Download - The Catbird Seat by James Thurber
The Catbird SeatJames Thurber
Jesper SilvaBSEd II-A, English
JAMES THURBERNotable Life Experiences: Both of his parents
greatly influenced his work.
William Tell shot James in the eye with an arrow, and Thurber lost that eye.
Genre: Short stories, cartoons, essays
JAMES THURBERNotable Works: My Life and Hard Times
"The Dog That Bit People" "The Night the Bed Fell"
CLASSICS The Secret Life of Walter Mitty The Catbird Seat A Couple of Hamburgers The Greatest Man in the World
If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomattox
75 fables The New Yorker (1939)Fables for Our Time &
Famous Poems Illustrated (1940)
Further Fables for Our Times (1956)
PROSE IN THE NEW YORKER Humurous essays
JAMES THURBER
WRITING STYLE: Full of sophistication, charm and wit,
his stories and essays manifest a comic style that is never folksy but still quintessentially American.
NOTABLE AWARD: Thurber won a special Tony Award for
the adapted script of the Carnival.
JAMES THURBER
LEGACY: Established in 1997, the annual
Thurber Prize honors outstanding examples of American humor.
DEATH: 66 Pneumonia
JAMES THURBER
ON THE PROCESS . . .
WORD GAME: DIAL IT!5—2—7777—7—33—777gemstone: a red, iron-bearing chalcedony.
JASPER
CODES1. 222—88—66—66—444—66—42. 333—2—555—555—444—22—555—333. 7—777—666—333—2—66—33—34. 2—7—7—2—555—555—33—35. 7-33—222—222—2-3—444—555—555—666
ANSWERS
1. CUNNING2. FALLIBLE3. PROFANED4. APALLED5. PECADILLO
CHARACTERS Mr. Erwin Martin - decides he must
kill Mrs. Barrows
Mrs. Ulgine Barrows - an assistant that is redoing the format of the company
Mr. Fitweiler - the owner of the company
Miss Paird - Mr. Fitweiler's other assistant
TRIVIASatire Vices, follies, abuses, and
shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government or society itself, into improvement.
To draw attention to both particular and wider issues in society using wit
TRIVIA Strong irony or sarcasm but parody,
burlesque, exaggeration, juxtaposition, comparison, analogy, and double entendre are all frequently used in satirical speech and writing
Jesper SilvaBSEd II-A, English
TRIVIA GAME
Who wrote The Catbird Seat?1
James ThuberJames Patrick Sayao
James ThurberJames Caesar Ventura
Who is the antagonist in the satire?2
Mr. Erwin MartinJames Thurber
Mr. FitweilerMrs. Ulgine Barrows
Who was Thurber’s inspiration for most of his characters in his stories?
3His friendHis fatherHis brotherHis mother
What genre of literature does The Catbird Seat
belongs?4
Short StoryNovelSatireEssay
James Thurber is known for being a _________.5
DramatistKiller
Great teacherHumorist
This is an illness which James Thurber has.6
Ebola VirusCharles Bonnet
syndromeFeverCharles Bronté
syndrome
Who is the protagonist in the story?7
Mr. Erwin MartinJames Thurber
Mr. FitweilerMrs. Ulgine Barrows
He maybe inherited his comic ability from his
_______.8
PetCrush
BrotherMother
In the satire, he is the boss.9
Dr. Ronald Candy LasatenMr. Fitweiler
Mr. Erwin MartinJesper Silva
He was the cause of James Thurber’s lost
vision.10
WilliamTony
RobertMr. Martin
AnalysisJesper Silva
BSEd II-A, English
Catbird Seat• phrase
meaning to be sitting pretty, or in a good position
What’s with the title?
Literal
Section One“Planning the Mysterious Revenge”
What is the point of view?Describe the main character.Why is it that the main
character has a plan?Does the main character
need to grow out of something (Stop) or grow into something (Start)?
VOCABULARY STOPRub out – fixing a mistake
Ex. 2.Mr. Martin had decided to rub out Mrs. Ulgine Barrows.
Tearing up the pea patch – to go on a rampageEx. 4.Are you tearing up the pea patch?
Expression of Red Barber, an announcer, over the radio about
Dodger games
Section Two“The Revelation”
How did Mrs. Barrows entered the scene?
Why is Mrs. Barrows plan to reorganize the company?
What is the problem in the story?
What is the goal?What is the conflict?
Section Three“The Revenge”
What is the main character’s approach to solving problems? Does he at first confront a dilemma head-on (Do-er), or does he adapt himself to the situation at hand (Be-er)?
Section Four“Facing a Crossroad”
What was the original plan of Mr. Martin?
Why did he tend to change it all of a sudden?
Section Five“The Trophy Laughter”
At the end of the story, has the main character changed or remained the same?
Is the outcome of the story a success or a failure?
Reflection
What can you observe from the way James Thurber described Mrs. Ulgine Barrows?
Do you agree that the satire should be titled The Catbird Seat? Why?
What is your insight from the satire?