Mr. Kennedy: Midterm review
The test will consist of four parts:
1) Matching questions from works listed below (by grade-level).
2) True or False questions from works listed below (by grade-level).
3) Application of Literary Themes using “The Ninny” by Anton Chekhov.
4) Vocabulary Units 7 & 8 (the words given to you on Tuesday).
Sections One and Two: “Matching” and “True or False.”
· For parts 1 and 2 of the test, students should be familiar with the works below (arranged by grade-level). I have provided you with a link to a relevant resource.
o 10th Grade: American Literature
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” (here is a short movie version):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoUPJId_AWk
Langston Hughes poem: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” Found here:
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/negro-speaks-rivers
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (especially Atticus’ closing arguments, found here):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLm9m-FHNFE
***The Crucible by Arthur Miller*** (In your textbook).
Twelve Angry Men (1954 film version). Found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DkI2I0W5i8
Bobby Fischer as ANTIHERO. 60 Minutes clip, found here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/1972-chess-champ-bobby-fischer-on-60-minutes/
o 11th Grade: British Literature
“A & P” by John Updike
http://www.tiger-town.com/whatnot/updike/
Beowulf & Predator (in textbook)
***“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”*** (in textbook)
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html
Bobby Fisher as ANTIHERO.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/1972-chess-champ-bobby-fischer-on-60-minutes/
o 12th Grade: World Literature
e.e. cummings poem: “l (a”
https://landfills.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/la.png
“A & P” by John Updike
http://www.tiger-town.com/whatnot/updike/
The Iliad by Homer
http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html
***“A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen***(in textbook).
Section Three: Literary Terms and Analysis using “The Ninny” by Anton Chekhov
In section three, you will be asked to view the story “The Ninny” through the lens of the Literary Term listed. Answer the questions below. You can memorize my answers.
Power versus Virtue
1) Recognize the aspects of Power versus Virtue.
2) Recognize the differences between Power and Virtue.
· Power
o Wealth, domination, and control.
o “Winners” by all appearances.
o But Power often means morally corrupt.
· Virtue
o What is right, just, admirable; moral correctness.
o “Losers” by outward appearances.
o But has the moral high ground.
§ If a religious believer, has hope in the “afterlife.”
3) Restate the concepts of Power versus Virtue in your own words.
· Example: “A person who is interested in Power is someone who wants to be in charge, no matter what. Being in charge is not always a bad thing; but people in power can often become corrupt because they don’t listen to others or pay attention to the cause of their actions. They can hurt people in the process of their own rise to power.”
4) Categorize characters and stories based on the concepts of Power versus Virtue.
Example: The narrator in “The Ninny” by Anton Chekhov is a character who believes that POWER is the only measure of a person. He believes that because Yulia Vasilyevna does not fight back when he explains away her paycheck that she is a Ninny. The last line in the story tells us exactly what the narrator believes is important in life: “I gazed after her, thinking how very easy it is in this world to be strong.” Yulia, on the other hand, is a character that is clearly thankful for having her job and does not protest. She seems willing to accept the terms that her employer is proposing. She still has an attitude of gratitude, even though she’s getting cheated and she knows it. According to the narrator, she is a fool and a Ninny. We know better: she is a character with a good attitude towards life, and one who would probably never take advantage of others.
Perspective
1) Recognize Perspective in a story or character.
· Example: From the perspective of the narrator in the story, “The Ninny,” by Anton Chekhov, the narrator believes that he is teaching Yulia Vasilyevna an important life lesson: how to stand up for herself. From his perspective, he is doing the right thing. From the perspective of Yulia, he seems like a bully. And from the perspective of the reader, one could argue that he is a bully or that he’s looking out for Yulia and trying to teacher her an important lesson.
2) Compare and contrast perspectives on the same subject.
· Using the same example of “The Ninny,” a reader who believes that kindness (or meekness) is a weakness will think that the narrator is doing Yulia a favor. Another reader, reading the same story, might interpret that Yulia has no power to negotiate with her employer and that the employer is taking advantage of the situation because he has all of the power. Both readers read the same story, but can interpret the story with contrasting perspectives.
3) Imagine a story from a different perspective and rewrite the story.
· Example: What if “The Ninny” was written from the perspective of Yulia? It might go something like this: “My boss called me into his office, which was unusual for him, and he sat me down and started to discuss my pay and the money he owed me. He kept making up numbers and dates and events that did not happen; he did not listening to what I was saying in response; but I need this job and so for a few coins I’m not going to argue with the guy who writes my checks. I cannot get fired.”
Protagonist, Antihero, Antagonist
1) Recognize Protagonist, Antagonist, and Antihero.
· In “The Ninny” the Protagonist is Yulia Vasilyevna. The Antagonist is the narrator..
2) Explain why a character is a Protagonist, Antagonist, or Antihero.
· Yulia is the PROTAGONIST because she is a virtuous character. She has done her work as a governess. She is “attacked” by the narrator with false accusations and unfair treatment. He’s basically stealing her money. She does not protest because people generally don’t argue with their bosses, and even if they do it doesn’t end well. Yulia is in a no-win situation.
· The narrator is the ANTAGONIST. He is Yulia’s boss and employer; Yulia is his employee. Because of the nature of their relationship, the narrator has the ability to take advantage of Yulia because if she protests her entire job could be in jeopardy. Even though the narrator thinks it’s a “level playing field” and that Yulia is being a pushover, he is actually exploiting his power over Yulia, entertaining himself, and building up his ego. He thinks he’s a big man because he bullies poor Yulia.
