Exploring the Text

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  1. We know, of course, that in his “frame tale” Washington Irving is pretending, having invented everything: Crayon, Knickerbocker, and the story itself. Why does Irving present this story in such a fashion? What effect does the framing have on the story?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - We know, of course, that in his “frame tale” Washington Irving is pretending, having invented everything: Crayon, Knickerbocker, and the story itself. Why does Irving present this story in such a fashion? What effect does the framing have on the story?
  2. Note the rich imagery in the opening paragraphs of the story. What is its effect? How does it establish the mood of the story?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Note the rich imagery in the opening paragraphs of the story. What is its effect? How does it establish the mood of the story?
  3. How is Rip characterized in paragraphs 6 through 11? Is he a “hero” or an antihero? Explain. How is Derrick Van Bummel characterized in paragraph 13? What is Irving’s tone in each of these characterizations?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - How is Rip characterized in paragraphs 6 through 11? Is he a “hero” or an antihero? Explain. How is Derrick Van Bummel characterized in paragraph 13? What is Irving’s tone in each of these characterizations?
  4. Regarding Rip’s encounter on the mountain, Irving writes that “there was something strange and incomprehensible about the unknown, that inspired awe, and checked familiarity” (par. 20). Does Irving’s remark apply merely to Rip, or is there something universal about the condition he describes? Explain.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Regarding Rip’s encounter on the mountain, Irving writes that “there was something strange and incomprehensible about the unknown, that inspired awe, and checked familiarity” (par. 20). Does Irving’s remark apply merely to Rip, or is there something universal about the condition he describes? Explain.
  5. After Rip gets used to his new surroundings, he assumes the role of storyteller, a “historian” of sorts. What might Irving be implying here?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - After Rip gets used to his new surroundings, he assumes the role of storyteller, a “historian” of sorts. What might Irving be implying here?
  6. What does the final paragraph of the story suggest about the relationship between reality and the imagination?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What does the final paragraph of the story suggest about the relationship between reality and the imagination?
  7. William Cullen Bryant says of Irving: “If there are touches of satire in his writings, he is the best natured and most amiable of satirists, amiable beyond Horace; and in his irony—for there is a vein of playful irony running through many of his works—there is no tinge of bitterness.” Find examples of irony and satire in “Rip Van Winkle.” Do you agree with Bryant’s characterization? Why or why not?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - William Cullen Bryant says of Irving: “If there are touches of satire in his writings, he is the best natured and most amiable of satirists, amiable beyond Horace; and in his irony—for there is a vein of playful irony running through many of his works—there is no tinge of bitterness.” Find examples of irony and satire in “Rip Van Winkle.” Do you agree with Bryant’s characterization? Why or why not?
  8. In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, scholar Joseph Campbell contends that the classic pattern of a hero’s journey is the departure from home, a strange experience that transforms the hero, and a return. Of “Rip Van Winkle,” he writes:

    The story of Rip Van Winkle is an example of the delicate case of the returning hero. Rip moved into the adventurous realm unconsciously, as we all do every night when we go to sleep… .[W]e return, like Rip, with nothing to show for the experience but our whiskers… . The returning hero, to complete his adventure, must survive the impact of the world. Rip Van Winkle never knew what he had experienced; his return was a joke.

    If “Rip Van Winkle” is not a true hero’s journey, is it instead a satire of the hero’s journey story? Is it a story about transformation, not that of a person but rather that of a country? Or is it just a fun story? Be specific in your answer.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, scholar Joseph Campbell contends that the classic pattern of a hero’s journey is the departure from home, a strange experience that transforms the hero, and a return. Of “Rip Van Winkle,” he writes:The story of Rip Van Winkle is an example of the delicate case of the returning hero. Rip moved into the adventurous realm unconsciously, as we all do every night when we go to sleep… .[W]e return, like Rip, with nothing to show for the experience but our whiskers… . The returning hero, to complete his adventure, must survive the impact of the world. Rip Van Winkle never knew what he had experienced; his return was a joke.If “Rip Van Winkle” is not a true hero’s journey, is it instead a satire of the hero’s journey story? Is it a story about transformation, not that of a person but rather that of a country? Or is it just a fun story? Be specific in your answer.
  9. “Van Winkle,” from “Powhatan’s Daughter,” part 2 of The Bridge, Hart Crane’s 1930 epic poem about America, begins:

    Macadam,1 gun-grey as the tunny’s2 belt,

    Leaps from Far Rockaway to Golden Gate:

    Listen! the miles a hurdy-gurdy grinds—

    Down gold arpeggios mile on mile unwinds.

    Times earlier, when you hurried off to school

    —It is the same hour though a later day—

    You walked with Pizarro in a copybook,

    And Cortez rode up, reining tautly in—

    Firmly as coffee grips the taste,—and away!

    There was Priscilla’s cheek close in the wind,

    And Captain Smith, all heard and certainty,

    And Rip Van Winkle bowing by the way,—

    “Is this Sleepy Hollow, friend—?” And he—

    And Rip forgot the office hours,

    and he forgot the pay;

    Van Winkle sweeps a tenement

    way down on Avenue A,–

    In his poem, Crane makes use of historical and mythic figures from America’s past as he simultaneously explores his dual journey: backward into his childhood memories, delivered in the third person, and forward through the growth and development of the country. Why would Crane choose Rip Van Winkle as his guide on both journeys? Explain.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - “Van Winkle,” from “Powhatan’s Daughter,” part 2 of The Bridge, Hart Crane’s 1930 epic poem about America, begins:Macadam,1 gun-grey as the tunny’s2 belt,Leaps from Far Rockaway to Golden Gate:Listen! the miles a hurdy-gurdy grinds—Down gold arpeggios mile on mile unwinds.Times earlier, when you hurried off to school—It is the same hour though a later day—You walked with Pizarro in a copybook,And Cortez rode up, reining tautly in—Firmly as coffee grips the taste,—and away!There was Priscilla’s cheek close in the wind,And Captain Smith, all heard and certainty,And Rip Van Winkle bowing by the way,—“Is this Sleepy Hollow, friend—?” And he—And Rip forgot the office hours,and he forgot the pay;Van Winkle sweeps a tenementway down on Avenue A,–In his poem, Crane makes use of historical and mythic figures from America’s past as he simultaneously explores his dual journey: backward into his childhood memories, delivered in the third person, and forward through the growth and development of the country. Why would Crane choose Rip Van Winkle as his guide on both journeys? Explain.
  10. Imagine Rip’s story taking place more recently—that is, imagine he slept through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II, the civil rights era, or the last twenty years. How would he respond to the changes he would encounter when he awoke?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Imagine Rip’s story taking place more recently—that is, imagine he slept through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II, the civil rights era, or the last twenty years. How would he respond to the changes he would encounter when he awoke?