NOTES AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY

THE RIGHT PROMETHEAN FIRE

In Greek mythology, the work of creating living things was entrusted to two of the gods, Epimetheus and Prometheus. Epimetheus gave to the different animals various powers, to the lion strength, to the bird swiftness, to the fox sagacity, and so on until all the good gifts had been bestowed, and there was nothing left for man. Then Prometheus ascended to heaven and brought down fire, as his gift to man. With this, man could protect himself, could forge iron to make weapons, and so in time develop the arts of civilization. In this story the "Promethean Fire" of love is the means of giving little Emmy Lou her first lesson in reading.

1. A test that may be applied to any story is, Does it read as if it were true? Would the persons in the story do the things they are represented as doing? Test the acts of Billy Traver in this way, and see if they are probable.

2. In writing stories about children, a writer must have the power to present life as a child sees it. Point out places in this story where school life is described as it appears to a new pupil.

3. One thing we ought to gain from our reading is a larger vocabulary. In this story there are a number of words worth adding to our stock. Define these exactly: inquisitorial; lachrymose; laconic; surreptitious; contumely.

Get the habit of looking up new words and writing down their meanings.

4. Can you write a story about a school experience?

5. Other books containing stories of school life are:

Little Aliens, Myra Kelly; May Iverson Tackles Life, Elizabeth Jordan; Ten to Seventeen, Josephine Daskam Bacon; Closed Doors, Margaret P. Montague. Read a story from one of these books, and compare it with this story.

THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE

Central Park, New York, covers an era of more than eight hundred acres, with a zoo and several small lakes. On one of the lakes there are large boats with a huge wooden swan on each side. Richard Harding Davis located one of his stories here: See "Van Bibber and the Swan Boats," in the volume called Van Bibber and Others.

1. How is this story like the preceding one? What difference in the characters? What difference in their homes?

2. How does Myra Kelly make you feel sympathy for the little folks? In what ways have their lives been less fortunate than the lives of children in your town?

3. What is peculiar about the talk of these children? Do they all speak the same dialect? Many of the children of the East Side never hear English spoken at home.

4. What touches of humor are there in this story?

5. What new words do you find? Define garrulous, pedagogically, cicerone.

6. Where did Miss Kelly get her materials for this story? See the life on page 37.

7. What other stories by this author have you read? This is from Little Citizens; other books telling about the same characters are Little Aliens, and Wards of Liberty.

8. Other books of short stories dealing with children are: Whilomville Stories, by Stephen Crane; The Golden Age, by Kenneth Grahame; The Madness of Philip, by Josephine Daskam Bacon; The King of Boyville, by William Allen White; New Chronicles of Rebecca, by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Read one of these, and compare it with Myra Kelly's story.

THE TENOR

1. Point out the humorous touches in this story.

2. Is the story probable? To answer this, consider two points: would Louise have undertaken such a thing as answering the advertisement? and would she have had the spirit to act as she did at the close? Note the touches of description and characterization of Louise, and show how they prepare for the events that follow.

3. One of the most effective devices in art is the use of contrast; that is, bringing together two things or persons or ideas that are very different, perhaps the exact opposite of each other. Show that the main effect of this story depends on the use of contrast.

4. Read the paragraph on page 43 beginning, "It happened to be a French tenor." Give in your own words the thought of this paragraph. Is it true? Can you give examples of it?

5. Compare the length of this story with that of others in the book. Which authors get their effects in a small compass? Could any parts of this story be omitted?

6. Other stories by H. C. Bunner that you will enjoy are "The Love Letters of Smith" and "A Sisterly Scheme" in Short Sixes.

THE PASSING OF PRISCILLA WINTHROP

1. Does the title fit the story well? Why?

2. Notice the familiar, almost conversational style. Is it suited to the story? Why?

3. Show how the opening paragraph introduces the main idea of the story.

4. To make a story there must be a conflict of some sort. What is the conflict here?

5. How does the account of Julia Neal's career as a teacher (page 64) prepare for the ending of the story?

6. Do you have a clear picture in your mind of Mrs. Winthrop? Of Mrs. Worthington? Why did not the author tell about their personal appearance?

7. Point out humorous touches in the next to the last paragraph.

8. Is this story true to life? Who is the Priscilla Winthrop of your town?

9. What impression do you get of the man behind this story? Do you think he knew the people of his town well? Did he like them even while he laughed at them? What else can you say about him?