· The narrator could be an ANTIHERO. In the end, the narrator doesn’t take Yulia’s money. He tries to teach her a lesson but doesn’t actually go through with cheating her out of money. He is definitely not a hero, but he’s not all bad either. If he were all bad, he would have kept Yulia’s money once he bullied her in the negotiation.
Explicit versus Implicit
1) Describe EXPLICIT and IMPLICIT writing.
· EXPLICIT Example: An example of explicit writing in “The Ninny” is when the narrator calls Yulia a ninny. There’s no mistaking that. He is saying that she is weak; and because he comes right out and calls her a ninny, we know exactly what he means by that: no confusion, no interpretation needed.
· IMPLICIT Example: In the excerpt below, when the narrator in “The Ninny” interprets what Yulia Vasilyevna’s smile means, he is saying that her smile IMPLIES her feeling. But because nothing is said EXPLICITLY, we can only guess at what Yulia meant by her smile. The narrator is only guessing at what her smile means as well. We (the reader) can disagree with his interpretation of her “bitter little smile.” Because a smile is not a word, we are still left to interpret what is IMPLIED by the smile.
o “Why didn’t you protest? Why did you keep your mouth shut? It is possible that there is anyone in this world who is so spineless? Why are you such a ninny?”
She gave me a bitter little smile. On her face I read the words: “Yes, it is possible.”
Tone versus Mood
1) Describe the TONE and the MOOD in a work of fiction.
· Example: The TONE, or the narrator’s intent, in “The Ninny” is harsh and judgmental. The narrator accuses Yulia of being “a little child” and a “ninny” because Yulia does not stand up for herself. The narrator would suggest that all people that do not stand up for themselves are ninnies and weak. His TONE suggests his harsh and cruel opinion of Yulia.
· Example: The MOOD, or effect that the story has on the reader, is frustration and anger. We want Yulia to stand up for herself. We want to narrator to stop this cruel game he is playing. We want justice to be done for Yulia. We know that the narrator has an unfair advantage because he is Yulia’s boss. We want things to be fair. Even when the narrator ends up giving Yulia the money she has earned, we still feel annoyed by the trick that the narrator plays and the fact that the narrator doesn’t see the no-win situation that he put Yulia in.
The Ninny
By Anton Chekhov
Just a few days ago I invited Yulia Vasilyevna, the governess of my children, to come to my
study. I wanted to settle my account with her.
“ Sit down, Yulia Vasilyevna,” I said to her. “ Let’s get our accounts settled. I’m sure you
need some money, but you keep standing on ceremony and never ask for it. Let me see.
We agreed to give you thirty rubles a month, didn’t we?”
“Forty.”
“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now, let me see. You
have been with us for two months?”
“Two months and five days.”
“Two months exactly. I made a note of it. So you have sixty rubles coming to you. Subtract
nine Sundays. You know you don’t tutor Kolya on Sundays, you just go out for a walk. And
then the three holidays…”
Yulia Vasilyevna blushed and picked at the trimmings of her dress, but said not a word.
“Three holidays. So we take off twelve rubles. Kolya was sick for four days – those days
you didn’t look after him. You looked after Vanya, only Vanya. Then there were the three
days you had toothache, when my wife gave you permission to stay away from the children
after dinner. Twelve and seven makes nineteen. Subtract... That leaves... hm... forty-one
rubles. Correct?”
Yulia Vasilyevna’s left eye reddened and filled with tears. Her chin trembled. She began to
cough nervously, blew her nose, and said nothing.
“Then around New Year’s Day you broke a cup and a saucer. Subtract two rubles. The
cup cost more than that – it was an heirloom, but we won’t bother about that. We’re the
ones who pay. Another matter. Due to your carelessness Kolya climbed a tree and tore his
coat. Subtract ten. Also, due to your carelessness, the chambermaid ran off with Vanya’s
boots. You ought to have kept your eyes open. You get a good salary. So we dock off five
more... On the tenth of January you took ten rubles from me.”
“I didn’t,” Yulia Vasilyevna whispered.“But I made a note of it.”
“Well, yes – perhaps…”
“From forty-one we take twenty-seven. That leaves fourteen.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and her thin, pretty little nose was shining with perspiration. Poor
little child!
“I only took money once,” she said in a trembling voice. “I took three rubles from your
wife... never anything more.”
“Did you now? You see, I never made a note of it. Take three from fourteen. That leaves
eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three... one and one. Take it, my dear.”
I gave her the eleven rubles. With trembling fingers she took them and slipped them into
her pocket.
“Merci,” she whispered.
I jumped up, and began pacing up and down the room. I was in a furious temper.
“Why did you say ‘merci?” I asked.
“For the money.”
“Don’t you realize I’ve been cheating you? I steal your money, and all you can say is
‘merci!”’
“In my other places they gave me nothing.”
“ They gave you nothing! Well, no wonder! I was playing a trick on you – a dirty trick... I’ll
give you your eighty rubles, they are all here in an envelope made out for you. Is it possible
for anyone to be such a nitwit? Why didn’t you protest? Why did you keep your mouth
shut? It is possible that there is anyone in this world who is so spineless? Why are you such
a ninny?”
She gave me a bitter little smile. On her face I read the words: “Yes, it is possible.”
I apologized for having played this cruel trick on her, and to her great surprise gave her the
eighty rubles. And then she said “merci” again several times, always timidly, and went out. I
gazed after her, thinking how very easy it is in this world to be strong.