Question

Please read the full story “If I Quench Thee” by William E. Chambers online and answer the following questions with details and reference to the story.
1. Explain the irony at the end of the story . Which type of irony is it? Identify other ironies in the story.

2. In what ways is the father negative and prejudiced? Find quotations to support your ideas.

3. Why is the father racist? What makes people racist?

Answer 1

Answer:

1. The irony at the end of the wonderful story is the fact that Tod was the minister not Monica's fiance. This is ironic because the minister is someone that Stern would love to have as a son in law, but because of his actions he will end up in jail. This is situational Irony. There are also verbal irony, and dramatic irony.

2. The father is negative and prejudiced when during the story he flashes back to his time in the military. During this time we really get to see what he thinks. "His mind filled with reflections of Korea, of another people, different in skin colour, an alien race that had threatened him and his fellow commandoes. A threat he had eliminated with bullets, piano wire, and bare hands." This is the direct quote from the story that really highlights this. It also shows that he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

3. The father is racist because in his day and age he was taught to fight against these people of color. Going back to the part when he thinks about his time in a war highlights that. People become racist because of their background and because of the influences around them. It is up to them to figure it out.

Explanation: