Board Work 1/5-

Eng III AH&H

Rise of Silas Lapham

• Describe each of these characters. How have they been characterized in the story? – Colonel Silas Lapham– Irene– Penelope– Mrs. Persis Lapham– Tom Corey– Old Corey – Mrs. Corey

• What seem to be the major conflicts for the characters in the story? (Name three). Why are these conflicts?

Lapham’s Realism

• What is particularly different about this book that makes it realism? Give examples.

• How would the characters be different if it were Romanticism? Pick three and describe how they might be if the work were Romantic.

• How would the conflicts be different if the book were Romantic?

Writing! Conclusions!

• Conclusions should wrap up the main ideas, give a feeling of cadence, and leave a memorable impression.

• Three parts to a conclusion:– Restated Thesis (RESTATED—Shorter,

different words)– Concluding ideas: So What?– Hook

So What?

• Why did the reader bother to read your essay? (Other than that it was assigned)– Application (What a reader can do with your

argument)– Alternate solution (if the essay presents a

problem or rejects a course of action)– Implementation plan (if the essay suggests a

course of action)– Similar purpose

Howell’s History

• What was going on during the late 1800’s? (Use the Orange Books or the Internet to look this up!)

• How did these events affect the story?

• What sort of historical ideas show up in the story? What can we learn about what life was like by reading Silas Lapham?

Dinner party!

• What are the major difficulties of the dinner party for the Coreys?

• What are the major difficulties of the dinner party for the Laphams?

• Why are they having a dinner party even though it makes both families uncomfortable? What does this show about the time period and the people?

Lapham Quiz

• What does Tom want his father to do at the beginning of chapter 11?

• Bromfield and Tom discuss the Lapham’s social ineptitude, saying that they are people who can’t do what?

• What does Lapham talk about when Bromfield visits?

• How does Penelope react to Mrs. Corey’s visit (afterward)?

• What does Mrs. Corey decide she needs to do with the Laphams?

Lapham Quiz 14

• What does Lapham ask Corey the next morning at work?

Lapham Quiz 17-18

• Whom does Pen tell about Corey’s proposal?

• What did Pen do that night?• What has Rogers been asking Lapham?• What does Lapham do when he’s upset

about Pen and Corey?• Where do Lapham and Mrs. Lapham go

for advice?• What advice do they receive?

Love Triangles

• How do each of the characters react to the problem of Corey and Pen? Why do they react the way they do?

• Is it a betrayal for Pen to get with Corey? If your best friend or sibling had been in love for a long time and you encouraged it, how would you feel stepping in to take his or her place?

• If you were to advise the Laphams, what would you suggest they do? Why?

Dealing with Grief

• Whom do you admire more in her dealing with grief, Irene or Penelope? Why?

• How do you deal with grief and trouble? What do you do to feel better?

Bad Friends

• Why does Rogers have such an influence on Lapham? On Mrs. Lapham? What is the result of this influence?

• What should Lapham have done with Rogers? What should he do now? Why?

• Have you ever had someone who you thought was influencing you in a bad way? What did you do about it? How do you deal with someone who is causing you trouble?

Lapham 20-21

• Why is Lapham going out west?

• What surprises Mrs. Corey when Tom tells her of his intention to marry Pen?

• What is Bromfield’s feelings about the news?

• Why aren’t the mills valuable?

• What is the moral dilemma with selling the mills to the “English parties”?

Symbolism in Lapham

• “Since New Year’s there had scarcely been a mild day, and the streets were full of snow, growing foul under the city feet and hoofs, and renewing its purity from the skies with repeated falls, which in turn lost their whiteness, beaten down, and beaten black and hard into a solid bed like iron.”

• Explain the symbols in this quote• How does it set the mood for chapter 23?• How does it relate to the characters and their

problems?

Lapham 24 quiz

• What does Bellingham talk to Corey about?• What does Pen say (repeatedly) about Corey

when she finds out he offered her father money?• What did Pen think would happen when she first

wrote to tell Corey to stay away?• Why does Lapham go to visit the new house?

What does he decide to do when he visits?• Why does Mrs. Lapham “thank the merciful

Lord” for their most recent loss?

New Houses

• What does the new house mean to Lapham? To Irene? To Penelope? To Mrs. Lapham?

• What does its loss mean to them?• At the end of chapter 24 (XXIV), Mrs.

Lapham explores a Puritan idea. Explain her reaction and how it’s similar to other examples of Puritan influence we’ve studied.

Pen and Corey

• In the middle of this chapter, Pen explains herself to Corey a little more, but still refuses to see him. Why?

• How does her family feel about her decisions? Give evidence for both her father and mother.

• How does Tom’s family feel about her decisions? Give evidence.

• How do you feel about her reactions? Are they a good couple? Or would their relationship have too many problems? What kind of problems would they have if they finally ended up together?

The Villainous Rogers!

• What does Rogers do in chapter 25 (XXV) that is underhanded? How is he manipulating the people around him? What does he use against them?

• How do things work out for him? What is your feelings toward him in the end of chapter 25? How does Lapham feel?

• Did Lapham do the right thing? Has he made a good decision?

Test Review!

• Characters:– Silas Lapham– Persis – Penelope– Irene– Tom Corey– Bromfield Corey– Mrs. Anna Corey– Mr. Sewell– Zerilla Dewey– Milton Rogers

Test Review Continued

• Themes:– Realism vs. Romanticism– Moral Victories vs. Financial Success– Paying for/Learning from the past– Social blindness

Test Review Cont.

• Realism:– Problems which appear Romantic, but with realistic

solutions– “Slice of Life” – Real people in real situations,

everyday details

• Conflict:– Tom/Irene/Penelope love triangle– The Laphams’ desire to fit into high society– The Laphams’ crumbling finances– Silas’s Moral Dilemma with Rogers and his business

deals

Test Review Format

• Matching character questions

• General plot and theme questions

• Passages:– How does the passage reflect the themes of

the book?– How does the passage reflect the conflicts of

the book?– How does the passage reflect realism?

Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

• What happens to us when we are under intense stress? What happens to our bodies? Our minds? Why?

• What does stress do to Peyton Farquhar in the story? How does it influence him, his mind, his body? (List specific details from the book, as many as you can find.)

• How does Bierce organize the story? Why does he do this? What does it emphasize?