If you want to analyze a character in a story, here are some points to think about:
1) APPEARANCE &endash; What does the author's description of clothing, facial and/or body appearance reveal about the people in the story?
Do these descriptions show the social status or educational
Background of the character?
Do they show whether the character is typical or unusual?
What do these descriptions show about the character's problems or success?
2) SPEECH and BEHAVIOR &endash; Does the person speak in a special way?
Does his or her behavior show how he/she feels?
Does his/her speech or behavior explain any of the conflicts in the story?
Can you understand anything about the character's feelings or personality?
3) THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS &endash; What does the author's description of the character's thoughts or feelings reveal about the people in the story?
Do the thoughts or feelings in the story relate to a conflict?
Do the thoughts or feelings in the story reveal anything about the character's personality, strengths, and/or weaknesses?
4) INTERACTIONS &endash; How do the characters interact with each other?
Which interactions show or explain the conflict(s) in the story?
Which interactions tell something about the character's personality, feelings and/or beliefs?
If you want to analyze the setting a story, here are some points to think about:
1) TIME - Does the time mentioned in the Context of the Reading have any influence on the events that happened in the story?
Does the time of the day (or time of year) that an event takes place help us to understand any of the characters' actions or feelings?
2) PLACE - Does a place mentioned in the story have an important influence on the events that happened in that place?
Does the place (for example, the room, indoors vs. outdoors, the city, the state) that an event takes place help us to understand any of the characters' actions or feelings?
Does the place help to emphasize any of the characters' actions or feelings?
3) PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT - Do any of the parts of a location (for example, trees, grass, sky, buildings, furniture, etc.) which are used in descriptions help us tounderstand any of the characters' actions or feelings?
Do they help to emphasize any of the characters' actions or feelings?
4) SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT - Do any of the historical events, social customs government policies, racial/religious/ethnic group ideas which were common at the time the story takes place help us to understand any of the characters' actions or feelings?
Do they help to emphasize any of the characters' actions or feelings?
When you try to analyze a passage from the story, remember to look at the WHOLE paragraph it is in to help you understand why the author wrote a particular sentence or phrase or word.
1) Does the passage relate to the general idea of the story (what it is about)?
Does the passage relate to the MAIN idea of the story (the important event or the important interactions of the characters or an important personal change for the author)?
Does the passage relate to A THEME in the story (being alone; being in an unfriendly environment; some kind of discrimination; cultural conflict; etc.)?
2) Does the passage relate to or explain or emphasize the characters' actions or feelings?
3) Does the passage give you a certain kind of feeling?
In "College," the gym teacher judges people by appearance. The teacher speaks harshly to Anzia and she describes that the teacher had a "frozen face" when she looks at her. In addition, the teacher makes her overexercise without enough reason. Anzia complains because she is too tired from working since she was a child to just spend time in exercise class with no reason. For her, hard work must bring some money or more college credit ant not "monkeyshines".
The teacher looked at her "from head to foot" and then criticized her. It shows that the teacher is judging her for difference from usual "real American" students. This is the usual attitude of teachers and students at the college to her.
On the other hand, when Anzia complains to school's dean, first he has a "cooling steadiness" look too. But after she explains her hard life and money problems, the dean gives her a smile. Then he excuses her from more exercise class. She is so surprised by this kindness behavior because usually she does not get it, even such a simple kind thing. It shows school's dean can understand not judge her even if she is different. Also Anzia is beginning to distrust those people. The author shows us two different reactions to make us see how hard it is always for her to have accepting behavior from those small town people.
The author describes herself by her clothes and appearance for us. She talks about her "bronzed skin" to contrast strongly with the white skin of whites. She also mentions the "glassy blue eyes" of the whites. It sounds like they are cold and unfriendly people. Also we can understand that she has not seen many white people before, so they look strange. The author does not tell us her age or any special thing about her looks. She only says "bronzed skin", "long hair" and that she is wearing moccasins (not shoes like whites) and a blanket instead of a coat. Maybe she wants to tell the readers that these are the only ways that white people see her. To them she is not the a little girl or a pretty girl or a girl with a cute smile or big eyes or any special thing. She is only something with different skin color, a strange hairstyle and strange clothes, so they do not treat her like a person; they treat her like an object. Because she is not a real person to them they feel it is okay to laugh at her and embarrass her or treat her unkindly.
Discuss the meaning of the following passages and their significance to the story.
1. "The area was predominantly white, and though it did not smack of affluence, it was not altogether poverty stricken either."
