Worksheet 2: New Zealand Short Stories (1)
‘The Garden Party’, Katherine Mansfield:
1. Identify the major passages in the text that deal with the relationship between social classes, and especially Laura’s reaction to working class people.
2. What do their reactions to the accident ‘down the lane’ reveal about the different characters of Laura, Jose, Mother (Mrs Sheridan), Father (Mr Sheridan) and Laurie?
3. It is well known to critics that Mansfield often uses flowers and plants as romantic symbolism in her works, with The Prelude being perhaps the most
studied example. Can you find a possible example in ‘The Garden Party’?
4. Why do Laura and Laurie agree at the close of the narrative that life is ‘simply marvellous’, given the story’s tragic conclusion?
‘A Great Day’, Frank Sargeson:
1. What link do the two men in the story have?
2. Are there class distinctions between them?
3. Frank Sargeson was gay, though readers didn’t know this at the time. Does this affect your interpretation of ‘A Great Day’?
4. What motivates Fred to do what he does at the close of the story?
Listen to the start of The Garden Party on this youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dragTy1PqWQ
ReplyDeleteThe Garden Party - Q1
ReplyDeleteP.249 Jose said" Stop the garden party? My dear Laura, don't be so absurd.
P.251 Mother said "We should still be having our party, shouldn't we?
P.251 Laura said " Mother, isn't it really terribly heartless of us?
When Laura find out the neighborhood died, She thinks that the party should not be held.
So, She is trying to cancel the garden party. But there is no use in talking.
In the last part of this story, Laura said that 'Forgive my hat' in front of the neighbor's corpse.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is human-to-human comunication transcending the class.
The anser of No.1
ReplyDelete"If some one had died there normally - and I can't understand how they keep alive in those poky little holes - we should still be having our party, shouldn't we?"
I think this passge deal with the relationship.
"O-oh, Sadie!" said Laura, and the sound was like a little moan. She crouched down as if to warm herself at that blaze of lilies; she felt they were in her fingers, on her lips, growing in her breast.
ReplyDeleteI think this passage was wrote to reprsent the lilies as romantice symbom
No.4
ReplyDeleteThe reason the narrative to tell "life is ‘simply marvellous’" is... I think Laura and Laurie instinctively know that thare are diffrences between social classes and working class. so Laurie said that "Isn't it, darling?" to Laura.
A Great Day- Q4
ReplyDeleteFred envies Ken's muscular body and his greater success with women.
sexual jealousy would provide Fred with a direct motivation for his crime,
a motivation far more potent than simply a general feeling of envy.
The Garden party -Q3
ReplyDeleteI think, flowers and plant have many romantic symbolism in story.
For example, lawn, grass, resettes, daisy plant, roses, green bushes, gleaming leaves, clusters of yellow fruit, and lavender.
There are many meanings each others.
So we known the symbol, like feeling, atmosphere...etc
The Garden Party-No.1
ReplyDeletep.242
1.Laura wished now that she was not holding that piece of bread-and-butter, but there was nowhere to put it, and she couldn't possibly throw it away.
2.'Good morning,'she said, copying her mother' voice.
p.243
How many men that she knew would have done such a thing. Oh,how extraordinarily nice workmen were, she thought. Why couldn't she have workmen for friends rather than the silly boys she danced with and who came to Sunday night supper?
I think,in p.242,Laura wanted to have dignity to workmen because she was ashamed of what had piece of bread-and-butter and mimicked her mother's voice.
ReplyDeleteAnd, She divided social classes. For example, She thinks social classes have the privileged boys she danced with and the workmen who works in her house.
A great day-Q2
ReplyDeleteFred is working class.
He have a job and rent a room from a person.
But ken have many money and girls.
He save the money about room. Because he live in aunt house.
And he got a education, so easy to get a job.