Questions for “Flowers”
Overall focus: Close reading of text
Secondary focus: Inferences
Note: It is important to the story to know that the protagonist is African American and
the setting is in the late 1950s or early 60s in one of the southern states such as
Alabama or Mississippi.
Instructions: Answer the following questions on your own paper. Neatly write or type
them. Use complete sentences. Make sure to include your name, the date, what class
hour, and the name of the story.
1. Based on the first two paragraphs, what is the mood of the story? Write down at
least four specific words or phrases that help establish this mood.
2. How old is Myop?
3. Where is Myop and what is she doing?
4. Where is Myop “by twelve o’clock”?
5. How has the mood changed? Write down at least two specific words or phrases that
help establish this mood.
6. Write down the phrases that describe the man Myop encounters.
7. Based on what Myop finds, how did this man likely die?
8. Based on Myop’s actions, age, discovery and how the author uses word choice and
description to change the mood, explain how the following lines may be symbolic:
a) Myop laid down her flowers
b) And the summer was over
c) Bonus: Very near…was a wild pink rose.
9. Look up the word myopia. How might Myop’s name be symbolic?
10. Notice the last paragraph of the story. What is the effect of having a paragraph of
one short sentence end the story?