Southern Gothic Answers

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”The old woman and her daughter were sitting on their porch when Mr. Shiftlet came up their road for the first time. The old woman slid to the edge of her chair and leaned forward, shading her eyes from the piercing sunset with her hand.The characters in the excerpt are an example of

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”“It’s nothing so sweet,” Mr. Shiftlet continued, “as a boy’s mother. She taught him his first prayers at her knee, she give him love when no other would, she told him what was right and what wasn’t, and she seen that he done the right thing. Son,” he said, “I never rued a day in my life like the one I rued when I left that old mother of mine.”What is ironic about Mr. Shiftlet’s comments?

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly.Which phrase connects these characters to the Southern gothic genre?

Read the sentence from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”The ugly words settled in Mr. Shiftlet’s head like a group of buzzards in the top of a tree.How does the simile in the sentence develop the Southern gothic character of Mr. Shiftlet?

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”They drove back to the house to let the old woman off and pick up the lunch. When they were ready to leave, she stood staring in the window of the car, with her fingers clenched around the glass. Tears began to seep sideways out of her eyes and run along the dirty creases in her face. “I ain’t ever been parted with her for two days before,” she said.Which best describes the irony in the excerpt?

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”The boy bent over her and stared at the long pink-gold hair and the half-shut sleeping eyes. Then he looked up and stared at Mr. Shiftlet. “She looks like an angel of Gawd,” he murmured.“Hitch-hiker,” Mr. Shiftlet explained. “I can’t wait. I got to make Tuscaloosa.” The boy bent over again and very carefully touched his finger to a strand of the golden hair and Mr. Shiftlet left.Which statement most accurately represents the excerpt’s larger idea?

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”The daughter could not see far in front of her and continued to play with her fingers. Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly to the side as if the breeze were pushing him. He had on a black town suit and a brown felt hat that was turned up in the front and down in the back and he carried a tin tool box by a handle. He came on, at an amble, up her road, his face turned toward the sun which appeared to be balancing itself on the peak of a small mountain.What technique does O’Connor use in the paragraph to create compelling characters?

Which type of Southern gothic character is represented in O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”?

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”They drove back to the house to let the old woman off and pick up the lunch. When they were ready to leave, she stood staring in the window of the car, with her fingers clenched around the glass. Tears began to seep sideways out of her eyes and run along the dirty creases in her face. “I ain’t ever been parted with her for two days before,” she said.Which best describes the irony in the excerpt?

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”“My only,” the old woman said, “and she’s the sweetest girl in the world. I wouldn’t give her up for nothing on earth. She’s smart too. She can sweep the floor, cook, wash, feed the chickens, and hoe. I wouldn’t give her up for a casket of jewels.”Which best describes the irony of the excerpt?