Extra Materials

Discussion Questions on William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

1. Where does the novel's title come from?

2. How do Cora and Kate respond differently to the woman's failure to purchase the cakes?

3. Which word does Jewel refrain from saying on page 703?

4. What is the relationship between Dewey Dell and Lafe like?

5. What is Doctor Peabody's initial response to the message that he needs to visit the Bundrens?

6. Who narrates the moment of Addie's death, and what makes that narration technically impossible or at least improbable?

7. What, according to Addie's father, is the reason for living?

8. Who is Jewel's father?

9. Why does Anse refuse Armstid's multiple offers of hospitality? How does Armstid feel about these refusals?

10. What is Snopes's role in the story of the mule team?

11. Why does Anse have a "hang-dog" look about him when he returns to Armstid's on Jewel's horse?

12. What does Texas represent in this story?

13. How does Moseley describe Dewey Dell, and why does he see her this way?

14. Why is Gillespie naked during the barn fire?

Elizabeth Bishop's Poems

1. What is the structure of this "The Armadillo"?

2. Define this poem's setting as precisely as possible. Where, in this setting, is the poet?

3. What is the function of the fire balloons in this poem?

4. Upon observing the reactions of the animals in this poem, how does the poet apply this to more general truths?

5. Why is the final stanza in italics?

6. What is the structure of this "In the Waiting Room"?

7. If this poem is autobiographical, then how old is Bishop at the time of the writing this poem?

8. Which details in the waiting room receive the most emphasis in this poem?

9. What is the function of the National Geographic in this poem?

10. How does the poem's tone shift from the first to the third stanzas?

11. Are there any connections between this poem and ÒThe ArmadilloÓ?

Arthur Miller's The Death of a Salesman

1. How might we describe Willy's treatment of Linda in the opening scene of the play?

2. What does Texas represent in the opening scene of this play?

3. How does Happy respond to Biff's suggestion that they head west together?

4. What does Willy say to Biff in the flashback about the theft of a football from his high school?

5. Why does Willy exaggerate his earnings when talking about his trip to Linda on p. 251?

6. Why does Linda find Ben's visit alarming on p. 258?