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WORDS /TERMS USED WHEN STUDYING PROSE
A short story is a prose narrative that has ha s a developed plot but bu t is shorter than a novel. A short story is usually characterized by limited characters and settings.
A novel is a fictional prose narrative of considerable length, t ypically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters. A novel is characterized by numerous characters, various setting and a plot that contains several minor conflicts.
The author refers to the person who writes the story or the novel.
The narrator is the person that tells the story. The narrator in prose fiction is either first person or third person. NB. The first person narrator uses “I, we, us ” while the while the third person narrator used “he, she, they”. The narrative voice may be that of a man, woman or child. The type of narrator chosen by the author is very important as this affects how the story is told and how the reader analyses the story.
The characters are the people who undertake the actions in the story.
The setting refers to the place, time and atmosphere (weather and mood) in which the events occur.
Conflict (please see meaning in poetry section page 3)
The resolution refers to the solving of these problems. The plot is all the events that occur throughout the story. ie. Exposition , Rising action , Climax, Falling action and Resolution
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WORDS /TERMS USED WHEN STUDYING PROSE
A short story is a prose narrative that has ha s a developed plot but bu t is shorter than a novel. A short story is usually characterized by limited characters and settings.
A novel is a fictional prose narrative of considerable length, t ypically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters. A novel is characterized by numerous characters, various setting and a plot that contains several minor conflicts.
The author refers to the person who writes the story or the novel.
The narrator is the person that tells the story. The narrator in prose fiction is either first person or third person. NB. The first person narrator uses “I, we, us ” while the while the third person narrator used “he, she, they”. The narrative voice may be that of a man, woman or child. The type of narrator chosen by the author is very important as this affects how the story is told and how the reader analyses the story.
The characters are the people who undertake the actions in the story.
The setting refers to the place, time and atmosphere (weather and mood) in which the events occur.
Conflict (please see meaning in poetry section page 3)
The resolution refers to the solving of these problems. The plot is all the events that occur throughout the story. ie. Exposition , Rising action , Climax, Falling action and Resolution
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Themes are the issues or topics that are highlighted by the writer of the literature.
A motif is a theme or idea that can be seen throughout the entire story. CSEC prescribed list of Short Stories
“Berry” “Raymond’s Run” “The Day the World Almost Came to an End” “The Two Grand Mothers” “The Man of the House” “Shabine” “To DaDa- duh in Memoriam” “Mom Luby and the Social Worker” “Emma” “Georgia and them there United States”
THEMES Childhood Experiences Family Relationship Friendship Racism, Prejudice, Discrimination and Struggles Poverty Religion Women in society/ The treatment of women The Role of the Elderly Death/Dying
Conflict Man versus Society Man versus Man Man versus Self Man versus Nature
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Berry by Langston Hughes (American)
CHARACTERS Milberry Jones/ Berry Mrs. Osborn (head housekeeper) Dr. Renfield Martha Renfield Miss Baxter (the nurse) Mrs. Hill (the nurse) The handyman gardener - chauffeur
SETTINGS New Jersey Dr. Renfield Summer Home for Crippled Children The kitchen The beach
SUMMARY OF THE STORY The story of Milberry is one that begins with the head housekeeper in Dr. Renfield’s summer home at the train station waiting for the new kitchen boy to arrive. The third person narrator reveals Mrs. Osborn’s racist mentality to use as the as the first thing she noticed about Milberry was that he was black. She decides to take the young man home although she is uncertain as to his future as a servant in the home. She leaves Milberry washing dishes in the kitchen and goes to speak with Dr. Renf ield ield about Milberry’s fate at the home. The racist nature of the doctor is also revealed as he decides to keep Milberry, but to pay him eight dollars instead of the ten dollars that was paid to the pervious kitchen boy (who was white). Milberry was placed in the attic to
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sleep and although he was employed as the kitchen boy he was made to do the work of the other employees. He got up early in the morning, made the fire for the cook, peel potatoes ,onions and apples, wash the dishes, scour pots and pans, scrub the floor, carry wood for the fire place, polish the waitresses silver and ice their water, as well as other jobs that Mrs. Osborn would assign to him. Milberry knew that he was being overworked and under paid, however; as he was black and uneducated there were few opportunities for him and he needed work and food. Milberry also developed a relationship with the children at the home and this also influenced his decision to stay. Berry, as he was affectionately called by the children was the only one at the home that genuinely care for them. Berry would sing songs, tell them stories and jokes and take them to the beach when the weather was sunny. He would observe the way the workers at the home would complain about everything and how they only treated the children well when a family was visiting. The story makes mention of the two types of cans that were opened at the home, good cans and the cheap cans. The good cans were opened when a family would visit and the cheap cans were what the students ate on a regular basis. One day while pushing a child in his wheelchair to the beach an accident occurred. The child was so excited that he leaned forwards and fell from his chair. The nurses blamed Berry for the accident and Dr. Renfield did the same. The ‘good’ doctor was not truly concerned about the wellness of the child but the lawsuit that might be field against the home and the money he would have to pay the family. Berry was fired and his last week’s pay withheld.
CONFLICT Man against Society Berry was a black man in a white setting; this resulted in him having a hard life in Georgia as “they don’t have many schools for Negroes” and he was uneducated when he moved north to New Jersey he had been there for weeks without food. When he got to DR. Renfield’s Summer Home for Crippled Children he was treated unfairly b y the white adults at the home.
RESOLUTION Berry is fired without pay after a child falls from his wheelchair. He le aves the home for Jersey City without any arguments are questions (the same wa y he did his work at the home).
