Brooklyn

Handout Irish Literature 5v 2023-2024

Inhoudsopgave
Before reading...............................................................3
While reading:................................................................6
Part I............................................................................6
Part II...........................................................................8
Part III - Section 1 (pages 97-153)..............................10
Part III - Section 2 (pages 154-208)............................11
Part IV........................................................................13
After reading:...............................................................14

synopsis
In a small town in the south-east of Ireland in the 1950s, Eilis Lacey is one
among many of her generation who cannot find work at home. So when a job is
offered in America, it is clear that she must go. Leaving her family and home,
Eilis sets off to forge a new life for herself in Brooklyn. Young, homesick and
alone, she gradually buries the pain of parting beneath the rhythms of a new
life - days at the till in a large department store, night classes in Brooklyn
College and Friday evenings on the dance floor of the parish hall - until she
realizes that she has found a sort of happiness. But when tragic news summons
her back to Ireland, and the constrictions of her old life unexpectedly give way
to new possibilities, she finds herself facing a terrible choice: between love and
happiness in the land where she belongs and the promises she must keep on
the far side of the ocean.
Before reading
Read through the statements and examples below. Answer the questions by yourself,
in pairs or in small groups.
Main aim is to become aware of the different elements of literature and in the near
future use them in your own work.

Setting
The location and time frame in which the action of the narrative takes place.
What is the time frame in which the narrative of Brooklyn takes place?
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Genre
(go to www.britannica.com/art/historical-novel, read the definition and fill in the
missing words)
historical novel, a novel that has as its setting a period of history and that attempts to
convey the s…………………, m………………, and s……….………. c………………………….. of a past
age with realistic detail and fidelity (which is in some cases only apparent fidelity) to
historical fact.

Mood
Research the term mood as used in literature and write a definition.

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What are some emotions that might be felt by a reader when reading a piece of
writing like a historical novel?

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Immigrants
Research immigration to the United States by Irish and Italians.

How many Italians and Irish immigrated to the U.S.?

Italians ___________ million Irish ___________ million

What do you think they gained by immigrating?

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What could have been the downsides of immigrating to another country?

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Symbols
Symbols (e.g. objects or references) are used by the author to add deeper
meaning to a story. A symbol can boost a theme, idea or a character.
We know many symbols in our own culture. In movies, for example, clothing
can say something about characters: bad guys wear black.
Parts of the day can be symbolic of life: morning stands for ‘a new beginning’.
What would night be symbolic for? ________________________________

Here are some symbols in Brooklyn that are worthy mentioning

Letters: These are the primary way that Eilis and others communicate to stay in
touch with family and sometimes they make Eilis homesick.
Wedding ring: This stands for (her) commitment and love. In Brooklyn it also
serves as a reminder of her choices.
American Fashion: This is something that Eilis has to learn as she adjusts to
living in America, and that makes her stand out when she returns to Ireland for
a visit.
Conflict
In literature, conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two
opposing forces, usually a protagonist and an antagonist. But there are other
types of conflict.
While reading:
Besides answering the “check questions” also consider the following questions.
Eilis leaves her Irish home for Brooklyn. What are your expectations of her journey in
the 1950s?
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Part I
In Part I, what classes has Eilis nearly finished?
(a) Teacher preparation.
(b) Bookkeeping.
(c) Spanish.
(d) French.

What day of the week does Miss Kelly want Eilis to work in her store in Part I?
(a) Friday.
(b) Monday.
(c) Saturday.
(d) Sunday.

What does Miss Kelly say about her helper Mary?

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What does Eili’s mother say about Miss Kelly?

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In Part I, how many dances did Nancy say that she danced with George Sheridan?
(a) Five.
(b) Three.
(c) Four.
(d) Two.

Where do Eilis's brothers work?

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Why and when does Rose go to Dublin twice year?

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Before Eilis leaves in Part I, how often has she been to seven o'clock mass?
(a) 4 times.
(b) 3 times.
(c) Once.
(d) Twice.
What was Miss Kelly's nickname in school?
(a) Freckles.
(b) Piglet.
(c) Nettles.
(d) Dog face.

In Part 1, how long has it been since Nancy's ex-boyfriend showed up with another girl at the
Athenaeum?
(a) A year and a half.
(b) 5 months.
(c) 8 months.
(d) A year.

Who is to pay for Eilis's passage to America?

(a) Her brothers.
(b) She is.
(c) Father Flood.
(d) Rose.

