Ms. Sauls English 11
November 2015
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
I.
Warm Up:
Match the definition to the correct term (write the word in the blank space)
a). Symbol, b). Plot c). Theme d). Characterization
1. The central idea of a work/ The message or focus of a story ________________________________
2. The action that makes up a story ____________________________
3. How an author provides information about a character in a story ________________________________
4. An object or reference used to add deeper meaning to a story ___________________________________
II.
Notes
Take notes on “Southern Gothic” Powerpoint (write down at least 4 facts)
a).
b).
c).
d).
III.
Guided Questions
For each of the five sections of the story, there are several questions. Answer each carefully and support your
answers with text evidence.
Section I.
1. Describe Miss Emily’s house (outside & inside)
Ms. Sauls English 11
November 2015
2. What did Colonel Sartoris do for Miss Emily in 1894? (see paragraph 3)
3. What did the next generation of town leaders do on the first of the year? Is it successful? (see
paragraph 4)
Section II.
1. Part II begins __________ years after Emily’s father’s death.
2. What do the townspeople complain about? How do they eventually solve this problem?
3. What did Miss Emily tell the people who came to visit her after her father’s death?
4. True or False: Emily’s father prevented her from getting married. __________________
Section III.
1. Who began to date Miss Emily? Why was this scandalous?
2. What might the term noblesse oblige mean? What does this tell you about Miss Emily’s social status?
3. Miss Emily is thirty at this time and holds her head high in spite of the rumors she must be aware of.
How does she show she has kept her dignity (thinking she is better than the other townspeople) when
she visits the druggist?
Ms. Sauls English 11
November 2015
Section IV.
1. Why is it, according to the townspeople, that Homer Barron would not marry Emily?
2. What does Miss Emily do that makes the townspeople think that she and her boyfriend have wed?
3. When was the last time the townspeople saw Homer Barron? (length of time—remember, Miss Emily is
30 years old before the next time jump).
4. What description makes Miss Emily seem almost ghost-like? (see paragraph 9)
Section V.
1. What is found in Miss Emily’s upstairs bedroom after her death? AND what is found next to this
object?
IV.
Plot
The plot of this story can be a bit confusing, since it is not told in chronological order. Using the list of events
put them in the order that they would have occurred below:
Out of Order
Chronological Order
Homer goes missing
1.
Emily dies, and Homer's body is discovered
2.
Emily’s father dies
3.
Homer comes to town
4.
Men try to collect taxes from Emily
5.
Colonel Sartoris pays Emily’s taxes
6.
Colonel Sartoris dies
7.
Emily purchases arsenic
8.
A smell emerges and becomes stronger
9.
Ms. Sauls English 11
V.
November 2015
Theme: Loss
What losses does Miss Emily endure in this story? (List three—try to think beyond the obvious)
1.
2.
3.
VI.
Comprehension
1. Recall: Why was it difficult for Emily to meet men suitable for marriage when she was young?
2. Clarify: What does the condition of the upstairs room in Emily’s house and the iron-gray hair on the pillow
indicate?
3. Make inferences: Use clues in the story to infer Emily’s motivation for murdering Homer.
Ms. Sauls English 11
November 2015
In Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” the story is told by a third-person omniscient narrator - we learn of Emily Grierson
through observations. But what of her story? What drove Emily to her actions? Write a narrative of the events in “A
Rose for Emily” but from the point-of-view of Emily Grierson. Tell the narrative in chronological order (unlike the
actual story) using elements of plot, characterization, theme, imagery/descriptive language, and - if possible symbolism. Be sure to utilize the original text as the source of your narrative. Consider the style and writings of Poe,
which are usually told in first-person perspective of someone who is criminal or insane.
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Ms. Sauls English 11
November 2015
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