For this analysis I will deal with the element of characterization in the short story "The Instrument" by Canadian writer Wayde Compton. It tells the story of twin brothers Albert and Donald. They used to be siamese, conjoined at the back of their heads until they underwent surgery as children to separate them.
The conflict in the story arises when one of them wants to record a documentary about their father, a former musician that seems to have become mentally ill after years of drug use. The person financing the documentary is the same millionaire that paid for the surgery decades before. While Donald wants to record the documentary and interview his father, Albert will try to stop it because he thinks their father is crazy and he will embarrass himself.
The conflict is framed through the separation between the two brothers, both physical through the surgery they underwent and the resultant emotional separation. At one point, Donald sees Albert for the first time in a while, "Donald runs a hand over his own scalp, seems to catch himself doing it, puts his palm down flat on the white table". This quotation points out that the first thing that comes to mind when they see each other is how they were joined or connected, and we may hint some longing for reconnection, even if it is through reflex actions like touching the scar in the scalp.
I’d say D. A does not contrast him against the other members of the town, B doesn’t really answer the question and C is unrelated to the question. D shows how his opinion may get him in trouble, as it varies from common opinion (Skinnerup’s).
Mary Malton is popularly called as Typhoid Mary as she was the cause of typhoid outbreak in the US.
Explanation:
- Mary Mallon was born in 1869 in Ireland and then moved to the US in 1884. She did various works to earn her living like doing laundry and cooking. She was stubborn and denied being ill and spread the disease to many people.
- She was isolated for several weeks but even after that, she continued to host the bacteria and spread the disease. Immunization was not discovered in those days and many people were infected.
- One fine day, she had a stroke and never walked. Then she was moved to Riverside Hospital and then she died.
The teacher drew an analogy between the human heart and a pump.
