“Typhoid Fever”
by Frank McCourt
Literary Focus
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #1 Voice: The writer’s or speaker’s
distinctive use of language in a text. It is
created by a writer’s tone and diction.
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #1 Voice: The writer’s or speaker’s
distinctive use of language in a text. It is
created by a writer’s tone and diction.
• #6 Diction: Writer’s or speaker’s choice
of words.
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #1 Voice: The writer’s or speaker’s
distinctive use of language in a text. It is
created by a writer’s tone and diction.
• #6 Diction: Writer’s or speaker’s choice
of words.
• #8 Tone: The attitude a writer takes
toward a subject, a character, or the
reader.
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #1 Voice: The writer’s or speaker’s distinctive
use of language in a text. It is created by a
writer’s tone and diction.
• #6 Diction: Writer’s or speaker’s choice of
words.
• #8 Tone: The attitude a writer takes toward a
subject, a character, or the reader.
• #10 Comic relief: A humorous scene in a
serious literary work that provides relief.
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #1 Voice: The writer’s or speaker’s distinctive use of
language in a text. It is created by a writer’s tone and
diction.
• #6 Diction: Writer’s or speaker’s choice of words.
• #8 Tone: The attitude a writer takes toward a subject, a
character, or the reader.
• #10 Comic relief: A humorous scene in a serious
literary work that provides relief.
• #12 Characterization:
– Direct characterization: the writer tells us directly what the
character is like.
– Indirect characterization: the reader has to put clues together
to figure out what a character is like.
Literary Focus
• #2 Voice: __________?___________
Literary Focus
• #2 Voice: intelligent, sensitive boy
Literary Focus
• #2 Voice: intelligent, sensitive boy
• #3 How does McCourt recreate diction and
viewpoint of voice?
Literary Focus
• Voice: intelligent, sensitive boy
• #3 How does McCourt recreate diction and
viewpoint of voice? He does not use
proper grammar (no quotation marks
for dialogue) and he uses simple
phrases and words.
Literary Focus
• #2 Voice: intelligent, sensitive boy
• #3 How does McCourt recreate diction and
viewpoint of voice? He does not use
proper grammar (no quotation marks for
dialogue) and he uses simple phrases and
words.
• #4 The voice in this memoir is poetic,
because ________?________
Literary Focus
• #2 Voice: intelligent, sensitive boy
• #3 How does McCourt recreate diction and
viewpoint of voice? He does not use proper
grammar (no quotation marks for dialogue) and
he uses simple phrases and words.
• #4 The voice in this memoir is poetic, because
he enjoys Shakespeare and “The
Highwayman” poem. He loves literature.
Literary Focus
• #2 Voice: intelligent, sensitive boy
• #3 How does McCourt recreate diction and
viewpoint of voice? He does not use proper
grammar (no quotation marks for dialogue) and
he uses simple phrases and words.
• #4 The voice in this memoir is poetic, because
he enjoys Shakespeare and “The Highwayman”
poem. He loves literature.
• #5 Author selects voice to show how his
___?____ shaped the _____?______.
Literary Focus
• #2 Voice: intelligent, sensitive boy
• #3 How does McCourt recreate diction and
viewpoint of voice? He does not use proper
grammar (no quotation marks for dialogue) and
he uses simple phrases and words.
• #4 The voice in this memoir is poetic, because
he enjoys Shakespeare and “The Highwayman”
poem. He loves literature.
• #5 The author selected this voice to show how
his past shaped the present.
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about
him?
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about
him?
– They show his social class and education
level.
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about
him?
– They show his social class and education
level
• #9: Narrator’s tone toward fever hospital?
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about
him?
– They show his social class and education
level
• #9: Narrator’s tone toward fever hospital?
– Bittersweet (pleasant and painful).
Examples: Frankie meets Patricia, but she
dies; Frankie gets his first exposure to
literature, which he loves, but being
quarantined is unpleasant
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about him?
– They show his social class and education level
• #9: Narrator’s tone toward fever hospital?
– Bittersweet (pleasant and painful). Examples: Frankie
meets Patricia, but she dies; Frankie gets his first
exposure to literature, which he loves, but being
quarantined is unpleasant
• #11: Four sources of comic relief:
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about him?
– They show his social class and education level
• #9: Narrator’s tone toward fever hospital?
– Bittersweet (pleasant and painful). Examples: Frankie meets
Patricia, but she dies; Frankie gets his first exposure to literature,
which he loves, but being quarantined is unpleasant
• #11: Four sources of comic relief:
– Frankie worries about phantoms eating his chocolate
– Seamus says Patricia and Frankie will have enough to fight
about when they get married
– Patricia mimics the nurse
– Kerry nurse says Frankie will damage his “internal
apparatus” if he laughs
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about him?
– They show his social class and education level
• #9: Narrator’s tone toward fever hospital?
– Bittersweet (pleasant and painful). Examples: Frankie meets
Patricia, but she dies; Frankie gets his first exposure to literature,
which he loves, but being quarantined is unpleasant
• #11: Four sources of comic relief:
– Frankie worries about phantoms eating his chocolate
– Seamus says Patricia and Frankie will have enough to fight
about when they get married
– Patricia mimics the nurse
– Kerry nurse says Frankie will damage his “internal apparatus” if
he laughs
• #13: Characterization of Frankie’s parents?
“Typhoid Fever” Literary Focus
• #7: What do Seamus’ words say about him?
– They show his social class and education level
• #9: Narrator’s tone toward fever hospital?
– Bittersweet (pleasant and painful). Examples: Frankie meets Patricia,
but she dies; Frankie gets his first exposure to literature, which he loves,
but being quarantined is unpleasant
• #11: Four sources of comic relief:
– Frankie worries about phantoms eating his chocolate
– Seamus says Patricia and Frankie will have enough to fight about when
they get married
– Patricia mimics the nurse
– Kerry nurse says Frankie will damage his “internal apparatus” if he
laughs
• #13: Characterization of Frankie’s parents? indirect
– Frankie’s parents emerge as weak and distant
Literary Focus
• How is the poem about the highwayman
similar to the story of Patricia and Frankie?
Include at least two references to specific
details in the story.
Literary Focus
• How is the poem about the highwayman
similar to the story of Patricia and Frankie?
Include at least two references to specific
details in the story.
– Frankie wants to be with Patricia, but the
nuns keep them apart like the redcoats
keep the highwayman and landlord’s
daughter apart.
Literary Focus
• How is poem about highwayman similar to
story of Patricia and Frankie? Include at
least two references to specific details in
the story.
– Frankie wants to be with Patricia, but the
nuns keep them apart like the redcoats
keep the highwayman and landlord’s
daughter apart.
– Like Bess, Patricia also dies.