Homework for the Story, "Katania"
Using the questions you received with your first short story (on the reverse of the sheet) or the “Guide to Literary Terms,” write an answer based on the page range given to you at class on Friday. You may comment on more than one example (e.g. for setting you could refer to both the physical setting and the social environment) that occurs on those pages. Remember to have one overall topic that is more general than your content, so we know how you plan to answer. Write about 200 words in a single paragraph. Quote at least twice and work to integrate your quotations into your own sentences. Try to show how your page range relates to something that happens either before or after it in the story.
33 comments:
Lara Vapnyar’s story, “Katania,” contains richly imagined and evocative settings. In the pages five through eight, Vapnyar brings us detailed information on the social world of the two girls. Katya is clearly concerned about Tania’s potential for bad behaviour when she invites her for the first time and that she “would throw a tantrum,” but Tania behaves well enough that Katya’s grandmother is “delighted with her.” The surprise is that Tania is sure that Katya’s family is “rich” since Tania has her own room. It also becomes clear at this point how they have lost their fathers: Tania’s defected; Katya’s died. We also read about the unravelling of the girls’ friendship that, ironically, is caused by Katya’s receiving a male doll from her uncle, one that she promptly designates the “father” doll. Impatient at the end of a long, boring summer, Katya can’t wait to show off her new possession. Tania’s response catches her by surprise as she begins chanting “cripple and retard” because of the father doll’s “bad hip.” Thus ends their childhood friendship. Vapnyar has planted the seed for the story’s slightly contrived ending where Tania’s ends up with a husband who walks as if his leg “were detached at the hip.” Contrived, yes, but for its rich use of setting, a worthwhile story to read.—218 words
Conflict in Katania
In “Katania”, a short story by Lara Vapnyar, many conflicts arise throughout the story. From pages five to eight, I noticed one main conflict and another subtle yet important conflict. I believe Tanya is conflicted with herself (person vs. self); this is subtly implied in the story. For example, Tania seemed to have hidden Arabella, her doll with “broken arms and a smashed-in face”, behind a shoe rack. Perhaps she was ashamed of that doll, because later on in the story she makes fun of Katya’s doll for being a “cripple”. Also, upon seeing Katya’s male doll, Tanya was “tense all over” and had a “certain stiffness to her movements”, eventually being relieved to see that the doll had a defect. I’m not sure if this is because she was jealous, aware of the difference of wealth between their families, or because of family situation (no father). These clues hint toward something bigger later on in the story. Another example of more visible conflict was person versus person. When Tania sees Katya’s doll, she begins to insult it, exclaimed “It’s damaged!” and calling it “cripple and retard” repeatedly. This conflict results in a physical fight and does not really get resolved between the two. Overall, Vapnyar shows interesting and diverse methods of storytelling with a twist that capture the reader.
[220 words]
Pavi M
English 12
Closed but Different Friends
Steve Park
I sae the two differnt personality between Katya and Tania in the story, "Katania," (in the page 5 to 8.) Katya is friendly, affectionate person. when she saw the Tina's doll, she gave a compliment that her doll is pretty, and although she worried that Tania would throw a tantrum or somthing against her grandmother's soup, she didn't refused to invite her into Katya's home. Also, I can see her friendliness as she called Tina a million times and walk around her house to play with her after the day she supposed to come back her home from her grandfather's house. However Tina is jealous, conceited and little selfish. During she looked around Katya's house and felt Katya is wealthier than her, she said to Katya like teasing her, "I can come and go as I pleas. You may be rich, but I have my freedom." In addition, Even though Katya treat her doll kindly, she didn't look her new doll in disgust, and blamme that the doll os cripple and retard. Therfore, both of two girls are friends, but they have opposite characteristics that explains their conflict.
-188 words-
I like Lara Vapnyar's short story,"Katania" which reflects the serious problems in the Soviet Union. There are many conflicts in the story. From page five to eight, she describes two girls' friendship sliding from hot top to ice point. That important conflict of person versus person runs through these pages. Although they have different characters, that doesn't hinder their relationship since they all like dolls and same imagination about the family. They design the rolls of their own family members, and they even fictionalize a country," We name it Katania." That is combination of the two girls' names. They produce a map by drawing, painting and taping. But that harmonious environment doesn’t last long. It is broken by the topic of fathers. That conflict is as well between individual and society. The rate of single mother is high at that time. Children grow up in the odd society are facing psychological impact, so the writer presents a ironic end in this story. Tania has sneered katya's male doll for his defect"cripple and tetrad." Eventually she marries a detected husband. She also lives in the country though she has hated rural life when she was young. That is why I appreciate this story.
