Ответы рассказ 9

Part 1

A

I don't think so, it seems to me that every parent considers his child the best thing in this world, and also the father in the story idealized his daughter too much. I think his most negative attitude towards Billy is caused by the fact that he overprotected his daughter, protected her from everyone. However, Billy was still the same child as his daughter, so it would be strange to dislike a child.

B

1. What does the father compare his daughter’s appearance to in paragraph 1?

A father compares his daughter's appearance to a work of art.

2. What does “the glass window'” in line 8 refer to?

The glass window reflects the external and internal world of the girl, how perfect she is.

3. In what ways is the daughter still “undeceived”? (line 23)

This means that the daughter does not yet know what betrayal and deception are.

4. Why is the jumping game the father and daughter play different from games like tag and hide-and-seek that they may play on other occasions? What in particular describes the jumping game’s importance?

The jumping game symbolizes the trust that people have in each other, which is why this particular game is different from others. The game creates a strong bond between parent and child.

5. What does “it” in line 73 refer to?

"It" means a neighbor's request to sit with her son for an hour.

6. Why is the father unhappy about Billy’s arrival?

He was not happy because it was the only day of the week that he could spend with his daughter, but instead Billy invaded them.

7. What are the father’s main complaints against Billy?

The father expresses dislike for Billy while he is still a child, but he already sees him as an aggressive, arrogant, insensitive extrovert.

8. What bothers the father about his daughter’s reaction to Billy’s arrival?

The father was angry that his daughter did not notice his shortcomings and when she saw Billy, she immediately forgot about playing with her father.

9. How does Billy betray the little girl?

Billy promised to catch the girl, but deliberately stepped back so that she fell.

10. What comparison is used to express the father’s reaction on seeing his daughter fall?

He compared it to a parachutist crushed like a bug when the parachute didn't open.

11. How is the daughter changed by her fall?

When she fell down and started crying, her expression changed to an angry one, she screamed how she hated Billy.

12. Why does the father speak harshly to his daughter at the end?

Because this situation shows that not everything in the world is perfect. Good-looking people can turn out to be bad, this explains why you can't trust everyone around, anyone can turn out to be a traitor. Father`s attitude to his daughter changes when gets to know treachery and fear. He starts talking to her like to grown-up girl, not innocent anymore.

Part 2

A

1. What do you think the title means? Relate your answer to a central theme in the story.

The title of the story “A long novel” is a long life which brings us a lot of surprises among which we face with difficulties and disappointment. “A short digest” is the brief summary of it.

2. What does the father’s description of his daughter in paragraph 1 reveal about his feelings toward her?

The metaphor “her delicate features were chiseled from a solid block” shows that the little girl was treated by her father like a princess, like a treasure.

3. What is the role of the sexual imagery in the story?

With this imagery he compares her to a grown-up woman, he looks at her like at an innocent woman.

4. What is the importance of the jumping game to the story? In your answer look at both occasions on which the game is played and show how the girl is affected each time.

The first case of the jumping game, when the girl was playing with her father and he always caught her, at that moment the connection between them strengthened more and more, and her confidence increased. The second case of the game happened to Billy, he stood the same way her father had stood before, and said the same thing, but Billy stepped back, watching her fall. This situation destroyed her former confidence in her, she realized that not all people would protect her like her dad.

5. What does Billy represent for the father?

Billy looked to her father like an insensitive man who would get drunk and offend girls in the future.

B

Imagery is used to create vivid pictures. It contains striking and fresh images and avoids commonly used comparisons. Adjectival or descriptive writing is a dominant element of imagery.

A metaphor is an implied comparison in which one element is described in terms of another to create a connection.

A simile is an explicit comparison that contains the words like or as.

1. The long opening paragraph of “A Short Digest of a Long Novel” contains a sustained metaphor that explains how the father sees his daughter. What is it? Explain how the metaphor is extended and reworked throughout the paragraph.

It's the metaphor “her delicate features were chiseled from a solid block” shows that the little girl was treated by her father like a princess, like a treasure. The metaphor is extended by comparing images, as the shade of hair resembled a maple, a comparison with a glass window.

