Dressing up for the carnival
Content Review notes
“Dressing up for the carnival” by: Carol Shields
Setting
Late 20th-21st century
Small town(pine street)
Sense of community , representation
Character(s)
Citizen “X”
Strengths: Observant, Imaginative, able to see things for more than they are.”…he observes cycles of consolation and enhancement..”
Weakness: Fears rejection and judgment, can’t be himself. ”in the privacy of his own home, in the embrace of happiness”
Lives a double life, anonyms.
Wanda
Strengths: Devoted, Polite. “”excuse me” she says and “sorry””
Weaknesses: Awkward, Restless, closed off. “She sets off awkwardly. She is after all an awkward women” “..she gets restless in the afternoon sometimes..”
Went from being awkward to confident with the baby carriage.
Conflict
Mr. Gilman vs. his daughter in law
“”scrumptious” he always says, hoping to win her inhospitable heart, but knowing he can’t”
Roger vs. Himself
“The shrivelled fate he sometimes sees for himself can be postponed if only he puts his mind to it”
Citizen “X” vs. Himself
“we cannot live without out illusions”
How people see themselves vs. how they want others to see them
It’s a never ending battle because the world doesn’t accept certain things.
Literary conventions
Point of view
3rd person omnipotent
Symbolism
Mango, flowers, Baby carriage, ski tags etc.
Multiple characters in the story have an item that they use to give off a certain impression.
Anecdote
The story is made up of many “short personal accounts of an incident or event”-Encarta dictionary
Conventions of genre
Short story is able to capture a few different individuals and their disguises
Anything else would draw out too long
Theme(s)
We mask who we truly are in public, but in privacy out of the public eye, we can be who we truly are.
Everyday what we do and what we wear re-invents ourselves.
Personal connection
Amanda can relate to the theme of being reinvented by clothing because she herself wears clothing as an
“Dressing up for the carnival” by: Carol Shields
Setting
Late 20th-21st century
Small town(pine street)
Sense of community , representation
Character(s)
Citizen “X”
Strengths: Observant, Imaginative, able to see things for more than they are.”…he observes cycles of consolation and enhancement..”
Weakness: Fears rejection and judgment, can’t be himself. ”in the privacy of his own home, in the embrace of happiness”
Lives a double life, anonyms.
Wanda
Strengths: Devoted, Polite. “”excuse me” she says and “sorry””
Weaknesses: Awkward, Restless, closed off. “She sets off awkwardly. She is after all an awkward women” “..she gets restless in the afternoon sometimes..”
Went from being awkward to confident with the baby carriage.
Conflict
Mr. Gilman vs. his daughter in law
“”scrumptious” he always says, hoping to win her inhospitable heart, but knowing he can’t”
Roger vs. Himself
“The shrivelled fate he sometimes sees for himself can be postponed if only he puts his mind to it”
Citizen “X” vs. Himself
“we cannot live without out illusions”
How people see themselves vs. how they want others to see them
It’s a never ending battle because the world doesn’t accept certain things.
Literary conventions
Point of view
3rd person omnipotent
Symbolism
Mango, flowers, Baby carriage, ski tags etc.
Multiple characters in the story have an item that they use to give off a certain impression.
Anecdote
The story is made up of many “short personal accounts of an incident or event”-Encarta dictionary
Conventions of genre
Short story is able to capture a few different individuals and their disguises
Anything else would draw out too long
Theme(s)
We mask who we truly are in public, but in privacy out of the public eye, we can be who we truly are.
Everyday what we do and what we wear re-invents ourselves.
Personal connection
Amanda can relate to the theme of being reinvented by clothing because she herself wears clothing as an