ENG 4U1 Short Story Discussion Questions
“If Not Higher” by I.L. Peretz
Pre-reading:
Write a journal entry discussing one moment that you did something for/to someone that made you
proud. Write another moment that you did something for/to someone that made you ashamed.
1. Briefly examine why you believe the author chose to create these characters, to have them
perform these actions, to tell their tales from this particular point of view.
2. Examine your own views on the end result of the short story. What values or feelings in you are
invoked?
3. What things seem important to the characters in this story?
4. What mood are we in at the end of the story?
5. Judging from the opposition of the story, we can ask what aspects of human life the author
seems to consider important. Briefly discuss the following statement:
How as readers can we not escape the symbolic import of the action, nor escape the
contrasting vision each story creates concerning human nature. (hint: use the literary
analysis definitions to help guide your answer).
“The Rocking Horse” by D.H. Lawrence
1. Identify examples of personification found in the story.
2. Characterize the mother. Discuss how she is both a good and bad mother using specific
examples from the text.
3. Who took advantage of the boy and what role did they have in his downfall?
4. The idea of ‘luck’ is emphasized in this story. Create a t-chart demonstrating who has good luch
and bad luck. Use evidence to support your decisions.
5. How do you believe the mother will react to the loss of her son and the money she will receive?
“The Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross
1. Describe the setting of the story. How is it important to the overall story? Sometimes to create
mood and atmosphere a writer will use repetition. How has Sinclair Ross used this device
in “The Painted Door”?
2. What can the painted door symbolize?
3. Identify an example of irony in the short story.
4. What shocking realization does Ann come to at the end of the story?
5. What does light symbolize in the story?
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
1. Reconstruct the time and place of the story. Although there are questions about the timeline
(we only know that her taxes were remitted in 1894), Emily's youth is identified with the time
and ideals of the pre-war Confederate South. Consider also that the story takes place in
Jefferson, a small town in Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County in Mississippi, which goes
through a great deal of change in this time, leaving behind but still claiming to value the Old
South.
2. Are there any passages or aspects of the story which leave you confused or which seem
irrelevant to the plot? Are you reminded of any other stories you have read or seen on film or
television?
3. At what points did you notice any foreshadowing of the ending? Did the story prepare you to
expect something different from Miss Emily?
4. This story is told by "we": who do you imagine this narrator (or narrators) to be? Young or old?
Male or female? Both? What is their attitude toward Emily? How is this represented by their
calling her "Miss Emily"? What do they remember about her? How does this shape your attitude
toward her? Do you find yourself sympathizing with her situation as the center of the town's
attention (and gossip)?
5. Women of the Old South and of a "good family" were often put on pedestals as paragons of
virtue and respectability and given special treatment as "ladies." How do you see these attitudes
at work in this story? How have they shaped Miss Emily's life and how people view her? Why is
she called a "fallen monument" in the first paragraph?
6. What does the title tell you about the story? Why is it not called "A Rose for Miss Emily"?
“Celebration” by W.D. Valgardson
1. What is the purpose of the opening scene between Eric and Mabel in the kitchen? What kind of
people are they? Why do you think they stayed together for 10 years? Why did Mabel finally
decide to get the wood herself?
2. Why did Eric lock the door? Do you think he ever intended to kill Mabel? Explain. Why did he
finally let her in?
3. What further insights into Mabel ‘s character do we get from her experiences outside the cabin?
4. Valgarson says that the children were Eric’s “particular pets.” Why then did he leave them in the
cabin? What is his reaction when he finally realizes they are trapped by the blizzard? What
might be the “single word” mentioned in the final sentence?
5. Do you think this incident will bring about a change in the relationship between Eric and Mabel?
Explain.
6. To what extent does the author sympathize with either of the main characters?
7. Does the title of this story have more than one meaning? Discuss.
8. What are the advantages for this story in having an omniscient narrator?
ENG4U1 Essay Study Questions
“The Pleasures of Love” by Robertson Davies
1. Paraphrase and evaluate Davies’ definition of love
2. How does Davies justify the central importance of conversation in a loving relationship?
3. How does Davies engage the reader in his first 3 paragraphs?
4. Explain Davies’ metaphor in the fourth and fifth paragraphs.
5. By selecting at least 3 words or phrases from the essay, characterize the tone of Davies’ discussion of
Romeo and Juliet.
“My Home is Not Broken, It Works” by Carol Kleiman
1. Why was Kleiman so angry over the incident involving her son?
2. List the expressions which Kleiman finds sexist and/or demeaning. Explain the connotations
associated with each expression. Suggest alternatives for these expressions.
3. How do Kleiman’s anecdotes about her children add to the persuasiveness of the essay?
How does Kleiman make this essay more than just a vent for her anger?
“Blasting Music to Drown Our Reality” by Sydney J. Harris
1. What is the thesis of this essay?
2. Does the author support this thesis convincingly? Explain.
3. Does the conclusion proceed logically from the argument? Explain.
4. Show how the author’s diction betrays his bias.
5. Quote two sentences which are judgemental. Explain.
6. To whom does Harris direct his comments? Explain.
“The Shocking Truth about Household Dust” by Stuart McLean
1. “What follows is the weird and shocking truth I discovered that day about household dust,” writes
McLean in paragraph 5. Is this a good thesis statement?
2. How do paragraphs 1-5 prepare us for his argument?
3. Analyze the role of contrast in paragraphs 1-3 of McLean’s introduction.
4. Point out the major cause(s) of dust and the major effect(s) of dust.
5. Point out 2 fragments you see on these pages. Are they acceptable in a personal essay?
“A Nice Place to Visit” by Russell Baker
1. What is Baker’s thesis?
2. Find an example of repetition. Is this effective?
3. Explain how this essay is satirical.
4. Using a t-chart, identify with examples how the author compares and contrasts to make his argument.
5. Identify 2 facts and 2 opinions from the article.