2. What simile does the father use to describe his daughter’s speech? What are the implications of employing such a simile to describe a three-year-old child?

It was the simile «That were like good music, profundity expressed in terms that pleased the ear while challenging the mind». Perhaps her father's praise led to her becoming vain, even though she was only 3 years old

3. Later in the story this same simile is translated into a metaphor, applying to both Billy and the daughter. Write down the metaphor and explain its two components. What does the metaphor describing Billy’s voice reveal about the father’s feelings toward him?

The 1st simile «That were like good music, profundity expressed in terms that pleased the ear while challenging the mind». The 2nd simile «He could hear the treble if her musical laughter against the premature baritone of Billy’s guffaws»

The comparison of Billy`s and the girl`s voices shows that the father is ill disposed towards the little boy – her words «were like good music» and Billy has got the «premature baritone of his guffaws». It feels like a bucket of cold water when the daughter faces with the coldness of betrayal.

4. Pick out the simile in lines 20-21. What two elements are being compared? How does this simile reflect the father’s state of mind?

The author uses a simile «ugly and cold as unwashed dishes from last night`s dinner lying in the sink» which is referred to lies. It can`t suit the nature of lies more. The father was thinking how long his daughter would still live without lies and disappointment, it was important for him to protect her from everything bad.

5. What new metaphors can you find in lines 38-40? How' do they fit in with the way the father view's his daughter?

The metaphors «A virgin island in a lewd world» and «winged seed of innocence blown through the wasteland». He compares her to a grown-up woman. It becomes clear to the reader that the little girl is also a rare miracle and treasure upsides with women`s innocence.

6. The last paragraph contains a metaphor. Explain what is being compared.

The metaphor «These tears were as natural and as necessary». Perhaps the comparison is made with the stage of growing up, that everyone goes through this and lives on.

С

1. Do you think that the father’s jealousy is understandable?

I think so because he only had 1 day a week that he could spend with his daughter.

2. Why do you suppose the mother plays such a small role in the story?

I guess, he is divorced with the mother of the little princess. It is clear from the text, he hasn`t got the possibility to spend with his treasure as much time as he wants.

3. What effect might the father’s protectiveness have on his daughter’s development?

If her father continued to overprotect her, then in the future she would be too trusting, she would not be able to decide everything in life for herself, she would think that everyone owed her and everyone was obliged to tell her comments, as her father did, considered her an ideal.

4. In your view', did Billy’s behavior justify the father’s fears?

I think so, because in the end he hurt his daughter.

5. Do you feel that the father’s belief in his daughter’s innocent perfection is unrealistic?

No, I don’t. I think that there are such kids, who are innocent and pure. They don’t know the reality of this world and they are the reflection of an innocence.

D

1. Do fathers tend to be very protective of their daughters in your culture? If so, how does this protectiveness manifest itself?

I would not say that fathers are very caring, mothers spend most of their time with children, and fathers help with this.

2. Are small children spoiled in your country? Who spoils them more often— mothers or fathers? Is one sex more spoiled than the other?

In most cases, children are not spoiled, but if they are, then they are pampered more than dad. I think it's impossible to say exactly which gender is more spoiled, because everything is different in all families.

3. What are the traditional games parents play with small children in your country? Do you know whether any of these games are played elsewhere in the world?

Parents play hide-and-seek with children, catch-up, skipping, hopscotch. In Europe , they also play in hopscotch, hide-and-seek.

4. Do you celebrate Christmas? If yes, describe a typical Christmas in your country. If not, describe a holiday custom that particularly excited you as a child.

My family celebrates Christmas. We set the table, decorate the house with decor, after dinner we all go for a walk together.

E

It is never too early to teach a child a lesson in reality.

I agree with this statement. It is necessary to teach a child various principles and values from birth, this is education. Children learn values, first of all, by observing the example of their parents. Children learn from their parents and caregivers long before they learn to communicate. It's never too early to set an example of love, kindness and patience. Making it a priority every day to teach through your actions rather than your words can help children develop strong values they will use throughout the rest of their lives.