-204 words-
The Conflict At Page 1 - 4
In the first four pages of “ Katania”, a short story by Lara Vapnyar, there is a conflict, which reveals the major concern – father in a family. Katya lives in a quiet life (perhaps) with her mother and grandmother, plus, a lots of dolls. Even though her fatehr dies, it seems not bother her too much for the most kids around her neighborhood have no father. Katya makes a new friend, Tania, who attracts Katy by “ threw a tantrum” to her mother in public. Comparing with herself, she can only do meowing while her mother is on the phone. Katya admires Tinia's courage and “couldn't take her eye off Tania.” They become friends. As happily friends do, they go to school together, play together and talk together. Katya assumes Tania's father is dead like her's, for curiosity she asks “how?” Unexpectedly, this question arouses Tania's hot temper. Her face turning red as she threw a tantrum at her mother. She is shrieking “My father isn't dead!” while “swung her schoolbag as if she were about to hit me on the head with it.” When the topic comes down to father, their conflict suddenly arises; it almost destroys their relationship.
(201 words)
In Lara Vapnyar's story "Katania", there are several conflicts taking place. From page five to eight, Vapnyar brings us two very important conflicts which effect the story a lot. The first conflict started when Tania said "I can come and go as I please. But you, you're stuck with your grandmother. You may be rich, but I have my freedom." After Tania visited Katya's house and her dolls, she was really jealous of Katya's life. Tania was looking for something to beat up Katya which was her freedom. The second conflict started when Katya proudly showed Tania with her father doll but a big issue was happened with a physical fighting between two girls. Katya has waited the whole summer to show her friend about her new father doll but Tania realized that father doll was damaged. Then Tania called the doll "Cripple and retard" and "started to sing, swing the father in her hand." These actions were really hurt Katya's feeling and pride. Katya started to hurt Tania's emotions by saying about her father's situation "He ran off! He up and went!" Their childhood friendship was broken after this conflict. Conflict is a natural part of life, these two conflicts help us to understand better the whole story's theme and these two characters.
-214 words
An emotionally raw story of two little girls, "Katania" by Lara Vapnar offers an array of well detailed setting. She allows the story to be relatable for those who feel like they need to make up for something. In this case, for both the girls it happened to be a father figure. Tania and Katya have an interesting relationship. They go about a turbulent friendship throughout the story until pages nine through twelve where their friendship ends. One year later Tania is going away to America, and invites Katya to her going away party. Katya says "she needed me, of all people to know that her father did care about her after all." This justifies Tania's desire to make up for something. The physical (as well as the emotional) setting is awkward, as Katya says that Tania "talked very fast, with fidgety gestures." It is obvious to the reader that Katya feels alienated by her presence. Tania satisfies her desire to uphold a particular status in the eyes of others. The social setting between them is tense, with the intention of subtlety. But is is Katya that gets the last laugh when she realizes that Tania has molded her life to replicate the dolls Katya had as a child.
