənt) adj. directly next to; nearby
Practice and Apply 1. In “The Unknown Citizen,” what do the citizen’s colleagues think of him? 2. In Brueghel’s painting, what is depicted adjacent to Icarus’s falling body?
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Writing About Literature Auden’s Language and Style Respond to Theme The theme of a literary work is Using Colons In “Musée des Beaux Arts” and “The its main idea, which is sometimes expressed as a gen- Unknown Citizen,” Auden uses colons for multiple rea- eral statement about life. Some works have a stated sons. The colon is typically used to introduce a list; to theme, like “Musée des Beaux Arts.” Others, like “The introduce material that illustrates, explains, adds to, or Unknown Citizen,” have an implied theme. Write a restates preceding material; or to introduce a long, for- short response essay in which you analyze and evalu- mal quotation. Consider the way in which Auden is ate the themes of both poems. using the colon in the following lines: Before you begin drafting your essay, it is important ”Was he free? Was he happy? The question is to determine what you think the theme of each poem absurd: is, your opinion of these themes, and how well you Had anything been wrong, we should feel each theme is developed. Use a graphic orga- certainly have heard.” nizer like the one below. In this example, Auden uses the colon to introduce new material that adds information to the previous statement.
Theme of ▲▲▲ “Musée des Activity Reread the poems, taking note of all of the Beaux Arts”
➧ instances in which Auden uses a colon and the way in which each colon is used. Then, create a two-col- umn chart like the one below: “In Brueghel’s Icarus, for Evidence instance: how everything turns away” Examples Purpose ➧ “The Unknown Citizen,” lines The colon is used to intro- 28–29: duce new material that adds information to the previous My “Was he free? Was he statement. Evaluation happy? The question is and Response absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have After you complete your draft, meet with a peer heard.” reviewer to evaluate each other’s work and to suggest revisions. Then proofread and edit your draft for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Revising Check Literary Criticism Colons It is very important to know how to use the colon correctly. Its misuse can lead to cluttered or Even when his subject matter was serious, Auden confusing sentences. With a partner, go through your delighted in changing the tone in his poems from response to the themes in Auden’s poems and note somber to light and amusing. One critic, commenting places where a colon might be appropriate or places on Auden’s early work, noted the poet’s “crazy wit” where you may have used one incorrectly. Revise your and “delight in playing with words.” Auden himself draft to improve sentence fluency. claimed that many writers do not appreciate “the basic frivolity of art. People do not understand that it is possible to believe in a thing and ridicule it at the same time.” Do you think that these quotations accurately describe Auden’s work? In a paragraph or two, analyze one of Auden’s poems in light of Web Activities For eFlashcards, these quotations. Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
W. H. AUDEN 1191
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A Shocking Accident
MEET GRAHAM GREENE
mong the finest writers of postwar Britain, Graham Greene produced a Astring of popular spy thrillers, which he called his “entertainments,” as well as more seri- ous works of literature. The grandnephew of Victorian writer Robert Louis Stevenson, Greene was a masterful storyteller who achieved both popular and critical success. Along with many other English authors, Greene Headmaster’s Son Greene grew up in Hertfordshire, north of London. He attended the served in British intelligence during World War II. exclusive Berkhamsted School, of which his His experience helped him in the writing of his father was headmaster, and came to detest the spy novels, many of which were turned into popu- brutalities of boarding-school life, especially lar films. Greene also found there was plenty to since he was often tormented for being the head- spy on in his own society. A careful observer, he master’s son. At seventeen he suffered an emo- was attentive to the smallest details: “You’re there, tional breakdown and ran away. Later, recalling listening to every word, but part of you is observ- his tortured years at the school, Greene wrote: ing. Everything is useful to a writer, you see—every “One met for the first time characters, adult and scrap, even the longest and most boring of lun- adolescent, who bore about them the genuine cheon parties.” quality of evil.” As a result of running away from boarding school, Greene spent six months under the care of a “The great advantage of being a writer London psychoanalyst, who also happened to be a is that you can spy on people.” writer. Later Greene would call these months the happiest time of his life. Not only did he escape —Graham Greene the hated boarding school, but he began to write for himself with the encouragement of the sympa- thetic doctor. The experience also sparked Literary Success A convert to Roman Catholicism, Greene’s lifelong interest in psychoanalysis. Greene often treated moral and religious themes in his more serious fiction. He also was a worldwide trav- Writing and Spying Greene attended Oxford eler and is noted for his realistic depiction of Cold University and, upon graduation in 1925, pub- War and colonial politics in novels like The Heart of lished a volume of poetry. For the next few years, the Matter (1948), The Quiet American (1956), and he worked as a journalist, eventually finding him- The Comedians (1966). In addition, he produced such self on the staff of one of Britain’s best newspa- humorous satires as Our Man in Havana (1958), a par- pers, the London Times. After several years, he ody of his own spy thrillers. resigned to become a full-time writer. With the Graham Greene was born in 1904 and died in 1991. publication of The Man Within (1929), Greene established himself as a novelist. Not long after- ward came two major novels: Brighton Rock AuAuthorthor SSearchearch FForor more about (1938) and The Power and the Glory (1940). GrahamAuthor Name, Greene, go go to towww.glencoe.com www.glencoe.com. .
1192 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Corbis-Bettmann
11192-1198192-1198 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11921192 66/28/06/28/06 8:27:168:27:16 AMAM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Story Reading Strategy Recognizing Bias Has a shocking situation ever caused you to laugh? In Recognizing bias involves identifying statements that Greene’s short story, an unfortunate accident becomes are prejudiced or those that strongly support only one a source of humor for others. As you read, think about side of an issue. As you read, look for examples of the following questions: bias on the part of the narrator and the characters in this story. • Why do people sometimes find humor in shocking situations? Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart to record Is it important for your friends to react to situations • examples of bias in the story. in the same way you do?
Building Background Example of Bias Explanation “A Shocking Accident” draws on Greene’s early school experiences and reflects his more satirical side. In England, “public schools” are expensive private schools: the term public merely dates back to a time when these schools were the first schools opened outside the home. Two prestigious public schools mentioned in this Vocabulary story are Marlborough and Rugby. callousness (kal əs nəs) n. hardness in mind or feelings; insensitivity; p. 1195 The reporters Setting Purposes for Reading showed callousness in interviewing the mourners at Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath the funeral. During the years after World War II, a sense of cultural commiseration (kə miz´ ə ra¯ shən) n. a feeling anxiety and disillusionment permeated British writing. or expression of sympathy; compassion; p. 1195 As you read, consider which aspects of British society Those players who grumbled about the referee’s Greene criticizes or satirizes in this story. calls received no commiseration from their coach. intrinsically (in trin zik le¯) adv. inherently; Literary Element Character in its very nature; p. 1196 The head of the social A character is a person or animal portrayed in a liter- services department believes that people are intrinsi- ary work. Less important characters, known as minor cally good. characters, are used by a writer to “fill out” a scene, brevity (brev ə te¯) n. shortness in speech or to provide dialogue, or to further the plot in some way. writing; p. 1196 By deleting unnecessary words, As opposed to main characters, who are typically fully you give your writing brevity, clarity, and force. developed, minor characters display few personality traits and generally act in a consistent manner. As you appease (ə pez¯ ) v. to bring to a state of peace read, consider how you would classify each character or quiet; to satisfy; p. 1197 Sometimes, only a in this story. bottle of warm milk can appease a crying baby.
• See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R3. Vocabulary Tip: Synonyms Words that have the same or nearly the same meaning are called synonyms.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • analyzing characters • analyzing literary periods • recognizing bias GRAHAM GREENE 1193
11192-1198192-1198 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11931193 11/15/07/15/07 12:18:4712:18:47 PMPM The Apple-Tub, 1992. Ditz. Private collection.
Graham Greene
1 “Sit down, Jerome,” Mr. Wordsworth said. Jerome was called into his housemaster’s1 room “All going well with the trigonometry?” in the break between the second and the third “Yes, sir.” class on a Thursday morning. He had no fear of “I’ve had a telephone call, Jerome. From your trouble, for he was a warden—the name that aunt. I’m afraid I have bad news for you.” the proprietor and headmaster of a rather “Yes, sir?” expensive preparatory school had chosen to “Your father has had an accident.” give to approved, reliable boys in the lower “Oh.” forms2 (from a warden one became a guardian Mr. Wordsworth looked at him with some and finally before leaving, it was hoped for surprise. “A serious accident.” Marlborough or Rugby, a crusader). The house- “Yes, sir?” master, Mr. Wordsworth, sat behind his desk Jerome worshipped his father: the verb is with an appearance of perplexity3 and appre- exact. As man re-creates God, so Jerome re- hension.4 Jerome had the odd impression when created his father—from a restless widowed he entered that he was a cause of fear. author into a mysterious ad venturer who trav- eled in far places—Nice, Beirut, Majorca, even the Canaries. The time had arrived about his eighth birthday when Jerome believed that his 1. A housemaster is a teacher who supervises a residence hall of a boys’ school. 2. Here, forms means “grades.” Literary Element Character How does Jerome react to 3. Perplexity is the state of being puzzled or confused. the news of his father’s accident? 4. Here, apprehension means “dread.”
