Inherit the Wind

Characters

• Bertram Cates: main character, young teacher (believes in Darwin's theory of evolution), defendant
• M.H. Brady: politician, considered the town "hero", Christian fundamentalist (opposes Darwin's theory of evolution), prosecutor
• H. Drummond: defense attorney, believes in the right of free speach, against fundamentalism, city man
• E.K. Hornbeck: cynical journalist, against Brady's fundamentalism
• Rev. J. Brown: pastor, Christian fundamentalist, preaches "fire and brimstone"
• Rachel Brown: Rev. J. Brown's daughter, Bertrand Cates' lover, internal conflict (should she accept Cates' belief in evolution or her father's belief in fundamentalism)
• Judge: should be impartial but shows favoritism towards M.H. Brady, open to free thought and speach
• Townspeople: Christian fundamentalists, in constant evolution but maintain good values

Questions

1. Not revelent to the version of the play we saw.

2. This makes it evident that Cates is not a threat and that the atsmosphere is very easy-going.

3. It's very religious and proud of their beliefs.

4. Their relationship makes Brady seem very insecure (he needs his wife's approval)

5. Their relationship makes Brady seem very manipulative and sly.

6. They say Drummond is a heathen (heretic) and unethical. At first this seems true but later we are proven wrong.

7. Hornbeck is a troublemaker, a cynic and a non-believer who supports Drummond. He is also self-centered, close-minded and condescending.

8. Fair element: The judge also names Drummond colonel. Unfair element: The judge disregards all of Drummond's witnesses.

9. She is probably motivated to ask this of Cates because even though she loves him and understands the fact that he believes in the evolutionist theory, she comes from a religious family and a religious town where not believing in creationism is a sin.

10. His intervention shows that he is not as "extremist" in his religious views as one might of thought. Even though he is against the teaching of the evolutionist theory, he doesn't believe that those who preach this theory should die, as the reverend seems to think.

11. Drummond is arguing for freedom of speach and thought.

12. No, I don't think it is fair that Drummond is refused all of his witnesses. It does not make sense that he is expected to defend his client accurately without any witnesses.

Hills Like White Elephants

Author

Vocabulary

Introduction

Thesis statement: "Though the word “abortion” is nowhere in the story, it is doubtlessly understood through Hemingway’s powerful use of two literary elements: setting and symbolism."

Paragraph one

Topic sentence: "From the first paragraph the setting immediately introduces the tense atmosphere that will surround the rest of the story."

Supporting evidence: "The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. […] The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went to Madrid."

Supporting evidence: "The couple is in the middle of making a drastic decision where there are only two choices, two directions, just like the two rail lines that pass by the station."

Supporting evidence: "The openness and loneliness around the railroad station imply that there is no way to back out of the problem at hand and that the man and the girl must address it now."

Supporting evidence: "The heat turns the scene into a virtual teakettle, boiling and screaming under pressure. "

Paragraph two

Topic sentence: The main idea of this paragraph is the symbolism behind the girl saying that the hills "look like white elephants."

Supporting evidence: "As she observes the white hills she foresees elatedly the birth of her baby – something unique like the uncommon white elephant."

Supporting evidence: "The color white symbolizes the innocence and purity of her unborn child."

Midterm Writing Test

103A Midterm Writing Test

Part A

1. What is Louise Mallard's opinion of marriage?
   
   Louise Mallard views marriage as being a constrictive bind: a union where she is to live for someone else, subjected to their will. Her opinion is clearly stated in the thirteenth paragraph, where she says, ''A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination,'' thus comparing the act of forcing your own will upon someone else (in this case your spouse) to a criminal act.
   
   
2. How does she feel about her future as a widow?
   
   Louise Mallard feels that her future as a widow will be one where she is free to live for herself, to do what she fancies and most importantly, one where she does not need to obey the will and demands of somebody other than herself. Her feelings are clearly revealed in the story: ''Spring days, and summer days...''
   
   
3. How does Louise's sister and her friend, Richards, feel about the Mallard's marriage?
   
   Josephine (Louise's sister) and Richards are under the impression that the Mallard's marriage is a happy one, where both husband and wife love and care for each other. They think that if Louise hears about her husband's death too abruptly, she will be so crushed by the news that her heart will fail. When Louise dies, they are certain that it is because joy overcame her when she saw her husband was still alive.
   
   
4. Explain how Louise can feel joy and sadness at the same time.
   
   In the short story, Louise feels joy and sadness at the same time. On one hand, the death of her husband, her companion has just been announced to her; therefore, even though she didn't always love him, she is sad at the idea of never seeing the man with whom she spent her life. On the other hand, freedom in the form of a life all to herself has been handed to her; thus she feels immense joy at the idea of doing what she pleases for the remainder of her life.

Part B

Death has always been interpreted in many ways : as a deliverance, as a curse, as a path to eternal life. If we take a closer look at the idea of deliverance, it is usually viewed as freedom for the deceased, not the people left behind; nonetheless, this is the case in Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour. It is therefore very ironic in it’s depiction of marriage, death and our views of others, an element of the story I will demonstrate in the following text.

