AP JUNIOR ENGLISH / Warfield 2008-2009

Instructions for reading “Araby” by James Joyce

1. Read the story once.

2. Re-read the story, this time underlining or highlighting images or themes that
seem important or occur more than once
3. Answer these questions:
• So what is this story “about?” How do you know?
• Who is the narrator and what is his relationship to the events in the story?
How old is the narrator? How old is the main character?
• How does the story end? (what is the resolution?) In what ways has the
main character changed or grown or what has he or she come to
understand or recognize about himself or the world around him?
• Speculate on the meaning or a major theme of the story—link this theme
to the fate of the main character(s).
• Look back at the first paragraph and consider how an image, concept,
word, phrase, sentence, etc. found there might echo throughout of the
story. What are the repercussions of this image, concept etc. in terms of
the story’s central message or theme? Use a dictionary if necessary.

AP JUNIOR ENGLISH / Warfield 2008-2009

Instructions for reading “Araby” by James Joyce

1. Read the story once.

2. Re-read the story, this time underlining or highlighting images or themes that
seem important or occur more than once
3. Answer these questions:
• So what is this story “about?” How do you know?
• Who is the narrator and what is his relationship to the events in the
story? How old is the narrator? How old is the main character?
• How does the story end? (what is the resolution?) In what ways has
the main character changed or grown or what has he or she come to
understand or recognize about himself or the world around him?
• Speculate on the meaning or a major theme of the story—link this
theme to the fate of the main character(s).
• Look back at the first paragraph and consider how an image, concept,
word, phrase, sentence, etc. found there might echo throughout of the
story. What are the repercussions of this image, concept etc. in terms
of the story’s central message or theme? Use a dictionary if necessary.