August 5, 2015
[2015 SUMMER READING INITIATIVE]
“To Build a Fire” by Jack London
Review and Assess
Thinking about the Selection
1.
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7.
Respond: Could you imagine yourself falling into the same circumstances as the man? How could you
avoid them?
Recall: What advice from an old-timer does the man choose to ignore? Infer: What does this decision
suggest about the man’s character?
Recall: What do the dog’s instincts tell it about the cold? Compare and Contrast: By contrast, why does
the extreme cold “make no impression” on the man? Make a judgment: Which is better equipped to
survive in the cold, the dog or the man? Explain.
Recall: What trap does the man try – unsuccessfully – to avoid? Analyze cause and effect: What deadly
chain of events is started by his inability to avoid the trap?
Recall: When the man breaks through the snow into the icy water, he becomes angry and curses. What is
it that he curses? Evaluate: Is the outcome of the story due to fate, to the man’s character, or to some
other cause? Explain.
Assess: Why do you think London did not give the man a name? Speculate: How might the effect of this
story be different if the man had a name?
Draw Conclusions: What does the story suggest about human strength in the face of nature’s power?
Take a position: Is London’s message true? Explain.
“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter
Review and Assess
Thinking about the Selection
1. Respond: If you were at Granny Weatherall’s deathbed, what would you say to help
comfort her?
2. Recall: Who sits with Granny during her final hours? Analyze: What is Granny’s attitude
toward this person?
3. Recall: What are the names of Granny’s children? Interpret: Which of her children does
Granny long to see? Why is she unable to see this child?
4. As she drifts in and out of consciousness, what memory is “squeezed out” of Granny’s
heart? How does Granny try to talk herself out of the pain of this memory?
5. What memories and details suggest Granny’s physical and emotional strength? Why
might the author have chosen “Weatherall” as an appropriate surname for Granny?
6. As she nears death, why does Granny say she “can’t go”? What is the connection
between her experience of having been jilted sixty years ago and her experiences in the
final paragraph?
7. In what ways might this story have been different if Granny had confronted George after
he jilted her?
August 5, 2015
[2015 SUMMER READING INITIATIVE]
“The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor
Review and Assess
Thinking about the Selection
1. How did you react to the people in this story? In what way, if any, do they remind you of
people you have met?
2. What is Mrs. Crater’s first reaction to Shiftlet when she sees him from a distance as the
story begins? What object on the Crater farm does Mr. Shiftlet want? What clues about
Mr. Shiftlet’s true character does Mrs. Crater seem to not notice?
3. What arguments does Mrs. Crater use to persuade Shiftlet to marry Lucynell? What
factors cause Shiftlet to agree to the marriage?
4. What prayer does Shiftlet offer at the end of the story? What is ironic about the way in
which his prayer is answered? What does this even suggest about those whose behavior
contradicts their professed beliefs?
5. When Mrs. Crater decides to marry Lucynell to Shiftlet, the girls seems to have no
control over her fact. Do Mrs. Crater’s actions have any moral justification? Explain.