1194 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Private collection/Bridgeman art Library
11194-1197194-1197 U6P3U6P3 Sel-845482.inddSel-845482.indd 11941194 33/8/06/8/06 11:56:09:56:09 PM father either “ran guns”5 or was a member of 2 the British Secret Service. Now it occurred to This was not callousness on the part of Jerome, him that his father might have been wounded as it was interpreted by Mr. Wordsworth to his in “a hail of machine-gun bullets.” colleagues (he even discussed with them Mr. Wordsworth played with the ruler on his whether, perhaps, Jerome was yet fitted to be a desk. He seemed at a loss how to continue. He warden). Jerome was only attempting to visual- said, “You know your father was in Naples?” ize the strange scene to get the details right. “Yes, sir.” Nor was Jerome a boy who cried; he was a boy “Your aunt heard from the hospital today.” who brooded,6 and it never occurred to him at “Oh.” his preparatory school that the circumstances Mr. Wordsworth said with desperation, “It of his father’s death were comic—they were was a street accident.” still part of the mystery of life. It was later, in “Yes, sir?” It seemed quite likely to Jerome his first term at his public school, when he told that they would call it a street accident. The the story to his best friend, that he began to police of course had fired first; his father would realize how it affected others. Naturally after not take human life except as a last resort. that disclosure he was known, rather unreason- “I’m afraid your father was very seriously hurt ably, as Pig. indeed.” Unfortunately his aunt had no sense of “Oh.” humor. There was an enlarged snapshot of his “In fact, Jerome, he died yesterday. Quite father on the piano; a large sad man in an without pain.” unsuitable dark suit posed in Capri with an “Did they shoot him through the heart?” umbrella (to guard him against sunstroke), the “I beg your pardon. What did you say, Faraglione rocks forming the background. By Jerome?” the age of sixteen Jerome was well aware that “Did they shoot him through the heart?” the portrait looked more like the author of “Nobody shot him, Jerome. A pig fell on Sunshine and Shade and Rambles in the Balearics him.” An inexplicable convulsion took place in than an agent of the Secret Service. All the the nerves of Mr. Wordsworth’s face; it really same he loved the memory of his father: he still looked for a moment as though he were going possessed an album filled with picture-postcards to laugh. He closed his eyes, composed his fea- (the stamps had been soaked off long ago for his tures and said rapidly as though it were neces- other collection), and it pained him when his sary to expel the story as quickly as possible, aunt embarked with strangers on the story of “Your father was walking along a street in his father’s death. Naples when a pig fell on him. A shocking “A shocking accident,” she would begin, accident. Apparently in the poorer quarters of and the stranger would compose his or her Naples they keep pigs on their balconies. This features into the correct shape for interest and one was on the fifth floor. It had grown too fat. commiseration. Both reactions, of course, were The balcony broke. The pig fell on your father.” false, but it was terrible for Jerome to see how Mr. Wordsworth left his desk rapidly and suddenly, midway in her rambling discourse,7 went to the window, turning his back on Jerome. He shook a little with emotion. Jerome said, “What happened to the pig?” 6. Brooded means “pondered unhappily.” 7. As it is used here, discourse means “story.”
Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath What does Greene criticize about British public schools? 5. Ran guns means “smuggled firearms and ammunition.”
Literary Element Character Why does this thought pop Vocabulary into Jerome’s mind? callousness (kal əs nəs) n. hardness in mind or feel- ings; insensitivity Literary Element Character What is Mr. Wordsworth try- commiseration (kə miz´ ə ra¯ shən) n. a feeling or ing to hide? expression of sympathy; compassion
GRAHAM GREENE 1195
1194-1197 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1195 6/28/06 8:29:41 AM the interest would become genuine. “I can’t It seemed to Jerome that there were two pos- think how such things can be allowed in a civ- sible methods—the first led gently up to the ilized country,” his aunt would say. “I suppose accident, so that by the time it was described one has to regard Italy as civilized. One is pre- the listener was so well prepared that the death pared for all kinds of things abroad, of course, came really as an anticlimax. The chief danger and my brother was a great traveler. He always of laughter in such a story was always surprise. carried a water filter with him. It was far less When he rehearsed this method Jerome began expensive, you know, than buying all those boringly enough. bottles of mineral water. My brother always “You know Naples and those high tenement said that his filter paid for his dinner wine. buildings? Somebody once told me that the You can see from that what a careful man he Neapolitan12 always feels at home in New York was, but who could possibly have expected just as the man from Turin13 feels at home in when he was walking along the Via Dottore London because the river runs in much the Manuele Panucci on his way to the same way in both cities. Where was I? Oh, yes. Hydrographic8 Museum that a pig would fall Naples, of course. You’d be surprised in the on him?” That was the moment when the poorer quarters what things they keep on the interest became genuine. balconies of those sky-scraping tenements—not Jerome’s father had not been a very distin- washing, you know, or bedding, but things like guished writer, but the time always seems to livestock, chickens or even pigs. Of course the come, after an author’s death, when somebody pigs get no exercise whatever and fatten all the thinks it worth his while to write a letter to the quicker.” He could imagine how his hearer’s Times Literary Supplement announcing the prep- eyes would have glazed by this time. “I’ve no aration of a biography and asking to see any let- idea, have you, how heavy a pig can be, but ters or documents or receive any anecdotes from these old buildings are all badly in need of friends of the dead man. Most of the biogra- repair. A balcony on the fifth floor gave way phies, of course, never appear—one wonders under one of those pigs. It struck the third floor whether the whole thing may not be an obscure balcony on its way down and sort of ricocheted form of blackmail and whether many a poten- into the street. My father was on the way to the tial writer of a biography or thesis finds the Hydrographic Museum when the pig hit him. means in this way to finish his education at Coming from that height and that angle it Kansas or Nottingham.9 Jerome, however, as a broke his neck.” This was really a masterly chartered accountant, lived far from the literary attempt to make an intrinsically interesting world. He did not realize how small the men- subject boring. ace10 really was, or that the danger period for The other method Jerome rehearsed had the someone of his father’s obscurity had long virtue of brevity. passed. Sometimes he rehearsed the method of “My father was killed by a pig.” recounting his father’s death so as to reduce the “Really? In India?” comic element to its smallest dimensions—it “No, in Italy.” would be of no use to refuse information, for in “How interesting. I never realized there was that case the biographer would undoubtedly pig-sticking in Italy. Was your father keen on visit his aunt who was living to a great old age polo?” with no sign of flagging.11 In course of time, neither too early nor too late, rather as though, in his capacity as a
8. Hydrographic means “relating to the scientific analysis of the physical conditions of water.” 12. A Neapolitan is one who lives in Naples, Italy. 9. Nottingham, a city in central England, is home to several 13. Turin is a city in Italy. universities. 10. A menace is a threat. Vocabulary 11. Flagging means “weakening.” intrinsically (in trin zik le¯) adv. inherently; in its very nature Reading Strategy Recognizing Bias brevity (brev ə te¯) n. shortness in speech or writing What bias does Jerome’s aunt reveal in this passage?
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1194-1197 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1196 6/28/06 8:29:52 AM chartered accountant, Jerome had studied the came, and he could not have told himself statistics and taken the average, he became whether his apprehension was more for his engaged to be married: to a pleasant fresh-faced father’s memory or the security of his own love. girl of twenty-five whose father was a doctor in The moment came all too soon. “Is that Pinner.14 Her name was Sally, her favorite Jemmy’s father?” Sally asked, picking up the author was still Hugh Walpole,15 and she had portrait of the man with the umbrella. adored babies ever since she had been given a “Yes, dear. How did you guess?” doll at the age of five which moved its eyes and “He has Jemmy’s eyes and brow, hasn’t he?” made water. Their relationship was contented “Has Jerome lent you his books?” rather than exciting, as became the love affair “No.” of a chartered accountant; it would never have “I will give you a set for your wedding. He done if it had interfered with the figures. wrote so tenderly about his travels. My own One thought worried Jerome, however. Now favorite is Nooks and Crannies. He would have that within a year he might himself become a had a great future. It made that shocking acci- father, his love for the dead man increased; he dent all the worse.” realized what affection had gone into the pic- “Yes?” ture-postcards. He felt a longing to protect his Jerome longed to leave the room and not see memory, and uncertain whether this quiet love that loved face crinkle with irresistible amuse- of his would survive if Sally were so insensitive ment. as to laugh when she heard the story of his “I had so many letters from his readers after father’s death. Inevitably she would hear it the pig fell on him.” She had never been so when Jerome brought her to dinner with his abrupt before. aunt. Several times he tried to tell her himself, And then the miracle happened. Sally did not as she was naturally anxious to know all she laugh. Sally sat with open eyes of horror while could that concerned him. his aunt told her the story, and at the end, “How “You were very small when your father died?” horrible,” Sally said. “It makes you think, doesn’t “Just nine.” it? Happening like that. Out of a clear sky.” “Poor little boy,” she said. Jerome’s heart sang with joy. It was as though “I was at school. They broke the news to me.” she had appeased his fear forever. In the taxi “Did you take it very hard?” going home he kissed her with more passion “I can’t remember.” than he had ever shown and she returned it. “You never told me how it happened.” There were babies in her pale blue pupils, “It was very sudden. A street accident.” babies that rolled their eyes and made water. “You’ll never drive fast, will you, Jemmy?” “A week today,” Jerome said, and she (She had begun to call him “Jemmy.”) It was squeezed his hand. “Penny for your thoughts, too late then to try the second method—the my darling.” one he thought of as the pig-sticking one. “I was wondering,” Sally said, “what happened They were going to marry quietly in a registry to the poor pig?” office and have their honeymoon at Torquay.16 “They almost certainly had it for dinner,” He avoided taking her to see his aunt until a Jerome said happily and kissed the dear child week before the wedding, but then the night again.
