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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who gave Inez her emergency contact in Jakarta?
2. What does Inez suspect is happening throughout the Pacific as Jack Lovett's body is transported?
3. By most accounts, Paul Christian is deeply changed by his trip where?
4. What is Jack Lovett's primary concern regarding Jessie Victor's situation?
5. Who was Paul Christian talking to at a Victor fundraiser, whom he thought was rude for not responding?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In DEMOCRACY, calculated deception is necessary to the survival of political families. As such, Didion pointedly juxtaposes the reality of her characters' lives and the image they attempt to project to public. Write an essay, examining this juxtaposition in three parts:
Part 1) How is the Christian family viewed as a liability in the '72 presidential run of Harry Victor? How does the neo-colonial attitude of the Christians undermine the image that Victor is trying to cultivate?
Part 2) How does Billy Dillon's reaction to the Paul Christian shootings reflect a sense of desperate deception? In what ways does he attempt to spin the story to make Paul Christian seem like a victim after her murders his own daughter? What does this indicate about Billy Dillon's compassion?
Part 3) In what respect is Inez's abandonment of the Christian family with Jack Lovett represent the shattering of the PR illusion created by Billy Dillon? How does he react to this final betrayal?
Essay Topic 2
Living beneath the surface of the narrative is the end of the Vietnam War. In the first half of the novel, Didion makes explicit mention of the Fall of Saigon. Write an essay about this historical moment becomes incredibly important both thematically and in terms of the narrative. Which characters are personally involved in the end of the war? How does defeat in Vietnam ripple through the lives of the characters in the novel and through the history it dramatizes?
Essay Topic 3
The actual plot of DEMOCRACY only begins about halfway through the novel. The preceding chapters provide reams of expository information and tantalizing clues as to what is to come. Write an essay analyzing the narrative structure of the novel. What does Didion achieve with the unorthodox structure? How does the first half of the novel prepare the reader for the plot to follow? What question does it raise? Are all of them answered by the end of the book?
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This section contains 455 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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