Short Story Test

The Osage Orange Tree is written by…

William Stafford

Who is the protagonist from the The Osage Orange Tree?

The unnamed boy

Who/what is/are the antagonist(s) in the Osage Orange Tree?

Social pressure and awkwardness that keep the boy from connecting more directly with Evangeline.

Poverty and pride, particularly on Evangeline’s part, which prevent her from accepting help or revealing her struggles openly.

Isolation, which affects both characters in different ways

The tree is…

A remarkably resistant-to-drought tree that is stout yet tall (60 ft) with round, rough, yellowish fruit resembles an orange, except that it is not edible

The Osage Orange Tree’s setting is…

Midwest Prairie Town during the Great Depression

Who is the narrator of the Osage Orange Tree?

A man looking back on when he was a senior in high school

What point of view is the Osage Orange Tree?

First person

The Osage Orange Tree utilizes… 

Flashback, imagery, characterization, and symbolism. NO SIMILE

Which of the following showcases the diligent nature of the narrator in the Osage Orange Tree?

"All that hard winter I carried a paper to the tree by the pond, in the evening..." (107).

Which of the following showcases Evangeline, from the Osage Orange Tree, as timid?

"I had three papers left in the bag, and I frantically began to fold them -- box them, as we called it -- for throwing. We had begun to walk and talk. The girl was timid; I became more bold" (105).

The osage orange tree starts on the mans…

First day of high school

What is being referenced: The Osage Orange Tree?

The short story

What is being referenced: the Osage Orange tree?

The orange tree

The girl does not show up for graduation, and we learn that she (osage orange tree)

Had “stolen” her dress money, as we learn from her brother, the school janitor.

The tone of the Osage Orange Tree is…

Hopeless and depressing

Which of the following is an example of dialect showcasing being uneducated (oot)

"'Go 'way, go 'way! We don't want no papers!'" (109).

The Osage Orange Tree concludes with…

The narrator realizes that Evangeline’s parents did not agree to buy the paper

 

The narrator finds all the newspapers thrown over the side of the bridge.

 

The narrator throws the final newspaper over the side of the bridge and, looking to see where it had fallen, “there they were -- a pile of boxed newspapers, thrown in a heap, some new, some worn and weathered, by rain, by snow” (110).

Where did the author of the Osage Orange Tree grow up?

Small towns scattered across the Kansas plains. He was a conscientious objector to WWII

When did the author of the Osage Orange Tree live?

1914 - 1993

Which of the following are possible theme statements for the Osage Orange Tree?

Love can lead to extraordinary actions and sacrifices

 

The relationships we form shape our actions and behavior

 

Poverty can be detrimental to social relationships and self perception

 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is written by…

Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing setting is…

Stamps, Arkansas, during the 1930's

The point of view of I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing is…

First Person

The narration of “I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing” portrays a shift from the childlike voice of ________, paired with the older, wiser narration of __________.

Marguerite Johnson; Maya Angelou

What is the internal conflict present within I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing?

Internal: Man vs. Self: The protagonist chooses not to speak for five years as a result of her abuse

What are the external conflicts present within I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing?

External: Man vs. Man: The protagonist is sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend when she was eight

 

External: Man vs. Society: The racial segregation of the time period (not seen in the excerpt but we as readers understand the timeframe)

Who/what is/are the antagonist(s) of I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing?

The abuse, the abuser, racial segregation

Who is Momma in I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing?

The protagonist's grandmother, Mrs. Henderson, Bailey's grandmother

Who is Bailey in I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing?

Marguerites brother

Idioms in I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing include…

"Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me first life line" (481).

 

"I waited for the ground to open up and swallow me..." (483).

 

"Momma hadn't thought that taking off my dress in front of Mrs. Flowers would kill me stone dead" (484).

the following quotes from I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing include are metaphors

"She was our sides answer to the richest white woman in town" (481).

"The chifforobe was a maze" (483).

"One summer afternoon, sweet-milk fresh in my memory..." (483).

The following quotes from, “I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing”, are allusions

"'It was the best of times and the worst of times...'" (487).

"To be allowed, no, invited, into the private lives of strangers, and to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Beowulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist" (487).

"I had read "A Tale of Two Cities" and found it up to my standards as a romantic novel. She opened up the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life" (486-487).

What is the caged bird symbolic of (I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing)?

How trauma traps us

How racism/segregation cages African Americans

True or False:

The protagonist’s loss of innocence in the non-fiction excerpt occurs when she is abused. (I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing)

True

What is the resolution of the I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing?

Mrs. Flowers encourages the protagonist to do better in school

Mrs. Flowers creates a bond with the protagonist that eventually leads to her regaining her voice, and freedom from her trauma

The protagonist helps Mrs. Flowers carry a bag of supplies from the Store, to her home, and ends up reading from "A Tale of Two Cities"

What is/are possible theme(s) statement(s) within “I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing”? (Theme statements cannot be 1 word)

One person has the ability to change your life

 

Human beings showcase resilience in the face of racism and trauma and self-expression is a form of liberation

What is the tone and mood of I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing?

Hopeful; sympathetic

When did Maya Angelou live?

1928 - 2014