14. Pinner is a town in England. 15. Hugh Walpole was an English novelist. Literary Element Character What does Sally’s question 16. Torquay is a town in southwestern England. reveal about her? Literary Element Character What conflict must Jerome resolve? Vocabulary appease (ə pez¯ ) v. to bring to a state of peace or quiet; Literary Element Character What kind of person is Sally? to satisfy
GRAHAM GREENE 1197
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RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. How did you react when you learned what had 5. Compare the methods Jerome devises for telling happened to Jerome’s father? Do you think your the story of the accident. In your opinion, why does reaction was appropriate? Why or why not? he devise these two different methods? 6. Find an example of situational irony in the story Recall and Interpret and evaluate the effect it creates. 2. (a)When Jerome first hears about his father’s acci- dent, what does he assume has happened? Why? 7. (a)What theme, or message about life, do you think (b)What actually happened in the accident? Greene wanted to convey through this story? (b)Do you agree with this message? Why or why not? 3. (a)How do Mr. Wordsworth and others react to the story of the accident? (b)Why might it pain Jerome Connect to hear his aunt tell the story to strangers? 8. Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath 4. (a)How does Sally react to the aunt’s story? Which aspects of British society does this story (b)What does her reaction suggest about her criticize or satirize? Support your response with character? evidence from the story.
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Character Reading Strategy Recognizing Bias In this story Jerome is the main character, and the Review the chart you created on page 1193 and then other characters are minor. Characters that show var- answer the following questions. ied and sometimes contradictory traits are called 1. What is the narrator’s attitude toward Jerome’s way round; characters who reveal only a single personality of life? trait are called flat. 2. How does the narrator describe Jerome’s fiancée, 1. Is Jerome a round or a flat character? Explain. Sally? What can you conclude about the narrator’s 2. Is he static or dynamic? Give reasons for your attitude toward people like her? answer.
Vocabulary Practice Writing About Literature Practice with Synonyms Find the synonym for Analyze Comic Devices Humor is the quality of a each vocabulary word from “A Shocking Accident.” work that makes it amusing or comic. Sometimes Use a dictionary or a thesaurus if you need help. humor comes from the plot of the work and involves 1. callousness a. self-pity b. insensitivity situational irony or exaggerated or ridiculous events. Sometimes humor is derived from the characters 2. commiseration a. harshness b. sympathy themselves or from the use of language, including 3. intrinsically a. essentially b. fervently exaggeration, understatement, puns, sarcasm, and ver- bal irony. Write a brief essay in which you identify the 4. brevity a. aptitude b. concision comic devices in “A Shocking Accident” and explain 5. appease a. satisfy b. provoke how they add humor to the story.
Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
1198 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
11192-1198192-1198 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11981198 33/8/06/8/06 99:04:11:04:11 AMAM Grammar Workshop Sentence Structure
Avoiding Run-on Sentences º Commas and “‘You can see from that what a careful man he was, but who could possibly have Coordinating expected when he was walking along the Via Dottore Manuele Panucci on his Conjunctions way to the Hydrographic Museum that a pig would fall on him?’” Use a comma before con- junctions when they join —Graham Greene, from “A Shocking Accident” clauses that could stand on their own as complete Connecting to Literature In the passage above, Graham Greene presents sentences. connected ideas in a compound sentence—a sentence with two or more main clauses. The conjunction but separates the two main clauses, and it prevents a • Jerome dreads his run-on sentence, or two or more complete sentences written as though they aunt’s talks, and he were one sentence. wishes he could avoid them. Run-on sentences The clauses of run-on sentences have no punctuation º Coordinating between them or are separated only by a comma. Conjunctions
Jerome’s friends tease him thoughtlessly they don’t understand his and or difficulty dealing with his father’s bizarre accident. but so for yet nor Solution A Break the sentence into two sentences. Jerome’s friends tease him thoughtlessly. They don’t understand his º Test-Taking Tip difficulty dealing with his father’s bizarre accident. To avoid run-on sentences when writing for a test, Solution B Separate the clauses with a semicolon. review sentences that present more than one Jerome’s friends tease him thoughtlessly; they don’t understand his thought. Add correct punc- difficulty dealing with his father’s bizarre accident. tuation and necessary conjunctions. Solution C Add a comma and a coordinating conjunction. º Language Handbook Jerome’s friends tease him thoughtlessly, for they don’t understand For more about sentence his difficulty dealing with his father’s bizarre accident. structure, see Language Handbook, pp. R50—R51.
Exercise eWorkbooks To link to Revising for Clarity Correct each of the following run-on sentences. the Grammar and Language eWorkbook, go to 1. Jerome admired his father in fact, he worshipped him. www.glencoe.com. 2. Jerome did not cry, he brooded. 3. Mr. Wordsworth tried to hide a laugh, Jerome found the accident myste- OBJECTIVES rious rather than funny. • Analyze and correct run-on sentences. 4. Sally recognized Jerome’s father’s photograph she had not read Jerome’s • Structure sentences to clar- father’s books. ify meaning.
1199
11199199 U6P3App-845482.inddU6P3App-845482.indd 11991199 11/15/07/15/07 12:21:3912:21:39 PMPM BEFORE YOU READ Fern Hill and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
MEET DYLAN THOMAS
ylan Thomas once wrote, “A poet is a poet broadcaster for the for such a very tiny bit of his life; for the British Broadcasting Drest, he is a human being.” Thomas certainly Corporation. During tried to live his life to the fullest. He loved parties; this period he wrote he was an entertaining conversationalist; and he several volumes of enjoyed speaking and reading his poems in public. short stories and memoirs in addi- tion to poetry. One of his most famous and popular works, “A Child’s “A good poem is a contribution to Christmas in Wales,” was a memoir of his child- reality. The world is never the same hood in Swansea. once a good poem has been added to it.” In 1937 Thomas married and then returned to Wales, settling in the small picturesque fishing —Dylan Thomas village of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. He and his wife, Caitlin, and their three children lived in a converted boathouse overlooking the sea—a set- Early Success Born in Swansea (swan ze¯), ting that inspired many of his poems. South Wales, Thomas was the son of a farmer’s daughter and an English teacher. He attended the Poet and Performer In 1950, Thomas made his Swansea grammar school, where he gained a wide first visit to the United States to embark on a breadth of knowledge of English poetry, though he series of whirlwind poetry-reading and speaking was an average student in most subjects. He dis- tours at American universities. Considered one of played an early aptitude for writing poetry, submit- the best performers of poetry in modern times, he ting “decent verse” to his school newspaper when was idolized by the literary establishment. In 1953, he was only eleven years old. during his third tour of America, he collapsed in At age seventeen, Thomas decided not to continue New York after a party celebrating his thirty-ninth his education and took a job at the local newspaper, birthday. He fell into a coma and died several days writing book and theater reviews. When he was later of complications from alcoholism. nineteen, he published his first poem in the New Shortly before his death Thomas completed Under English Weekly, and within the year he was pub- Milk Wood, a radio play celebrating daily life in a lishing a poem every month in various literary small Welsh village. Thomas, who saw himself as a journals. At age twenty, he published his first book modern-day descendant of the English Romantics, of poetry, Eighteen Poems, for which he received remains best known for his radiant and resonant instant critical acclaim. At such a young age, he verse. had already gained a literary reputation for the Dylan Thomas was born in 1914 and died in 1953. “wildness” of his imagery, for his use of sound and rhythm, and for his exploration of the inner work- ings of the mind. In 1934 Thomas left Wales to live the freewheeling life of a writer in London. To support himself he Author Search For more about worked as a journalist, actor, screenwriter, and Dylan Thomas, go to www.glencoe.com.
