《英语短篇小说教程》练习参考答案Unit SevenJames Joyce: Araby1)Opinions of Understanding:(1) Which adjective is NOT proper to describe the style of the short story?A. Dreamlike.B. Poetic.C. Matter-of-fact.D. Sentimental.(2) Why does the boy want to go to the bazaar, or the “Araby,” so desperately?A. He wants to find some romantic fulfillment.B. He wants to see exotic and exciting things.C. He wants to have new experience.D. He wants to “do something” for the girl.(3) What do you think can be the theme of the story?A. Real beauty is illusory and unattainable.B. Growing up leads to loss of youthful idealism.C. True love can not survive the cruel world.D. Disillusion always accompanies romanticism.(4) Which is probably true about Mangan’s sister?A. She is a young girl of rare beauty.B. She has all the elegance because of her family and religious background.C. She is angel-like both in appearance and in nature.D. She is an ordinary girl but the narrator places his romantic fantasies on her.(5) The short story ends with the sentence: “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” What possibly has the boy suddenly realized?A. He has been behaving foolishly.B. The girl does not deserve so much of his affection.C. His uncle and aunt are heartless people.D. True beauty can not be obtained at any cost.2) Questions for Discussion:(Suggested answers for reference)(1) Why does the boy isolate himself in his room reading books and why does he retreat into dreams of idealized love? Find the contrasts between his real life and the imagined perfection.The boy’s real life:1. The living place was musty, cold, damp and gloomy.2. The neighborhood was described as being “the most hostile to romance.” (line 50)3. The rigid religious life seems to deprive a boy’s pursuit for romance, so the protagonist resorted to imagination as his escape from the day-to-day existence.3. The protagonist’s Uncle and Aunt seem accustomed to living the kind of monotonous life.The boys imagined beauty and romance:1. “I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.” (lines 48-49)2. “Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance.” (line 50)3. “I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.” (61-63)4. The girl was even nameless, being called Mangan’s sister, but she appears like an angel on earth.(2) Why is the journey to the bazaar so important to the boy? Has he taken the matter over-seriously?(The journey and the buying of something is not important in itself. What is important is the boy’s promise to Mangan’s sister. The boy regarded it as a sacred mission that he had to fulfill. It became a token of his youthful love and everything that was beautiful and ideal.)3) Explanation and Interpretation:(Identify what literary device the writer uses in each (or each pair) of the following expressions)(1) The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces. (personification)(2) a. The light … lit up the hand upon the railing.b. the lamplight (shone)… at the hand upon the railings…(symbol)(3) a. I kept her brown figure always in my eye…b. seeing nothing but the brown-clad figure cast by my imagination.. (symbol)(4) When we met in the street the houses had grown sombre. (personification)(5) Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity.(epiphany)4) Suggested Homework:In the short conversation with Mangan’s sister, the boy promised to get something for her from the bazaar. The journey made him realize something, but a promise was still a promise though the girl might not take it seriously. Suppose you were the boy and wanted to explain and apologize for not being able to fulfill your promise. Now write a few lines on a piece of paper and try to slip the letter into her hand next time you meet her.For reference only:“I think I have to humbly apologize to you for being unable to do something that I have promised. I’m sure you remember that in our last short conversation I told you I would go to the Bazaar for you and buy you a gift. However, it was unfortunate that circumstances prevented me from doing this little service for you. Please don’t feel disappointed. I seriously promise I will get you something somehow, even just to prove that I am sincere. I’ll keep that promise, and you, in the heart of mine.Truly yours”。