Read “Yours,” by Mary Robison, from What If? From this short piece, what do we know about the characters and their circumstances? Find out by answering the following questions:
–What is Allison’s and Clark’s relationship to each other, and how old are they?
–Have Allison and Clark been together for very long? How can you tell?
–From what kind of a background does Clark come? What hints from the story reveal his background?
–From what kind of a background does Allison come?
–In which part of the country do Allison and Clark live?
–What does Clark do for a living?
–How does Clark keep himself occupied?
–What does Allison do for a living?
–What do we know about Allison’s abilities?
–Even though Allison’s artistic talent seems meager, why does Clark tell her, “Your jack-o’-lanterns are much, much better than mine” (344)?
–What vice do Allison and Clark share in common?
–What is their current financial situation?
–As you move toward the resolution of the story, what ending do you expect, and how is your expectation turned upside down?
–After Allison dies, the narrator says that Clark “wanted to assure [Allison] that she had missed nothing” (344). What does Clark mean by this?
–What is the significance of the title “Yours”?
–In terms of beginning, rising action, climax, epiphany, falling action, resolution, how would you plot out this story?
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