THEMES Racism, Prejudice and Discrimination, Poverty, Man versus society, Friendship
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Shabine by Hazel Simmons- Mc Donald (St. Lucian)
CHARACTERS Justine
Gold
Silver
The young boy / The young man
Justine’s mother
The narrator’s Grandmother
Madame Cazaubon
Mr. Cazaubon
The boys
SETTING(s) St. Lucia Riverside Road The Cazaubon house
SUMMARY OF THE STORY The story of Justine is told as seen from the doting eyes of a young man who had liked her from they were children. The narrator tells how as a child the boy would visit his grandmother for holidays annually and fell in love with the Shabine. This was the term used to refer to Justine who was the child of a brief ‘union’ between Misie Cazaubon and his helper (Justine’s mother). This situation resulted in the neighbourhood casting judgment on not only the helper but her poor innocent child. As a child Justine and her mother lived in a room on the Cazaubon’s property. It was this situation that was thought to have led to the death of Justine’s mother, who was said to have waited on Mr. Cazaubon to accept Justine as his child. The tense situation that existed at the home was evident in Mr. Cazaubon’s retreat to his room upon arriving home in an attempt to evade the eyes and complaints of his wife. The narrator describes a pregnant Justine while she is but a teenager, “her stomach was swollen and full of Gold” which was the name of Justine’s first son (the second being Silver). He
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describes the white men that her mother allows to visit and the reader is made aware that the child she is carrying belongs to one such man. There is a sense of regret as the narrator speaks. It is revealed that he still wishes that he had been bold and spoken to Justine as a child despite the warnings of his grandmother to keep away from the Shabine. However, he never musters the strength to approach Justine and even during the story he is seen from a distance admiring her figure, eyes, hair and even the way her clothes caressed her body the same way he would watch her eat the paradise plums as a child. Although a lady of the night , Justine is a good mother to her sons Gold and Silver and this may be seen as she rushes to protect them from the boys who stop to taunt her about her chosen ‘profession’. The love that is seen between Justine and her sons is the same love that is missing between Mr. Cazaubon and Justine.
CONFLICT The conflict in the story is one that is rooted in discrimination. The community discriminated against Justine and this could be seen in the taunts of the boys and the warnings of the narrator’s grandmother. This discrimination may have also affected the narrator as he may have been afraid to approach Justine in part because of the discrimination she faced.
RESOLUTION The story does not have a happy ending in some sense as the narrator does not realize his dreams of having “plenty of Copper” with Justine. The discrimination in the story does not change and the story ends with the community and Madame Cazaubon feeling the same way about the Sabine.
THEMES Love and F amily Relationship This theme is brought out by Justine and her two children. She protects them by dispersing her children's tormentors in a hale of her own words and stones. She then told them that they should not respond to their tormentors because they would become like them. This is the hallmark of a loving mother. She defends and protects her children, yet teaches them the value of maintaining their pride. This is in contrast with the very vague details surrounding the relationship with her mother. She is seen in the story hugging and comforting her sons.
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Women i n Society The short story highlights the fact that women, in general, have very few choices. Justine's mother has a child by her employer and remains under his roof. Justine herself grows up and also has very few choices as she turns to prostitution to support herself and her sons.
Discrimination Is also evident throughout the story as the community does not accept Justine because of who she is. She was an outcast as a child an even as an adult they still do not accept her. The discrimination faced by Justine leads to her facing many struggles.
SYMBOLS
Paradise Plums Paradise plums represent the alternate life that Justine could have had. The fact that this candy (sweet) was used to ‘court’ Justine in such a shy, innocent and consistent manner, implies that her life with the narrator could have been very pleasant and healthy.
The Wall The wall that separates the young man from Justine also indicates her separation from the community at large. She is seen as the bastard child of Mr. Cazaubon and his helper and as such she is not accepted by members of the society in which she lives. The physical wall acts as a barrier between the two young people possibly starting a friendship/relationship with each other.
Gold and Silver These are the names of precious metals and Justine names her sons Gold and Silver to show how much the two boys mean to her. This may also be seen as her way of telling/showing the community how she feels about her kids. She treats them as if they are indeed precious to her.
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Mom Luby and the Social Worker by Kristin Hunter (American)
CHARACTERS Mom Luby/ Mrs. Luby
Elijah
Arlethia
Miss Rushmore
Mr. Jenkins
Mr. Luby
Zerline
Bobo
Sissiemae
Walter
Lucas
Mose
Jake
SETTING(s) The United States of America 19th century (The great depression) The welfare office Division Street
SUMMARY OF THE STORY The story of Mrs. Luby is told by the first person child narrator, Elijah. Elijah and his sister Puddin’ went to live with Mom Luby after their mother died. The story begins in the setting of the Welfare building where Mom has taken the children to seek help to send them to school and to by clothes for them. The welfare office as described by the Elijah is a gloomy place where the children are not comfortable and are in a great hurry to leave. The welfare department assigns Miss Rushmore to Mom Luby’s case. Miss Rushmore is a young woman who operates by the book and seems very uptight as she goes about her investigation into
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the situation in which the children live. She visits Mom Luby’s house on Division Street and advises Mom Luby that she is not taking care of the children well. She questions the food that Mom Luby has prepared for the children to eat. Miss Rushmore has observed that Mom Luby is running an illegal restaurant and bar from her home and that there are male customers interacting with the children. She agrees to go on errands with Mom Luby and after they return from performing some of Mom Luby’s many duties (lawyer, midwife, minister, herbal doctor, etc.) Miss Rushmore is tired and disheveled. However, a calm Mom Luby enters the house and takes the social worker to the back and pours her a drink of corn wine. Miss Rushmore is overwhelmed by the duties that she has just seen Mom Luby perform in two hours and states that the Mom does not need her help as she is capable of doing more work in an hour than she (Miss Rushmore) could do in two years.
