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Major Assessment 1
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39, MIKEL KENDRICK TIU
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Amber Sparks,
“How to Share Your Home with a Ghost”
(short story, 2020)
What is happening in
the story (PLOT)?
EXPOSITION
The story started by
introducing a family of three
dealing with a ghost who
lives inside their small
apartment. The ghost is not
like a stereotypical scary
ghost since the story
describes her as a helpful
member doing the chores for
the family.
RISING ACTION
Though the ghost is helping the
family in doing the house hold
chores, the mother still wants her
to leave the apartment since the
she feels like the family lacks
privacy especially when the ghost
can hear everything they say;
however, the ghost does not want
to leave the apartment.
CLIMAX
One day, the families’ neighbor did not like the
loud music which was being played by the ghost.
He went inside the families’ apartment and asked
if anyone could turn down the music, so the
ghost turned it down. The next day, the neighbor
did not hear any music, and this made him feel
guilty. He went inside the apartment, and
surprisingly he was able to see the ghost. They
talked and listened to different types of music.
Moreover, the family feels gloomy and sad every
weekend. The mother would just cry in the
bathroom, the son would hide under his bed
saying that he is afraid of ghosts but
ironically not the ghost living with them, and
the sister watches shows which have a gory
theme.
FALLING ACTION
The mother told the ghost that
enough is enough and that she
should leave the family alone;
however, the son held the ghost by
the hand. Due to the son being able
to accept the ghost, he was then
able to see how she really looked,
so the mother and daughter did the
same to be able to see the ghost.
RESOLUTION
After all of the family members
were able to accept the living
conditions with the ghost, they
all lived happily together.
WHAT IS THE
PRIMARY
CONFLICT?
CONFLICT
The primary conflict is man vs man. This conflict can be classified as an
external conflict since the family has to cope with living with a ghost.
In addition, the conflict rises when the family tries to live in harmony
with the ghost. An example of this is when the mother wants the ghost to
leave; however, the son does not want the ghost to go.
Another conflict presented in the short story is man vs self. This is
because the family had a struggle with their thoughts regarding whether
they should tell the ghost to leave or to stay with them. Moreover, the
family cannot discuss privately inside their own living space since the
ghost can hear them.
When and where can this
story have taken place?
How can you describe
the social and cultural
conditions in which the
story takes place
(SETTING)?
PLACE
The setting of the story is
inside a small apartment in
a simple community.
TIME
The story was written during the
start of the pandemic, I think
that numerous lockdowns and
quarantines have influenced the
way the author wrote the text.
During this particular time, many
people developed anxiety in terms
of health and safety since they
did not know what would happen to
them and to their families.
Furthermore, many individuals
lost their jobs due to the cost
cutting of businesses.
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONDITIONS
The status of the family based on
the story is just a simple and
ordinary family since they do their
own household chores, and the kids
go to school. Another condition
which was found in the story is
that the neighbors do not talk with
each other.
Page 6
CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS
The mother: She is very
loving to her children,
but prone to sadness.
The son: He does not
speak much, but is able
to talk to the ghost.
CHARACTERS
The daughter: she has a
love-hate relationship
with the ghost.
The ghost: she lives
with the family and is
very helpful since she
does most of the
household chores.
CHARACTERS
The neighbor: he works
in finance and loves
music. He was also the
first one to be able to
see the ghost.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS
THE SHORT STORY/WORK
OF FICTION TRYING TO
SAY? WHAT IS THE
STORY’S MESSAGE?
MESSAGE OF THE STORY
I think that the message the short
story is trying to say is that each
one of us faces different internal
problems in our daily lives;
however we should be able to accept
and face them, so we would be able
to enjoy the joy and happiness life
has in store for us.
Page 6
DO YOU THINK THAT
YOUR CHOSEN TEXT
IS RELEVANT TO THE
WORLD TODAY? WHY
OR WHY NOT?
RELEVANCE OF THE TEXT
I think that the short story
is relevant today. Due to the
pandemic, the mental state of
many individuals have been
affected. This has made people
insecure about opening up and
talking about their
difficulties and fears.
Because of this, we should
reach out and help each other
get over these challenges.
Page 6
WHAT DO YOU THINK
THE SHORT
STORY/POEM/ESSAY
TELLS US ABOUT THE
WORLD? HOW IS OUR
WORLD REFLECTED IN
AND BY THIS SHORT
STORY?
REFLECTION
I think the short story tells us
that nothing in the world comes
easy. For example, the ghost had to
suffer not being accepted. The
world was reflected in the short
story as a world wherein people
would accept their own difficulties
and help each other.
WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL
THOUGHTS, COMMENTS, AND
REACTIONS TO THE SHORT
STORY YOU CHOSE? IN
WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR
CHOSEN TEXT RESONATE
WITH YOU?
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
I think that the short story is
really nice since it was able to
show an underlying truth in which
different people have different
concerns, worries, and obstacles in
their lives. Moreover, the story
showed that acceptance is the first
step of being able to achieve the
joy in living. This resonates with
me since I too have many problems,
but I learned that accepting my
imperfections is the key to living a
meaningful life.