10. Other books of short stories dealing with life in a small town are: Pratt Portraits, by Anna Fuller; Old Chester Tales, by Margaret Deland; Stories of a Western Town, by Octave Thanet; In a Little Town, by Rupert Hughes; Folks Back Home, by Eugene Wood; Friendship Village, by Zona Gale; Bodbank, by Richard W. Child. Read one of these books, or a story from one, and compare it with this story.

11. In what ways does life in a small town differ from life in a large city?

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

This story, taken from the volume called The Four Million, is a good example of O. Henry's method as a short-story writer. It is notable for its brevity. The average length of the modern short story is about five thousand words; O. Henry uses a little over one thousand words. This conciseness is gained in several ways. In his descriptions, he has the art of selecting significant detail. When Della looks out of the window, instead of describing fully the view that met her eyes, he says: "She looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard." A paragraph could do no more. Again, the beginning of the story is quick, abrupt. There is no introduction. The style is often elliptical; in the first paragraph half the sentences are not sentences at all. But the main reason for the shortness of the story lies in the fact that the author has included only such incidents and details as are necessary to the unfolding of the plot. There is no superfluous matter.

Another characteristic of O. Henry is found in the unexpected turns of his plots. There is almost always a surprise in his stories, usually at the end. And yet this has been so artfully prepared for that we accept it as probable. Our pleasure in reading his stories is further heightened by the constant flashes of humor that light up his pages. And beyond this, he has the power to touch deeper emotions. When Della heard Jim's step on the stairs, "she turned white just for a moment. She had a habit of saying little silent prayers about the simplest things, and now she whispered, 'Please God, make him think I am still pretty.'" One reads that with a little catch in the throat.

In his plots, O. Henry is romantic; in his settings he is a realist. Della and Jim are romantic lovers, they are not prudent nor calculating, but act upon impulse. In his descriptions, however, he is a realist. The eight-dollar-a-week flat, the frying pan on the back of the stove, the description of Della "flopping down on the couch for a cry," and afterwards "attending to her cheeks with the powder-rag,"—all these are in the manner of realism.

And finally, the tone of his stories is brave and cheerful. He finds the world a most interesting place, and its people, even its commonplace people, its rogues, its adventurers, are drawn with a broad sympathy that makes us more tolerant of the people we meet outside the books.

1. Compare the beginning of this story with the beginning of "Bitter-Sweet." What difference do you note?

2. Select a description of a person that shows the author's power of concise portraiture.

3. What is the turn of surprise in this story? What other stories in this book have a similar twist at the end?

4. What is the central thought of this story?

5. Other stories of O. Henry's that ought not to be missed are "An Unfinished Story" and "The Furnished Room" in The Four Million; "A Blackjack Bargainer" in Whirligigs; "Best Seller" and "The Rose of Dixie" in Options; "A Municipal Report" in Strictly Business; "A Retrieved Reformation" in Roads of Destiny; and "Hearts and Crosses" in Hearts of the West.

THE GOLD BRICK

This story, first published in the American Magazine, was reprinted in a volume called The Gold Brick, published in 1910. The quotation "chip at crusts like Hindus" is from Robert Browning's poem "Youth and Art." The reference to "Old Walt" at the end of the story is to Walt Whitman, one of the great poets of democracy.

1. To make a story interesting, there must be a conflict. In this the conflict is double: the outer conflict, between the two political factions, and the inner conflict, in the soul of the artist. Note how skilfully this inner struggle is introduced: at the moment when Kittrell is first rejoicing over his new position, he feels a pang at leaving the Post, and what it stood for. This feeling is deepened by his wife's tacit disapproval; it grows stronger as the campaign progresses, until the climax is reached in the scene where he resigns his position.

2. If you knew nothing about the author, what could you infer from this story about his political ideals? Did he believe in democracy? Did he have faith in the good sense of the common people? Did he think it was worth while to make sacrifices for them? What is your evidence for this?

3. How far is this story true to life, as you know it? Do any newspapers in your city correspond to the Post? To the Telegraph? Can you recall a campaign in which the contest was between two such groups as are described here?

4. Does Whitlock have the art of making his characters real? Is this true of the minor characters? The girl in the flower shop, for instance, who appears but for a moment,—is she individualized? How?

5. Is there a lesson in this story? State it in your own words.

6. What experiences in Whitlock's life gave him the background for this story?

7. What new words did you gain from this? Define meritricious; prognathic; banal; vulpine; camaraderie; vilification; ennui; quixotic; naïve; pharisaism. What can you say of Whitlock's vocabulary?

