Marigolds By: Eugenia W. Collier

Quickwrite

Marigolds Quickwrite Make the Connection This story is about the passage from childhood to adulthood, a journey that is often marked by conflict. In fact, negotiating this passage can demand as much courage as a struggle with an outside enemy. Before you read this story, write down your response to the following question: What fears and conflicts do most young people deal with as they move into adult life? Keep your notes for use later on. [End of Section]

What is symbolism?

What is Figurative Language?

Marigolds by Eugenia W. Collier

Marigolds Introducing the Story “. . . one cannot have both compassion and innocence.” from “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier

Marigolds Introducing the Story The narrator of this story lives in a small town in Maryland during the Great Depression. Because her family has always been poor, Lizabeth is unaware of new family hardships. She cannot explain why her neighbor’s lovely flowers should anger her so. [End of Section]

Marigolds Literary Focus: Conflict Conflict is the struggle at the heart of a story. Internal conflict—characters struggle with opposing needs, desires, or emotions. External conflict—characters struggle with something outside themselves (other characters, society, or nature).

Marigolds Literary Focus: Conflict Conflict is most intense when characters face both internal and external struggles. In this story, Lizabeth takes part in an external confrontation with Miss Lottie struggles with contradictory desires that she doesn’t fully understand [End of Section]

Marigolds Reading Skills: Making Inferences A character’s motivation helps explain the conflicts that occur. When you read, think about why characters behave as they do. As you consider the reasons for their actions, you are trying to determine their motivation.

Marigolds Reading Skills: Making Inferences Often writers don’t make direct explanations about a character’s motives. The reader makes inferences, or educated guesses. Clues from the text: What characters say and don’t say. How characters act. Prior knowledge: What you know about people and how they behave. Inference about a character’s motivation. + =

Vocabulary

Arid Lacking enough water for many types of plants to grow; dry

Futile Useless; in vain

Impoverished Poor; poverty-stricken

Poignantly With a sharp sadness or pain

Clarity Clearness

Placidly Calmly; quietly

Inciting Used as; stirring up

Malicious Showing a desire to harm another; spiteful

Contrition Deep feelings of guilt and repentance

Marigolds Meet the Writer Eugenia W. Collier was born in 1928 in Maryland, the state in which “Marigolds” is set. A winner of the Gwendolyn Brooks Prize for Fiction, she has also taught English at Morgan State University, Baltimore Community College, and Howard University. Her poems and stories have appeared in many anthologies. More About the Writer [End of Section]

Marigolds Background The Great Depression In the 1930s, a terrible economic depression swept the world. The booming stock market had collapsed in 1929, causing businesses to shut down all over the United States and factories to close their doors. Banks failed. People lost their life savings. Life was hard for almost every American during those years.

Marigolds Background As the narrator of this story says, however, the Great Depression was nothing new to her family: For the black families of rural Maryland, all times were hard times. [End of Section]

Marigolds Reading Skills: Making Inferences While you read this story, look for clues that may help you infer the motives of the characters. Look for reasons behind the children’s behavior as individuals and in groups. Don’t forget to consider deeper motives behind the neighbor’s garden work. [End of Section]

Let’s read Make sure to look for 1. symbolism 2. imagery 3. figurative language 4. tone/theme