-209 words
In "Katania", a short story by Lara Vapnyar, I have found several serious conflicts in the pages one through four. Vapnyar revealed to us significant social conflicts in Soviet Union where the story is set. I was a bit sad with these matters from this story. First, most of kids suffered from dysfunctional families-- fatherlessness. Second, Soviet Communist authorities ingeniously deceived most of its citizens. As the narrator (main character) confessed, "My family consisted of my mother, my grandmother, and me. That was perfectly normal. Father had a tendency to die, or to be lost to alcoholism." This declaration made me understand that alcoholism was such a serious issue among the society in this story ; it deprived them their happyness from a harmonious family. Moreover, I noticed another conflict is their deficiency of resources in their communist nation. As Katya (narrator) mentioned when her mom wrote school textbooks, she was censored-- They were forbidden to write or mention about their scare items in public. It was clear evidence of conflict that they have failed in competitive retailing skills for economic markets in their communist nation. However, these two severe conflicts revealed the social environment and atmosphere, so it gave me better understanding about the story's setting too. Words 210
The sorrowful background
This charming childhood story “KATANIA” (combined two girls’ name) by Lara Vapnyar was based on the powerful social setting. In the page first through four, the writer described how their “fatherlessness” background could effect to two little girl’s lives. The absent of the father leaded that Tania’s mother allow to her daughter’s misbehaviour. During the annual Tea with Parents, Tania threw the tantrum and screamed at her mom due to the wrong choice. Even though Katya knew that girl was wrong, she “admired her courage.” Ever since that event, they became the best friends. Knowing that their father wasn’t around them, they desired to find the dad’s love and their friendship also changed. “Fatherlessness was so common” and “perfectly normal” in Soviet; however, those girls felt their lives were imperfect and empty. After Katya asked to her best friend how Tania’s father was dead, Tania shouted at Katya “he was on a business trip” and “misses me every day!” (Like she misses her father) Therefore, a ‘father’ word became forbidden between them. Later on, Katya got a father doll from her uncle, she was so excited and couldn’t even see his “a bad hip” until Tania specified. Eventually, their friendship broke because of that doll. This delightful but sad story showed that how two girls got through their tragedy. (219 words)
Conflict 9 - 12 In "Katania"
In the story of “Katania” written by Lara Vapnyar, it had lots of conflicts throughout the story. Beginning of page 9, 2nd sentence there is a conflict. It starts as soon as Tania yelled “You’re lying!” and punches Katya. This was a physical conflict between the girls. There was another conflict, but it was physical. It was more of self-conflict between Katya and herself. When she was driving to go meet Tania (In page 10) she was dreading having to have their initial conversation; how her mother had passed away, how her health won’t allow her to have babies, and how her husband left her. “Up and went. Because he was sick of me.” She said after realizing how cruel those words were after her divorce. On page 11, when Tania was showing Katya her house I felt there was a small conflict where Tania was bragging about what she has now; Her Hemlock timber, dyed plaster walls, sauna off the master bedroom, Japanese toilet in the quest bathroom, and 6 bedrooms. The Author did an excellent job on adding different kinds of conflict in her story.
187 Words
Katania Setting
After I read “Katania,” a short story by Lava Vapnyar, I noticed many vivid settings throughout the story. In the pages 5 through 8, when Katya led Tania into her room; the setting of Katya’s room has many details: balcony, the rug, the nice furniture, and doll’s house. The writer made it clear that Tania was making an inspection of Katya’s room. In my opinion, Tania seemed to have a personal conflict in herself about her father who “Defected.” This made her have a jealous personality. She likes to compare everything with Katya and find something wrong with her friend life. For instance, “You may be rich, but I have my freedom.” Also, when Tania invited Katya to go to a going-away party, she just wanted to prove to Katya that her father cared for her. Moreover, at the end of the story when Tania met Katya at her beautiful house, she didn’t care for Katya’s life at all. She just wanted to show Katya that she had everything that Katya had before. It is interesting that Vapnyar used numerous highly descriptive settings which make the reader imagine all of the places in the story. Overall, I enjoyed this short story as it reminds me about my old friends.
--211 words--
“Katania,” a short story written by Lara Vapnyar is one of the good reads I found very interesting. It described vivid settings pages 9 to 12 as both friends Tania and Katya met again after a very long time. In these sections pointed out towards the opposite personalities of the two characters. Flashback scenario, the two old best friends are fond of their "ideal" doll house. It can be depicted thru their "doll house" their opposite characteristics. Katya had a countryside ambiance; like her, reserved and stoical while Tania's side was more of a modern type; like her, competitive and ambitious. Fast-forward, after twenty years the two childhood friends met again through “Facebook.” Tania invited Katya to her house in Berkshires since they (Tania’s family) are spending there on summer. Despite their bitter past due to a " crippled and damaged” male doll owned by Katya, both seemingly complement each other. Evidently, the house was a copycat from Katya’s dollhouse before. It has a “chicken coop” too, unlikely to Tania’s persona. Aside from Tania's abode, her crippled husband is somehow the real-life counterpart to Katya's disfigured male doll. Both characters completely fill the other's deficiencies. The author indeed wrote an intense life experiences into writing to bring out two different personalities; one as subtle and the other as blunt.