8. Other good stories dealing with politics are found in Stratagems and Spoils, by William Allen White.

HIS MOTHER'S SON

1. Note the quick beginning of the story; no introduction, action from the start. Why is this suitable to this story?

2. Why is slang used so frequently?

3. Point out examples of humor in the story.

4. In your writing, do you ever have trouble in finding just the right word? Note on page 123 how Edna Ferber tries one expression after another, and how on page 122 she finally coins a word—"unadjectivable." What does the word mean?

5. Do you have a clear picture of Emma McChesney? Of Ed Meyers? Note that the description of Meyers in the office is not given all at once, but a touch here and then. Point out all these bits of description of this person, and note how complete the portrait is.

6. What have you learned in this story about the life of a traveling salesman?

7. What qualities must a good salesman possess?

8. Was Emma McChesney a lady? Was Ed Meyers a gentleman? Why do you think so?

9. This story is taken from the book called Roast Beef, Medium. Other good books of short stories by this author are Personality Plus, and Cheerful—by Request.

BITTER-SWEET

1. Note the introduction, a characteristic of all of Fannie Hurst's stories. What purpose does it serve here? What trait of Gertie's is brought out? Is this important to the story?

2. From the paragraph on page 139 beginning "It was into the trickle of the last——" select examples that show the author's skill in the use of words. What other instances of this do you note in the story?

3. Read the sketch of the author. What episode in her life gave her material for parts of this story?

4. Notice how skillfully the conversation is handled. The opening situation developes itself entirely through dialogue, yet in a perfectly natural way. It is almost like a play rather than a story. If it were dramatized, how many scenes would it make?

5. What does the title mean? Does the author give us the key to its meaning?

6. What do you think of Gertie as you read the first part of the conversation in the restaurant? Does your opinion of her change at the end of the story? Has her character changed?

7. Is the ending of the story artistic? Why mention the time-clock? What had Gertie said about it?

8. State in three or four words the central idea of the story. Is it true to life?

9. What is the meaning of these words: atavism; penumbra; semaphore; astigmatic; insouciance; mise-en-scene; kinetic?

10. Other books of stories dealing with life in New York City are The Four Million, and The Voice of the City, by O. Henry; Van Bibber and Others, by Richard Harding Davis; Every Soul Hath Its Song, by Fannie Hurst; Doctor Rast, by James Oppenheim.

THE RIVERMAN

1. In how many scenes is this story told? What is the connection between them?

2. Is there anything in the first description of Dicky Darrell that gives you a slight prejudice against him?

3. Why was the sympathy of the crowd with Jimmy Powers in the birling match?

4. Comment on Jimmy's remark at the end of the story. Did he mean it, or is he just trying to turn away the praise?

5. What are the characteristics of a lumberman, as seen in Jimmy Powers?

6. Read the sketch of Stewart Edward White, and decide which one of his books you would like to read.

FLINT AND FIRE

1. What does the title mean?

2. How does the author strike the keynote of the story in the opening paragraph?

3. Where is the first hint of the real theme of the story?

4. Point out some of the dialect expressions. Why is dialect used?

5. What turn of surprise comes at the end of the story? Is it probable?

6. What characteristics of New England country people are brought out in this story? How does the author contrast them with "city people"?

7. Does this story read as if the author knew the scenes she describes? Read the description of Niram plowing (page 191), and point out touches in it that could not have been written by one who had always lived in the city.

8. Read the account of how this story was written, (page 210). What first suggested the idea? What work remained after the story was first written? How did the author feel while writing it? Compare what William Allen White says about his work, (page 75).

9. Other stories of New England life that you will enjoy reading are found in the following books: New England Nun, Mary E. Wilkins; Cape Cod Folks, S. P. McLean Greene; Pratt Portraits, Anna Fuller; The Country Road, Alice Brown; Tales of New England, Sarah Orne Jewett.

THE ORDEAL AT MT. HOPE

1. This story contains three characters who are typical of many colored people, and as such are worth study. Howard Dokesbury is the educated colored man of the North. What are the chief traits of this character?

2. Aunt Caroline is the old-fashioned darky who suggests slavery days. What are her chief characteristics?

3. 'Lias is the new generation of the Southern negro of the towns. What are his characteristics?

