1. English 12 AP Truth, language, metaphor, and story: the quest continues in a world of complexity Instructor: Mr. Rick Leidenfrost- Wilson

2. Metaphor vehicle + tenor = metaphor vehicle, n. The image used to represent something else Tenor, n. The thing being represented  Ex: That child is a mouse. Last night, I plowed through the book.

3. Implied or Direct Metaphor Dead Metaphor -- a phrase that – although a metaphor – is no longer recognized as such because it has become so familiar. Ex. “Getting the hang of things.” Mixed Metaphor -- more than one vehicle is used to explain the same tenor. Metaphor is the most significant of the five prinicipal tropes, the others being simile, metonymy, personification, and synecdoche.

4. Doubt by John Patrick Shanley “What actually happens in life is beyond interpretation. The truth makes for a bad sermon. It tends to be confusing and have no clear conclusion.” “The most innocent actions can appear sinister to the poisoned mind.”

5. Doubt by John Patrick Shanley A Parable: a short, realistic, illustrative story intended to teach a moral or relgious lesson; a type of allegory. Questions to consider: How do you know when something is true? How do you know when you are experiencing doubt? What causes you to experience doubt? What prompts you to know you are right? What pushes you “off your game” into doubting yourself? What pushes you to construct a lie? (Coloring game)

6. Scene I What doubt does Father Flynn allude to which has caused disorientation and despair for the country? What rhetorical questions are raisied in the opening sermon? What questions are raised for the audience? What does it reveal about the character? Find 5 to 10 metaphors in the opening scene. Identify the tenors and vehicles. Why is the metaphor being used? (What is being accomplished or communicated through the metaphor?) What is the parable of the sermon and how does the parable function as metaphor?

7. Scene II Why does Sister James visit Sister Aloysius? Why does Sister Aloysius doubt the truth of the nosebleed? Explain various possibilities for the Pause on pg. 9. To Sister Aloysius, what is the significance of the ballpoint pen?

8. Scene III What are Father Flynn’s instructions about how to play? Examine the diction of this monologue and find relationships between the words. Why does Father Flynn’s mentioning of “nails” stand out to us? Why does he say clean nails are important to him? What do they represent, for him? What does his referencing of them represent for us?

9. Scene IV On page 19, Sister Aloysius “is suddenly rigid.” What is communicated to the audience through that sudden rigidity? For Sister Aloysious, what does the word “protector” mean, in this instance? (How would she explain to us Sister James’ use of “protector” if explaining it as metaphor? What is the vehicle and what is the tenor? What causes Sister James to feel she has lost her way a little? What is the wolf/sheep reference and what does it communicate? What are the various pieces of evidence which cause “doubt” for Sister James about what happened with Donald Muller in the rectory? The “crime” which is being alluded to is never actually mentioned in this scene. How do we know what it is? Why is John Patrick Shanley deliberately not articulating it for us?

10. Scene IV How is the device of the sugar working in the scene? Explain the discussion of “Frosty the Snowman” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” How does this thematically advance the scene and the play? What causes Father Flynn to have the idea for a sermon about “Intolerance”? Do you believe or disbelieve Father Flynn in this scene? Why or why not?

11. Scene VI What is the primary metaphor/analogy of the sermon? Explain the vehicle and tenor.

12. Scene VII In this scene, do you believe Father Flynn’s innocence? Why or why not?

13. Scene VIII How are authority and race working in this play? In this scene? What is Mrs. Muller’s argument and does it surprise you in any way? Why does it surprise you, or why doesn’t it?