What does Miss Kelly say when Eilis tells her that she is going to America?

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Where does Jack work?

(a) Docks.
(b) Tea warehouse.
(c) Spare-parts warehouse.
(d) Grocery store.

What is Eili’s room like on the ship that takes her to America?

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How often does Georgina go home to Liverpool?

(a) Twice a year.
(b) Every other year.
(c) Every 18 months.
(d) Once a year.

What color dress does Georgina select for Eilis to wear when she leaves the ship?
(a) White with red floral pattern.
(b) Soft pink.
(c) Cream with a small flower border.
(d) Blue with stripes.
Part II
Where is Eilis's landlady from?
(a) Marshalstown.
(b) Enniscorthy.
(c) Ballymoney.
(d) Wexford.

What happened to Mrs Kehoe’s husband?

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How does Eilis finds out what had happened to Mr Kehoe?

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What are Mrs. Keohoe's daily topics at dinner?

(a) Her children.
(b) Her friends.
(c) Changing fashions and new trends.
(d) News from Ireland.

Where was the lodger, Patty McGuire, born?

(a) Pennsylvania.
(b) England.
(c) Ireland.
(d) New York.

Who washes the clothes of the girls who live at Mrs. Kehoe's?

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45. What time does Eilis get home after her work day in Part II?
(a) 6:00.
(b) 5:30.
(c) 7:00.
(d) 6:30.

How does Miss Bartocci tell Eilis customers are treated?

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During Eilis's fourth week working at Bartocci's, what is on sale?

(a) Blouses.
(b) Skirts.
(c) Nylon.
(d) Coats.
How does Eilis feel the night after she receives her first letters from home?
(a) Desperate.
(b) Angry.
(c) Frustrated.
(d) Trapped.

What college does Father Flood want to try to get Eilis to attend?
(a) Brooklyn College.
(b) Bard College.
(c) City College.
(d) Hunter College.

Who does Father Flood say is most likely to do Eilis a favor and get her enrolled?
(a) Italians.
(b) Jews.
(c) Dutch.
(d) Poles.

Why does Eilis take note of all the details in the sitting room when she has tea with Mrs.
Kehoe there?
(a) So she can describe it to her mother and Rose.
(b) She wants to always remember how lovely it is.
(c) So she can have something else to think about.
(d) So she can have a room like it someday.

What classes does Father Flood manage to enroll Eilis in?

(a) Cash management and bookkeeping.
(b) Accounting and typing.
(c) Bookkeeping and preliminary accountancy.
(d) Typing and bookkeeping.

What does Eilis write and tell her family is her favorite thing about America?
(a) That the heat is kept on all night.
(b) The food.
(c) Her co-workers.
(d) Her classes.

What does Eilis buy her brothers for Christmas?

(a) Books.
(b) Sweaters.
(c) Watches.
(d) Ties.

Part III - Section 1 (pages 97-153)

Have your expectations of her journey changed? What was different or what was
similar?
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In Part III, how much bigger is Eilis's new room at the boarding house?
(a) Several hundred feet.
(b) Half again.
(c) A third.
(d) Twice.

In Part III, what day of the week does Father Flood decide to hold dances?
(a) Saturday.
(b) Monday.
(c) Friday.
(d) Sunday.

Why does Eilis not think that Miss McAdam and Sheila Heffernan can help her pick out
clothes?
(a) They look dowdy.
(b) They have a horrible sense of color.
(c) They are too formal and stiff in their attire.
(d) They are too modern and loud in their attire.

In Part III, what is the name of the other associate besides Eilis that Miss Fortini makes an
announcement about changes in the store.
(a) Miss Murphy.
(b) Miss Delano.
(c) Miss Corbetta.
(d) Miss Porcini.

What color stockings are going to be sold at Bartocci's store in Part III?
(a) Brownish-black.
(b) Red Fox, Sepia, and Coffee.
(c) Black fox, taupe, and chocolate.
(d) Beige.

How old are the first colored women who shop at Bartocci's in Part III?
(a) Middle-aged.
(b) Teens.
(c) Twenties.
(d) Thirties.

In Part III, where is the special law book store that Mr. Rosenblum recommends to Eilis?
(a) West Twenty-third Street.
(b) East Forty-second Street.
(c) Thirty-ninth Street and Fifth Avenue.
(d) Twenty-second Street and Fifty-third Avenue.