First of all, irony is used to establish the message of the story, which is that not everything, not everybody are what they seem. Indeed, throughout the story, friends and family of the supposedly newly widowed Louise Mallard believe that the news of her husband’s death will kill her, when in fact, the idea of spending her life alone overjoices her. When it is revealed that her husband is still alive, Louise Mallard dies of heart failure, her friends now believing that she has died of happiness. This is clearly stated in the last sentence of the story : ''When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of the joy that kills.'' This message, and the author’s opinion on how we judge people, is revealed to the reader in an ironic fashion; her friends, incorrectly assuming that she loves her husband, try to shield her from the news of his death but fail to realize that it is the news of his being alive they should have shielded her from, thus proving that they don't know their friend as well as they think they do.

Second of all, the author’s depiction of death and being a widow is very ironic. Usually, death is considered a portal to freedom for the one leaving this world but in this story, the one receiving freedom is the widow. Instead of falling into depression and torment, Louise Mallard proclaims, ''Free! Body and soul free!'', an exclamation of profound joy very contrary to what is expected; therefore, it is a clear indication of irony. Furthermore, as previously stated, instead of dying out of sadness at the loss of her husband, Mrs. Mallard dies out of sadness at the loss of her newly-found freedom when her husband is found to be alive and in good health. Yet again, this is an opposite reaction to what is normally expected from a widow. Hence, in her story, Kate Chopin portrays death and it’s implications on others in a very unpredictable, very ironic manner.

Using Quotes

With a complete idea

Hemingway often uses dialogue to emphasize a character trait: ''The girl looked at the bead curtain, put her hand out and took hold of two of the strings of beads.''

With an incomplete idea

ex: In Hemingway's story, Jig said, ''They look like white elephants.''

Inside a sentence

ex: The girl in Hemingway's story remarked, ''Everything tastes of licorice,'' revealing her attitude toward life.

With an incomplete quote

ex: Hemingway's story takes place ''between two lines of rails in the sun.''

With an ellipsis

ex: Hemingway often uses dialogue to emphasize a character trait: ''The girl looked at the beads...''

Within a quote

ex: Hemingway wrote, '' 'They're lovely hills,' she said,' They don't really look like white elephants.' ''

Writing Exercices

1.

• She went to bed early, but it took hours for her to fall asleep.
• She went to bed early; however, it took hours for her to fall asleep.

2.

• She wants to lose weight, so she has gone on a strict diet.
• She wants to lose weight; therefore, she has gone on a strict diet.

3.

• The night air was very still, and a light rain had begun to fall.
• The night air was very still; moreover, a light rain had begun to fall.

4.

• Her friend did her best to learn to cook, but nothing she prepared came out right.
• Her friend did her best to learn to cook; however, nothing she prepared came out right.

5.

• Our team learned that the train would be very late, so we decided to take the plane.
• Our team learned that the train would be very late; therefore, we decided to take the plane.

6.

• The girl can sing very well, and she is a talented actress.
• The girl can sing very well; moreover, she is a talented actress.

7.

• Their basement was damaged by the flood, but they can't afford to fix it now.
• Their basement was damaged by the flood; however, they can't afford to fix it now.

8.

• My boss wants to live like a millionaire, so he bought an expensive mansion in an exclusive area.
• My boss wants to live like a millionaire; therefore, he bought an expensive mansion in an exclusive area.

9.

• Their army lost the last few battles, but they kept on fighting.
• Their army lost the last few battles; however, they kept fighting.

10.

• Capital punishment is often applied unfairly, so a mistake is sometimes made.
• Capital punishment is often applied unfairly; therefore, a mistake is sometimes made.

11.

• The boy has been absent from class many times, so the principal called him to his office for an explanation.
• The boy has been absent from class many times; therefore, the principal called him to his office for an explanation.

Poetry

Diction

Figures of speech and rhymes

1. Simile: direct comparison using a comparitive term such as "like" or "as"

2. Metaphor: indirect comparison

3. Personification: giving human qualities or giving life to something

4. Alliteration: repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of a word

5. Assonance: repetition of a vowel sound

6. Consonance: repetition of a consonant sound

7. Apostrophe: adressing someone directy; calling out to someone

8. Hyperbole: exagerating something (ex: There were 5 million cars on the road tonight.)

9. Oxymoron: putting two opposite ideas together (ex: cruel kindness)

10. Connotation: suggestive meaning (ex: cool means hip, nice, good)

11. Denotation: litterary meaning (ex: cool means not warm)

12. Concreteness

13. Abstractness

14. Level of language (ex: child is formal, kid is informal, squirt is slang)

15. Imagery: relates to the five senses; sound, sight, touch, taste, smell

16. Irony

17. Symbolism

18. Pun: fun use of language (ex: An elevator makes ghosts happy because it lifts the spirits; I should have been sad when my flashlight batteries died, but I was delighted)

19. Euphony: pleasant or harmonious succession of words/sounds

20. Cacaphony: harsh discordance of sounds

21. Onomatopeia (ex: the buzzing of the bees)