(219 words)
Katania’s Setting
The short story, “Katania,” by Lara Vapnyar consisted of many vivid physical settings and social settings. Through the page five to eight, the main physical settings were two girls’ home and their doll house. Comparing to Tania’s home, Katya’s one was bigger, and Katya had her own room, balcony, rug and nice furniture, so Tania said to her that she was “rich.” Even Katya’s doll house had many dolls and farm animals. When she saw Katya’s dolls and animals, she said, “There was a farm and they lived in a village.” Through their play and the end of the story, Vapnyar showed us the reverse. After 18 years later, they met in Tania’s village house. Her house looked remarkably like Katya’s doll house-painting red with yellow awnings. Moreover, Tania’s husband looked like Katya’s father doll having a “bad hip.” Therefore, Katya’s doll house and the father doll were very important clues for this story. Also through two girls’ life (Katya’s father had died and Tania’s had defected) and their play, the author tried to show us social setting that absence of a father was common in Russia at that time, how sensitive they talked about the father. Absolutely, I loved to read this story. (page 5-8)
-204 words
"Katania" is very interesting and intense story to read because it is full of various conflicts between characters.From page nine to twelve, One conflict that I like is Katiya's inner side while she was going to Tania's beautiful house. She wanted to avoid Tania's invitation and spend her vacation on somewhere else because she had gone through so many hardship, especially her recent divorce. She did not reveal her weakness to her old friends. It might hurt her ego. However, she also wanted to accept the invitation because she was afraid to spend the vacation alone for the first time. She did not have any place to go and any affordable flight to buy. She might expect the old Tania who would be more miserable than her so that she found some comfort for her suffering. Katiya's inner conflict is shown by the confusion caused by two directions: one from GPA and the other from Tania. She did not only loose her way to Tania's house but also her life. She had a life without mother, children, and husband. She lost her old self and needed time to 'recalculate' when she met old friend.
-197 words
Lara Vanier brings us an interesting story, “Katania”, which has distinct personalities of the two characters: Katya and Tania. In the pages nine through twelve, I can find that both of them have the same trait—nostalgic. Katya still can exactly remember the question which Tania asked her about if she was rich. She asked back, “So—you have six bedrooms? And you have antique sofas and everything? You are rich, aren’t you?” It really surprises me that Tania perfectly captures their childhood game in her real life: her house, her barns, her animals, even her husband! Her husband is a cripple just like Katya’s father doll. All of those prove the two girls can’t forget each other. Tania is a dependence strong woman like her grandma did everything for her when she was a little girl. She depended on her husband. “Except that the nice vacation spots were booked.” She depends on the GPS while she is driving. “I had become addicted to my GPS.” But she is changing since her divorce. And she finds Tania’s house following her intuition. Tania acquired a restless manner due to lack of security. “She talked very fast, with fidgety gesture.” “She began a never-ending tour.” In this story, Lara doesn’t directly tell us what traits the characters have, but the readers can get the answer easily.
220words
Conflict in Katania
In Katania by Lara Vapnyar, an up and down conflict throughout the story. A very opposite personality of two girls Katya and Tania. I’m sure Tania has a problem to herself (insensitive); this is one of the conflict on page five to eight. For example, Tania doesn't care of what words comes out in her mouth, “You may be rich, but I have my freedom.” It is very offensive on the part of Katya. This is a disrespecting attitude towards others that may explained that she is lack of discipline of a family (especially a father). She doesn't care about what Katya may feel after she tease that her doll is “cripple and retard”. I believe Tania said this because she still have anger to his father. “Brandishing the father doll” like her wrath to her father. In addition, I'm not really sure if Tania was pretending that she doesn’t sew the father doll instead she noticed the chicken coop when Katya was actually pointing to the father doll. She jump to the conclusion that she don't want to hear a word “father” instead she voice out that it is a boy. This end up into misunderstanding and physical fight between the two girls. It is a valuable story that capture the attention of the reader and can happen in real life. -225 words.
