2A-FRQ 2:"The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter Discussion by https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m Use this padlet to prepare for discussion. Add one question and one answer with textual references. If someone else already wrote a question similar to what you were going to ask, lean away from that question and come up with another question. Don't forget to like someone's post and leave a comment. en-us 2022-04-20 02:58:23 UTC 2022-05-12 19:10:53 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f333.png Joy Outhous: https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2152667594 In the excerpt, "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, why do you think Miranda is so invested in her grandmothers and great-aunts conversation? 
In the excerpt Miranda is observing the interaction between the two older women. She finds herself invested in a conversation between "two school girls." Immediately after she feels sad and hurt she wants to leave the conversation. I think Miranda was so invested in this conversation because she looked up to her grandmother in a way for the wisdom. "Proud grandmothers" who seemed like to children "they knew best about everything and children knew nothing." In a way maybe Miranda thought she could learn from seeking the conversation and maybe allow her to seek wisdom.
Why do you think Miranda tends to analyze her grandmother more descriptively? 
I think Miranda is describing her grandmother more because she has a sense of looking up to her grandmother. In her description though she describes the grandmother as someone she would not want to be interacting with and this causes her to use diction such as "grizzled" and "steel-rimmed" with more of a harsh tone and difficult tone. Miranda obviously looks up to her grandmother because of her wisdom and experience but she might in a way not fully appreciate her grandmother for her attributes and harshness.

]]> 2022-04-21 20:52:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2152667594 Cainan Rebmann: https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153501312 In the excerpt from Katherine Anne Porter's "The Fig Tree", how do you think the societal structure present in the excerpt affects the behavior of the characters? 
In the excerpt, the great-aunt and the grandmother appear as the matriarchs, by demonstrating their authority by ordering "children all day long to come here, go there, do this, do not do that." This authority is even present after Miranda attempts to leave the presence of the two women and is asked to wait on the women. The presence of the women creates feelings of fright as she is asked to wait. By the end of the excerpt, the introduction of "snuff" creates a more complex underlying pressure on Miranda as the drug is seen as something for the "lower classes." Miranda's fixation on the use of the drug by her great-aunt creates fascination, however, she is unable to speak out about the usage due to her locked gaze. Ultimately, the great-aunt and the grandmother hold the greatest authority in the family, which creates order through their commands to the children.]]> 2022-04-22 12:16:28 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153501312 Violet <3 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153552964 In Katherine Anne Porter's "The Fig Tree," how does the tone within the short bits of dialogue develop the characterization of the older women? How does Miranda's physical reaction characterize her internal conflict?

The haughty, condescending tone of the dialogue between the older women develops their feelings of superiority. Miranda's instinct to back away and escape witnessing the interaction represents her confusion with the situation. She had previously thought adults to be mature, however she now watched two of the respected adults in her life as they "bickered and nagged and picked on eachother" just as her and her sister did. "Sad and... a little frightened," Miranda attempted to leave, as she evidently was reluctant in recognizing the impurities and imperfections of women she trusted to be perfect and pure.]]> 2022-04-22 13:01:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153552964 Isabel Astwood 2426716 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153553509 In the passage from "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, how does the point of view of the narrator aid in the story building and characterization? 

The narrator of this passage from "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter is a young child who is surrounded by her family. This is a familiar environment to her and as such the delivery of information is such a manner that the audience has to read between the lines to understand the reality of the situation through her reactions and observations. Nevertheless the narrator is still very perspective and her unique perspective reveals a lot about the characters and setting in which the story takes place. Her commentary on her Great Aunt and Grandmother reveal the tense relationship between them as well as a theme the author builds upon throughout the passage, that adults are merely children given responsibility and control over others and that deep down they will continue to act as such. The narrator, Miranda, also reveals the reality of their living situation through descriptions of of rooms in the house when drawing comparison between her grandmother and "...the inside of her seashell, the one on her sewing table...". Overall, Miranda's point of view is very important to the tone and story building done in the passage.]]> 2022-04-22 13:01:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153553509 Grace Hankins 270943 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153648154 In "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, why is Miranda so frustrated with her grandmother and great aunt, and how does this develop her?

