Lesson 3

Rope

By

Katherne Anne Porter

1. Author: Katherine Anne Porter

2.Text Analysis

3.Language Points

4.Key to the Exercises

5. After-class Assignment

The End

Katherine Anne Porter• Born: 15 May 1890

• Birthplace: Indian Creek, Texas

• Died: 18 September 1980

• Best Known As: Short story

writer and the author of Ship

of Fools

• Katherine Anne Porter (1890 - 1980) is a US short-story writer and novelist. Her short stories collected in Flowering Judas (1930), Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939), and The Leaning Tower (1944) won her a critical reputation as a stylist who handled complex subjects with economy while subtly penetrating the psychology of her characters. Her only novel, Ship of Fools (1962), is set on a passenger boat travelling from Mexico to Bremerhaven in 1931. It is an exploration of the German mind in the 1930s, and an allegory of the relationship of good to evil, and the voyage of life towards eternity.

• Porter was a master stylist, whose long short stories have a richness of texture and complexity of character delineation usual ly achieved only in the novel.

• Katherine Anne Porter (1890 - 1980) is a US short-story writer and novelist. Her short stories collected in Flowering Judas (1930), Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939), and The Leaning Tower (1944) won her a critical reputation as a stylist who handled complex subjects with economy while subtly penetrating the psychology of her characters. Her only novel, Ship of Fools (1962), is set on a passenger boat travelling from Mexico to Bremerhaven in 1931. It is an exploration of the German mind in the 1930s, and an allegory of the relationship of good to evil, and the voyage of life towards eternity.

• Porter was a master stylist, whose long short stories have a richness of texture and complexity of character delineation usual ly achieved only in the novel.

• Katherine Anne Porter was an American short-story writer who had her greatest success with her only novel, the allegorical epic Ship of Fools (1962). Raised by her grandmother in Texas and Louisiana, Porter's young life was famously colorful and included three failed marriages, travels in Europe and Mexico and a stint as a journalist. Her first collection of short stories, Flowering Judas, was published in 1930 and launched her career as a well-regarded practioner of the form. Her other acclaimed collections include Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939) and 1965's The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (winner of the National Book Award).

A woman’s sexuality and social position is a strong theme found in many of Katherine Anne Porter’s stories. Porter’s Short Story Collections, reveal narratives of women caught in challenging situations that must become strong and realize the afflictions and adversities in their lives. For years Katherine Anne Porter has successfully paralleled the lives of everyday women with her main characters found in many of her stories. In her short story the "Rope," Porter considers a torn relationship where a couple is caught in an unhappy marriage and in a sense is hanging on by a “rope.” Through the use of characterization, Porter effectively illustrates an unhappy situation between a married couple with the use of words and the characters’ interactions. In this short story, a long piece of twine symbolizes not only the never ending duration of a married couple, but also the interminable ring of devotion that they must aspire to honor.

Text AnalysisText AnalysisText AnalysisText Analysis

A Brief Interpretation of the Text

• Rope is an exemplary specimen of Porter's stories which can be simple in form but profound in meaning and extremely unique in style. The story is about a quarrel between a husband and wife over something that is very trivial — a piece of rope. The author goes into great details describing the conversation between the couple, developing from unpleasantness to bitterness and finally, turning into seemingly peaceful matrimonial harmony.

• Rope is an exemplary specimen of Porter's stories which can be simple in form but profound in meaning and extremely unique in style. The story is about a quarrel between a husband and wife over something that is very trivial — a piece of rope. The author goes into great details describing the conversation between the couple, developing from unpleasantness to bitterness and finally, turning into seemingly peaceful matrimonial harmony.

• It would be wrong, however, if we look at the husband-wife altercation simply as it is, since the family clash is closely related to the social and economical environment. America in the late 20s and early 30s was undergoing a period of depression and general poverty. Economic difficulty at the time affected most of the families, and it serves as the background of the strife accounted in Rope. The couple described in the story move to the country as an escape from the difficulty in the industrial and commercial surroundings, and pressure they have been having in the city. However, the pressure is still and always present since no one can disassociate himself from the general environment of society and economy. The fight between the couple is exactly the result of such anxiety and pressure.

• There are a few things Porter achieves great excellence in her story-telling, as shown in the present text. One detail is the method of indirect quotation the writer insists on using. Porter never quotes directly the conversation between the couple, which makes the major part of the story. Such treatment is not simply to achieve a sense of uniqueness, but it aims at making the whole story like an authentic account or report. We can find traces of naturalism caught in the transition from traditionalism and the budding modernism.

• Another interesting and also important detail is the sudden switch of the attitude of the wife from acrimoniousness to a com promising understanding. It seems to be unexpected, but still understandable. Without the switch we can even say the story would not be much better than a piece of neighborhood gossip.

