"Afternoon in Linen" By: Shirley Jackson
Interpretive Questions: Be sure to answer all questions in complete sentences using quotes to support.
1.) Why does Harriet refuse to play the piano or recite her poems?
Harriet refuses to play the piano or recite her poems because she doesn't want Howard making fun of her. "Howard couldn't contain himself any longer. Harriet writes poems about stars!" (p. 157)
2.) Even before she is asked to, why does Harriet decide she won’t play the piano?
She decides she won't play the piano because she doesn't want to feel embarrassed. "He is bigger than I am, she thought, but I'm older. I'm ten. If they ask me to play the piano for them now, I'll say no." (p. 154)
3.) Why is Harriet worried that Howard will tell “all the kids on the block” about her poems? (p. 155)
She is worried because if Howard tells "all the kids on the block" (p. 155) about her poems everyone will make fun of her.
4.) Why does Harriet insist she copied the poem out of a book?
Harriet insisted she copied it out of a book because she didn't want to feel embarrassed. "I copied it right out of a book."(p.158)
5.) Why does Harriet take the poems away from her grandmother and say, “And you can’t look at them anymore, either”? (p. 158)
Harriet takes the poems away from her grandma and says, "And you can't look at them anymore, either" (p. 158) because she knows that Howard is laughing at her so she doesn't want her grandma to embarrass her anymore.
6.) Is Harriet’s grandmother ignoring Harriet’s feelings, or is she unaware of them?
Harriet's grandma is unaware of Harriet's feelings because she thinks Harriet writing poems and playing the piano for other people is cute, Harriet thinks it's embarrassing.
7.) When Harriet will not play the piano, why does her grandmother insist that she recite her poems?
Harriet's grandma insists she recites her poems instead when Harriet refuses to play the piano because she wants to show Howard's mom that Harriet has a talent. "I think we ought to show her our really fine achievements on the other line."(p.155)
8.) When Howard gives her the poems, why does Harriet’s grandmother “kindly” ask Harriet, “Will you read them or shall I”? (p. 156)
Harriet's grandmother "kindly" asks Harriet, "Will you read them or shall I" (p. 156) because she knows that Harriet is refusing to play the piano and saying that she doesn't write poems, so the grandma thinks she will refuse to say the poems.
9.) After reading the poem, why does Harriet’s grandmother ask, “Now aren’t you sorry you made such a fuss about such a little thing”? (p. 157) Harriet's grandmother asks Harriet, "Now are you sorry you made such a fuss about such a little thing" (p. 157) because the grandma thinks its just a little thing but Harriet thinks it's a big deal.
10.) Why does Harriet’s grandmother apologize to Mrs. Kator for having read her the poem “under false pretenses”? (p. 158)
Harriet's grandmother apologizes to Mrs. Kator for having read the poem "under false pretenses" (p. 158) because she thought Harriet wrote the poem from out of her mind but now Harriet is lying about coping it out of a book.
Vocabulary:
1.) Recite (p. 155)
Quote: " 'I'm going to recite them to you, because I feel, even though I may be prejudiced' -she laughed modestly- 'even though I probably am prejudiced, that they show real merit.' " (p. 155)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): repeat orally
Synonym: declaim
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): I will recite this paragraph.
2.) Prejudiced (p. 155)
Quote: " 'I'm going to recite them to you, because I feel, even though I may be prejudiced' -she laughed modestly- 'even though I probably am prejudiced, that they show real merit.' " (p. 155)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): biased
Synonym: bigoted
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): I am prejudiced about my talents.
3.) Merit (p. 155)
Quote: " 'I'm going to recite them to you, because I feel, even though I may be prejudiced' -she laughed modestly- 'even though I probably am prejudiced, that they show real merit.' " (p. 155)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): talent
Synonym: quality
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): My merit is hockey, chess, and video games.
4.) Pretenses (p. 158)
Quote: " 'I'm afraid I must apologize for Harriet and for reading you the poem under false pretenses.' " (p. 158)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): make something false appear true
Synonym: acting
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The pretenses about the UFO are not true.
5.) Deprecatingly (p. 158)
Quote: " 'Oh, they do,' Mrs. Kator said deprecatingly."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): disapprovingly
Synonym: disapprovingly
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The coach deprecatingly yelled at the team.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when Harriet’s behavior seems reasonable and when her behavior seems unreasonable. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
Harriet’s Behavior Seems Reasonable V. Harriet’s Behavior See
1.) Why does Harriet refuse to play the piano or recite her poems?
Harriet refuses to play the piano or recite her poems because she doesn't want Howard making fun of her. "Howard couldn't contain himself any longer. Harriet writes poems about stars!" (p. 157)
2.) Even before she is asked to, why does Harriet decide she won’t play the piano?
