Frank O'Connor, "First Confession," Traveller's Samples (1951)

Glossary

porter: 

flaking: beating

heart-scalded: disgusted

half-crown: a coin worth two shillings and sixpence; no longer used

caffler: 

biretta: a stiff, square cap with three or four upright projecting ridges

begor: short for begorrah; wow; Irish form of the English exclamation begad, or "by God"

bullseyes: round, hard candy

Review Sheet

Characters

Jackie

• 7 years old ("a fellow confessing after seven years" 4)

• lives in a town in Ireland ("a new half-crown" 2; )

• has at least one sister named Nora ()

• both parents are living ()

• living paternal grandmother ()

• paternal grandfather is dead (1)

• has a friend named Bill Connell, son of the sergeant-major (1)

Nora

• > 7 years old ()

• has younger brother named Jackie ("I can't leave you out of my sight for one minute" 4)

• gets a penny from grandmother every Friday ()

Grandmother - also called Gran

• walks barefoot in the house (1)

• eats with her hands ("using her fingers by way of a fork" 1)

• comes from the country (1)

• likes porter, potatoes, salt fish ()

• uses snuff (5)

Mrs. Ryan

• old ("about the one age with Gran" 1)

• rich ("she was well-to-do"; "lived in a big house on Montenotte" 1)

• teaches bible studies to elementary school children (1)

Priest

• young ("the astonished face of a young priest looking up at me" 4)

•  

Mother

• does not like Gran ("to mother's great indignation, went round the house in bare feet" 1)

• often sides with Jackie

• cooks (1)

• works outside home (1)

Father - also called Dadda

• sides with Nora

•  

Setting

Plot

Discussion

point of view

voice

character

foil

personality

direct presentation of character

indirect presentation of character

show v. tell

consistency in character behavior

motivation

plausibility of character: is the character credible? convincing?

flat character

round character, multidimensional character

static character

developing character

direct methods of revealing character:

• characterization through the use of names

• characterization through physical appearance

• characterization through editorial comments by the author, interrupts narrative to provide information

• characterization through dialog: what is said, who says it, under what circumstances, who is listening, how the conversation flows, how the speaker speaks (ex. tone, stress, dialect, diction/word choice)

• characterization through action

plot

beginning, middle, end

scene

chance, coincidence

double plot

subplot, underplot

deus ex machina

disclosure, discovery

story

conflict, internal conflict, external conflict, clash of actions, clash of ideas, clash of desires, clash of wills

• man v. self

• man v. man

• man v. society

• man v. nature

protagonist

antagonist

suspense

mystery

dilemma

surprise

ending

• happy ending

• unhappy ending

• indeterminate ending

artistic unity

time sequence

exposition

complication

rising action, falling action

crisis

climax

conclusion

resolution

denouement

flashback, retrospect

foreshadowing

Other books by O'Connor at Chula Library:

My Father's Son.  New York: Knopf, 1969. (CL 92 O18M)

A Short History of Irish Literature: A Backward Look.  New York: Putnam, 1967. (Arts PB1306 O18S)

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Last updated July 20, 2007