CONFLICT Mom Luby is unable to take care of her two foster children financially. She goes to the welfare office to seek help and has to convince Miss Rushmore that she is in need of their assistance.
RESOLUTION Mom Luby does not receive help from the welfare office as Miss Rushmore states that Mom Luby does not need help. Although Mom Luby does not get the money she needs to take care of the two children the reader is left with a sense that the family will be alright.
THEMES F amily relationship Hunter uses the story of Mom Luby to question the ideals of what a family unit should look like. Mom Luby, although not the biological mother of the children care for them the way a real mother would. She tries her best to take care of their basic needs and seeks assistance when she is unable to take care of them. The family structure that is created by Mom Luby is one that the children seem to enjoy and they demonstrate their love for her by calling her Mom.
Poverty The story is set during the period of the Great Depression, a time when there were very few jobs available and the cost of living was high due to the financial meltdown of the United States in the 1900l. This was evident in the story as even Mom Luby’s customers were unable to pay her for
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her food, alcohol and services. The welfare system was in concept the government’s way of helping those in need to purchase basic amenities. The story of Mom Luby also highlights the difficulties that were experienced by those who tried to access this government aid.
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To Da- duh in Memoriam by Paule Marshall (American)
CHARACTERS The narrator Da-duh Adry (the narrator’s mother)
SETTING(s) Barbados The disembarkation shed St. Thomas New York
SUMMARY OF THE STORY Da-duh is described to us by the narrator (her granddaughter) as a woman of eighty odd years who had a face that looked like a death mask but had eyes that were on the contrary full of spirit. She is the head of her family and demands the respect of her children and their offspring. The short story To Da-duh in Memoriam may be seen as a tribute to the memory of Da-duh the grandmother of the narrator who by the end of the story succumbs to the ills of age and dies. The narrator along with her sister and mother went to Barbados to visit her grandmother Da-duh. Da-duh is a woman who is very old fashioned and does not believe in anything else but manual labour and hard work. The meeting between the grandmother and the narrator becomes a battle between age and youth as both engage in a steering match at the beginning of the story. This first encounter is won by the nine year old narrator who has won the respect of her grandmother who describes her as being fierce. On their journey home the narrator observes that her grandmother is very uncomfortable while aboard the Lorry that has come to take them to St. Thomas where Da-duh lives. Da-duh holds
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tightly to the hand of the narrator while they journey home and only becomes relaxed after they have left the town and entered the scenic route of the country (trees and cane fields). Later in the story the narrator further discovers that it is not just motor vehicles that her grandmother despises but all forms of machinery. While staying with Da-duh is narrator and her grandmother go on walks each day and it is this daily activity that causes the two to become close while they engage in their battles. While on their walks Da-duh would ask questions about New York while sharing /boasting about the beauty of St.Thomas and the beautiful weather of the island. The narrator too boasted about the sights of New York and of the United States, informing her grandmother that there was a building (the Empire State building), that was taller than the tallest mountain her grandmother had ever seen (her grandmother did not believe this). She promised to send a postcard to show that this was true. She introduces Da-duh to the busy steel and concrete world of New York, a world that seemed to fascinate Da-duh. However, the narrator does not get this opportunity as by the time she gets around to sending Daduh the postcard Da-duh has died. Upon become an adult the narrator reveals that she took some time away from her work to reflect on herself and her life and she found herself thinking about her grandmother and doing paintings that reminded her of the island (Barbados). Da-duh may be seen as a foil character to the narrator as they are the exact opposite of each other in both their beliefs and actions.
CONFLICT The conflict in this story may be seen as Da-duh’s unwillingness to accept change. She does not want to acknowledge that there is a world outside of St. Thomas (Barbados) and that progress is taking place around her.
RESOLUTION The visit of the narrator brings helps Da-duh in a sense to recognize that things and times have changed.
THEMES R ace: Is an apparent theme in the story and may be seen when Da-duh and the protagonist discuss the fact that she ‘beat up a white girl’ in her class. Da-duh is very surprised this and exclaims that the world has changed a lot and that she can no longer recognize it. To the protagonist this was
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nothing strange as she existed with whites in her society but to her grandmother this was indeed something strange. Da-duh still saw the whites as being superior and even the thought of her granddaughter fighting a white girl was a lot for her to imagine. Her belief may also be seen at the beginning of the story when it was revealed that Da-duh liked her grandchildren to be white.
L ove and family r elati onship: The story illustrates the strong familial ties that exists among people of the Caribbean, both in the islands and in the diaspora. The fact that the narrator and her family left New York to visit the matriarch of the family, in Barbados, highlights this tie. The respect accorded to Da-duh by the mother also shows her place, or status, in the family. The protagonist states that in the presence of Da-duh, her formidable mother became a child again.
The R ole of the E lderly: Da-duh is presented as the head of her family and is accorded the respect that is given to the family’s matriarch.
SYMBOL E mpire State B uilding This building represents power and progress. It is in the midst of the cold glass and steel of New York City and, therefore, distorts Da-duh’s symbol of power; Bissex Hill. It is not by accident that the knowledge of this building shakes Da-duh’s confidence. Steel and iron, the symbol of progress, is what shakes the nature loving Da-duh. It can, therefore, be said that her response to the knowledge of the existence of the Empire State Building (defeat) is a foreshadowing of her death.
