Incoming English II Students: Discussion Boards for "Araby" and "A&P"

9/26 Update: At this point all responses need to be made on paper. Please submit your COMPLETE (not partial) responses when all 12 questions have been answered.

"Araby" by James Joyce
(Listen to an audiofile of "Araby" as you read; right-click audiofile link to save file to your computer.)

• Background: What is an Araby (also referred to as a bazaar)? What is it similar to here in Dallas/America (or Mexico)? If you've been to one, what did you think of it? If not, what do you think your experience going to one would be like? Compare or contrast your reaction to the narrator's.


• Personification: How does Joyce personify the streets and houses in the opening paragraph? Refer to another segment of the book with similar personification and discuss how Joyce's use of the technique helps build his "message" or theme.


• Foreshadowing: How does Joyce hint at the fact that the outcome will not be all the narrator desires? (You may need to re-read part or all of the story. Don't be afraid.) Discuss.


• Alliteration: What pairs of words utilize alliteration in the final paragraph? Discuss how the alliteration contributes to the reader's perception of the story's ending.


• This story is told in First Person point of view. This POV helps the author provide the reader with direct access into the narrator's thoughts and emotions.Discuss what Joyce gains by giving the reader a direct line to the narrator's feelings.

"A&P" by John Updike

• Allusion: An allusion is a reference to a historic or literary character or event. What is the narrator referring to when he says in the second paragraph, "... if she'd been born at the right time they would have burned her over in Salem." Support your answer with evidence from the first paragraph and discuss how Updike uses this to reveal the narrator's character.


• How does Updike's use of punctuation and conjunctions effect the story when he writes

  ... and they all three of them went up the cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle.

  and

  ... if you stand at our front doors you can see two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and three real-estate offices and about twenty-seven old free-loaders tearing up Central Street ...

  Consider the narrator's attitude to what he's seeing in each case, and discuss how these techniques help the reader understand the narrator.


• Metaphor: The narrator refers to the store's customers as sheep several times (and once as pigs). Discuss what this reveals about the customers, the narrator, and the setting.


• Like "Araby," this story is told in First Person point of view. In addition to giving the reader access to the narrator's thoughts and feelings, Updike also uses it to tell the story with the narrator's -- Sammy's -- voice. Discuss what this reveals about Sammy, and then re-write the climactic confrontation from the perspective of Lengel, Stokesie, Queenie, or one Queenie's "attendants." What changes from Updike's version to yours?

If you have other elements of the stories you'd like to discuss, add them in the comments and I'll create a discussion board. Thanks!