1200 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Hulton Getty/Tony Stone Images
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Connecting to the Poems Reading Strategy Analyzing Figures of Thomas’s childhood in Wales provided material for Speech much of his poetry. As you read, think about the Analyzing figures of speech involves looking critically following questions: at specific devices or kinds of figurative language, such • What is your favorite childhood memory? as metaphor, personification, simile, or symbol. How do you feel about the passing of time? Another figurative device that occurs less often is • known as oxymoron. It combines two contradictory Building Background terms, as in the phrase “darkness visible” in Milton’s “Fern Hill,” one of Thomas’s most acclaimed poems, Paradise Lost. is a fine example of his characteristic use of original images, rich symbols, and dazzling language. This Reading Tip: Charting Figures of Speech Use a poem was inspired by vacation visits to Fernhill Farm, chart to record your interpretations of figures of speech the home of his aunt Ann Jones. Thomas also enjoyed in these poems. a particularly close relationship with his father, whom he addressed in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Figure of speech Interpretation Night.” The elder Thomas, who was blind, encouraged his son’s writing, and Thomas composed many of his Simile: “happy as Joy was intrinsic to early poems seated at his father’s desk in the study at the grass was the speaker as a their family home in Swansea. green” child. Setting Purposes for Reading
Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath Vocabulary Though he wrote after World War II, when gloom and disillusionment permeated Britain, Thomas sought to hail (hal¯ ) v. acclaim; pay tribute to; p. 1202 A affirm the basic values of home and family. As you crowd gathered to hail the championship team on its read, consider how these poems reflect those values. triumphant return. spellbound (spel bound) adj. fascinated; Literary Element Assonance and affected as if by enchantment; p. 1203 Roger Consonance stared as if spellbound at the flickering colored lights The repetition of nearby vowel sounds in stressed on the water. syllables is called assonance, as in the phrase my wild heedless (hed¯ lis) adj. careless; not paying life or stay in the same place. The repetition of conso- attention; p. 1203 Ignoring the ranger’s warnings, nant sounds, typically within or at the end of nonrhym- the heedless boys dragged their sleds to the top of the ing words, is called consonance, as in these echoing steep hill. d sounds in Yeats’s “The Second Coming”: “The blood- dimmed tide is loosed.” As you read, notice these frail (fral¯ ) adj. delicate; fragile; p. 1204 The techniques and consider their effects. frail old men, with their canes and walkers, sat on benches outside the nursing home. • See Literary Terms Handbook, pp. R2 and R4. Vocabulary Tip: Using Context Clues You can often figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words by looking at their context, or the surrounding Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, words and sentences. go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying these selections, you will focus on the following: • analyzing assonance, consonance, and form • analyzing literary periods • analyzing figures of speech DYLAN THOMAS 1201
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N ow as I was young and easy under the apple boughs About the lilting1 house and happy as the grass was green, 1. Lilting means “lively” or The night above the dingle2 starry, “cheerful.” 2. A dingle is a small wooded Time let me hail and climb valley. 3 5 Golden in the heydays of his eyes, 3. A heyday is the prime of one’s And honored among wagons I was prince of the apple towns existence; his refers to Time. And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves Trail with daisies and barley Down the rivers of the windfall light.
10 And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home, In the sun that is young once only, Time let me play and be Golden in the mercy of his means, 15 And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold, And the sabbath rang slowly In the pebbles of the holy streams.
Reading Strategy Analyzing Figures of Speech What does this personifica- tion suggest about time?
Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath What do the images in this stanza imply about the speaker’s home and family?
Vocabulary hail (hal¯ ) v. acclaim; pay tribute to
1202 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Horace Bristol/CORBIS
1202-1203 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1202 6/28/06 8:33:51 AM All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay 20 Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air And playing, lovely and watery And fire green as grass. And nightly under the simple stars As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away, 25 All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars4 4. Nightjars are nocturnal birds. 5 Flying with the ricks, and the horses 5. Ricks are haystacks. Flashing into the dark.
And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all 30 Shining, it was Adam and maiden,6 6. Adam and maiden refers to the The sky gathered again biblical Adam and Eve in the And the sun grew round that very day. Garden of Eden. So it must have been after the birth of the simple light In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm 35 Out of the whinnying green stable On to the fields of praise.
And honored among foxes and pheasants by the gay house Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long, In the sun born over and over, 40 I ran my heedless ways, My wishes raced through the house high hay And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs Before the children green and golden 45 Follow him out of grace,7 7. [Follow . . . grace] is a reference to Adam’s fall from grace and innocence. Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand, In the moon that is always rising, Nor that riding to sleep 50 I should hear him fly with the high fields And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land. Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means, Time held me green and dying Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
Literary Element Assonance and Consonance What examples of conso- nance do you see in these lines?
Reading Strategy Analyzing Figures of Speech What was the speaker like as a child?
Vocabulary spellbound (spel bound) adj. fascinated; affected as if by enchantment heedless (hed¯ lis) adj. careless; not paying attention
DYLAN THOMAS 1203
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Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right, 5 Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
10 Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, 15 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Literary Element Assonance and Consonance What Old Man Walking in a Rye Field, 1905. Laurits examples of assonance does this line contain? Andersen Ring. Oil on canvas, 68 x 56 cm. Reading Strategy Analyzing Figures of Speech What kinds of words might fork lightning?
Vocabulary frail (fral¯ ) adj. delicate; fragile
1204 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE Christie’s Images/SuperStock
1204 U6P3 Sel-845482.indd 1204 6/28/06 8:35:03 AM AFTER YOU READ
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. Which of the two poems do you identify with 5. What might Fern Hill symbolize for the speaker? more? Why? 6. In your opinion, does the speaker in “Do Not Go Recall and Interpret Gentle into That Good Night” express greater love by urging his father to rage than by wishing him a 2. (a)In the first four stanzas of “Fern Hill,” how does peaceful death? Explain. the speaker describe himself and his life? (b)What can you infer about the speaker’s view of youth 7. What might dark and light symbolize in “Do Not from these stanzas? Go Gentle into That Good Night”? 3. (a)What has the speaker lost in the last stanza Connect of “Fern Hill”? (b)In your opinion, what are the speaker’s “chains”? 8. Big Idea World War II and Its Aftermath How do these poems affi rm the values of home 4. (a)What four types of people are mentioned in and family? “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”? (b)Why does each rage against death?
VISUAL LITERACY: Fine Art
Illustrating the Welsh Countryside
Sir Cedric Morris (1889–1982) spent his formative outbreak of World War I. In the oil painting titled years in and around Swansea. Largely self-taught, Llanmadoc Hill, Gower Peninsula, 1928, he depicts a he painted portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. typical farm and outbuildings set among the hills After attending the Académie Delacluse in Paris that distinguish the Welsh countryside. The sim- for one term, he enlisted in the British army at the plicity and clarity of Morris’s style enhance his close observation of people and nature. Throughout his career, he used strong colors and bold designs despite his association with promi- nent avant-garde artists of the 1920s.
Group Activity Discuss the follow- ing questions with a small group of your classmates. 1. What is the mood of this paint- ing? How does Morris convey this mood? 2. Which details in “Fern Hill” does the painting call to mind?
Llanmadoc Hill, Gower Penninsula, 1928. Sir Cedric Morris. Oil on canvas, 65.4 x 81.2 cm. Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, Wales.
DYLAN THOMAS 1205 Sir Cedric Morris/Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, Wales/Bridgeman Art Library
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Literary Element Assonance and Reading Strategy Analyzing Figures of Consonance Speech Both assonance and consonance, together with By analyzing figures of speech, such as simile, meta- other sound devices such as alliteration (the repetition phor, personification, symbol, and oxymoron, you can of initial consonant sounds), contribute to a poem’s explore the theme of a poem and the author’s pur- musical qualities. pose for writing. 1. What examples of assonance do lines 1–2, 10, and 1. In “Fern Hill,” how is time personified? How would 49–50 of “Fern Hill” contain? you interpret the speaker’s views of the passage of time? 2. Point out examples of consonance in lines 5, 11, and 46 of “Fern Hill.” 2. In “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” what does the “blinding sight” (line 13) 3. What instances of alliteration can you find in these oxymoron poems? suggest? How might the father’s “fierce tears” (line 17) both 4. What effects do these sound devices produce? 3. curse and bless the speaker?
Review: Form Vocabulary Practice As you learned on page 465, form is the structure a Using clues in each literary work takes. Dylan Thomas chose to use the Practice with Context Clues sentence, choose the correct definition for each villanelle form for his poem “Do Not Go Gentle into boldfaced vocabulary word below. That Good Night.” This intricate form contains nine- teen lines divided into five tercets (three-line stanzas), 1. The audience looked spellbound as the each with the rhyme scheme aba, and a final quatrain acrobat prepared for her death-defying leap. (four-line stanza) with the rhyme scheme abaa. The a. restless b. patient c. entranced first line is repeated as a refrain at the end of the sec- 2. My elderly aunt, who is frail, is afraid of falling ond and fourth stanzas. The last line of the first stanza down. is repeated at the end of the third and fifth stanzas. a. foreign b. retired c. delicate Both lines reappear as the final two lines of the poem. 3. The class gathered to hail the spelling Partner Activity With another classmate, discuss champion. Thomas’s use of the villanelle form in “Do Not Go a. interview b. criticize c. acclaim Gentle into That Good Night.” 4. The heedless driver disregarded traffi c signals. 1. How does Thomas weave lines 1 and 3 into the a. bewildered b. inattentive c. angry sentence structures of stanzas 2, 3, 4, and 5? 2. What purpose do the refrains serve in this poem? 3. Why might Thomas have chosen this highly struc- Academic Vocabulary tured form for such a personal and moving subject? Here is a word from the vocabulary list on page R82. This word will help you think, write, and talk about the selections.
layer (la¯ ər) n. a single thickness
Practice and Apply In “Fern Hill,” how does the theme of the passage of time take on deeper layers of meaning?
