“The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson (page 172)



“The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson (page 172)

Before Reading

How do you form an opinion of people you meet for the first time? What traits or qualities catch your attention? Make a list of at least five things you consider when you form an opinion of someone you are meeting for the first time.

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Read the Building Background section and in a sentence identify a typical trait of the literature Shirley Jackson writes.

Define mood-

Define characterization-

During Reading

1) After reading the first paragraph of this story, identify the mood that is created.

The mood created at the beginning of this story is ____________________________________.

List three words or phrases from the story that lend themselves to that mood.

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Revisit this question at the end to see if the mood changes.

2) How does Miss Strangeworth secretly warn people about “the possibility of evil”? (complete sentence)

3) How is her secret activity discovered? (complete sentence)

4) What happens to make her cry at the end of the story? (complete sentence)

After Reading

Once you have finished the story, go back to look for examples that help characterize Miss Strangeworth. Fill in the table below with qualities and quotes that give some insight into the type of person that Miss Strangeworth is.

|Characteristic |Quote with page number that proves it. |

|1. arrogant, thinks she’s better than | “… and she sometimes found herself thinking that the town belonged to her. (page 174) |

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|2. |“Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses.” (page 174) |

|3. immaculate/perfectionist | |

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5) Use the plot diagram below to plot the major events in “The Possibility of Evil.”

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