She decides she won't play the piano because she doesn't want to feel embarrassed. "He is bigger than I am, she thought, but I'm older. I'm ten. If they ask me to play the piano for them now, I'll say no." (p. 154)
3.) Why is Harriet worried that Howard will tell “all the kids on the block” about her poems? (p. 155)
She is worried because if Howard tells "all the kids on the block" (p. 155) about her poems everyone will make fun of her.
4.) Why does Harriet insist she copied the poem out of a book?
Harriet insisted she copied it out of a book because she didn't want to feel embarrassed. "I copied it right out of a book."(p.158)
5.) Why does Harriet take the poems away from her grandmother and say, “And you can’t look at them anymore, either”? (p. 158)
Harriet takes the poems away from her grandma and says, "And you can't look at them anymore, either" (p. 158) because she knows that Howard is laughing at her so she doesn't want her grandma to embarrass her anymore.
6.) Is Harriet’s grandmother ignoring Harriet’s feelings, or is she unaware of them?
Harriet's grandma is unaware of Harriet's feelings because she thinks Harriet writing poems and playing the piano for other people is cute, Harriet thinks it's embarrassing.
7.) When Harriet will not play the piano, why does her grandmother insist that she recite her poems?
Harriet's grandma insists she recites her poems instead when Harriet refuses to play the piano because she wants to show Howard's mom that Harriet has a talent. "I think we ought to show her our really fine achievements on the other line."(p.155)
8.) When Howard gives her the poems, why does Harriet’s grandmother “kindly” ask Harriet, “Will you read them or shall I”? (p. 156)
Harriet's grandmother "kindly" asks Harriet, "Will you read them or shall I" (p. 156) because she knows that Harriet is refusing to play the piano and saying that she doesn't write poems, so the grandma thinks she will refuse to say the poems.
9.) After reading the poem, why does Harriet’s grandmother ask, “Now aren’t you sorry you made such a fuss about such a little thing”? (p. 157) Harriet's grandmother asks Harriet, "Now are you sorry you made such a fuss about such a little thing" (p. 157) because the grandma thinks its just a little thing but Harriet thinks it's a big deal.
10.) Why does Harriet’s grandmother apologize to Mrs. Kator for having read her the poem “under false pretenses”? (p. 158)
Harriet's grandmother apologizes to Mrs. Kator for having read the poem "under false pretenses" (p. 158) because she thought Harriet wrote the poem from out of her mind but now Harriet is lying about coping it out of a book.
Vocabulary:
1.) Recite (p. 155)
Quote: " 'I'm going to recite them to you, because I feel, even though I may be prejudiced' -she laughed modestly- 'even though I probably am prejudiced, that they show real merit.' " (p. 155)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): repeat orally
Synonym: declaim
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): I will recite this paragraph.
2.) Prejudiced (p. 155)
Quote: " 'I'm going to recite them to you, because I feel, even though I may be prejudiced' -she laughed modestly- 'even though I probably am prejudiced, that they show real merit.' " (p. 155)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): biased
Synonym: bigoted
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): I am prejudiced about my talents.
3.) Merit (p. 155)
Quote: " 'I'm going to recite them to you, because I feel, even though I may be prejudiced' -she laughed modestly- 'even though I probably am prejudiced, that they show real merit.' " (p. 155)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): talent
Synonym: quality
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): My merit is hockey, chess, and video games.
4.) Pretenses (p. 158)
Quote: " 'I'm afraid I must apologize for Harriet and for reading you the poem under false pretenses.' " (p. 158)
Definition (based on context/in your own words): make something false appear true
Synonym: acting
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The pretenses about the UFO are not true.
5.) Deprecatingly (p. 158)
Quote: " 'Oh, they do,' Mrs. Kator said deprecatingly."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): disapprovingly
Synonym: disapprovingly
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The coach deprecatingly yelled at the team.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when Harriet’s behavior seems reasonable and when her behavior seems unreasonable. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
Harriet’s Behavior Seems Reasonable V. Harriet’s Behavior See
- Harriet's behavior is reasonable when she takes the poems from grandma because she doesn't want to get embarrassed anymore.
- Harriet's behavior is reasonable when she says I don't know any piano songs because she doesn't want to be embarrassed. - Harriet's behavior is reasonable when she says I copied the poem out of a book. - Harriet's behavior is reasonable when she says she doesn't know any poems because she doesn't want to be humiliated. - Harriet's behavior is reasonable when she doesn't apologize to Howard and his mom because she wanted them to believe that she really copied it out of a book. |
- Harriet's behavior is unreasonable when she takes the poems away from her grandmother which was rude.
- Harriet's behavior is unreasonable when she doesn't play the piano just because she is older than Howard. - Harriet's behavior is unreasonable when she lies about coping it off a book. - Harriet's behavior is unreasonable when she lies to her grandma she doesn't have any poems. - Harriet's behavior is unreasonable when she lies to her grandma that she doesn't know any songs on the piano. |