Name_______________________
Period_______________
Short Story
Unit
Character
Homework Packet
Use complete sentences
 Provide textual evidence and then cite
Cite rhetorical devices (literary elements and poetic devices) in the matter


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Study Guide for “The Possibility of Evil” 1965
by Shirley Jackson
I. VOCABULARY: Be able to define the following words and understand them when they
appear in the story and in class discussion.
appropriation ______________________________________________________________
banished ___________________________________________________________________
chintz _____________________________________________________________________
consequently _______________________________________________________________
degraded __________________________________________________________________
indulgently________________________________________________________________
negotiable _________________________________________________________________
potential __________________________________________________________________
proverbial _________________________________________________________________
rambler ____________________________________________________________________
rapt ______________________________________________________________________
reprehensible _______________________________________________________________
shanties ___________________________________________________________________
tonic _____________________________________________________________________
translucent ________________________________________________________________
unchecked _________________________________________________________________
II. LITERARY TERMS: Use “The Possibility of Evil” to answer the following questions.
1. What sort of mood is evoked by the setting in this story? Cite specific elements of setting and discuss
the overall feeling these elements provide. ________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is this setting like “The Lottery”? How is it unlike “The Lottery”? THINK. Do not go to the
literal.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Who is the protagonist in the story? ____________________________________________________
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4. Characterization. What elements of STEAL are at work in this story? Please cite in MLA form.
S: ____________________________________________________________________________________
T: ____________________________________________________________________________________
E: ____________________________________________________________________________________
A: ____________________________________________________________________________________
L: ____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Cite FOUR examples of direct characterization (direct quotes from the story, please). Remember page
numbers – in MLA form please.
a. ______________________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________________________________
6. Cite FOUR examples of indirect characterization (direct quotes from the story) ). Remember page
numbers – in MLA form please.
a. __________________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________________________________
7. Name TWO motifs at work in the story and what each one of these motifs suggest?
a. __________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. Is Miss Strangeworth a static or round character? (cite examples from the text and explanation)
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
9. Describe the mood of the story. What rhetorical devices does the author use to create this mood? Pick at
least three adjectives and discuss WHY and WHERE you see these elements at work.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
10. What rhetorical devices does the author use to create this mood?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
11. Using the form below, complete the Say/Mean/Matter assigned for your period. (You can cut and paste
the quote, make sure you use a TLQ). Don't forget to identify the abstract noun (theme) most at work in this
quote.
Period 4: "Miss Strangeworth never concerned herself with facts; her letters all dealt with the more negotiable
stuff of suspicion."
Period 2: " She began to cry silently for the wickedness of the world when she red the words: Look out at
what used to be your roses."
Say
TLQ:
Mean
This means that….
(stay in the quote – dig)
Matter
This matters because….
(how does this idea relate to the
entire story?. How do poetic devices
create this idea?)
Quote
4
“Regret” 1895
By Kate Chopin
1. How does this character defy expectation of a "normal" woman of her time?
2. Is this character dynamic or static? Please explain your answer.
3. Cite two examples of indirect characterization and explain why or how it is indirect. Please also explain
what the author communicates about the character.
4. Is this character flat or round? Please explain your answer.
5. How is the ending ironic? Explain using at least five sentences.
6. What is the abstract noun most at work in the story? Explain why you choose this noun?
7. Using the abstract noun you chose in #6, what do you think is the author’s message or theme?
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8. What is the author’s tone? What is your evidence of this? Use evidence and cite.
9. What is the mood of the story? List at least three adjectives.
10. Kate Chopin is considered a feminist author; what about this story promotes women’s individuality and
freedom?
11. Using the form below, complete the Say/Mean/Matter assigned for your period. (You can cut and paste
the quote, make sure you use a TLQ). Don't forget to identify the abstract noun (theme) most at work in
this quote.
Period 4: "Mamzelle Aurélie had never thought of marrying. She had never been in love. At the age of
twenty she had received a proposal, which she had promptly declined, and at the age of fifty she had not
yet lived to regret it."
Period 2: "Ti Nomme's sticky fingers compelled her to unearth white aprons that she had not worn for
years, and she had to accustom herself to his moist kisses-the expressions of an affectionate and
exuberant nature."
Say
TLQ:
Mean
This means that….
(stay in the quote – dig)
Matter
This matters because….
(how does this idea relate to the
entire story?. How do poetic devices
create this idea?)
Quote
6
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” 1953
by Flannery O’Connor
Okay everyone, a warning: this is a strange and challenging one but completely worth the effort for its
delicious ending. This is an unexpected tale that centers around the behavior of the grandmother. Think
about your own expectations/connotations when you hear the word “grandmother” or see a sweet old
lady.
Know also that the author, Flannery O’Connor, was a deeply religious Southerner and that her works
reflected her own traditional Roman Catholic faith and a traditional Southern upbringing. She
frequently examined questions of morality and ethics as well as the Southern culture and customs.
1. Look up the word Southern Gothic and write down all of the denotations and in full. How can you
apply it to this story?
2. Characterize the grandmother, supporting your words with evidence from the story. Make sure you
cite.
3. How does the grandmother’s behavior lead to the circumstances the family meets in the end?
4. Is the grandmother a static or dynamic character? Defend your answer.
5. What do you believe is the significance of the grandmother hugging the Misfit? What does this
signify?
6. Who or what serves as the antagonist in this story? Explain your answer.
7. Who or what serves as the foil to the antagonist?
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8. How is this work a critique of righteousness and false religious values?
9. What is the mood of the story? Provide three adjectives.
10. What is the author’s tone in this piece? Provide two pieces of evidence that support your answer.
Make sure you cite.
11. Why is the title of the work ironic?
12. Using the form below, complete the Say/Mean/Matter assigned for your period. (You can cut and paste
the quote, make sure you use a TLQ). Don't forget to identify the abstract noun (theme) most at work in
this quote.
Period 4: "She would have been a good woman … if it had been somebody there to shoot her every
minute of her life."
Period 2: "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!"
Say
TLQ:
Mean
This means that….
(stay in the quote – dig)
Matter
This matters because….
(how does this idea relate to the
entire story?. How do poetic devices
create this idea?)
Quote
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