Short Stories and Characters
goodisnaks
ShortStoryReadingAct6.pptx
Short Stories
Strategies to Enhance Your Reading of Them
How much is this 1960's supermarket cashier, Billy, like Sammy in "A & P," by John Updike
Some Overlooked Reading Strategies
Read a short story in a setting that is conducive to reading, such as a quiet spot. Then again, some of you may read most effectively when you are surrounded by activity and noise. You choose the setting.
Select the time of day that works best for you. I generally read late in the evening, but you may prefer the early morning.
Have what you need near you. You may need a dictionary, pen, and highlighter for notes; you may even need a snack and something to drink.
Selected Specific Strategies
Read the short story (or at least key parts of it) more than once.
Read a credible brief summary of the story so that you can possess a framework by which to guide your reading of the story.
Identify the narrator, and characterize him, her, or them as your read the story.
If you are provided with questions about the story, answer them as you read so that your reading has a purpose.
Create a graphic organizer to guide your reading of the text.
Read a Short Story More Than Once
If you read a short story only once, you cannot develop an understanding of its primary contents.
When I first read "A & P," by John Updike, I never really compared the personalities of the cashier and the manager. However, I did when I reread the story, and the comparison provided me with a reason to claim that the cashier quit for a legitimate reason.
Read a Credible Brief Summary
Locate a credible brief summary of the short story, and then read it. It can provide insight into the short story and thereby enhance your reading of it.
Read the summary before your reading of the short story; read it more than once if necessary.
Do not let the summary substitute for your reading of the short story. Otherwise, you forfeit an opportunity to hone selected reading skills.
Consider the Narrator
Someone narrates the events of the story, and the narrator can reveal a great deal about the actions, characters, and contents of the story.
With "A & P," by John Updike, Sammy functions as the narrator. At one point early in the story, he suggests that young ladies may have no intelligence at all, just an empty void in place of a brain—a suggestion that some readers use to argue that he is sexist.
If you agree with this argument, where else in the story does Sammy portray this same trait? Why does he think this way of the young ladies?
Answer Questions
If you are provided with questions in relation to the short story, answer them so that you can guide your reading. Create your own questions if you prefer.
With "A & P," by John Updike, someone may offer this question, "Why does Sammy quit?" Then, as you read the story, you can focus on content that provides the answer—maybe even answers.
Unless you have a photographic memory, write down the answers in the margins of the story, on a sheet of paper, or on an electronic device. After all, you may not return to them for a week.
Create a Graphic Organizer
A graphic organizer is a learning tool that allows you to visualize material, acknowledge relationships, and guide reading and thinking.
They assume may forms such as lists and outlines. Use Google to become acquainted with different types of graphic organizers.
They are not artworks. Therefore, if yours does not resemble a Rembrandt portrait, then there is no need to worry.
The next two slides supply illustrations of frequently used graphic organizers. The first one is used to show the relationship between parts of a short story; the second one is used to compare two characters.
A Graphic Organizer Showing Plot Sequence
A Graphic Organizer Showing Contrast between Two Characters
Explanation of Preceding Illustration
As the contents of the second graphic organizer are a little blurry, let me describe this organizer that I created when I read a short story with two prominent characters, such as is the case with "A & P," by John Updike.
On the left side of the page, I created a list titled after the name of one character. On that list, I recorded key personality traits and the page numbers on which those traits appear in the story. On the right side of the page, I created a similar list, but for the other character.
Once I had completed the lists, I examined their contents to determine the exact differences between the two characters.
Anything Else?
Just let me know.
Incidentally, the picture shows an American supermarket in 1966, similar to the one in "A & P," by John Updike.
