<p>Chelsea Lehman</p><p>Professor Peggy Brinkerhoff </p><p>Advanced Placement/Dual Credit English 11 </p><p>7 July 2010</p><p>Roselily</p><p>By Alice Walker</p><p>1. Roselily by Alice Walker is written in third person. The narrator sees into Roselily’s </p><p> mind so the reader knows what Roselily is thinking and observing throughout the </p><p> wedding ceremony. This helps the reader understand Roselily’s personality, how she </p><p> thinks, how she has lived, and how she feels about her past rather than just presenting the </p><p> facts. “She dreams she does not already have three children” (Walker 266). This shows </p><p> the reader Roselily’s wishes, her dream of how her life would be if she hadn’t had three </p><p> kids.</p><p>2. In the first paragraph Roselily wants to get married; “She dreams…A small girl in her </p><p> mother’s robe and veil” (Walker 266). Immediately following we see that she is not sure </p><p> about the marriage as “knee raised waist high through a bowl of quicksand soup” (Walker</p><p>266). These two sentences alone show the reader that Roselily dreams of getting married,</p><p> but now, during the ceremony she is not certain she wants to go through with it.</p><p>3. In the fourth paragraph Roselily is thinking about her fourth child who now lives with his</p><p> father, a good man whom Roselily could not live with. It is learned that Roselily is a </p><p> strong woman who uses bad language. “…a good man but weak because good language </p><p> meant so much to him…” (Walker 267). This man was brought up much stricter and proper whereas Roselily was brought up and raises her kids loosely, improper. “..TV in </p><p> the living room, five beds in three rooms, no Bach…No chess at all” (Walker 267). </p><p>Roselily is much different than the father of her fourth child.</p><p>4. Roselily has a gloomy, disappointing past. She has had four children, each with a </p><p> different father. She wants to be free of the anxiety of having to care for three children </p><p> alone. “Her husband would free her” (Walker 268). Once married Roselily will stay at </p><p> home with the children, not having to work. She wants someone to help her and marriage</p><p> seems like a good solution.</p><p>5. The groom loves Roselily. He understands and accepts her for who she is along with her </p><p> children. He will provide the relief that Roselily longs for. But “She does not even know</p><p> if she loves him” (Walker 268). Once married, Roselily is not likely to live a happy life </p><p> with him. She will be forced to go to his place of worship, following his religion and she </p><p> does not like this. “She thinks of ropes, chains, handcuffs, his religion” (Walker 266). </p><p>She will not be happy.</p><p>6. The lines of the wedding ceremony that precede the paragraphs are like titles in that they </p><p> foreshadow the following thought. The lines tell what the preacher is saying and the </p><p> paragraph is what Roselily thinks as result to hearing what the preacher said. For </p><p> example the ninth paragraph’s heading is “let him speak” (Walker 268). The following </p><p> paragraph talks about how Roselily was impatient and didn’t allow her soon-to-be </p><p> husband explain what he meant. She wishes she had let him speak. </p><p>7. The central conflict can’t be described as “the bride had cold feet” because it was so </p><p> much more than that. Roselily was not marrying for love, but for the promises, the </p><p> benefits marriage brought. “She does not even know if she loves him” (Walker 268). Roselily is marrying him because her children need a father and she needs to be released </p><p> of the burdens of being a single mother. “Her husband would free her” (Walker 268). </p><p>Roselily knows she will not be happy. Her thoughts, the story, show the reader how she </p><p> knows the marriage is wrong, but that she is doing it for herself and for her children.</p><p>8. “to join this man and this woman”(Walker 266). </p><p>The time has come to be joined. He is ever so happy yet there’s something about her. Is </p><p> she not certain? He knows he loves her, but her face, there’s something different. </p><p>Something is bothering her and this bothers him. He wishes so bad to know the trouble </p><p> yet he is scared to know. He wants everything to be alright, to be good. </p>