Discussion questions Angelou
- What similes and metaphors are used in this short extract? How do they contribute to the characterization of the main character and of the owner of the Creole Cafe?
‘a lie as soft as melting butter’ ‘a small white picket fence semicircled in her mouth’ ‘doubt hung on the edges of her questions.’ The description of the lie as melted butter gives a sense of the ease with which the words were said, flowing softly, without hesitation or resistance, the way melted butter moves in a pan or is sliced through and spread. It also suggests a psychological ease at lying to get what she wants, and needs. Not knowing how to cook is not going to be an obstacle to her getting a decent job, and she lies to get her foot in the door. Learning how to cook Creole is another problem she will have to face when the time comes. The description of the other woman’s teeth as a small white picket fence gives a physical sense of neatness and the width of her smile. We see that she is pleased through the fact that the smile reveals a semicircle of whiteness. In the description of the woman’s initial feelings as to Maya’s suitability for the job, the abstract emotion of doubt is given a physical presence that hangs on the edges of questions, which are also attributed a physicality that gives them edges. This metaphorical transformation emphasizes the proprietress’s feelings, and the writer’s keen perception of her concerns.
- How does dialogue contrast with Angelou’s comments about herself?
Angelou reveals that she is lying, determined to get the job, and aware that she is using the other woman’s religious beliefs to manipulate her into trusting her. The brief comments she makes about the sentences she is pronouncing out loud show the reader that she is in control of the situation, but aware of the unsteady moral ground she has to walk on in order to get what she wants.
- What characteristics does this extract reveal about Angelou?
The reader learns that Angelou is seventeen, almost six feet tall, and seems older than she actually is. Her responses show that she is resourceful, quick-witted and willing to take risks.
- What details contribute to a sense of time and place?
75 dollars a week for a six day job puts the extract somewhere in the past, but in the 1900s. References to cooking Creole and dollars as currency place the extract in the United States, but it is difficult to determine whether the cafe is located in Creole country, or whether that is simply the kind of food offered. The proprietress’s dropping of the verb in ‘You a good Christian’ might suggest a black person’s colloquial form of speech.
Discussion questions: Orwell
- Why is the young Orwell reporting to the Headmaster?
He has wet his bed, which is viewed as purposefully disrespectful and disgusting behavior.
- What impression of the adults do the physical descriptions of them imply?
The character named Flip has ‘uneasy eyes’, which give a sense of mistrust or unease. She is also very perceptive and quick to react, as she immediately screams after Orwell as she eavesdrops on his conversation with the other small boys in the hallway. The headmaster Sambo is given a more thorough physical description. He has round shoulders, a chubby face and resembles a baby. This doesn’t inspire much respect, and contrasts with his role and his action of beating the boys to punish them. Neither adult is portrayed in a positive light.
- What does the phrase ‘I walked out feeling very much better’ suggest about the writer’s attitude towards events?
He shares the adults’ feeling that wetting his bed is a punishable offense, and that he deserves to be beaten. He is probably also relieved to have the punishment behind him. The fact that it didn’t hurt very much is a pleasant surprise.
- How does the boy’s reaction reveal his lack of experience?
He wears a grin and proudly announces that the beating didn’t hurt within earshot of an adult. Both his expression and his words show that he doesn’t realize that the adults believe the punishment must hurt and cause suffering if it is to be successful deterrent to the crime. By outwardly showing the opposite, young Orwell shows that he doesn’t realize that at least pretending to accept the punishment is part of the power game. He therefore will receive a second, much harder beating, so that he has nothing to smile about.
If it were done, when 'tis done 