Rip Van Winkle
1. What is the setting of this story? What feature of the place seems to be the most
memorable?
What
details
suggest
when
the
story
takes
place?
The story happened in a small village near the Catskill Mountains in New York. Rip
used to meet his friends in a local pub named after King George the Third of Great
Britain, but when he woke up and returned to the village after sleeping for twenty
years, he found that the name of the pub had changed from King George the Third to
General Washington. Thus, we can say that the story happened before and after the
American Revolutionary War.
2. What
has
made
Rip
Van
Winkle
so
kind,
meek,
and
patient?
For me, what made Rip so kind, meek, and patient is because of his wife, who is
"termagant" or "fierce." Perhaps he is afraid of his wife, which is why he stays obedient
as a husband.
3. How do the children react when they see Rip? (What are the three things they do?)
Why do they react this way? (What are three things he does with the children?).
The children are so fond of him. They shout for joy because Rip always helped at their
sports, made their playthings, taught them to fly kites and shoot marbles, and told
them long stories of ghosts, etc. With this, it is clear that Rip enjoys the activities of
childhood.