Return to Week At A Glance
created by L. Lopez, 10/13/04

“The Tale of the Rodent”
by Roger Starr

  1. In your own words, objectively explain the situation narrated by the speaker.




  1. What subjective descriptions of the rodent does Starr provide?  How are they intended to make the reader feel?  Where else are subjective statements made within the essay?




  1. The reader never does find out if the rodent was a mouse or a rat.  Why might Starr have chosen to be vague on this point?




  1. What pattern of organization is used to develop this essay?




  1. Conflict is a key element in narrative.  If the subject is the rodent, with whom or what is the rodent in conflict?  If the rodent is a symbol, what does it represent, and how would you reword your statement of the conflict?




  1. Approximately, how long did this entire event that the essay describes last?  What words does Starr use to indicate time lapse?




  1. Examine the description of the death of the rodent.  Quote the words and phrases used in the description of the dead rodent that support the speaker’s statement that he has “witnessed something small […].”




  1. Starr ends the essay with a statement that can be phrased as a question.  What does the narrative suggest in answer to the question, “What is it about the tale of the rodent that is ‘supremely serious’?”  The answer is the essay’s implied thesis.




  1. In paragraph three, the speaker says the presence of the rodent is incongruous.  What contrasts can you find in paragraph 3 to support this idea?  How does that word choice relate to the essay’s thesis?  What other incongruities can you find in the essay?