Means of Characterization. 1. What is the dominant means of characterization that the writer resorts to?

1. What is the dominant means of characterization that the writer resorts to?

2. What is the main feature that is accentuated in the protagonist?

3. Which words in the protagonist's speech reveal her contemp­tuous attitude to the blacks?

4. What other traits does she reveal in what she says about herself and about others? Refer to specific instances in the story to support your views.

5. What social class does the protagonist represent? What evidence can you find in the text of the story?

6. Describe her personality. In your assessment of her personality consider a) her speech, b) her manners and actions, c) her appearance. How is her nature reflected in her behaviour?

7. What other characters are introduced in the story?

8. The minor characters of the story are hardly identified and are not clearly outlined. Why do you suppose the author used this technique?

9. What purpose do the minor characters serve? What traits in the protagonist's character do they help to reveal?

10. What is the author's attitude to the protagonist?

11. Irony as a literary device uses characters, situations or plot development to reveal the contradictions between what people (or things) seem to be and what their real nature is like. Does D. Parker use irony in developing the character of the protagonist?

12. Does the title also reveal her ironic attitude to the people whom the protagonist represents?

13. How is the hypocrisy of the protagonist revealed?

14. What is the messsage of the story?

SUGGESTIONS FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

1. Compare the stones The Pawnbroker's Wife, The Lady's Maid and Arrangement in Black and While in terms of irony and the way it is developed. Is irony in those stories developed linguistically or extralinguistically?

2. What contrasts reveal the author’s ironical attitude in each of those stones? Indicate whether you think these means of creating irony effective or not.

3. What does the title of each story imply? To what extent does it contribute to the irony conveyed by the author?

4. Define the tone and trace its changes in the course of each story. Is the tone of the narrative ironical? What evidence can you offer to support your view?

5. What social vices does each of the three stories satirize?

6. Consider the contribution of irony to the message of each story.

SECTION V

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