1206 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
1200-1207 U6P3App-845482.indd 1206 6/28/06 8:35:42 AM WRITING AND EXTENDING GRAMMAR AND STYLE
Writing About Literature Thomas’s Language and Style Compare and Contrast Theme and Tone Even Using Repetition in Structure Dylan Thomas uses though “Fern Hill” and “Do Not Go Gentle into That repetition skillfully in these poems. For example, in “Do Good Night” share such elements as figurative language, Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” he repeats lines sound devices, and light and dark imagery, the two one and three as dictated by the villanelle form. In poems differ in theme and tone. Write a brief essay stanzas two through five, Thomas repeats the struc- in which you compare and contrast these elements. ture, focusing each stanza on a different group of people who rage against death: the wise, the good, Before you write, plan your essay carefully. Follow the the wild, and the grave. writing path shown below to organize your ideas. In “Fern Hill,” Thomas also uses repetition to link Introduction details and strengthen structure. For example, notice general statement about Thomas’s poetry the use of repetition and parallelism in the first and second stanzas:
“young and easy” thesis, or specific statement, about theme and tone “I was” Body Paragraphs “green and carefree” “Fern Hill” speaker’s message about time “Do Not Go “hail and climb” Gentle into That Good Night” “Time let me” “play and be”
“Fern Hill” speaker’s attitude toward time “the heydays of his eyes” “Do Not Go Gentle into That “Golden in” Good Night” “the mercy of his means”
Conclusion Activity Add to the graphic above, identifying the restatement of thesis details the speaker links by repeating “it was” in stan- zas 3 and 4 and “nothing I cared” in stanzas 5 and 6. Why do you think time seems to pass differently for parting thought about children and for adults? Thomas’s poetry
When you’re done writing, proofread and edit your Revising Check draft for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Repetition Repetition and parallelism can be effective ways to strengthen the structure of your own writing. Listening and Speaking With a partner, review your essay comparing and con- trasting theme and tone in Thomas’s poems. Revise Dylan Thomas was famous for his expressive public your writing by using repetition to link details or sup- readings of his poems. Choose one of the two poems port the structure. in this lesson and read it aloud. Practice intonations and pauses and consider adding gestures and facial expressions to bring the poem to life. When you feel you’re ready to perform, present your reading of the poem to the class. Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
DYLAN THOMAS 1207
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Short Story
➥ Creating and Resolving a Conflict The Writing Process
In this workshop, you will fol- “His leave was nearly at an end when the explosion came. low the stages of the writing He had really done his best to keep his temper in the hearing process. At any stage, you may think of new ideas to of the flirtations . . . but he broke down at last.” include and better ways to —Rudyard Kipling, from “Miss Youghal’s Sais” express them. Feel free to return to earlier stages as you write.
Prewriting Connecting to Literature In “Miss Youghal’s Sais,” Kipling presents a conflict between the main character, Strickland, and Miss Youghal’s parents. Kipling Drafting then creates an interesting resolution to this situation. In a short story, your most Revising important job is to create and resolve a conflict. To do this, you must also think about characters, setting, and other fictional elements. To write a successful short ➥ Focus Lesson: story, study the features in the chart below. Using Action Verbs
Editing and Proofreading Rubric: Features of Short Story Writing ➥ Focus Lesson: Correcting Sentence Fragments Goals Strategies ✓ Presenting To tell a story by creating and Introduce characters with an interesting resolving a conflict conflict ✓ Present a series of events that builds and resolves the conflict Writing Models For models and other writing activities, go to ✓ To present interesting characters in Use specific details and sensory images www.glencoe.com. ✓ a clearly defined setting Use dialogue to bring characters to life ✓ To create a clear, coherent series of Use chronological order events that make up the plot ✓ OBJECTIVES Link words, paragraphs, and sentences • Write a short story with a with transitions specific conflict and resolution. ✓ To entertain the reader from Create interest at the beginning, build • Present a clear series of events and a climax. beginning to end up tension or conflict, include a clear • Maintain a consistent point climax, and end in a satisfying way of view.
1208 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
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Real-World Connection º Assignment Because the success of Write a short story in which you create and resolve a clear conflict. your story depends on your ability to resolve the story’s conflict in a plau- Audience: your peers, classmates, and teacher sible and creative way, Purpose: to entertain by presenting all the elements of a good short story, you develop creative including setting, characters, and plot—events, conflict, rising action, problem-solving skills as climax, and resolution. you write—skills required for many jobs.
Analyzing a Professional Model
The unnamed narrator of this modern short story by Indian writer R. K. Narayan tells the story of a loose cobra in a family’s yard. Notice how the narrator pres- ents the conflict, intensifies it, and resolves it in an ambiguous, but satisfying, way. The comments in the margin below point out features you might want to include in your own story.
“A Snake in the Grass” by R. K. Narayan
On a sunny afternoon, when the inmates of the bungalow were at their siesta, a cyclist rang his bell at the gate frantically and announced: “A big Conflict Grab your reader’s inter- cobra has got into your compound. It crossed my wheel.” He pointed to its est by introducing the track under the gate, and resumed his journey. conflict early. The family consisting of the mother and her four sons assembled at the gate in great agitation. The old servant, Dasa, was sleeping in the shed. They Point of View Maintain a consistent shook him out of his sleep and announced to him the arrival of the cobra. point of view throughout “There is no cobra,” he replied and tried to dismiss the matter. They swore at the story. him and forced him to take an interest in the cobra. “The thing is somewhere here. If it is not found before the evening, we will dismiss you. Your neglect of the garden and the lawns is responsible for all these dreadful things com- ing in.” Some neighbors dropped in. They looked accusingly at Dasa: “You
have the laziest servant on earth,” they said. “He ought to keep the surround- Dialogue ings tidy.” “I have been asking for a grass-cutter for months,” Dasa said. In Add natural-sounding dia- one voice they ordered him to manage with the available things and learn not logue to reveal characters’ backgrounds, personalities, to make demands. He persisted. They began to speculate how much it would and motives, or to advance the plot.
WRITING WORKSHOP 1209
11208-1215208-1215 U6P3U6P3 WW-845482.inddWW-845482.indd 12091209 33/8/06/8/06 99:33:14:33:14 AMAM cost to buy a grass-cutter. A neighbor declared that you could not think of buying any article made of iron till after the war. He chanted banalities of wartime prices. The second son of the house asserted that he could get any- thing he wanted at controlled prices. The neighbor became eloquent about the black market. A heated debate followed. The rest watched in apathy. At Fictional Elements: Character this point the college boy of the house butted in with: “I read in an American Describe specific feel- paper that 30,000 people die of snake bite every year.” Mother threw up her ings, gestures, and arms in horror and arraigned Dasa. The boy elaborated the statistics. “I have actions to reveal char- acters. worked it out, 83 a day. That means every twenty minutes someone is dying of cobra bite. As we have been talking here, one person has lost his life somewhere.” Mother nearly screamed on hearing it. The compound looked sinister. The boys brought in bamboo sticks and pressed one into the hands of the servant also. He kept desultorily poking it into the foliage with a cyni- cal air. “The fellow is beating about the bush,” someone cried aptly. They tucked up their dhoties, seized every available knife and crowbar, and began Fictional Elements: Setting to hack the garden. Creepers, bushes, and lawns were laid low. What could Use concrete details, sensory images, and not be trimmed was cut to the root. The inner walls of the house brightened figurative language to with the unobstructed glare streaming in. When there was nothing more to describe setting. be done Dasa asked triumphantly, “Where is the snake?” An old beggar cried for alms at the gate. They told her not to pester when they were engaged in a snake hunt. On hearing it the old woman became happy. “You are fortunate. It is God Subramanya who has come to visit you. Don’t kill the snake.” Mother was in hearty agree- ment: “You are right. I forgot all about the promised Abhishekam. This is a reminder.” She gave a coin to the beggar, who promised to send down a snake-charmer as she went. Presently an old man appeared at the gate and announced himself as a snake-charmer. They gathered around him. He spoke to them of his life and activities and his power over snakes. They asked admiringly: “How do you catch them?” “Thus,” he said, pouncing upon a hypothetical snake on the ground. They pointed the direction in which the cobra Chronological Order had gone and asked him to go ahead. He looked helplessly For clarity, tell the about and said: “If you show me the snake, I’ll at once events in the order catch it. Otherwise what can I do? The moment you they happen.
1210 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE ZIGMUND LESZCZYNSKI/Animals Animals - Earth Scenes
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see it again, send for me. I live nearby.” He gave his name and address and departed. At five in the afternoon, they threw away their sticks and implements and repaired to the veranda to rest. They had turned up every stone in the garden and cut down every grass blade and shrub, so that the tiniest insect coming into the garden should have no cover. They were loudly discussing the various measures they would take to protect themselves against reptiles in the future, when Dasa appeared before them carrying a water-pot whose Rising Action mouth was sealed with a slab of stone. He put the pot down and said: “I Present a series of events have caught him in this. I saw him peeping out of it. . . . I saw him before that intensifies the con- flict. he could see me.” He explained at length the strategy he had employed to catch and seal up the snake in the pot. They stood at a safe distance and gazed on the pot. Dasa had the glow of a champion on his face. “Don’t call me an idler hereafter,” he said. Mother complimented him on his sharpness and wished she had placed some milk in the pot as a sort of religious duty. Climax Dasa picked up the pot cautiously and walked off saying that he would leave Be sure to include a the pot with its contents with the snake-charmer living nearby. He became clear climax, or the most the hero of the day. They watched him in great admiration and decided to exciting or suspenseful moment in your story. reward him adequately. It was five minutes since Dasa was gone when the youngest son cried:
“See there!” Out of a hole in the compound wall a cobra emerged. It glided Resolution along towards the gate, paused for a moment to look at the gathering in the Present an interesting, veranda with its hood half open. It crawled under the gate and disappeared satisfying, or surprising resolution. along a drain. When they recovered from the shock they asked, “Does it mean that there are two snakes here?” The college boy murmured: “I wish I had taken the risk and knocked the water-pot from Dasa’s hand; we might have known what it contained.”
