Today’s Schedule – Sept. 27, 2011
Objectives
 To seek the light when “Traveling Through the Dark”

To appreciate James Joyce’s masterful command of diction and syntax and tof
further examine his use of rhetorical strategies, as seen in his stories, “Araby” and
“Eveline.”
Tasks/Activities
1. Turn in “Shooting an Elephant” quiz corrections
2. Finish “Traveling Through the Dark” group work (20 min.); discussion to
follow
3. Cloze Activity: For each of the items, fill in the correct word or phrase that is
closest in meaning, unless otherwise specified.
1. “Araby”
Her image accompanied me even in places the most
______ to romance.
The ______ _______ ______ ______ rooms liberated
me… (Fill in the blanks in the order you deem most
appropriate: empty, high, gloomy, cold.)
Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature
driven and derided by _____.
2. “Eveline”
She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless
_________. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell
or___________.
4. Notes for James Joyce’s short stories, “Araby” and “Eveline”
“Araby”
- imagery (esp. light vs. darkness, blindness vs. seeing)
-
diction (esp. in the 1st full paragraph on p. 33)
theme
Let’s ponder:
 What does the harp simile on p. 31 tell us about the narrator’s attitude
toward Mangan’s sister?
 With which color is Mangan’s sister associated? Why?
 What do these quotes reveal about the narrator? : “I was thankful that I
could see so little” (31), and “The high cold empty gloomy rooms liberated
me” (33) Why?
 Why does Joyce spend time setting the winter scene on p. 30? How is this
a reflection of the narrator’s state of mind?
 The end of the second from the last paragraph on p. 35 reads, “…the light
was out. The upper part of the hall was now completely dark.” How is this
description literal as well as figurative, especially considering the last
paragraph?
 Why is the story called “Araby”? What is the theme of the story?
“Eveline”
- diction (esp. at the beginning [p. 36] and ending [p. 41])
- syntax
- tone
- theme
Let’s ponder:
 Explain how Joyce structures the time frame of the story from beginning to
end.
 Why was Eveline “tired” at the beginning? Consider this from all angles.
 What image from the first paragraph does Joyce revisit at the end of p. 39?
Why?
 Why does Eveline believe that “now that she was about to leave it she did
not find it a wholly undesirable life”? (38) Contrarily, what reasons does
she give for wanting to leave on p. 38?
 What is Eveline’s epiphany? Let’s revisit the paragraph on p. 41: “All the
seas of the world tumbled about her heart. He was drawing into them: he
would drown her.” How does the end reveal the theme of the story?
Homework
1. Take notes on the Joyce’s use of imagery, diction and the theme in
“Araby” and his use of diction, syntax, tone and the theme of
“Eveline.” Review the story again thoroughly, keeping in mind our
discussions on each of the stories.
2. Be sure to turn in your rewrite of the Gulf oil spill essay to bump your
grade up from a 20. The final draft will be evaluated out of 50 points,
so if you don’t turn it in, the most points you can earn is 20. I will be
grading on the AP’s 9-point scale:
A/9 (50/25)
A/8 (46/23) A-/7 (43/21.5) B/6 (41/20.5) B-/5 (38/19)
F/1 (20/10) F/0 (0/0)
C-/4 (34/17)
D/3 (28/14) F/2 (25/12.5