The Royal Palm Tree The palm tree is a symbol of what nature without the interference of man can achieve. The tree is Da- Duh’s final ‘card’ to play as she shows her grand daughter the magnificence of the islands. Da- Duh shows the narrator the palm tree in hopes that this sight will solidify her victory in the ‘battle’ the two have engaged in.
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The Man of the H ouse by Frank O’Connor (Irish)
CHARACTERS The narrator/ 10yr old Sullivan/Flurry
Mrs. Sullivan
Dooley
Danny Delaney
Minnie Ryan
The pharmacist at the dispensary
The bartender at the Public House/bar
The doctor
SETTING(s) Ireland East Cork Old Youghal Road The Sullivans’ House The cathedral The dispensary
SUMMARY OF THE STORY The story is narrated by a ten year old boy who is faced with the dilemma of his mother being sick. The narrator wakes up one morning to find his mother coughing copiously. He assumes the role of “the man of the house” when he prepares breakfast, does the errands, goes shopping, stops at a bar to get whiskey for Minnie Ryan’s home remedy, fetches the doctor and later goes to the dispensary to get his mother’s medicine. However throughout the story he is faced with several tempting challenges which he over comes up until the point where he meets the beautify Dooley. He is completely infatuated by her beauty (red hair and green eyes) and boasts about having a penny (which he had promised to the Virgin
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Mary in the form of a candle in hopes of his mother’s recovery). He spends the money on sweets and then allows the little girl a taste of his mother’s cough syrup; before long the bottle is empty and Sullivan/Flurry realizes what he has done. He runs away crying and finds rescue in the cathedral (church), where he pleads with the Blessed Virgin to perform a miracle and heal his ailing mother. Upon arriving home he tells his mother that he had spilled the medicine, but he later confesses that he drank it. To his surprise his mother does not scold him but instead takes the blame for having sent him such a far distance on his own. He falls asleep because of the cough syrup in his body and awakes to find a judgmental Minnie Ryan over him. He also finds his mother awake and well (to an extent) and is not daunted by Minnie’s words or accusing eyes as he is reassured by the love and understanding of his mother.
CONFLICT Sullivan’s/Flurry’s conflict is that his mother is sick (and if she dies he will become an orphan). He is worried about his mother and her illness causes him great distress.
RESOLUTION The conflict is resolved after Sullivan/Flurry wakes from his cough s yrup induced sleep. He finds that his mother is up and about and the miracle that he has prayed for has become true.
THEMES Childhood E xperi ences: Childhood Experience is an apparent theme in the story as the events are centred on the sickness of Mrs. Sullivan and the efforts of her ten year old son to ensure her speedy recovery. The experience of seeing his mother sick is one that frightens the ten year old boy. He however learns to be responsible as he takes care of her and later learns a valuable lesson after he is deceived by the ‘beautify temptress’ (Dooley).
L ove and family relati onship: The relationship that is displayed between the mot her and son is one that is recognized by several other characters throughout the story. Minnie Ryan and the doctor both comment on the
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reliability of Sullivan/Flurry and commend him for the many acts that he performs while his mother is sick. Mrs. Sullivan also recognizes the helpfulness of her son and speaks highly of him in the presence of both the doctor and her friend Minnie Ryan. Her ability to forgive Sullivan/Flurry willingly and with a certain amount of ease shows how much she loves her son. He in turn, appreciates her love and is validated by the fact that she is willing to forgive him.
Religion:
O’Connor presents the theme of religion as Sullivan/Flurry is conscious of wrong and right. At ten the narrator recognizes the presence of God and the power of prayer. He enters the church initially in hopes that his prayer would be answered and later after he was deceived by Dooley he returned to the church in search of a miracle.
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The Day the World Almost Came to an End by: Pearl Crayton (American)
CHARACTERS The narrator Rena Miss Daya The narrator’s mother The narrator’s father/the deacon Reverend Davis Catherine Sam
SETTINGS 1936 United States of America Louisiana Plantation
SUMMARY OF STORY “The Day the World Almost Came to an End” is told to us in flashback as the narrator relives an experience she had when she was just twelve years old. Set on a plantation in Louisiana USA in the early 90s the narrator states that plantation life revolved around the church and religion. It is against this backdrop that her childhood experience is set when she is told of the world coming to an end. The narrator is told that the world is going to end by her cousin (Rena) who overhears an adult conversation about an eclipse that will occur the next day (Saturday). Rena believes that this
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means that the world will end and shares this information with her twelve year old cousin. The narrator, a sinner who enjoys the pleasures of sinning, is not ready to accept the Lord as her saviour (‘get religion’) and as such she is terrified that the wor ld will end and she will go to hell. She approaches her father who is a deacon at their and questions him about the coming of the Lord. Her father’s response does not comfort the narrator as she becomes even more worried as her father reveals that the world may end at anytime as one man knows when the Lord will come. She goes to bed worried and in a state of panic as she does not know what will happen. While in her bed the narrator hears the sound of an old airplane and believed it was the world ending. She ran from her house screaming and shouting to her neighbours that the world was ending. She is met and comforted by her father who was on his way home. He pointed out to her that the noise she heard was coming from an airplane and that the world was not ending as she had thought. At the end of the experience the narrator becomes aware that she cannot live her life in fear of the world ending but instead that she should live her life fully and appreciate each day.
CONFLICT The narrator’s conflict is with the idea of getting religion as a child. She believed that she was too young (12 years old) to become a Christian; however if the world was ending she would go to hell. The narrator also fears the idea of going to hell.
