A Geographical Tour of Literary America

The Grand Tour of Literary Landmarks resulted from my students' success with another project that we called "Poetic License with THE AMAZING RACE." This new journey also begins and ends in my students' hometown. Chosen writers are specific to our curriculum and texts; however, teachers can adapt new selections to their students' needs. Side images are their original work. Photo images at each destination go directly to official sites or to the slideshows of my own travel photos. The main sources of written material here are www.Poets.org and Adventures in American Literature, Heritage Edition and Pegasus Edition.

Indian Creek, Texas



On the literary map, travel from McAlester, Oklahoma, to Indian Creek, Texas.

Calculate:

# _____________ Miles to Indian Creek, Texas

$ _____________ Cost for Gasoline to Indian Creek, Texas

Visit Katherine Anne Porter.

Read "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" in your text and answer the questions.


What connotations does the name "Weatherall" have in the context of the story?


How is it a suitable name for the main character, Granny?


Cite examples to show that life has not been "too much for her."


Identify the following characters and tell whether they are related primarily to Granny's "present" or to her "past": Cornelia, John, Doctor Harry, George, Father Connolly.


What roles do these characters play in Granny's life and her thoughts?


"She had spent so much time preparing for death there was not need for bringing it up again." Explain how, in light of the end of the story, this sentence is not true.


Why is the jilting so important to Granny? How is the jilting related to the last paragraph of the story?


In the story, figurative language is ofen used to convey Granny's state of mind: for example, to Granny, "Doctor Harry floated like a balloon around the foot of the bed." Find three other examples of figurative language used to convey a state of mind.