The Country Husband 65-69 (up to para. 30)

What Jupiter in the story might look like.

A couple of notes about last night's comments:

Remember you need only answer one prompt (Eric--though I appreciate the effort!)

Sarah D--try the first question, the one about effective use of language--that won't give anything away. I appreciate your consideration.)

Some of the same questions as last night,question as last night. Don't forget to check in a half hour after your original comment.

Thank you!

1. Find a moment in the story at which you think language is being used effectively, quote it, and briefly say why. Diction (word choice)? Syntax (word order)? Sound? Irony? Something else?

OR

2. Is there anything so far about the story that makes it seem a little different from other stories you have read? Briefly explain.

OR

3. Notice the references to memory or the absence of memory: his memory of the "public chastisement" of the woman who had slept with a German soldier; "some submerged memory" (para. 28);"he had not developed his memory as a sentimental faculty (para. 12); "the people in the Farquarsons' living room seemed united in their tacit claim that there had been no past, no war . . . ." (para. 14). Comment.

OR

4. Notice something that no one else has noticed yet about this reading.

Country Husband 62-65

1. Find a moment in the story at which you think language is being used effectively, quote it, and briefly say why. Diction (word choice)? Syntax (word order)? Sound? Irony? Something else?

OR

2. Is there a moment in the story that seems particularly realistic to you? Briefly explain.

OR

3. Is there anything so far about the story that makes it seem a little different from other stories you have read? Briefly explain.

OR

4. Name an adjective that could be used to describe the main character, Francis
Weed.

OR

5. Notice something that no one else has noticed yet about this reading.

A Doll's House (to the end)

Jane Fonda as Nora and David Warner as Helmer in a made for TV production of A Doll's House.

1. To what extent does Nora gain our admiration by the end of the play?

OR

2. The slam of the door at the end of the play is famous. Speculate as to why it might be.

OR

3. Krogstad: do we know enough about him for his restoration to the ranks of virtuous characters to make sense? Is it the actor's job to make the transformation credible?

OR

4. Assume for a moment that the play is a critique of urban Norwegian society of Ibsen's time. What does Ibsen disapprove of in his society, based on this play?

A Doll's House to the top of 1018

The tarentella, as depicted in a ballet called Napoli, choreographed by Bournonville, performed by the New York City Ballet.


Please respond to one of the following:

1. How do you feel about Krogstad at this point in the play?

2. Helmer's theory is that "almost everyone who goes bad early in life has a mother who's a chronic liar" (1014). what do you think of this theory? What does Nora think of it, and how can we tell?

3. Torvald's idea for a costume/act for Nora for the party is for her to go as a "Neapolitan peasant girl and dance the tarentella." Comment.

4. Mrs. Linde and Nora discuss Dr. Rank (1016-1017). What do we learn from this discussion?

A Doll's House to bottom of 1011

1. Comment on Nora's relationship with her children.

OR

2. How does Nora's relationship with her children fit in with other things we know or think about Nora?

OR

3. Krogstad tells Nora that she has committed the crime of forgery. Explain.

OR

4. Nora explains why she thinks a court of law would forgive her for her forgery because her motive was good. Does her explanation reinforce anything we've discovered about her so far, or does it tell us something new about her?

A Doll's House 1000-bottom of 1006

This is where the play gets potentially confusing.

1. Why is it necessary for Torvald and Nora to travel south?

2. How do they acquire the money to travel south? Or since this cannot be answered conclusively, what are the possibilities at this point?

3. What does Nora want Torvald not to know, and why does she want him not to know it?

4. Back on p. 997, we hear of how Nora locked everyone out for three weeks while she worked on Christmas decorations. What might she really have been doing?

Try to answer any of these questions, citing a quotation in support of your answer.

OR (once the answers to the above questions are established)

1. How has our sense of Nora changed since the beginning of the play?

2. What is Nora's relationship with Dr. Rank like, and how do you know?

A Doll's House bottom of 996-bottom of 1000

Having read this section, what question do you have at this point? You MUST come up with a question. If you have the same question as someone else, try to refine or develop the question a bit. If in addition to asking a question, you would like to try to respond to someone's question, great!