Bull Chapter 1, Literary Analysis

Bull Chapter 1, Literary Analysis

2nd Draft Read

Multiple Choice

Which is a simile?

• Minos comes to me

  Mewling like a baby.

• He's got a hunger, he says,

  A hankering, a jones, a thing.

• An island so dazzling

  It could cure the friggin'

  Blind.

Multiple Choice

Minos comes to me,

Mewling like a baby,

Frowny-faced, heavy-hearted.

What does this simile suggest about how Poseidon views Minos?

• Poseidon thinks of Minos as a baby - powerless and whiny.

• Poseidon feels sorry for Minos and wants to help him feel better.

• Poseidon thinks of Minos as a baby - sweet and innocent.

Multiple Choice

Which uses an idiom?

• Minos comes to me

  Mewling like a baby.

• He's got a hunger, he says,

  A hankering, a jones, a thing.

• An island so dazzling

  It could cure the friggin'

  Blind.

Multiple Select

He's got a hunger, he says,

A hankering, a jones, a thing.

But not for a woman!

This jerk wants to be king!

What do these idioms suggest about Minos' wants and desires? (CHOOSE 2!)

• Minos wants the wrong things.

• Minos is obsessed with - almost addicted to -- power.

• Minos is obsessed with -- almost addicted to -- women.

Multiple Choice

Take a look at this literary device (repetition):

... It's not the friggin'

Scenerey this friggin'

Minos has in mind.

Not the harbors or the shores,

The god-possessed waters.

Not the sheep, the trusty shepherds,

Their warlike sons, their lusty daughters.

Not the olives or the figs,

The sacred, long-lived trees.

Poseidon thinks Minos wants the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Read this passage again. What does Poseidon think Minos should value?

• Minos, a human, should care about beautiful scenery and pleasing the gods.

• Minos, a human, should care about food and drink more than anything.

• Minos, a king, should care about his land and his people more than he cares about himself.

Multiple Choice

No,

All this clown wants

Is a little power....

He doesn't ask for much --

Just his own private nation.

This is an example of...

• juxtaposition

• simile

• imagery

Multiple Select

"He doesn't ask for much --

Just his own private nation."

What does this juxtaposition suggest about Minos? (CHOOSE 2!)

• He's greedy and doesn't know it.

• He's powerful and doesn't know it.

• He's corrupt and doesn't know it.

Multiple Choice

And you mortals?

You're ready to believe

Anything to prove

A god's on your side.

Besides, I got no dog in this fight.

No skin off my hide.

This is an example of...

• juxtaposition

• simile

• idiom

Multiple Choice

And you mortals?

You're ready to believe

Anything to prove

A god's on your side.

Besides, I got no dog in this fight.

No skin off my hide.

What do these idioms suggest about Poseidon?

• He doesn't care about human rulers and kings. (He's way more powerful than any of them.)

• He doesn't want to fight with Minos.

• He cares a lot about the affairs of humans and involves himself often.

Multiple Choice

And abra-cadabra!

A milk-white bull

Comes walking

Out of a wine-dark sea.

This is an example of...

• juxtaposition

• idiom

• simile

Multiple Select

And abra-cadabra!

A milk-white bull

Comes walking

Out of a wine-dark sea.

What symbols are present in this juxtaposition? (Choose 2!)

• bull vs. sea = land vs. ocean ("surf & turf!")

• White vs dark = good vs.evil (in literature)

• milk vs. wine = innocent child vs. mature adult

Introducing

EPITHETS!

Look,

He was supposed to sacrifice

That bull

To me!

Poseidon, baby!

King of the Sea!

Tamer of Horses!

Old Earth-Shaker!

Multiple Select

Look,

He was supposed to sacrifice

That bull

To me!

Poseidon, baby!

King of the Sea!

Tamer of Horses!

Old Earth-Shaker!

What do Poseidon's epithets suggest about him? (Click all that apply.)

• He rules the sea.

• He tames wild things.

• He has power on Earth.

• Basically, he's hella powerful.

Epithets Minos uses for Poseidon:

So this Minos,

This "king,"...

Hid my bull and

Sacrificed another.

Like I'm some kind of mark!

A pigeon!

His younger brother!

A harebrain!

An idiot!

A jammok!

A snot-nosed kid!

Multiple Select

Minos' epithets suggest he thinks Poseidon is...

(Check all that apply!)

• powerless

• childish

• stupid

• a powerful god

Open Ended

What imagery on p. 11 makes you cringe the most? Why?

But I didn't.

Parlor games.

A touch too mild.

Child's play.

And Poseidon's no child.

Poseidon's revenge will be "adult", so let me teach you one last literary device:

Euphamism

 the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

"Have Sex" = "Hold Hands"

From here on out. Thanks.

(Because Poseidon's revenge in the next chapter will be very "adult"/"X-rated". Stay tuned for Chapter 2 next week!)

Open Ended

1) How was the assignment today?

2) What do you think of the book after our "2nd-draft read"?