Ten Little Indians
Read “Do You Know Where I Am?” (pp. 150-168) from Ten Little Indians.
1. Read the poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171621 (Links to an external site.)
Explain how this poem connects to the story, “Do You Know Where I Am?”
2. Read the poem, “All in Green Went My Love Riding,” by Robert Cummings.
http://hellopoetry.com/poem/1553/all-in-green-my-l… (Links to an external site.)
Explain how this poem connects to the story, “Do You Know Where I Am?”
3. Explain what Alexie means when he says, “Maybe Sharon wasn’t a good Apache or Catholic, but she was religious when she found the proper mission.”
4. Explain why Alexie has the main character think of George Orwell’s comment from Reflections on Gandhi: “…saints should always be judged guilty until they are proven innocent.” How does this statement explain how the character feels about his actions? How is this statement different from the basic belief we have as American citizens?
5. Explain what the author means by this statement from the lead male character: “I was historic, predictable, and planned. I was normal.”
6. Of what significance is the main characters comparison of Sharon’s pearl necklace and pear earrings?
7. How is the main male character rationalizing his wife’s affair? Provide specific details from the story.
8. Read the poem, “After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes,” by Emily Dickinson.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177118 (Links to an external site.)
Explain how this poem connects to the story, “Do You Know Where I Am?”
9. How is the shirt that Sharon gives her husband on his fortieth birthday important to this story? How is his throwing it away two years later significant?
10. The characters share twenty-nine years of marriage. Was their union a happy one? Support your answer with three or more details from the story.