Setting in Katania
It is true to say that Lara Vapnyar succeeds in building vivid settings in the short story “Katania.” From a last third of the story the author mentions concrete information about Tania and Katya’s life after their fight. Katya is clearly doubtful about Tania’s bad personalities-selfish and jealous since she suddenly sends a message on Facebook and invites Katya to her house at “strange moment” in Katya’s life (how coincident it is). However, Katya has innocent thought that “[Tania] would not have been able to find [her] if [she had not changed back to her maiden name].” In addition, Katya is surprised that Tania’s house “looked remarkably like [her] old shoe box.” Also, the descriptive paragraphs are applied perfectly to make the story lively, especially the parts describing Tania’s house “hemlock timber, wooden pegs, dyed plaster wall.” Vapnyar creates a satisfied ending although it is not a happy ending: Katya has her own freedom, and Tania seems to satisfy by living in a dream house with a rich but cripple husband. In conclusion, Katania is a great example of using variety of imaginary and creative settings, I not only enjoy reading but also learn a lot from it.
(Words count: 198)
In “Katania” by Lara Vapnyar, I have discovered conflicts in pages one through four. The first conflict is person versus person. The main character Katiya seemed to have a negative relationship with her mother. It is evident how Katiya described her mother as one of her dolls in the shoebox. The conflict is between Katiya and her mother, who is busy taking care of the whole family all by herself. She describes how her mother “kicked her in the ribs simply for crawling … and meowing.” The mother was on the phone with her boss and she had no time for Katiya. However, a mother should never treat a child in that kind of manner. This conflict shows how fatherlessness affects families by making mothers in this society busy working and embittered without a man, who would provide for the family. The second conflict consists in person versus society. The Soviet society at the time of Katiya was in a difficult situation. The fathers of children “lose themselves to alcoholism” and tend to run away from their responsibilities as fathers. Fatherlessness of both girls leads to conflict not only between two girls, but also to conflict person versus self. Katiya’s assumption that Tania’s father was dead just like hers, show that both girl had inner side conflicts. First, Katiya found that the fact she do not have a father hurts her filling deeply, “sickening humiliation of being excluded from the elite group of children who had fathers.” Second, Tania’s harsh reaction about her father (who was defected) shows how painful this subject was for her and her family. Even though, her” father isn’t dead,” her father was in America. In conclusion Vapnyar shows how conflicts in the Soviet Union affected
children of the society.
(294 words)
Amy R.
“Katania”, by Lara Vapnyar was an interesting life story of two girls with opposite personality, living in a bitter sweet type of childhood which was the norms in their society. Although they belong in a complicated environment, “fatherlessness was so common that even the Soviet authorities were aware of it.” The girls still had a good friendly connection at the start. Just after Tania threw a tantrum at the school cafeteria during the annual tea with parents, “she smiled at Katya with warm and very grown up expressions.” From then on they bonded well: always walked home together and played at the abandoned apple orchard. Their friendship was put to a test when Tania reacted badly to Katya’s question pertaining Tania’s father. The details from page 1-4 have a similarity at the ending part of the story because Katya’s pretend doll’s community before became a part or coincide with Tania’s real life as an adult. Tania built herself an exact replica of Katya’s doll house, down to the chicken coop at her elegant house. And also the father doll of Katya with broken hip seemed to have the same predicament with Tania’s husband (also with a bad hip). The story was full of well detailed settings that make it fun to read.
-214 words
A children's play can easily reflect their life and their characters. There were different doll houses to represent their different social situation and affect their characters. Tina's doll house is smaller, without animals and not furnishing, it showed Tina's family was not rich. So Tina is more defended and moody to their family's situation. Katya and Tina were childhood friends and both lived with their mothers without fathers. The similarity made them become the best friends, but the difference made them break their relationship. Tina was sensitive to talk about her father and became moody because her father was her secret and shameful memory. Also we can know she was bossy and self center from she asked her mother to get what she wanted. But Katya wasn't a this kind of personality person and admired Tina's courage. Katya's assumptions made herself feel they were in different group. For the kids, they are not easy to accept their difference, so their relationship was frangible.(163 words)
Katania
The title “Katania” refers to the imaginary country that is created by Tania and Katya. The story is about childhood fantasy. Together they fantasize and play dollhouses. On pages five to eight there are two major conflicts that arise. Tanya thinks that Katya is rich, she has her own bedroom and balcony, rugs and everything. Tanya seemed to be jealous at her for having those material things but she realized that she don't have those things but her key gives her freedom. Tanya said “ You may be rich, but I have my freedom.” Having said that, Katya is more pleased than angry. She didn't care much about freedom. She felt satisfied with what she have but her new found identity was shattered when she ask her mom and laugh. Another particular point of friction between the girls is their mutual fatherliness and their fight sorround this issue. The two girls fight over a father doll who has a broken leg. Tanya teased her that the doll is crippled and retarded. It upsets her and screamed that Tanya's father is worst, he left them and didn't care about them. Both are heartbroken and this ends thier childhood relationship. These two conflicts are not just a childhood fight, it affects their lives as they partway and thier lives are a replica of their dollhouses.