RESOLUTION The conflict is resolved when the narrator is made aware that the sound she heard was not the world ending but an air plane flying overhead. She finally realizes that one cannot live their life waiting on the world to end.
THEMES Childhood Experience
The theme of childhood experience is presented through the author’s use o f flashback. The story although told by the adult narrator is an event that happened when she was twelve years old.
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Religion
It is the event that the narrator experiences in the story that brings out the theme of religion. The idea of the world ending allows the author to introduce biblical allusion/images throughout the story. The mention of John, Revelation and even Miss Daya’s misinterpretation of the narrator’s kneeling for praying are religious images. The diction used throughout the story also lends itself to the theme. The author uses such words as Christian, sinner, the Lord, devil and hell to sustain the theme in the story. The story brings to mind the age old question of when and how the world will end. At the end of the story this question is answered and we are made aware of the fact that man can not predict or understand the power and working of God.
Family Relationship
The relationship that exists between the narrator and her father is one that is highlighted throughout the story. When she is told that the world will end on Saturday she goes to her father to seek clarification. This shows that the narrator trusted her father and that she valued his opinion on matters of importance. This is further brought out as after she hears the air plane and runs out of the house screaming and shouting it is her father who consoles her, wraps her in his coat and takes her back home.
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Emma by Carolyn Cole (American)
CHARACTERS Emma York
Dorian York/ Dory
Jack York
Maria
Mrs. Ruby Robinson
Frank
Grandaddy (Emma’s father )
SETTINGS The York’s house The mall The train station
SUMMARY OF STORY The story “Emma” is told from the perspective of Emma’s young daughter Dorian/Dory. Dorian is the only child of Emma and Jack York a couple that seemed to have gotten married because of the child. As a result the relationship between Dorian and her father is not a strong one and the relationship between Emma and her husband is one that is equally as fragile. The story presents the tragic experience of the narrator losing her mother because of her father’s infidelity. Dorian describes the relationship between her mother and her father as a game and throughout the game Emma (her mother) is being ‘played’ as she is unaware of all that is happening around her. Emma a stay at home mom is devoted to taking care of her husband and daughter. She is urged by her neighbour and ‘friend’ Ruby Robinson to pay close attention to her husband in an attempt to ensure that he does not cheat on her. However, this advice was not genuine as Ruby was aware of the fact that Mr. York had a lady that he was seeing at the train station where the children would skate. Ruby’s concern was in fact envy of Emma’s life as she had been lef t by her
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husband Frank to raise their daughter Maria alone. Ruby saw Emma as someone who had everything she wanted. After going to the train station one day to pick up Dorian and Maria, Emma sees her husband with a lady in a compromising position. Emma runs and is chased by her husband who tries to hold her by the arm. She frees herself and runs into the path of an oncoming vehicle and is killed. Dorian does not quit understand what has happened and even after her mothers death she waits for the day when her mother would return. Ruby Robinson becomes romantically involved with Jack and Dorian and Maria are shipped away to boarding school in the country.
CONFLICT The conflict in the story is presented in the relationship that Emma and her husband share. The relationship is not one that is characterized b y mutual love but is instead held together b y the fact that they are the parents of Dorian. The fact that Frank is being unfaithful to his wife takes away from his relationship with his wife and family.
RESOLUTION The conflict in the story is resolved tragically as Emma dies and the two girls (Dorian and Maria) are sent away to boarding school by Mrs. Robinson (Mr. York’s new woman). The resolution leaves the reading feeling like good has lost and the bad has won out in the end. There is however a glimmer of hope when Dorian states that they will play the game smarter as a result of watching Emma ‘play the game’. The reader is left with a small amount of hope that when the girls grow up they will be smarter women having observed Emma’s tragic fall.
THEMES Innocence
Cole presents the theme of innocence as the child narrator (Dory) is naïve and really does not fully understand the events that take place throughout the story. Dorian relays from her ‘childish’ point of view several incidents that to her contribute to the game she thinks the adults are playing; however, as the readers we are aware of exactly what is taking place in these encounters. This may be seen when her mother and father are being intimate with each other.
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Love and Family Relationship
Family relationship plays a major role in the story “Emma”. The relationship between mother and daughter is presented from two perspectives; these being the relationship between Emma and Dorian and the relationship between Ruby and Maria. Cole presents these two relationships as contrasting elements in the story as the relationship between Emma and Dorian is one that is characterized by love and care; whereas the relationship between Ruby and Maria is one that is done out of a sense of responsibility. The fact that Maria prefers to be Emma while the girls play their game highlights the fact the Maria does not see her mother as a good example. She is presented as an unhappy child who is treated badly by a mother is would rather send her off to a boarding school. The idea of a family is also questioned as Cole presents what is usually thought of as the most stable of the various family units (the nuclear family); however, the York family is far from stable and the only glimpse of stability that could be seen occurred when Emma’s father visited and confronted his son in law.
Friendship
The friendship between Dorian and Maria and Ruby and Emma were also examined in the story. The innocence and care that was displayed in the friendship of the children was not reflected in the friendship of the adults. Other emotions contaminate the adult’s relationship and as a result their friendship is one that is not sincere. Emma refers to Mrs. Robinson as having the green eyed monster and Ruby shows this by her envy of Emma’s life.
Childhood Experience
The story occurs during the narrator’s childhood and as such this theme is also relevant. The story presents the loss of a parent.