As the passage begins with the great aunt and grandmother bickering, it seems as though the narrator is an unbiased outside perspective. However, about halfway through the passage, Miranda, the narrator, begins to speak on what is happening around her, expressing her frustrations with her grandmother and great aunt. This frustration is developed through Miranda's use of polysyndeton while commenting on her surroundings. Miranda explains how her relatives "spoke to children always as if they knew best about everything and..." while continuing on and on about her frustrations. Each point Miranda makes seems to explain that Miranda doesn't get along with her grandmother, but on a deeper level, Miranda really just doesn't want to end up like them. After growing older Miranda realizes how child-like adults can be while they bicker, and Miranda doesn't want to end up like them. ]]> 2022-04-22 14:09:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153648154 maggie sweet https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153648334 In Katherine Anne Porter's short story "The Fig Tree", how does the development of the juxtaposition of the universal ideas of beauty and power add to the author's development of complexity? 
Porter develops Grandmother as a beautiful woman who is characterized to know everything and tell people what to do. In contrast, Great-Aunt Eliza is seen on the sidelines as a more "unattractive" woman who has "never been pretty". She observes her sister from the sidelines wishing she could have the power her sister holds. This develops the idea that Eliza has been on the sidelines for her whole life, always wanting to be as good as her sister. This develops the overall complexity of the story as it gives a backstory to the main characters. Despite Eliza always pining after her sister's beauty, she is seen in the end of the excerpt to have "accepted" her reality as she sits down to "dip snuff" while her sister sits idly by.]]> 2022-04-22 14:09:56 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153648334 Caitlin Golson https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153656261 In the story how does juxtaposition help show the complex reaction of Miranda and how can we take this story and relate it to our everyday lives? 


In "The Fig Tree" juxtaposition helps show the two sides of Miranda's reaction towards the older women. It first  starting out with her being intrigued by them to her being disappointed and even disgusted. Her reaction is brought out by this use of literary elements to help create and bring forth the image and scene taking place. She dissed their messy ways. In the text it states "Miranda had heard of this shameful habit in women of the lower class,but no lady had been known to "dip and sniff" and surely not in the family." Miranda is shocked and surprised , these events make her look at her grandmother and great aunt in a whole new way. In our everyday lives when we are young we don't see or notice our family's bad habits until we get older or more observant. we come to the realization like Miranda that our family is not the shining image that we always knew. The way we view of them before has totally changed and makes us tell our selves that we never want to go down that route. ]]> 2022-04-22 14:15:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153656261 In "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, how did Amanda's perception of her grandmother and great-aunt's relationship cause her to grasp the concept of age and the impact it has on relationships? 023651 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153659591 With Amanda as the narrator, it provides insight into the mind of a younger, more curious mind. Amanda states how she is always "watching and listening", and how the world is "strange to her" is the reason that she is so attentive to her grandmother and great-aunt, hoping to learn about life. Amanda's attention to the dynamic of the sister's relationship causes her to realize the similarities between her and her own, showing Amanda that, even though they are many years older than her, they're still children on the inside. Therefore, when Amanda states how she thinks they "knew best about everything" shows the childhood innocence of thinking that when you grow older, you know all the answers. ]]> 2022-04-22 14:17:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153659591 Avery Moore https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153660385 In the excerpt from "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, how does the descriptions of Miranda's grandparents contribute to her unease when watching them argue with each other?

Throughout the excerpt, the author makes use of a lot of visual imagery which enables the readers to essentially see the scene trough Miranda's eyes. The description of Great-Aunt Eliza as a "mountain" with "iron colored hair" implies that she is possibly harsh and strict. Additionally, both grandparents are stated to hold a place of power over kids like Miranda. The excerpt claims that they "spoke to children always as if they knew the best about everything and children knew nothing." Despite their level of authority, the dialogue and bickering between her Grandmother and Great-Aunt Eliza characterizes them as rude and immature, like "two little girls at school," and also shows that they have a fairly tense and strained relationship. The juxtaposition between their supposed power and their inability to get along serves to confuse and unsettle Miranda because typically, those who hold any sort of authority are seen to be more mature and level-headed than her Grandmother and Great-Aunt Eliza.]]> 2022-04-22 14:18:01 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153660385 Abby Tam 023848 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153660812 How does Miranda's narration effect the overall tone and MOTW of ̈The Fig Tree ̈? 

