Identities+Short+Story+Q+and+A

Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: __Identities__

__Point of View: __ 3rd person

__Protagonist: __ Well dressed, well to do adult man.

__What type of character is the Protagonist? __ The protagonist appears to be an upper class adult man.

__Antagonist: __ The man himself, because he is fighting against himself and his views of the world.

__Describe the setting: __ The setting begins in a rather affluent neighbourhood. Over the course of the story, it changes into rougher and rougher neighbourhoods.

__Type of Conflict: __ man vs. self

__Describe the main conflict: __ The man is conflicted throughout the story in which he searches for his childhood stories and adventure, but realizes that life is not as exciting as it seems in the ghetto areas.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Describe the Climax of the Story: __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The climax of the story would have to be the very last sentence, in which his life ends when he reaches for his wallet inside of his jacket.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The protagonist began as wealthy man who was tired of his repetitive, boring life and, as a result, sets of for adventure in his Mercedes Benz. What he realizes later on, however, is that as boring as he may think his life is, life in the slums and ghettos are unsafe, and he yearns to return to his wife, children and his normal life once again.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The title (identities) relates to the theme (identities don’t always fit stereotypes) in the way that it gives a hint as to what the theme may be to the reader before one even reads the story.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The main conflict illustrates the theme in the way that the man seems to be stereotyping life in the slums as exciting and adventurous, when in truth, life in the slums is actually hard and a fight for survival.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The climax, in which the man reaches into his jacket for his identity, illustrates the theme by showing that the police officer is stereotyping in the same way that the man had earlier in the story.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes): __

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Simile: __ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“ The store window illuminates the sidewalk like a stage.”

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Metaphor: __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Eagles, tigers, wolves and serpents ride their backs.”

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Personification: __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Now, as he passes grey stone gates, the yards are all proscribed by stiff picket fences-”

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Symbol: __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Although he has on blue jeans – matching pants and jacket made in Paris – he is driving a grey Mercedes Benz.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This Mercedes Benz is a symbol for his wealth.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Foreshadowing (give both elements): __ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“ So intent is he upon the future that he dangerously ignores the present and does not notice the police car, concealed in the shadows of a side street, nose out and follow him.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This foreshadows a future run in with a member of the police force.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Irony: __ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Instinctively relaxing, certain of his safety, in the last voluntary movement of his life, he reaches his hand not in the air as he was ordered to, but toward his wallet for identity.”

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Imagery: __ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The houses are squat, as though they have been taller and have, slowly, sunk into the ground. Each has a band of dirt around the bottom. The blue glow of television sets light the windows.”

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story: __

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The class theme of humanity is shown in the story by the stereotyping that both the man and police officer show. To me, the story’s theme is identities don’t always fit stereotypes. The man’s identity as an upper class person is completely flipped around as, ironically, a police officer in a ghetto-like, slum neighbourhood stereotypes him as a car stealer instead of a potential owner of such a nice car. Stereotypes whether they be based upon racial, gender, age or cultural bias, is something that seems to be unique to the human race, which makes is a unique part of humanity. Both the man and the police officer showed this quality. <span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Completion 5/5 <span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Effort 4.5/5 <span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Content 4/5 <span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Paragraph 4.5/5

<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">total 18/20