Southern Gothic

3 September 2022
4.7 (114 reviews)
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question
"My only," the old woman said, "and she's the sweetest girl in the world. I wouldn't give her up for nothing on earth. She's smart too. She can sweep the floor, cook, wash, feed the chickens, and hoe. I wouldn't give her up for a casket of jewels." Which best describes the irony of the excerpt?
answer
Mrs. Crater claims that she would not give her daughter away for anything, when in fact she gives her away for nothing at all
question
Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly. Which phrase connects these characters to the Southern gothic genre?
answer
half an arm
question
The daughter could not see far in front of her and continued to play with her fingers. Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly to the side as if the breeze were pushing him. He had on a black town suit and a brown felt hat that was turned up in the front and down in the back and he carried a tin tool box by a handle. He came on, at an amble, up her road, his face turned toward the sun which appeared to be balancing itself on the peak of a small mountain. What technique does O'Connor use in the paragraph to create compelling characters?
answer
detailed descriptions
question
"It's nothing so sweet," Mr. Shiftlet continued, "as a boy's mother. She taught him his first prayers at her knee, she give him love when no other would, she told him what was right and what wasn't, and she seen that he done the right thing. Son," he said, "I never rued a day in my life like the one I rued when I left that old mother of mine." What is ironic about Mr. Shiftlet's comments?
answer
He speaks about morals after having just abandoned his wife at a roadside diner.
question
The daughter could not see far in front of her and continued to play with her fingers. Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly to the side as if the breeze were pushing him. The characters in the excerpt are an example of
answer
people with disabilities.
question
She had long pink-gold hair and eyes as blue as a peacock's neck. How does the simile in the sentence develop Lucynell's character?
answer
The description of Lucynell's hair and eyes lends her an image of angelic innocence.
question
He was more depressed than ever as he drove on by himself. The late afternoon had grown hot and sultry and the country had flattened out. Deep in the sky a storm was preparing very slowly and without thunder as if it meant to drain every drop of air from the earth before it broke. There were times when Mr. Shiftlet preferred not to be alone. He felt too that a man with a car had a responsibility to others and he kept his eye out for a hitch-hiker. Occasionally he saw a sign that warned: "Drive carefully. The life you save may be your own." Which statement most accurately represents the excerpt's larger idea?
answer
Getting what you want may not make you happy.
question
Which type of Southern gothic character is represented in O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"?
answer
isolated lower class
question
Which excerpt from "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" contains an example of a simile?
answer
After a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiftlet's car.
question
The ugly words settled in Mr. Shiftlet's head like a group of buzzards in the top of a tree. The simile in this excerpt compares
answer
the ugly words to a group of buzzards.