214 words
Reality and Imagination
“Katania” by Lara Vapnyar is a remarkable short story very representative for the communist Soviet Union society. Both girls come from the same social class and both have only the mother who supports the family; no father figure is present. The missing father is important for both characters, for their future development and perception about society. This fully explains Katya’s surprise and joy when she “suddenly got a father doll as a gift!” Both Katya’s and Tania’s dollhouses tell much about their imaginative nature. They couldn’t buy so many things then, so both girls are very creative. The beginning point of the two girl’s friendship is when “Tania threw a tantrum during the annual Tea with Parents” and Katya admires her for her courage. Even from this point it is very clear that the girls are different and it becomes clearer when we see Tania’s reaction at Katya’s question about her dad: “He is away on a business trip in America. He misses me every day!”. And it is not a common thing the father being away and misses his family. Maybe this is the reason Tania is more independent and also one of her dolls is “away on a business trip”. Subconsciously, each girl dreams to the life of their dolls but the life has other plans for them.
(220 words)
NANCY NGUMO
“KATANIA,” the story by Lara Vapnyar is interesting. From pages five through eight, the setting introduces us to two friends Katya and Tania. Vapnyar helps us to relate the story to what’s happening in the real world. When Katya noticed Arabella (Tania’s doll) stuck behind the shoe rack, she realized it was the doll that Tania had mentioned was away on a business trip. It’s ironical because Katya saw the hidden doll as anticipated .However, it dawned at her the doll was hidden because it had broken arms and smashed-in-face. Judging from a different form of angle, Tanya seemed to have a big ego. For instance, when Katya complimented the “prettiness,” of her tiny blonde doll, she responded back insisting “it’s talented too.” Tanya was surprised to find out Katya had her own room with a balcony compared to their smaller one bedroom apartment which had shabbier furniture. Also, She was fascinated by the father doll katya had. She keenly examined, touched and stroked on her boot. Her expression of relief revealed the moment she noted, the fault with the doll’s left leg calling it “Cripple” and “retard." Katya got furious and pounded Tania so hard until katya’s mum came to stop the fight. It impacted their childhood, Katya was surprised to find out Tania was living the life that she had always wanted after she paid a visit to her home in America .Except for Tania having gained weight beyond her expectation, she realized nothing much had changed in terms of characters.
In the story "Katania" by Lara Vapnyar, the unexpected and suprising event of the settings from pages 9 through 12 completely inverse the situation of Katya and Tania. Katya had suddenly loss interest in her barns and dolls after the dispute between her and Tania, and altered her parsonality, and rerouted her life in a differrent path. When later on in the story, she felt alienated and nostaligic from all those quaint houses, barns, and animals -- saying, " I knew I'd never want to live in a place like this." Katya soon discovered that it was Tania's place. After years of loss communications, Tania had invited Katya to her house via Facebook, but Katya was to fearful to show Tania what had happened in her life--divorced and unable to have children-- but fortunately, when they met, Tania was to busy bragging how wealthy and happy her life went that she didn't bother asking. Tania render herself to have a perfect life like Katya's old doll house down to the crippled husband. However, not realizing, Tanya accuses Katya and saying,"Because you wouldn't share your dolls." When all Katya did was to wait for her all summer long just to share her dolls to Tania when they were a child. The overturn of the story made it interesting and worthwhile. -227 words
Setting
In “ Katania’’ by Lara Vapnyar, the story is about the two girlfriends called katya and Tania. The main setting from pages one to five include: social environment and place. The story takes place in the Russia. Katya, the narrator of the story lives with her mother, grandmother, whereas Tania lives only with her mother. They live in the same building, as katya said “it looked like a skyscraper lying on its side. They first met at school, it was September when Tania threw a tantrum to her mother in front of whole students. They both don’t have a father, as katya mentioned, “Fatherlessness was so common that even the Soviet authorities were aware of it’’. Most fathers died of alcoholism, as she said “Fathers had a tendency to die, or lose themselves to alcoholism”. It shows that there is some dysfunctional family in the society. The children are brought up by the single parent, and most of children in the society have no fathers. They are prohibited from mentioning scarce items. For instance, they could use apples not bananas, chickens but not beef, mothers but not fathers. Overall, the setting helps us to understand the story better and clear.
