AP ENGLISH: LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION



AP ENGLISH: LITERATURE AND COMPOSITIONAs I Lay Dying: Discussion QuestionsAfter reading the novel, answer the following questions fully with textual references where appropriate. Your answers must be typed and submitted to . 1. Discuss three major themes (not subjects) in As I Lay Dying. Which theme do you deem most important or influential? Why?2. Explain the symbolism of two of the following and detail how each symbol is important in understanding the meaning of the novel: Jewel’s horse, Vardaman’s fish, Addie’s coffin, Anse’s new teeth, Cash’s tools, New Hope Church, or the river crossing.3. Faulkner once said, “Man’s tragedy is the impossibility or at least the tremendous difficulty – of communication.” Demonstrate how As I Lay Dying supports this view.4. One of Faulkner’s typical subjects for analysis in a literary work is “the human heart in conflict with itself.” In what respect do you consider that this is a subject about which Faulkner wishes us to ponder in his novel As I Lay Dying? Give examples. 5. Even the reader of such an unusual book may be surprised to come upon Addie Bundren’s narrative on page 169, if only because Addie has been dead since page 48. Why is Addie’s narrative placed where it is, and what is the effect of hearing Addie’s voice at this point in the book? What are the issues Addie raises here, and how do these issues relate to the book as a whole?6. Anse Bundren is surely one of the most feckless (worthless, irresponsible) characters in literature, yet he alone thrives in the midst of disaster. How does he manage to command the obedience and cooperation of his children? Why are other people so generous with him? He gets his new teeth at the end of the novel, and he also gets a new wife. What is the secret of Anse’s charm? 7. This is a novel full of acts of love, not the least of which is the prolonged search in the river for Cash’s tools. Discuss some of the other ways that love is expressed among the members of the family. What compels loyalty in this family? What are the ways in which that loyalty is betrayed? 8. What does the novel reveal about the ways in which human beings deal with death, grieving, and letting go of our loved ones? ................
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