Flowers by Alice Walker

What is the irony of "The Flowers?" Choose all that apply.

• • “The days had never been as beautiful as these”—this day won’t be beautiful.

• • “Each day [is] a golden surprise”—but not this day’s surprise.

• The "rotting of the body" surrounded by so much nature- this contrasts with growth of the character

• When Myop tries to head “back to the peacefulness of the morning”, she makes her grisly discovery

Choose all the details that give the text a tone of innocence.

Choose the details that show who the main character is and her background

The girl laying down her flowers is symbolic of

• Her laying down her childhood and also honoring the man

• Her laying down her childhood and running away from home

• Her turning away and being angry at the circumstances

How does Alice Walker use the character of Dee to explore the theme of cultural identity?

• By showing her rejection of her family's way of life

• Through her appreciation and understanding of her African heritage

• By depicting her as the only educated person in her family

• All of the above

Highlight the sentence that begins the changes in tone to the story.

Choose the details that give the scene a sense of morbidity/darkness.

Which of the following best describes the theme of The Flowers?

• Nature has the ability to tear people apart.

• Knowledge of the evil in the world brings the end of childhood.

• Hanging individuals is bad.

• Sharecropping was a form of exploitation in the 1800's.

Which of the following excerpts from the text best conveys Myop's innocence?

• "Turning her back on the rusty boards of her family's sharecropper cabin, Myop walked along the fence till it ran into the stream..."

• "By twelve o'clock, her arms laden with sprigs of her findings, she was a mile or more from home."

• "She was ten, and nothing existed for her but her song..."

• "Myop laid down her flowers."

What does Myop see that prompts her to put her flowers down?

• A dead man

• A wild pink rose

• A noose near the man's body

• Strange blue flowers