Story Response- A Haunted House PDF

Preview

Summary

A haunted house by virginia woolf...

Description

READER RESPONSE TO STORY: “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf Name Valeria D Cruz Román INGL 3221 Section H10 Date September 17, 2018 I.

Plot Summary: Briefly provide a brief narrative of what the story is about (1-3

sentences). “A Haunted House” is about a couple who buys an old house. While in the house, the wife starts to hear noises and conversations as if there were ghosts in the house. It turned out that the noises where made by a couple who used to own the house.

II.

Characters/Characterization: Describe the characters in terms of external and/or internal characteristics.

Character Name or Type

External Characteristics

(Includes physical description

Internal Characteristics

(Refers to personality

And the character’s social

traits, emotions, or

status or relationship to

psychological makeup)

another character) Deceased couple: Known in history as the Ghostly couple, they were the former owners of the house. Throughout the story, they are presented as happy and loving people. The wife died before and her husband tried to look for the treasure in other places, but he never found it. The treasure they found when they met after death. Living couple: They are the ones who currently live in the house, in the story only the wife appears, she listened to the ghosts while reading or was almost asleep. On the other hand, the husband is absent in history.

III.

Method of Plot Presentation: Identify and describe the method of presentation used in this story (Is the sequence chronological, use of flashback, foreshadowing, dramatic, episodic, summary, or in the middle of the action—also known as medias res? Explain.

The story is in chronological order although it does not have specific events of beginning, middle and end. Another method that the author uses in the text is the flashbacks, whenever the ghosts were in a different place in the house, they had memories of when they lived.

IV.

Setting/Emotional/Environment or Ambience: Identify not only the time and immediate place where the story takes place, but also the surrounding physical environment (ex. Is it rural, metropolitan, small town, urban, etc?). Explain why, based on information the story provides. Also describe the emotional atmosphere or ambience (ex. Is it exciting, humdrum, routine, boring, tense, violent, etc?). Explain why, based on information the story provides.

The story takes place in a large house, which has more than one floor, the text does not refer to an exact location, but all the seasons of the year were present, including snow weather. The presented environment seems to be a rural one since the text talks about the pigeons, the apple trees and the garden. The characters describe nature and this is not possible in an urban environment. The emotional atmosphere of the story is exciting since the couple was in search of the "treasure", so it was a kind of game.

V.

Subject/Theme: First, identify salient subject(s) in this story. A word or phrase will suffice. Next, write about theme(s) in sentence form (in other words, what does this particular story have to say about the subject, or what aspect(s) of the subject(s) does this story seem a reflection about?

Subject: Love Theme sentence: The story proposes that love is much more important than any material object and transcends after death. Subject: Loneliness Theme sentence: In the story, due to the absence of the husband we can assume that the presence of the ghosts is a form of escape from reality for the wife.

VI.

Presence of Irony in the Story: Identify instances of irony in this story. Is the irony verbal, attitudinal, dramatic, or situational? Explain.

The irony present in the story is situational since the result was not what was expected. The title of the story is the greatest irony since when reading it, we can quickly think that the story will be a dark one, with scenes of fear and that the ghosts would be bad. The story turned out to be full of light and much more complex than a tale of terror, where the author exposes one of the keys to life that is love.

VII.

Stylistic Devices: Identify the use of stylistic devices in the story in categories such as diction, sensory imagery, figurative language, syntax, and tone/voice. How do the stylistic devices used in the story contribute to the dramatic conflict, characterization, setting, atmosphere, ambience, tone, or any other story element? Explain how.

The author uses the imagery as a stylistic device, as is the case with the description of the house. In the reading it says "the doors go shutting away in the distance, gently knocking like the pulse of a heart", this is an example of sensorial imagery, that contributes to the environment where the ghosts are remembering the past. In most of the story the tone is playful. The deceased couple seems to enjoy the treasure hunt and at the same time not bother the narrator.

VIII.

Male/Female Gender Relationships: Does this story explore male/female relationships, or of other kinds (Oedipal/Electra complex, gay/lesbian, brother/sister, parent/child, etc)? If so, what ideas about such relationships does the story seem to propose?

The story presents two relationships, both between man and woman. The relationship between the ghosts seems to be one full of happiness and love, since they have lasted together for a long time, even after death. On the other hand, there is the relationship

between those who are alive, where at no time is men mentioned, but the woman is thinking all the time about ghosts.

IX.

Symbolism: If applicable, identify possible symbols in this story. Is the symbolism of a public or private type, or both, and what is the importance of such symbolism to the theme(s), characterization, or narrative in the story?

Virginia Woolf uses the symbolism in her story, as for example the treasure. Throughout the story, the ghosts were looking for that treasure that was hidden. The author during the narration gives clues that the treasure was not material but something more. To each place where the ghosts went to look for it, they relived something of their past as were the signs of affection. The treasure what it meant was the love that they had and this symbolism is of both public and private types.

X. Anti-Plagiarism Statement: I Valeria D Cruz Román certify that this reader response is my own 100% original work and contains no plagiarism or outside help from a third party. Signed:

Reflection: “A Haunted House”

"A Haunted House" was written by Virginia Woolf, an English novelist, and essayist. The story is centered on the life of a woman and the past owners of the house. From the beginning of the reading, we can see how was the relationship of the deceased couple, one full of love and complicity. In contrast, the relationship of the living was non-existent, the woman was always alone. The treasure that is spoken in the reading is love, the author invites us to stop thinking about material things and to give importance to our loved ones. One theme present in the story is loneliness, through the text we can observe how in every situation the wife is always alone. This can imply that the husband is out of the house most of the time, so she is imagining through the ghosts how her life could be if her husband was present. The story made me understand that not everything is what it seems, to comprehend it I had to read it more than twice, but in the end, I was capable to discern between what was of the living and what was of the dead. The story also presents the irony, since when reading the title, you can quickly think the story is a dark one, but the reality is that it is full of light and for the most part of happiness. The most I liked about the text is it's very different from everything I've read before, the author's writing style is so descriptive, it makes me imagine myself in the place. Furthermore, is a story that has an extremely valuable life lesson....