The+Portable+Phonograph

Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: The Portable Phonograph Point of View:

Protagonist: Dr. Jenkins What type of character is the Protagonist? Round, Static

Antagonist: Himself, they are trying to compete with the conflicting emotions of the past.

Describe the setting It is cold, quiet, set somewhere on the prairie. Remnants of a great battle are scattered around the area.

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Himself

Describe the main conflict: The Men are confined in a specific area, after surviving through a battle, and are making the use of what they have. They are looking toward the future positively, and forgetting the recent past.

Describe the Climax of the Story: The Climax is when the old man, (Doctor Jenkins) feels as if he is being watched in the distance by another, he suddenly feels the need to hide his belongings and valuables.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? Although he changes very little over the story, you can notice minor changes in his living. You can feel that he is anxious, and that he is hiding his emotions from the beginning. But near the end of the story, he feels changed in a way, by feeling much more suspicious of simple things, and overall more protective.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. The Title, “The Portable Phonograph” really helps illustrate the theme, cause the characters were all admiring the music. The Music helped them relax, and forget bad memories from the past.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The main conflict is them coping with what little they have, and staying controlled in their environment. What helped them cope was listening to the music on the phonograph. It made what little they had, seem much more valuable.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The Climax, which is when the Dr. feels he is being watched is great to illustrate the theme, because what he immediately does it protect what little he has from what he thinks could be stolen. The books, and the phonograph are what he really cherishes, so who protects those first.

Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):

Simile: "Within the cell, there was a little red of fire, which showed dully through the opening like a reflection or a deception of the imagination."

Metaphor: "There is more soul than we can use." , "We are the doddering remnant of a race of mechanical fools ."

Personification: "Out of the sunset through the dead, matted grass and isolated weed stalks of the prarie, crept the narrow and deeply rutted remains of a road.

Symbol: The Phonograph played a symbol of peace in this story. It reminded the men of the life they had left behind.

Foreshadowing (give both elements): When you read the Title, you could really see after the first few paragraphs that the phonograph would really play a large role in the story, and that, it did.

Irony: "...at first the musician doesn’t want to wear out the needles, but then he wanted to do more on one record...."

Imagery: "the red sunset, black cloud strips"

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. Humanity and the Portable phonograph really relate to each other. The story is trying to get at what the men's lives were like before they went to war, and what they are trying to forget. The phonograph acts as a passage to their previous humanity, or their regular lives.

Q1: The Story is set on the prarie, after a war which took place very recently. At the beginning, the author really paints a picture of the setting for the reader, "The red sunset, the air was still cold, there were little islands of an old oiled pavement..."

Q2: The men meet to help each other cope with their recent feelings and emotions. It does work for them, and they feel a bit of calmness around their presence.

Q3: The Old books are significant cause it reminds them of their old lives, and how they should never forget them.

Q4: Dr. Jenkins clutching the led pipe showed his love and passion for the music that he is protecting. The items and valuables are not so valuable as in money, but it means so much more to the men, as it gives them a passage into their previous lives.

Completion 5/5 Effort 4/5 Content 4/5 Questions 7/8 total 20/23

https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AUlsEdzT6JE9ZGdxMmNmMm5fMGZxcnN6Nmc5&hl=en_US One of your partners has the breakdown of the rubric score for your presentation.