Reading-Writing Connection Think about the writing techniques that you have just encountered and try them out in the short story you write.
WRITING WORKSHOP 1211
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Gather Ideas Find ideas by observing. For example, perhaps you notice a new Pace the Story person riding the bus you take. What makes this stranger stand out? Imagine dif- Pacing means telling ferent scenarios: Where is the person going? Why? What if . . . ? Start with the story events at an effec- observation, and then use your imagination to develop the conflict and events. tive rate. A good story usually builds slowly to Imagine Characters and Setting Who is your story about? Will you show a climax, then quickly conflict through two opposing characters? Consider what the characters look comes to a resolution. like; how they speak, move, and behave; and what they want or are trying to achieve. Then decide where and when the story will take place.
Add Dialogue Add natural-sounding dialogue to reveal a character’s back- ground, personality, and motives, or to present the conflict or events.
Plan the Plot The plot, or sequence of events, is what happens in a story. Keep the plot focused on the conflict. An external conflict occurs when a character struggles against an outside force, such as another character, society, or the envi- ronment. An internal conflict occurs when the character struggles with his or her feelings. Before writing, fill out a story map like the one below.
Setting Characters • Time: • Place:
Problem/Conflict:
Main Events: 1.
2.
3.
Climax:
Resolution:
Choose the Point of View The point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. The narrator, the person who tells the story, may be a character in the story or someone unnamed outside of the story.
Drafting
Create Paragraphs As you draft, create separate paragraphs for separate events. If you include dialogue, start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes.
1212 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
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Analyzing a Workshop Model
Here is a final draft of a student’s short story. Read the story and answer the ques- tions in the margin. Use the answers to these questions to guide you as you write.
A Prior Engagement
Every Saturday afternoon for years, Eudora Stills invited herself to our house for tea. A well-known busybody and a remarkably bad judge of Conflict How does the opening character, she held my mother captive for hours, repeating the same gossip. create interest and intro- How my mother tolerated her none of us understood. duce the conflict? One Saturday, however, Eudora didn’t call. My mother set out tea and warm, golden scones just the same. Finally, she coaxed my father to walk to Eudora’s house to check on her. When he returned, he said, “Well, she’s not dead.” He added with a sly grin, “She’s engaged!” He explained that Eudora had been seeing Brandon Mites, a man we all distrusted, for almost a year.
When he proposed to Eudora, she said yes, just like that. Worse, she was Rising Action planning to pick up and move east with this well-known cheat. How do events intensify the Hearing the news, my mother grew somber. “I’m surprised Eudora never conflict or make the story more interesting? told me,” she said to no one in particular. When Eudora came over to discuss her move with my mother, she
proudly flashed her large but ill-fitting, and possibly fake, diamond ring. Point of View After Eudora left, my mother remained seated in the living room, picking at Who is narrating the events a scone until evening fell. My dad reminded her to make supper. of the story? Is the narrative point of view consistent? The next night I saw my mother peering into the bathroom sink drain. Explain. She lifted the stopper and pulled out Eudora’s diamond ring. We both knew what trouble that spelled. How could Eudora tell her fiancé she’d lost it? He’d drop her for sure. My mother slipped the ring into her pocket. Then she
stunned me by saying, “I guess that’s that for Brandon Mites.” Climax When Eudora came the next Saturday, I knew my mother hadn’t told her What is the high point of ten- about the ring. A week later, when Eudora confessed in a panicked voice sion, or turning point, of the story? that she had lost the ring, my mother offered tea and sympathy but nothing
more. A month later, when Eudora told my mother that the engagement was Resolution over, all I heard my mother say was “Scone?” Is this a satisfying ending? Explain.
WRITING WORKSHOP 1213 Royalty-Free/Corbis
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Use the rubric below to evaluate your writing.
Traits of Strong Writing Rubric: Writing an Effective Short Story
Ideas message or ✓ Do you present and resolve a conflict? theme and the details ✓ that develop it Do you create a clear series of events? ✓ Do you build up tension or intensify the conflict, present a clear climax, and Organization arrange- end with a satisfying resolution? ment of main ideas and supporting details ✓ Do you present events in chronological order and link them with transitions? ✓ Voice writer’s unique Do you use a consistent point of view? way of using tone and ✓ Do you use dialogue to reveal characters or advance the plot? style
Word Choice vocabu- lary a writer uses to convey meaning º Focus Lesson
Sentence Fluency Using Action Verbs rhythm and flow of An action verb tells what someone or something does. Action verbs can sentences express either physical action (She flashed her ring at me) or mental action (She Conventions correct stunned me). For the most impact in your short story, use precise and vivid spelling, grammar, action verbs, such as muttered and pounced, instead of state-of-being verbs, usage, and mechanics such as was and had been. Also avoid the passive voice, which consists of a form of to be plus a past participle. Presentation the way words and design ele- Draft: ments look on a page
For more information Every Saturday afternoon for years Eudora Stills was over to our on using the Traits of house for tea. A well-known busybody and a remarkably bad judge of Strong Writing, see character, she was always holding my mother captive for hours. How my pages R33–R34 of the mother tolerated her was understood by none of us. Writing Handbook.
Revision:
Every Saturday afternoon for years, Eudora Stills invited herself1 to our house for tea. A well-known busybody and a remarkably bad judge of character, she held2 my mother captive for hours, repeating the same gossip. How my mother tolerated her none of us understood.3
1: Use action verbs to convey precise information. 2: Replace wordy constructions with precise verbs. 3: Use the active voice whenever possible.
1214 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
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Get It Right When you have completed the final draft of your story, proofread it for errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling. Refer to the Language Handbook, pages R46–R60, as a guide.
º Focus Lesson
Correcting Sentence Fragments Punctuating Dialogue A sentence fragment results from punctuating an incomplete sentence as Use quotation marks if it were a complete sentence. Review your work to make sure that each around the speaker’s sentence includes a subject and a complete verb, and correct any subordinate exact words only, and clauses you punctuated as complete sentences. Note that professional writers always place a period sometimes use sentence fragments intentionally to create an effect. For or comma inside clos- example, fragments can emphasize a point or make dialogue sound realistic. ing quotation marks: Nevertheless, use them carefully. In most of your writing, and especially on tests, avoid sentence fragments. When he returned, he said, “Well, she’s not dead.” Problem: The sentence uses a verb form that cannot stand alone.
My dad reminding her to make supper.
Solution 1: Add a helping verb.
My dad was reminding her to make supper.
Solution 2: Change the form of the verb.
My dad reminded her to make supper.
Problem: A sentence has no verb and does not express a complete thought.
When he proposed to Eudora, she said yes. Just like that.
Solution 1: If the fragment adds emphasis or interest, you can let it stand.
Solution 2: Eliminate the fragment by combining it with the previous sentence.
When he proposed to Eudora, she said yes, just like that.
Writer’s Portfolio Presenting Place a copy of your short story in your Create a Literary Magazine Work with your class and your teacher to collect portfolio to review all the students’ short stories and assemble them in a booklet. You might also later. want to make an electronic version of your literary magazine to store on a school computer.
WRITING WORKSHOP 1215
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Oral Interpretation
Delivering an Oral Interpretation Using a Model of a Short Story Try brainstorming an interpretation of your own Connecting to Literature When you deliver an oral interpretation of a short short story before you begin story, you examine the themes, style, and literary devices the author chose and working on a story from consider why he or she chose them. By sharing your thoughts and opinions about Unit Six. When you think a short story, you can connect your own experiences to what you have read and about the choices you made share these ideas with others. in your own writing, you can
understand and evaluate ▲ the choices another writer Assignment Plan and deliver an oral interpretation of a short story you made in his or her work. have read in Unit Six.
First, take time to reflect on and evaluate the short story you have chosen. Decide which major themes in the story you want to share with your audience. Ask yourself, how did the story make me feel after reading it? In what ways did I feel differently about life or relationships because of the story? These questions can help you begin to form your interpretation of a short story.
Preparing to Present
When you wrote your own short story, you decided on a conflict and how the main characters could resolve it. When you present your interpretation of a short story, you will discuss the author’s intentions by analyzing the story’s conflict and showing how its resolution shapes the story’s themes.
As you prepare your interpretation, ask yourself:
• What universal themes are present in this story? • How does style—sentence structure, word choice, tone—impact the way I read this story? • How does the narrator and point of view affect what I know about this work? • Are there any symbols or images that relate to my main ideas about the story? • How does this story compare with other works written during this time period?
1216 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
11216-1217216-1217 U6P3U6P3 SLV-845482.inddSLV-845482.indd 12161216 33/8/06/8/06 99:36:22:36:22 AMAM Gaining the Attention of Your Audience By creating an interesting introduction, you will gain and keep your audience’s attention. For example, you might begin by asking a rhetorical question or by sharing a brief personal Rehearsing anecdote that relates to the story. It’s a good idea to practice your oral interpretation of a short story with a partner before presenting to the class. You can provide each other with feedback in order to make your presentations stronger. Your partner can also give you suggestions about what visual media may be appropriate for your interpretation.
