Questions concerning Point of View

“A Rose for Emily”
1. What is meaningful in the final detail that the strand of hair on the second pillow is iron-gray?

-This I meaningful because Miss Emily’s hair was described as iron-gray. This makes it understood that one her hair’s was in the bed with Homer’s body, which means that she had recently been exposed to his corpse.
2. Who is the unnamed narrator? For whom does he profess to be speaking?
-I believe the unnamed narrator could be several people voicing their own opinion or point of view and experience of the situation with Miss Emily.
3. Why does “A Rose for Emily” seem better told from his point of view than if it were told (like John Updike’s “A&P) from the point of view of the main character?
-I think it makes the story more mysterious. As the reader, we never fully understand what Miss Emily is thinking. It leaves the reader with the decision to decide their point of view about her.
4. What foreshadowings of the discovery of the body of Homer Barron are we given earlier in the story? Share your experience in reading “A Rose for Emily”: did the foreshadowings give away the ending for you? Did they heighten your interests?
-The fact that she would not tell the druggist why she was purchasing the arsenic. Also, that her physical appearance had altered after Homer had “disappeared”. In a way the foreshadowings did give the story away, but it was still chilling to read the last paragraph of the story. I still enjoyed reading it and was caught off guard.
5. What contrasts does the narrator draw between changing reality and Emily’s refusal or inability to recognize change?
-I believe Emily refused to recognize the change that was taking place around her. It was obvious that she refused to recognize many important events around her. For example, her father dying and she did not want to face the reality that he was dead and gone. Also, that she believed that she didn’t have to pay her taxes because a man who had been dead for ten years gave her that right.
6. How do the character and background of Emily Grierson differ from those of Homer Barron? What general observations about the society that Faulkner depicts can be made from his portraits of these two characters and from his account of life in this one Mississippi town?
-It seemed like Emily was a pampered young girl from a high class family. The story claims that her father had donated so much money to the town. When Homer is described it states that he has come to the town to work on sidewalks; job that probably just allows him to have a small income.
7. Does the story seem to you totally grim, or do you find any humor in it?
-To be honest, I never thought that much of the story was funny. There were some sections that gave me a smile because I found it very dramatic and “out there”. I can completely see the dark humor side of this story.
8. What do you infer to be the author’s attitude toward Emily Grierson? Is she simply a murderous madwoman? Why do you suppose Faulker call his story “A Rose…”?
-I think the author feels for Emily. When reading, I did not receive a negative perspective of her. However, the author may pity her. Also, as I read I never thought of her as a murderer, just a crazy lady. Perhaps the title of the story is from the bridal room of which holds the corpse of Homer. It describes it as having a faded rose look or something.
“Teenage Wasteland”
1. From whose point of view is the story told? How would you characterize the method employed—omniscient, limited omniscient, or objective?

-It’s difficult to determine who the narrator of this story is. I feel like it’s more of a parental point of view versus a teenager’s. Perhaps it could be from the principals. I think it is limited omniscient because the audience does not see Donny’s thoughts thoroughly. This opinion also adds to the fact that I believe it could be an adults view because they are going to skim over how the teenager feels and really focus on their own age group.
2. What is the significance of the opening paragraph of the story?
-The first paragraph really visualizes the character of Donny. How he has physically changed from a child to a distressed teenager.

2. Daisy is extremely self conscious and concerned about how others view her. Find instances of this trait in the text. How does it affect her approach to raising her children?
-She is very worried about her body physically and her attire when she meets Donny’s principal. She also is so easily influenced by Cal. She lets her son go off with him and agrees to so much where Cal has control of Donny.
4. Daisy’s attitude toward Cal undergoes frequent and at times rapid changes. Find examples in the text. What does she seem to think of him by the end of the story?
-She is really fond of Cal when she begins to see slight improvements with Donny and his attitude. However, when the history teacher notifies her that Donny’s grades are not improving, she gets angry with Cal and talks to him. Unfortunately, she immediately believes the excuse that he makes and his “B.S.” that he feeds her. Then, she okay with anything he does with her son. I believe at the end though, she realizes the hurt that he does to her son and her influence on Donny.
5. How does the portrayal of Donny’s sister, Amanda, help to clarify the larger concerns of the story?
-Amanda just magnifies the focus that the parents give to Donny. They are so concerned with “fixing” him that they begin to ignore their own daughter.
6. Would you describe Tyler’s presentation of Daisy as satirical or sympathetic? Can it be both at once? Explain.
-I think it can be both, but I see more sympathy than satirical. The only irony is see is that Daisy seems like a bright name and she is a dimmed character. She attempts to portray the dream mom, but lets a hippy take over her son and forgets about her own daughter. I feel much sympathy for her because she is so insecure that she cannot get her family in order.