A Good Man is Hard To Find - Flannery O’Connor

1.       What is the role of chance or fate in the story? 

The role of chance or fate in this story is that the grandmother was so worried about the misfit, and then later in the story he saw them. Another moment of chance or fate is that the grandmothers making up the story is what led to their crash and the misfit finding them.  Another effect that chance or fate in the story is that when the misfit's car drove up she had a feeling that she knew him, but couldn't quite remember it and later she learned that the misfit was her son. 

2.      Discuss the grandmother’s definition of a “good man” using specific examples from the text.

Her definition of a good man is that he comes from good people and that he doesn't have any "common blood" in him.  "Two fellers come in here last week," Red Sammy said, "driving a Chrysler. It was a old beat-up car but it was a good one and these boys looked all right to me. Said they worked at the mill and you know I let them fellers charge the gas they bought?" After this statement the grandmother implies that a good man should be nice and trustworthy. Also in the beginning of the story she says that she would have done well to marry Mr.Teagarden Because he bought coca-cola stock when it first came out and died a very wealth man. So she almost explicitly says that a good man is one who dies wealthy and makes good investments.

I thought that the story very confusing in general so to make sense of it I had to read it multiple times. The story had lots of foreshadowing in it and when I read it for the third time I really realized this. One of the things that was confusing was when the grandmother called the misfit her own child. But over all I thought that the story was very interesting. 

The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail

1)·         Many of the conversations in this book contain examples of irony.  List a few and explain why each is ironic.

An example of iron in act one : Henry says "Thank god we can't fly. We'd pollute the sky. Now we have planes and our sky is very polluted." This shows irony because Henry says that we are lucky that we can't pollute the sky. Then proceeds later on to say that we are polluting the sky. 

Another example is when Henry feels more free in Jail then on the outside, because in jail he isn't restricted to a schedule. It is ironic because in jail people are locked up and almost everyone thinks of jail as restricted freedoms. 

One final example of irony is when Henry teaches Bailey how to spell his name but later tells him not to write it. This shows irony because Henry teaches him something than tells Bailey not to use it. 

2)·         List the three most important characters.  Choose a present day actor/actress to take the role of each.  Explain why you would make these casting decisions and base your answers on the words and actions of each of the characters from the play.

The most important characters are Henry, John and Bailey. 

 I would have Jim Parsons play Henry because in his role in "The Big Bang Theory" his character displayed a very high level of thinking, like Thoreau. They look a little but alike aswell with their bone structures.

For John I would cast Jim Carrey for the role because John brings more fun and happy lighter feelings to Henry, and Jim Carrey is exactly that. 

For the part of Bailey I would have Chris Hemsworth play the part. I chose him because he looks like an honest man and I can see him as a friendly face like Bailey. 

3)·         Does Henry’s protest prove successful in the end?  Explain.

Henry is successful in his protest of not paying his taxes. It is successful because in the play he never pays his taxes. But he wasn't as successful as he would have been if his Aunt hadn't paid his taxes.

Transcendentalism Quote

"Our own school, John! No buildings. Break out of the classroom prison. All we need is the sky!" 

Leaving the classroom "prison" allows the teacher to give the students more personalized help. He had no set curriculum and allowed people to express their own feelings without punishment (an example being Potter in the class). These all express the self dependency that is lacking in the classroom and it allows students to reach a level of higher thinking that they don't need to be spoofed answers. That is the kind of education that Transcendentalism is all about.