• Yet even though the couple makes peace with each other at the end of the story, we can still sense the shadow hanging over them.

• The names of the husband and the wife have never been pro vided in Rope. This makes us feel that such occurrences happen everywhere, all the time, and to everyone.

Additional Notes to the Text

• 1. smock (para 1) — a loose coatlike garment, often worn to protect the clothes while working

• 2. tumbled (para 1) — tumble: to roll end over end, unkempt• 3. a born country -woman (para 1) — a woman in countryside

by birth• 4. assured (para 1) — assure: to inform confidently• 5. he would if it killed him (para 3) — he would be willing to go

back to the shops in the town even if the hardship and trouble of walking back would kill him

• 6. it might do to hang clothes on (para 3) — the rope might be used to hang clothes on.

• 7. a blot (para 3) — something that spoils or mars, esp. by providing an unpleasant contrast

• 8. might come in handy for (para 4) — could be useful in some way

• 9. but nothing occurred (para 4) — but nothing came into his mind

• 10. odds and ends (para 4) — miscellaneous items or remnants

• 11. every penny counted (para 4) — every single penny was im portant to them

• 12. and that was all there was to it (para 5) — that was the only why he bought the rope

• 13. come in (para 5) — come into her mind; become aware of • 14. things always did (para 5) — things will be helpful one day• 15. they're all running (para 6) — the eggs were all broken• 16. If they got broke it was the grocer's fault (para 6) —• broke: normally broken, but note here the colloquial usage• the grocer's fault: the grocer sold him some eggs that already

were broken

• 17. plainly (para 7) — here: clearly

• 18. witness (para 7) — to act as witness of; to bear witness; to be or give evidence; to testify

• 19. what was the use of her having eyes if that was the best they could do for her (para 7) — if she could not even see that ^ 3s fact, what did she have eyes for

• 20. meat wouldn't keep (para 8)—meat would go rotten

• 21. choked (para 9) — choke: to suffocate, to stop breathing.• Here: she just could not stand the idea of having to eat warme

d-over meat.• 22. scraps (para 9) — sections or pieces• 23. when they were playful (para 9) — when they were in good

mood and frolic • 24. arched and purred ... hissed and clawed (para 9)—These v

erbs are usually associated with what a cat does. A cat | 40 would arch and purr when happy and hiss and claw when angry. Here the verbs indicate the closeness and playfulness | between the couple.

• 25. He swallowed the words red hot (para 10) — He suppressed what he was about to utter with difficulty.

• 26. clutter (para 10) — things scattered in disorder; jumble • 27. window sashes (para 11) — the sliding sections of windows

• 28. He wanted to know what of it? (para 14) — He wanted to know what was wrong with the seven rooms.

• 29. to heckle and tyrannize over (para 14) — to badger persis tently and to rule over like a tyrant

• 30. decently (para 15) — decent: meeting accepted standards

• 31. forlorn (para 15) — bereft

• 32. racket (para 15) — an uproar or din

• 33. clear out (para 16) — [colloq. ] go away; depart• 34. for the life of her (para 16) — for the life of me: [c

olloq. ] even though my life were at stake on it; by any means (used in negative expressions)

• 35. It was a swell time . (para 16) — swell: [slang] first-rate

• 36. stuck (para 16) — trapped [here: in the countryside]

• 37. got things straightened out (para 16) — put everything in order, sorted everything out

• 38. It was his usual trick (para 16) — the wife here is accusing the husband of being habitually deceptive shunning his household responsibilities

• 39. touch (para 17) — Here: a very small amount, degree, etc.; such as, 1) a trace, tinge, etc. ,e. g. a touch of humor; 2) a slight attack, e.g. a touch of the flu

• 40. Oh, he could tell that to his great-grandmother. (para 18) — grandmother or here, great-grandmother is usually a stereotypical figure who is susceptible to lies or mischief, someone who is too old and good-hearted to tell the truth from falsehoods

• 41. notion (para 18) — understanding• 42. more than a notion (para 18) — in other words, sh

e believed that it was a fact• 43. to bring all the things up again (para 18) — to brin

g ail that into the conversation again• 44. he had simply got hooked in (para 18) — he could

no longer disentangle himself from her nagging about this

• 45. raving (para 19) — rave: to speak irrationally or wildly

• 46. stuck in his craw (para 19) — to stick in the (or someone's) craw: to be unacceptable or displeasing to someone

• 47. to drop the subject (para 20) — to leave the topic unfin ished. Here it indicates that she simply wanted to stop quarreling.

