Short stories

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Short Stories

What is actually happening when Terry’s father’s eyes “go away”?

1. He goes to a different room
2. He's having bad memories
3. He's beginning to feel faint
4. He's falling asleep

Why does Terry’s father crawl across the floor of the hardware store?

1. He is having a Vietnam syndrome flashback.
2. He is reaching for something that rolled under the counter
3. He is having a heart attack
4. He is fighting with the store owner

Terry’s mother deals with his father’s problems by—

1. telling him to get help
2. ignoring that they exist
3. getting angry with him
4. lying to cover for him

What finally makes Terry ask his father about his experience in the war?

1. He wants to know what Vietnam was like.
2. He wants to solve his father’s problems.
3. He wants to know if his dad is exaggerating.
4. He wants to understand what is wrong with his father.

Why does Terry’s father say he died that day in the war?

1. He was afraid he would be killed.
2. He died inside, emotionally.
3. He felt responsible for his friends’ deaths.
4. He had to be revived after being shot

Terry demonstrates how difficult it is to talk about his father’s problems when he—

1. refuses to broach the subject with his father
2. writes a story about the Vietnam War
3. stops talking to his mother
4. is unable to confide in Mr. Carlson

By the end of the story, what has Terry learned about life?

1. He should not ask about a person’s painful memories.
2. It is not always possible to truly understand another person
3. Trying to help can sometimes make problems worse.
4. It’s important to have a positive attitude about life.

story fragment

She sat in her room, one hot afternoon, in her peignoir, listlessly (futloos, lusteloos)  drawing through her fingers the strands of her long, silky brown hair that hung about her shoulders. The baby, half naked, lay asleep upon her own great mahogany bed, that was like a sumptuous (weelderig, luxueus) throne, with its satin-lined half-canopy. One of La Blanche’s little quadroon boys - half naked too - stood fanning the child slowly with a fan of peacock feathers. Desiree’s eyes had been fixed absently and sadly upon the baby, while she was striving to penetrate the threatening mist that she felt closing about her. She looked from her child to the boy who stood beside him, and back again; over and over. “Ah!” It was a cry that she could not help; which she was not conscious of having uttered. The blood turned like ice in her veins, and a clammy moisture gathered upon her face.

  

Uit welk verhaal komt dit fragment? Wie is de schrijver?

Waarom roept Desiree hier “Ah!”? Welke lichamelijke reactie heeft ze en waarom?

Tegen welke historische achtergrond speelt het verhaal zich af? Waarom is die belangrijk?

Hoe verklaar je de titel?

Hoe verschillen Armand en Mme Valmonde van elkaar m.b.t. hun liefde voor Desiree?

Hoe verandert het karakter van Armand in de loop van het verhaal? Leg uit.

Wat is ironie?

Wat is de ironie in dit verhaal?

story fragment

Helen cannot see it. Her bright, lovely daughter, Chloe: so confident, so creative. She is amazed that she produced these children. The gene pool had obviously sucked more from Daniel's side during their formation; all the classy traits from his patrician Berkshire family are visible. Her own working class genes are not in evidence.

    

    

Uit welk verhaal komt dit fragment? Wie heeft het geschreven?

Leg uit waarom r. 1 t/m 4 van het bovenstaande fragment kenmerkt hoe Helen over zichzelf denkt.

     Helen lifts the fish knife, turns it over, and places her hand over it. The waiter appears with salad, and takes the knife away with a swift, smooth stroke. Too late. They are too efficient here. She looks at the dessert spoons. Possibly, possibly. She is sweating. Her blouse is sticking to her back and she can feel her hair, damp, curling against her neck. Her heart is starting to pound, a hard nauseating pounding. Panic attacks, her therapist, Martha Kim, calls them. 

Wat wordt er bedoeld met de woorden Possibly, possibly?

Waarom krijgt Helen op dit moment een paniekaanval?

Wat zijn de mogelijke oorzaken van Helens probleem?