Life+You+Save+May+Be+Your

“The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor

As in the novel //A Prayer for Owen Meany//, the short story “The Life you Save May be Your Own” is very concerned with the following:

• Religious imagery • Characterization • Contrast

Choose one of the three aspects above. Consider the way that these techniques are used to develop a thematic idea or make a significant point. In the case of characterization, you might consider how a single character is developed and depicted, and then how that contributes to the significance of the story’s message.

In the story, find at least six quotations that reveal something about one of those three aspects above. Type the quotations you have selected, then write a “significant statement” in which you assert something about the story. Follow the following pattern in phrasing your significant statement:

In her ______A____short story “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” Flannery O’Connor uses ______B______ to _____C______. Using words and phrases such as ______D______ O’Connor reveals/reinforces/demonstrates _____E_______, leading the reader to understand that _______F________.

A: Include an appropriate personal response. Show you are engaged in the story. B. Be deliberate. Qualify the type of characterization or imagery or contrast. C. Demonstrate insight – say very specifically what is being done. D. Be precise. Provide clear “evidence” from text to demonstrate your point. E. Be clear in your assessment of what is being revealed. F. Assert an interpretation. Provide a phrase or clause that clearly says what you think it is that O’Connor is trying to suggest for this story.

You might consider the following about O’Connor:

• Her characters are always given a choice • She wrote in the 50’s; there was a fair amount of concern about materialism • She was a devout Christian who wrote widely about redemption and salvation • The natural world is significant in her writing • one critic emphasizes her seemingly Transcendental views

Your list of quotations and significant statement are due at the end of class today.

We will be doing something similar to this with Owen Meany motifs on Friday.

Post your significant statements to the discussion part of this wiki (give it a title; use your name)