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The Conflict between Protagonist and Antagonists

This week you will write a LYSK sheet for John Cheever’s short story Reunion and James Joyce’s Araby.

BOTH STORIES ARE LINKED IN THE UPLOAD FILE 

Put both assignments on the same file. All answers should be one to two paragraphs with the exception of number 9.  This is not a formal essay, so number all your answers.

1. Identify the protagonist, describe his/her life situation and basic personality, and then state his/her problem and/or primary motivation. What is the central idea, need, or problem that drives the protagonist? How does the protagonist change by the end of the story? What have they learned?
2. Identify the antagonist, describe his/her/its basic situation and qualities, and then state his/her/its main motivation. What is the central idea, need, or problem that drives the antagonist? Finally, explain how this drive interacts with the protagonist’s motivation, thus establishing the central conflict of the work.
3. Summarize the plot. Include enough of the deeper level to show all that’s at stake for the protagonist and to suggest how he/she does or doesn’t change by the end of the work.
4. Describe the main conflict. What is at stake? What are people fighting over? What is the problem? Remember that there is always a problem in literature. The human condition—the subject of all literature—is about problems.
5. Identify  the moments of crisis, or scenes, that lead up to the climax. Describe each scene/chapter in a couple of words, then briefly chart the “rising” conflict of the work.
6. Describe the importance of setting (place) in the work you are analyzing.
7. Write on the connotation of important images, metaphors or symbols in the work. How does this connotation enrich your understanding of the work as a whole?
8. Write on important historical or cultural information that might enrich your understanding of the work. Connect the historical or cultural information to the development of the story.
9. Write one full page about the themes. What world or life view is the author expressing? How do you know? What is his/her message? Do you think the author did a good job delivering his/her world view?