In comparison the the other characters from the excerpt, Miranda is a young girl. The added perspective of her child-like world view contributes to the complexity of the MOTW, as her life experience is limited and her youthful word choice establishes a curious tone. For example, when discussing her Grandmothers reaction to her Great-Aunts rebuttal, Miranda describes her Grandmothers appearance to be ̈as pink as the inside of a seashell ̈. As well as this, the acknowledgement of how the characters are related to each other by Miranda creates clarity and assumed ideas in regards to Mirandas feelings towards her Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. ]]> 2022-04-22 14:18:21 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153660812 In the short story, "The Fig Tree," how does the author, Katherine Anne Porter, show a cause and effect between the way the sisters treat each other and the impact of this antagonism? - Jordan P https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153664140 Porter shows how the antagonistic relationship between the two sisters impacts Great Aunt Eliza with her drug use and harsh personality toward Miranda, the protagonist, and the Grandmother. It's said that the two always say things just to hurt each other, likely stemming from Grandmother being more attractive. This disparity led to them being rivals more than sisters and they argue, just as they do at the beginning of the story, on a regular basis. The effect of these interactions is hurt feelings ("Grandmother turned pink as the inside of a seashell...") and the aforementioned harsh tone Eliza has toward Miranda ("Now take this, and don't let me lay eyes on you anymore today").]]> 2022-04-22 14:20:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153664140 Matthew Doty https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153664453 In the excerpt from the story "The Fig Tree" written by Katherine Anne Porter, how does Porter show Miranda's discomfort yet fascination with her Great Aunt and Grandmother?

In the passage, the siblingship between the Grandmother and the Great Aunt is shown to reflect their younger selves through bickering and slight jabs at each other just to be mean. Miranda is taken aback by this because the siblingship is almost exactly like her own with her sister who is significantly younger. Through this parallel drawn between the two sets of sisters, Miranda is made uncomfortable that her future might also become a parallel of her grandmother and great aunt. She tries to leave, but much to her dismay she is stopped leading to the discovery of her great aunt sniffing finely ground tobacco. This leads to a thought process that in all reality surprises Miranda as her grandmother has very strong opinions about tobacco. Through this revelation, Miranda's view of her great aunt and her siblingship with her grandmother changes to wonder rather than disgust or discomfort.]]> 2022-04-22 14:20:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153664453 Alexandra Gibson 024112 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153667398 In Katherine Anne Porter's short story "The Fig Tree," how does Miranda's discovery of Eliza's snuff habits relate to her revelation about the maturity of her grandmother and great aunt?

When Great Aunt Eliza dips snuff, Miranda is able to recognize another discrepancy between her expectations of adults and reality - that social class, just as age, does not make a difference when it comes to basic human actions. There always has been and always will be a belief that people who are better off are also superior to others, and in a child, this belief is even stronger. In youth, it is easier to think of everything as black and white, or good and bad, so just as the adults are seen as the "good" ones, rich people are seen as better than poor ones. Through her discovery that dipping snuff is not a habit exclusive to the lower class, she is able to add onto the realization that all adults are like each other.]]> 2022-04-22 14:22:54 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153667398 Class reflection. 1075229 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153675266 In the excerpt from Katherine Anne Portar's novel "The Fig Tree" how do the high class view and standards of Miranda contrast with the actions of her Grandmother and Grand-aunt

