A&P
1. Where in A&P does the dramatic conflict become apparent? what moment in the story brings the crisis? What is the climax of the story?
Answer. "A&P" depicts a distinct battle for power. Lengel, the A&P store manager, seems to have the most power in the story. He has the power to publicly humiliate people he thinks don't dress (or act) appropriately. He has the power (or so he claims) to make life hard for Sammy if he quits his job.
2. Is the supermarket setting vital to the story? Could the story have been set in a car wash? In a fast-food restaurant? In a business office? Why or why not?
"Everyday Use"
1. What do you imagine the mother's relationship with Dee was like when Dee was at home? Were they close? How do you think the mother feels about Dee's success? Is she proud or does she have mixed feelings? What is the significance of the daydream where Mother and Dee are together on the TV show?
Answer. As much as their life histories are different, and they haven't same perspectives on life, so they were not too closely, Mama is happy with the life she has been given. although she has not accomplished much materialistically, she is proud of who she is. She is proud that she can do a man's work as well as any man. but Dee always too proud to speak to her family. Maybe Dee just want to show off herself.
2. At the end of the story, Dee tells Maggie, “It's really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama live you'd never know it.” What does Dee mean? Is it a new day for Maggie and Mama? Do they want it to be? Would the new day require them to make sacrifices?
"A Worn Path"
1. What examples do you find in “A Worn Path” that show Phoenix Jackson's concern for her grandchild?
Answer. The story is one of the best examples of Welty's writing, which is known for its realistic portrayal of the American South, particularly during the depression. Welty has said that she was inspired to write the story after seeing an old African-American woman walking alone across the southern landscape. In "A Worn Path," the woman's trek is spurred by the need to obtain medicine for her ill grandson. Along the way, Phoenix encounters several obstacles and the story becomes a quest for her to overcome the trials she faces, which mirror her plight in society at large.
2. Do you think Phoenix is a fully developed character?
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man"
1. Dave believes that a gun will make him a man. What are other objects that signify manhood in contemporary culture? Choose one such object and compare it to the gun in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”. What do these two objects say about what it means to be a man in each respective time and place?
Answer. While the story appears to be simply about a young boy's desire to have a gun, Wright’s work includes underlying themes of racism and the struggles of an individual.
This piece is filled with metaphors for life and the journey from boyhood to manhood.The story is set in a farming area. Wright never gets into much detail about the Surrounding area other than to mention that the main character, Dave, is working or Walking through a field. This desolate sort of background that sets the stage for the Story can be viewed as a way to get readers to focus more on the imagery of the gun. Wright’s contemporary, James Baldwin said that his “unrelenting bleak landscape”was a picture of “the world,(and) of the human heart”. Wright intentionally used his setting to mirror the emptiness and the search for meaning in the life of his characters, and in this particular story, the life of Dave.