Wood

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AP English Response Sheet:: Colum McCann’s “Wood” 40 Points Please position your typed responses beneath each question. Remember: Each response should be a minimum of one fully-developed paragraph in length. Please check to see that you completed the requirements of each question. Be prepared to share your responses with your classmates. 1. What do you see in “Wood” that shows how McCann is tackling “the dark” to get to “light” on the “far side?” What evidence supports this process? (10 Points) Throughout the story it is evident that McCann is tackling “the dark” to get to “the light”. The dark in this text is represented by the “man in the big car.” He comes to ask Mammy for “forty poles…twenty five shillings each. They’ll be carrying banners.” This man represents darkness because of what he does. His use of the poles Mammy created for him was for carrying banners that celebrate the deaths of the opposition group. This behavior is what fuels fighting, war, and more deaths. This darkness seemed to be everywhere during this period of time in Ireland, and conflicts were abundant. The way McCann seemed to get to “the light” was by creating the character of the father. The father supported his own religion but did not believe in the war and fighting efforts. This is shown when he says he is, “as good a Presbyterian as the next, always has been and always will, but it’s just meanness that celebrates others dying.” Because the father does not agree with the celebration of others deaths, he does not agree to give wood for those people to hold banners. The reason this light is on the “far side” is because there will always be people who do not have this moral strength. An example would be the mother. She breaks down and makes the wood poles for the man in secret. Even though this was morally wrong, she does it anyway. Moreover, her character proved that the problems in Ireland were not close to ending. 2. What do you wonder about as you read “Wood” What is absent in the text? Why do you think McCann allowed these absences to exist in this short story? (15 Points) As I read “Wood”, I wondered about a few aspects of the text. The first facet of the short story I wondered about was the relationship between the father and Mammy. It was peculiar that Mammy would so blatantly disobey and betray her husband. The fact of the matter was that father was attempting to do the moral thing and not support the marches that celebrated the loss of other peoples’ lives, and Mammy completely goes against it. The secrecy of Mammy’s plan is projected in, Andrew, the protagonist’s quote, “Each night it was like we were digging a secret tunnel.” This secrecy illustrates the lack of relationship Mammy and the father had. McCann most likely allowed this absence to exist in the story because it serves as a symbol of what war does to people. Differing opinions that support different sides of war can strain relationships and feelings in general. Also, people are put under pressure in times of war. This is most probably why Mammy decided to make the poles for the man and betray the father. This absence also allows the reader the room to interpret the problems between Mammy and the father, and extend that interpretation to the bigger problems in the society.

3.

When asked about the origin of “Wood,” McCann explained that someone from Northern Ireland once said that “even a piece of wood has politics.” How does the simple title of “Wood” confirm the political nature of the short story? (15 Points) The title “Wood” confirms the political nature of the story because it represents how even wood has something to do with politics. In fact, it goes to show that everything seems to have to do with politics. Each family and person is affected by war in different ways. The family in this story is affected because of the demand for wood, and their supply. They are forced to choose between profit and morality. They could sell the wood and make money like they usually do, or avoid giving wood for banners that celebrate the deaths of others. The last line of the story, “I looked at the oak trees behind the mill. They were going mad in the wind. The trunks were big and solid and fat , but the branches were slapping each other around like people.” This quote is seen through the eyes of a naïve, innocent child. He immediately relates two inanimate things bumping into each other to people, because that is all he knows people do. This sad point of view from a child just goes to show that war is everywhere, even in wood.

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