Small Island Jordan Stackhouse

Jordan Stackhouse

Small Island

1.       What are the effects of the changes in perspective? Begins with Queenie as a girl and the encounter with the Black gentlemen (is there significance in how the author chose to start the story?) The quick shift to Hortense’s view

2.       England from a non-English perspective and how it relates to other novels we have read so far in class.

3.       Author’s decision to jump backwards and forwards in time. (introduction of characters indirect) We seem to get pieces of information handed to us at different times and are left to put it all together

4.       The dialect: does it take away from the book from loss of understanding or add to the novel, making it more realistic

5.       “My Antonia”-esque in the way that Michael and Hortense relate to one another (Gender roles)

6.       Perspectives of the different races being quite different when told by people of opposite race. Pg. 38 when Hortense describes Mrs. Ryder, Queenie’s perspective of the Black man

7.       Michael and Mrs. Ryder’s secret relationship and Mr. Ryder’s Death (46)

8.       Was that a dream on page 53? What do we make of this?

9.       Gilbert’s initial offer was for Celia, their connection was strong, but he quickly traded her for Hortense…

Quotes:

·         “As we hung right at the top-the twinkling electric lights below mingling with the stars-Father said something I will never forget. He said, ‘See here Queenie. Look around. You’ve got the whole world at your feet, lass.’

·         “He left me alone to stare on just this.”

·         Bottom of Page 33

·         “But this big-ideas man had no money. He had spent all his money, he confided to me, on bees.”

·         Page 83 third paragraph Expectation of England vs. Reality that we previously discovered

·         Page 86 Sexual encounter with her new husband