206 words
In the short story “Katania” by Lara Vapnyar, in the pages five to eight, the author compare the social life of two girls from different social background. For example, when first time Katya wants to invite Tania in her home, she was concern about her. She says, “I was a little worried that Tania wouldn’t like the food and would throw a tantrum or something, but she ate quickly and gracefully.” Tania was jealous and poor because her father was defected, and Katya was rich and protected. When she first time came to Katya home; she was surprised and asked Katya, “You are rich, aren’t you?”
The fatherlessness in the Soviet Union was another issue, Katya father was dead, and Tania father had defected. Both girls felt the lack of father in their life when Katya showed her father doll to Tania, and she reacted like this, “She picked the father up gingerly, slowly, and brought him close her face. For a second, I was afraid that she was going to eat him. But she just examined him, touched his hair, stroked the felt on his hat, sniffed at his leather boots.”
(201 words)
Characters “Katania”
In Lara Vapnyar’s story “Katania,” I noticed a contrast in the character’s personalities. On pages one to four Vapnyar writes about how two mothers are very different from each other; they both handle similar situations differently. Tiana’s mother trended to take the situation calmly. She was speaking very softly and allowing her daughter to get away with things. When Tania was screaming for getting the wrong colour cup, her mother simply stood up and smiled and said that she'd go home and get the blue one. However, in contrast Katya's mother is very strict. She gets into a fight or flight mood. She doesn't tolerate any childish acts from her daughter. Katya said, "My mother would never have taken it so calmly." She mentioned what happened to her just a few days back when her mother had kicked her in the ribs simply for crawling around on the floor and meowing while her mother on the phone. Moreover, Tania felt her behaviour was tolerable by saying, "Don't you just hate it when you have to drink your tea from the wrong cup?" Yet, she seems to act spoilt when she boasted about her doll (they have Americas names). Furthermore, Katya's didn't blame her mother. She admitted that she was wrong. Although, Tania and Katya were both poor Tania acted rich but, Katya was a friendly person. Both girls’ personalities showed their character traits.
233 words
Sarjeevan kaur
Setting at pages 5-8
A short story, “Kataina” written by Lara Vapnyar describe the vivid and compare of social life between two friends. In the begging of page five shows the Tania; she is two faces girl, because she reacts very friendly with the people at the front, but inside she feels a jealous. When Tania went Katya’s home for the dinner, she shows that likes and enjoys the food. Also, she said “thanks for food.” Beside this, she feels a jealous with Katya because she is protecting by her grandmother in absence of her mother. When she goes back at her home she said to Katya, she has freedom to go anywhere and “you are stuck with your grandmother.” Both Tania and Katya have single parents mother and that this reason they both make a single doll houses in the shoes box. Katya get a male doll by her uncle from Bulgaria and she finds his bad hip. When Katya shows her male doll to Tania then Tania called him cripple and retard. In the end of the story, Tania got married with bad hip man. Overall, people never think when they make a fun for other their weakness it will sometime with them in the future.
Words-211
Conflict page 9-12
In the story "Katania" by Lara Vapnyar presents many internal conflicts of Katya. Especially through page 9-12 it show how much issue she has with herself. For instance, when she was driving to Tania house, she lost the direction even though she had a G.P.S. and clear direction from Tania. She was so lost in her self-thinking about how Tania will look, is her mom a live and how her life will be. When she arrives at her friend house, Katya decided not to tell about her divorce and her mom dead to Tania. The reason is she did not want to look loser in front of Tania. She got jealous of Tania because she had everything children, husband and home. However, Katya tries to show that Tania had copy her doll house that she made at their city with all details even having the husband with one leg as same as her father doll she had in the doll house. She indicates because she had a perfect life, so Tania copied her which is not the truth.