2. What would you say is the purpose of the description of the drugstore and the food served there in paragraph four?
3. "My beef was that I was forbidden to sit at that counter."
4. "Those blacks who went contrary to this were worked over something fierce, often by those mild-mannered Milquetoasts who looked as if they wouldn't hurt a fly. A fly, no; but an uppity nigger, in a minute."
5. "Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul."
Also discuss the source of this quote and how it is important to the story.
6. "Somehow I didn't feel the 'badness' that I usually felt when I returned from the drugstore."
7. "…something strange happened: my waiting time got shorter and shorter each morning. I could hardly get five pages read before my order was handed to me with &endash; of all things &endash; a sense of graciousness from the waitresses."
A. Setting: Tito's Goodbye
1. Place - The places in the story are Cuba and the U.S. The environment was much
better for him in Cuba, compared to the U.S. It seemed that Cuba was poor and a Communist country, so he wanted to escape, but his life was happier there than in the rich and free U.S.
2. Time &endash; There are two times, the present when he is dying, and the past before he came to America. In the present his life is terrible, but not just because he is dying. The author describes his ugly office and bad family situation to show that his life was like a death before he had a heart attack. Mostly, the past is warm and happy for him. Maybe he changed a lot in N. Y. in a bad way and could not get back to his old self from the past.
3. Social environment &endash; New York at the time of the story has a lot of illegal immigrants in that place and he works with them all the time. However, even if he is also an immigrant he seems more interested in money than in other immigrants' problems. Maybe he lost himself when he came to New York City and forgot to care about other people's problems.
4. Physical environment - Tito's office is close to the court, where he goes frequently but it is not close to his family. Most of the scenes in the story take place in Tito's office. Tito starts his business in that office, works there most of his life and finally died there too. It shows his separation from his family in his life.
B. Characters: In the Land of the Free
1. Spoken words &endash; Whenever Hom Hing and Lae Choo talk about their child , they worry about him. From their words we see why they suffer. Lae Choo's words (for example, "how could I close my eyes with my arms empty") express the pain which Chinese immigrants underwent in the United States
The author uses an Old English style to be Chinese words in this story because she wants the emotions of the reader to be involved in the story's feelings. Evry tim ewe read the Old Englsih words, Lae Choo is showing very strong feelings , not just having a conversation
2. Inner thoughts and behavior &endash; The author shows James Clancy's bad character when she says his thinks "furtively" because he wants to get too money from them. And he looks "carelessly" and just keeps "his eyes intent upon the cigarette" when he is talking to them; He can't look at them straight which is the usual American style because he is guilty and he does not want to see that they have so much pain.
In the story the author wants to show the excitement and expectations of the Chinese couple and their disappointment. At first they were happy and thought that life in America would wonderful for them. For example, Lae Choo tells her son about America and says, " there is where thy father is making a wonderful fortune for thee. It is very beautiful and thou wilt be very happy there." However, soon they change their feelings about the US .because customs takes their son away. In the sentence, "He (Hom Hing) spoke calmly; but there was apprehension in his eyes." It shows that he became afraid and began to doubt the America was a great place. Later in the story, Hom Hing and Lae Choo meet a lawyer named James Clancy. He is supposed to help them, but he takes advantage of them. The author says that "The young man eyed the Chinese merchant furtively,. He was thinking about cheating them. "He had a proposition to make and was pondering whether or not the time was opportune," says that he is only thinking about his idea to get money and not their problem. It is another problem and disappointment for them. Instead of making money and becoming successful, we know that they will lose all of their money to him because he states "I will need at least five hundred dollars to start with." "To start with means that he will continue asking for money again and again until they are poor. America will destroy them.
1. Who is the speaker of this poem?
2. Is the speaker directly involved in the poem or is s/he an outside observer?
3. To whom is the speaker "talking?"
4. Why do you think the speaker chose this subject?
5. Discuss the setting (place), time, environment of this poem. How are they important to the message of the poem?
6. What do you learn about the narrator of this poem? For example,
o What do you learn about his/her inner qualities or values?
o What do you learn about conflicts that are important to him/her?
o What do you learn about the choices the/she makes?
o What changes does he/she experience?
7. Do you form mental pictures (images) as you read this poem? How are they important to the poem? Find specific words and phrases that create those images for you.
AEIS | AEI | OIP | UO Homepage
http://aei.uoregon.edu/aeis.html
Email: aeis@oregon.uoregon.edu
American English Institute
5212 University
of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA
FAX: (541) 346-3917
Office: (541) 346-3945
This page last updated October 2001