EWRT 1C ClassClass 47

AGENDAQHQ DiscussionAfterLiving

Group Discussion Questions and QHQs: “After” and “Living”

QHQ: “Ma”1. Q: What kinds of challenges does Ma face when protecting

Jack from Old Nick no longer takes all of her time and attention? How does Jack respond to the new environment?

2. QUESTION: How does Ma’s persistence in protecting Jack by creating an escape plan reveal the internal evolution that is occurring?

3. Q: From a psychological critic perspective, how has Ma’s world changed and affected her?

4. Q: Ma finally escapes and returns to the outer world; why does she attempt suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills?

5. Q: How/why does ma shed the conservation mentality of Room so quickly in favor of throwing things away?

QHQ “Jack”1. Q: There are many scenes that show that Jack wonders about the

outside world? When does Jack believe that the outside world is real?2. Q: This chapter reveals Jacks & Ma’s isolation from the outside world,

how does this affect Jack?3. Q: What are clear signs that Jack has been traumatized by the way

that his mother tried to shield him from living in Room?4. Q: What is the mental state that Jack is left in after being isolated for

so long?5. Q: What’s the significance of Ma’s Tooth?6. Q: What do Jack’s dreams suggest about his psychological state?

Questions1. Explain the dynamic between

Old Nick and Ma. Why does the author choose not to tell us Old Nick’s story?

2. What role do you think the media play in the novel? How does the media contribute to the trauma.

HOMEWORKPost #34 QHQ Room: Focus on a close reading of a passage (or passages) that you could use to do a critical reading through a theoretical lens. Consider New Critical, Feminist, Psychoanalytic, or Trauma Theories. You may use another theory with which you are familiar.