Dishonesty is evident in the story as all the characters, except Emma, are aware of Jack’s infidelity. His dishonest brings about Dorian’s conflict at eight years old, as she too knows of the lady at the train station, with whom her father is having a secret relationship. Dorian wants to tell her mother the truth as she feels that in this game it is her duty to be on her mommy’s side. Mrs. Ruby Robinson is another dishonest character as she pretends to have Emma’s best interest at heart as she advises Emma to either have another baby or ensure that she accompanies Jack on his outings. In fact she is jealous of Emma and the life that she has with Jack and Dorian.
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The motif of the game appears throughout the story possibly due to the fact that the narrator is a young child. The children ‘play’ at being adults and this transcends into the actual lives of the adults as they ‘play’ each other. The children also see the life of adults as play. This motif is sustained throughout the story and even in the end Dorian confirms this by reassuring Maria that ‘I learned a lot about this game. When it’s our turn to play, we’ll play smarter.’ (Cole, p.58).
SYMBOLS
The name Jack is also symbolic as a Jack is one of the members of a deck of cards. Jack York , Emma’s husband, is a player and has mastered the art of using the cards he is dealt to win the game.
The deck of cards that Emma carries around in her purse is symbolic of life and the fact that there are winners and losers in this game. The idea that your success depends on how well you play the game is constantly repeated throughout the story. This symbol also indicates that each person has an equal chance of winning or losing.
The joker usually introduces an element of change in a game of cards (depending on the game being played). The joker in the story represents the person who loses the game and as Emma dies with the joker in her hand she ‘lost’ the game.
The appearance of the joker (the look of the card) also symbolizes the hypocrisy of such characters as Mrs. Robinson and Jack. They are presented as two faced characters that deceive others throughout the story.
The train station is symbolic as it is a place known for arrivals and departures. It is the place that Emma arrives into the knowledge of her husband’s infidelity and it leads to her departing the land of the living as she exits the game as a result of death.
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Georgia and them there United States by Velma Pollard (Jamaican)
CHARACTERS Leticia Green (Aunt Teach) June June’s mother Georgia
SETTINGS 1950s Jamaica USA (Brooklyn New York)
SUMMARY OF STORY Pollard explores the idea of love for ones country in the short story “Georgia and them there United State”. The narrator, June is a young Jamaican who is given the opportunity to visit her aunt who lives in the US. Aunt Teach presents the US as a place of possibilities and progress; the story begins with a letter that June’s mother receives from her sister who has just become a citizen of Uncle Sam. In this letter Leticia/ Aunt Teach reveals her disgust at the way her sister and the children have to live on the ‘backward’ island of Jamaica and states that she pities the situation her family is in. The narrator on the other hand is unable to see what her aunt sees in America as for her Jamaica is a beautiful place that can never be replaced in her heart. Although intrigued by the clothes that often come from the states the narrator does not feel in any way that America is better than her beloved homeland. She visits the US and is very disappointed at what she sees; June is disgusted by the filth and decay that surrounded her in the great United States of America.
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She describes the change that she observes in her aunt and cousin who have assimilated to the American culture. June describes her aunt’s face covered in makeup and her hair covered by a wig and her cousin a laughing puppet that looks to her like a stranger. In contrast the these women June represents all that is Caribbean/ Jamaican as she is proud and confident with her low cut natural hair and naturally beautiful face. She writes to her father to beg him not to others in the community that she is in the US as for her the experience is not one that she wishes to share or boast about.
CONFLICT The story’s conflict is tied to Leticia’s disregard for her Jamaican heritage and her willingness and eagerness to accept the American way of life.
RESOLUTION The story ends with the narrator reinforcing her love for Jamaica as she states that she wants her visit to the United States of America to remain a secret.
THEMES Identity
The theme of identity is presented through the characters of June and her aunt Leticia. Pollard presents June as a young woman who knows who she is and is proud of her nationality and culture on the contrary Leticia is presented as an older woman who refuses to acknowledge and accept her nationality and culture. Leticia willingly accepts
Love of country:
June appreciates her island home, Jamaica. The reader sees her lying on a crocus bag, under a sour sop tree, simply appreciating the calm and peace that her island offers. She is mesmerized by the beauty of the island, as seen when she simply relaxes and appreciates the 'clustered greenery of orange trees as far as eye could see' [Pollard, 138]. Her profound love of country is
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seen in her statement that she knew that no city could 'claim the grass-bound, hill-bound soul of me.' [Pollard, 138].
Aunt Letecia's lack of appreciation of her island home, on the other hand, is a contrast to June's attitude to Jamaica. Aunt Letecia refers to Jamaica as a 'down-graded' [Pollard, 137] place that she is thankful that she does not have to set eyes on again. She is of the opinion that her relatives are living in misery and is grateful that her daughter will 'escape the Kingston slums.' [Pollard, 137] Ironically, the appreciation that should be accorded for her place of birth is reserved for the place that she chooses to live, the United States. Aunt Letecia's excitement over becoming an American citizen is almost tangible, and is clearly seen in her praise of central heating, snow and Coney island.
Love of self:
June's short natural hair is a testament to her confidence and love of self. She is not daunted by her Aunt Letecia's dismissal of this look. Aunt Letecia, on the other hand, hides her hair under a wig. June comments that her sister had warned her that 'in America the wig is the black woman's good-morning-white-America-how-are-you before coffee, before prayers if any, before good morning to your black mother who sleeps in the bed next to you.' [Pollard, 139]. This implies that the black woman cannot function until she hides her natural qualities. This sentiment of dismissal regarding one's birthright is accepted by Aunt Letecia, and, in turn, passed on to Georgia, who is also seen wearing a long straight wig.
Family Relationship
The story is centered on the relationship between the narrator and her aunt who lives in the United States of America.
SYMBOLS The wig that Aunt Teach and the other black women wear to cover their heads is a symbol of their assimilation into the western culture. They try to become American to fit in to the setting ijn which they live. Aunt Teach’s rejection of J amaica is completed by her acquisition of citizenship in America and is epitomized in the way she dresses.
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The Two Grandmothers by: Olive Senior (Jamaican)
CHARACTERS Del Elaine/Towser The narrator Maureen Jason Aunt Rita (Maureen and Jason’s parent) Uncle Rob (Maureen and Jason’s parent) Uncle Frank Eulalie Ermandine Pearlie Mr. Kincaid Mr. Samuels Melody-Ann
SETTINGS Jamaica Rural Jamaica Urban Jamaica
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SUMMARY OF STORY Olive Senior’s use of contrast to relay the experiences of the child narrator extends not just to her presentation of the two grandmothers, but to the settings and even the narrator herself may be contrasted. The story at a glance is divided into sections that indicate different periods in time and different settings that are experienced by the narrator. The story begins with the narrator at a very young age (this is indicated by her curiosity and her innocence as it relates to certain matters). Sections one to three allows the reader to see the innocence of a child in the narrator as she appreciates the experiences she has at both her grandmother’s houses. She is not critical or judgmental of other characters and she displays genuine concern for those who are less fortunate than herself. She even attempts to correct the inappropriate behaviour of her maternal grandmother, Towser, and uses the principles of the Bible to guide the words she says to deter her grandmother. As the story progresses the narrator grows older and begins to change; in contrast to the person she was in sections one to three the narrator becomes judgmental, conceited and even callous in the way she speaks about other individuals in sections four to seven. The innocence that characterized the narrator as a child is lost by the time the story ends and she becomes a reflection of her maternal grandmother, Towser. She no longer appreciates going to visit her grandma Del and would prefer to go to her friend’s party and watch a soap opera instead to visiting her once beloved grandmother.
CONFLICT The narrator’s conflict is internal as she grows and discovers the type of person she wants to become. There are also issues of race in the story that pose a problem for the narrator’s ability to connect with all the members of her family. Her cousin Maureen presents this conflict in the story.
RESOLUTION The story ends with the narrator still in search of her true identity. It may be assumed that as the narrator grows she will continue to change (for either the better or the worse). Although the reader does not like the person the narrator has become at the end of the story it is a reality that exists as children become older and go through the period of adolescence.
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THEMES Family Relationship Traditional Views/Beliefs versus Modern Views/Practices Innocence and loss of Innocence Childhood Experience Identity Racism Religion Poverty Friendship
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Raymond’s Run by: Toni Cade Bambara (American)
CHARACTERS Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker/ Squeaky Raymond Parker Gretchen P. Lewis Rosie Mary Louise Cynthia Proctor Raphael Perez
SETTINGS New York The May Day Event
SUMMARY OF STORY “Raymond’s Run” may be seen as both Raymond’s and Hazel’s story. The story is told from Hazel’s perspective and reveals the challenges she overcomes to retain her title as champion of the fifty yards dash at the May Day event. Hazel shares with us as readers that she has duties within her family/household while she also discloses who she is as an individual. Hazel is charged with the task of taking care of her older but mentally challenged brother Raymond. She carries Raymond everywhere she goes and does her best to keep him out of trouble while practicing her breathing exercises and her running skills/techniques. She is challenged at her ‘ pet’ event by the new girl in town, Gretchen P Lewis. Gretchen’s chance at beating Hazel is complicated by the fact that Rosie and Mary Louis try to get under Hazel’s skin by telling her that Gretchen will beat her at the race.
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Hazel talks about who she is in light of other characters that possess less desirable qualities. For example Cynthia Procter, who pretends that she does not practice spelling or playing the piano and Raphael Perez who tries to win the race before he gets on the track by messing with the other runners’ minds. Hazel reveals to us that her mother would like her to behave like girl but that she, Hazel, is comfortable being who she is Squeaky, Mercury, Miss Quick Silver herself.
CONFLICT The conflict in the story is between Hazel and Gretchen, her rival in the May Day event.
There is also the fact that society opposes R aymond because of his disability. This may be seen when Mary Louis and Rosie attempt to belittle Raymond.
RESOLUTION The story ends with Hazel being named the champion of the fifty yard dash after a close finish between her and Gretchen. Hazel becomes aware of the fact that Raymond is not a helpless as she had previously thought as he had learned how to run the fifty hard dash (in his own unique way).
THEMES Childhood Experience Love and Family Relationship Identity Rivalry The relationship among girls
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Frangipani House by Beryl Gilroy
Who is Berly Gilroy? Guyanese writer and educator Beryl Gilroy was born August 30, 1924 and died April 4, 2001. She is revered as one of Guyana’s greatest novelist. Born in Skeldon village, Berbice county, Guyana, Gilroy spend her early years being informally ‘educated’ by her grandmother (who believed that the child could learn more travelling around with her than she could at school) and entered the formal school system at the age of twelve years old.