Characters on Page 5—8 of “Katania”
The story “Katania” by Lara Vapnyar introduces how two Russian girls are affected by the fact of no father in their life. Without the father in the family, the kids lost the natural protect and security as well the sense of pride. They had to seek other sources to make them look stronger and cover their feeling of inferiority. Exaggerated ego was one of the inner sources. With a mild mother, Tania became dominating in the family, playing an aggressive “father” role; meanwhile, with a bad-temper mother, Katya was dominated by one only pole in the family, being a flabby subordinate position. These two girls’ different characters affected their behaviors. On the middle part of the story, Tania voiced over Katya in all the dialogues. Tania bragged her doll Sigrid “talented too” over Katya’s appreciation of “pretty.” She insulted Katya's father doll “cripple and retard”. When Tania rivaled to Katya obviously, Katya also sneakily competed to Tania. Katya showed off her new toy, pleased to hear that her family is richer than Tania’s, looked down Tania’s father although her own father died. For an imperfect toy, Katya “tried to fix it” while Tania abandoned. This difference reflects that Katya cares her family gingerly while Tania lacks the sense of belonging. These descriptions of characters greatly help the readers understand the conflicts between the two girls.
-225 words
There are many conflicts that move the story of “Katania” forward, but on page eight, there is a moment that starts the climatic fight that pushes the young girls apart. We are shown a personal conflict that Tania goes through when she is shown Katya’s prize possession, her father doll. Tania picks up the doll and becomes “tense all over” and Katya is fearful that Tania will eat the doll. One could assume that Tania’s reaction to the doll, and what it represents to Katya, is resentment towards her own father for defecting to America leaving her and her mother alone. As Tania carefully looks over every inch of the doll she shows relief that it is damaged; safe in the knowledge that Katya’s life is not perfect. This is when the girls get into a huge fight that shatters their friendship completely. After this point the girls never speak or see each other until years have passed, when Tania invites Katya to her going away party. Their conflict is never resolved, and when the characters meet once more many years later at the end of the story, they do not rekindle their childhood friendship.
Andrea Kirk
195 words.
I like the way Lara Vapnyar’s links Katia and Tania’s mental issues to political and social problems in Soviet Union era. “Fatherlessness”, a common pain between the two seven year-old girls, bonds them over their desire to build an imaginary world they wish to live in. In the pages five through eight, the story takes place in Tania’s home where Arabella, hidden behind the shoe rack, is introduced to Katia— it’s a picture of Tania herself, for she’s wanting to go on a business trip with her dad—and it continues at Katia’s home. Seeing Katia’s room, their bigger house, and the red shoe box house, she relieves her hatred by pointing to her “keys” as a mean of “freedom” to arise Katia’s jealousy. Despite her expectation, Katia comes up with a “new found identity”; being “rich.” The father doll from Bulgaria ruins their friendship because Tania can’t stand her friend possess something that is missing in her life (a father), and they fight over it after she calls it “a cripple and retard” and begins to “brandish it like a trophy.” Later, the direction of the story swaps when Tania ends up having a husband with “bad hips” and Katia is the one whose husband is up and gone. Thus, Vapnyar’s relates social and political issues to character development of kids in Soviet era.
225 words
Mark the episodes in which character’s beliefs and expectations are contrasted by reality. Explain the importance of characterization of these episodes (page 5 through 7)
The story, “Literally” by Antonya Nelson is well developed with seemingly interesting characterized episodes.The first occurred when Richard entered Bonita’s apartment. He was glad that the apartment although a “Shoddy ruin” had a handy man to protect the tenants. Surprisingly, he realized the man was Bonita’s ex-husband. It’s through this episode that we get to understand the other side of Richard. Well, not precise if he is in love with Bonita or not, but we get a glimpse of his thoughts. For instant he imagined Bonita and himself rejoined to become a family. This shows how desperation and loneliness can emotionally make people fall into temptations.Isaac's eye’s “turned raw panic” is another worrying episode. Kids are usually excited to see their parents, but in Isaac’s case, the dad’s presence scared him. His reaction toward the dad was important because, Richard got to meet Bonita’s ex-husband. Also, Isaac’s panic reaction leaves the reader to wonder, if Isaac is scared of his dad because of his violence act or because he knocked his tooth out. The story overall,helped me realize the importance of being humble regardless of your background. 195words
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