Thursday, September 22, 2016

SCASI questions for Monday, September 26th

Field Trip
       (Setting) What features of the setting does Tim O’Brien draw our attention to? Why does he choose those, particularly?
       (Character) How does he use Kathleen?
       (Action) What brief moments of suspense does Tim O’Brien create? Why do they come to nothing?
       (Style) How does Tim O’Brien effectively interweave narrative, dialogue and analysis here?
       (Ideas) Does this story represent an act of closure? Is it complete closure?
The Ghost Soldiers
       (Setting) Does Tim O’Brien attempt to create a truly supernatural setting here? Does he succeed?
       (Character) Show how, as the narrator’s character fades into ghostliness in this story, Azar emerges as if from inside him, and takes over.
       (Action) What, in the way the narrative is handled, makes The Ghost Soldiers more of a ‘conventional’ short story than most of the other stories in the collection?
       (Style) Consider the different examples of humour in this story. What do they add to it?
       (Ideas) What are the ironies of the story?
Night Life
       (Setting, Style) How does Tim O’Brien convey the intensity of the night’s blackness?
       (Character) In what ways is Rat Kiley treated sympathetically both by the writer and by his comrades?
       (Action) How does Tim O’Brien prepare us for the outcome of this episode? Is there any surprise in that outcome?
       (Ideas) What does this story suggest about the power of the human imagination?
The Lives of the Dead
       (Setting) In what ways does life after death seem to be more real than life before it?
       (Character) How does Timmy show his sensitivity as a child? How is that sensitivity reflected in his adult responses to the experience of war?
       (Action) How in this story do we see a process of drawing-together taking place?
       (Style) ‘We can use similes to capture the intensity of a perception or to explore and explain complex experiences.’ Illustrate that comment from The Lives of the Dead.
       (Ideas) Explain how, as Tim O’Brien sees it, stories can ‘save us’.


No comments:

Post a Comment