Pre-Reading Questions

English 30-2 Name:

“Celebration”

By: W.D. Valgardson

Pre-Reading Questions

1. Some couples stay together out of convenience, not love. Agree Disagree

2. The best way to celebrate is to indulge. Agree Disagree

3. Two people should be married if they are really in love. Agree Disagree

4. It is possible for a person to love someone and kill them. Agree Disagree

5. Alcohol can lead a person to become more violent. Agree Disagree

6. Children often suffer if their parents are alcoholics. Agree Disagree

7. It is expected that the female of a household makes dinner. Agree Disagree

8. Sometimes when we care about someone, we have to Agree Disagree

let them suffer.

9. Arguments make a relationship lively and entertaining. Agree Disagree

10. It is often easier to stay in a long term relationship than Agree Disagree

leave.

Questions – Answer the following using complete sentences, on a separate piece of paper.

1.  Using descriptive adjectives, what is the mood of the opening scene? Include three words from the story to support your response.

2.  A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”. A metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things without using like or as.

Find six descriptions – two of Mabel, two of Eric, and two of the little girls – that use simile or metaphor in their methodology. Write out the line and indicate the page number in brackets after the line.

3.  What is the irony behind the story’s title? Reread the last page to identify the irony.

4.  Why did Mabel finally decide to get the wood herself?

5.  Who is the protagonist in the story? Who or what is the antagonist?

6.  Why did Eric lock the door? Explain.

7.  Are Eric and Mabel static or dynamic characters? Support your answer with evidence from the story.

8.  What is the message or theme behind Valgardson’s story? (Hint: it is NOT about drinking.)

9.  Write a different ending to the story starting at page 66 where Mabel “slumped to the floor and lay on her right side.” Remember to consider the mood and tone of the story when creating your ending.

10.  Create a plot diagram for the story.

Vocabulary:

§  precariously

§  malevolent

§  unencumbered

§  exertion

§  billowed