Name: ______
The Ponder Heart
by Eudora Welty
Characters:
Daniel Ponder – heir of the richest family in Clay County, Mississippi; likes to “give away his “possessionsbecause he doesn’t care much about money and material items; sees the good in everyone; is younger than Edna Earle, but is heruncle
Grandpa Ponder – worked hard to add to the wealth of the Ponder family; proud; doesn’t want to give awaythe family money; old-fashioned; loves his son Daniel, but worries that Daniel is not very mature
Edna Earle Ponder – the “brains of the family”; she runs the Ponder family’s hotel (called the Beulah Hotel, named after her grandmother); isnot married because she feels the need to “take care of “ everyone in the family before she thinks about herself; she becomes tired of trying to keep “Uncle Daniel” from givingaway everything that the Ponders have
DeYancey Clanahan – the Ponder family’s attorney; nicknamed “tad pole” (which he does not like people to call him)
Teacake Magee – Grandpa and Edna Earle decide that Daniel needs to settle down – and, if he got married he would settle down; they arrange for Daniel to marry Teacake Magee; she is a widow; she and Daniel have known each other since they were very young children
Bonnie Dee Peacock– a 17 year old girl whose family is LARGE, does not have much money, has little schooling, has not really every been anywhere; immature; would like to have “pretty things”
Dorris Gladney – District Attorney; would like to become more than just the District Attorney; does not want the Ponder family to have as much power in the county as it does
Narciss Wingfield – has worked for the Ponder family for a long time; very capable; is one of the few people who can drive a car
Ovid Springer – Edna Earle’s boyfriend; a traveling salesman; wants to marry Edna Earle, but she keeps telling him that she need to take care of Grandpa Ponder, or Daniel ….
Text Questions: write the correct answer(s) on the line
1. Keep in mind that Daniel introduces himself to the reader by saying: “I’m a happy person and I like to
______.
2. We all have favorite sayings; Uncle Daniel also introduces himself to us by saying: “ I’m going to
______if you don’t make me a cake soon.”
3. List 3 physical things that you see that help establish that this text is set in the 1930s:
______
4. What is “out of place” for the 1930 about the motorcycle driver who comes to make people aware of the motorcycle show – The Wall of Death – that is taking place in Clay county, Mississippi? ______
5. When Daniel Ponder is asked “WHAT DO YOU DO?”, what is his answer? ______
6. When it is implied that the Ponders are wealthy and have special privileges; their reply is “We burned our
cotton when the Yankee’s came through too.” What does “…burned our cotton..” have to do with their
wealth? Why is that their answer? ______
______
______
7. What did Daniel do to talk Elsie into getting out of her dangerous line of work? ______
______
8. The Ponders own a big house, but there is ONE THING wrong with their home. What is it?
______
9. How does Grandpa Ponder end up in the Whitfield Asylum instead of Daniel Ponder?
______
______
10. Grandpa Ponder accepts that he has a weak heart and high blood pressure; he says he knows that he
does not have much time to live. What does he make Edna Earle promise to do? ______
______
11. Daniel wants to help Bonnie Dee Peacock get a job and asks her, “What can you do?” What are the
2 things that Bonnie Dee says she can do? ______& ______.
12. Daniel lost the wedding ring he was going to give his bride (Teacake McGee). Where does Bonnie Dee
take him to get a new wedding ring? ______
13. At this point in the story, describe Bonnie Dee Peacock – not physically, but as a person, what she values,
what she seems to care about, etc.: ______
______
14. At this point in the story, would you agree that Bonnie Dee seems immature but nice? ______
15. At this point in the story, would you agree that Bonnie Dee seems to not have much education?______
16. At his point in the story, would you agree that Bonnie Dee doesn’t come from a wealthy family?______
17. At this point in the story, would you agree that Bonnie Dee doesn’t seem overly materialistic? ______
18. Who does Daniel Ponder marry ? ______
19. After the wedding, when Daniel and his new wife get to the house, his wife asks if she “can have a
______all to“herself, and then she says she thinks she Daniel ought to have atrial______.
20. What killed Grandpa Ponder? ______
______
21. When Grandpa Ponder’s will is read, he leaves: the Buick car and free gas forever to Narciss; the hotel
to Edna Earl. What does he leave Daniel? ______
22. Why won’t Bonnie Dee let Daniel put the new automatic washing machine in house?
______
23. When Bonnie Dee wants the radio turned on but she doesn’t want to get up and do it herself, what
does she tell Narciss? ______
24. Bonnie Dee’s father comes to her new house. He says his truck is broken. What does Bonnie Dee
tell him?______
25. Edna Earl and Daniel both get $20 a week as allowance from the Ponder money. When Edna Earl goes
to the bank for their $20, she finds out that Daniel has already stopped by for money and he also got
what? ______
26. The Bank Teller tells Edna Earle that Bonnie Dee and Daniel are spending more in one month, than
the Ponders spend in ______.
27. What happens that makes Bonnie Dee Peacock PONDER tell Edna Earl to get out of her house? _____
______
28. Ovid Springer (Edna Earl’s boyfriend) says that he saw Bonnie Dee in Memphis at a movie theater with
some other girls and soldiers and Bonnie Deedid what? ______
29. Why doesn’t Bonnie Dee want to answer the telephone ? ______
______
30. In the storm, why won’t Bonnie Dee let Narciss use the phone to call Daniel for help? ______
______
321 Explain how Bonnie Dee dies: ______
______
______
32. Did Edna Earl do anything to make Bonnie Dee die? ______If YES, what? ______
______
33. Did Daniel do anything to make Bonnie Dee die? ______If YES, what?______
______
34. At the funeral, Daniel tells Bonnie Dee’s father that Daniel is giving him what? ______
35. At the funeral, Daniel finds out that he is to be charged with what crime? ______
36. At the trial, Narciss testifies that she took a message from Daniel to Bonnie Dee. What did he ask
Narciss to tell Bonnie Dee?______
37. While the trial is going on, Daniel goes to the bank and asks for how much money? ______
______
38. Why did Daniel fire his attorney during the trial? ______
______
39. Why does Daniel say he “killed” Bonnie Dee ?______
______
40. In Literary Terms, Daniel’s saying “I’m going to kill you…….” Throughout the text is an example of the
author using what literary technique/ term? ______
41. Look at your answers to questions 13 – 17, there was big change between what you wrote for 13 – 17
when compared to the Bonnie Dee in questions 23 – 27. This big change in Bonnie Dee is an example
of the author creating the character Bonnie Dee using what types of Characterization?
(circle correct answers to the 3 different areas that follow -)
Direct Characterization or Indirect Characterization
Round Character or Flat Character
Dynamic or Static Character