Unit – Love and Family

Lost in Yonkers

Ms. Kamrass

English 9

Essential Questions:

Why is family so important?

How do people survive hardship?

Subjects in the drama: survival, family, acceptance, love, and death

Literary terms:

characterization - the creation of a character through his/her words, thoughts, appearance, and action (also through other characters’ perceptions is known as indirect characterization)

conflict - – the main struggle between the antagonist and protagonist (there are often other conflicts within a plot).

drama – a serious literary work usually intended for performance before an audience.

setting – the time and place when a story occurs

stage directions – when the playwright includes specific actions for the characters in the play.

theme – the meaning of a story

dynamic character vs. static character – a dynamic character changes in the course of a story; a static character stays the same.

Assessments:

Quizzes; test; journal and formal writing; class work and homework assignments.

In Summary:

Neil Simon, one of America’s most prolific and popular playwrights, published Yonkers in 1991. That year it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama and a Tony Award.It is set during World War II (1942) in Yonkers, NY -- a city in lower WestchesterCounty. It deals with a family that must come to grips and their affect on one another as each copes with various problems and tragedies.

Lost in Yonkers is considered a tragedy and a comedy. Below, list the events and ideas of the story that fall under the categories of tragedy and comedy. You will decide for yourself if the entire play is one or the other at the end.

TRAGEDY / COMEDY
Act 1, scene 1
Act 1, scene 2
Act 1, scene 3
Act 1, scene 4
Act 2, scene 1
Act 2, scene 2
Act 2, scene 3

Characters
ACT ONE
AGES/ RELATIONSHIPS TO EACH OTHER/ DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS: INDIRECT AND DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

Grandma Kurnitz
Bella Kurnitz
Eddie Kurnitz
Jay Kurnitz
Arty Kurnitz
Louie Kurnitz

ACT ONE - Scene One
1. What is the time period? What is the historical context? (setting)

______

2. Based on what the boys say about their grandmother, draw a picture of how you envision her. Write the descriptions of her around the outside of the drawing.

  1. Why do the boys think that the grandmother is exceptionally cold?

______4. What do you think that Jay means when he describes their Aunt Bella as “closed for repairs”?

______

  1. What’s wrong with Aunt Gert?

______6. What is it that Grandma never allowed her own children to do? What do you think of this?

______

  1. Why is Aunt Bella a comical character? What does she say and do to deserve this description?

______

  1. What do you learn about Jay and Arty’s mother?

______

______

  1. What tragedy has Grandma had in her lifetime?

______

______

  1. What does Eddie think of America?

______

______

______

______
11. Why does Eddie have to leave the boys?

______

______

  1. At one point in the play, there is a description of the Grandmother. Draw the Grandmother again, using the new description.
  1. Why is Grandma bitter towards Eddie?

______

______

  1. Why does Grandma think that Eddie isn’t a man? Do you agree with her ideas about manhood?

______

______

  1. What reason does Eddie give for not visiting Grandma?

______

  1. How does Bella convince Grandma to let the boys stay?

______

*What does this show about Bella?

______

SCENE TWO

  1. Where is Bella spending much of her time?

______

  1. Why do the boys wish that they could make money?

______

SCENE THREE

19. What does Bella know about her fiancé? Do you think she knows him well enough to marry him? Why or why not?

______

20. What hints does Bella give that shows that she doesn’t know much about Johnny?

______

21. Do you think Bella and Johnny would be successful restaurant owners? Why or why not?

______

______

______

22. What is Grandma hiding in the house? What do Jay and Arty consider doing? Do you think they should?

______

______

Scene Four

  1. How is Louie different than Eddie?

______

______

24. List the lies that come from Louie.

______

25.How are Jay and Artie different?

______

26. What’s ironic about what Eddie says at the end of the scene, “knowing you’re with family…”?

______

ACT TWO - SCENE ONE

  1. Do you think Grandma doesn’t like Arty and Jay? Why or why not?

______

28. What does Grandma say about being hated?

______

______

29. What happened when Louie ran away? What did he learn from the experience?

______

______

30. Why does Grandma accuse Jay of letting the pretzels be stolen if she knows it was Bella who ate them?

______

  1. Why does Louie think that Jay has moxie?

______

SCENE TWO

  1. What story is it that Bella tells the entire family? How does Grandma react?

______

33. How does Bella show that she’s smarter than she seems?

______

SCENE THREE

34. Why can’t Bella stay a child?

______

35. Where does Bella get five thousand dollars?

______

36. What do you learn is the reason for Grandma’s cruelty all these years?

______

______

SCENE THREE

  1. Why does Grandma finally approve of Eddie?

______

Conflicts:List at least three different conflicts from this play, then describe how they are resolved. Be sure to include character names.

conflictresolution

conflict 1
conflict 2
conflict 3