What does Eilis learn about Mr Rosenblum in the special law bookstore?

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What is one of the songs the musicians play at the dance when Eilis meets Tony?
(a) The Siege of Ennis.
(b) A Nation Once Again.
(c) Come Out Ye Black and Tans.
(d) The Irish Rover.

Where are Tony's parents from?

(a) France.
(b) Ireland.
(c) Italy.
(d) Germany.

By the end of Part III, Section 1, how many times a week is Eilis having lunch with Miss
Fortini?
(a) Three.
(b) Two or three.
(c) One or two.
(d) Two.

Part III - Section 2 (pages 154-208)

Why does Eilis not have to pay for her tuition for Brooklyn college?
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In Part III, Section 2, what day of the week does Tony want to celebrate the news that Eilis
passed all her classes?
(a) Thursday.
(b) Sunday.
(c) Friday.
(d) Saturday.

What sport did Eilis's father and brothers listen to on summer Sundays?
(a) Baseball.
(b) Rounders.
(c) Football.
(d) Hurling.

What is the name of the place where Eilis sees her first baseball game?
(a) Ebbers Field.
(b) Target Field.
(c) Angel Stadium.
(d) Fenway Park.
What advice to Diana and Patty give Eilis before she goes to Coney Island with Tony?
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How does Tony treat Eilis at their first baseball game together?

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How is Eilis able to speak with her mother after Rose’s death?

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What does Eilis's mother say that Rose had been seeing a doctor for?
(a) Liver condition.
(b) Joint problems.
(c) Epilepsy.
(d) Heart condition.

Who will attend Rose's mass in Brooklyn with Eilis?

(a) Tony, his mother, and Mrs. Kehoe.
(b) Tony and his family.
(c) Tony, his mother, and his brothers.
(d) Mrs. Kehoe and the boarders.

How long will it take Eilis each way if she goes to Ireland for a visit?
(a) Four to five days.
(b) Five to six days.
(c) Seven to eight days.
(d) Nine to ten days.

Part IV
What does Eilis buy and bring with her in Part IV to give her mother?
(a) Hat, scarf, and some gloves.
(b) Cardigan, scarf, and some stockings.
(c) Gloves and a hat.
(d) Stockings and gloves.

What does Eilis think when she notices a woman staring at her as she walks down the street
in Enniscorthy?

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How long after Eilis's planned departure is Nancy's wedding?

(a) Three days.
(b) Four days.
(c) Five days.
(d) Six days.
What family member(s) does Jim Farrell have in New York?
(a) One aunt.
(b) One brother.
(c) Three cousins.
(d) Two uncles.

When Eilis gets her first letter from Tony in Ireland, how much longer does she have to stay?
(a) About three weeks.
(b) Five days.
(c) Eight days.
(d) Less than two weeks.

How does Eilis get to work at Davis’s offices?

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Who used to be Rose's boss at Davis's and where did he come from?
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How many letters does Eilis get from Tony in Part IV before she realizes that she has not
written him once?
(a) Three.
(b) Four.
(c) Two.
(d) Five.

What reason does Eilis give her mother for leaving Ireland?
(a) She is married.
(b) There are more opportunities in America.
(c) She has commitments.
(d) She doesn't want to stay in Ireland.

When is the last time that EIlis sees her mother before she leaves?
(a) The day before.
(b) The afternoon before.
(c) The next morning.
(d) The evening before.

What does Eilis do with the photos of her, Nancy, George, and Jim?
(a) Puts them in her case.
(b) Puts them in a dresser drawer.
(c) Throws them away.
(d) Leaves them on top of the dresser.

After reading:
As part of your grade you are going to do presentations in duos. During these presentations
you will show knowledge of the theory discussed in both handouts (Irish Literature and
Brooklyn).
Think of:
How does the novel explore the theme of identity? In what ways does Eilis' sense of self
change throughout the story, and what factors contribute to these changes? Can you
identify these changes within the Irish historical experience.
Is the symbolism used by the writer obvious or more obscured? Does the symbolism
reinforce the conflict, theme or mood of the novel?
How does the novel portray the relationships between men and women, and what
commentary does it offer on gender roles and expectations in the 1950s?
How does the setting of the novel shape the story and the characters' experiences? What are
some of the key differences between the two places, and how do these differences affect
Eilis and the other characters?
How is the immigrant experience portrayed in the novel? Is it an isolated or a shared
experience?