SSR 10 MINUTES READ: LUCK BY MARK TWAIN Pg. 213

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1 SSR 10 MINUTES READ: LUCK BY MARK TWAIN Pg. 213 DAILY PROMPT: If you were the author of your novel, what would you change? What would you keep the same? Don t be a writer. Be Writing. - William Faulkner

2 A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner & Luck by Mark Twain By: Khadeja Jomaa, Hiba Dagher, and Latifa Cheaito

3 WILLIAM FAULKNER Born: September 25, 1897, New Albany, Mississippi Died: July 6, 1962, Byhalia, Mississippi Genres: Southern Gothic Fiction, novels, short stories, poetry Famous Works: As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury Interesting Facts: Nobel Prize Winner in 1949 for Literature, he was rejected by the US Army for being underweight and too short.

4 A ROSE FOR EMILY - INTRODUCTION Setting: Jefferson, Mississippi in fictional Yoknapatawpha County in post-civil war era (late 1800s, early 1900s) Style: The story is a narrative and used: description, flashbacks, dialogue, and imagery. Tone: dark, eerie, skeptical (of outdated Southern traditions) Theme: Tradition vs. Progress: For her whole life, Emily has been unrelenting to change and has maintained her rigid, traditional perspective. Power of Death: Emily wanted Barron to stay by her side and not be taken away like her dad. However, the power of death outlasted and conquered his love.

5 A ROSE FOR EMILY - PLOT Plot: Emily Grierson s father dies, and she s reluctant to have his body taken away. Despite having lost her assets, Emily keeps up appearances of the upper class. One day she goes out and buys arsenic poison. She was set to marry a day laborer from the North, Homer Barron, but after he entered her house he was never seen again. People assumed he left her. After Emily died, the townspeople entered her house, and found Barron dead upstairs in Emily s bridal chamber.

6 A ROSE FOR EMILY - CHARACTERS Characters: Emily Grierson: A eccentric recluse and a woman stubborn in her ways, Emily is a mysterious figure who changes from a vibrant and hopeful young girl to a cloistered and secretive old woman. Devastated and alone after her father s death, she is an object of pity for the townspeople. Characterization: Emily is a woman stubborn in her ways, who was brought up by a conservative dad, and doesn t really know what love is. She grew attached to those she cared about and couldn't let go. Homer Barron: A foreman from the North and the object of Emily s affection. He takes her for Sunday drives in a yellow-wheeled buggy. Despite his attributes, the townspeople view him as a poor choice for a Husband. He disappears in Emily s house and decomposes in an attic bedroom after she kills him.

7 A ROSE FOR EMILY - TALKING POINTS 1. Why did Emily think she would still be with Homer Barron, if she killed him?

8 A ROSE FOR EMILY - TALKING POINTS 2. How did her dad s confinement of her, as a child and young woman, impact how Emily interacted with her loved ones?

9 A ROSE FOR EMILY - TALKING POINTS 3. Emily was steadfast in upholding tradition: she maintained her family name (acted like she was part of the upper class, even when she wasn t), lived in a once beautiful but now rotting house, and even refused to have a mailbox put in. Why was Emily against progress? Why did she continue to follow tradition?

10 MARK TWAIN Born November, in Missouri and died in April 21, 1910 in Connecticut. He used several writing styles in his works including: humor, narrative, use of social criticism, and colloquial speech (slang). His famous works include: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His real name is Samuel Langhorne. He married Olivia Langdon in Twain died of a heart attack at the age of 74.

11 LUCK - INTRODUCTION, CHARACTERS, SETTING It was first published in 1891 in Harper's Magazine Style: a narrative which included: flashbacks, imagery, and hyperbole Tone: comical, incredulous, light-hearted Theme: Luck is random and ironic, because people who are unqualified or undeserving can be lucky and be successful (like Scoresby), while deserving or qualified people without luck can be unsuccessful. Characterization: The narrator looked ignorantly at the Lieutenant with awe and respect like everyone else. While the clergyman knew better, and was instead amazed at the Lieutenant s luck. The Lieutenant himself, was an incompetent person, whose successful military career could be attributed to his unbelievable luck. Setting: a banquet in London during the 1880s, military academy in Woolwich during 1840s, and battlefield

12 LUCK - PLOT A clergyman reveals the truth about the high ranked military officer: Lieutenant-General Lord Arthur Scoresby to the narrator. Out of charity, the clergyman (a former military instructor) helped Scoresby study for his examinations. Scoresby was lucky, placed first in his class, and became captain. The clergyman joined Scoresby s unit to look after him, because he was unqualified for the job. Shockingly, Scoresby won a victory for his side and became a decorated military officer.

13 LUCK - TALKING POINTS 1. In your opinion, what is luck? Does it really exist?

14 LUCK - TALKING POINTS 2. Do you think people need luck to succeed? Can people make their own luck?

15 LUCK - TALKING POINTS 3. Do you think Lieutenant Scoresby s luck actually benefited him? Explain why you answered either yes or no.

16 SIMILARITIES BETWEEN A ROSE FOR EMILY & LUCK The main connecting thread between Luck and A Rose for Emily is that both stories deal with the reputation of a person. The protagonists stories are told by outsiders, and the audience doesn t know what the protagonists themselves are thinking. Both stories are told through flashbacks. The protagonists are discussed in third person. Both main characters are mysterious, and remain elusive to the rest of society. The fates of both protagonists are known by the end of both stories.

17 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A ROSE FOR EMILY & LUCK Emily was unlucky that she had an oppressive youth, whereas Scoresby s youth as a military officer, was filled with luck. Emily decided her own fate, when she killed Barron. While luck shaped Scoresby s fate, making him a high ranked military officer. A Rose for Emily was a dark story, but Luck was a funny, amusing one. Emily s future was tragic, but Scoresby s future was perfect. Emily s fatal flaw, obsessive attachment, destroyed her. While, Scoresby s incompetence, as a result of his luck, only made him successful.

18 Kahoot Review William Faulkner wrote many works including: The Sound and the Fury, A Rose for Emily, and As I Lay Dying. A Rose for Emily took place in Jefferson, Mississippi. All the townspeople believed Emily would marry Homer Barron. Emily was a woman stubborn in her ways, who kept up appearances of the upper class, because she valued pride. The major conflict in A Rose for Emily, is the struggle between tradition and progress.

19 Kahoot Review cont. Mark Twain s real name was Samuel Langhorne. Mark Twain died of a heart attack at the age of 74. His short story, Luck, was originally published in Harper s Magazine. The story takes place in England. Luck s tone can be described as comical and ironic. The story s prevalent theme is luck is random. A major similarity between A Rose for Emily and Luck, is they both address the reputations of the characters. Both stories are written in third person. A Rose for Emily was a mysterious story, while Luck was a comical one.