Including Visual Media
Visual media such as a drawing of the characters, a photograph of the setting, or a video clip of the author can attract the interest of your audience as well as support the major ideas of your interpretation. Try to include at least two pieces of visual media in your interpretation.
Techniques for Delivering an Oral Interpretation of a Short Story
Verbal Techniques Nonverbal Techniques ✓ ✓ Volume Vary the volume of Eye Contact Direct eye contact your voice as needed, but with members of the audience speak loud enough so the will show you are knowledgeable audience can hear you. and confident in your presentation. ✓ ✓ Pace When quoting the short Gestures Use gestures to story you have chosen, let the emphasize important ideas in punctuation guide your your interpretation. pacing—pause for colons and semicolons; change the tone of your voice for question marks and exclamation points. OBJECTIVES ✓ ✓ • Use appropriate speaking Tone In order to set a strong, Visual Aids Use photographs or strategies in oral fierce tone, speak loudly; drawings that express elements interpretation. • Speak effectively to explain speaking softly will create a of the story’s setting, images, or and justify ideas to peers. quieter, softer tone. characters.
SPEAKING, LISTENING, AND VIEWING WORKSHOP 1217 Alamy Images
1216-1217 U6P3 SLV-845482.indd 1217 1/10/07 11:35:17 AM LITERATURE OF THE TIME (t) Bettmann/CORBIS; (bl) Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis; (br) For Independent Reading
HE NOVEL, WHICH HAD COME TO PROMINENCE DURING THE VICTORIAN PERIOD, continued to dominate the literary scene in the early half of the twentieth century. TMany novels from this period reveal and criticize the destructive influences of colo- nial power on society and on the individual. The emphasis on the individual as well as on character development and motivation reflected a continued interest in the theories of psychoanalysis. Aaron Haupt
A Passage to India by E. M. Forster (1924) Set in turn-of-the-century India, this three-part novel explores several themes including the relationship between the power of the earth and the imagination and the relationship between East (India) and West (Britain). In the novel, Adela Quested, a young Englishwoman eager to discover the “real” India, visits the country and befriends the respected Dr. Aziz. After a cultural misunderstanding, she accuses him of attacking her. He is imprisoned, but during the ensuing trial, she withdraws her charges. One of Aziz’s Heart of Darkness British friends, Mr. Fielding, defends Aziz. by Joseph Conrad (1902) However, when Mr. Fielding befriends Adela, the friendship between the two men ends. In this tale, Charles Marlow, a thoughtful sailor, Several years later, Dr. Aziz encounters tells of his physical and psychological journey Mr. Fielding, but they cannot find common up the Congo River. He is attempting to reach ground. Their ethnic and social differences the Inner Station to relieve Mr. Kurtz, the become all too clear. agent for a company that trades in ivory. The trip takes Marlow through the African jungle, where he encounters widespread inefficiency and cruelty at various company stations. When Marlow arrives at the Inner Station, he discovers that Kurtz rules the native population with force and brutality. Marlow takes the agent aboard his steamboat, but Kurtz is ill and cannot be saved.
1218 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
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(t) Christie (t) “I must say, despite my notorious grave reservations concerning Virginia
ʼ s Images; (cl) Mary Evans Picture Library; (c) file photo; (cr) file photo; (b) file photo file (b) photo; file (cr) photo; file (c) Library; Picture Evans Mary (cl) Images; s Woolf, that the most original of the bunch is To the Lighthouse. It is the best book of hers that I know. Her character drawing has improved. Mrs. Ramsay almost amounts to a complete person.”
—Arnold Bennett, Evening Standard, June 23, 1927
“To the Lighthouse . . . is a book of interrelationships among people. . . . Those who reject To the Lighthouse as inferior to Mrs. Dalloway. . . must fail to notice the richer qualities of mind and imagination and emotion which Mrs. Woolf, perhaps not wanting them, omitted from Mrs. Dalloway.”
—Louis Kronenberger, The New York Times, May 8, 1927
From the Glencoe Literature Library Animal Farm by George Orwell Written as a fable, this novel presents a satire of Communist Russia and its revolution.
All Quiet on the To the Lighthouse Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque by Virginia Woolf (1927) This novel depicts the This novel, written in stream of consciousness, horrors of World War I is driven by character and imagination, rather from a German soldier’s than a strict narrative. On Scotland’s Isle of viewpoint. Skye, where the Ramsay family has a summer residence, Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay play out the roles traditionally expected of them. Mr. Ramsay, a once famous philosopher, smugly exhibits his The Time Machine and rational approach to life while Mrs. Ramsay The War of the Worlds attends to her guests, her children, and her by H. G. Wells husband’s ego. Woolf reveals the flaws of British society and of the Ramsays by contrasting them The Time Machine tells of a scientist with Lily Briscoe, an artist who is a guest of the who travels into the future. The family. War of the Worlds is the story of a Martian invasion of Earth.
LITERATURE OF THE TIME 1219
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English–Language Arts
Reading: Essay
Carefully read the following passage. Use context clues to help you define any words with which you are unfamiliar. Pay close attention to the use of figurative language, character, the main idea, and the author’s purpose. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, answer the questions on pages 1221–1222.
“Old Mrs. Grey” by Virginia Woolf line There are moments even in England, now, when even the busiest, most contented suddenly let fall what they hold—it may be the week’s washing. Sheets and pyjamas crumble and dissolve in their hands, because, though they do not state this in so many words, it seems silly to take the washing round to Mrs. Peel when out there over the fields over the hills, there is no washing; no pinning of 5 clothes to lines; mangling and ironing; no work at all, but boundless rest. Stainless and boundless rest; space unlimited; untrodden grass; wild birds flying; hills whose smooth uprise continue that wild flight. Of all this however only seven foot by four could be seen from Mrs. Grey’s corner. That was the size of her front door which stood wide open, though there was a fire burning in the grate. The fire looked like a small spot of dusty light feebly trying to escape from the embarrassing pressure of the 10 pouring sunshine. Mrs. Grey sat on a hard chair in the corner looking—but at what? Apparently at nothing. She did not change the focus of her eyes when visitors came in. Her eyes had ceased to focus themselves; it may be that they had lost the power. They were aged eyes, blue, unspectacled. They could see, but without looking. She had never used her eyes on anything minute and difficult; merely upon faces, 15 and dishes and fields. And now at the age of ninety-two they saw nothing but a zigzag of pain wriggling across the door, pain that twisted her legs as it wriggled; jerked her body to and fro like a marionette. Her body was wrapped round the pain as a damp sheet is folded over a wire. The wire was spasmodically jerked by a cruel invisible hand. She flung out a foot, a hand. Then it stopped. She sat still for a moment. 20 In that pause she saw herself in the past at ten, at twenty, at twenty-five. She was running in and out of a cottage with eleven brothers and sisters. The line jerked. She was thrown forward in her chair. “All dead. All dead,” she mumbled. “My brothers and sisters. And my husband gone. My daughter too. But I go on. Every morning I pray God to let me pass.” The morning spread seven foot by four green and sunny. Like a fling of grain the birds settled on 25 the land. She was jerked again by another tweak of the tormenting hand. “I’m an ignorant old woman. I can’t read or write, and every morning when I crawls down stairs, I say I wish it were night; and every night, when I crawls up to bed, I say, I wish it were day. I’m only an
1220 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
11220-1225220-1225 U6P3U6P3 TPP-845482.inddTPP-845482.indd 12201220 33/8/06/8/06 99:56:47:56:47 AMAM ignorant old woman. But I prays to God: O let me pass. I’m an ignorant old woman—I can’t read or write.” 30 So when the color went out of the doorway, she could not see the other page which is then lit up; or hear the voices that have argued, sung, talked for hundreds of years. The jerked limbs were still again. “The doctor comes every week. The parish doctor now. Since my daughter went, we can’t afford Dr. Nicholls. But he’s a good man. He says he wonders I don’t go. He says my heart’s nothing but 35 wind and water. Yet I don’t seem able to die.” So we—humanity—insist that the body shall still cling to the wire. We put out the eyes and the ears; but we pinion it there, with a bottle of medicine, a cup of tea, a dying fire, like a rook on a barn door; but a rook that still lives, even with a nail through it.
