Monday, July 31, 2006
"Only the Dead Know Brooklyn" Notes and Homework Questions
ONLY THE DEAD KNOW BROOKLYN--NOTES
BY THOMAS WOLFE
THE STORY PREMIS:
• YOU WILL NEVER LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THE WHOLE OF BROOKLYN. IT WOULD TAKE A GUY A LIFETIME TO KNOW BROOKLYN THROUGH AND THROUGH. AND EVEN THEN YOU WOULDN’T KNOW IT.
THE AUTHOR
• BORN 1900 AND DIED 1938
• HE WAS BORN IN ASHERVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA AS THE 8TH CHILD IN THE FAMILY
• HE ENTERED COLLEGE, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHAPEL HILL, AT THE AGE OF 15.
• HE TRAVELED TO THE WEST COAST AND BECAME ILL WITH PNEUMONIA
• HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO JOHN HOPKINS FOR SURGERY WHERE HE DIED OF MILITARY TUBERCULOSIS OF THE BRAIN.
THOMAS WOLFE IN HIS WRITINGS TRIES TO PUT ALL OF HIS EXPERIENCES OF THE HUMAN HEART ON THE HEAD OF A PIN.
• THE THEME OF THIS STORY IS COMMUNICATION.
• • The author is an American journalist and essayist. With wit and an eye for detail he describes the outward trappings which reveal the inner meaning behind the attitudes of his subjects.
HOMEWORK: DUE THE DAY AFTER WE COMPLETE THE STORY.
ONLY THE DEAD KNOW BROOKLYN by Thomas Wolfe
A. For each of the following words, provide an appropriate translation from the Brooklyn dialect into standard English. Then write a sentence for five of the words. Sentences must reflect the story.
1. eveh
2. dat
3. den
4. duh
5. neveh
6. befoeh
7. hoid
8. yuh
9. foeh
10. heah
11. bawn
12. somp’n
13. ast
14. dose
15. keh
16. boids
17. troot
18. dere
19. nuttin’
20. coupla
21. loined
22. oddeh
23. bruddeh
24. wateh
25. yeahs
26. wondeh
B. Briefly answer the following questions.
1. Describe the narrator in detail based on what you learn about him from the way he tells the story. What kind of man is he?
2. What does the reader learn about the way the big guy spends his time? What things does he seem to enjoy doing?
3. Why does the big guy have a map, and why is it important to him?
4. What makes the narrator uncomfortable toward the end of the story?
5. What does the narrator do as a result of feeling uncomfortable?
6. At the end of the story, what does the narrator wonder about?
7. How does the narrator feel about Brooklyn?
8. Why, in your opinion, does the narrator choose “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” for his title?
9. Why is dialect sometimes used to tell a story? What does it add to Wolfe’s story?
10. Do you see any spelling pattern in the dialect? If so, explain.
C. ASSIGNMENT: Write character sketches. Explain how Thomas Wolfe tries to put all the experiences of the human heart on the head of a pin in relationship to the characters in the story.
BY THOMAS WOLFE
THE STORY PREMIS:
• YOU WILL NEVER LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THE WHOLE OF BROOKLYN. IT WOULD TAKE A GUY A LIFETIME TO KNOW BROOKLYN THROUGH AND THROUGH. AND EVEN THEN YOU WOULDN’T KNOW IT.
THE AUTHOR
• BORN 1900 AND DIED 1938
• HE WAS BORN IN ASHERVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA AS THE 8TH CHILD IN THE FAMILY
• HE ENTERED COLLEGE, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHAPEL HILL, AT THE AGE OF 15.
• HE TRAVELED TO THE WEST COAST AND BECAME ILL WITH PNEUMONIA
• HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO JOHN HOPKINS FOR SURGERY WHERE HE DIED OF MILITARY TUBERCULOSIS OF THE BRAIN.
THOMAS WOLFE IN HIS WRITINGS TRIES TO PUT ALL OF HIS EXPERIENCES OF THE HUMAN HEART ON THE HEAD OF A PIN.
• THE THEME OF THIS STORY IS COMMUNICATION.
• • The author is an American journalist and essayist. With wit and an eye for detail he describes the outward trappings which reveal the inner meaning behind the attitudes of his subjects.
HOMEWORK: DUE THE DAY AFTER WE COMPLETE THE STORY.
ONLY THE DEAD KNOW BROOKLYN by Thomas Wolfe
A. For each of the following words, provide an appropriate translation from the Brooklyn dialect into standard English. Then write a sentence for five of the words. Sentences must reflect the story.
1. eveh
2. dat
3. den
4. duh
5. neveh
6. befoeh
7. hoid
8. yuh
9. foeh
10. heah
11. bawn
12. somp’n
13. ast
14. dose
15. keh
16. boids
17. troot
18. dere
19. nuttin’
20. coupla
21. loined
22. oddeh
23. bruddeh
24. wateh
25. yeahs
26. wondeh
B. Briefly answer the following questions.
1. Describe the narrator in detail based on what you learn about him from the way he tells the story. What kind of man is he?
2. What does the reader learn about the way the big guy spends his time? What things does he seem to enjoy doing?
3. Why does the big guy have a map, and why is it important to him?
4. What makes the narrator uncomfortable toward the end of the story?
5. What does the narrator do as a result of feeling uncomfortable?
6. At the end of the story, what does the narrator wonder about?
7. How does the narrator feel about Brooklyn?
8. Why, in your opinion, does the narrator choose “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” for his title?
9. Why is dialect sometimes used to tell a story? What does it add to Wolfe’s story?
10. Do you see any spelling pattern in the dialect? If so, explain.
C. ASSIGNMENT: Write character sketches. Explain how Thomas Wolfe tries to put all the experiences of the human heart on the head of a pin in relationship to the characters in the story.
# posted by Sister Pat / English @ 6:18 AM 
