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SON OF ITALY
– book and lectures
1.
What
is the VERY first memory Pasca.l recalls in his book?
2.
Thunderstorm,
a barking dog, lightening. Summarize the story of this episode briefly.
3.
Give
one or two CLEAR AND PRECISE details that describe Pascal’s family’s poverty.
4.
Pascal
and his friends devise a method to test if the old scary woman is really a vampire:
what do they try to do?
5.
Then,
they decide to CURE her from her condition. What is the CURE?
6.
The
old woman is accused of a terrible crime and chased out of town. What is the crime?
7.
Why
did she (allegedly) commit that crime?
8.
Where
does Pascal run into her while they are alone?
9.
What
kind of exchange takes place?
10. How
does the old woman die?
11. The
decision to go to America: was it to pursue a “dream?”
12. Mention
one detail of the journey across the Atlantic.
13. Once
in NY, why does Pascal think Americans are very religious?
14. While
riding the subway, Pascal sees two persons doing and odd thing and he thinks it
is a disease. What is the odd behavior, and what are they doing in reality?
15. What
is the new fruit he discovers in America?
16. What
kind of jobs does he find with his gang?
17. What
is the story with the EGGS and the AX?
18. What
is the “commissary system?”
19. While
in NY, what happens to Matteo and his money?
20. What
causes his gang to break up?
21. What
kind of injury does Pascal suffer while pushing a wheel barrow?
22. Where
was SHADY SIDE?
23. What
is the first musical
instrument Pascal tried to learn?
24. Does
Pascal have a natural talent for music?
25. What
happens to the first instrument he tried to play?
26. How supportive are his co-workers when he
tries to learn English?
27. Pascal does not say it explicitly in his book
but we understand why he decided to start writing in English rather than in
Italian. Why?
28. Which
magazine published his first poem?
29. In
your opinion what is the lowest point, the most dispiriting and dejected
moment, in the entire book?
30. At the end, is the tone of the book joyous and jubilant, or melancholic and mirthless?
WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN BOLDFACE UNDER EACH QUESTION
1.
What is the
VERY first memory Pasca.l recalls in his book?
2.
What episodes
suggest that Pascal feels surrounded by a terrifying world full of danger and
evil?
3.
Give one or two
CLEAR AND CONCISE details that describe Pascal’s family’s poverty.
4.
What are the
two methods devised by Pascal and his friends to test if the old hag is a real
vampire, and to heal her?
5.
What crime was
the Vampire accused of?
6. How did the vampire die?
7.
What is the
reason why Pascal’s father decided to go to America? (Skip the “dream” and
“opportunity” rhetoric.)
8.
What is the new
fruit he discovers in America?
9.
What kind of
jobs does he find at first with his gang?
10.
Mention few
locations where they work that YOU could identify on a map.
11.
What is the
story with the EGGS and the AX?
12.
While in NY,
what happens to Matteo and his money?
13.
What causes his
gang to break up?
14.
What does
Pascal’s father decide to do after the break up?
15.
This is one of
the crucial turning point of the book: his decision to stay. What reason does he
give? (If necessary, quote.)
16.
What kind of
injury does Pascal suffer while pushing a wheel barrow?
17.
What kind of
image does this injury suggest to a Western, presumably Christian, audience?
18.
In retrospect
he compares his FIRST visit to NY to a dog looking at a sunset. What does it
mean?
19.
When does he
become aware that he can only write in English?
20.
What does this
choice/decision suggest about his sense of his own identity, his perception of
who he is?
21.
What is the
first musical instrument Pascal tried to learn?
22.
What happens to
the violin he tried to play?
23.
How supportive
are his co-workers when he tries to learn English?
24.
Which magazine
published his first poem?
25. According to an interpretation you read, Pascal identifies with the Vampire (maybe subconsciously.)
What elements support this thesis? Do you agree with it? (Extra points to those who don’t and explain it well.)
=============================================
Part II
1. In the slideshow The Way They Lived find a picture that you would put on the cover of SON. Take a screenshot and paste it here (small size, please.)
2. Did you choose it because of its “documentary” value or for its emotional charge?
3. Choose the photo that most affected you in the slideshow. Take a screenshot and paste it here (again, small size is appreciated.)
4. Explain the reason of you choice, and what this choice says about you.
==========================
Part III
THE ITALIAN vs SON OF
ITALY
Normally I assign these two texts in reverse order, first Son, then Italian.
The reason is that they represent the first two steps on the
social-status ladder.
1. Which one of the two texts should come first, SON or Italian? And why?
2. Do you agree that Italian is a step up from Son, in terms of social “mobility?” Explain why.
3. What does Pascal see when he looks up at Beppo?
4. What does Beppo see when he looks down at Pascal?