LIST OF CHARACTERS FROM THE NOVEL Mabel King/ Mrs. King (Mama King) Olga Trask (Matron) Danny King Token Cyclette Byson Markey Cindy Soloman/Solo Chuck Abel (Mama King’s brother) Franky Ginchi Thorley Carlton
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Nurse Douglas Nurse Carey Nurse Tibbs Nurse Agnes Miss Mason Mrs. Ida Gomez Pandit Prem Sumintra Tilley Ben Le Cage Miss Turvey Bubble Elder Esteban Danny’s Mother
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CHARACTER TRAITS (for main characters)
Mabel King/Mrs. King (Mama King)
Independent
Hardworking
Loyal
Caring
Stubborn
Determined
Selfless/Altruistic
Patient
Strong
Olga Trask
Power hungry
Deceitful
Uncaring/ Unkind
Insincere
Manipulative
Danny King
Abusive
Selfish
Uncaring
Ginchi Thorley
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Caring
Loyal
Loving
Old fashion
Token and Cyclette
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Resentful
Uncaring
Unappreciative
Selfish
SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL
West Indian writer Beryl Gilroy presents the experiences of Mabel King (Mama King) while she is living in an old age home in her novel Frangipani House . After being sent to Eventide Home by her two daughters (Token and Cyclette) as a result of being sick (with Malaria, Quincy and Pleurisy) and being neglected by her relatives with whom she lived Mabel begins to feel neglected and inadequate after several months in the home without so much as a letter from her relatives. She resorts to memories/remembering in an attempt to hold on to her past life and refuses to live in her present situation at the home. Her spirits are also lifted by the Sunday visits of her friend Ginchi who reassures Mabel that she will get word to her relatives (living overseas). The proprietor of the home is a middle aged woman by the name of Olga Trask (Matron). Matron obtained her reputation of caring for the elderly after she returned home to take care of her own dying mother. After her mother’s death she o pened the home and at the beginning of the novel we are told that there are forty-three patients in her ‘care’. However, the third person narrator hints at the fact that life at Eventide Home is not a happy one and that Matron is not as loving and caring as she would have the families and the public believe. The third person narrator calls Matron a “PROPRIETRIX” and a “PREDATOR” and refers to the old women at the home as “INMATES” and their stay there as “INCARCERATION”. It is this description that prepares us for the fact that the women in the home are not happ y and that the environment at the home restricts their freedom. We are given snippets of Mabel’s past life through her memories/recollections. We learn that Mama King took care of her grandchildren while her daughters lived overseas, her husband was not present to help her raise and care for their two girls, she was pursued by several men whom she all refused and that she also refused the opportunity to live abroad with her children. Mabel’s memories however prove to be selective, as it is through the visit of an old suitor, Ben Le Cage, (one of the men who pursued her) that we learn that her life with Danny was not as happy as her memories made it out to be. Ben reveals that Danny was abusive and would beat Mabel for trivial things. His visit angers Mabel; however, it does cause her to recall the truth about Danny. Matron becomes the antagonist in the story as she opposes the dreams and desires of Mama King. She treats the old woman cruelly and at times even tries to irritate Mabel by calling her “Marma King”. Mabel’s ‘imprisonment’ in Eventide Home is completed by the routine that is practiced on a daily basis and she complains bitterly about the monotony of the home. This helps to drive Mabel into an even deeper state of depression. She decides to run away from the home after she is visited by her grandson ( Markey) and promises of his return were too long in coming. She escapes under the cloud of a group of beggars and finds herself once again in a group that is an outcast in the society. The irony of her situation can be seen as Mabel is accepted by the gang of beggars and treated as one of their own. Although she has less to eat and there are no general
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comforts in living with the beggars she feels more love and appreciation from the group of homeless people than she did in the home that her children had paid for. Her stay with the beggars lasted for four weeks and ended after she was attacked by two young men who thought that she had money they could steal. Carlton recognizes Mama King as she lies in a bloody state waiting for the paramedic and rushes of the inform Matron of Mama Kings fate. She is taken to the hospital and we find out that her injuries are serious and she lies in a coma for days.
Her daughters (and grandchildren) return to the island and confront Olga in regards to their mother’s ‘care’. Token and Cyclette argue about where Mabel (Mama King) should stay and after both women admit that they do not wish to take care of Mama King it is her granddaughter Cindy and her husband Chuck who decide to take care of Mabel.
The story ends with Mabel finally finding love and attention within her own family. She no longer shifts in and out of the past and the present in an unstable way but rather is at peace and is able to reflect on the way her life has developed.
Mama King’s reprieve now allowed her time for easy free -ranging and reflection. Each afternoon she sat pondering the number of times that life had reconstituted her-first as child, then as woman, wife, mother, grandmother, mad-head old woman, beggar and finally old woman at peace at last.
Frangipani House page120
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SYMBOLS IN FRANGIPANI HOUSE
1. Frangipani House (the name the people of the village gave to the home)
In the town the home represented the place where old people would go to await death; however, it was also seen as a better alternative to living with relatives who would mistreat the elderly. The outside appearance of the home (it was well kept) contributed to how it was seen by the people of the town.
To the women who lived at the home it was a place where they gave up their regular life for one that was routine. It meant that their very identities (ability to choose) were taken away.
2. The mammee apple tree This is a symbol of the infertility of the women in the home. The tree no longer bears fruit and the women are in a similar position as they too have long past their fruitful age.
3.The breaking/shattering of the picture frame in Matr on’s office (the picture of her mother) page 85
This may be seen as an indication of the shattering of the façade/farce that Matron tried to put up about her loving her mother and caring for the elderly. It also foreshadows Matron’s break down after being confronted by Token and Cyclette.
4. The destruction of Ginchi’s house (by fire)
This represents the beginning of Carlton’s quest for manhood. He is forced to leave the ‘nest’ (the security of Ginchi’s house and what he knows) 5. The flowers Markey sent to the home with the taxi driver
The flowers were symbolic of Markey’s appreciation and recognition of his grandmother’s sacrifice and contribution to his own life. In that instance he recognizes that his mother had trusted Mama King completely to take care of him.
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