4. Is the colored American given the same rights as others? Read carefully the opening paragraph of the story.

5. What were the weaknesses of the colored people of Mt. Hope? How far are they true of the race? How were they overcome in this case?

6. There are two theories about the proper solution of what is called "The Negro Problem." One is, that the hope of the race lies in industrial training; the other theory, that they should have higher intellectual training, so as to develope great leaders. Which theory do you think Dunbar held? Why do you think so?

7. Other stories dealing with the life of the colored people are: Free Joe, and Tales of the Home Folks, by Joel Chandler Harris; Polished Ebony, by Octavius R. Cohen; Aunt Amity's Silver Wedding, by Ruth McEnery Stuart; In Ole Virginia, by Thomas Nelson Page.

ISRAEL DRAKE

The Pennsylvania State Police have made a wonderful record for maintaining law and order in the rural sections of the state. The history of this organization was told by Katherine Mayo in a book called Justice to All. In a later book, The Standard Bearers, she tells various incidents which show how these men do their work. The book is not fiction—the story here told happened just as it is set down, even the names of the troopers are their real names.

1. Do you get a clear picture of Drake from the description? Why are several pages given to telling his past career?

2. Where does the real story begin?

3. Who was the tramp at the Carlisle Station? When did you guess it?

4. What are the principles of the State Police, as you see them in this story?

5. Why was such an organization necessary? Is there one in your state?

6. What new words did you find in this story? Define aura, primeval, grisly.

THE STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPH OF ISIDRO

In this story the author introduces a number of unfamiliar words, chiefly of Spanish origin, which are current in the Philippines. The meanings are given below.

baguio, hurricane. barrio, ward; district. carabao, a kind of buffalo, used as a work animal. cabo, head officer. cibay, a boys' game. daledale, hurry up! de los Reyes, of the King. de la Cruz, of the cross. hacienda, a large plantation. ladrones, robbers. maestro, teacher. nipa, a palm tree or the thatch made from it. palay, rice. pronto, quickly. pueblo, town. que barbaridad!—what an atrocious thing! volador, kite.

1. Why does the story end with Isidro's crying? What did this signify? What is the relation of this to the beginning of the story?

2. Has this story a central idea? What is it?

3. This might be called a story of local color, in that it gives in some detail the atmosphere of an unfamiliar locality. What are the best descriptive passages in the story?

4. Judging from this story, what are some of the difficulties a school teacher meets with in the Philippines? What must he be besides a teacher?

5. What other school stories are there in this book? The pupils in Emmy Lou's school, (in Louisville, Ky.) are those with several generations of American ancestry behind them; in Myra Kelly's story, they are the children of foreign parents; in this story they are still in a foreign land—that is, a land where they are not surrounded by American influences. The public school is the one experience that is common to them all, and therefore the greatest single force in bringing them all to share in a common ideal, to reverence the great men of our country's history, and to comprehend the meaning of democracy. How does it do these things?

THE CITIZEN

1. During the war, President Wilson delivered an address at Philadelphia to an audience of men who had just been made citizens. The quoted passages in this story are taken from this speech. Read these passages, and select the one which probably gave the author the idea for this story.

2. Starting with the idea, that he would write a story about someone who followed a dream to America, why should the author choose Russia as the country of departure?

3. Having chosen Russia, why does he make Ivan a resident of a village far in the interior? Why not at Libau?

4. Two incidents are told as occurring on the journey: the charge of the police at Bobrinsk, and the coming on board of the apple woman at Queenstown. Why was each of these introduced? What is the purpose of telling the incident on Fifth Avenue?

5. What have you learned about the manner in which this story was written? Compare it with the account given by Dorothy Canfield as to how she wrote her story.

6. What is the main idea in this story? Why do you think it was written? Edward Everett Hale wrote a story called "A Man without a Country." Suggest another title for "The Citizen."

7. Has this story in any way changed your opinion of immigrants? Is Big Ivan likely to meet any treatment in America that will change his opinion of the country?

8. The part of this story that deals with Russia affords a good example of the use of local color. This is given partly through the descriptions, partly through the names of the villagers—Poborino, Yanansk, Dankov; partly through the Russian words, such as verst (about three quarters of a mile), ruble (a coin worth fifty cents), kopeck (a half cent), muzhik (a peasant). How is local color given in the conversations?

9. For a treatment of the theme of this story in poetry, read "Scum o' the Earth," by Robert Haven Schauffler, in Rittenhouse's Little Book of Modern Verse. This is the closing stanza: