Demon Lover Activities PDF
Demon Lover Activities PDF
Demon Lover Activities PDF
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vocabulary in context
Use context clues to figure out the meanings of the boldfaced
words.
1. Clearly he was no visionary, for his speech was prosaic.
2. The white moths had a spectral appearance in the night sky.
3. Never stingy, she gave without stint to many charities.
4. Official duties can circumscribe the life of a princess.
5. Brilliant ideas often emanate from creative discussions.
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Towards the end of her day in London Mrs. Drover went round to her shut- Analyze Visuals
up house to look for several things she wanted to take away. Some belonged to Why do you think the
photographer chose to
herself, some to her family, who were by now used to their country life. It was
tint and blur this image?
late August; it had been a steamy, showery day: at the moment the trees down the
pavement glittered in an escape of humid yellow afternoon sun. Against the next
batch of clouds, already piling up ink-dark, broken chimneys and parapets 1 stood
out. In her once familiar street, as in any unused channel, an unfamiliar queerness
a FORESHADOWING
had silted up;2 a cat wove itself in and out of railings, but no human eye watched
In lines 1–11, what details
Mrs. Drover’s return. Shifting some parcels under her arm, she slowly forced suggest that Mrs. Drover
10 round her latchkey in an unwilling lock, then gave the door, which had warped, may be unsafe in her
a push with her knee. Dead air came out to meet her as she went in. a London home?
The staircase window having been boarded up, no light came down into the
hall. But one door, she could just see, stood ajar, so she went quickly through into
the room and unshuttered the big window in there. Now the prosaic woman, prosaic (prI-zAPGk) adj.
looking about her, was more perplexed than she knew by everything that she saw, not given to poetic
flights of fancy; lacking
by traces of her long former habit of life—the yellow smoke stain up the white
imagination; dull
Dear Kathleen: You will not have forgotten that today is our anniversary, and the
day we said. The years have gone by at once slowly and fast. In view of the fact
that nothing has changed, I shall rely upon you to keep your promise. I was sorry to
50 see you leave London, but was satisfied that you would be back in time. You may
expect me, therefore, at the hour arranged. Until then . . . K. b b AMBIGUITY
Reread lines 47–51.
Mrs. Drover looked for the date: it was today’s. She dropped the letter onto the Who is “K,” the author
of the mysterious letter?
bedsprings, then picked it up to see the writing again—her lips, beneath the
Offer two possible
remains of lipstick, beginning to go white. She felt so much the change in her identifications for this
own face that she went to the mirror, polished a clear patch in it and looked at ambiguous character.
once urgently and stealthily in. She was confronted by a woman of forty-four,
Comprehension
1. Recall Why has the Drover family left their home in London? RL 1 Cite evidence to support
inferences drawn from the text,
2. Recall Why does Mrs. Drover return to the house? including determining where the
text leaves matters uncertain.
3. Summarize Describe what happens after Mrs. Drover leaves the house. RL 5 Analyze how an author’s
choices concerning how to
structure specific parts of a text
Text Analysis contribute to its overall structure
and meaning as well as its
aesthetic impact.
4. Understand Setting and Mood Review the description of the story’s setting
in lines 1–24. What mood, or atmosphere, does this passage establish? Cite
specific words and phrases to support your answer.
5. Examine Foreshadowing Reread the following passages from “The Demon Lover.”
In what specific ways do they hint at important events presented later in the story?
• “Her reluctance . . . of her ways.” (lines 43–45)
• “Only a little more . . . a more sinister troth.” (lines 95–100)
• “She heard nothing . . . leave the house.” (lines 169–172)
6. Draw Conclusions About Character Describe the thoughts and behavior of
Mrs. Drover in each of the following scenes. Do you think that she is a victim of
her own troubled mind, some supernatural force, or a combination of these?
• her reaction to the mysterious letter (lines 52–65)
• her farewell meeting with her former fiancé (lines 73–100)
• her memories as she packs (lines 150–160)
7. Analyze Ambiguity Review the chart in which you recorded different
examples of ambiguity. Identify the ambiguous word, phrase, or passage that
you found most intriguing or effective. In your opinion, what does
this example contribute to the story?
8. Evaluate Flashback Reread the flashback in lines 73–100. Would the story
be as powerful if the events had been told in chronological order without
the use of flashback? Explain your thoughts.
Text Criticism
9. Cultural Context The title of Bowen’s story derives from a figure in gothic
literature, the demon lover—a man who abducts his sweetheart because she
has broken her promise of faithfulness. The sweetheart happily follows her
lover, only to discover too late that he is leading her toward death. In what
ways does this information enhance your understanding of the story?
How do you approach the existence of the supernatural? Do you assume that
ghosts and other supernatural figures may be real or do you think they are
merely projections of the human mind? Discuss this question in a small group.
Use at least two of the Academic Vocabulary words in your discussion.
L 6 Acquire and use accurately
general academic and domain-
vocabulary strategy: the latin prefix circum- specific words and phrases.
The word circumscribe joins the prefix circum-, which means “around,” to the
root scribe, which comes from the Latin word for “to
write.” Circumscribe means “to write marks or a circle circumnavigate
around someone or something,” setting limits within
which that person or thing can operate. Circumscribe
circumpolar circum- circumstantial
also has a technical academic meaning: in geometry,
it describes, for example, a circle surrounding and
intersecting the corners of a square. Each word in the circumference circumlocution
web diagram at right has a technical, academic usage.
Some are also used in everyday speech.
PRACTICE Use context clues and your knowledge of word parts to explain the
meaning of each boldfaced word. Then, where possible, use the boldfaced word
in an everyday sense. Note whether the common, everyday sense of the word is
different from its technical meaning.
1. Circumstantial evidence—namely, motive and opportunity— pointed to the
defendant’s guilt; but no physical evidence linked her to the crime.
2. One form of euphemism, the substitution of mild or vague language for
harsh, realistic terminology, is circumlocution.
Interactive
3. The formula for the circumference of a circle is 2πr. Vocabulary
4. Was Magellan the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe? Go to thinkcentral.com.
KEYWORD: HML12-1238
5. Circumpolar objects, such as stars, never sink below the horizon.
Writing to Compare
The Irish writers in this section explore different subject matter, W 2 Write explanatory texts to examine and
convey complex ideas through the effective
but they share similarities in theme and tone. Choose two selection, organization, and analysis of content.
selections and write an essay comparing them, supporting your W 2b–c Select quotations or other information
and examples; use appropriate transitions
ideas with examples from both texts. and syntax to clarify the relationships among
complex ideas and concepts. W 7 Conduct
Consider short research projects to answer a question;
synthesize multiple sources on the subject.
• each author’s use of imagery and figurative language W 9a (RL 2, RL 4) Determine themes of a text;
determine figurative meanings; analyze the
• each author’s tone, or attitude toward the subject impact of word choices on meaning and tone.
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