1. According to the context, what does the word 4. Which device is Woolf using in the phrase boundless in line 5 most nearly mean? Apparently at nothing in line 11? ( A ) unconscious ( A ) sentence fragment ( B ) beautiful ( B ) rhetorical question ( C ) finishing ( C ) parallelism (D ) endless (D ) repetition ( E ) bright ( E ) figurative language
5. According to the context, what does the word 2. Which of the following literary elements is Woolf minute in line 14 most nearly mean? using in line 6 in the phrases untrodden grass; wild ( A ) convoluted birds flying; hills whose smooth uprise continue that ( B ) a short period of time wild flight? ( C ) distant ( A ) personification (D ) academic ( B ) idiom ( E ) small ( C ) foreshadowing (D ) imagery 6. Which of the following literary elements is Woolf ( E ) epiphany using in the phrase jerked her body to and fro like a marionette in lines 16–17? 3. Which of the following literary elements is Woolf ( A ) metaphor using in lines 9–10 in the phrase dusty light feebly ( B ) simile trying to escape from the embarrassing pressure of the ( C ) personification pouring sunshine? (D ) idiom ( A ) metaphor ( E ) symbol ( B ) simile ( C ) personification 7. Which of the following literary elements is Woolf (D ) idiom using in Like a fling of grain the birds settled on the ( E ) symbol land in lines 24–25? ( A ) metaphor ( B ) simile ( C ) personification (D ) idiom ( E ) symbol
TEST PREPARATION AND PRACTICE 1221
11220-1225220-1225 U6P3U6P3 TPP-845482.inddTPP-845482.indd 12211221 66/28/06/28/06 8:39:188:39:18 AMAM 8. What sound device is Woolf using in the phrase 12. Which of the following best describes Mrs. tweak of the tormenting hand in line 25? Grey’s character? ( A ) consonance ( A ) dynamic ( B ) assonance ( B ) minor ( C ) rhyme ( C ) round ( D ) onomatopoeia ( D ) direct ( E ) alliteration ( E ) static
9. What is the dialogue beginning in line 26 an 13. Which of the following best describes the overall example of? mood of this passage? ( A ) apostrophe ( A ) hopeful ( B ) onomatopoeia ( B ) grim ( C ) dialect ( C ) humorous ( D ) idiom ( D ) witty ( E ) rhetoric ( E ) boisterous
10. To what does the word voices in line 31 refer? 14. From which point of view is this passage ( A ) writers and their works narrated? ( B ) birdsong ( A ) fi rst person ( C ) Mrs. Grey’s childhood ( B ) second person ( D ) Mrs. Grey’s siblings and husband ( C ) third-person omniscient ( E ) the world outside Mrs. Grey’s home ( D ) third-person limited ( E ) ironic 11. Which of the following literary elements is being used in the phrase He says my heart’s nothing but 15. Which of the following best summarizes this wind and water in lines 34–35? essay’s main idea? ( A ) metaphor ( A ) Without fail, life always brings new ( B ) simile experiences. ( C ) personifi cation ( B ) Life is sometimes harsh and can feel like a ( D ) idiom prison. ( E ) epiphany ( C ) Human dignity is always derived from the family. ( D ) All people have the right to a happy domestic life. ( E ) Life must always come to an end.
Unit Assessment To prepare for the Unit test, go to www.glencoe.com.
1222 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
11220-1225220-1225 U6P3U6P3 TPP-845482.inddTPP-845482.indd 12221222 66/28/06/28/06 8:39:538:39:53 AMAM Vocabulary Skills: Sentence Completion
For each item in the Vocabulary Skills section, choose the word or words that best complete the sentence.
1. The bloody stalemate that emerged during World 6. The start of the twentieth century was marred by War I completely Europe. the rise of numerous European ( A ) retorted governments. ( B ) grappled ( A ) quaint ( C ) appeased ( B ) intermittent (D ) converged ( C ) despotic ( E ) ravaged ( D ) prosaic ( E ) sensible 2. The unreasonable restrictions imposed on Germany at the end of World War I were 7. Many of the heads of Europe were of the related to the rise of Hitler and the start of World threat posed by Nazi Germany. War II. ( A ) callous ( A ) intrinsically ( B ) heedless ( B ) impassively ( C ) sensible ( C ) heedlessly ( D ) unsavory (D ) odiously ( E ) quaint ( E ) reverently 8. The spirit of the British was 3. Many in Germany held the conviction that its demonstrated during the Blitz, in which London was to the rule of the British was destroyed by bombing. Empire. ( A ) imperious ( A ) labyrinth . . . brevity ( B ) garish ( B ) feud . . . ecstasy ( C ) forsaken ( C ) destiny . . . supplant ( D ) indomitable (D ) farce . . . compensation ( E ) frail ( E ) vileness . . . amiability 9. Although the Nazis Europe for years, the 4. Modernism radically from the literary continent was eventually emancipated from movements of the Victorian period. Nazism. ( A ) supplanted ( A ) frail ( B ) commiserated ( B ) suppressed ( C ) trudged ( C ) exotic (D ) hailed ( D ) emanated ( E ) diverged ( E ) despotic
5. While the Realists were reacting to the 10. During the first half of the twentieth century, conditions of urban life, the Modernists were, in Modernism was by many critics, who part, reacting to the horrors of mechanized war. recognized the movement’s great inventiveness. ( A ) squalid ( A ) precipitated ( B ) spellbound ( B ) converged ( C ) imperturbable ( C ) hailed (D ) dogged ( D ) impinged ( E ) exotic ( E ) retorted
TEST PREPARATION AND PRACTICE 1223
1220-1225 U6P3 TPP-845482.indd 1223 6/28/06 8:40:06 AM Grammar and Writing Skills: P aragraph Improvement
Read carefully through the opening paragraphs from the first draft of a student’s short story. Pay close attention to sentence structure, punctuation, and the writer’s use of conjunctions. Then on a separate sheet of paper, answer the questions on pages 1224–1225.
(1) There were three things that really upset Frank Mead, the first was rudeness. (2) He couldn’t stand it when someone spoke out of turn, cut in line, or failed to adhere to proper driving etiquette, he absolutely hated cell phones. (3) Second, Frank hated books. “Just a lot of dead people,” Frank would say. (4) For good measure he’d add, “yet they’re boring too.” (5) Third, and most important, Frank hated to work. (6) Few ever saw Frank walked up stairs or lift anything larger than a lunch pail. (7) However, his disdain for work was made far more complicated by the fact that the region’s busiest construction firm employed him. (8) As of late, the firm for which he worked—Big Briggs—was busier than ever. (9) Big Briggs had landed an account with a very small, but very wealthy, private college. (10) The dean of this college, it turns out, was a rabid hockey fan, his love for the sport had started to influence his duties as dean. (11) At official dinners, during lectures, and even at commencement ceremonies—this year’s ceremony was notably bad—he found ways in which to introduce pucks, sticks, nets, and goalies. (12) That fall, the college had received an unexpected and very generous donation, the dean immediately earmarked the money for the building of an expansive hockey rink. (13) This rink, it was hoped, would become the envy of even professional teams, to the dean, this meant great prestige. (14) Big Briggs was contracted within days of the donation, and with that contract came Frank Mead.
1. Which is the best revision of sentence 1? 2. Which error appears in sentence 2? ( A ) The three things that really upset Frank Mead ( A ) sentence fragment were rudeness. ( B ) lack of subject-verb agreement ( B ) There were three things that really upset ( C ) lack of pronoun-antecedent agreement Frank Mead. The first was rudeness. ( D) run-on sentence ( C ) There were three things that really upset ( E ) No error appears. Frank Mead; The first was rudeness. ( D) Rudeness really upset Frank Mead. ( E ) Frank Mead was really upset by rudeness.
1224 UNIT 6 THE MODERN AGE
11220-1225220-1225 U6P3U6P3 TPP-845482.inddTPP-845482.indd 12241224 66/28/06/28/06 8:40:338:40:33 AMAM 3. Which is the best revision of sentence 4? 7. What are the dashes in sentence 11 used to do? ( A ) For good measure he’d add, yet they’re boring. ( A ) set off an appositive phrase ( B ) For good measure he would add, “yet they’re ( B ) emphasize an idea boring too.” ( C ) indicate a break in thought ( C ) For good measure he’d add, “And they’re ( D ) complicate the sentence structure boring too.” ( E ) provide essential information (D ) He’d add, “yet they’re boring too.” ( E ) He would add, “yet they’re boring too.” 8. Which error appears in sentence 12? ( A ) run-on sentence 4. Which error appears in sentence 6? ( B ) sentence fragment ( A ) run-on sentence ( C ) incorrect coordinating conjunction ( B ) sentence fragment ( D ) incorrect parallelism ( C ) incorrect verb form ( E ) improper use of dialogue (D ) incorrect parallelism ( E ) misplaced modifier 9. Which is the best revision of sentence 13? ( A ) This rink, it was hoped, would become the 5. What are the dashes in sentence 8 used to do? envy of even professional teams, but to the ( A ) set off an appositive phrase dean this meant great prestige. ( B ) emphasize an idea ( B ) This rink—it was hoped—would become ( C ) indicate a break in thought the envy of even professional teams, to the (D ) complicate the sentence structure dean this meant prestige. ( E ) provide unnecessary information ( C ) This rink would become the envy of even professional teams, this meant great prestige. 6. Which is the best revision of sentence 10? ( D ) This rink, it was hoped, would become the ( A ) A rabid hockey fan the dean of this college. envy of even professional teams; to the ( B ) The dean of this college was, it turns out, a dean, this meant great prestige. rabid hockey fan, yet his love for the sport was ( E ) To the dean this meant great prestige. influencing his duties as dean. ( C ) The dean of this college was a rabid hockey 10. This passage includes which parts of a plot? fan; His love for the sport was influencing him. ( A ) exposition and rising action (D ) The dean of this college was, it turns out, a ( B ) exposition, rising action, and climax rabid hockey fan, and his love for the sport ( C ) rising action, climax, and falling action was influencing his duties as dean. ( D ) exposition, rising action, climax, falling ( E ) The dean of this college was, it turns out, a action, and resolution rabid hockey fan, however his love for the ( E ) only the resolution sport was influencing his duties as dean.
Essay
In “The Second Coming,” William Butler Yeats wrote the following: Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Write a short essay in which you explore the continuing relevance and validity of this passage for us today. As you write, keep in mind that your essay will be checked for ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation.
TEST PREPARATION AND PRACTICE 1225
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