In paragraph $67$, Hemingway writes, “Krebs looked at the bacon fat hardening on his plate.” What does that image suggest about Krebs? How does it contribute to the story? In paragraph $85$, Hemingway writes, “Krebs felt sick and vaguely nauseated.” How would you explain the causes of his unease?

The Chorus is meant to voice the thoughts of the people. How does the Chorus respond to Creon’s edict and to the conflict between Creon and Antigone? What is the position of the Chorus? At what point does the Chorus turn on Creon? Why does it occur, and what is its significance to his ability to govern?

In paragraph $105$, Shaila says, “my family surrounds me,” and in paragraph $129$, she says, “my boys and my husband are with me too, more than ever.” What do these remarks suggest about Shaila’s grief ?

This passage is widely regarded as one of the most inspirational speeches in all of English literature. What accounts for its success in inspiring people through so many generations? What particular parts of the speech do you find inspirational beyond the battlefield?

How might Trethewey’s elegy be regarded as the “monument” called for in line $18$?

What role do marriage and the image of the bridal chamber play in Antigone? Consider Antigone’s speech as she is being taken away (ll. $979–1013$), the scene in which Haemon is discovered in the tomb (ll. $1345–72$), and the death of Eurydice.

This poem is arguably the most famous war poem in the English language. What accounts for its lasting popularity? Is its fame deserved? Why or why not?

The soldiers react differently to Ted Lavender’s death (paras. $11$, $27$, $40$–$64$).Pick one soldier whose reaction seems particularly significant, and explain why you find it meaningful.

Consider Krebs’s home and family. What is significant about the father’s absence? Why does his mother have such difficulty understanding Krebs? Why does he have such difficulty making himself understood? Describe Krebs’s relationship with his sister, Helen. Is the soldier home in “Soldier’s Home?” Is the title ironic? Explain.

In paragraph $18$, Spark writes, “Bertrand Russell was still cheerily in prison for writing something seditious about pacifism.” What is Spark’s attitude toward Bertrand Russell’s actions? How can you tell?

Paragraph $18$ contains a series of questions. Consider all the possible meanings of the statement “Imagination was a killer.” How does it answer the questions?

What associations does a shawl have? In what ways is it ambiguous? Do you agree with Ozick’s choice of a title for the story? Why or why not?

Paragraph $16$ begins, “In France the conscripted soldiers leapfrogged over the dead on the advance and littered the fields with limbs and hands, or drowned in the mud.” How would you characterize the tone in this paragraph? Why does Spark choose this tone to present horrible content? Why does Spark juxtapose the horrors of the battlefield with references to a comic play, the House of Commons, and the writing of Virginia Woolf ?

One technique O’Brien employs is zeugma, in which one word has more than one (often incongruous) object. For example, he writes in paragraph $12$, “They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried.” Look for other examples of zeugma in the story. Do you see any pattern in how O’Brien uses zeugma? In particular, consider how O’Brien explots the incongruity of zeugma in order to develop one of the themes of the story.