• 48. milk of magnesia (para 20) — a liquid suspension of magnesium hydroxide used as a laxative and antacid

• 49. sweltering (para 21) — swelter: to be or Teel uncomfort ably hot; sweat, feel weak, etc. from great heat

• 50. if only she could wait a minute for anything (para 21) — The husband here is indicating that he was tired and wanted to rest first for a while.

• 51. melancholic (para 22) — someone who is susceptible to anx iety, pessimism, depression, etc.

• 52. this was only for a few days (para 22) — the difficulty they had been having would not last long

• 53. toppled off (para 22) — topple: to fall, to overturn

• 54. Sometimes it seemed to her he had second sight about the precisely perfect moment to leave her ditched. (para 23) — The wife here was being sarcastic in accusing the husband of having the habit of leaving her alone to deal with difficult situations.

• 55. The habit was making a wreck of her (para 24) — wreck: one in a disabled or ruined state the habit: being addictively a coffee drinker.

• The sentence: being an addictive coffee drinker was ruining her.

• 56. an easy conscience (para 24) — easy: (here) free from trou ble, anxiety, pain, etc.

• 57. let the house ride them to death (para 25) — Porter here is pointing out the dilemma of alienation in which the couple was caught. The couple, being me owner of the house, could not help being under the manipulation of the burdens of housework, thus making the house to become their master in turn.

• 58. housework was no more her work than it was his (para 25) — housework should be shared between them

• 59. get straight on this question (para 26) — to have a clear-cut and straightforward solution to the problem

• 60. uproarious joke (para 28)—a joke causing laughter

• 61. wrenched away (para 29) — wrench: to twist or turn, especially violently

• 62. She could work herself into a fury about simply nothing (para 31) — She could carry on and become more and more angry over trivialities.

• 63- humoring her (para 31) — humor: (here) to comply with the bad mood or whim of (another); indulge

64. What earthly right had she to say anything about it? (para 31) — earthly: human; worldly. Since she was a human as he was, how could she be dictating about what to do with it at all?

65. He'd heard enough about it to last him a life-time, (para 31) —The husband wanted to hide the rope from the wife’s sight since he had had enough of her nagging.

66. on end (para 32) — to be upright and orderly67. He stopped short, (para 34) — He stopped sudd

enly an abruptly.68. jostled (para 35) — pushed (here indicating the-

wife's tentative attempt to be intimate)69. wary (para 35) — careful; cautious.

Key to the Exercises

• III. Reading

• 1. b 2. c 3. d 4. b 5. b

• 6. a 7. c 8. d 9. d 10. c

• 11. b 12. a 13. a 14.b

• VI Comprehensive Exercises• A. When Wang Bo wrote "Ode to Teng Wang Pavilion", he was only fou

rteen. Though Wang Bo was present on the occasion. Governor Yan did not believe in his genius. He had intended his son-in-law Royal Scholar Meng to write the ode for he had already made preparations to do it. Governor Yan had paper and brush passed around and invited each guest in turn to write. When it came with to Wang Bo, he did not decline: much to the indignation of the governor. Flicking his sleeves, he rose to go but ordered his men to see what Wang Bo would write.

• The first messenger came with the lines "The ancient provincial capital of Nanchang is the new government seat of Hongdu."

• "Nothing but a platitude!" remarked Governor Yan.• When the second messenger came inform him of the lines "In the sky i

t divides the stars of Yi and Zheng, while on the earth it is located at her juncture where Mount Lu and Mount Heng meet. " The governor made no comment but be came thoughtful. Then came the messenger with the lines "The lonely ducks fly in the glow of sunset, the autumn wa ter and the vast sky blend into the same color." The gover nor rose from his seat in great surprise and said. "He's a real genius. His fame will endure forever. " So saying he hastened to invite Wang Bo to a feast at his home. They had a thor oughly enjoyable time at the feast.

• From Anecdotes from Tang Dynasty

• B. 1. __ in (on) 2. __ foot (feet)• 3. __ few (little) 4. __ with (for)• 5. __ should (can) 6. ∨• 7. __probably (possible) 8. __outside (outdoor)• 9. 10. A (few)∨ ∧ ∧• 11. 12. ∨ ∨• 13. /still 14. ∨ • 15. __with (in) 16. ∨• 17. __ product (produce) 18. /∨• 19. __ of (a) 20. ∨• 21. In (the) 1960s 22. __ ∧ ∧ yellow (yellows) • 23. ∨• C. 1. a 2. d 3. d 4. b 5. c • 6. c 7. b 8. c 9. b 10. a • 11. b 12. d 13. c 14. a 15. d • 16. b 17. c 18. b 19. a 20. c

After-class Assignment

1.Writing: write a narrative in which the mechanism of displacement s used about an incident which reveals that something valuable from the past has been lost with changing times.

2. Passage translation: see Exercise VI(A). on page 78 of the textbook.

Thanks for Your Attention!