While we do not know the finer details of the socio-economic status of the characters the implications from the narration seem to imply that they are among the upper class, something which is reflected in pieces of Miranda's words despite the various actions that the characters go through. At first are not given any sign of this, if anything due to the implications of manual labour- even if not true work- seem to imply that they would be lower-middle or lower class. They do not particularly speak as if they are high class either, with only Miranda showing any true sign of this. Yet, near the end of the passage as the aunt begins to dip Miranda remarks upon the horror of it being a shameful habit of lower class women, not one of a proper 'lady' like her aunt. Upon further reflections this leads to a number of questions, and we are left to wonder if they had brought themselves to such a reputation by their own hands, something which has reflected in a generational divide as Miranda underwent a likely very different upbringing. ]]> 2022-04-22 14:28:24 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153675266 In this excerpt from the short story "The Fig Tree", how does the grandmothers' view of Hinry and younger members of their society interact with their view of each other? - Carly S https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153677555 The author develops the relationships between the two Grandmothers, by identifying them first as older women with authority over their grandchildren, like Hinry and Miranda, but quickly identifying their own childlike relationship with one another. The author does this largely by showing how Great Aunt Eliza shows authority over Hinry in putting up the telescope correctly, suggesting that the only way he can properly put up the telescope, is with her aged wisdom, saying "...he doesnt do so badly so long as I tell him." This identification of her authority allows the author to highlight her age and her position over Miranda and her cousins. However, the author quickly helps subvert this idea of wisdom and growth, by depicting Elizas' near childlike relationship with her own sister, showing their bickering and childlike arguing over insignificant details. This adds more depth and complexity to their relationship with each other, with their position over their grandchildren, and with their own aging process, as the author paints them as feeling almost the same age as they used to be, despite their material changes. The author uses these relationships to show their own relationship with aging and their inner child.]]> 2022-04-22 14:30:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153677555 Andi https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153681587 In the passage from "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, How does the tone effect the perception of each of the characters? 

Miranda is a young child talking to her grandmother and great aunt. As she is talking to her relatives, the tone shifts to being scared, and sad. This is shown in by miranda trying to walk out of the room. The passage contuninues to describe the grandmothers hair and thin pale face. Miranda wanting to walk out of the room can be inferred as miranda being scared that she and her sister would become just like the great aunt and grandmother. Still agruing like childeren. Miranda realizing that the adults still agrue and make mistakes.This realization shows her loss of innocents, by showing her that adults are not what she thinks.
 

]]> 2022-04-22 14:32:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153681587 Arie van Dam 020472 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153686366 What is the relationship between the great grandmother, the great aunt and Miranda, and what are their preconceived notions of one another?
In the passage from the fig tree, the author paints a vivid picture about Miranda observing her great aunt and great grandmother, who argue like children even at their age. The story contradicts the idea that wisdom comes with age, as the great aunt is shown dipping tobacco even if she knows that its bad for her. She bickers with the great grandmother and they both feel that they cannot be doing certain activities based on their age, and their harshness towards one another probably restricts their desires. They may actually be capable of many things but when someone tells you its not right to do, then they may begin to feel that themselves. The older folk feel that the children have to obey them, despite their very clear flaws, and when miranda sees these flaws it causes confusion about the social structure she is in. She begins to doubt the wisdom of her elders here and is given a cracked and broken gumdrop symbolizing her disillusionment with adulthood and loss of innocence.
]]> 2022-04-22 14:36:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153686366 In "The Fig Tree" written by Katherine Anne Porter, what is the deeper meaning behind the "dip snuff"? - Jada Katherine https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153694112 Miranda sees her grandmothers as people who"spoke to children always as if they knew best about everything and children knew nothing." So when Miranda observes that Great-Aunt Eliza dipping the snuff regardless of the fact that it isn't respected in the family, she is able to see the same rebellious attitude in her Aunt that you would see in child which builds a bridge between the elderly vs. the child's decision making showing that the difference between the two ages aren't as extreme as she may have once believed. ]]> 2022-04-22 14:42:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153694112 Macie Love https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153732596 In the excerpt from "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, how does the relationship between the grandmother and great-aunt reflect or influence the relationship between the main character Miranda and her sister Maria who is briefly mentioned within the piece? 


Throughout the excerpt from the "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, literary elements such as metaphor and gaining awareness with age are used throughout the piece to convey the complex relationship between Miranda's preconceived notions about her relatives and the increasing anxiety she has as she gains awareness for their faults or imperfections. ]]> 2022-04-22 15:09:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2153732596 Samuel Pacific 1069610 https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2177719751 In the excerpt from "The Fig Tree" by Katherine Anne Porter, there is a recurring a theme of "Snuff". How does the Literal meaning also mix with the figurative meaning? 

In the excerpt, Great-Aunt Eliza was described as having "Snuffed-colored eyes", "Snuff-colored woolen skirts", and "Her smell of snuff". These metaphors are ways the author reveals the issue of internal conflict with addiction, or the figuratively addicted with arguing with her own family. ]]> 2022-05-10 14:31:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ajwhaley/my50t9mq312ls8m/wish/2177719751